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his. My uncle Benjamin, too, approved of it, I after the authors of this transfer; we were dis and proposed to give me his short-hand vo- covered, complained of, and corrected by our lumes of sermons to set up with, if I would fathers; and though I demonstrated the utililearn short-hand. ty of our work, mine convinced me that, that which was not truly honest could not be truly useful.

I continued however at the grammar school rather less than a year, though in that time I had risen gradually from the middle of the I suppose you may like to know what kind class of that year, to be at the head of the of a man my father was. He had an excellent same class, and was removed into the next constitution, was of a middle stature, well set, class, whence I was to be placed in the third and very strong: he could draw prettily, was at the end of the year. But my father, bur- a little skilled in music; his voice was sonothened with a numerous family, was unable, rous and agreeable, so that when he played without inconvenience, to support the expense on his violin and sung withal, as he was accusof a college education; considering, moreover, tomed to do after the business of the day was as he said to one of his friends in my presence, over, it was extremely agreeable to hear. He the little encouragement that line of life af- had some knowledge of mechanics, and on ocforded to those educated for it, he gave up his casion was very handy with other tradesmen's first intentions, took me from the grammar tools; but his great excellence was his sound school, and sent me to a school for writing and understanding and solid judgment in prudenarithmetic, kept by a then famous man, Mr. tial matters, both in private and public afGeorge Brownwell. He was a skilful master fairs. It is true he was never employed in and successful in his profession, employing the latter, the numerous family he had to eduthe mildest and most encouraging methods. cate, and the strictness of his circumstances Under him I learnt to write a good hand pretty keeping him close to his trade: but I rememsoon, but failed entirely in arithmetic. At ber well his being frequently visited by leadten years old, I was taken to help my father ing men, who consulted him for his opinion in his business of a tallow-chandler and soap-in public affairs, and those of the church he boiler, a business to which he was not bred, but had assumed on his arrival in New England, because he found that his dying trade, being in little request, would not maintain his family. Accordingly, I was employed in cutting the wick for the candles, filling the moulds for cast candles, attending the shop, going of errands, &c.

belonged to, and who shewed great respect for his judgment and advice: he was also much consulted by private persons about their affairs, when any difficulty occurred; and frequently chosen an arbitrator between contending parties. At his table he liked to have, as often as he could, some sensible friend or neighbour to converse with, and always took care to start some ingenious or useful topic for discourse, which might tend to improve the minds of his children. By this means he turned our attention to what was good, just, and prudent, in the conduct of life; and little or no notice was ever taken of what related to the victuals on the table, whether it was well or ill dressed, in or out of season, of good or bad flavour,preferable or inferior to this or that other thing of the kind, so that I was brought up in such a

I disliked the trade, and had a strong inclination to go to sea, but my father declared against it; but residing near the water, I was much in it and on it. I learnt to swim well, and to manage boats; and when embarked with other boys, I was commonly allowed to govern, especially in any case of difficulty; and upon other occasions, I was generally the leader among the boys, and sometimes led them into scrapes, of which I will mention an instance, as it shows an early projecting pub-perfect inattention to those matters, as to be lic spirit, though not then justly conducted.

quite indifferent as to what kind of food was There was a salt marsh which bounded set before me. Indeed I am so unobservant of part of the mill-pond, on the edge of which at it, that to this day I can scarce tell a few hours high water we used to stand to fish for min- after dinner of what dishes it consisted. This nows; by much trampling we had made it a has been a great convenience to me in tramere quagmire. My proposal was to build a velling, where my companions have been wharf there for us to stand upon, and I shew-sometimes very unhappy for want of a suited my comrades a large heap of stones, which able gratification of their more delicate were intended for a new house near the marsh, because better instructed tastes and appeand which would very well suit our purpose. tites. Accordingly, in the evening when the workmen were gone home, I assembled a number of my playfellows, and we worked diligently like so many emmets, sometimes two or three to a stone, till we had brought them all to make our little wharf. The next morning the workmen were surprised, on missing the stones which formed our wharf; inquiry was made

My mother had likewise an excellent constitution: she suckled all her ten children. I never knew either my father or mother to have any sickness but that of which they died-he at 89 and she at 85 years of age. They lie buried together at Boston, where I some years since placed a marble over their grave, with this inscription:

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And without an estate, or any gainful employment,
By constant labour and honest industry,
maintained a large family comfortably,
and brought up thirteen children and seven grand-
children respectably.

From this instance, reader,

Be encouraged to diligence in thy calling
And distrust not Providence.

He was a pious and prudent man;
She a discreet and virtuous woman.
Their youngest son,

In filial regard to their memory,
Places this stone.

J. F. born 1655, died 1744, Ætas 89.
A. F.- 1667,

1752,

85.

By my rambling digressions, I perceive myself to be grown old. I used to write more methodically. But one does not dress for private company as for a public ball. Perhaps it is only negligence.

regretted, that at a time when I had such a thirst for knowledge, more proper books had not fallen into my way, since it was resolved I should not be bred to divinity; there was among them Plutarch's lives, which I read abundantly, and I still think that time spent to great advantage. There was also a book of De Foe's, called an Essay on Projects, and another of Dr. Mather's, called an Essay to do good, which perhaps gave me a turn of thinking that had an influence on some of the principal future events of my life.

This bookish inclination at length determined my father to make me a printer, though he had already one son (James) of that profession. In 1717 my brother James returned from England with a press and letters to set up his business in Boston. I liked it much better than that of my father, but still had an hankering for the sea. To prevent the apprehended effect of such an inclination, my faTo return: I continued thus employed in ther was impatient to have me bound to my my father's business for two years, that is till brother. I stood out some time, but at last I was twelve years old; and my brother John, was persuaded, and signed the indentures who was bred to that business, having left my when I was yet but twelve years old. I was father, married and set up for himself at Rhode to serve as an apprentice till I was twenty-one Island, there was every appearance that I years of age, only I was to be allowed jourwas destined to supply his place, and become neyman's wages during the last year. In a a tallow-chandler. But my dislike to the trade little time I made a great progress in the busicontinuing, my father had apprehensions, that ness, and became a useful hand to my brother. if he did not put me to one more agreeable, I I now had access to better books. An acquaintshould break loose and go to sea, as my bro-ance with the apprentices of booksellers, enather Josiah had done to his great vexation. bled me sometimes to borrow a small one, In consequence he took me to walk with him, which I was careful to return soon and clean. and see joiners, bricklayers, turners, braziers, Often I sat up in my chamber the greatest &c., at their work, that he might observe my part of the night, when the book was borrow inclination, and endeavour to fix it on some ed in the evening to be returned in the morntrade or profession that would keep me on ing, lest it should be found missing. After land. It has ever since been a pleasure to me to some time a merchant, an ingenious, sensible see good workmen handle their tools; and it has man, Mr. Matthew Adams, who had a pretty been often useful to me to have learnt so much collection of books, frequented our printing by it as to be able to do some trifling jobs in office, took notice of me, and invited me to the house, when a workman was not at hand, see his library, and very kindly proposed to and to construct little machines for my expe- lend me such books as I chose to read. Inow riments, at the moment when the intention of took a strong inclination for poetry, and wrote making them was warm in my mind. My some little pieces; my brother supposing it father determined at last for the cutlers' trade, might turn to account, encouraged me, and and placed me for some days on trial with Sa- induced me to compose two occasional ballads. muel, son to my uncle Benjamin, who was bred One was called the Light-house tragedy, to that trade in London, and had just establish- and contained an account of the shipwreck of ed himself in Boston. But the sum he exacted captain Worthilake, with his two daughters: as a fee for my apprenticeship displeased my the other was a sailor's song, on the taking of father, and I was taken home again. From the famous Teach (or Blackbeard) the pirate. my infancy I was passionately fond of read- They were wretched stuff in street ballad ing, and all the money that came into my style; and when they were printed, my brohands was laid out in the purchasing of books. ther sent me about the town to sell them.— I was very fond of voyages. My first acqui- The first sold prodigiously, the event being sition was Bunyan's works in separate little recent, and having made a great noise. This volumes. I afterwards sold them to enable success flattered my vanity, but my father disme to buy R. Burton's Historical Collec-couraged me, by criticising my performances, tions; they were small chapmen's books, and and telling me verse makers were generally cheap, 40 volumes in all. My father's little beggars. Thus I escaped being a poet, and library consisted chiefly of books in polemic probably a very bad one: but as prose writdivinity, most of which I read. I have often ing has been of great use to me in the course

of my life, and was a principal means of my | Then I compared my Spectator with an oriadvancement, I shall tell you how in such a ginal, discovered some of my faults, and corsituation, I accquired what little ability I may be supposed to have in that way.

rected them. But I found I wanted a stock of words, or a readiness in recollecting and There was another bookish lad in the town, using them, which I thought I should have John Collins by name, with whom I was inti- acquired before that time, if I had gone on mately acquainted. We sometimes disputed, making verses; since the continual search for and very fond we were of argument, and very words of the same import, but of different desirous of confuting one another, which dis- lengths, to suit the measure, or of different putatious turn, by the way, is apt to become sounds for the rhyme, would have laid me under a very bad habit, making people often ex- a constant necessity of searching for variety, tremely disagreeable in company, by the con- and also have tended to fix that variety in my tradiction that is necessary to bring it into prac- mind, and make me master of it. Therefore tice; and thence besides souring and spoiling I took some of the tales in the Spectator, and the conversation, it is productive of disgusts and turned them into verse: and after a time, perhaps enmities with those who may have oc- when I had pretty well forgotten the prose, casion for friendship. I had caught this by turned them back again. I also sometimes reading my father's books of disputes on re- jumbled my collection of hints into confusion, ligion. Persons of good sense, I have since and after some weeks endeavoured to reduce observed, seldom fall into it, except lawyers, them into the best order, before I began to university men, and generally men of all sorts form the full sentences and complete the subwho have been bred at Edinburg. A question ject. This was to teach me method in the was once some how or other started, between arrangement of the thoughts. By comparing Collins and me, on the propriety of educating my work with the original, I discovered many the female sex in learning, and their abilities faults and corrected them; but I sometimes for study. He was of opinion that it was im- had the pleasure to fancy, that in particulars proper, and that they were naturally unequal of small consequence I had been fortunate to it. I took the contrary side, perhaps for enough to improve the method or the landispute sake. He was naturally more elo- guage, and this encouraged me to think, that quent, having a greater plenty of words; and I might in time come to be a tolerable Engsometimes, as I thought, I was vanquished more lish writer, of which I was extremely ambiby his fluency than by the strength of his rea- tious. The time I allotted for writing exersons. As we parted without settling the point, cises and for reading, was at night or before and were not to see one another again for work began in the morning, or on Sunday, some time, I sat down to put my arguments when I contrived to be in the printing house, in writing, which I copied fair and sent to him. avoiding as much as I could the constant atHe answered, and I replied. Three or four tendance at public worship, which my father letters on a side had passed, when my father used to exact from me when I was under his happened to find my papers and read them. care, and which I still continued to consider Without entering into the subject in dispute, as a duty, though I could not afford time to he took occasion to talk to me about my man- practise it. ner of writing; observed that, though I had When about sixteen years of age, I happenthe advantage of my antagonist in corrected to meet with another book, written by one spelling and pointing, (which he attributed to Tryon, recommending a vegetable diet. I dethe printing house,) I fell far short in elegance termined to go into it. My brother being yet of expression, in method, and perspicuity, of unmarried, did not keep house, but boarded which he convinced me by several instances. himself and his apprentices in another family. I saw the justice of his remarks, and thence My refusing to eat flesh occasioned an incongrew more attentive to my manner of writing, venience, and I was frequently chid for my and determined to endeavour to improve my singularity. I made myself acquainted with style. Tryon's manner of preparing some of his dishes, such as boiling potatoes or rice, making hasty pudding, and a few others, and then proposed to my brother, if he would give me weekly, half the money he paid for my board, I would board myself. He instantly agreed to it, and I presently found that I could save half what he paid me.

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About this time I met with an odd volume of the Spectator. I had never before seen any of them. I bought it, read it over and over, and was much delighted with it. I thought the writing excellent, and wished if possible to imitate it. With that view I took some of the papers, and making short hints of the sentiments in each sentence, laid them by a few days, and then without looking at the book, tried to complete the papers again, by expressing each hinted sentiment at length and as fully as it had been expressed before in any suitable words that should occur to me.

This was an additional fund for buying of books. But I had another advantage in it.My brother and the rest going from the printing office to their meals, I remained there alone; and despatching presently my light repast, which was often no more than a biscuit,

poses for which speech was given to us.

or a slice of bread and a handful of raisins, a ner that seldom fails to disgust, tends to cretart from the pastry cook's, and a glass of wa-ate opposition, and to defeat most of those purter, had the rest of the time till their return for study, in which I made the greater progress, from that greater clearness of head and quick apprehension, which generally attends temperance in eating and drinking.

Now it was, that being on some occasion made ashamed of my ignorance in figures, which I had twice failed learning when at school, I took Cocker's book on arithmetic, and went through the whole by myself with the greatest ease. I also read Sellers and Sturny's book on navigation, which made me acquainted with the little geometry it contained; but I never proceeded far in that science. I read about this time Locke on the Human Understanding, and the Art of Thinking by Messrs. du Port Royal.

In fact if you wish to instruct others, a positive and dogmatical manner in advancing your sentiments may occasion opposition and prevent a candid attention. If you desire improvement from others, you should not at the same time express yourself fixed in your present opinions; modest and sensible men who do not love disputations will leave you undisturbed in the possession of your errors. In adopting such a manner, you can seldom expect to please your hearers, or obtain the concurrence you desire. Pope judiciously observes,

Men must be taught as if you taught them not,
And things unknown proposed as things forgot.

While I was intent on improving my lan-
guage, I met with an English grammar, (I He also recommends it to us,
think it was Greenwood's,) having at the end
of it two little sketches, on the arts of rhetoric

and logic, the latter finishing with a dispute in the Socratic method; and soon after I procured Xenophon's Memorable things of Socrates, wherein there are many examples of the same method. I was charmed by it, adopted it, dropt my abrupt contradiction and positive argumentation, and put on the humble in

To speak, tho' sure, with seeming diffidence.

And he might have joined with this line, that which he has coupled with another I think less properly.

For want of modesty is want of sense,

Immodest words admit of no defence,
For want of modesty is want of sense.

quirer; and being then, from reading Shafts- If you ask, why less properly, I must repeat bury and Collins, made a doubter, as I already the lines, was in many points of our religious doctrines, I found this method the safest for myself and very embarrassing to those against whom I used it; therefore I took delight in it, practis ed it continually, and grew very artful and expert in drawing people, even of superior knowledge, into concessions, the consequences of which they did not foresee; entangling them in difficulties, out of which they could not extricate themselves, and so obtaining victories, that neither myself nor my cause always deserved.

Now is not the want of sense (where a man is so unfortunate as to want it) some apology for his want of modesty? and would not the lines stand more justly thus?

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Immodest words admit but this defence,
That want of modesty is want of sense.

I continued this method This, however, I should submit to better judgsome few years, but gradually left it, retain-ments. ing only the habit of expressing myself in terms of modest diffidence; never using, when I advanced any thing that may possibly be disputed, the word certainly-undoubtedly--or any other that gave the air of positiveness to an opinion; but rather say I conceive, or apprehend a thing to be so and so, it appears to me; or I should not think it is so, for such and such reasons; or I imagine it to be so; or it is so, if I am not mistaken. This habit I believe has been of great advantage to me, when I have had occasion to inculcate my opinions, and persuade men into measures that I have been from time to time engaged in promoting; and as the chief ends of conversation are to inform, or to be informed, to please or to persuade, I wish well meaning and sensible men would not lessen their power of doing good by a positive, assuming man

My brother had in 1720 or 21, began to print a newspaper. It was the second that appeared in America, and was called the New England Courant. The only one before it, was the Boston News Letter. I remember his being dissuaded by some of his friends from the undertaking, as not likely to succeed, one newspaper being, in their judgment, enough for America. At this time (1771) there are not less than five-and-twenty.* He went on however with the undertaking; I was employed to carry the papers to the customers, after having worked in composing the types and printing off the sheets. He had some ingenious men among his friends, who amused themselves by writing little pieces for this paper, which gained it credit, and

* The number in 1817, exceeds 400.

made it more in demand, and these gentlemen | me perhaps as an apprentice, who was bound often visited us.

Hearing their conversations and their accounts of the approbation their papers were received with, I was excited to try my hand among them: but being still a boy, and suspecting that my brother would object to printing any thing of mine in his paper, if he knew it to be mine, I contrived to disguise my hand, and writing an anonymous paper, I put it at night under the door of the printing house.— It was found in the morning, and communicated to his writing friends, when they called in as usual. They read it, commented on it in my hearing, and I had the exquisite pleasure of finding it had met with their approbation, and that in their different guesses at the author, none were named but men of some character among us for learning and ingenuity. I suppose that I was rather lucky in my judges, and they were not really so very good as I then believed them to be.

Encouraged however by this attempt, I wrote and sent in the same way to the press several other pieces, that were equally approved; and I kept my secret till all my fund of sense for such performances was exhausted, and then discovered it, when I began to be considered with a little more attention by my brother's acquaintance. However, that did not quite please him, as he thought it tended | to make me too vain. This might be one occasion of the differences we began to have about this time. Though a brother, he considered himself as my master, and me as his apprentice, and accordingly expected the same services from me as he would from another, while I thought he degraded me too much in some he required of me, who from a brother required more indulgence. Our disputes were often brought before our father, and I fancy I was either generally in the right or else a better pleader, because the judgment was generally in my favour. But my brother was passionate and had often beaten me, which I took extremely amiss; and thinking my apprenticeship very tedious, I was continually wishing for some opportunity of shortening it, which at length offered in a manner unex pected.

Perhaps the harsh and tyrannical treatment of me, might be a means of impressing me with the aversion to arbitrary power, that has stuck to me through my whole life.

One of the pieces in our newspaper on some political point, which I have now forgotten, gave offence to the assembly. He was taken up, censured, and imprisoned for a month, by the speaker's warrant, I suppose because he would not discover the author. I too was taken up and examined before the council; but though I did not give them any satisfaction, they contented themselves with admonishing me and dismissed me, considering

to keep his master's secrets.

During my brother's confinement, which I resented a good deal notwithstanding our differences, I had the management of the paper; and I made bold to give our rules some rubs in it, which my brother took very kindly, while others began to consider me in an unfavourable light, as a youth that had a turn for libelling and satire. My brother's discharge was accompanied with an order (and a very odd one) that "James Franklin should no longer print the newspaper called the New England Courant."

Ŏn a consultation held in our printing of fice amongst his friends, what he should do in this conjuncture, it was proposed to elude the order, by changing the name of the paper; but my brother seeing inconveniences in this, come to a conclusion, as a better way, to let the paper in future be printed in the name of BENJAMIN FRANKLIN : and in order to avoid the censure of the assembly that might fall on him, as still printing it by his apprentice, he contrived and consented that my old indenture should be returned to me, with a discharge on the back of it, to show in case of necessity; and, in order to secure to him the benefit of my service, I should sign new indentures for the remainder of my time, which was to be kept private. A very flimsy scheme it was; however, it was immediately executed, and the paper was printed accordingly under my name for several months. At length a fresh difference arising between my brother and me, I took upon me to assert my freedom, presuming that he would not venture to produce the new indentures. It was not fair in me to take this advantage, and this I therefore reckon as one of the first errata of my life; but the unfairness of it weighed little with me, when under the impression of resentment for the blows his passion too often urged him to bestow upon me; though he was otherwise not an illnatured man perhaps I was too saucy and provoking.

When he found I would leave him, he took care to prevent my getting employment in any other printing house in town, by going round and speaking to every master, who accordingly refused to give me work. I then thought of going to New York, as the nearest place where there was a printer; and I was rather inclined to leave Boston, when I reflected that I had already made myself a little obnoxious to the governing party, and from the arbitrary proceedings of the assembly in my brother's case, it was likely I might, if I staid, soon bring myself into scrapes; and further, that my indiscreet disputations about religion began to make me pointed at with horror, by good people, as an infidel or atheist. I concluded therefore to remove to New York; but my father now siding with my brother, Í

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