Business is with Books and Study. In Trade. this Choice, the Age and Inclination of the person is to be considered, and Constraint always to be avoided in bringing him to it. For Command and Force may often create, but can never cure an Aversion: And whatever any one is brought to by compulsion, he will leave as soon as he can, and be little profited, and less recreated by, whilft he is at it.

§. 191. That which of all others Painting. would please me best, would be a Painter, were there not an Argument or two against it not easie to be answered. First,ill Painting is one of the worst things in the World; and to attain a tolerable degree of Skill in it, requires too much of a Man's Time. If he has a natural Inclination to it, it will endanger the neglect of all other more useful Studies, to give way to that, and if he have no inclination to it, all the Time, Pains, and Money shall be employ'd in it, will be thrown away to no purpose. Another Reason why I am not for Painting in a Gentleman, is, Because it is a sedentary Recreation, which more employs the R 2 Mind

Painting. Mind than the Body. A Gentleman's more serious Employment I look on to be Study; and when that demands relaxation and refreshment, it should be in some Exercise of the Body, which unbends the Thought, and confirms the Health and Strength. For these two Reasons. I am not for Painting.

Gardning.

§. 192. In the next place, for a Country-Gentleman, I should propose one, or rather both these; viz. Gardening, and working in Wood, as a Carpenter, Joyner, or Turner, as beFoyner. ing fit and healthy Recreations for a Man of Study, or Business. For since the Mind endures not to be constantly employ'd in the same Thing, or Way; and sedentary or studious Men, should have some Exercise, that at the same time might divert their Minds, and employ their Bodies; I know none that could do it better for a CountryGentleman, than these two, the one of them affording him Exercise, when the Weather or Season keeps him from the other. Besides, that by being skill'd in the one of them, he will be able to govern and teach his Gardener ; by the other, contrive and make a

great

great many Things both of delight Joyner. and use: though these I propose not as the chief end of his Labour, but as Temptations to it; Diversion from his other more serious Thoughts and Employments, by useful and healthy manual Exercise, being what I chiefly aim at in it.

§. 193. Nor let it be thought that I Recreation. mistake, when I call these or the like Trades, Diversions or Recreations: For Recreation is not being idle (as every one may observe) but easing the wearied part by change of Business: And he that thinks Diversion may not lie in hard and painful Labour, forgets the early rising, hard riding, heat, cold and Hunger of Huntsmen, which is yet known to be the constant Recreation of Men of the greatest Condition. Delving, Planting, Inoculating, or any the tike profitable Employments, would be no less a Diversion, than any of the idle Sports in fashion, if Men could but be brought to delight in them, which Custom and Skill in any Trade will quickly make any one do. And I doubt not, but there are to be found those, who being frequently call'd

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Recreation.

call'd to Cards, or any other Play, by those they could not refuse, have been more tired with these Recreations, than with any the most serious Employment of Life, though the Play has been such, as they have naturally had no aversion to, and with which they could willingly sometimes divert them: felves.

§. 194. Though when one reflects on these and other the like Pastimes, (as they are call'd,) one finds they leave little satisfaction behind them, when they are over; and most commonly give more vexation than delight to People, whilst they are actually engaged in them, and neither profit the Mind, nor the Body. They are plain instances to me, that Men cannot be perfectly idle; they must be doing something. The Skill should be so to employ their time of Recreation, that it may relax and refresh the part, that has been exercised, and is tired, and yet do something, which besides the present Delight and Ease, may produce what will afterwards be profitable. It has been nothing but the Vanity and Pride of Greatness and Riches,

Riches, that has brought unprofitable Recreation and dangerous Pastimes into fashion,and persuaded People into a belief, that the learning or putting their hands to any thing, that was useful,could not be a Diversion fit for aGentleman. This has been that which has given Cards, Dice, and "Drinking so much Credit in the World: And a great many throw away their spare Hours in them, through the prevalency of Custom, and want of some better Employment to pass their time, more than from any real delight is to be found in them, only because it be ing very irksome and uneasie to do nothing at all, they had never learn'd any laudable manual Art wherewith to divert themselves; and so they be take themselves to those foolish, or ill ways in use, to help off their Time, which a rational Man, till corrupted by Custom, could find very little pleafure in.

§. 195. I say not this, that I would never have a young Gentleman accommodate himself to the innocent Diver fions in fashion, amongst those of his Age and Condition. I am so far from having him austere and morose to that

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degree,