good order, and even good manners, which the servants who wait in the parlour imbibe, and convey to the kitchen. Servants of coarse manners, vulgar habits, or profane discourse, and malicious dispositions, are shunned by others, and never make good their footing or rise in first-rate families, where all the good and bad qualities which belong to the superior ranks of society operate as much to their advantage or disadvantage as in any station of life. In truth, the servants' hall is a little world by itself, in which the passions, tempers, vices, and virtues, are brought into play, and contribute their full share in promoting that welfare and happiness, which it is the object of this work to fix and improve.

APPRENTICES.

WHEN a youth in the City of London is bound apprentice he is presented to the Chamberlain, who puts into his hands for his guide, the following instructions, and as they proceed from such high authority, they are thought worthy of being preserved in this volume as a body of instruction to apprentices generally.

A COPY OF INDENTURE OF APPRENTICESHIP.
HIS Indenture witnesseth, That
Son of

THI

late of

put himself Apprentice to

Citizen and

doth

of London, to learn his art, and with him (after the manner of an Apprentice) to serve from the day of the date hereof, unto the full end and term of seven years, from thence next following to be fully complete and ended; during which term the said

Apprentice his said Master faithfully shall serve, his secrets keep, his lawful commands every where gladly do. He shall do no damage to his said Master, nor see it to be done of others; but that he to his power shall let or forthwith give warning to his said Master of the same. He shall not waste the goods of his said Master, nor lend them unlawfully to any. He shall not commit fornication, nor contract matrimony within the said term. He shall not play at cards, dice, tables, or any other unlawful games, whereby his said Master may have any loss. With his own goods or others, during the said term, without licence of his said Master, he shall neither buy nor sell. He shall not haunt taverns nor play-houses, nor absent himself from his said Master's service day or night unlawfully; but in all things, as a faithful Apprentice, he shall behave himself towards his said Master, and all his, during the said term. And the said Master in consideration of his said Apprentice in the same art which he useth, by the best means that he can, shall teach and instruct, or cause to be taught and instructed, finding unto his said Apprentice, meat, drink, apparel, lodging, and all other necessaries, according to the custom of the City of London, during the said term. And for the true performance of all and every the said covenants and agreements, either of the said parties bindeth himself unto the other by these presents. In witness whereof, the above named to these Indentures, interchangeably have put their hands and seals, the day of in the

year of the Reign of our Sovereign, of the united Kingdom of Defender

Great Britain and Ireland,

of the Faith, and in the year of our Lord, &c.

A FAMILIAR EXPLANATION OF AN INDENTURE

OF APPRENTICESHIP.

THIS Indenture witnesseth, That R. B.

Son of J. B.

Citizen of London,

doth put himself (that is, by his own free and volun

tary choice) apprentice to A. A. Citizen and

of London, to learn his Art, and with him after the manner of an Apprentice to serve (that is, to live with him in the capacity of a learner and servant, doing all such work as belongs to his trade, and as Apprentices by custom are obliged to do) from the date hereof, unto the full end and term of

years from thence next following to be fully complete and ended; that is, not at the beginning only, or for part of the time, but so long as his Indenture shall continue in force, which must be for seven years at least.

During which term the said Apprentice his said Master faithfully shall serve; that is, he shall be true and just to his Master in all his dealings, both in word and deed; he must not only keep his hands from picking and stealing, and his tongue from lying and slandering; he must not only abstain from doing him any manner of injury, by idleness, negligence, or carelessness; by deceiving, defaming, or any kind of evil speaking: but, he must learn and labour to do him true and real service.

Ye must be faithful in all things. 1 Tim. i.

In all your labours let no iniquity be found. Hosea xii. 8. Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. Lev. xix. 11.

Speak every man truth to his neighbour. Eph. iv. 25. All that do unrighteously are an abomination to the Lord thy God. Deut. xxv. 16.

He that uttereth a slander is a fool. Prov. x. 18. The lip of truth shall be established for ever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment; for the mouth of them who speak lies shall be stopped. Chap. xii. 19.

To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice; (for) they who deal truly are his delight. Chap. xxi. 3, chap. xii. 22.

His secrets keep; that is, conceal the particular secrets of his art, trade, or science, without divulging or making any one privy to them to the detriment of his Master, whose interest may very much depend on a peculiar, management and knowledge of his business. To behave thus, is to serve faithfully; and fidelity is

the glory and perfection of a Servant, as his want of it is his greatest discredit and reproach.

Discover not a secret to another, lest he that heareth it putteth thee to shame, and the infamy turn not away. Prov. xxv. 9, 10.

His lawful commands every where gladly do; that is, he shall readily and cheerfully obey him in all things lawful, without murmuring, hesitation, or reluctance; for obedience from a Servant to his Master, is a duty established by all laws, human and divine; and is founded likewise in the very nature of things; it being impossible to preserve any superiority in the one over the other, unless the inferior submits himself to the direction of his superior in all such things as he has a right to command him to do; that is, all things lawful he is indeed, properly speaking, no longer a Servant than while he obeys his Master's commands; so that the covenanted obedience of an Apprentice is on all accounts indispensably necessary; and the more cheerfully he performs it, the more perfectly he fulfils his duty, and the greater will be the reward as well as pleasure of his obedience; for his Master will doubtless take all opportunities of encouraging him on account of his willingness; he will contrive to make his work as easy to him as he can; he will treat him with all the kindness, and shew him all the favour that is consistent with the relation between them; whereby his servitude will be rendered a kind of freedom; the necessary labours of it a delight; and the time of its duration short and pleasant: he will beside gain the advantage of being trusted and confided in by his Master, which must necessarily give him a quick and thorough insight into his trade, whereby he will become duly qualified for the power and dignity of a Master himself, and establish such a reputation and character as will gain him the esteem and friendship of all who know him; and can therefore have no other than a comfortable prospect of advancing his station and fortune in the world. The quite contrary of all which must be the lot of the disobedient, churlish, and

A

murmuring Servant; who will, in all probability, end his days as a Master (if ever be arrives at that honour) in the same discontented, uneasy, and disregarded manner, in which he lived as a Servant; feared by very few, beloved by none.

Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own Masters, and to please them well in all things, not answering again. Titus ii. 9.

His servants ye are whom ye obey. Rom. vi. 16. Servants, obey in all things your Masters, according to

the flesh; not only to the good and gentle, but also the froward. Col. iii. 22.

And when ye be buffeted for well-doing, take it patiently; for this is thank-worthy and acceptable with God. 1 Pet. ii. 20.

With good-will doing service. Ephes. vi. 7.

Not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. Col. iii. 22.

If any would not work, neither should he eat. 2 Thes. iii. 10.

In all labour there is profit; and the thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness. Prov. xiv. 23. The hand of the diligent maketh rich.-An idle soul shall suffer hunger. Chap. x. 4.-Chap. xix. 15. Seest thou a man diligent, he shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean men. A slothful man is compared to a filthy stone, and every one will hiss him out to his disgrace. Chap. xxii. 29. Eccl. xxii. 1. They that plough iniquity, and sɔw wickedness, shall reap the same. Job iv. 8.

The Lord will make them contemptible and base, before all the people, according as they have not kept his ways. Malachi ii. 9.

He shall do no damage to his said Master, nor see it to be done of others, but that he to his power shall let (that is, prevent or hinder) or forthwith give warning to his said Master of the same. He shall not waste the goods of his said Master, or lend them unlawfully to any. It is not sufficient that the Apprentice does not wrong his Master himself, by cheating, pilfering, purloining, wasting, spoiling, lending, or giving away any of his goods; by sloth and idleness, by neglecting his business, and loitering away his time; it is not enough that he does his Master no kind of