ion, and preserve his credit.

But the main question for a tradesman in this case, and which I have not
spoken of yet, is, 'What is the man to do to preserve his credit? What
are the methods that a young tradesman is to take, to gain a good share
of credit in his beginning, and to preserve and maintain it when it is
gained?'[45]

Every tradesman's credit is supposed to be good at first. He that begins
without credit, is an unhappy wretch of a tradesman indeed, and may be
said to be broke even before he sets up; for what can a man do, who by
any misfortune in his conduct during his apprenticeship, or by some ill
character upon him so early, begins with a blast upon his credit? My
advice to such a young man would be, not to set up at all; or if he did,
to stay for some time, till by some better behaviour, either as a
journeyman, or as an assistant in some other man's shop or warehouse, he
had recovered himself; or else to go and set up in some other place or
town remote from that where he has been bred; for he must have a great
assurance that can flatter himself to set up, and believe he shall
recover a lost reputation.

But take a young tradesman as setting up with the ordinary stock, that
is to say, a negative character, namely, that he has done nothing to
hurt his character, nothing to prejudice his behaviour, and to give
people a suspicion of him: what, then, is the first principle on which
to build a tradesman's reputation? and what is it he is to do?

The answer is short. Two things raise credit in trade, and, I may say,
they are the only things required; there are some necessary addenda, but
these are the fundamentals.

1. Industry. 2. Honesty.

I have dwelt upon the first; the last I have but a few words to say to,
but they will be very significant; indeed, that head requires no
comment, no explanations or enlargements: nothing can support credit, be
it public or private, but honesty; a punctual dealing, a general probity
in every transaction. He that once breaks through his honesty, violates
his credit--once denominate a man a knave, and you need not forbid any
man to trust him.

Even in the public it appears to be the same thing. Let any man view the
public credit in its present flourishing circumstances, and compare it
with the latter end of the years of King Charles II. after the Exchequer
had been shut up, parliamentary appropriations misapplied, and, in a
word, the public faith broken; who would lend