iv. PREFACE 
fruit of their labours. When a fchool-boy, 
he read with peculiar pleafure, the defcription — 
given of CANAAN, as a land flowing with 
milk and HONEY. 
Being appointed by his father,* when a boy, 
to watch his bees in {warming time, his fond- 
nefs for thefe wonderful infects daily increated ; 
and he could not help thinking himfelf in a 
kind of paradifaical ftate, when employed in this 
delightful office in his father’s garden, and 
running 
* The author’s father, Jamzs Bonner, was, like himfelf, fond 
of rearing bees, and often had a dozen of hives at a time 
in his garden. He lived above 50 years in the married ftate, 
and had twelve children, of whom the author is the youngeft alive. 
He frequently boafted, that, in good feafons, he made as much 
money by his bees, as nearly purchafed oat-meal fufficient to 
ferve his numerous family for the whole year. He purchafed a 
large quarto Bible with the wax produced in one year from his 
hives, which ferved as a family book ever after; and his houfe 
was always well fupplied with honey, and a kind of weak mead, 
which ferved for drink at all feafons of the year. As he lived 
regularly and temperately, he preferved a great degree of health 
and vigour to the laft; and was employed in his ordinary bufi- 
nefs of weaving, till within a few days ot his death ; which hap- 
pened in the 86th year of his age, when he left four fons and 
a daughter, to regret his lofs. - He had always an uncommonly 
retentive memory ; for, upon the fmalleft hint, he could repeat 
almoft any paflage in f{cripture verbatim. He ufed often to en- 
ettain his family with a narrative of his treatment of his bees, 
and of the profit, as well as pleafure, which he had in keeping 
them, 
