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Robert E. Gross
Collection

A Memorial to the Founder
of the

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Business Administration Library

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Los Angeles


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THE

WAY

TO BE

RICH and RESPECTABLE.

a

ADDRESSED TO

MEN of SMALL F.ORTUNE.

In this Pamphlet 13 given

An Eftimate, fhewing that a Gentleman, with a Wife,
four Children, and five Servants, may, refiding in
the Country, with a few Acres of Land, live as well
as, and make an Appearance in Life equal to, a Man
of 1000I. a year, and yet not expend 400I. including
the Rent both of Houfe and Land ; and ftill be able,
in the Courfe of 20 Years, to lay by 2500I.

The Plan of Living, in this Eftimate, is not ideal only,
but has been abfolutely purfued by the Author many
Years.

Such as are fond of Farming, will here find the Expences
attending, and the Profits arifing from, the Cultivation
of Land, feeding of Sheep, &c. &c.

The Third Edition.

LONDON:

Printed for the Author}

Ami fold by R. Baldwin, Pater-nofter Row j and aU
Bookfellers in Town and Country,

[Price is. 6d. ]


THE


Way to be Rich and Refpectable,

ADDRESSED TO

M e n of fmall Fortune,


THE great degree of luxury to which
this country has arrived, within a few years, is
not only aftonifhing but almoft dreadful to
think of. Time was, when thofe articles
of indulgence, which now every mechanic
aims at the pofieffion of, were enjoyed only by
the Lord or Baron of a diftriet. Men were
then happy to be the vaffals or dependants of
that Lord, and prided themfelves in little but
their fubmiflion and allegiance. This was
the Hate of things during feudal government:
but as, on the increafe of trade, riches in-
creafed ; men began to feel new wants, they
became gradually lefs hardy and robuft, grew
effeminate as their property accumulated, and
fighed for indulgences they never dreamed of
before. — Methods of conveying theie indul-
A 2 gencies


[ 4 ]

gencies from one part of the kingdom to ano-
ther were then ftudied ; roads were made paf-
fable, and carriages invented.

For many ages coaches were fo great a lux-
ury, that none but old families were feen in
them ; and if they attempted, once in a
dozen years, to travel a few miles in one,
perhaps, in the courfe of the journey, a
whole village with their teams were called
in aid, to drag the heavy vehicle out of
the clay, and let it on its wheels again : —
riding on horfeback being the only means
of vifiting a neighbour, beyond the reach of a
walk, and that only in the fummer-time. And
it is but a very few years fince, that ladies
went about, from place to place, upon a pil-
lion. Made roads were then unknown, and
fo little defire had the people to ftir, beyond
the bounds of their parifh, that even mend-
ing them was never thought of.

On the eftablilhment of polls, a general
communication was opened between all parts
of the kingdom, and people received intelli-
gence of every little improvement that was
made : a defire to inlpedl thole improve-
ments, gave men an excentric turn ; they
were eager to fee what was doing at fome

diftance


[ 5 ]

diftance from home, and rambled wide for
that purpofe. The inconvenience, and indeed
impoflibility of travelling, but at certain fea-
fons of the year, led the way to the making
of roads ; making of roads drew thoufands
abroad, and a wifh to be thought opulent by
thole whom they vifked, led them into luxury
of drefs. The homeipun garb then gave
way to more coftly attire, and refpectable
plainnefs was foon transformed into laughable
frippery.

In a few years, refinements took place in
manners, and well had it been, were they
merely refinements ; but the misfortune is,
they foon fpread into extravagancies, and
from being commendable, became objects of
cenfure. In the rei°;n of Charles I. luxuries
were every where fcen, and though the Civil
Wars for fome time fmothered them, they
broke out afrefh in the reign of Charles II.
Wealth then poured in upon the nation ; gen-
tlemen vied with each in the appearance they
made •, many by thefe means were ruined,
eftates changed their pofTeiTors, a fluctuation
of property began, and every fucceeding year
gave birth to frefh wants and new expences.
Luxury however had not then gained its pre-
A 3 lent


[61

lent footing : it is true, the profligacy of the
capital made fome inroads upon the country,
but the inhabitants of the country looked on
it with dread and aftonifhment. Some of the
nobility and principal gentry, at this time,
fpent part of their winter in London, but the
reft of the year they lived amongft their te-
nants with their ufual hofpitality. The ex-
pences of this age were confined to the edu-
cation of their children, to their houfes, their
buildings, their furniture, their attendants and
their entertainments ; and their tenants and
neighbours were confiderably the better for
it : the more they circulated their property
within their own edates, the richer their
eftates became, and the more powerful and
refpectable they grew. Effeminacy of man-
ners was then feen only in cities ; balls and
affemblies were fcarcely known, and equipages
far from being general.

Matters however refted not here. Things
gazed at with aftonifhment quickly grew fa-
miliar : the infection of the firft clafs foon
fpread among the fecond, and what they for-
merly cenfured, they prefently approved. Gen-
tlemen of fmall eftates began annually to vifit
the capital -, they gradually made their vifits

longer


r 7 ]

longer and longer, till, at laft, it became the
fafhion to refide only in the country, when
the heat made it intolerable in town. Stage-
coaches were eftablifhed, the communication
between London and the country became
more and more open, a tafte for elegancies
fpread itfelf through all ranks and degrees
of men, and an equipage was confidered as a
necelTary of life.

What is the cafe now ? Are things other,,
wife than they were ? No ; expences are yet
increafing, and we are (till refining upon
luxuries. The feveral cities and large towns
of this ifland catch the manners of the metro-
polis, and are vicious and extravagant, in.
proportion to the wealth and number of their
inhabitants. Scarce a town now, of any mag-
nitude, but has its Theatre Royal, its concerts,
its balls, and its card-parties. The notions of
fplendour and amufement that prevail in the
Capital are eagerly adopted; thevariouschanges
of the fafhion exactly copied, and the whole
manner of life ftudioufly imitated. Flys and
machines pafs from city to city •, great towns
become the winter refidence of thofe whom
flendernefs of fortune will not carry to Lon-
don, and the country is every where deferted.

A 4 If


[ 8 ]

If I might prefume to dictate to the world,
I would venture to fay, that a man of landed
property is never fo refpectable as when refi-
dent on his eftate •, when improving his lands
and enriching his tenants j when his benefi-
cence may be read in the looks of the poor ;
when his houfe is open, not with the ftiffnefs
of a public -day, that tells the neighbour-
hood he would not be perplexed at another
time, but with all the hofpitality of an ancient
Baron.

Gentlemen of very extenfive property may
act as they pleafe ; the difiipation and ex-
pences of a capital can no other ways injure
them than in the opinion of their neighbours ;
but as to men of fmall fortune, the lefs they
fee of London the better. Look round among
the families' we know, and we can eafily trace
the infection of the metropolis •, the more they
pay their vifits there, and the longer they
continue, the more vifible are their follies,
and not only their follies, but their failings
and their vices. The honeft franknefs of the
country gentleman is obliterated by the equi-
vocal politenefs of the courtier, and the open
fincerity of the good neighbour loft in the
artifice and deceit of the man of fafhion.
3 For


[ 9 ]

For many years a country [quire has been an
object of ridicule : but, why ? No other rea-
fon can be given, but that want of polifli that
too often characterizes the fops of the age. If
we diveft ourfelves of prejudice, he will not
appear in fo contemptible a light : it is true,
he may want tafte and politeneis, but he may
poifefs qualities infinitely fuperior. Honeft.
unadorned freedom is preferable to ftudied
and fafhionable deceit. The country [quire
lives upon his eftate, fpends his patrimony
among his tenants and his neighbours, (which
form, as it were, but one family around him)
and a fpirit of hofpitality opens his doors to
every comer ; while the fine gentleman vifits
his domain, perhaps, but once in the futtl-
mer, Hays there as little as he can help, dif-
dains any familiarity with his neighbours,
neglects his grounds, and leaves his tenants
at the mercy of his fteward, In fhort, an
effeminate life emafculates the fine gentleman,
and renders him unfit for any thing but fip-
ping of tea, and dealing the cards -, whilft the
robuft and manly exercifes of the [quire keep
him healthy and hardy, and, inured to hun-
ger, danger and fatigue, enable him, when

called


[ io 1
called upon in the public caufe, to be of real
fervice to his country.

But it is to be lamented, that the true coun-
try gentleman is feldom to be found. The
luxuries and effeminacies of the age have foft-
ened down the hardy roughneis of former
times ; and the country, like the capital, is one
fcene of diffipation. If there be any economy
in their expences, it is merely the faving of
necefiaries, to vvafte on fuperfluities : the pri-
vate gentleman with three or four hundred
pounds a year mull have his horfes, his dogs,
his pictures, his carriages, his parties of plea-
fure, equally with him of five times his for-
tune : drefs, fhow and entertainment engrofs
his attention ; his lands are unimproved; debts
accumulate upon him ; he mortgages his
eftate -, and, when he has lived to the end of
his fortune, he either puts a dreadful period
to his exiftence, or wears out the remainder
of his life, a beggar.

However alarming this picture may be, it
is neverthelefs a juft one. As I take it, the
happinefs of life confifts in health, eafe, and
competency, which is as much within the
reach of a gentleman of three hundred pounds
a-year, as one of three thoufand. If the ar-
ticles


[ II ]

tides of living are dearer than they were fome
few years back, (and they certainly are, a
hundred per cent.) it ought to quicken the in-
duftry of every one, to increale his income, if
poflible, or reduce his expence in proportion
to his fortune.

It is not in the power of men, who have
the income only of a fmall eftate to fupport
them, to encreafe their revenues •, but they
may decreafe their expences, or lay out their
money to advantage. Frugality and economy
have put many upon a footing with men of
larger fortunes ; and often made them far

more refpectable. 'Nothing gives fupe-

riority in life, but independency. Whilft we
are at the command of another, we are in a
ftate of fubordination : it is being mafter of
one's felf only, that makes a man free ; and
it is independency that makes him great.

Now, be our fortune as great as it will, we
are never independent, whilft we are in debt ;
and can a man be faid to be free, while it is
in the power of his taylor or his Ihoemaker to
confine him ? A miflaken notion, that a re-
duction in our way of living is difgraceful,
has led many a man to his ruin. Retrench-
ing our expences, when we have lived too faft,

is


[ «• ]

is a proof of good fenfe ; it declares an ab-
horrence of our follies, and a determination
to be in future free. It is highly degrading to
make a figure at the expence of others. Vil-
lains of every denomination have done it ; an
honeft man therefore will defpife the thought ;
and, if his connections have infenfibly led him
on, from one expence to another, till he finds
himfelf involved, he will purfue the earlieft
and the readied means to difcharge his debts
and fet himfelf at liberty.

Such is the abfurdity in life, that men are
rated in worth, according to the appearance
they make. " Keep up appearances," — faid
a difllpated poet,

*' Keep up appearances : there lies the tejl !

" The world will give thee credit for the reft."

This idle notion has brought on the de-
struction of thoufands. In this luxurious
age, wealth is the only object of admiration ;
and to wear the appearance of wealth, we
become expenfive and extravagant in our
manner of living. Thus we go on, 'till we
exhauft the little property we poffefs ; and,
when we can keep ourfelves no longer afloat,
on what is called Credit, we fink into beg-
gary and contempt.

He


r 13 ]

He who lives within his income, may be
truly called a rich man. It is this that gives
the Hollanders the reputation of being
wealthy. They never live to the extent of
their fortunes ; and, of courfe, are able to do
a deal of good. A family eftate with them
is feldom put up to fale ; whereas with us,
inheritances are ever at market. A Dutch-
man contributes as largely and as chearfully
to the exigencies of the flate, or to the erec-
tion of a public building, as he would to the
repairs of his houfe, or the decoration of his
garden.

To be refpectable, it is not necefiary to live

in a certain line of life. Every man may

be confidered as the centre of a circle ; fome
of a larger, fome of a fmaller ; and, in this
light, he is of greater or of lefs importance,
according to the character he bears. — He who
has feweft wants, and is mod able to live
within himfelf, is not only the happieft, but
the richeft man ; and if he does not abound
in what the world calls Wealth, he does in in-
dependency.— Though he may not be a Peer
of his own country, he is a Lord of the
creation ; may fill his ftation equal to the firft
of men ; and look down with pity and con-
tempt


[ H ]
tempt on the tinfelled fycophant, though
covered with an ermined robe, and parading
with a ducal coronet.

I will allow, it is rather mortifying to fee
a neighbour of lefs pretenfions than ourfelves,
living in a degree of fplendour which we can-
not reach. If his fortune be large enough,
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