Life of Benjamin Franklin

CIN

as the misfortune

nd of excuse for verses have been ructed thus: lefence

etter judges than

to print a new
made its appear-
"New England
e was the "Bos-
ds, I remember,
ndertaking, as a
a single news-
nt for all Amer-
here are no less
project into exe-
uting the copies
din composing

of literary charshort essays for d increased the e to our house. and the accounts their writings my hand among e, I was fearful rint in his paper w me to be the ise my hand, ece, I placed g-house, where rother commuame as usual upon it within leasure to find I that in their ng the author, enjoy a high and genius. I y judges, and such excellent Be this as enture, I wrote my other pieces, g the secret till knowledge for

m.

N.

to avoid the cen-
arge him with
he name of his
old indentures
and entire dis-
to be produced
e to my brother
gn a new con-
the remainder
-arrangement.
ate execution,
, to make its
e. At length
other and me,
rty, presuming
new contract.
vail myself of
tion as one of
ttle capable of
d as my mind
I had receiv-
nt of me, my
temper, and
tinence not to
rmination to
employment
ouses in the
st me; who
he idea then
w York, the
inting-office.
ign of leav-
d myself an
It was
ty.
of the As-
remaining,
Ities, which
s from my-
igion, I be-
Orror, either
e to a reso-

ther, I pre-
y, measures
end Collins
for my pas-
O, to whom
quaintance,
cter, whose
her, and of

d that we had = not possible to -s produced by veered the caho stood upon

e same on our the waves so r each other. and we called

on them to id not under

mpracticable,
ing remained
of the wind;
ilot and I, to
nt below the
as drenched
and reached
ntly as com-

whole night;
ucceeded in
aving pass-
th no other
upon which
vent to bed
e read that
dy in such
a profuse
d the fever
in a ferry-
I had fifty
where I
ould con-
vhole day,
If fatigued
I passed
ginning to
besides so
Some run-
tions that
oment in
lay, how-
the even-
ton, that

e while I
had read

e interest
ed during

the remainder of his life. I believe him to have been what is called an itinerant doctor; for there was no town in England, or indeed in Europe, of which he could not give a particular account. He was neither deficient in understanding or literature, but he was a sad infidel; and some years after, wickedly undertook to travesty the Bible, in burlesque verse, as Cotton has travestied Virgil. He exhibited, by this means, many facts in a very ludicrous point of view, which would have given umbrage to weak minds, had his work been published, which it never was.

I spent the night at his house, and reached Burlington the next morning. On my arrival, I had the mortification to learn that the ordinary passage-boats had sailed a little before. This was on a Saturday, and there would be no other boat until the Tuesday following. I returned to the house of an old woman in the town who had sold me some gingerbread to eat on my passage, and asked her advice. She invited me to take up my abode with her till an opportunity offered for me to embark. Fatigued with having travelled so far on foot, I accepted her invitation. When she understood that I was a printer, she would have persuaded me to stay at Burlington, and set up my trade; but she was little aware of the capital that would be necessary for such a purpose! I was treated while at her house with true hospitality. She gave me, with the utmost good will, a dinner of beefsteaks, and would accept of nothing in return but a pint of ale.

Here I imagined myself to be fixed till the Tuesday in the ensuing week; but, walking out in the evening by the river side, I saw a boat with a number of persons in it approach. It was going to Philadelphia, and the company took me in. As there was no wind, we could only make way with our oars. About midnight, not perceiving the town, some of the company were of opinion that we must have passed it, and were unwilling to row any farther; the rest not knowing where we were, it was resolved that we should stop. We drew towards the shore, entered a creek, and landed near some old palisades, which served us for firewood, it being a cold night in October. Here we staid till day, when one of the company found the place in which we were to be Cooper's Creek, a little above Philadelphia; which, in reality, we perceived the moment we were out of the creek. We arrived on Sunday about eight or nine o'clock in the morning, and landed on Market Street wharf.

I have entered into the particulars of my voyage and shall, in like manner, describe my first entrancs

Books