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My father, a wise and grave man, gave me serious and excellent counsel against what he foresaw was my design. He called me one morning into his chamber, where he was confined by the gout, and expostulated very warmly with me upon this subject. He asked me what reasons, more than a mere wandering inclination, I had for leaving father's house and my native country, where I might be well introduced, and had a prospect of raising my fortune by application and industry, with a life of ease and pleasure. He told me it was men of desperate fortunes on one hand, or of aspiring, superior fortunes on the other, who went abroad upon adventures, to rise by enterprise, and make themselves famous in undertakings of a nature out of the common road; that these things were all either too far above me or too far below me; that mine was the middle state, or what might be called the upper station of low life, which he had found, by long experience, was the best state in the world, the most suited to human happiness, not exposed to the miseries and hardships, the labour and sufferings of the mechanic part of mankind, and not embarrassed with the pride, luxury, ambition, and envy of the upper part of mankind.

What does the historical context of the writing demonstrate or tell you?

User Advena
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They were telling us (the readers,) that their father had a talk with them wondering why they would leave such a country and with their father having fortunes, the father asked and wondered why they would leave. He said that they could have a better life with him making fortunes himself.

I don't know the exact message but I think the father was saying that if the girl/ or guy stayed with him they could've led up to being like him, earning great fortunes and living a happy fulfilled life.

He just wanted what was best for them.

User Klodian
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