>775- January. ed upon by the fair fex as fufficient ornaments for their perfons; a flirting difpofition, coquetry and paint, would have very little effe£t in making conqueils of young men, brought up in fo hardy a manner, and who have had fo homely and. artlefs an education, as the youth in this place. In ihort, one may here, i f any where in the world, lead an innocent, virtuous, and happy life. When in company with thefe plain artlefs huibandmen, I ufed frequently^ to ftart fuch queftions and l'ubjedts of converfation, as tended to give them a proper fenfe of the happinefs of their fituation, and make them fet a higher value upon it, than they perhaps had done before. Indeed, I thought I could not more properly or more agrea- bly employ the little Dutch I had learned, than in per- fuading the good people among whom I fojourned, to be content with their lot, and confequently to be happy. One day, when I was urging this point, I received the following pertinent, but kind reply, from a difcreet fenfible woman, who was daughter to an inferior magiftrate at Zwel~ lendam, and wasm arried to a yeoman in this place. “ My good friend, faid ihe, you talk like a prudent fenfible man,; I am quite o f your opinion, and wiih you every happinefs that can attend you : why need you wander any longer up and down the world in quell of happinefs ? You find it here, and are welcome to enjoy it among us. You have already a waggon, oxen, and faddle horfes; thefe are the chief things requifite in order to fet up a farmer; there are yet uncultivated places enough in this neighbourhood, proper either for pafturage or tillage, fo that you jnay choofe opt of an extenfive trail of land the fpot that pleafes pleafes you beft. Here are people enough, who will fend you that part of their cattle to keep which they cannot conveniently look after themfelves, on conditions that you fhall have the young ones produced by them for your trouble. In this way, many young beginners have acquired a competency in a few years. With your knowledge o f diforders and plants, you may render yourfelf ferviceable to your neighbours, and now and then get a heifer or a calf. In ihort, I will venture to prophefy, that you will foon have cows and iheep in abundance. Yet there is ftill fomewhat wanting, which is moil effential to your happinefs ; this is, a prudent and difcreet wife : take my advice and look about you, and I will take upon me to allure you, that you will not long be without one in this country.” This advice, fo confonant to the voice o f nature, and coming with fuch kind intention from the fair fex, could not but greatly affedl me : it is remarkable, however, that the poor woman who gave it me, had herfelf a bad huf- band. As a farther proof, that it is not fo much to the different degrees in which nature has flied her bounty over the place a man lives in, as to himfelf and his fellow-creatures, that he ought to impute his felicity, I had the chagrin to fee the peace of this happy ipot interrupted by the jarring o f two neighbours. Having now for fome time departed in my narration from the order o f my journal, I will here refume it. I itaid at Agter Bruntjes-boogte till the 21 ft day o f January. During this time my oxen, which before were very lean, had got V o l . II. Z into 1776. January.
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