difficulty or two, does not immediately despair; but if he cannot succeed one way, employs his wit and ingenuity another; and, to avoid or get over an impediment, makes no scruple of stepping out of the path of his forefathers. Since our happiness, next to the regulation of our minds, depends altogether upon our having and enjoying the conveniences of life, why should we stand upon ceremony about the methods of obtaining them, or pay any deference to antiquity upon that score? If almost every age had not exerted itself in some new improvements of its own, we should want a thousand arts; or, at least, many degrees of perfection in every art, which at present we are in possession of. The invention of any thing, which is more commodious for the mind or body, than what they had before, ought to be embraced readily, and the projector of it distinguished with a suitable encouragement.

A SHEPHERD'S Boy kept his sheep upon a common, and for sport and wantonness, had gotten a roguish trick of crying, a Wolf! a Wolf! when there was no such thing, and deceiving the country people with false alarms. He had been at this sport so often, that at last they would not believe him when he was in earnest ; and so the Wolves broke in upon the flock, and worried the sheep without resistance.

REFLECTION.

The Shepherd's Boy, in the fable, went too far upon a topic he did not understand. And he, that is detected for being a notorious liar, besides the ignominy and reproach of the thing, incurs this mischief, that he will scarce be able to get any one to believe him again, as

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long as he lives. However true our complaint may be, or how much soever it may be for our interest to have it believed, yet, if we have been frequently caught tripping before, we shall hardly be able to gain credit to what we relate afterwards. Though mankind are generally weak enough to be often imposed upon, yet few are so senseless as to believe a notorious liar, or to trust a cheat upon record. These little falsities, when found out, are sufficiently prejudicial to the interest of every private person who practises them. But, when we are alarmed with imaginary dangers in respect of the public, till the cry grows quite stale, how can it be expected we should know when to guard ourselves against real ones.

A COUNTRYMAN, who had lived respectably in the world upon his honest labour and industry, was desirous his sons should do so after him; and being now upon his death-bed, "My dear Children," says he, "I feel myself bound to tell you before I depart, that there is a considerable treasure hid in my vineyard; wherefore pray be sure to dig, and search narrowly for it, when I am gone." The Father dies, and the Sons fall immediately to work upon the vineyard. They turned it up over and over again, and not one penny of money was to be found there; but the profit of the next vintage expounded the riddle.

REFLECTION.

There is no wealth like that which comes by honest

labour and warrantable industry. Here is an incitement to an industrious course of life, by a consideration of the profit, the innocence, and the virtue of such an application. There is one great comfort in hand, beside the hope and assurance of more to come. It was a touch of art in the Father, to cover his meaning in such a manner as to create a curiosity and an earnest desire in his sons to find it out. And it was a treble advantage to them besides; for there was health in the exercise, profit in the discovery, and the comfort of a good conscience in discharging the duty of a filial obedience.