THE PROJECTOR. N° 99.

September 1809.

"TO THE AUTHOR OF THE PROJECTOR.

"SIR,

66

"I SHALL make no apology for the

abruptness with which I begin this letter, and for accusing you and your brethren, the whole tribe of Moral Essayists, of sundry mistakes and misapprehensions in the exercise of your lawful calling; which mistakes, I am of opinion, proceed from your being better acquainted, in some matters, with theory than practice; and from your sometimes meddling with the business and affairs of a world which you are obliged to contemplate at a distance. But, whatever may be the cause of your errors, there is one subject, and only one, upon which I mean at this time to address you; and as it is a very familiar one, and more frequently handled expressly, or casually hinted at, than any other, I hope you will not refuse immediate insertion to this my remonstrance.

"The subject, Sir, concerning which you seem most liable to misconception, is no other than that very familiar one, called Wealth or Riches; against which, you must excuse me

if I say, that have contracted many very

you

narrow notions, founded on what I conceive to be

very rare, a personal dislike. You seem to attribute all the mischiefs under the sun to riches; you take delight in repeating that it is the root of all evil; and, not content with the root, you exhibit such a pernicious stem, and such a collection of deleterious branches, that one would think you were describing the famous poison-tree, instead of speculating upon pounds, shillings, and pence. You represent rich men as the most miserable of all human beings; and, in all your fictions and novels, if any mischief of a more than ordinary kind is to be performed, it must, forsooth, be performed by a man of fortune. Your invectives, likewise, are so frequent and so pointed against wealth, that it would appear to be your intention to write it down, or represent it to the rising generation in such frightful colours, as to deter them from earning money, if they wish to avoid all that is ruinous and disgraceful.

"Now, Sir, although I have no reason to think that your lucubrations on this subject

have done so much mischief as you intend, or that they have brought even a single guinea into contempt, (unless, perhaps, because it was a single guinea); yet, as such doctrines as yours may be thought very rude towards the fashionable, and very unwise towards the commercial world, I have long had it in contemplation to animadvert on your opinions, and endeavour to convince, you of your mistakes. But as I am not well qualified by education to carry on a regular train of philosophical argument, and as such an argument, however ingeniously contrived, might appear somewhat dull to your readers, I have thought that mode best which I find easiest, namely, to give you a true and faithful account of the influence and effects of Riches upon myself. And, as example is far beyond precept, a striking instance of the good consequences and blessings of Wealth may, perhaps, speak more in its fayour, than the most eloquent harangue, without such illustration. And should I fail of producing all the conviction I hope for on your mind, my story may at least tend, in some degree, to moderate your style and your prejudices, when you come again to consider the subject.

"Some years ago, Mr. PROJECTOR, it was

6

my lot to succeed to the property of a very distant relation, whom I never saw, and who, during his life-time, had not found either leisure or inclination to inquire after me. How much I inherited by his death it is not necessary to specify, unless by comparison. It amounted to more thousands per annum, than I formerly possessed hundreds; and it consequently raised me from what is called a bare competence, to that fulness and superabundance which constitute the man of great fortune.' At this time, Sir, I was beyond the middle period of life, a bachelor, not remarkable for charms of person, or brilliancy of conversation; nothing superior in elegance of mind or manner; nowise remarkable for acuteness of judgment, or the finer discriminations of taste; confined to a few acquaintances, or friends, if you please, of my own level, but seldom admitted into the higher societies, or considered as one to whom any particular attention was due. Perhaps, indeed, my character, in the opinion of my employers (for I was in business), might at this time amount to little more than the qualifications of sober and honest,' which we expect in our servants.

"But, Sir, you may well blush for your many uncharitable censures of wealth, when I

tell you what a very favourable change my thousands wrought upon me, within a very few months after I had administered to my relation's will; I mean, as soon as it was known that I had so administered, and was in actual possession. I cannot, indeed, suppose you to be so callous as to retain your antipathies, after what I am about to tell you of the beneficial effects of riches; and therefore I shall proceed, without hurting your feelings by any farther appeal to your past conduct and sentiments.

a very

per

"In the first place, then, as to my person, it is truly wonderful how it began to improve. Although not very tall, I became of good height;' what you would call a sonable man;' and, although it was not in the power of Riches themselves to alter my complexion, yet a brown complexion, I heard, was manly;' and there was in my eye a something sparkling and lively, which, I was assured, the ladies noticed very much.' But these changes and improvements were, perhaps, less wonderful than what seemed to take place in my age. I had, not a twelve-month before, been thought what is called an old fellow,' too old for this, and too old for that, and, above all things, too old for matrimony, unless I wanted a nurse.'