that I was chosen into the council, partly by the strong handling of
Deacon Shavings, and the instrumentality of other friends and well-
wishers, and not a little by the moderation and prudence with which
I had been secretly ettling at the honour.

Having thus reached to a seat in the council, I discerned that it
behoved me to act with circumspection, in order to gain a discreet
dominion over the same, and to rule without being felt, which is the
great mystery of policy. With this intent, I, for some time, took
no active part in the deliberations, but listened, with the doors of
my understanding set wide to the wall, and the windows of my
foresight all open; so that, in process of time, I became acquainted
with the inner man of the counsellors, and could make a guess, no
far short of the probability, as to what they would be at, when they
were jooking and wising in a round-about manner to accomplish their
own several wills and purposes. I soon thereby discovered, that
although it was the custom to deduce reasons from out the interests
of the community, for the divers means and measures that they wanted
to bring to a bearing for their own particular behoof, yet this was
not often very cleverly done, and the cloven foot of self-interest
was now and then to be seen aneath the robe of public principle. I
had, therefore, but a straightforward course to pursue, in order to
overcome all their wiles and devices, the which was to make the
interests of the community, in truth and sincerity, the end and
object of my study, and never to step aside from it for any
immediate speciality of profit to myself. Upon this, I have
endeavoured to walk with a constancy of sobriety; and although I
have, to a certainty, reaped advantage both in my own person and
that of my family, no man living can accuse me of having bent any
single thing pertaining to the town and public, from the natural