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was to a great extent the fact, though not without some painful exceptions, which it falls to our lot to record. There were servants who evidently pursued interests separate from their master's, and to his injury. The hedge about their master's vineyard was broken down, and the boar from the wilderness without molestation rooted up the vine. The door of the sheepfold too was left open, and the grievious wolf came in not sparing the flock. When such events happened however, it was common for the servants to become indignant at the boar and the wolf, not reflecting that had the fence of the vineyard, and the door of the sheepfold been kept, the vines and the lambs had escaped injury. It must be added, that the ground also was often so imperfectly tilled as to yield but a scanty harvest, and sometimes from year to year, no harvest at all. But in this case it was common for the servants to console themselves with the reflection, that God only could give the increase, and that as he gives or withholds according to his sovereign good pleasure, no blame could justly attach to them. There were indeed a few instances of failure, where all the means of securing a crop had apparently been faithfully applied. But it often happened that those who in this manner went forth, from year to year, weeping, bearing precious seed, came again at length rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with

them; and where this was not the case, it frequently happened that the seed though buried long in dust, sprang up in a joyful harvest after the hand that sowed it, and the eye that wept over it, were at rest in the grave.

It was left in charge by the nobleman to his servants, that they should keep in good repair those parts of the farm which had been reduced to cultivation, and urge on the work of subduing the wilderness, until the entire farm should become one fruitful field; and so vigorous at first was the onset upon the wilderness, that it seemed as if every tree of the forest would bow, and every acre of the farm be made to feel the plough, and to wave with harvests. But so much at length did the love of these servants wax cold, and their enterprise abate, that the wilderness regained much of its' lost dominion, and all hope and all duty seemed to be limited to the defence of the fruitful fields, against the encroachments of the wilderness.

When at length a small number of servants, moved by primitive affection and zeal, read their master's direction, 'go ye out into all parts of the farm and subdue the wilderness,' and began to make experiments, they were stared upon as madmen. Do you believe, said one, that our master expected, or intended that we should subdue the entire farm? Never. His language is hyperbolical.Another contended that the fruit

ful field might as well give place to the wilderness, as the wilder ness to the fruitful field. He could perceive very little difference, he said, between the wild animals of the wilderness, and the tame animals of the fields. God who made them all, is benevolent, and no respecter of persons, from which it must result, that they are all happy, and about equally happy; he thought it therefore a useless expense to carry the arts of husbandry to the wilderness; he could perceive but little difference between the lion and the wolf, and the ox and the lamb. All were made very good animals, each lived in his own way and why should we disturb them.

derness, and that what had been done could be done again; it was answered, that the great trees which stood here were pulled up by miracles, and that the giants and lions were all killed by supernatural aid, not to be expected now.

If any pointed to tracts of wilderness recently subdued without miracles, as difficult of subjugation as any that remained, a new host of objectors took up the argument; admitted the possibility of subduing the wilderness, but denied that there was either time or resources. "It was as much as could be done," they said, "to maintain the cultivated field from the encroachments of the wilderness, and that charity begins at home. There were fences enough to be mended, and flocks to be gathered, and weeds to be eradicated at home, and nothing should be done abroad, until the farm at home. was put in perfect order. Beside, where shall we find laborers for the whole field? And even were all the products of the cultivated part devoted to subduing the wilderness, it would be in vain :" forgetful that every newly cultivated acre poured into the treasury, thirty, sixty, or an hundred fold; and that the resources increased, as the work to be done diminish. ed.

Others who thought it would be a very good thing, to subdue the wilderness were it possible, fainted at the thought of such an undertaking. There were trees, they said, somewhere in that wilderness, an hundred miles in circumference, harder than the hardest steel, and whose roots were wrapped about the centre of the earth, so that to cut them down, or pull them up, or raise crops under their shade, was alike hopeless. And then there were lions in the way of unusual strength and fierceness, ready to slay every man I who should show himself in their dominions; and there too travellers had seen the giants, in com- There was after all, another parison with whom they were difficulty, which was, on which grasshoppers. If it was suggested side of the wilderness they should by any servant, that the field now begin; some preferring to assail cultivated, was once itself a wil- the forests immediately contigu

ous, while others preferred going quite the other side. This difficulty was however settled by the amicable agreement, that both sides should be assailed at once, and the assault be continued until the servants should meet and shake hands in the middle.

whose deportment in better day would have ensured their expul sion from the household. If any servants proposed a more strict examination concerning skill, or industry, or friendship to their master, with reference to the admission of servants, they were denounced as uncharitable, bigoted and cruel. Does not charity, it world be said, hope all things, and believe all things? Do we know the candidate for admission to be a novice? Why then should we torment him by unreasonable suspicions, implied in his examination? They could not doubt that he had devoted himself some where faithfully to the acquisition of agricultural knowledge, and that he was, or would be, as industrious; and skilful, and faithful as themselves; and, as to friendship to the nobleman, "Is it not well known." they demanded, "that he had no enemies? It was unreasonable to think that he had, and if any pretended to be his enemies, or even conducted as if they were, undoubtedly they were deceived, or from modesty merely exhibited themselves as being worse than they were. Besides, friendship and enmity are feelings

In the ancient book already referred to, and which the nobleman deposited in the hands of the servants, there were rules which he directed them to follow in the management of the farm, forbidding them to make a single unauthorized experiment. In this book it was provided, that persons of competent skill in husbandry, who could exhibit evidences of friendship to their master, and would make the requisite engagements, might be received into the household of the nobleman; and for a season, those who offered themselves were carefully examined, and few were received, who did not consult in some good degree the interests of their master. But in process of time it came to pass, that from indolence or carelessness, or false tenderness, any person who offered himself was sure to be received, however deficient in skill, or wanting in the ordinary evidence of friendship to the nobleman.- of the heart, and what have we to The consequence was, that many do with each other's hearts? To servants unskilled in husbandry, our own master we stand or fall." and without friendship to the If, at any time, attempts were master, became members of his made to expel from the household household. These, as might be an idle or profligate servant, he expected, were extremely liberal would inquire the authority of in their views, and charitably dis- the servants to do it, and cry perposed towards all those servants, secution; when instantly, as if

roused by fellow feeling, a host provided the harvest is good? What

of sympathetic brethren would come to his aid to denounce his persecutors, and certify whom it might concern, of his pre-eminent industry, sincerity, and skill. In consequence of this state of things, the business of the farm, in many parts, was wretchedly conducted. Many a field was scarcely tilled at all, but was grown over to thorns, and nettles covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Some servants mingled tares with the good seed, and some sowed little besides tares.-At first indeed, it was done in the night, while men slept, but at length it was done openly. If any alledged that a particular servant sowed tares, it was replied, that tares and wheat were so nearly alike, that none should presume authoritively to discriminate between them. It had always been 'disputed,' they said which were tares, and which were wheat, and that every servant must judge for himself.' The accused thought that he sowed wheat, and his accusers thought that he sowed tares, and he was as likely to be right as they. Besides, it was all, they said, a matter of mere opinion, for which no man should be accountable. If their fellow servant had in fact sowed tares, he had done it, they did not doubt, sincerely, and of course would be as well accepted to their master, as those who sowed wheat. But after all, said they, of what consequence is it what seed a man sows,

harm can there be in sowing tares, provided we reap wheat? or even if every seed produced after this kind, they could perceive no such mighty difference as to render it a matter of such consequence what seeds were sown. Among all the seeds sown upon the farm, they could not lay their finger upon more than two or three of much importance; and on the whole, they concluded, that tares sown sincerely, were even better than wheat sown hypocritically.

It was directed in the book of husbandry, that in the cultivation of fruit trees, particular attention should be paid to the root, but the same servants who thought that the tares sown sincerely, were better than wheat sown hypocritically, conceived the idea, that all attention to the roots of trees was entirely superfluous labour,that the root of the tree was dependent on the top, not the top upon the root; and that all a skillful husbandman had need to do, was to keep his trees well pruned. They talk ed, and wrote, and printed, and went about with great kindness, to open the eyes of other servants to the extreme folly of delving in the dirt about the roots of trees."For what," said they, "can bè more beautiful than leaves and blossoms, or what more excellent than delicious fruit? Let the top of the tree (they said) be duly cultivated, and the luxuriant top, if roots be needful, will produce them." If any quoted that pas

Were it alledged, that where attention was paid to the roots of trees, they were invariably the most flourishing and fruitful; the fact would be sometimes reluctantly admitted, while that the difference was caused by the different mode of culture, would be strenuously denied. "Prove to us," they would say, "that the difference does not arise from soil or position, or the cultivation which you bestow upon the top, in common with us; for as long as it is possible, that the difference may arise from some other cause, it is absolutely certain that it is not produced by your particular mode of cultivation."

sage in the book of husbandry, as the lion; that the lion so often which apostrophizing a tree says, spoken of in the book of husband"thou bearest not the root, but ry, as such a powerful, and ferocthe root thee," it was easy to re- ious animal was nothing but the ply that the passage was mistrans- principle of evil personified, as it lated, and that it ought to be ren- existed in the thunder storms and dered as it does read in the orig- the diseases of sheep. It is well inal; thou bearest not he branch- known, they said, that thunder. es, but the branches thee. storms roar, that they are noxious to lambs, and that they go about, figuratively seeking whom they may figuratively devour. When reminded that the book spoke of many lions, though of one as chief in strength and ferocity, it was easily to reply, that thunder storms were numerous, some great and some small; the greatest being called the old lion, and the rest lions, or young lions, according to their power. In like manner, they insisted, were the diseases of sheep personified, proceeding, as they all did, from principles of disease in the animal called the old lion, or the lion, or young lion, as the disease was more or less destructive.Another charge left upon record These diseases, it was well known, in the book of husbandry, was, caused sheep to bleat, which by a that the servants should take par- figure of speech, common in eastticular care of the sheep and ern countries,might be called roar, lambs of the flock, to see that they ing, and as disease and death dewere defended against the lion, compose the bodies of animals, who went about seeking to devour they are fitly compared to a lion them. But those servants who tearing in pieces and devouring dreaded so much labor of tilling his prey. It is scarcely to be. the roots of trees, found the ser- conceived how much rejoicing and vice of keeping the flock too la- self-complacency this discovery borious for pleasure, and by occasioned. The servants who searching critically the book of made it and availed themselves of husbandry, discoved to their great it, deemed themselves the most joy that there was no such animal learned servants on the farm, and

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