up so much money.

When he had gotten the money, he took a shop near the place where he had
served his time, and entering upon the shop, he had it painted, and
fitted up, and some goods he bought in order to furnish it; but before
that, he was obliged to pay about L70 of the money to little debts,
which he had contracted in his apprenticeship, at two or three
ale-houses, for drink and eatables, treats, and junketings; and at the
barber's for long perukes, at the sempstress's for fine Holland-shirts,
turn-overs, white gloves, &c, to make a beau of him, and at several
other places.

When he came to dip into this, and found that it wanted still L30 or L40
to equip him for the company which he had learned to keep, he took care
to do this first; and being delighted with his new dress, and how like a
gentleman he looked, he was resolved, before he opened a shop, to take
his swing a little in the town; so away he went, with two of his
neighbour's apprentices, to the play-house, thence to the tavern, not
far from his dwelling, and there they fell to cards, and sat up all
night--and thus they spent about a fortnight; the rest just creeping
into their masters' houses, by the connivance of their fellow-servants,
and he getting a bed in the tavern, where what he spent, to be sure,
made them willing enough to oblige him--that is to say, to encourage him
to ruin himself.

They then changed their course, indeed, and went to the ball, and that
necessarily kept them out the most part of the night, always having
their supper dressed at the tavern at their return; and thus, in a few
words, he went on till he made way through all the remaining money he
had left, and was obliged to call his creditors together, and break
before he so much as opened his shop--I say, his creditors, for great
part of the goods which he had furnished his shop with were unpaid for;
perhaps some few might be bought with ready money.

This man, indeed, is the only tradesman that ever I met with, that set
up and broke before his shop was open; others I have indeed known make
very quick work of it.

But this part rather belongs to another head. I am at present not
talking of madmen, as I hope, indeed, I am not writing to madmen, but I
am talking of tradesmen undone by lawful things, by what they call
innocent and harmless things--such as riding abroad, or walking abroad
to take the air, and to divert themselves, dogs, gun, country-sport, and
city-recreation. T