FRANCE. 253 



exceeded what the peafants themfelves fub- 

 mit to, that it eat out all our profit. To 

 remedy this, I took to the fpade and the 

 plough with as much eagernefs as ever I 

 handled a fpontoon or a fword. I determined 

 to make myfelf matter of all work, that I 

 might judge better in dealing with the la- 

 bourers, not to have very bad day's works 

 done when they ought to be very good ones. 

 By degrees I acquired, by habit, a liking to 

 labour, till that which at firft I followed 

 from motives of prudence, became an agree- 

 able occupation : nor muft I forget, that 

 the incomparable woman, the companion 

 of my fortune, was alfo the companion of 

 my labours ; for (he was as affiduous in her 

 dairy, as I could be among the labourers. . 



" Still we were in a wrong path : we had 

 {tuck to the few cultivated fields, and 

 imagined there was no profit beyond them ; 

 whereas we met with nothing but lofs ; 

 not fo much indeed as before, but more 

 than pleafed me. It was this expericncs 

 that made me examine the extenfive waftes 

 I was poflefled of, and which yielded me 

 no income. I determined to try what could 

 be done with them ; and with this view 



inckicd 



