inland tradesmen of
England, I think it would be as unprofitable to them to meddle with
this, as it would be difficult to them to understand it.[48]

I return, therefore, to the subject in hand, as well as to the people to
whom I have all along directed my discourse.

Though the inland tradesmen do not, and need not, acquaint themselves
with the manner of foreign exchanges, yet there is a great deal of
business done by exchange among ourselves, and at home, and in which our
inland trade is chiefly concerned; and as this is the reason why I speak
so much, and repeat it so often to the tradesman for whose instruction I
am writing, that he should maintain the credit of his bills, so it may
not be amiss to give the tradesman some directions concerning such
bills.

He is to consider, that, in general, bills pass through a number of
hands, by indorsation from one to another, and that if the bill comes
to be protested afterwards and returned, it goes back again through all
those hands with this mark of the tradesman's disgrace upon it, namely,
that it has been accepted, but that the man who accepted it is not able
to pay it, than which nothing can expose the tradesman more.

He is to consider that the grand characteristic of a tradesman, and by
which his credit is rated, is this of paying his bills well or ill. If
any man goes to the neighbours or dealers of a tradesman to inquire of
his credit, or his fame in business, which is often done upon almost
every extraordinary occasion, the first question is, 'How does he pay
his bills?' As when we go to a master or mistress to inquire the
character of a maid-servant, one of the first questions generally is of
her probity, 'Is she honest?' so here, if you would be able to judge of
the man, your first question is, 'What for a paymaster is he? How does
he pay his bills?'--strongly intimating, and, indeed, very reasonably,
that if he has any credit, or any regard to his credit, he will be sure
to pay his bills well; and if he does not pay his bills well, he cannot
be sound at bottom, because he would never suffer a slur there, if it
were possible for him to avoid it. On the other hand, if a tradesman
pays his bills punctually, let whatever other slur be upon his
reputation, his credit will hold good. I knew a man in the city, who
upon all occasions of business issued promissory notes, or notes under
his hand, at such or such time, and it was for an immense sum of money
that he gave