fro a farmer. July 24, 



whole, and did not wirti to encourage the idea of his af- 

 suming the airs of a g-ntleniari too early ; on these ac- 

 counts, and from my son himself afsuiing m^ that he would 

 be instructed in all the departments before the close of 

 his apprcnticeftiip, I contented myseli with recommending 

 it to him to be attentive to it. In this way things went 

 on J and having been much hurried with the seed time this 

 year, I had no opportunity of being in town towards the 

 close of his apprenticelhip 1 so that the news came upon 

 me all at once slap dafli, like a clap of thunder.' " Indeed 

 John, said my kind master, I am very sorry for your situ- 

 ation ; but I fear it will now be a more difficult matter 

 for you to get redrefs than y%>\i seem to imagine. It is so 

 common for masters now a days, especially where ap- 

 prentice fees are given, to be inattentive ts the interest of 

 apprentices, that the mavt^r ot your son would have too 

 many to keep him in countenance •, and whatever you or 

 I may think, or whatever the judge himself might think 

 of it, were the case ever to come before him j yet when it 

 becomes necefsary to inflict pains and penalties, one is obli- 

 ged to look forward to the consequences ; and it becomes 

 so necefsary for judges to preserve the authority of masters 

 over apprentices, and to guard against the abuses that 

 might be made of tlie chicanery of ill designing men, 

 that I fhould suspect the circumstances must be very 

 flagrant indeed before a judge cnuld be brought to pro- 

 nounce such a decision as would in any degree compen- 

 sate lor the injury you have sustained. My advice t« 

 you therefore is, rather to sit down with the injury you 

 have already sustained, than make it perhaps worse by 

 seeking for redrefs. at law. I have as bad an opinion of 

 the man who could commit such a base piece of fraud as 

 you can have •, and therefore (hall take care how I have 

 uiy dealings with him : but your best way is to leave hin^ 



