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<DATE>2014-06-09</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<PB N="1" REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>TO MY POSTERITY, 1675.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub"><HI>(Anno Aetatis Quadrage&s;imo Secundo.)</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>Not to be <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 chunk">d to any Body <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> publickly.</HI></P>
<P>I KNOW the Book&s;ellers Shops abound with numerous Volumes upon all Subjects, Therefore it's vanity in any Body in this Age to attempt by his Writings to Treat the World with Novelty, e&s;pecially for a Man of my Talent who am but a very ordinary Grammarian; and the Cir|cum&s;tances of my perturbated Fortune never allow'd me Time to read many Authors (tho' perhaps tho&s;e I have run over have been of the very be&s;t) &s;o
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB N="1" REF="2" MS="y">
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<PB N="2" REF="3">that little Rea&s;on I have been Ma&s;ter of hath been Acquired chiefly by Conver|&s;ation and Ob&s;ervation in the Tran&s;act|ing Mercantile Affairs, to which I was by my mo&s;t Indulgent Mother (but at my own Reque&s;t) de&s;ign'd before I was Fifteen Years old: Neverthele&s;s I think it cannot be unacceptable to my Po&s;te|rity, That I leave them this &s;hort Ac|count of my &s;elf.</P>
<P>My Father, Sir <HI>John Lytcott,</HI> Dying at <HI>Mol&s;ey</HI> in <HI>Surrey,</HI> Anno 1641. before I was quite Eight Years of Age, and leaving me younge&s;t of Fifteen or Six|teen Children Born tho' of but Nine then Living.</P>
<P>I was by Mother (who was Daughter to Sir <HI>Nicholas Overbury</HI> and Si&s;ter to Sir <HI>Thomas Overbury</HI> who was Poy&s;oned in the <HI>Tower</HI>) Maintained at a Gram|mar-School 'till I was near Fifteen Years Old,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1650.</NOTE>and then Apprenticed to a Mer|chant; who in le&s;s than Two Years &s;ent me on a Man of War to the Engli&s;h Colonies in <HI>America,</HI> Aboard which Ship I was a little Officer; and in that Voy|age
<PB N="3" REF="3">I got &s;ome Knowledge in the Art of Navigation as well as in the practical part of a Sailer.</P>
<P>At my return for <HI>England</HI> my Ma&s;ter &s;ent me to be one of his Factors at <HI>Li&s;|bon,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1654.</NOTE>from whence after a Year or Two I removed my &s;elf for <HI>Italy,</HI> calling in at &s;ome of the Ports of <HI>Spain</HI> in my way to <HI>Genoa,</HI> and from thence to <HI>Le|gorn,</HI> in the Dukedom of <HI>Tu&s;cany,</HI> where I Liv'd &s;ome Years manageing a great deal of Bu&s;ine&s;s by Commi&s;&s;ion from Merchants of &s;everal Countries; where|in I took much pains but not without much &s;atisfaction, my Labour being re|warded with Benefit; afterwards as my Affairs permitted me I took a View of <HI>Rome,</HI> and of mo&s;t of the be&s;t Cities in <HI>Italy.</HI></P>
<P>Then we had the pro&s;pect of the Re|&s;toration of King <HI>Charles</HI> II. &s;o I went for <HI>Lombardy,</HI> and thence for the <HI>Valtolines</HI> Countrey, and <HI>Switzerland,</HI> and &s;o came for <HI>England</HI> through <HI>Germany,</HI> &s;ome part of <HI>Flanders</HI> and <HI>Holland</HI> in <HI>June</HI> 1660. being in the Twenty Seventh Year of my Age;
<PB N="4" REF="4">and about Sixteen Months afterwards, I Married my only Wife, <HI>Sarah,</HI> the only Daughter of Mr. <HI>Richard Culling</HI> of <HI>Exon,</HI> with whom I had a fair Fortune not le&s;s than Seven Thou&s;and Pounds; and we might have promis'd our &s;elves all the happine&s;s imaginable for young People that could contain them&s;elves within the bounds of Moderation, but it plea&s;ed GOD to convince us of the uncertainty of Worldly Riches by per|mitting me to be deluded by &s;ome Per|&s;ons who indeed had been my Beneficial Friends; but their Fortunes declining, they endeavour'd to prop them&s;elves up by the A&s;&s;i&s;tance of my Credit and E&s;tate; and at la&s;t (their Condition be|ing much wor&s;e than they would own to me) they fail'd, being Indebted at lea&s;t Eleven or Twelve Thou&s;and Pounds to me here and to my Agent who ma|naged my Concerns at <HI>Legorn.</HI></P>
<P>This Misfortune made a great Im|pre&s;&s;ion in my Mind as well as on my E&s;tate; however it plea&s;ed GOD to continue to me the Friend&s;hip of all tho&s;e who had formerly been my Em|ployers
<PB N="5" REF="4">and Acquaintance, &s;o that I was not de&s;titute of Means to repair my Lo&s;&s;es; but the Fondne&s;s of my Dear Wife would not permit her to di&s;pence with my Ab&s;ence out of <HI>England,</HI> &s;o as to &s;ettle my &s;elf abroad again, only <HI>Anno</HI> 1663. I took Po&s;t for <HI>Dover</HI> thence pa&s;&s;ing into <HI>France:</HI> I rid from <HI>Paris</HI> to <HI>Madrid</HI> &s;o to <HI>Sevil</HI> and <HI>Cadiz,</HI> where I Embarked on a <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Ship for <HI>Berba|does</HI> to take on Board about Seven Hun|dred <HI>Blacks</HI> for the Kingdom of <HI>Mexico</HI> in the <HI>We&s;t-Indies;</HI> and I return'd for <HI>London</HI> in about Fourteen Months, but not without Encountring more Dangers and undergoing more Hard&s;hip than in all the former part of my Life:
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Hurricane and want of Food and Water: Our Ship &s;truck and &s;at fa&s;t upon the Shoals on the South-&s;ide of <HI>Cuba,</HI> 'till we lightened her, and got off.</NOTE> However, my Adventure was not without &s;ome Profit as well as a great deal of Peril and new Inconvenien|ces; if they did not extin|gui&s;h the memory of the old ones, at lea&s;t they taught me to wear them with more Patience.</P>
<P>After my Return Home I Retir'd to a Countrey-Life at <HI>Stratford</HI> under <HI>Old
<PB N="6" REF="5">Sarum;</HI> The Truth is I was forced to it for want of a good Tenant to my E&s;tate there, where I continued Five or Six Years, <HI>viz.</HI> to the Year 1671. when I obtained the Charge of Comptant-Ge|neral of the Accompts of His Maje&s;ties Cu&s;toms, wherein I have not without &s;ome Care and Pains Officiated above Four Years.</P>
<P>Now for as much the Hour of Death is uncertain, and I having Six Children who are all &s;o young, That &s;hould I be &s;uddainly taken from them, the Elde&s;t of them would hardly remember their Unfortunate Father: I therefore leave the&s;e Remains of my &s;elf without look|ing into the Antiquity of my Family, tho' One of the Five Olde&s;t in <HI>Oxford&s;hire,</HI> and once po&s;&s;e&s;s'd of a very large E&s;tate, which I cannot mention with|out Accu&s;ing my Ance&s;tors of Impru|dence for having wa&s;ted it.
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">The E&s;tate was wa&s;ted before it came to my Father.</NOTE> Therefore I think it more decent to leave their Urns undi&s;turb'd, and to offer my Children this Mi&s;cel|lany of Adverti&s;ements, Ob&s;ervations
<PB N="7" REF="5">and Maxims writ as they intrude them&s;elves into my Thoughts when I got out of my Office; which perhaps may be more acceptable to them, and make more Impre&s;&s;ion in their Minds, than better dige&s;ted Matter from a Strangers hand.</P>
<P>And in the fir&s;t place, He that de&s;ires to be happy in this World mu&s;t &s;o or|der all his Actions that he may always lay him&s;elf down to Repo&s;e with a quiet Con&s;cience, and awake with a Tranquil Mind: To which no Man can arrive without fearing GOD.</P>
<P><HI>The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wi&s;dom</HI> &s;aid <HI>Solomon,</HI> who was the Wi&s;e&s;t of Men; and his Proverbs are the Originals of all Hone&s;t Policy, as well as of the be&s;t Oeconomy, and con|&s;equently cannot be too often read over.</P>
<P>Of all the Religions that I have ever &s;een or heard, The Chri&s;tian &s;eems to me to be the only Religion fit to be em|braced: And after the peru&s;al of many Books of &s;everal Writers (upon their
<PB N="8" REF="6">various Opinions wherein they alter|nately take the liberty to &s;tile one ano|ther Hereticks, Sectaries and Sci&s;ma|ticks) I do adhere to the Church of <HI>England,</HI> as now E&s;tabli&s;h'd, as being the mo&s;t pure from <HI>Idolatry,</HI> and mo&s;t agreeable with Holy Writ and Rea&s;on.</P>
<P>And therefore I recommend it to tho&s;e that come after me, next to your Duty to GOD Almighty that to your Parents is to take place: Whoever doth not Dutifully obey, re&s;pect and love their Parents, cannot rea&s;onably expect their Children &s;hould obey or re&s;pect them.</P>
<P>In the next place bear good will to all Men, that is, at lea&s;t &s;o far as not to injure any Man willfully, e&s;pecially by &s;peaking ill of them behind their backs, and upon meer report; &s;uch Di&s;cour&s;es being often detected, and then they reflect &s;everely upon the Author; wherefore the mo&s;t prudent way is not to meddle with other Men, or their Matters, e&s;pecially &s;o as to di&s;parage them.</P>
<PB N="9" REF="6">
<P> By all means &s;ubdue Pa&s;&s;ion (it being altogether di&s;agreeable with Prudence, and con&s;equently with Bu&s;ine&s;s) becau&s;e it blinds the Rea&s;on, and rifles a Man's Notions.</P>
<P>Idlene&s;s is the Root of mo&s;t Evils, and the Subver&s;ion of many Families, therefore be &s;ure to entertain your &s;elves with &s;ome hone&s;t Emploiment or other.</P>
<P>And truly as Things offer them&s;elves to my Sen&s;e at pre&s;ent, I &s;ee no fairer way to rai&s;e an E&s;tate (and to avoid Debauchery) than to be bred under a di&s;creet Factor, that hath good Em|ploiment abroad, either in <HI>Spain, Por|tugal, Italy</HI> or <HI>Turkey,</HI> &amp;c. where there is a probability of the Apprentices &s;uc|ceeding his Ma&s;ter in his Commi&s;&s;ions, or under a Lawyer &s;o that a Man have an E&s;tate to purcha&s;e a Coun&s;ellour's Place <HI>at Guild-Hall.</HI></P>
<P>Now that you may be Men of Value and Reputation in the World, I &s;hall offer you a few Adverti&s;ements to be regarded in your Youth.</P>
<PB N="10" REF="7">
<P> Be very cautious of the Company you keep; for he that a&s;&s;ociates with tho&s;e who are lewd and vicious, becomes hardened again&s;t virtuous Thoughts and good Advice.</P>
<P>Avoid Sluggi&s;hne&s;s; a little Sleep in due &s;ea&s;on will &s;uffice a Man and a great deal doth but &s;tupifie him, robs him of his very be&s;t Time, rendring him le&s;s fit for Bu&s;ine&s;s.</P>
<P>Lying a Bed after a Man is awake, expo&s;es him to wanton Thoughts and a lazy habit.</P>
<P>Avoid Uncha&s;tity and Intemperance which do not only take a young Man's Mind from his Bu&s;ine&s;s but rot and ruin his Body, wa&s;te and con&s;ume his Stock, which el&s;e (by GOD's Ble&s;&s;ing and his own diligence might in Time grow to a fair Fortune) but draw upon him the Contempt and Di&s;dain of all indu|&s;trious, virtuous, Men that know him, to the utter lo&s;s of his Reputation.</P>
<PB N="11" REF="7">
<P> A wi&s;e Man would avoid idle Swear|ing and Cur&s;ing (if they were not grie|vous Sins again&s;t the Great Creator) meerly becau&s;e they are Vices u&s;ually incident to &s;hallow-pated Fellows, that &s;upply their want of Sen&s;e with new Coin'd Oaths or &s;ome of the bigge&s;t old ones.</P>
<P>And in my Opinion Lying comes little behind the other, nay perhaps 'tis wor&s;e, becau&s;e tho&s;e who addict them|&s;elves thereto &s;eldom boggle at an Oath or Two to make their Lies be credited; &s;o they cannot be fit for Humane So|ciety becau&s;e Lying lets loo&s;e to any Villany, always hoping to get off with a Lie.</P>
<P>Decency in Apparel is commendable, but curio&s;ity and nicene&s;s in Dre&s;&s;ing is Foppi&s;h: I remember the wi&s;e <HI>Saave|dra</HI> a <HI>Spaniard</HI> in his <HI>Politick Impre&s;&s;es</HI> &s;ays, <HI>That Cloaths are made for Men but Fops are made for their Cloaths:</HI> This &s;ort of Nicene&s;s being generally attended with the mo&s;t dete&s;table Vice of Pride.</P>
<PB N="12" REF="8">
<P> Tho' fair Writing be not an infallible &s;ign of Ingenuity, yet in my Opinion not to write a good legible hand be|&s;peaks a Man to be very carele&s;s if not indi&s;creet; It being certain, That any Man may write a good fair hand if he accu&s;toms him&s;elf thereto; and often|times good Writing is a Recommenda|tion to a good Livelihood: Wherefore I cannot but e&s;teem it Imprudence, in any young Man, to neglect an Art that meerly by cu&s;tom may be attain'd; and po&s;&s;ibly at one Time or other may be more profitable to him than many other Qualifications that are not ac|quir'd without a great deal more pains.</P>
<P>And as well as Writing, Arithmetick is ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary for Men that are to pu&s;h their Fortunes in the World; al&s;o to under&s;tand the &s;tating and keeping Accompts, of which no Man can be a compleat Ma&s;ter but by great Practice in Bu&s;ine&s;s.</P>
<P>Whatever your Stock is, let your Trade be bounded by it; and whatever your E&s;tate is, let your way of Living
<PB N="13" REF="8">be within it: For he that over-lives his Revenue, and he that wants Mo|ney to carry on his Trade are equally unhappy.</P>
<P>Vain, Glorious, Self-Commendation renders a Man very weak if not very ridiculous; not but that there are &s;ome Ca&s;es wherein a Man ought to make the be&s;t of him&s;elf, but the&s;e can be but few particular Ca&s;es, which a Man mu&s;t handle mode&s;tly (without Prolixity or Affectation) and not repeat them too often.</P>
<P>Keep as few Servants as you can, and let tho&s;e be good tho' you give greater Wages.</P>
<P>Be frugal in your Expences, but not &s;tingy in your Gifts to Servants and poor People.</P>
<P>Frequent Drunkenne&s;s is a very im|prudent, pernicious, Evil; It con&s;umes a Man's E&s;tate, &s;pends his Time and de&s;troys his Body; makes him ridicu|lous in his own Family (and be&s;ides,
<PB N="14" REF="9">rendring him uncapable of Bu&s;ine&s;s) it renders him un&s;afe for Conver&s;ation; for he that is drunk knows not what he &s;ays or &s;wears.</P>
<P>Never boa&s;t of your own Dexterity or Agility of Body, becau&s;e a Man is natural|ly apt to exceed in that &s;ort of Di&s;cour&s;e even to the rendring him&s;elf conceited or impertinent; to the begetting Wa|gers which often produces Quarrels (or at lea&s;t puts a Man upon &s;training him|&s;elf beyond what is convenient) and perhaps comes off ridiculous at la&s;t.</P>
<P>Of all Trades never cho&s;e a Land-Soldiers, becau&s;e they who&s;e Idlene&s;s have inclin'd them to a lazy Livelihood (wherein they mu&s;t expo&s;e their Lives for 6 <HI>d.</HI> or 8 <HI>d. per</HI> Day) can hardly be ju&s;tified to be Rational Creatures: And all Soldiery (except in Defence of a Man's own Countrey) is but a Species of Barbari&s;m.</P>
<P>Marriage is an Holy In&s;titution, but it too often proves a very unea&s;ie Mornings Work; and without a lucky Concur|rence
<PB N="15" REF="9">of a great many Circum&s;tances, it can hardly be &s;o happy as People generally fancie.</P>
<P>Men of va&s;t Fortunes may plea&s;e them&s;elves with the Per&s;on or Face of a Wife, but Men of middle Degree mu&s;t con&s;ider the &s;uitablene&s;s of Cir|cum&s;tances and the great Charge of a Family which is contracted by Wed|lock; therefore it's but requi&s;ite, that the Woman brings a good Fortune with her, that &s;he be virtuous and good humour'd (of a Family of good Re|pute) without &s;o much Kindred as may beget a chrageable Acquaintance.</P>
<P>No Portion is an Equivalent for an ill Temper; nor ought any Man (in common Prudence) to Marry a Wife &s;o ill favour'd that he &s;hall be a&s;hamed of her, nor &s;o much older than him&s;elf that &s;he &s;hall look like his Govourne&s;s.</P>
<P>There may be a great deal &s;aid for a Man's Marrying once, but he that hath Children (e&s;pecially a Son by a former Wife and pa&s;t Forty Years of Age)
<PB N="16" REF="10">Marries again, does in my Opinion run a great deal of hazard of being &s;en&s;ured for a Fool or a Knave.</P>
<P>Avoid Contracts with Princes and Courtiers (either at Home or Abroad) if you have any E&s;tate of your own, for Beggars are fitte&s;t to deal with the Court; and according to my ob&s;erva|tion, for one that came well off more than Forty have mi&s;carried.</P>
<P>If a Merchant chanceth to gain by the Crown the Prince at one Time or other will get into his Debt; and then he may have lei&s;ure to inform him&s;elf, That Princes can break their Faith as well as private Men; and tho' they may give good fair Words at fir&s;t, yet after a little while they will abhor the Face of their Creditors.</P>
<P>Avoid Law-Suits by any means, and in order thereto, avoid dealing with litigious Men; avoid uncertain Con|tracts which always admits of Di&s;putes (and tho&s;e Di&s;putes commonly grows into Law-Suits) which di&s;turb the
<PB N="17" REF="10">Tranquility of a Man's Mind, wa&s;te his Time and con&s;ume his E&s;tate.</P>
<P>He that is much concerned in Law oftentimes lives reputed a Knave, and u&s;ually dies a Beggar.</P>
<P>Few Places at Court are really profi|table (except tho&s;e that of cour&s;e have the Princes Ear, or tho&s;e that di&s;pen&s;e the Money) which I pre&s;ume occa&s;ion'd the <HI>Italian</HI> Proverb, <HI>He that lives at Court dies in the Ho&s;pital.</HI></P>
<P>But Offices in the Revenue are worth obtaining; and if a Man behave him|&s;elf hone&s;tly and diligently therein, po&s;|&s;ibly it may be as good as any other E&s;tate for Life; but tho&s;e that extort Fees (or delaies Men out of de&s;ign to pick their Pockets) de&s;erve not only to be di&s;mi&s;t, but expos'd upon the Pillory, as well as tho&s;e that cheat the King or connive at his being defrauded in their Offices.</P>
<P>What I have hitherto &s;aid, pointing mo&s;t to the Ma&s;culine Gender, perhaps
<PB N="18" REF="11">my Daughters may expect I &s;hould &s;ay &s;omething to them al&s;o; from which in my own Opinion I might be very well excus'd, they having the live|ly Example of their mo&s;t Virtuous Mo|ther to imitate; whom I hope the Almighty God will continue to them 'till they &s;hall all be grown up.</P>
<P>Neverthele&s;s, lea&s;t &s;he &s;hould be taken away in their Infancie, they &s;hall have my Advice in a very few Lines, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<P>Be truly Religious in your Clo&s;ets as well as at Church, where you ought to behave your &s;elves (Devoutely and decently) without much bus&s;ling and expre&s;&s;ing the Re&s;pon&s;als too loud.</P>
<P>Fall out with no Body about their Opinion in Religion.</P>
<P>Avoid Pride and Affectation.</P>
<P>Avoid an over Airy Behaviour.</P>
<PB N="19" REF="11">
<P> Wantonne&s;s makes room for Cen&s;ure, and gives opportunity to Temptation.</P>
<P>It's but little wor&s;e to be a Whore than to give occa&s;ion to be thought &s;o.</P>
<P>Be affable and curteous with mode&s;ty.</P>
<P>Be carefull in the choi&s;e of Compa|nions for your con&s;tant Conver&s;e.</P>
<P>Keep your &s;elves emploi'd about &s;ome ingenious Hou&s;ewifery, not excluding Dancing and Singing al&s;o if you have Voices adapted to it.</P>
<P>What Time you &s;pend in Reading, let it be in Books of &s;ound Divinity (or good Morality) and not in idle Roman|ces, and Stories of Witches and Wizards and the <HI>Roman Catholick</HI> Legends, which &s;eems to be Nets contriv'd by the Devil to catch Fools of all Sects.</P>
<P>When you come to think of Mar|riage (and that Husbands are propo&s;ed to you) relie upon the Judgment of your Mother, or &s;ome other prudent Friend, rather than upon your own in your choice.</P>
<PB N="20" REF="12">
<P> And rather cho&s;e a good, prudent, indu&s;trious, plain Man (that knows how to get an E&s;tate) than a vain Fop that may have a little left him by his Friends and only knows how to &s;pend it.</P>
<P>When you are Married remember you are no more your own Mi&s;tre&s;s, but that you have put your &s;elf under a Governour to who&s;e Humours you mu&s;t endeavour to bend your &s;elf with all diligence imaginable, Wedlock being a Knot that can never be untied but by Death; and if your Humour be not agreeable with your Husbands, you mu&s;t expect to live mi&s;erably.</P>
<P>Finally, I tell you all my Sons and Daughters (and tho&s;e that &s;hall be de&s;cended from you, to who&s;e view The&s;e &s;hall come) That you will never an&s;wer it to GOD nor Nature if they have not &s;ome weight with you, becau&s;e they are the kind Lecacy of your mo&s;t kind Father</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>G. Lytcott.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<PB REF="12">
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