Doubtless our forefathers were better acquainted with the advantages of
frugality than we are, and saw farther into the desperate consequences
of expensive living in the beginning of a tradesman's setting out into
the world than we do; at least, it is evident they studied more and
practised more of the prudential part in those cases, than we do.

Hence we find them very careful to bind their youth under the strongest
obligations they could, to temperance, modesty, and good husbandry, as
the grand foundations of their prosperity in trade, and to prescribe to
them such rules and methods of frugality and good husbandry, as they
thought would best conduce to their prosperity.

Among these rules this was one of the chief--namely, 'that they should
not wed before they had sped?' It is an old homely rule, and coarsely
expressed, but the meaning is evident, that a young beginner should
never marry too soon. While he was a servant, he was bound from it as
above; and when he had his liberty, he was persuaded against it by all
the arguments which indeed ought to prevail with a considering
man--namely, the expenses that a family necessarily would bring with it,
and the care he ought to take to be able to support the expense before
he brought it upon himself.

On this account it is, I say, our ancestors took more of their youth
than we now do; at least, I think, they studied well the best methods of
thriving, and were better acquainted with the steps by which a young
tradesman ought to be introduced into the world than we are, and of the
difficulties which those people would necessarily involve themselves in,
who, despising those rules and methods of frugality, involved themselves
in the expense of a family before they were in a way of gaining
sufficient to support it.

A married apprentice will always make a repenting tradesman; and those
stolen matches, a very few excepted, are generally attended with
infinite broils and troubles, difficulties, and cross events, to carry
them on at first by way of intrigue, to conceal them afterwards under
fear of superiors, to manage after that to keep off scandal, and
preserve the character as well of the wife as of the husband; and all
this necessarily attended with a heavy expense, even before the young
man is out of his time; before he has set a foot forward, or gotten a
shilling in the world; so that all this expense is out of his original
stock, even before he gets it, and is a sad dra