world and able to instruct and encourage those who come after him.




CHAPTER VI

OVER-TRADING


It is an observation, indeed, of my own, but I believe it will hold true
almost in all the chief trading towns in England, that there are more
tradesmen undone by having too much trade, than for want of trade.
Over-trading is among tradesmen as over-lifting is among strong men:
such people, vain of the strengh, and their pride prompting them to put
it to the utmost trial, at last lift at something too heavy for them,
over-strain their sinews, break some of nature's bands, and are cripples
ever after.

I take over-trading to be to a shopkeeper as ambition is to a prince.
The late king of France, the great king Louis, ambition led him to
invade the dominions of his neighbours; and while upon the empire here,
or the states-general there, or the Spanish Netherlands on another
quarter, he was an over-match for every one, and, in their single
capacity, he gained from them all; but at last pride made him think
himself a match for them all together, and he entered into a declared
war against the emperor and the empire, the kings of Spain and Great
Britain, and the states of Holland, all at once. And what was the
consequence? They reduced him to the utmost distress, he lost all his
conquests, was obliged, by a dishonourable peace, to quit what he had