Containing general Rules and Directions for a young Man's Behaviour in his Apprenticeship. Familiarly address’d to the Youth himself.

I. There is in most young Sparks just come from School to go Appren- tice, a kind of unpolish’d Roughness of Behaviour, a giddy and precipitate Rudeness, that their School-Masters make too little their Concern to file off; for good Manners often, too often, seem to be banish’d the Care of Schools, and are a very little Part of the Attention of some otherwise good Tutors. But you are to remember, that you are now taken from the Company of giddy Boys, to that of serious Men; that you are transplanted from Play to Business; that you are now enter’d on a Scene of Life, that is to be the Foundation of your future Welfare; and that all your Life to come will be influenc’d, in all Probability, by your Behaviour in this your first State of Probation. You are therefore to conclude the Boy, and begin the Man; and act up to the new Character which you have begun to assume; to shake off any little idle Habits you may have contracted, to begin to put in Practice those good Lessons, which you have been taught for this very Purpose, and with a particular View to this Stage of Life; to endeavour to confirm and strengthen your good Habits; and to improve that Learning and those sound Morals, which your Friends, with so much Care and Expence, have inculcated, or paid for inculcating, into your Mind; and to add to all, that Application and Diligence so indispensably necessary to the Performance of the important Engagement you have enter’d into: An Engagement which you are more interested to perform well, than even your Master is; for he can be only benefitted for a Time by your good Service; whereas you will reap the Benefit of it to the End of your Life, and, in all Probability, to the End of Time, and for ever: for ‘tis a very great Chance, if the same Motives which influence you to do your Duty in one Part of Life, will not have due Weight with you in all the rest; since to do your Duty to Man is a fair Step in the Way of doing what is required of you by God Almighty: For there are very few that are either good or bad by Halves.