THANKLESSNESS OF ADVICE. 13 



be actuated by the same desire of doing certain 

 things themselves, with equally unfortunate re- 

 sults. 



I have an acquaintance who boasts that he 

 never does anything without getting the advice 

 of his friends. This is quite true : he does not. 

 He gets it, but no one who knows him will ever 

 accuse him of acting on any one's advice but his 

 own ; and if one may judge by the results of 

 what he does, I should say his counsellor has not 

 usurped all the wisdom of the bar for the benefit 

 of his client. I could say pretty much the same 

 thing of many of my friends, who retain the same 

 counsel when purchasing their horses. 



The office of purchasing «?2ything for friends, 

 is one that a sensible man would certainly rather 

 avoid than seek ; for should he, in point of quality 

 or price, by superior tact or judgment, save a friend 

 thirt}^, forty, or fifty per cent, in the purchase, 

 he would first find it difficult to persuade that 

 friend that he had done so, or that the friend 

 could not have done as well for himself. Then 

 should the horse or article purchased turn out 

 ever so well, he will barely get thanks for what 

 he did: but should he or it not realise every ex- 

 pectation formed, he will not only get constant 

 and sundry direct and indirect hints on the sub- 

 ject, but, worse than all, will probably find that he 

 will be expected to turn salesman. Should he 



