After this he pressed me earnestly, and in the most affectionate manner, not to play the young man, nor to precipitate myself into miseries which nature, and the station of life I was born in, seemed to have provided against; that I was under no necessity of seeking my bread; that he would do well for me, and endeavour to enter me fairly into the station of life which he had just been recommending to me; and that if I was not very easy and happy in the world, it must be my mere fate or fault that must hinder it; and that he should have nothing to answer for, having thus discharged his duty in warning me against measures which he knew would be to my hurt; in a word, that as he would do very kind things for me if I would stay and settle at home as he directed, so he would not have so much hand in my misfortunes as to give me any encouragement to go away; and to close all, he told me I had my elder brother for an example, to whom he had used the same earnest persuasions to keep him from going into the Low Country wars, but could not prevail, his young desires prompting him to run into the army, where he was killed; and though he said he would not cease to pray for me, yet he would venture to say to me, that if I did take this foolish step, God would not bless me, and I should have leisure hereafter to reflect upon having neglected his counsel when there might be none to assist in my recovery.
Par cette voie, les hommes quittent le monde d'une façon douce, et passent doucement et uniment à travers, sans être accablés de travaux des mains ou de l'esprit; sans être vendus à la vie de servitude pour le pain de chaque jour; sans être harassés par des perplexités continuelles qui troublent la paix de l'âme et arrachent le corps au repos; sans être dévorés par les angoisses de l'envie ou la secrète et rongeante convoitise de l'ambition; au sein d'heureuses circonstances, ils glissent tout mollement à travers la société, et goûtent sensiblement les douceurs de la vie sans les amertumes, ayant le sentiment de leur bonheur et apprenant, par l'expérience journalière, à le connaître plus profondément.» Ensuite il me pria instamment et de la manière la plus affectueuse de ne pas faire le jeune homme:--«Ne va pas te précipiter, me disait-il, au milieu des maux contre lesquels la nature et ta naissance semblent t'avoir prémuni; tu n'es pas dans la nécessité d'aller chercher ton pain; je te veux du bien, je ferai touts mes efforts pour te placer parfaitement dans la position de la vie qu'en ce moment je te recommande.