Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Edwards Author:Benjamin Franklin Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Shopboard, is picking up part of a Grain of Gold, that will in a few Days' Time amount to a Pistole; and let Faber think the same of every Nail he drives, or eve... more »ry Stroke with his Plain. Such Thoughts may make them industrious, and of consequence in Time they may be Wealthy. But how absurd is it to neglect a certain Profit for such a ridiculous Whimsey: To spend whole Days at the George, in company with an idle Pretender to Astrology, contriving Schemes to discover what was never hidden, and forgetful how carelessly Business is managed at Home in their Absence; to leave their Wives and a warm Bed at midnight (no matter if it rain, hail, snow, or blow a Hurricane, provided that be the critical Hour), and fatigue themselves with the Violent Exercise of Digging for what they shall never find, and perhaps getting a Cold that may cost their Lives, or at least disordering themselves so as to be fit for no Business beside for some Days after. Surely this is nothing less than the most egregious Folly and Madness. I shall conclude with the Words of my discreet friend Agricola, of Chester County, when he gave his Son a Good Plantation. "My son," says he, "I give thee now a Valuable Parcel of Land; I assure thee I have found a considerable Quantity of Gold by Digging there; thee mayst do the same. But thee must carefully observe this, Never to dig more than Plow-deep." [Pennsylvania Gazette, 27 March, 1729.] A DIALOGUE BETWEEN PHILOCLES AND HORATIO, MEETING ACCIDENTALLY IN THE FIELDS, CONCERNING VIRTUE AND PLEASURE. Philocles. My friend Horatio! I am very glad to see you; prithee, how came such a Man as you alone? and musing too? What Misfortune in your Pleasures has sent you to Philosophy for Relief? Horatio. You guess very right, my dear Philocles! We Pleasure-hunters are ne...« less