To put every man in poffeffion of his own time, and rescue the day from this fucceffion of ufurpers, is beyond my power, and beyond my hope. Yet, perhaps, fome ftop might be put to this unmerciful perfecution, if all would seriously reflect, that whoever pays a visit that is not defired, or talks longer than the hearer is willing to attend, is guilty of an injury which he cannot repair, and takes away that which he cannot give.

I

NUMB. 15. SATURDAY, July 22, 1758,

SIR,

To the IDLER.

HAVE the misfortune to be a man of bufinefs

3

that, you will fay, is a moft grievous one: but what makes it the more fo to me, is, that my wife has nothing to do: at least she had too good an education, and the prospect of too good a fortune in reverfion when I married her, to think of employing herself either in my shop affairs, or the management of my family.

Her time, you know, as well as my own, must be filled up fome way or other. For my part, I have enough to mind, in weighing my goods out, and waiting on my cuftomers: but my wife, though fhe could be of as much ufe as a fhopman to me, if The would put her hand to it, is now only in my

way,

way. She walks all the morning fauntering about the shop with her arms through her pocket-holes, or stands gaping at the door-fill, and looking at every person that paffes by. She is continually asking me a thoufand frivolous questions about every customer that comes in and goes out; and all the while that I am entering any thing in my day-book, she is lolling over the counter, and ftaring at it, as if I was only fcribbling or drawing figures for her amusement. Sometimes, indeed, the will take a needle: but as fhe always works at the door, or in the middle of the fhop, he has fo many interrup→ tions, that she is longer hemming a towel, or darning a stocking, than I am in breaking forty loaves of fugar, and making it up into pounds.

In the afternoon I am fure likewife to have her company, except fhe is called upon by fome of her acquaintance and then, as we let out all the upper part of our houfe, and have only a little room backwards for ourselves, they either keep fuch a chattering, or else are calling out every moment to me, that I cannot mind my business for them.

My wife, I am fure, might do all the little matters our family requires; and I could wish that the would employ herself in them; but, instead of that, we have a girl to do the work, and look after a little boy about two years old, which I may fairly fay is the mother's own child. The brat must be humoured in every thing: he is therefore fuffered conftantly to play in the fhop, pull all the goods about, and clamber up the fhelves to get at the plumbs and fugar. I dare not correct him; be

cause,

caufe, if I did, I fhould have wife and maid both upon me at once. As to the latter, fhe is as lazy and fluttish as her miftrefs; and because she complains fhe has too much work, we can fcarce get her to do any thing at all: nay, what is worse than that, I am afraid fhe is hardly honeft; and as fhe is entrusted to buy in all our provifions, the jade, I am sure, makes a market-penny out of every article.

But to return to my deary.-The evenings are the only time, when it is fine weather, that I am left to myself; for then she generally takes the child out to give it milk in the park. When fhe comes home again, fhe is fo fatigued with walking, that fhe cannot stir from her chair: and it is an hour, after fhop is fhut, before I can get a bit of fupper, while the maid is taken up in undreffing and putting the child to bed.

But you will pity me much more, when I tell you the manner in which we generally pafs our Sundays. In the morning fhe is commonly too ill to drefs herself to go to church, fhe therefore never gets up till noon; and, what is ftill more vexatious, keeps me in bed with her, when I ought to be bufily engaged in better employment. It is well if the can get her things on by dinner-time; and when that is over, I am fure to be dragged out by her either to Georgia, or Hornfey Wood, or the White Conduit Houfe. Yet even these near excurfions are fo very fatiguing to her, that, befides what it cofts me in tea and hot rolls, and fyllabubs, and cakes for the boy, I am frequently forced to take a hackney-coach, or drive them out in a one-horfe-chair,

At

At other times, as my wife is rather of the fatteft, and a very poor walker, befides bearing her whole weight upon my arm, I am obliged to carry the child myself.

Thus, Sir, does fhe conftantly drawl out her time, without either profit or fatisfaction; and, while I fee my neighbours wives helping in the shop, and almost earning as much as their husbands, I have the mortification to find, that mine is nothing but

a dead weight upon me. In fhort, I do not know any greater misfortune can happen to a plain hardworking tradesman, as I am, than to be joined to fuch a woman, who is rather a clog than an helpmate to him.

I am, SIR,

Your humble fervant,

ZACHARY TREACLE.

I

NUMB. 16. SATURDAY, July 29, 1758.

PAID a vifit yesterday to my old friend Ned Drugget, at his country-lodgings. Ned began trade with a very fmall fortune; he took a small houfe in an obfcure ftreet, and for fome years dealt only in remnants. Knowing that light gains make a heavy purse, he was content with moderate profit; having obferved or heard the effects of civility, he bowed down to the counter edge at the entrance and departure of every customer, liftened without impatience to the objections of the ignorant, and refused without refentment the offers of the penurious. His only recreation was to ftand at his own door and look into the street. His dinner was fent him from a neighbouring alehoufe, and he opened and shut the fhop at a certain hour with his own hands.

His reputation foon extended from one end of the ftreet to the other, and Mr. Drugget's exemplary conduct was recommended by every mafter to his apprentice, and by every father to his fon. Ned was not only confidered as a thriving trader, but as a man of elegance and politenefs, for he was remarkably neat in his dress, and would wear his coat threadbare without fpotting it; his hat was always brushed, his fhoes gloffy, his wig nicely curled, and his ftockings without a wrinkle. With fuch qualifications it was not very difficult for him to gain the heart of Mifs Comfit, the only daughter of Mr. Comfit the confectioner.

Ned