Autobiography E-book

                             1771
             THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

                    by Benjamin Franklin









Electronically Enhanced Text (c) Copyright 1996, World Library(R)



                            Part One


              Twyford, at the Bishop of St Asaph's 1771.

  Dear Son,
    I have ever had a Pleasure in obtaining any little Anecdotes of my
Ancestors. You may remember the Enquiries I made among the Remains of
my Relations when you were with me in England; and the journey I took
for that purpose. Now imagining it may be equally agreeable to you to
know the Circumstances of my Life, many of which you are yet
unacquainted with; and expecting a Weeks uninterrupted Leisure in my
present Country Retirement, I sit down to write them for you. To which
I have besides some other Inducements. Having emerg'd from the Poverty
& Obscurity in which I was born & bred, to a State of Affluence & some
Degree of Reputation in the World, and having gone so far thro' Life
with a considerable Share of Felicity, the conducing Means I made use
of, which, with the Blessing of God, so well succeeded, my Posterity
may like to know, as they may find some of them suitable to their own
Situations, & therefore fit to be imitated.- That Felicity, when I
reflected on it, has induc'd me sometimes to say, that were it offer'd
to my Choice, I should have no Objection to a Repetition of the same
Life from its Beginning, only asking the Advantage Authors have in a
second Edition to correct some Faults of the first. So would I if I
might, besides correcting the Faults, change some sinister Accidents
& Events of it for others more favourable, but tho' this were deny'd, I
should still accept the Offer. However, since such a Repetition is not
to be expected, the Thing most like living one's Life over again, seems
to be a Recollection of that Life; and to make that Recollection as
durable as possible, the putting it down in Writing.- Hereby, too, I
shall indulge the Inclination so natural in old Men, to be talking of
themselves and their own past Actions, and I shall indulge it, without
being troublesome to others who thro' respect to Age might think
themselves oblig'd to give me a Hearing, since this may be read or not
as any one pleases. And lastly, (I may as well confess it, since my
Denial of it will be believ'd by no body) perhaps I shall a good deal
gratify my own Vanity. Indeed I scarce ever heard or saw the
introductory Words, Without Vanity I may say, &c. but some vain thing
immediately follow'd. Most People dislike Vanity in others whatever
Share they have of it themselves, but I give it fair Quarter wherever I
meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of Good to
the Possessor & to others that are within his Sphere of Action: And
therefore in many Cases it would not be quite absurd if a Man were
to thank God for his Vanity among the other Comforts of Life.-

  And now I speak of thanking God, I desire with all Humility to
acknowledge, that I owe the mention'd Happiness of my past Life to his
kind Providence, which led me to the Means I us'd & gave them Success.-
My Belief of This, induces me to hope, tho' I must not presume,
that the same Goodness will still be exercis'd towards me in continuing
that Happiness, or in enabling me to bear a fatal Reverso, which I may
experience as others have done, the Complexion of my future Fortune
being known to him only: and in whose Power it is to bless to us even
our Afflictions.

  The Notes one of my Uncles (who had the same kind of Curiosity in
collecting Family Anecdotes) once put into my Hands, furnish'd me with
several Particulars, relating to our Ancestors. From those Notes I
learnt that the Family had liv'd in the same Village, Ecton in
Northamptonshire, for 300 Years, & how much longer he knew not,
(perhaps from the Time when the Name Franklin that before was the
Name of an Order of People, was assum'd by them for a Surname, when
others took Surnames all over the Kingdom.-) *001 on a Freehold of
about 30 Acres, aided by the Smith's Business which had continued in
the Family till his Time, the eldest Son being always bred to that
Business. A Custom which he & my Father both followed as to their
eldest Sons.- When I search'd the Register at Ecton, I found an Account
of their Births, Marriages and Burials, from the Year 1555 only, there
being no Register kept in that Parish at any time preceding.- By that
Register I perceiv'd that I was the youngest Son of the youngest Son
for 5 Generations back. My Grandfather Thomas, who was born in 1598,
lived at Ecton till he grew too old to follow Business longer, when he
went to live with his Son John, a Dyer at Banbury in Oxfordshire, with
whom my Father serv'd an Apprenticeship. There my Grandfather died and
lies buried. We saw his Gravestone in 1758. His eldest Son Thomas liv'd
in the House at Ecton, and left it with the Land to his only Child, a
Daughter, who with her Husband, one Fisher of Wellingborough sold it to
Mr Isted, now Lord of the Manor there. My Grandfather had 4 Sons that
grew up, viz. Thomas, John, Benjamin and Josiah. I will give you what
Account I can of them at this distance from my Papers, and if those are
not lost in my Absence, you will among them find many more Particulars.
Thomas was bred a Smith under his Father, but being ingenious, and
encourag'd in Learning (as all his Brothers like wise werre,) by an
Esquire Palmer then the principal Gentleman in that Parish, he
qualify'd himself for the Business of Scrivener, became a considerable
Man in the County Affairs, was a chief Mover of all publick Spirited
Undertakings, for the County or Town of Northampton & his own Village,
of which many Instances were told us at Ecton and he was much taken
Notice of and patroniz'd by the then Lord Halifax. He died in 1702 Jan.
6. old Stile, just 4 Years to a Day before I was born. The Account we
receiv'd of his Life & Character from some old People at Ecton, I
remember struck you as something extraordinary from its Similarity to
what you knew of mine. Had he died on the same Day, you said one might
have suppos'd a Transmigration.- John was bred a Dyer, I believe of
Woollens. Benjamin, was bred a Silk Dyer, serving an Apprenticeship at
London. He was an ingenious Man, I remember him well, for when I was a
Boy he came over to my Father in Boston, and lived in the House with us
some Years. He lived to a great Age. His Grandson Samuel Franklin now
lives in Boston. He left behind him two Quarto Volumes, M.S. of his own
Poetry, consisting of little occasional Pieces address'd to his Friends
and Relations, of which the following sent to me, is a Specimen.

             Sent to My Name upon a Report
             of his Inclination to Martial affaires
                          7 July 1710

    Beleeve me Ben. It is a Dangerous Trade
    The Sword has Many Marr'd as well as Made
    By it doe many fall Not Many Rise
    Makes Many poor few Rich and fewer Wise
    Fills Towns with Ruin, fields with blood beside
    Tis Sloths Maintainer, And the Shield of pride
    Fair Citties Rich to Day, in plenty flow
    War fills with want, Tomorrow, & with woe
    Ruin'd Estates, The Nurse of Vice, broke limbs & scarss
    Are the Effects of Desolating Warrs

          Sent to B. F. in N. E. 15 July 1710

    B e to thy parents an Obedient Son
    E ach Day let Duty constantly be Done
    N ever give Way to sloth or lust or pride
    I f free you'd be from Thousand Ills beside
    A bove all Ills be sure Avoide the shelfe
    M ans Danger lyes in Satan sin and selfe
    I n vertue Learning Wisdome progress Make
    N ere shrink at Suffering for thy saviours sake
    F raud and all Falshood in thy Dealings Flee
    R eligious Always in thy station be
    A dore the Maker of thy Inward part
    N ow's the Accepted time, Give him thy Heart
    K eep a Good Consceince 'tis a constant Frind
    L ike Judge and Witness This Thy Acts Attend
    I n Heart with bended knee Alone Adore
    N one but the Three in One Forevermore.

  He had form'd a Shorthand of his own, which he taught me, but never
practicing it I have now forgot it. I was nam'd after this Uncle, there
being a particular Affection between him and my Father. He was very
pious, a great Attender of Sermons of the best Preachers, which he took
down in his Shorthand and had with him many Volumes of them.- He was
also much of a Politician, too much perhaps for his Station. There fell
lately into my Hands in London a Collection he had made of all the
principal Pamphlets relating to Publick Affairs from 1641 to 1717.
any of the Volumes are wanting, as appears by the Numbering, but there
still remains 8 Vols. Folio, and 24 in quarto & octavo.- A Dealer in
old Books met with them, and knowing me by my sometimes buying of him,
he brought them to me. It seems my Uncle must have left them here when
he went to America, which was above 50 Years since. There are many of
his Notes in the Margins.-

  This obscure Family of ours was early in the Reformation, and
continu'd Protestants thro' the Reign of Queen Mary, when they were
sometimes in Danger of Trouble on Account of their Zeal against Popery.
They had got an English Bible, & to conceal & secure it, it was fastned
open with Tapes under & within the Frame of a Joint Stool. When my
Great Great Grandfather read in it to his Family, he turn'd up the
Joint Stool upon his Knees, turning over the Leaves then under the
Tapes. One of the Children stood at the Door to give Notice if he saw
the Apparitor coming, who was an Officer of the Spiritual Court. In
that Case the Stool was turn'd down again upon its feet, when the Bible
remain'd conceal'd under it as before. This Anecdote I had from my
Uncle Benjamin.- The Family continu'd all of the Church of England till
about the End of Charles the Second's Reign, when some of the Ministers
that had been outed for Nonconformity, holding Conventicles in
Northamptonshire, Benjamin & Josiah adher'd to them, and so continu'd
all their Lives. The rest of the Family remain'd with the Episcopal
Church.

  Josiah, my Father, married young, and carried his Wife with three
Children unto New England, about 1682. The Conventicles having been
forbidden by Law, & frequently disturbed, induced some considerable Men
of his Acquaintance to remove to that Country, and he was prevail'd
with to accompany them thither, where they expected to enjoy their Mode
of Religion with Freedom.- By the same Wife he had 4 Children more born
there, and by a second Wife ten more, in all 17, of which I remember 13
sitting at one time at his Table, who all grew up to be Men & Women,
and married;- I was the youngest Son and the youngest Child but two, &
was born in Boston, N. England.

  My Mother the second Wife was Abiah Folger, a Daughter of Peter
Folger, one of the first Settlers of New England, of whom honourable
mention is made by Cotton Mather, in his Church History of that
Country, (entitled Magnalia Christi Americana) as a godly learned
Englishman, if I remember the Words rightly.- I have heard that he
wrote sundry small occasional Pieces, but only one of them was printed
which I saw now many Years since. It was written in 1675, in the
homespun Verse of that Time & People, and address'd to those then
concern'd in the Government there. It was in favour of Liberty of
Conscience, & in behalf of the Baptists, Quakers, & other Sectaries,
that had been under Persecution; ascribing the Indian Wars & other
Distresses, that had befallen the Country to that Persecution, as so
many judgments of God, to punish so heinous an Offence; and exhorting
a Repeal of those uncharitable Laws. The whole appear'd to me as
written with a good deal of Decent Plainness & manly Freedom. The six
last concluding Lines I remember, tho' I have forgotten the two first
of the Stanza, but the Purport of them was that his Censures proceeded
from Goodwill, & therefore he would be known as the Author,

           because to be a Libeller, (says he)
             I hate it with my Heart.
           From Sherburne Town *002 where now I dwell,
             My Name I do put here,
           Without Offence, your real Friend,
             It is Peter Folgier.

  My elder Brothers were all put Apprentices to different Trades. I was
put to the Grammar School at Eight Years of Age, my Father intending to
devote me as the Tithe of his Sons to the Service of the Church. My
early Readiness in learning to read (which must have been very early,
as I do not remember when I could not read) and the Opinion of all his
Friends that I should certainly make a good Scholar, encourag'd him in
this Purpose of his. My Uncle Benjamin too approv'd of it, and propos'd
to give me all his Shorthand Volumes of Sermons I suppose as a Stock to
set up with, if I would learn his Character. I continu'd however at the
Grammar School not quite one Year, tho' in that time I had risen
gradually from the Middle of the Class of that Year to be the Head of
it, and farther was remov'd into the next Class above it, in order to
go with that into the third at the End of the Year. But my Father in
the mean time, from a View of the Expence of a College Education which,
having so large a Family, he could not well afford, and the mean Living
many so educated were afterwards able to obtain, Reasons that he gave
to his Friends in my Hearing, altered his first Intention, took me from
the Grammar School, and sent me to a School for Writing & Arithmetic
kept by a then famous Man, Mr Geo. Brownell, very successful in his
Profession generally, and that by mild encouraging Methods. Under him I
acquired fair Writing pretty soon, but I fail'd in the Arithmetic, &
made no Progress in it.- At Ten Years old, I was taken home to assist
my Father in his Business, which was that of a Tallow Chandler and
Sope-Boiler. A Business he was not bred to, but had assumed on his
Arrival in New England & on finding his Dying Trade would not maintain
his Family, being in little Request. Accordingly I was employed in
cutting Wick for the Candles, filling the Dipping Mold, & the Molds for
cast Candles, attending the Shop, going of Errands, &c.- I dislik'd the
Trade and had a strong Inclination for the Sea; but my Father declar'd
against it; however, living near the Water, I was much in and about it,
learnt early to swim well & to manage Boats, and when in a Boat or
Canoe with other Boys I was commonly allow'd to govern, especially in
any case of Difficulty; and upon other Occasions I was generally a
Leader among the Boys, and sometimes led them into Scrapes, of which I
will mention one Instance, as it shows an early projecting public
Spirit, tho' not then justly conducted. There was a Salt Marsh that
bounded part of the Mill Pond, on the Edge of which at Highwater, we
us'd to stand to fish for Minews. By much Trampling, we had made it a
mere Quagmire. My Proposal was to build a Wharf there fit for us to
stand upon, and I show'd my Comrades a large Heap of Stones which were
intended for a new House near the Marsh, and which would very well suit
our Purpose. Accordingly in the Evening when the Workmen were gone, I
assembled a Number of my Playfellows, and working with them diligently
like so many Emmets, sometimes two or three to a Stone, we brought them
all away and built our little Wharff.- The next Morning the Workmen
were surpriz'd at Missing the Stones; which were found in our Wharff;
Enquiry was made after the Removers; we were discovered & complain'd
of; several of us were corrected by our Fathers; and tho' I pleaded the
Usefulness of the Work, mine convinc'd me that nothing was useful which
was not honest.-

  I think you may like to know something of his Person & Character. He
had an excellent Constitution of Body, was of middle Stature, but well
set and very strong. He was ingenious, could draw prettily, was skill'd
a little in Music and had a clear pleasing Voice, so that when he
play'd Psalm Tunes on his Violin & sung withal as he some times did in
an Evening after the Business of the Day was over, it was extreamly
agreable to hear. He had a mechanical Genius too, and on occasion was
very handy in the Use of other Tradesmen's Tools. But his great
Excellence lay in a sound Understanding, and solid Judgment in
prudential Matters, both in private & publick Affairs. In the latter
indeed he was never employed, the numerous Family he had to educate &
the Straitness of his Circumstances, keeping him close to his Trade,
but I remember well his being frequently visited by leading People, who
consulted him for his Opinion on Affairs of the Town or of the Church
he belong'd to & show'd a good deal of Respect for his Judgment and
Advice. He was also much consulted by private Persons about their
Affairs when any Difficulty occur'd, & frequently chosen an Arbitrator
between contending Parties.- At his Table he lik'd 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 turn'd our Attention to what was good, just, & 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 drest, 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 bro't up in such a
perfect Inattention to those Matters as to be quite Indifferent what
kind of Food was set before me; and so unobservant of it, that to this
Day, if I am ask'd I can scarce tell, a few Hours after Dinner, what I
din'd upon.- This has been a Convenience to me in travelling, where my
Companions have been sometimes very unhappy for want of a suitable
Gratification of their more delicate because better instructed Tastes
and Appetites.-

  My Mother had likewise an excellent Constitution. She suckled all her
10 Children. I never knew either my Father or Mother to have any
Sickness but that of which they dy'd, he at 89 & she at 85 Years of
age. They lie buried together at Boston, where I some Years since
plac'd a Marble stone over their Grave with this Inscription

                           Josiah Franklin
                          And Abiah his Wife
                          Lie here interred.
               They lived lovingly together in Wedlock
                          Fifty-five Years.-
             Without an Estate or any gainful Employment,
                   By constant Labour and Industry,
                         With God's Blessing,
                    They maintained a large Family
                             Comfortably;
                  And brought up thirteen Children,
                       And seven Grandchildren
                              Reputably.
                     From this Instance, Reader,
              Be encouraged to Diligence in thy Calling,
                     And distrust not Providence.
                    He was a pious & 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. Aetat 89
                  A. F. born 1667- died 1752 _____ 85

  By my rambling Digressions I perceive my self to be grown old. I us'd
to write more methodically.- But one does not dress for private Company
as for a publick Ball. 'Tis perhaps only Negligence.-

  To return. I continu'd thus employ'd in my Father's Business for two
Years, that is till I was 12 Years old; and my Brother John, who was
bred to that Business having left my Father, married and set up for
himself at Rhodeisland, there was all Appearance that I was destin'd to
supply his Place and be a Tallow Chandler. But my Dislike to the Trade
continuing, my Father was under Apprehensions that if he did not find
one for me more agreable, I should break away and get to Sea, as his
Son Josiah had done to his great Vexation. He therefore sometimes took
me to walk with him, and see Joiners, Bricklayers, Turners, Braziers,
&c. at their Work, that he might observe my Inclination, & endeavour to
fix it on some Trade or other on Land.- It has ever since been a
Pleasure to me to see good Workmen handle their Tools; and it has been
useful to me, having learnt so much by it, as to be able to do little
Jobs my self in my House, when a Workman could not readily be got; &
to construct little Machines for my Experiments while the Intention of
making the Experiment was fresh & warm in my Mind. My Father at last
fix'd upon the Cutler's Trade, and my Uncle Benjamin's Son Samuel who
was bred to that Business in London being about that time establish'd
in Boston, I was sent to be with him some time on liking. But his
Expectations of a Fee with me displeasing my Father, I was taken home
again.-

  From a Child I was fond of Reading, and all the little Money that
came into my Hands was ever laid out in Books. Pleas'd with the
Pilgrim's Progress, my first Collection was of John Bunyan's Works,
in separate little Volumes. I afterwards sold them to enable me to buy
Burton's Historical Collections; they were small Chapmen's Books
A.  and cheap, 40 or 50 in all.- My Father's little Library consisted
chiefly of Books in polemic Divinity, most of which I read, and have
since often regretted, that at a time when I had such a Thirst for
Knowledge, more proper Books had not fallen in my Way, since it was
now resolv'd I should not be a Clergyman. Plutarch's Lives there was,
in which I read abundantly, and I still think that time spent to great
Advantage. There was also a Book of Defoe's called an Essay on Projects
and another of Dr Mather's call'd Essays 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 determin'd my Father to make me a
Printer, tho' he had already one Son, (James) of that Profession. In
1717 my Brother James return'd from England with a Press & Letters to
set up his Business in Boston. I lik'd it much better than that of my
Father, but still had a Hankering for the Sea.- To prevent the
apprehended Effect of such an Inclination, my Father was impatient to
have me bound to my Brother. I stood out some time, but at last was
persuaded and signed the Indentures, when I was yet but 12 Years old.-
I was to serve as an Apprentice till I was 21 Years of Age, only I was
to be allow'd Journeyman's Wages during the last Year. In a little time
I made great Proficiency in the Business, and became a useful Hand to
my Brother. I now had Access to better Books. An Acquaintance with the
Apprentices of Booksellers, enabled me sometimes to borrow a small one,
which I was careful to return soon & clean. Often I sat up in my Room
reading the greatest Part of the Night, when the Book was borrow'd in
the Evening & to be return'd early in the Morning lest it should be
miss'd or wanted.- And after some time an ingenious Tradesman *003
who had a pretty Collection of Books, & who frequented our Printing
House, took Notice of me, invited me to his Library, & very kindly lent
me such Books as I chose to read. I now took a Fancy to Poetry, and
made some little Pieces. My Brother, thinking it might turn to account
encourag'd me, & put me on composing two occasional Ballads. One was
called the Light House Tragedy, & contain'd an Account of the drowning
of Capt. Worthilake with his Two Daughters; the other was a Sailor Song
on the Taking of Teach or Blackbeard the Pirate. They were wretched
Stuff, in the Grubstreet Ballad Stile, and when they were printed he sent
me about the Town to sell them. The first sold wonderfully, the Event
being recent, having made a great Noise. This flatter'd my Vanity. But
my Father discourag'd me, by ridiculing my Performances, and telling me
Verse-makers were generally Beggars; so I escap'd being a Poet, most
probably a very bad one. But as Prose Writing has been a great Use to
me in the Course of my Life, and was a principal Means of my
Advancement, I shall tell you how in such a Situation I acquir'd what
little Ability I have in that Way.

  There was another Bookish Lad in the Town, John Collins by Name, with
whom I was intimately acquainted. We sometimes disputed, and very fond
we were of Argument, & very desirous of confuting one another. Which
disputacious Turn, by the way, is apt to become a very bad Habit,
making People often extreamly disagreable in Company, by the
Contradiction that is necessary to bring it into Practice, & thence,
besides souring & spoiling the Conversation, is productive of Disgusts
& perhaps Enmities where you may have occasion for Friendship. I had
caught it by reading my Father's Books of Dispute about Religion.
Persons of good Sense, I have since observ'd, seldom fall into it,
except Lawyers, University Men, and Men of all Sorts that have been
bred at Edinborough. A Question was once some how or other started
between Collins & me, of the Propriety of educating the Female Sex in
Learning, & their Abilities for Study. He was of Opinion that it was
improper; & that they were naturally unequal to it. I took the contrary
Side, perhaps a little for Dispute sake. He was naturally more
eloquent, had a ready Plenty of Words, and sometimes as I thought bore
me down more by his Fluency than by the Strength of his Reasons. As we
parted without settling the Point, & were not to see one another again
for some time, I sat down to put my Arguments in Writing, which I
copied fair & sent to him. He answer'd & I reply'd. Three or four
Letters of a Side had pass'd, when my Father happen'd to find my
Papers, and read them. Without entring into the Discussion, he took
occasion to talk to me about the Manner of my Writing, observ'd that
tho' I had the Advantage of my Antagonist in correct Spelling &
pointing (which I ow'd to the Printing House) I fell far short in
elegance of Expression, in Method and in Perspicuity, of which he
convinc'd me by several Instances. I saw the Justice of his Remarks,
& thence grew more attentive to the Manner in Writing, and determin'd
to endeavour at Improvement.-

  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, & wish'd
if possible to imitate it. With that View, I took some of the Papers, &
making short Hints of the Sentiment in each Sentence, laid them by a
few Days, and then without looking at the Book, try'd to compleat the
Papers again, by expressing each hinted Sentiment at length & as fully
as it had been express'd before, in any suitable Words that should come
to hand.

  Then I compar'd my Spectator with the Original, discover'd some of
my Faults & corrected them. But I found I wanted a Stock of Words or a
Readiness in recollecting & using them, which I thought I should have
acquir'd before that time, if I had gone on making Verses, since the
continual Occasion for Words of the same Import but of different
Length, to suit the Measure, or of different Sound for the Rhyme,
would have laid me under a constant Necessity of searching for Variety,
and also have tended to fix that Variety in my Mind, & make me Master
of it. Therefore I took some of the Tales & turn'd them into Verse: And
after a time, when I had pretty well forgotten the Prose, turn'd them
back again. I also sometimes jumbled my Collections of Hints into
Confusion, and after some Weeks, endeavour'd to reduce them into the
best Order, before I began to form the full Sentences & compleat the
Paper. This was to teach me Method in the Arrangement of Thoughts.
By comparing my Work afterwards with the original, I discover'd many
faults and amended them; but I sometimes had the Pleasure of Fancying
that in certain Particulars of small Import, I had been lucky enough to
improve the Method or the Language and this encourag'd me to think I
might possibly in time come to be a tolerable English Writer, of which
I was extreamly ambitious.

  My Time for these Exercises & for Reading, was at Night after Work,
or before Work began in the Morning; or on Sundays, when I contrived to
be in the Printing House alone, evading as much as I could the common
Attendance on publick Worship, which my Father used to exact of me when
I was under his Care:- And which indeed I still thought a Duty; tho' I
could not, as it seemed to me, afford the Time to practise it.

  When about 16 Years of Age, I happen'd to meet with a Book written by
one Tryon, recommending a Vegetable Diet. I determined to go into it.
My Brother being yet unmarried, did not keep House, but boarded himself
& his Apprentices in another Family. My refusing to eat Flesh
occasioned an Inconveniency, and I was frequently chid for my
singularity. I made my self acquainted with Tryon's Manner of preparing
some of his Dishes, such as Boiling Potatoes, or Rice, making Hasty
Pudding, & a few others, and then propos'd to my Brother, that if he
would give me Weekly half the Money he paid for my Board, I would
board my self. He instantly agreed to it, and I presently found that I
could save half what he paid me. This was an additional Fund for buying
Books: But I had another Advantage in it. My Brother and the rest going
from the Printing House to their Meals, I remain'd there alone, and
dispatching presently my light Repast, (which often was no more than
a Bisket or a Slice of Bread, a Handful of Raisins or a Tart from the
Pastry Cook's, and a Glass of Water) had the rest of the Time till
their Return, for Study, in which I made the greater Progress from that
greater Clearness of Head & quicker Apprehension which usually attend
Temperance in Eating & Drinking. And now it was that being on some
Occasion made asham'd of my Ignorance in Figures, which I had twice
fail'd in learning when at School, I took Cocker's Book of Arithmetick,
& went thro' the whole by my self with great Ease.- I also read
Seller's & Sturmy's Books of Navigation, & became acquainted with the
little Geometry they contain, but never proceeded far in that Science.-
And I read about this Time Locke on Human Understanding and the Art of
Thinking by Messrs du Port Royal.

  While I was intent on improving my Language, I met with an English
Grammar (I think it was Greenwood's) at the End of which there were two
little Sketches of the Arts of Rhetoric and Logic, the latter finishing
with a Specimen of a Dispute in the Socratic Method. And soon after I
procur'd Xenophon's Memorable Things of Socrates, wherein there are
many Instances of the same Method. I was charm'd with it, adopted it,
dropt my abrupt Contradiction, and positive Argumentation, and put on
the humble Enquirer & Doubter. And being then, from reading Shaftsbury
& Collins, become a real Doubter in many Points of our Religious
Doctrine, I found this Method safest for my self & very embarrassing to
those against whom I used it, therefore I took a Delight in it,
practis'd it continually & grew very artful & 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
my self nor my Cause always deserved.- I continu'd this Method some
few Years, but gradually left it, retaining only the Habit of
expressing my self in Terms of modest Diffidence, never using when I
advance any thing that may possibly be disputed, the Words, Certainly,
undoubtedly, or any others that give the Air of Positiveness to an
Opinion; but rather say, I conceive, or I apprehend a Thing to be
so or so, It appears to me, or I should think it so or so for such &
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 & persuade Men
into Measures that I have been from time to time engag'd 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 sensible
Men would not lessen their Power of doing Good by a Positive assuming
Manner that seldom fails to disgust, tends to create Opposition, and to
defeat every one of those Purposes for which Speech was given us, to
wit, giving or receiving Information, or Pleasure: For If you would
inform, a positive dogmatical Manner in advancing your Sentiments,
may provoke Contradiction & prevent a candid Attention. If you wish
Information & Improvement from the Knowledge of others and yet at the
same time express your self as firmly fix'd in your present Opinions,
modest sensible Men, who do not love Disputation, will probably leave
you undisturb'd in the Possession of your Error; and by such a Manner
you can seldom hope to recommend your self in pleasing your Hearers,
or to persuade those whose Concurrence you desire.- Pope says,
judiciously,

      Men should be taught as if you taught them not,
      And things unknown propos'd as things forgot,-

  farther recommending it to us,

        To speak tho' sure, with seeming Diffidence.

  And he might have couple'd with this Line that which he has coupled
with another, I think less properly,

          For want of Modesty is want of Sense.

  If you ask why less properly, I must repeat the Lines;

        "Immodest Words admit of no Defence;
        "For Want of Modesty is Want of Sense."

  Now is not 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?

         Immodest Words admit but this Defence,
         That Want of Modesty is Want of Sense.

  This however I should submit to better Judgments.-

  My Brother had in 1720 or 21, begun to print a Newspaper. It was the
second that appear'd in America, & 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 & twenty.- He went on however with the Undertaking, and
after having work'd in composing the Types & printing off the Sheets I
was employ'd to carry the Papers thro' the Streets to the Customers.-
He had some ingenious Men among his Friends who amus'd themselves by
writing little Pieces for this Paper, which gain'd it Credit, & made it
more in Demand; and these Gentlemen often visited us.- Hearing their
Conversations, and their Accounts of the Approbation their Papers were
receiv'd with, I was excited to try my Hand among them. But being still
a Boy, & suspecting that my Brother would object to printing any Thing
of mine in his Paper if he knew it to be mine, I contriv'd to disguise
my Hand, & writing an anonymous Paper I put it in at Night under the
Door of the Printing House. It was found in the Morning & communicated
to his Writing Friends when they call'd in as Usual. They read it,
commented on it in my Hearing, and I had the exquisite Pleasure, of
finding it 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 & Ingenuity.- I suppose now that I was rather lucky in
my Judges: And that perhaps they were not really so very good ones as I
then esteem'd them. Encourag'd however by this, I wrote and convey'd in
the same Way to the Press several more Papers, which were equally
approv'd, and I kept my Secret till my small Fund of Sense for such
Performances was pretty well exhausted, & then I discovered it; when I
began to be considered a little more by my Brother's Acquaintance, and
in a manner that did not quite please him, as he thought, probably with
reason, that it tended to make me too vain. And perhaps this might be
one Occasion of the Differences that we began to have about this Time.
Tho' a Brother, he considered himself as my Master, & me as his
Apprentice; and accordingly expected the same Services from me as he
would from another; while I thought he demean'd me too much in some
he requir'd of me, who from a Brother expected 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 & had often
beaten me, which I took extreamly amiss; *004 and thinking my
Apprenticeship very tedious, I was continually wishing for some
Opportunity of shortening it, which at length offered in a manner
unexpected.

  One of the Pieces in our News-Paper, on some political Point which I
have now forgotten, gave Offence to the Assembly. He was taken up,
censur'd and imprison'd for a Month by the Speaker's Warrant, I suppose
because he would not discover his Author. I too was taken up & examin'd
before the Council; but tho' I did not give them any Satisfaction, they
contented themselves with admonishing me, and dismiss'd me; considering
me perhaps as an Apprentice who was bound to keep his Master's Secrets.
During my Brother's Confinement, which I resented a good deal,
notwithstanding our private Differences, I had the Management of the
Paper, and I made bold to give our Rulers some Rubs in it, which my
Brother took very kindly, while others began to consider me in an
unfavourable Light, as a young Genius that had a Turn for Libelling
& Satyr. My Brother's Discharge was accompany'd with an Order of the
House, (a very odd one) that James Franklin should no longer print the
Paper called the New England Courant. There was a Consultation held
in our Printing House among his Friends what he should do in this Case.
Some propos'd to evade the Order by changing the Name of the Paper; but
my Brother seeing Inconveniences in that, it was finally concluded on
as a better Way, to let it be printed for the future under the Name of
Benjamin Franklin. And to avoid the Censure of the Assembly that
might fall on him, as still printing it by his Apprentice, the
Contrivance was, that my old Indenture should be return'd to me with
a full Discharge on the Back of it, to be shown on Occasion; but to
secure to him the Benefit of my Service I was to sign new Indentures
for the Remainder of the Term, which were to be kept private. A very
flimsy Scheme it was, but however it was immediately executed, and the
Paper went on 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 one of the first Errata of my Life: But the
Unfairness of it weigh'd little with me, when under the Impressions of
Resentment, for the Blows his Passion too often urg'd him to bestow
upon me. Tho' He was otherwise not an ill-natur'd Man: Perhaps I was
too saucy & provoking.-

  When he found I would leave him, he took care to prevent my getting
Employment in any other Printing-House of the Town, by going round &
speaking to every Master, who accordingly refus'd to give me Work. I
then thought of going to New York as the nearest Place where there was
a Printer: and I was the rather inclin'd to leave Boston, when I
reflected that I had already made my self a little obnoxious, to the
governing Party; & from the arbitrary Proceedings of the Assembly in
my Brother's Case it was likely I might if I stay'd soon bring my self
into Scrapes; and farther that my indiscrete Disputations about
Religion began to make me pointed at with Horror by good People, as
an Infidel or Atheist; I determin'd on the Point: but my Father now
siding with my Brother, I was sensible that if I attempted to go
openly, Means would be used to prevent me. My Friend Collins therefore
undertook to manage a little for me. He agreed with the Captain of a
New York Sloop for my Passage, under the Notion of my being a young
Acquaintance of his that had got a naughty Girl with Child, whose
Friends would compel me to marry her, and therefore I could not appear
or come away publickly. So I sold some of my Books to raise a little
Money, Was taken on board privately, and as we had a fair Wind, in
three Days I found my self in New York near 300 Miles from home, a
Boy of but 17, without the least Recommendation to or Knowledge of any
Person in the Place, and with very little Money in my Pocket.-

  My Inclinations for the Sea, were by this time worne out, or I might
now have gratify'd them.- But having a Trade, & supposing my self a
pretty good Workman, I offer'd my Service to the Printer of the Place,
old Mr William Bradford.- He could give me no Employment, having little
to do, and Help enough already: But, says he, my Son at Philadelphia
has lately lost his principal Hand, Aquila Rose, by Death. If you go
thither I believe he may employ you.- Philadelphia was 100 Miles
farther. I set out, however, in a Boat for Amboy; leaving my Chest
and Things to follow me round by Sea. In crossing the Bay we met
with a Squall that tore our rotten Sails to pieces, prevented our
getting into the Kill, and drove us upon Long Island. In our Way a
drunken Dutchman, who was a Passenger too, fell over board; when
he was sinking I reach'd thro' the Water to his shock Pate & drew him
up so that we got him in again.- His Ducking sober'd him a little, & he
went to sleep, taking first out of his Pocket a Book which he desir'd I
would dry for him. It prov'd to be my old favourite Author Bunyan's
Pilgrim's Progress in Dutch, finely printed on good Paper with copper
Cuts, a Dress better than I had ever seen it wear in its own Language.
I have since found that it has been translated into most of the
Languages of Europe, and suppose it has been more generally read
than any other Book except perhaps the Bible.- Honest John was the
first that I know of who mix'd Narration & Dialogue, a Method of
Writing very engaging to the Reader, who in the most interesting Parts
finds himself as it were brought into the Company, & present at the
Discourse. De foe in his Cruso, his Moll Flanders, Religious Courtship,
Family Instructor, & other Pieces, has imitated it with Success. And
Richardson has done the same in his Pamela, &c.-

  When we drew near the Island we found it was at a Place where there
could be no Landing, there being a great Surff on the stony Beach. So
we dropt Anchor & swung round towards the Shore. Some People came
down to the Water Edge & hallow'd to us, as we did to them. But the
Wind was so high & the Surff so loud, that we could not hear so as to
understand each other. There were Canoes on the Shore, & we made Signs
& hallow'd that they should fetch us, but they either did not
understand us, or thought it impracticable. So they went away, and
Night coming on, we had no Remedy but to wait till the Wind should
abate, and in the mean time the Boatman & I concluded to sleep if we
could, and so crouded into the Scuttle with the Dutchman who was still
wet, and the Spray beating over the Head of our Boat, leak'd thro' to
us, so that we were soon almost as wet as he. In this Manner we lay all
Night with very little Rest. But the Wind abating the next Day, we made
a Shift to reach Amboy before Night, having been 30 Hours on the Water
without Victuals, or any Drink but a Bottle of filthy Rum:- The Water
we sail'd on being salt.-

  In the Evening I found my self very feverish, & went ill to Bed.
But having read somewhere that cold Water drank plentifully was
good for a Fever, I follow'd the Prescription, sweat plentifully most
of the Night, my Fever left me, and in the Morning crossing the Ferry,
proceeded on my Journey, on foot, having 50 Miles to Burlington, where
I was told I should find Boats that would carry me the rest of the Way
to Philadelphia.

  It rain'd very hard all the Day, I was thoroughly soak'd, and by Noon
a good deal tir'd, so I stopt at a poor Inn, where I staid all Night,
beginning now to wish I had never left home. I cut so miserable a
Figure too, that I found by the Questions ask'd me I was suspected
to be some runaway Servant, and in danger of being taken up on that
Suspicion.- However I proceeded the next Day, and got in the Evening
to an Inn within 8 or 10 Miles of Burlington, kept by one Dr Brown.-

  He entred into Conversation with me while I took some Refreshment,
and finding I had read a little, became very sociable and friendly. Our
Acquaintance continu'd as long as he liv'd. He had been, I imagine, an
itinerant Doctor, for there was no Town in England, or Country in
Europe, of which he could not give a very particular Account. He had
some Letters, & was ingenious, but much of an Unbeliever, & wickedly
undertook some Years after to travesty the Bible in doggrel Verse as
Cotton had done Virgil.- By this means he set many of the Facts in
a very ridiculous Light, & might have hurt weak minds if his Work
had been publish'd:- but it never was.- At his House I lay that Night,
and the next Morning reach'd Burlington.- But had the Mortification
to find that the regular Boats were gone, a little before my coming,
and no other expected to go till Tuesday, this being Saturday.
Wherefore I return'd to an old Woman in the Town of whom I had bought
Gingerbread to eat on the Water, & ask'd her Advice; she invited me to
lodge at her House till a Passage by Water should offer; & being tired
with my foot Travelling, I accepted the Invitation. She understanding I
was a Printer, would have had me stay at that Town & follow my
Business, being ignorant of the Stock necessary to begin with. She
was very hospitable, gave me a Dinner of Ox Cheek with great Goodwill,
accepting only of a Pot of Ale in return. And I tho't my self fix'd
till Tuesday should come. However walking in the Evening by the Side
of the River a Boat came by, which I found was going towards
Philadelphia, with several People in her. They took me in, and as there
was no Wind, we row'd all the Way; and about Midnight not having yet
seen the City, some of the Company were confident we must have pass'd
it, and would row no farther, the others knew not where we were, so we
put towards the Shore, got into a Creek, landed near an old Fence with
the Rails of which we made a Fire, the Night being cold, in October,
and there we remain'd till Daylight. Then one of the Company knew the
Place to be Cooper's Creek a little above Philadelphia, which we saw as
soon as we got out of the Creek, and arriv'd there about 8 or 9 a
Clock, on the Sunday morning, and landed at the Market street Wharff.-

  I have been the more particular in this Description of my Journey, &
shall be so of my first Entry into that City, that you may in your Mind
compare such unlikely Beginning with the Figure I have since made
there. I was in my working Dress, my best Cloaths being to come round
by Sea. I was dirty from my Journey; my Pockets were stuff'd out with
Shirts & Stockings; I knew no Soul, nor where to look for Lodging. I
was fatigu'd with Travelling, Rowing & Want of Rest. I was very hungry,
and my whole Stock of Cash consisted of a Dutch Dollar and about a
Shilling in Copper. The latter I gave the People of the Boat for my
Passage, who at first refus'd it on Account of my Rowing; but I
insisted on their taking it, a Man being sometimes more generous when
he has but a little Money than when he has plenty, perhaps thro' Fear
of being thought to have but little. Then I walk'd up the Street,
gazing about, till near the Market House I met a Boy with Bread. I
had made many a Meal on Bread, & inquiring where he got it, I went
immediately to the Baker's he directed me to in second Street; and
ask'd for Bisket, intending such as we had in Boston, but they it seems
were not made in Philadelphia, then I ask'd for a threepenny Loaf, and
was told they had none such: so not considering or knowing the
Difference of Money & the greater Cheapness nor the Names of his Bread,
I had him give me three pennyworth of any sort. He gave me accordingly
three great Puffy Rolls. I was surpriz'd at the Quantity, but took it,
and having no Room in my Pockets, walk'd off, with a Roll under each
Arm, & eating the other. Thus I went up Market Street as far as fourth
Street, passing by the Door of Mr Read, my future Wife's Father, when
she standing at the Door saw me, & thought I made as I certainly did a
most awkward ridiculous Appearance. Then I turn'd and went down
Chestnut Street and part of Walnut Street, eating my Roll all the Way,
and coming round found my self again at Market street Wharff, near the
Boat I came in, to which I went for a Draught of the River Water, and
being fill'd with one of my Rolls, gave the other two to a Woman & her
Child that came down the River in the Boat with us and were waiting to
go farther. Thus refresh'd I walk'd again up the Street, which by this
time had many clean dress'd People in it who were all walking the same
Way; I join'd them, and thereby was led into the great Meeting House of
the Quakers near the Market. I sat down among them, and after looking
round a while & hearing nothing said, being very drowzy thro' Labour &
want of Rest the preceding Night, I fell fast asleep, and continu'd so
till the Meeting broke up, when one was kind enough to rouse me. This
was therefore the first House I was in or slept in, in Philadelphia.-

  Walking again down towards the River, & looking in the Faces of
People, I met a young Quaker Man whose Countenance I lik'd, and
accosting him requested he would tell me where a Stranger could get
Lodging. We were then near the Sign of the Three Mariners. Here, says
he, is one Place that entertains Strangers, but it is not a reputable
House; if thee wilt walk with me, I'll show thee a better. He brought
me to the Crooked Billet in Water-Street. Here I got a Dinner. And
while I was eating it, several sly Questions were ask'd me, as it
seem'd to be suspected from my youth & Appearance, that I might be
some Runaway. After Dinner my Sleepiness return'd: and being shown
to a Bed, I lay down without undressing, and slept till Six in the
Evening; was call'd to Supper; went to Bed again very early and slept
soundly till the next Morning. Then I made my self as tidy as I could,
and went to Andrew Bradford the Printer's.- I found in the Shop the old
Man his Father, whom I had seen at New York, and who travelling on
horse back had got to Philadelphia before me.- He introduc'd me to his
Son, who receiv'd me civilly, gave me a Breakfast, but told me he did
not at present want a Hand, being lately supply'd with one. But there
was another Printer in town lately set up, one Keimer, who perhaps
might employ me; if not, I should be welcome to lodge at his House, &
he would give me a little Work to do now & then till fuller Business
should offer.

  The old Gentleman said, he would go with me to the new Printer: And
when we found him, Neighbour, says Bradford, I have brought to see you
a young Man of your Business, perhaps you may want such a One. He ask'd
me a few Questions, put a Composing Stick in my Hand to see how I
work'd, and then said he would employ me soon, tho' he had just then
nothing for me to do. And taking old Bradford whom he had never seen
before, to be one of the Towns People that had a Good Will for him,
enter'd into a Conversation on his present Undertaking & Prospects;
while Bradford not discovering that he was the other Printer's Father;
on Keimer's Saying he expected soon to get the greatest Part of the
Business into his own Hands, drew him on by artful Questions and
starting little Doubts, to explain all his Views, what Interest he
rely'd on, & in what manner he intended to proceed.- I who stood
by & heard all, saw immediately that one of them was a crafty old
Sophister, and the other a mere Novice. Bradford left me with Keimer,
who was greatly surpriz'd when I told him who the old Man was.

  Keimer's Printing House I found, consisted of an old shatter'd Press,
and one small worn-out Fount of English, which he was then using
himself, composing in it an Elegy on Aquila Rose before-mentioned, an
ingenious young Man of excellent Character much respected in the Town,
Clerk of the Assembly, & a pretty Poet. Keimer made Verses, too, but
very indifferently.- He could not be said to write them, for his Manner
was to compose them in the Types directly out of his Head; so there
being no Copy, but one Pair of Cases, and the Elegy likely to require
all the Letter, no one could help him.- I endeavour'd to put his Press
(which he had not yet us'd, & of which he understood nothing) into
Order fit to be work'd with; & promising to come & print off his Elegy
as soon as he should have got it ready, I return'd to Bradford's who
gave me a little Job to do for the present, & there I lodged & dieted.
A few Days after Keimer sent for me to print off the Elegy. And now he
had got another Pair of Cases, and a Pamphlet to reprint, on which he
set me to work.-

  These two Printers I found poorly qualified for their Business.
Bradford had not been bred to it, & was very illiterate; and Keimer
tho' something of a Scholar, was a mere Compositor, knowing nothing
of Presswork. He had been one of the French Prophets and could act
their enthusiastic Agitations. At this time he did not profess any
particular Religion, but something of all on occasion; was very
ignorant of the World, & had, as I afterwards found, a good deal of the
Knave in his Composition. He did not like my Lodging at Bradford's
while I work'd with him. He had a House indeed, but without Furniture,
so he could not lodge me: But he got me a Lodging at Mr Read's before-
mentioned, who was the Owner of his House. And my Chest & Clothes being
come by this time, I made rather a more respectable Appearance in the
Eyes of Miss Read, than I had done when she first happen'd to see me
eating my Roll in the Street.-

  I began now to have some Acquaintance among the young People of the
Town, that were Lovers of Reading with whom I spent my Evenings very
pleasantly and gaining Money by my Industry & Frugality, I lived very
agreably, forgetting Boston as much as I could, and not desiring that
any there should know where I resided except my Friend Collins who was
in my Secret, & kept it when I wrote to him.- At length an Incident
happened that sent me back again much sooner than I had intended.-

  I had a Brother-in-law, Robert Holmes, Master of a Sloop, that traded
between Boston and Delaware. He being at New Castle 40 Miles below
Philadelphia, heard there of me, and wrote me a Letter, mentioning the
Concern of my Friends in Boston at my abrupt Departure, assuring me of
their Goodwill to me, and that every thing would be accommodated to my
Mind if I would return, to which he exhorted me very earnestly.- I
wrote an Answer to his Letter, thank'd him for his Advice, but stated
my Reasons for quitting Boston fully, & in such a Light as to convince
him I was not so wrong as he had apprehended.- Sir William Keith
Governor of the Province, was then at New Castle, and Capt. Holmes
happening to be in Company with him when my Letter came to hand, spoke
to him of me, and show'd him the Letter. The Governor read it, and
seem'd surpriz'd when he was told my Age. He said I appear'd a young
Man of promising Parts, and therefore should be encouraged: The
Printers at Philadelphia were wretched ones, and if I would set up
there, he made no doubt I should succeed; for his Part, he would
procure me the publick Business, & do me every other Service in his
Power. This my Brother-in-Law afterwards told me in Boston. But I knew
as yet nothing of it; when one Day Keimer and I being at Work together
near the Window, we saw the Governor and another Gentleman (which
prov'd to be Col. French, of New Castle) finely dress'd, come directly
across the Street to our House, & heard them at the Door. Keimer ran
down immediately, thinking it a Visit to him. But the Governor enquir'd
for me, came up, & with a Condescension & Politeness I had been quite
unus'd to, made me many Compliments, desired to be acquainted with me,
blam'd me kindly for not having made my self known to him when I first
came to the Place, and would have me away with him to the Tavern where
he was going with Col. French to taste as he said some excellent
Madeira. I was not a little surpriz'd, and Keimer star'd like a Pig
poison'd. I went however with the Governor & Col. French, to a Tavern
the Corner of Third Street, and over the Madeira he propos'd my Setting
up my Business, laid before me the Probabilities of Success, & both
he & Col French, assur'd me I should have their Interest & Influence
in procuring the Publick Business of both Governments. On my doubting
whether my Father would assist me in it, Sir William said he would give
me a Letter to him, in which he would state the Advantages,- and he did
not doubt of prevailing with him. So it was concluded I should return
to Boston in the first Vessel with the Governor's Letter recommending
me to my Father. In the mean time the Intention was to be kept secret,
and I went on working with Keimer as usual, the Governor sending for
me now & then to dine with him, a very great Honour I thought it, and
conversing with me in the most affable, familiar, & friendly manner
imaginable. About the End of April 1724 a little Vessel offer'd for
Boston. I took Leave of Keimer as going to see my Friends. The Governor
gave me an ample Letter, saying many flattering things of me to my
Father, and strongly recommending the Project of my setting up at
Philadelphia, as a Thing that must make my Fortune.- We struck on a
Shoal in going down the Bay & sprung a Leak, we had a blustring time
at Sea, and were oblig'd to pump almost continually, at which I took my
Turn.- We arriv'd safe however at Boston in about a Fortnight.- I had
been absent Seven Months and my Friends had heard nothing of me, for
my Br. Holmes was not yet return'd; and had not written about me. My
unexpected Appearance surpriz'd the Family; all were however very glad
to see me and made me Welcome, except my Brother. I went to see him at
his Printing-House: I was better dress'd than ever while in his
Service, having a genteel new Suit from Head to foot, a Watch, and my
Pockets lin'd with near Five Pounds Sterling in Silver. He receiv'd me
not very frankly, look'd me all over, and turn'd to his Work again. The
Journey-Men were inquisitive where I had been, what sort of a Country
it was, and how I lik'd it? I prais'd it much, & the happy Life I led
in it; expressing strongly my Intention of returning to it; and one of
them asking what kind of Money we had there, I produc'd a handful of
Silver, and spread it before them, which was a kind of Raree-Show they
had not been us'd to, Paper being the Money of Boston. Then I took an
Opportunity of letting them see my Watch: and lastly, (my Brother still
grum & sullen) I gave them a Piece of Eight to drink & took my Leave.-
This Visit of mine offended him extreamly. For when my Mother some time
after spoke to him of a Reconciliation, & of her Wishes to see us on
good Terms together, & that we might live for the future as Brothers,
he said, I had insulted him in such a Manner before his People that he
could never forget or forgive it.- In this however he was mistaken.-

  My Father receiv'd the Governor's Letter with some apparent Surprize;
but said little of it to me for some Days; when Capt. Homes returning, he
show'd it to him, ask'd if he knew Keith, and what kind of a Man he
was: Adding his Opinion that he must be of small Discretion, to think
of setting a Boy up in Business who wanted yet 3 Years of being at
Man's Estate. Homes said what he could in favor of the Project; but my
Father was clear in the Impropriety of it; and at last gave a flat
Denial to it. Then he wrote a civil Letter to Sir William thanking him
for the Patronage he had so kindly offered me, but declining to assist
me as yet in Setting up, I being in his Opinion too young to be trusted
with the Management of a Business so important; & for which the
Preparation must be so expensive.-

  My Friend & Companion Collins, who was a Clerk at the Post-Office,
pleas'd with the Account I gave him of my new Country, determin'd to
go thither also:- And while I waited for my Fathers Determination, he
set out before me by Land to Rhodeisland, leaving his Books which were
a pretty Collection of Mathematicks & Natural Philosophy, to come with
mine & me to New York where he propos'd to wait for me. My Father, tho'
he did not approve Sir William's Proposition was yet pleas'd that I had
been able to obtain so advantageous a Character from a Person of such
Note where I had resided, and that I had been so industrious & careful
as to equip my self so handsomely in so short a time: therefore seeing
no Prospect of an Accommodation between my Brother & me, he gave his
Consent to my Returning again to Philadelphia, advis'd me to behave
respectfully to the People there, endeavour to obtain the general
Esteem, & avoid lampooning & libelling to which he thought I had
too much Inclination;- telling me, that by steady Industry and a
prudent Parsimony, I might save enough by the time I was One and Twenty
to set me up, & that if I came near the Matter he would help me out
with the Rest.- This was all I could obtain, except some small Gifts as
Tokens of his & my Mother's Love, when I embark'd again for New-York,
now with their Approbation & their Blessing.-

  The Sloop putting in at Newport, Rhodeisland, I visited my Brother
John, who had been married & settled there some Years. He received
me very affectionately, for he always lov'd me.- A Friend of his, one
Vernon, having some Money due to him in Pensilvania, about 35 Pounds
Currency, desired I would receive it for him, and keep it till I had
his Directions what to remit it in. Accordingly he gave me an
Order.- This afterwards occasion'd me a good deal of Uneasiness.- At
Newport we took in a Number of Passengers for New York: Among which
were two young Women, Companions, and a grave, sensible Matron-like
Quaker-Woman with her Attendants.- I had shown an obliging Readiness
to do her some little Services which impress'd her I suppose with a
degree of Good-will towards me.- Therefore when she saw a daily growing
Familiarity between me & the two Young Women, which they appear'd to
encourage, she took me aside & said, Young Man, I am concern'd for
thee, as thou has no Friend with thee, and seems not to know much of
the World, or of the Snares Youth is expos'd to; depend upon it those
are very bad Women, I can see it in all their Actions, and if thee art
not upon thy Guard, they will draw thee into some Danger: they are
Strangers to thee,- and I advise thee in a friendly Concern for thy
Welfare, to have no Acquaintance with them.- As I seem'd at first not
to think so ill of them as she did, she mention'd some Things she had
observ'd & heard that had escap'd my Notice; but now convinc'd me she
was right. I thank'd her for her kind Advice, and promis'd to follow
it.- When we arriv'd at New York, they told me where they liv'd, &
invited me to come and see them: but I avoided it. And it was well I
did: For the next Day, the Captain miss'd a Silver Spoon & some other
Things that had been taken out of his Cabbin, and knowing that these
were a Couple of Strumpets, he got a Warrant to search their Lodgings,
found the stolen Goods, and had the Thieves punish'd.- So tho' we had
escap'd a sunken Rock which we scrap'd upon in the Passage, I thought
this Escape of rather more Importance to me. At New York I found my
Friend Collins, who had arriv'd there some Time before me. We had been
intimate from Children, and had read the same Books together. But he
had the Advantage of more time for Reading, & Studying and a wonderful
Genius for Mathematical Learning in which he far outstript me. While I
liv'd in Boston most of my Hours of Leisure for Conversation were spent
with him, & he continu'd a sober as well as an industrious Lad; was
much respected for his Learning by several of the Clergy & other
Gentlemen, & seem'd to promise making a good Figure in Life: but during
my Absence he had acquir'd a Habit of Sotting with Brandy; and I found
by his own Account & what I heard from others, that he had been drunk
every day since his Arrival at New York, & behav'd very oddly. He had
gam'd too and lost his Money, so that I was oblig'd to discharge his
Lodgings, & defray his Expences to and at Philadelphia: Which prov'd
extreamly inconvenient to me.- The then Governor of New York, Burnet,
Son of Bishop Burnet hearing from the Captain that a young Man, one of
his Passengers, had a great many Books, desired he would bring me to
see him. I waited upon him accordingly, and should have taken Collins
with me but that he was not sober. The Governor treated me with greet
Civility, show'd me his Library, which was a very large one, & we had a
good deal of Conversation about Books & Authors. This was the second
Governor who had done me the Honour to take Notice of me, which to a
poor Boy like me was very pleasing.- We proceeded to Philadelphia. I
received on the Way Vernon's Money, without which we could hardly have
finish'd our Journey.- Collins wish'd to be employ'd in some Counting
House; but whether they discover'd his Dramming by his Breath, or by
his Behaviour, tho' he had some Recommendations, he met with no Success
in any Application, and continu'd Lodging & Boarding at the same House
with me & at my Expence. Knowing I had that Money of Vernon's he was
continually borrowing of me, still promising Repayment as soon as he
should be in Business. At length he had got so much of it, that I was
distress'd to think what I should do, in case of being call'd on to
remit it.- His Drinking continu'd, about which we sometimes quarrel'd,
for when a little intoxicated he was very fractious. Once in a Boat on
the Delaware with some other young Men, he refused to row in his
Turn: I will be row'd home, says he. We will not row you, says I. You
must says he, or stay all Night on the Water, just as you please. The
others said, Let us row; What signifies it? But my Mind being soured
with his other Conduct, I continu'd to refuse. So he swore he would
make me row, or throw me overboard; and coming along stepping on the
Thwarts towards me, when he came up & struck at me, I clapt my Hand
under his Crutch, and rising pitch'd him head-foremost into the River.
I knew he was a good Swimmer, and so was under little Concern about
him; but before he could get round to lay hold of the Boat, we had with
a few Strokes pull'd her out of his Reach.- And ever when he drew near
the Boat, we ask'd if he would row, striking a few Strokes to slide her
away from him.- He was ready to die with Vexation, & obstinately would
not promise to row; however seeing him at last beginning to tire, we
lifted him in; and brought him home dripping wet in the Evening. We
hardly exchang'd a civil Word afterwards; and a West India Captain who
had a Commission to procure a Tutor for the Sons of a Gentleman at
Barbadoes, happening to meet with him, agreed to carry him thither. He
left me then, promising to remit me the first Money he should receive
in order to discharge the Debt. But I never heard of him after.- The
Breaking into this Money of Vernon's was one of the first great Errata
of my Life. And this Affair show'd that my Father was not much out in
his Judgment when he suppos'd me too Young to manage Business of
Importance. But Sir William, on reading his Letter, said he was too
prudent. There was great Difference in Persons, and Discretion did not
always accompany Years, nor was Youth always without it. And since he
will not set you up, says he, I will do it my self. Give me an
Inventory of the Things necessary to be had from England, and I will
send for them. You shall repay me when you are able; I am resolv'd to
have a good Printer here, and I am sure you must succeed. This was
spoken with such an Appearance of Cordiality, that I had not the least
doubt of his meaning what he said.- I had hitherto kept the Proposition
of my Setting up a Secret in Philadelphia, & I still kept it. Had it
been known that I depended on the Governor, probably some Friend
that knew him better would have advis'd me not to rely on him, as I
afterwards heard it as his known Character to be liberal of Promises
which he never meant to keep.- Yet unsolicited as he was by me, how
ould I think his generous Offers insincere? I believ'd him one of the
best Men in the World.

  I presented him an Inventory of a little Printing House, amounting by
my Computation to about 100L Sterling. He lik'd it, but ask'd me if my
being on the Spot in England to chuse the Types & see that every thing
was good of the kind, might not be of some Advantage. Then, says he,
when there, you may make Acquaintances & establish Correspondencies
in the Bookselling, & Stationary Way. I agreed that this might be
advantageous. Then says he, get yourself ready to go with Annis; which
was the annual Ship, and the only one at that Time usually passing
between London and Philadelphia. But it would be some Months before
Annis sail'd, so I continu'd working with Keimer, fretting about the
Money Collins had got from me, and in daily Apprehensions of being
call'd upon by Vernon, which however did not happen for some Years
after.-

  I believe I have omitted mentioning that in my first Voyage from
Boston, being becalm'd off Block Island, our People set about catching
Cod & hawl'd up a great many. Hitherto I had stuck to my Resolution
of not eating animal Food; and on this Occasion, I consider'd with my
Master Tryon, the taking every Fish as a kind of unprovok'd Murder,
since none of them had or ever could do us any Injury that might
justify the Slaughter.- All this seem'd very reasonable.- But I had
formerly been a great Lover of Fish, & when this came hot out of the
Frying Pan, it smelt admirably well. I balanc'd some time between
Principle & Inclination: till I recollected, that when the Fish were
opened, I saw smaller Fish taken out of their Stomachs:- Then, thought
I, if you eat one another, I don't see why we mayn't eat you. So I
din'd upon Cod very heartily and continu'd to eat with other People,
returning only now & then occasionally to a vegetable Diet. So
convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it
enables one to find or make a Reason for every thing one has a mind to
do.-

  Keimer & I liv'd on a pretty good familiar Footing & agreed tolerably
well: for he suspected nothing of my Setting up. He retain'd a great
deal of his old Enthusiasms, and lov'd an Argumentation. We therefore
had many Disputations. I us'd to work him so with my Socratic Method,
and had trapann'd him so often by Questions apparently so distant from
any Point we had in hand, and yet by degrees led to the Point, and
brought him into Difficulties & Contradictions, that at last he grew
ridiculously cautious, and would hardly answer me the most common
Question, without asking first, What do you intend to infer from
that? However it gave him so high an Opinion of my Abilities in the
Confuting Way, that he seriously propos'd my being his Colleague in a
Project he had of setting up a new Sect. He was to preach the
Doctrines, and I was to confound all Opponents. When he came to explain
with me upon the Doctrines, I found several Conundrums which I objected
to, unless I might have my Way a little too, and introduce some of
mine. Keimer wore his Beard at full Length, because somewhere in the
Mosaic Law it is said, thou shalt not mar the Corners of thy Beard.
He likewise kept the seventh day Sabbath; and these two Points wer
Essentials with him.- I dislik'd both, but agreed to admit them upon
Condition of his adopting the Doctrine of using no animal Food. I
doubt, says he, my Constitution will not bear that. I assur'd him it
would, & that he would be the better for it. He was usually a great
Glutton, and I promis'd my self some Diversion in half-starving him.
He agreed to try the Practice if I would keep him Company. I did so
and we held it for three Months. We had our Victuals dress'd and
brought to us regularly by a Woman in the Neighbourhood, who had
from me a List of 40 Dishes to be prepar'd for us at different times,
in all which there was neither Fish Flesh nor Fowl, and the Whim suited
me the better at this time from the Cheapness of it, not costing us
above 18d Sterling each, per Week.- I have since kept several Lents
most strictly, Leaving the common Diet for that, and that for the
common, abruptly, without the least Inconvenience: So that I think
there is little in the Advice of making those Changes by easy
Gradations.- I went on pleasantly, but Poor Keimer suffer'd grievously,
tir'd of the Project, long'd for the Flesh Pots of Egypt, and order'd a
roast Pig; He invited me & two Women Friends to dine with him, but it
being brought too soon upon table, he could not resist the Temptation,
and ate it all up before we came.-

  I had made some Courtship during this time to Miss Read, I had a
great Respect & Affection for her, and had some Reason to believe she
had the same for me: but as I was about to take a long Voyage, and we
were both very young, only a little above 18. it was thought most
prudent by her Mother to prevent our going too far at present, as a
Marriage if it was to take place would be more convenient after my
Return, when I should be as I expected set up in my Business. Perhaps
too she thought my Expectations not so well founded as I imagined them
to be.-

  My chief Acquaintances at this time were, Charles Osborne, Joseph
Watson, & James Ralph; All Lovers of Reading. The two first were Clerks
to an eminent Scrivener or Conveyancer in the Town, Charles Brogden;
the other was Clerk to a Merchant. Watson was a pious sensible young
Man, of great Integrity.- The others rather more lax in their
Principles of Religion, particularly Ralph, who as well as Collins had
been unsettled by me, for which they both made me suffer.- Osborne was
sensible, candid, frank, sincere, and affectionate to his Friends; but
in literary Matters too fond of Criticising. Ralph, was ingenious,
genteel in his Manners, & extreamly eloquent; I think I never knew a
prettier Talker.- Both of them great Admirers of Poetry, and began to
try their Hands in little Pieces. Many pleasant Walks we four had
together, on Sundays into the Woods near Skuylkill, where we read to
one another & conferr'd on what we read. Ralph was inclin'd to pursue
the Study of Poetry, not doubting but he might become eminent in it and
make his Fortune by it, alledging that the best Poets must when they
first began to write, make as many Faults as he did.- Osborne dissuaded
him, assur'd him he had no Genius for Poetry, & advis'd him to think of
nothing beyond the Business he was bred to; that in the mercantile way
tho' he had no Stock, he might by his Diligence & Punctuality recommend
himself to Employment as a Factor, and in time acquire wherewith to
trade on his own Account. I approv'd the amusing one's Self with Poetry
now & then, so far as to improve one's Language, but no farther. On
this it was propos'd that we should each of us at our next Meeting
produce a Piece of our own Composing, in order to improve by our mutual
Observations, Criticisms & Corrections. As Language & Expression was
what we had in View, we excluded all Considerations of Invention, by
agreeing that the Task should be a Version of the 18th Psalm, which
describes the Descent of a Deity. When the Time of our Meeting drew
nigh, Ralph call'd on me first, & let me know his Piece was ready. I
told him I had been busy, & having little Inclination had done
nothing.- He then show'd me his Piece for my Opinion; and I much
approv'd it, as it appear'd to me to have great Merit. Now, says he,
Osborne never will allow the least Merit in any thing of mine, but
makes 1000 Criticisms out of mere Envy. He is not so jealous of you.
I wish therefore you would take this Piece, & produce it as yours. I
will pretend not to have had time, & so produce nothing: We shall
then see what he will say to it.- It was agreed, and I immediately
transcrib'd it that it might appear in my own hand. We met. Watson's
Performance was read: there were some Beauties in it: but many Defects.
Osborne's was read: It was much better. Ralph did it Justice, remark'd
some Faults, but applauded the Beauties. He himself had nothing to
produce. I was backward, seem'd desirous of being excus'd, had not
had sufficient Time to correct; &c. but no Excuse could be admitted,
produce I must. It was read and repeated; Watson and Osborne gave
up the Contest; and join'd in applauding it immoderately. Ralph only
made some Criticisms & propos'd some Amendments, but I defended
my Text. Osborne was against Ralph, & told him he was no better a
Critic than Poet; so he dropt the Argument. As they two went home
together, Osborne express'd himself still more strongly in favour of
what he thought my Production, having restrain'd himself before as he
said, lest I should think it Flattery. But who would have imagin'd,
says he, that Franklin had been capable of such a Performance; such
Painting, such Force! such Fire! he has even improv'd the Original! In
his common Conversation, he seems to have no Choice of Words; he
hesitates and blunders; and yet, good God, how he writes!- When we
next met, Ralph discover'd the Trick we had plaid him, and Osborne
was a little laught at. This Transaction fix'd Ralph in his Resolution
of becoming a Poet. I did all I could to dissuade him from it, but He
continu'd scribbling Verses, till Pope cur'd him.- He became however
a pretty good Prose Writer. More of him hereafter. But as I may not have
occasion again to mention the other two, I shall just remark here, that
Watson died in my Arms a few Years after, much lamented, being the
best of our Set. Osborne went to the West Indies, where he became an
eminent Lawyer & made Money, but died young. He and I had made a
serious Agreement, that the one who happen'd first to die, should if
possible make a friendly Visit to the other, and acquaint him how he
found things in that separate State. But he never fulfill'd his Promise.

  The Governor, seeming to like my Company, had me frequently to his
House; & his Setting me up was always mention'd as a fix'd thing. I was
to take with me Letters recommendatory to a Number of his Friends,
besides the Letter of Credit, to furnish me with the necessary Money
for purchasing the Press & Types, Paper, &c. For these Letters I was
appointed to call at different times, when they were to be ready, but a
future time was still named.- Thus we went on till the Ship whose
Departure too had been several times postponed was on the Point of
sailing. Then when I call'd to take my Leave & receive the Letters, his
Secretary, Dr Bard, came out to me and said the Governor was extreamly
busy, in writing, but would be down at Newcastle before the Ship, &
there the Letters would be delivered to me.

  Ralph, tho' married & having one Child, had determined to accompany
me in this Voyage. It was thought he intended to establish a
Correspondence, & obtain Goods to sell on Commission. But I found
afterwards, that thro' some Discontent with his Wife's Relations, he
purposed to leave her on their Hands, & never return again.- Having
taken leave of my Friends, & interchang'd some Promises with Miss
Read, I left Philadelphia in the Ship, which anchor'd at Newcastle. The
Governor was there. But when I went to his Lodging, the Secretary came
to me from him with the civillest Message in the World, that he could
not then see me being engag'd in Business of the utmost Importance, but
should send the Letters to me on board, wish'd me heartily a good
Voyage and a speedy Return, &c. I return'd on board, a little puzzled,
but still not doubting.-

  Mr Andrew Hamilton, a famous Lawyer of Philadelphia, had taken
Passage in the same Ship for himself and Son: and with Mr Denham a
Quaker Merchant, & Messrs Onion & Russel Masters of an Iron Work in
Maryland, had engag'd the Great Cabin; so that Ralph and I were forc'd
to take up with a Birth in the Steerage:- And none on board knowing us,
were considered as ordinary Persons.- But Mr Hamilton & his Son (it was
James, since Governor) return'd from New Castle to Philadelphia, the
Father being recall'd by a great Fee to plead for a seized Ship.- And
just before we sail'd Col. French coming on board, & showing me great
Respect, I was more taken Notice of, and with my Friend Ralph invited
by the other Gentlemen to come into the Cabin, there being now Room.
Accordingly we remov'd thither.

  Understanding that Col. French had brought on board the Governor's
Dispatches, I ask'd the Captain for those Letters that were to be under
my Care. He said all were put into the Bag together; and he could not
then come at them; but before we landed in England, I should have an
Opportunity of picking them out. So I was satisfy'd for the present,
and we proceeded on our Voyage. We had a sociable Company in the Cabin,
and lived uncommonly well, having the Addition of all Mr Hamilton's
Stores, who had laid in plentifully. In this Passage Mr Denham
contracted a Friendship for me that continued during his Life. The
Voyage was otherwise not a pleasant one, as we had a great deal of
bad Weather.-

  When we came into the Channel, the Captain kept his Word with me,
& gave me an Opportunity of examining the Bag for the Governor's
Letters. I found none upon which my Name was put, as under my Care; I
pick'd out 6 or 7 that by the Handwriting I thought might be the
promis'd Letters, especially as one of them was directed to Basket
the King's Printer, and another to some Stationer. We arriv'd in London
the 24th of December, 1724.- I waited upon the Stationer who came first
in my Way, delivering the Letter as from Gov. Keith. I don't know such
a Person, says he: but opening the Letter, O, this is from Riddlesden;
I have lately found him to be a compleat Rascal, and I will have
nothing to do with him, nor receive any Letters from him. So putting
the Letter into my Hand, he turn'd on his Heel & left me to serve some
Customer.- I was surprized to find these were not the Governor's
Letters. And after recollecting and comparing Circumstances, I began to
doubt his Sincerity.- I found my Friend Denham, and opened the whole
Affair to him. He let me into Keith's Character, told me there was not
the least Probability that he had written any Letters for me, that no
one who knew him had the smallest Dependance on him, and he laught at
the Notion of the Governor's giving me a Letter of Credit, having as he
said no Credit to give.- On my expressing some Concern about what I
should do: He advis'd me to endeavour getting some Employment in the
Way of my Business. Among the Printers here, says he, you will improve
yourself; and when you return to America, you will set up to greater
Advantage.-

  We both of us happen'd to know, as well as the Stationer, that
Riddlesden the Attorney, was a very Knave. He had half ruin'd Miss
Read's Father by drawing him in to be bound for him. By his Letter it
appear'd, there was a secret Scheme on foot to the Prejudice of
Hamilton, (Suppos'd to be then coming over with us,) and that Keith
was concern'd in it with Riddlesden. Denham, who was a Friend of
Hamilton's, thought he ought to be acquainted with it. So when he
arriv'd in England, which was soon after, partly from Resentment &
Ill-Will to Keith & Riddlesden, & partly from Good Will to him: I
waited on him, and gave him the Letter. He thank'd me cordially,
the Information being of Importance to him. And from that time he
became my Friend, greatly to my Advantage afterwards on many Occasions.

  But what shall we think of a Governor's playing such pitiful Tricks,
& imposing so grossly on a poor ignorant Boy! It was a Habit he had
acquired. He wish'd to please every body; and having little to give, he
gave Expectations.- He was otherwise an ingenious sensible Man, a
pretty good Writer, & a good Governor for the People, tho' not for
his Constituents the Proprietaries, whose Instructions he sometimes
disregarded.- Several of our best Laws were of his Planning, and pass'd
during his Administration.-

  Ralph and I were inseparable Companions. We took Lodgings together
in Little Britain at 3s. 6d. per Week, as much as we could then
afford.- He found some Relations, but they were poor & unable to assist
him. He now let me know his Intentions of remaining in London, and that
he never meant to return to Philadelphia- He had brought no Money with
him, the whole he could muster having been expended in paying his
Passage.- I had 15 Pistoles: So he borrowed occasionally of me, to
subsist while he was looking out for Business.- He first endeavoured
to get into the Playhouse, believing himself qualify'd for an Actor;
but Wilkes, to whom he apply'd, advis'd him candidly not to think of
that Employment, as it was impossible he should succeed in it.- Then
he propos'd to Roberts, a Publisher in Paternoster Row, to write for
him a Weekly Paper like the Spectator, on certain Conditions, which
Roberts did not approve. Then he endeavour'd to get Employment as a
Hackney Writer to copy for the Stationers & Lawyers about the Temple:
but could find no Vacancy.-

  I immediately got into Work at Palmer's then a famous Printing House
in Bartholomew Close; and here I continu'd near a Year. I was pretty
diligent; but spent with Ralph a good deal of my Earnings in going to
Plays & other Places of Amusement. We had together consum'd all my
Pistoles, and now just rubb'd on from hand to mouth. He seem'd quite to
forget his Wife & Child, and I by degrees my Engagements with Miss
Read, to whom I never wrote more than one Letter, & that was to let her
know I was not likely soon to return. This was another of the great
Errata of my Life, which I should wish to correct if I were to live it
over again.- In fact, by our Expences, I was constantly kept unable to
pay my Passage.

  At Palmer's I was employ'd in Composing for the second Edition of
Woollaston's Religion of Nature. Some of his Reasonings not appearing
to me well-founded, I wrote a little metaphysical Piece, in which I
made Remarks on them. It was entitled, A Dissertation an Liberty &
Necessity, Pleasure and Pain.- I inscrib'd it to my Friend Ralph.- I
printed a small Number. It occasion'd my being more consider'd by Mr
Palmer, as a young Man of some Ingenuity, tho' he seriously
expostulated with me upon the Principles of my Pamphlet which to him
appear'd abominable. My printing this Pamphlet was another Erratum.

  While I lodg'd in Little Britain I made an Acquaintance with one
Wilcox a Bookseller, whose Shop was at the next Door. He had an
immense Collection of second-hand Books. Circulating Libraries were
not then in Use; but we agreed that on certain reasonable Terms which
I have now forgotten, I might take, read & return any of his Books.
This I esteem'd a great Advantage, & I made as much Use of it as I could.-

  My Pamphlet by some means falling into the Hands of one Lyons, a
Surgeon, Author of a Book intituled The Infallibility of Human
Judgment, it occasioned an Acquaintance between us; he took great
Notice of me, call'd on me often, to converse on these Subjects,
carried me to the Horns a pale Ale House in __ Lane, Cheapside, and
introduc'd me to Dr Mandevile, Author of the Fable of the Bees who had
a Club there, of which he was the Soul, being a most facetious
entertaining Companion. Lyons too introduc'd me to Dr Pemberton,
at Batson's Coffee House, who promis'd to give me an Opportunity
some time or other of seeing Sir Isaac Newton, of which I was extreamly
desirous; but this never happened.

  I had brought over a few Curiosities among which the principal was a
Purse made of the Asbestos, which purifies by Fire. Sir Hans Sloane
heard of it, came to see me, and invited me to his House in Bloomsbury
Square; where he show'd me all his Curiosities, and persuaded me to let
him add that to the Number, for which he paid me handsomely.-

  In our House there lodg'd a young Woman; a Millener, who I think had
a Shop in the Cloisters. She had been genteelly bred; was sensible &
lively, and of most pleasing Conversation.- Ralph read Plays to her in
the Evenings, they grew intimate, she took another Lodging, and he
follow'd her. They liv'd together some time, but he being still out of
Business, & her Income not sufficient to maintain them with her Child,
he took a Resolution of going from London, to try for a Country School,
which he thought himself well qualify'd to undertake, as he wrote an
excellent Hand, & was a Master of Arithmetic & Accounts.- This however
he deem'd a Business below him, & confident of future better Fortune
when he should be unwilling to have it known that he once was so
meanly employ'd, he chang'd his Name, & did me the Honour to assume
mine.- For I soon after had a Letter from him, acquainting me, that he
was settled in a small Village in Berkshire, I think it was, where he
taught reading & writing to 10 or a dozen Boys at 6 pence each per
Week, recommending Mrs T. to my Care, and desiring me to write to
him directing for Mr Franklin Schoolmaster at such a Place. He
continu'd to write frequently, sending me large Specimens of an Epic
Poem, which he was then composing, and desiring my Remarks &
Corrections.- These I gave him from time to time, but endeavour'd
rather to discourage his Proceeding. One of Young's Satires was then
just publish'd. I copy'd & sent him a great Part of it, which set in a
strong Light the Folly of pursuing the Muses with any Hope of
Advancement by them. All was in vain. Sheets of the Poem continu'd
to come by every Post. In the mean time Mrs T. having on his Account
lost her Friends & Business, was often in Distresses, & us'd to send
for me, and borrow what I could spare to help her out of them. I grew
fond of her Company, and being at this time under no Religious
Restraints, & presuming on my Importance to her, I attempted
Familiarities, (another Erratum) which she repuls'd with a proper
Resentment, and acquainted him with my Behaviour. This made a
Breach between us, & when he return'd again to London, he let me know
he thought I had cancel'd all the Obligations he had been under to me.-
So I found I was never to expect his Repaying me what I lent to him or
advanc'd for him. This was however not then of much Consequence, as he
was totally unable.- And in the Loss of his Friendship I found my self
reliev'd from a Burthen. I now began to think of getting a little Money
beforehand; and expecting better Work, I left Palmer's to work at
Watts's near Lincoln's Inn Fields, a still greater Printing House. Here
I continu'd all the rest of my Stay in London.

  At my first Admission into this Printing House, I took to working at
Press, imagining I felt a Want of the Bodily Exercise I had been us'd
to in America, where Presswork is mix'd with Composing. I drank only
Water; the other Workmen, near 50 in Number, were great Guzzlers of
Beer. On occasion I carried up & down Stairs a large Form of Types in
each hand, when others carried but one in both Hands. They wonder'd to
see from this & several Instances that the Water-American as they
call'd me was stronger than themselves who drunk strong Beer. We
had an Alehouse Boy who attended always in the House to supply the
Workmen. My Companion at the Press, drank every day a Pint before
Breakfast, a Pint at Breakfast with his Bread and Cheese; a Pint
between Breakfast and Dinner; a Pint at Dinner; a Pint in the Afternoon
about Six o'clock, and another when he had done his Day's-Work. I
thought it a detestable Custom.- But it was necessary, he suppos'd, t
drink strong Beer that he might be strong to labour. I endeavour'd
to convince him that the Bodily Strength afforded by Beer could only be
in proportion to the Grain or Flour of the Barley dissolved in the
Water of which it was made; that there was more Flour in a Pennyworth
of Bread, and therefore if he would eat that with a Pint of Water, it
would give him more Strength than a Quart of Beer.- He drank on
however, & had 4 or 5 Shillings to Pay out of his Wages every Saturday
Night for that muddling Liquor; an Expence I was free from.- And thus
these poor Devils keep themselves always under.

  Watts after some Weeks desiring to have me in the Composing-Room, I
left the Pressmen. A new Bienvenu or Sum for Drink, being 5s., was
demanded of me by the Compostors. I thought it an Imposition, as I had
paid below. The Master thought so too, and forbad my Paying it. I stood
out two or three Weeks, was accordingly considered as an Excommunicate,
and had so many little Pieces of private Mischief done me, by mixing my
Sorts, transposing my Pages, breaking my Matter, &c. &c. if I were ever
so little out of the Room, & all ascrib'd to the Chapel Ghost, which they
said ever haunted those not regularly admitted, that notwithstanding the
Master's Protection, I found myself oblig'd to comply and pay the
Money; convinc'd of the Folly of being on ill Terms with those one is
to live with continually. I was now on a fair Footing with them, and
soon acquir'd considerable Influence. I propos'd some reasonable
Alterations in their Chapel *005 Laws, and carried them against all
Opposition. From my Example a great Part of them, left their muddling
Breakfast of Beer & Bread & Cheese, finding they could with me be
supply'd from a neighbouring House with a large Porringer of hot
Water-gruel, sprinkled with Pepper, crumb'd with Bread, & a Bit of
Butter in it, for the Price of a Pint of Beer, viz, three halfpence.
This was a more comfortable as well as cheaper Breakfast, & kept their
Heads clearer.- Those who continu'd sotting with Beer all day, were
often, by not paying, out of Credit at the Alehouse, and us'd to make
Interest with me to get Beer, their Light, as they phras'd it, being
out. I watch'd the Pay table on Saturday Night, & collected what I
stood engag'd for them, having to pay some times near Thirty Shillings
a Week on their Accounts.- This, and my being esteem'd a pretty good
Riggite, that is a jocular verbal Satyrist, supported my Consequence in
the Society.- My constant Attendance, (I never making a St. Monday),
recommended me to the Master; and my uncommon Quickness at Composing,
occasion'd my being put upon all Work of Dispatch which was generally
better paid. So I went on now very agreably.-

  My Lodging in Little Britain being too remote, I found another in
Duke-street opposite to the Romish Chapel. It was two pair of Stairs
backwards at an Italian Warehouse. A Widow Lady kept the House;
she had a Daughter & a Maid Servant, and a Journey-man who attended
the Warehouse, but lodg'd abroad.- After sending to enquire my
Character at the House where I last lodg'd, she agreed to take me in
at the same Rate 3s. 6d. per Week, cheaper as she said from the
Protection she expected in having a Man lodge in the House. She was a
Widow, an elderly Woman, had been bred a Protestant, being a
Clergyman's Daughter, but was converted to the Catholic Religion by her
Husband, whose Memory she much revered, had lived much among People
of Distinction, and knew a 1000 Anecdotes of them as far back as the
Times of Charles the second. She was lame in her Knees with the Gout,
and therefore seldom stirr'd out of her Room, so sometimes wanted
Company; and hers was so highly amusing to me; that I was sure to
spend an Evening with her whenever she desired it. Our Supper was
only half an Anchovy each, on a very little Strip of Bread & Butter,
and half a Pint of Ale between us.- But the Entertainment was in her
Conversation. My always keeping good Hours, and giving little Trouble
in the Family, made her unwilling to part with me; so that when I
talk'd of a Lodging I had heard of, nearer my Business, for 2s. a Week,
which, intent as I now was on saving Money, made some Difference; she
bid me not think of it, for she would abate me two Shillings a Week for
the future, so I remain'd with her at 1s. 6d. as long as I staid in
London.-

  In a Garret of her House there lived a Maiden Lady of 70 in the most
retired Manner, of whom my Landlady gave me this Account, that she
was a Roman-Catholic, had been sent abroad when young & lodg'd in a
Nunnery with an Intent of becoming a Nun: but the Country not agreeing
with her, she return'd to England, where there being no Nunnery, she
had vow'd to lead the Life of a Nun as near as might be done in those
Circumstances: Accordingly She had given all her Estate to charitable
Uses, reserving only Twelve Pounds a Year to live on, and out of this
Sum she still gave a great deal in Charity, living her self on Watergruel
only, & using no Fire but to boil it.- She had lived many Years in that
Garret, being permitted to remain there gratis by successive catholic
Tenants of the House below, as they deem'd it a Blessing to have her
there. A Priest visited her, to confess her every Day. I have ask'd
her, says my Landlady, how she, as she liv'd, could possibly find so
much Employment for a Confessor? O, says she, it is impossible to avoid
vain Thoughts. I was permitted once to visit her: She was chearful &
polite, & convers'd pleasantly. The Room was clean, but had no other
Furniture than a Matras, a Table with a Crucifix & Book, a Stool, which
she gave me to sit on, and a Picture over the Chimney of St.
Veronica, displaying her Handkerchief with the miraculous Figure of
Christ's bleeding Face on it, which she explain'd to me with great
Seriousness. She look'd pale, but was never sick, and I give it as
another Instance on how small an Income Life & Health may be supported.-

  At Watts's Printinghouse I contracted an Acquaintance with an
ingenious young Man, one Wygate, who having wealthy Relations, had
been better educated than most Printers, was a tolerable Latinist,
spoke French, & lov'd Reading. I taught him, & a Friend of his, to
swim, at twice going into the River, & they soon became good Swimmers.
They introduc'd me to some Gentlemen from the Country who went to
Chelsea by Water to see the College and Don Saltero's Curiosities. In
our Return, at the Request of the Company, whose Curiosity Wygate
had excited, I stript & leapt into the River, & swam from near Chelsea
to Blackfryars, performing on the Way many Feats of Activity both upon
& under Water, that surpriz'd & pleas'd those to whom they were
Novelties.- I had from a Child been ever delighted with this Exercise,
had studied & practis'd all Thevenot's Motions & Positions, added some
of my own, aiming at the graceful & easy, as well as the Useful.- All
these I took this Occasion of exhibiting to the Company, & was much
flatter'd by their Admiration.- And Wygate, who was desirous of
becoming a Master, grew more & more attach'd to me, on that account, as
well as from the Similarity of our Studies. He at length propos'd to me
travelling all over Europe together, supporting ourselves every where
by working at our Business. I was once inclin'd to it. But mentioning
it to my good Friend Mr Denham, with whom I often spent an Hour, when
I had Leisure. He dissuaded me from it; advising me to think only of
returning to Pensilvania, which he was now about to do.-

  I must record one Trait of this good Man's Character. He had formerly
been in Business at Bristol, but fail'd in Debt to a Number of People,
compounded and went to America. There, by a close Application to
Business as a Merchant, he acquir'd a plentiful Fortune in a few Years.
Returning to England in the Ship with me, He invited his old Creditors
to an Entertainment, at which he thank'd them for the easy Composition
they had favour'd him with, & when they expected nothing but the Treat,
every Man at the first Remove, found under his Plate an Order on a
Banker for the full Amount of the unpaid Remainder with Interest.

  He now told me he was about to return to Philadelphia, and should
carry over a great Quantity of Goods in order to open a Store there:
He propos'd to take me over as his Clerk, to keep his Books (in which
he would instruct me) copy his Letters, and attend the Store. He added,
that as soon as I should be acquainted with mercantile Business he
would promote me by sending me with a Cargo of Flour & Bread &c to the
West Indies, and procure me Commissions from others; which would be
profitable, & if I manag'd well, would establish me handsomely. The
Thing pleas'd me, for I was grown tired of London, remember'd with
Pleasure the happy Months I had spent in Pennsylvania, and wish'd
again to see it. Therefore I immediately agreed, on the Terms of Fifty
Pounds a Year Pensylvania Money; less indeed than my then present
Gettings as a Compostor, but affording a better Prospect.-

  I now took Leave of Printing, as I thought for ever, and was daily
employ'd in my new Business; going about with Mr Denham among the
Tradesmen, to purchase various Articles, & see them pack'd up, doing
Errands, calling upon Workmen to dispatch, &c. and when all was on
board, I had a few Days Leisure. On one of these Days I was to my
Surprize sent for by a great Man I knew only by Name, a Sir William
Wyndham and I waited upon him. He had heard by some means or other
of my Swimming from Chelsey to Blackfryars, and of my teaching Wygate
and another young Man to swim in a few Hours. He had two Sons about
to set out on their Travels; he wish'd to have them first taught
Swimming; and propos'd to gratify me handsomely if I would teach
them.- They were not yet come to Town and my Stay was uncertain, so I
could not undertake it. But from this Incident I thought it likely,
that if I were to remain in England and open a Swimming School, I might
get a good deal of Money.- And it struck me so strongly, that had the
Overture been sooner made me, probably I should not so soon have
returned to America.- After Many Years, you & I had something of more
Importance to do with one of these Sons of Sir William Wyndham, become
Earl of Egremont, which I shall mention in its Place.-

  Thus I spent about 18 Months in London. Most Part of the Time, I
work'd hard at my Business, & spent but little upon my self except
in seeing Plays, & in Books.- My Friend Ralph had kept me poor.
He owed me about 27 Pounds; which I was now never likely to receive;
a great Sum out of my small Earnings. I lov'd him notwithstanding, for
he had many amiable Qualities.- tho' I had by no means improv'd my
Fortune.- But I had pick'd up some very ingenious Acquaintance whose
Conversation was of great Advantage to me, and I had read considerably.

  We sail'd from Gravesend on the 23d of July 1726.- For The Incidents
of the Voyage, I refer you to my Journal, where you will find them all
minutely related. Perhaps the most important Part of that Journal is
the Plan to be found in it which I formed at Sea, for regulating my
future Conduct in Life. It is the more remarkable, as being form'd
when I was so young, and yet being pretty faithfully adhered to quite
thro' to old Age.- We landed in Philadelphia the 11th of October, where
I found sundry Alterations. Keith was no longer Governor, being
superceded by Major Gordon: I met him walking the Streets as a common
Citizen. He seem'd a little asham'd at seeing me, but pass'd without
saying any thing. I should have been as much asham'd at seeing Miss
Read, had not her Friends, despairing with Reason of my Return, after
the Receipt of my Letter, persuaded her to marry another, one Rogers, a
Potter, which was done in my Absence. With him however she was never
happy, and soon parted from him, refusing to cohabit with him, or bear
his Name It being now said that he had another Wife. He was a worthless
Fellow tho' an excellent Workman which was the Temptation to her
Friends. He got into Debt, and ran away in 1727 or 28, went to the
West Indies, and died there. Keimer had got a better House, a Shop
well supply'd with Stationary, plenty of new Types, a number of Hands
tho' none good, and seem'd to have a great deal of Business.

  Mr Denham took a Store in Water Street, where we open'd our Goods.
I attended the Business diligently, studied Accounts, and grew in a
little Time expert at selling.- We lodg'd and boarded together, he
counsell'd me as a Father, having a sincere Regard for me: I respected
& lov'd him: and we might have gone on together very happily: But in
the Beginning of February, 1727, when I had just pass'd my 21st Year,
we both were taken ill. My Distemper was a Pleurisy, which very nearly
carried me off.- I suffered a good deal, gave up the Point in my own
mind, & was rather disappointed when I found my self recovering;
regretting in some degree that I must now sometime or other have all
that disagreable Work to do over again.- I forget what his Distemper
was. It held him a long time, and at length carried him off. He left me
a small Legacy in a nuncupative Will, as a Token of his Kindness for me,
and he left me once more to the wide World. For the Store was taken into
the Care of his Executors, and my Employment under him ended:- My 
Brother-in-law Homes, being now at Philadelphia, advis'd my Return to my 
Business. And Keimer tempted me with an Offer of large Wages by the Year 
to come & take the Management of his Printing-House that he might better 
attend his Stationer's Shop.- I had heard a bad Character of him in 
London, from his Wife & her Friends, & was not fond of having any more 
to do with him. I try'd for farther Employment as a Merchant's Clerk; 
but not readily meeting with any, I clos'd again with Keimer.-

  I found in his House these Hands; Hugh Meredith a Welsh-
Pensilvanian, 30 Years of Age, bred to Country Work: honest, sensible, 
had a great deal of solid Observation, was something of a Reader, but
given to drink:- Stephen Potts, a young Country Man of full Age, bred to 
the Same:- of uncommon natural Parts, & great Wit & Humour, but a little 
idle.- These he had agreed with at extream low Wages, per Week, to be 
rais'd a Shilling every 3 Months, as they would deserve by improving in 
their Business, & the Expectation of these high Wages to come on 
hereafter was what he had drawn them in with.- Meredith was to work at 
Press, Potts at Bookbinding, which he by Agreement, was to teach them, 
tho' he knew neither one nor tother. John a wild Irishman brought up to 
no Business, whose Service for 4 Years Keimer had purchas'd from the 
Captain of a Ship. He too was to be made a Pressman. George Webb, an 
Oxford Scholar, whose Time for 4 Years he had likewise bought, intending
him for a Compositor: of whom more presently. And David Harry, a Country
Boy, whom he had taken Apprentice. I soon perceiv'd that the Intention 
of engaging me at Wages so much higher than he had been us'd to give, 
was to have these raw cheap Hands form'd thro' me, and as soon as I had 
instructed them, then, they being all articled to him, he should be able 
to do without me.- I went on however, very chearfully; put his Printing 
House in Order, which had been in great Confusion, and brought his Hands 
by degrees to mind their Business and to do it better.

  It was an odd Thing to find an Oxford Scholar in the Situation of a 
bought Servant. He was not more than 18 Years of Age, & gave me this 
Account of himself; that he was born in Gloucester, educated at a 
Grammar School there, had been distinguish'd among the Scholars for some 
apparent Superiority in performing his Part when they exhibited Plays; 
belong'd to the Witty Club there, and had written some Pieces in Prose
& Verse which were printed in the Gloucester Newspapers.- Thence he was 
sent to Oxford; there he continu'd about a Year, but not well-satisfy'd, 
wishing of all things to see London & become a Player. At length 
receiving his Quarterly Allowance of 15 Guineas, instead of discharging 
his Debts, he walk'd out of Town, hid his Gown in a Furz Bush, and 
footed it to London, where having no Friend to advise him, he fell into 
bad Company, soon spent his Guineas, found no means of being introduc'd 
among the Players, grew necessitous, pawn'd his Cloaths & wanted Bread. 
Walking the Street very hungry, & not knowing what to do with himself, a 
Crimp's Bill was put into his Hand, offering immediate Entertainment & 
Encouragement to such as would bind themselves to serve in America. He 
went directly, sign'd the Indentures, was put into the Ship & came over; 
never writing a Line to acquaint his Friends what was become of him. He 
was lively, witty, good-natur'd and a pleasant Companion; but idle, 
thoughtless & imprudent to the last Degree.

  John the Irishman soon ran away. With the rest I began to live very 
agreably; for they all respected me, the more as they found Keimer 
incapable of instructing them, and that from me they learnt something 
daily. We never work'd on a Saturday, that being Keimer's Sabbath. So I 
had two Days for Reading. My Acquaintance with ingenious People in the 
Town, increased. Keimer himself treated me with great Civility & 
apparent Regard; and nothing now made me uneasy but my Debt to Vernon, 
which I was yet unable to pay being hitherto but a poor Oeconomist.- He 
however kindly made no Demand of it.

  Our Printing-House often wanted Sorts, and there was no Letter Founder 
in America. I had seen Types cast at James's in London, but without much 
Attention to the Manner: However I now contriv'd a Mould, made use of 
the Letters we had, as Puncheons, struck the Matrices in Lead, and thus 
supply'd in a pretty tolerable way all Deficiencies. I also engrav'd 
several Things on occasion. I made the Ink, I was Warehouse-man & every 
thing, in short quite a Factotum.-

  But however serviceable I might be, I found that my Services became 
every Day of less Importance, as the other Hands improv'd in the 
Business. And when Keimer paid my second Quarter's Wages, he let me know 
that he felt them too heavy, and thought I should make an Abatement. He 
grew by degrees less civil, put on more of the Master, frequently found 
Fault, was captious and seem'd ready for an Out-breaking. I went on 
nevertheless with a good deal of Patience, thinking that his incumber'd 
Circumstances were partly the Cause. At length a Trifle snapt our 
Connexion. For a great Noise happening near the Courthouse, I put my 
Head out of the Window to see what was the Matter. Keimer being in the 
Street look'd up & saw me, call'd out to me in a loud Voice and angry 
Tone to mind my Business, adding some reproachful Words, that nettled me 
the more for their Publicity, all the Neighbours who were looking out on 
the same Occasion being Witnesses how I was treated. He came up 
immediately into the Printing-House, continu'd the Quarrel, high Words 
pass'd on both Sides, he gave me the Quarter's Warning we had 
stipulated, expressing a Wish that he had not been oblig'd to so long a 
Warning: I told him his Wish was unnecessary for I would leave him that 
Instant; and so taking my Hat walk'd out of Doors; desiring Meredith 
whom I saw below to take care of some Things I left, & bring them to my 
Lodging.-

  Meredith came accordingly in the Evening, when we talk'd my Affair 
over. He had conceiv'd a great Regard for me, & was very unwilling that 
I should leave the House while