12
N° 2 .
THE GUARDIAN .
ſmith " in London , of two thouſand pounds, and told me with that he had purchaſed me, with all
the talents I was maſter of, to be of his family, to educate his ſon , and to do all that ſhould ever
lie in my power for the ſervice of him and his
to my life's end, according to ſuch powers, trutts, and inſtructions, as I ſhould hereafter receive.
The reader will here make many ſpeeches for me, and without doubt ſuppoſe I told my
friend
he had retained me with a fortune to do that
which I ſhould have thought myſelf obliged to by friendſhip : but, as he was a prudent man, and acted upon rules of life, which were leaſt liable to the variation of humdur, time , or ſeaſon, I
was contented to be obliged by him his own way ; and believed I ſhould never enter into any alliance which ſhould divert me from purſuing the intereſts of his family, of which I ſhould
hereafter underſtand myſelf a member. Sir Am broſe told me, he ſhould lay no injunction upon
me, which ſhould be inconſiſtent with any incli nation I might have hereafter to change my con dition. All he meant was, in general, to inſure his family from that peſt of great eſtates, the mercenary men of bufineſs who act for them , and in a few years become creditors to their maſters
in greater ſums than half the income of their lands amounts to, though it is viſible all which gave riſe to their wealth was a ſlight falary, for turning all the reſt, both eſtate and credit of that
eſtate , to the uſe of their principals.
To this
purpoſe we had a very long conference that even
k A banker was called a goldſmith in 1713.,
