22.  This is one instance out of hundreds of thousands; not, indeed, exactly of the same description, but all arising from the same copious source.  The words speculate and speculation have been substituted for gamble and gambling.  The hatefulness of the pursuit is thus taken away; and, while taxes to the amount of more than double the whole of the rental of the kingdom; while these cause such crowds of idlers, every one of whom calls himself a gentleman, and avoids the appearance of working for his bread; while this is the case, who is to wonder, that a great part of the youth of the country, knowing themselves to be as good, as learned, and as well-bred as these gentlemen; who is to wonder, that they think, that they also ought to be considered as gentlemen?  Then, the late war (also the work of the Septennial Parliament) has left us, amongst its many legacies, such swarms of titled men and women; such swarms of ‘Sirs’ and their ‘Ladies’; men and women who, only the other day, were the fellow-apprentices, fellow-tradesmen’s or farmers’ sons and daughters, or indeed, the fellow-servants, of those who are now in these several states of life; the late Septennial Parliament war has left us such swarms of these, that it is no wonder that the heads of young people are turned, and that they are ashamed of that state of life to act their part well in which ought to be their delight.

23.  But, though the cause of the evil is in Acts of the Septennial Parliament; though this universal desire in people to be thought to be above their station; though this arises from such acts; and, though it is no wonder that young men are thus turned from patient study and labour; though these things be undoubted, they form no reason why I should not warn you against becoming a victim to this national scourge.  For, in spite of every art made use of to avoid labour, the taxes will, after all, maintain only so many idlers.  We cannot all be ‘knights’ and ‘gentlemen’:  there must be a large part of us, after all, to make and mend clothes and houses, and carry on trade and commerce, and, in spite of all that we can do, the far greater part of us must actually work at something; for, unless we can get at some of the taxes, we fall under the sentence of Holy Writ, ’He who will not work shall not eat.’  Yet, so strong is the propensity to be thought ‘gentlemen’; so general is this desire amongst the youth of this formerly laborious and unassuming nation; a nation famed for its pursuit of wealth through the channels of patience, punctuality, and integrity; a nation famed for its love of solid acquisitions and qualities, and its hatred of everything showy and false:  so general is this really fraudulent desire amongst the youth of this now ‘speculating’ nation, that thousands upon thousands of them are, at this moment, in a state of half starvation, not