Page:History of Charles Jones, the footman (1).pdf/8

 but his example will not exeuseexcuse [sic] our crimes, though it will aggravate his. We must take earecare [sic] of our own souls, whether our masters take care of theirs or not.

But to return to my history; I am ashamed to say that I was guilty more than oneeonce [sic] in the earlier part of my servitude of the shocking and detestable crime of lying, in order to excuse or screen my faults.—Happily I was euredcured [sic] of it in the following manner: Having been one day ordered to earrycarry [sic] a bottle of wine to a sieksick [sic] man, one of my master's parishioners, I aeeidentallyaccidentally [sic] broke the bottle, and of course lost the wine. What was to be done? Should I confess my misfortune, and aeknowledgeacknowledge [sic] my carelessness, or conceal it by a lie? After some deliberation I resolved upon the lie. I therefore had made up my story, 'how the poor man sent his duty to my master, and thanked him a thousand times, and that he was a little better, and that his wife said she thought this wine would save his life.' Being thus prepared, as I was returning home, I met a pedlar, of whom I bought for a penny a little book, containing a story of a woman at Devizes, who was struck dead on the spot for telling a lie. To be sure it was Heaven sent the pedlar to me, to save me from the sin I was going to eommitcommit [sic]. 'If this woman was struck dead for a lie, (said I to myself,) why may not I?' I therefore went direetlydirectly [sic] home, audand [sic] made a confession of my negligeneenegligence [sic] and misfortune; and it was well for mome [sic] I did, for the sieksick [sic] man, whose duty and thanks I had wiekedlywickedly [sic] intended to earrycarry [sic] to my master, was dead, as I understood afterwards, three hours before the bottle was broken. From this time, therefore, I began to see, what I am now fully convineedconvinced [sic] of, that besides the sinfulness of lying, it is always moromore [sic] for thothe [sic] interest and lasting comforts of