The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca
The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca
432 LETTERS, TRACTS, e^rV.There is one thing for which you are highly blameable: When a peribn writes with no other defign thanto do you good, you will not be at the pains to readhis advices ; and you neither know, inquire, nor care,who are your friends or who are your enemies ; nay,you often miltake the one for the other. I can live,thank God, in a tolerable way, though the price of 'grain be dear, and the rent of land ever fo high : Ican expe£l no benefit from you, neither can I reapany advantage from what I now write, except the fatisfa6tionof imparting fome ufeful and necelTary ad-vices to a numerous clafs of people, who are of theutmoft importance in fociety, but who are circumventedand opprefled by their fuperiors, and renderednjiferable by their own folly. I cannot but pity yourprefent condition j but I hope to fee you in better circumftances,if you will behave as you ought.A roup, efpecially that kind of roup by which youare impoverilhed, is commonly the child of avariceand imprudence, foftered by cunning. In fome countries,the origin of it is very ancient. In old times,when a powerful and merciiefs people had conqueredfome of their neighbours, thofe who were not flaughteredon the field of battle were condemned to perpetualflavery, and, like beafts, fold by auftion to the "*higheft bidder ; an inhuman and barbarous trade ; andaccordingly the au6lioneer was held in univerfal deteftationand abhorrence. In thofe days, human creatureswere, by auction, enflaved at once ; now, bythat fame trade, you are llripped of your fubftance,and fomewhat more flowly indeed, but as fatally andeffectually, reduced to beggary, and condemned tofluverv for ever.In this country, roups, at leafl fuch roups as Ifpeak of, have not been long in fafliion : For ought1 know, it is but about forty or fifty years fince thisllratagem of getting monpy b«gan to be in ufe \ aridthen too our lairds would have difdained to enrichi
L'5:ttetis, TaACTs, tfft.^433.themfelves by fo debafitig a trade : It was when afarmer had given way, or died, and left his childrenunfit for labour, that, in order to help him a little,or to fupport his children, his friends and neighbourswere, from mere pity and humanity, prevailed uponto make a roup of his effects :And k was e\'en withdifficulty that the near relations of the deceafed a-greed to raife money for deilitute children by a methodwhich was then accounted difgracejful and beggarly: For a roup was held to be a fort of importunate,but a genteel way of begging ; a foliciting forcharity, an application to the country-fide to make acontribution for a poor family : And it was believed,that thofe who called the roup expected that thofewho attended it were, from charity, to give muchmore for things than they were worth : Befides, itwas cattle, houfehold furniture, and the implen^entsof hufbandry, that were then rouped ; the crop wasgiven over to the purchafer at the very price at whichfworn birly-men had- apprifed it.But the culloras and opinions of the world are verydifferent from what they v/ere fifty years ago : In thisage, it is not the country people, but your lairds andgentlemen, who are the chief dealers in roups, andthey are no way afhamed of the bufniefs : At everyroup they make, they cheerfully fubmit to become akind of beggars ; and, as if needy of fome charitablefupply from you, they folicit for their-iands or growingcorn m-ore than either is worth, or you are ableto pay.When k poor tenant is beggared by his landlord,and offers to difpofe of an old horfe, or an ufeiefswatch, by raffle, you grudge not, you ought notto grudge to become fubfcribers ;you are acting fromcharity, and contributing to the alfiflance of a fellowcreaturein diftrefs : But when a rich laird tries towheedle you out of your fenfes at his roups, I cannotfor my life fee any reafon for your parting with yourmoney to gratify hissivarice. A roup carried on byo o
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L'5:ttetis, TaACTs, tfft.^433.<strong>the</strong>mfelves by fo debafitig a trade : It was when afarmer had given way, or died, and left his childrenunfit for labour, that, in order to help him a little,or to fupport his children, his friends and neighbourswere, from mere pity and humanity, prevailed uponto make a roup <strong>of</strong> his effects :And k was e\'en withdifficulty that <strong>the</strong> near relations <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> deceafed a-greed to raife money for deilitute children by a methodwhich was <strong>the</strong>n accounted difgracejful and beggarly: For a roup was held to be a fort <strong>of</strong> importunate,but a genteel way <strong>of</strong> begging ; a foliciting forcharity, an appli<strong>ca</strong>tion to <strong>the</strong> country-fide to make acontribution for a poor family : And it was believed,that th<strong>of</strong>e who <strong>ca</strong>lled <strong>the</strong> roup expected that th<strong>of</strong>ewho attended it were, from charity, to give muchmore for things than <strong>the</strong>y were worth : Befides, itwas <strong>ca</strong>ttle, houfehold furniture, and <strong>the</strong> implen^ents<strong>of</strong> hufbandry, that were <strong>the</strong>n rouped ; <strong>the</strong> crop wasgiven over to <strong>the</strong> purchafer at <strong>the</strong> very price at whichfworn birly-men had- apprifed it.But <strong>the</strong> culloras and opinions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world are verydifferent from what <strong>the</strong>y v/ere fifty years ago : In thisage, it is not <strong>the</strong> country people, but your lairds andgentlemen, who are <strong>the</strong> chief dealers in roups, and<strong>the</strong>y are no way afhamed <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> bufniefs : At everyroup <strong>the</strong>y make, <strong>the</strong>y cheerfully fubmit to become akind <strong>of</strong> beggars ; and, as if needy <strong>of</strong> fome charitablefupply from you, <strong>the</strong>y folicit for <strong>the</strong>ir-iands or growingcorn m-ore than ei<strong>the</strong>r is worth, or you are ableto pay.When k poor tenant is beggared by his landlord,and <strong>of</strong>fers to difp<strong>of</strong>e <strong>of</strong> an old horfe, or an ufeiefswatch, by raffle, you grudge not, you ought notto grudge to become fubfcribers ;you are acting fromcharity, and contributing to <strong>the</strong> alfiflance <strong>of</strong> a fellowcreaturein diftrefs : But when a rich laird tries towheedle you out <strong>of</strong> your fenfes at his roups, I <strong>ca</strong>nnotfor my life fee any reafon for your parting with yourmoney to gratify hissivarice. A roup <strong>ca</strong>rried on byo o