t and chagrin of
the mind, occasioned by a running on, as I said, to the last gasp, when
they have little to pay? Then, indeed, the tradesman can expect no
quarter from his creditors, and will have no quiet in himself.

I might instance here the miserable, anxious, perplexed life, which the
poor tradesman lives under; the distresses and extremities of his
declining state; how harassed and tormented for money; what shifts he is
driven to for supporting himself; how many little, mean, and even wicked
things, will even the religious tradesman stoop to in his distress, to
deliver himself--even such things as his very soul would abhor at
another time, and for which he goes perhaps with a wounded conscience
all his life after!

By giving up early, all this, which is the most dreadful part of all the
rest, would be prevented. I have heard many an honest unfortunate man
confess this, and repent, even with tears, that they had not learned to
despair in trade some years sooner than they did, by which they had
avoided falling into many foul and foolish actions, which they
afterwards had been driven to by the extremity of their affairs.

FOOTNOTES:

[14] [Whitefriars, in the neighbourhood of the Temple, London. This and
the Mint were sanctuaries for debtors.]

CHAPTER VIII

THE ORDINARY OCCASIONS OF THE RUIN OF TRADESMEN

Since I have given advice to tradesmen, when they fell into
difficulties, and find they are run behind-hand, to break in time,
before they run on too far, and thereby prevent the consequences of a
fatal running on to extremity, it is but just I should give them some
needful directions, to avoid, if possible, breaking at all.

In order to this, I will briefly inquire what are the ordinary originals
of a tradesman's ruin in business. To say it is negligence, when I have
already pressed to a close application and diligence; that it is
launching into, and grasping at, more business than their stock, or,
perhaps, their understandings, are able to manage, when I have already
spoken of the fatal consequences of over-trading; to say it is trusting
carelessly people unable to pay, and running too rashly into debt, when
I have already spoken of taking and giving too much credit--this would
all be but saying the same thing over again--and I am too full of
particulars, in this important case, to have any need of tautologies and
repetitions; but there are a great many ways by which tradesmen
precipitate thems