2 CONFESSIONS OF A HOBSE DEALEB. 



being cheated himself. I once heard one of these arch 

 rogues say, " I don't care what people call me, if they 

 don't call me a fool." 



A rogue will get money by hook or crook, and gene- 

 rally stick to it, and an honest man, after trying his 

 best, may sometimes, with great difficulty, manage to 

 scrape up a little surplus capital ; but sooner or later, 

 he is sure to have some business transactions with a 

 rogue, and his spare cash is then either wheedled or 

 bullied out of his hands by a thousand-and-one little 

 ways, so familiar to a thorough-bred rogue, who mostly 

 contrives to steer clear from the lash of the law. 



The fool has generally his money ready got for him, 

 by some means or other, often in the form of an annuity, 

 or -if in businesshe is, perhaps, allowed to trade on 

 honest people's means, until (by being a fool) he falls 

 into the hands of the other gentry, who find him a ready 

 market for his circulating medium, and when he cannot 

 meet his payments, the honest creditor will begin to 

 think he is dealing with a rogue, and treat him as such. 

 The fool's eyes are then opened, and he finds the man 

 who has cheated him more respected than himself, be- 

 cause he has the means to command respect ; for I regret 

 to say, that now-a-days, if a man has money and can 

 make a good appearance, very few people will trouble 

 themselves as to the manner in which he came by it ; it 

 is enough that he has it. That " honesty is the best 

 policy," no one can deny ; but roguery is the most fash- 

 ionable, and those who really know the world and human 



