The HAPPY WATERMAN.

A Gentleman and lady walking on the banks of the river Thames, ſpied a ſmall ferry boat with a neatly dreſſed waterman rowing towards them: on his nearer ap⯑proach, they read on the ſtern of his boat, these Words, THE HAPPY WATERMAN.— Without taking any notice of it, they deter⯑mined to enter into conversation with him, and enquiring into his ſituation in life, they found that he had a wife and five children, and ſupported alſo an old father and mo⯑ther-in-law by his own labour. The gen⯑tleman and lady were upon this still more ſurpriſed at the title he had given himſelf, and ſaid, "my friend if this is your ſitua⯑tion, how is it that you call yourſelf the hap⯑py waterman?" "I can eaſily explain this to your ſatisfaction," anſwered the young man, "if you will give me leave;" and they deſiring him to proceed, he ſpoke as follows: "I have obſerved that our greateſt bleſſings in life are often looked upon as the greateſt distresses, and are in fact made ſuch by means of imprudent conduct. My father and mother died a few years ago, and left [3]a large family; my father was a waterman, and I was his aſſiſtant in the management of a ferry-boat, by which he ſupported his fa⯑mily; on his death, it was neceſſary (in or⯑der to pay his juſt debts) to ſell our boat! I parted from it—even with tears—but the diſtreſs that I felt ſpurred me on to induſtry, for I ſaid, I will uſe every kind of diligence to purchaſe my boat back again. I went to the person who had bought it, and told him my deſign: he had given five guineas for it, but told me, as I was once the owner, that I ſhould have it when ever I could raiſe five pounds. "Shall the boat be mine again?" ſaid I; my heart bounded at the thought?"

"I was this time married to a good young woman, and we lived in a neighbour⯑ing cottage; ſhe was young, healthy, and induſtrious, and ſo was I, and we loved one another — What might we not under⯑take? my father uſed to ſay to me, Al⯑ways do what is right? labour diligently and ſpend your money carefully; and GOD will bless your ſtore. We treaſured up theſe rules, and determined to try the truth of them. My wife had long chiefly ſup⯑ported two aged parents: I loved them as my own—and the deſire of contributing to their ſupport, was an additional ſpur to my endeavours to re-purchaſe the boat. I en⯑tered myſelf as a day labourer, in the gar⯑den of our ſquire: and my wife was called [4]occaſionally to perform ſome ſervices at the houſe, and employed herſelf in needle work, ſpinning or knitting at home; not a moment in the day was ſuffered to paſs unemployed —we ſpared for ourſelves and furniſhed all the comforts we could to the poor about us —and every week we dropped a little over⯑plus into a fairing box—to buy the BOAT. If any accident or charity brought us an additional ſhilling, we did not enlarge our expence, but kept it for the BOAT! The more care we took, the more comfortable we felt, for we were the nearer the poſſeſſi⯑on of our little BOAT. Our labour was lightened, by our looking forward to the attainment of our wishes. Our family in⯑deed increaſed, but with it our friends in⯑creaſed also, for the cleanlineſs and frugality which furniſhed our cottage, and the con⯑tent and chearfulneſs that appeared in it, drew the notice of our rich neighbours; of my maſter and mirſteſs particularly, whoſe rule was to aſſiſt the induſtrious, but not to encourage the idle. They did not approve of giving money to the poor; but in cold winters, or dead times, allowed us to buy things at a cheaper rate; this was money to us, for when we counted our little caſh for the week's marketing, all that was ſaved to us by our tickets to purchaſe things at re⯑duced prices went into our "lit [...]le box." If my children got a penny at ſchool for a [5]reward to buy gingerbread, they brought it home, they ſaid, to help to buy the BOAT —for they would have no gingerbread till daddy had got his boat again! Thus from time to time our little ſtore inſenſibly in⯑creaſed, till one pound only was wanting of the five, when the following accident hap⯑pened. Coming home one evening from my work, I ſaw in my road a ſmall pocket⯑book: on opening it, I found a bank note of ten pounds, which plainly enough be⯑longed to my maſter, for his name was upon it, and I had alſo ſeen him paſſing that way in the evening: it being too late however to return to the house, I went on my way. When I told my family of the accident, the little ones were thrown into a tranſport of joy. My dears, ſaid I, what is the matter? "Oh, daddy, the BOAT! the BOAT! we may now have two or three boats!" I check⯑ed them, by my looks, and aſked them if they recollected whoſe money that was? they ſaid, "yours, as you found it." I re⯑minded them that I was not the real owner, and bid them think how they would all feel ſuppoſing a ſtranger was to take our box of money if I ſhould happen to drop it on the day I went to buy back the boat. This thought had the effect on their young minds that I deſired: they were ſi⯑lent, and pale with the repreſentation of ſuch a diſaſter! and I begged it might be a [6]leſſon to them never to forget the golden rule of "doing as they would wiſh others to do to them; for by attention to this certain guide, no one would ever do wrong to another. I alſo took the opportunity, to explain to them that the poſſeſſion of the BOAT by diſhoneſt means would never an⯑ſwer, ſince we could not expect the bleſſing of God upon bad deeds.

To go on with my ſtory—the next morn⯑ing I put the pocket book into my boſom, and went to my work, intending as ſoon as the family roſe to give it to my maſter but what were my feelings, when, on ſearch⯑ing in my bosom, it was no where to be found. I haſted back, along the road I came, looking diligently all the way, but, in vain! there was no traces of any ſuch thing—I would not return into my cot⯑tage becauſe I wiſhed to ſave my family the pain I felt, and in the hope of ſtill recovering the book, I went to my work, following ano⯑ther path which I alſo recollected I had gone by; on my return to the garden gate, I was accoſted by the gardener, who, in a threaten⯑ing tone told me, I was ſuſpected; that our maſter had loſt a pocket-book, deſcribing what I had found, and that I being the only man abſent from the garden at the hour of work, the reſt of the men alſo denying that they had any ſuch thing, there was every reaſon to conclude that I muſt have got it.

[7] Before I could anſwer, my diſtſſed counte⯑nance confirmed the ſuſpicion! and another ſervant coming up, ſaid I was detected, for that a perſon had been ſent to my houſe, and that my wife and family had owned it all, and had deſcribed the pocket book. I told them the real fact, but it ſeemed to every one unlikely to be true; every circumſtance was againſt me, and my heart trembles to look back upon it! I was arreſted, and hur⯑ried away to priſon! I proteſted my inno⯑cence, but I did not wonder that I gained no credit! Great grief now oppreſſed my heart! my poor wife, my dear children, and my gray headed parents, were all at once plunged into want and miſery, inſtead of the eaſe and happineſs which we were expecting; for we were juſt arriving at the height of our earthly wishes! I had, however, one con⯑ſolation left, that I knew I was innocent; and I truſted that by "perſevering in honeſty," all might come right at laſt; My resolution was, as I had certainly been the cauſe, tho' without any deſign of the ſecond loſs of the property, that I would offer (alas!) the whole of our little ſtore, to make it good as far as in my power; and I ſent for my wife to give her this ſad commiſſion, but ſhe informed me that even this ſacrifice, could be of no avail, ſon, ſaid ſhe, my maſter has been at our cottage, when I told him freely how you had found the note, but unfortu⯑nately [8]had loſt it again; and I added, that I was ſure both I and my huſband would make the beſt return in our power, after which I produced our little fairing box, and begged him to accept the contents, which had been ſo long raiſing, as all we had to offer: But, Sir, ſaid the Waterman, conceive my agony, when ſhe added, that my maſter angrily refuſed, ſaying that our being in poſſeſſion of all that money was of itſelf the cleareſt proof of my guilt; for it was im⯑poſſible, with my large family, and no greater opportunities than my neighbours, that I could come honeſtly by ſuch a ſum; there⯑fore he was determined to keep me in gaol till I ſhould pay the whole. My unhap⯑pineſs was very great; however my mind by degrees began to be more eaſy, for I grew confident that I ſhould not truſt in God and my own innocence in vain:—and ſo it hap⯑pened, one of my fellow labourers proved to be the perſon who had picked up the note after I had dropped it, having come a few minutes after me along the ſame road to his work, and hearing that the ſuſpicion had fallen altogether on me, he was tempted to turn the accident to his own advantage, and conceal the property; which having kept in his own box for a few weeks, 'till he thought no ſuſpicion would reſt upon him, he went and offered the note for change [9]and being then ſuſpected, my maſter had him taken up, and I was releaſed.

This ſecond change from ſo much miſery to happineſs was almoſt too much for us: My maſter ſent for me, with many ex⯑preſſions of concern for what had paſſed, made me give him an account of the means by which I had collected the little fund, that fixed his ſuſpicion ſo ſtrongly upon me! I accordingly related the hiſtory of it as I have now done; and when I came to that part where I checked my children for their inconſiderate joy on my finding the note, he roſe with much kindneſs in his looks, and putting the bank bill into my hand, he ſaid, "Take it!—the bank note ſhall be theirs. It is the beſt and only return I can make you, as well as a juſt reward of your honeſty; and it will be a ſubſtantial proof to your children of the goodneſs of your inſtructions, for they will thus early ſee, and feel the benefit of honeſty and virtue;"

This kind and worthy gentleman inte⯑reſted himſelf much in the purchaſe of my boat, which, in leſs than a week I was in full poſſeſſion of. The remainder of my maſter's bounty, and the additional advantage of the ferry, has placed me in comfortable circumſtances, which I hum⯑bly truſt in God will continue to us as long as we continue our labour and honeſt dili⯑gence; and I can ſay from my long expe⯑rience [10]that the fruit of our own induſtry is always the ſweeteſt. I have now alſo the plea⯑ſure of being able to help others, for when a rich paſſenger takes the ferry, as my ſtory is well known in the neighbourhood, he often gives me more than my fare, which enables me to let the next poor perſon go over for half price.

The lady and gentleman were extremely pleaſed with the waterman's ſtory, and wil⯑lingly joined in calling him the HAPPY WA⯑TERMAN. They paſſed over in his ferry⯑boat for the ſake of making him an handſome preſent. And from this time, becoming acquainted with his family, they did them every ſervice in their power, giving books and ſchooling to their little ones, and every comfort to the old father and mother-in law as long as they ſurvived. They were very deſirous of knowing what became of the unfortunate fellow labourer, who had ſo dreadful [...]y gone aſide from the principles of honeſty, and they learnt that he was, af⯑ter a ſhort impriſonment, ſet at liberty by his maſter at the earneſt entreaty of the ho⯑neſt waterman, as he ſaid it was partly thro' his careleſſneſs in loſing the note, that the temptation had fallen in his fellow labour⯑er's way: he had moreover a very large fa⯑mily, his maſter alſo was ſo good as to con⯑ſider that he was a man who had not been bleſſed with a good education in his youth, [11]ſo that having little fear of God before his eyes, and having a great temptation in his way, he had been the more eaſily led to commit this very wicked action, by which he would have enriched himſelf at the ex⯑pence of an innocent man. I have a great pleaſure in adding that the thought of what he had done, together with the generoſity of the waterman, had ſo ſtrong an effect upon this poor fellow, that he afterwards had it written upon his cottage door, DO AS YOU WOULD BE DONE UNTO. And he hath reſolved to follow this rule himſelf in future, and alſo taught it to his children: indeed it became a rule well known over the whole pariſh, for every little child having been informed of this ſtory, was told that he ought to conſider before he did any action, whether he would like his brother, or ſiſter, or ſchool fellow to do the ſame to him; and if not, that the action was wrong, and not to be done, let the profit be ever ſo great. Surely then, thoſe who have lived long and ſeen much of life, and have had much religious inſtruction alſo, ſhould ne⯑ver depart from this ſimple but certain rule. And it is the ſame to all ranks—it requires neither learning or abi [...]ities to "do as you would be done unto," nor can any ſtation however great, no nor any circumſtances however trying, excuſe men from giving their conſtant attention to it.