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is in debt to no one on Saturday night, he lays him- 

 felf down contented. Let -us fuppofe him now 

 afflided with a few days'^ illriefs, that his credit is 

 good, and he runs a little in debt; as foon as he re- 

 covers, he nukes fome efforts to pay it, but before 

 he can accomplilh this, a fecond illnefs overtakes 

 himfelf, his wife, or his family, his debt of necefTity 

 increafeSj'and at length airives to fuch a height, that 

 he ices it is impoflible, by any exertions he can 

 make, to recover himfelf; he feels hurt at the idea, 

 his fpirit is broken, and if no one from charity, or 

 good policy, (Icps in to relieve him from his prefent 

 dilemma, his defire of independency is loft for 

 EVER; he applies to the overfeers for relief, and 

 having once furmounted the pride natural to man, 

 and been beholden (as they call it) to the parifh, he 

 is determined to get as much from it as he can; and 

 thus, by an aggregation of fuch cafes, the poor's 

 rate is extended beyond all bounds. Such is the 

 progrefs of the human mind,' in the l6\v^r orders 

 of fociety, as 1 have too frequenfly had occafion 

 to obfcrve. 



Let us now turn our eyes to the fcheme here pro- 

 pofcd, the eafy pradticability of which rrtay be in- 

 ferred from the general tendency of the people, bo^h 

 male and female, to run into fuch aflbciations, under 



many 



