My father， a wise and grave man， gave me serious and excellent
counsel against what he foresaw was my design
He called me one morning into his chamber， where he was confined
by the gout， and expostulated very warmly with me upon this subject
He asked me what reasons more than a mere wandering inclination I
had for leaving my father''s house and my native country， where I
might be well introduced， and had a prospect of raising my
for-tunes by application and industry， with a life of ease and
pleasure. He told me it was for men of desperate fortunes on one
hand， or of aspiring， superior fortunes on the other， who went
abroad upon adventures， to rise by enterprise， and make themselves
famous in undertakings of a nature out of the common road; that
these things were all either too far above me， or too far below me;
that mine was the middle state， or what might be called the upper
station of low life， which he had found by long experience was the
best state in the world， the most suited to human happiness， not
exposed to the miseries and hardships， the lab our and sufferings，
of the mechanic part of mankind， and not embarrassed with the
pride， luxury， ambition， and envy of the upper part of mankind. He
told me I might judge of the happiness of this state by this one
thing， viz.， that this was the state of life which all other people
envied; that kings have frequency lamented the miserable
consequences of being bom to great things， and wished they had been
placed in the middle of the two extremes， between the mean and the
great; that the wise man gave his testimony to this as the just
standard of true felicity， when he prayed to have nather poverty or
riches.
He bid me observe it， and I should always find， that the
calamities of life were shared among the upper and lower part of
mankind， but that the middle station had the fewest disasters， and
was not exposed to so many viassitudes as the higher or lower part
of mankind. Nay， they were not subjected to so many distempers and
uneasiness''s either of body or mind as those were who， by viaous
living， luxury， and extravagances on one hand， or by hard lab our，
want of necessaries， and mean or insuffiaent diet on the other
hand， bring distempers upon themselves by the natural consequences
of their way of living; that the middle station of life was
calculated for all kind of virtues and all kind of enjoyments; that
peace and plenty were the handmaids of a middle fortune; that
temperance， moderation， quietness， health， soaety， all agreeable
diversions， and all desirable pleasures， were the blessings
attending the middle station of life; that this way men went
silendy and smoothly through the world， and comfortably out of it，
not embarrassed with the labours of the hands or of the head， not
sold to the life of slavery for daily bread， or harrassed with
perplexed arcumstances， which rob the soul of peace， and the body
of rest; not enraged with the passion of envy， or secret burning
lust of ambition for great things; but in easy circumstances
sliding gendy through the world， and sensibly tasting the sweets of
living， without the bitter， feeling that they are happy， and
learning by every day''s experience to know it more sensibly.
……
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