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Franklin, Benjamin

"Philadelphia 1726-1757"

And how,
alas! can thy Service be rendered more tolerable to thee? If thou
submittest thy self to a Scouring in the Kitchen, what must thou
undergo from sharp Sand, hot Ashes, and a coarse Dishclout; besides
the Danger of having thy Lips rudely torn, thy Countenance
disfigured, thy Arms dismantled, and thy whole Frame shatter'd, with
violent Concussions in an Iron Pot or Brass Kettle! And yet, O Mug!
if these Dangers thou escapest, with little Injury, thou must at last
untimely fall, be broken to Pieces, and cast away, never more to be
recollected and form'd into a Quart Mug. Whether by the Fire, or in
a Battle, or choak'd with a Dishclout, or by a Stroke against a
Stone, thy Dissolution happens; 'tis all alike to thy avaritious
Owner; he grieves not for thee, but for the Shilling with which he
purchased thee! If thy Bottom-Part should chance to survive, it may
be preserv'd to hold Bits of Candles, or Blacking for Shoes, or Salve
for kibed Heels; but all thy other Members will be for ever buried in
some miry Hole; or less carefully disposed of, so that little
Children, who have not yet arrived to Acts of Cruelty, may gather
them up to furnish out their Baby-Houses: Or, being cast upon the
Dunghill, they will therewith be carted into Meadow Grounds; where,
being spread abroad and discovered, they must be thrown to the Heap
of Stones, Bones, and Rubbish; or being left until the Mower finds
them with his Scythe, they will with bitter Curses be tossed over the
Hedge; and so serve for unlucky Boys to throw at Birds and Dogs;
until by Length of Time and numerous Casualties, they shall be
press'd into their Mother Earth, and be converted to their original
Principles.


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