A U T O B I O G R A P H Y      OF     B E N J A M I N     F R A N K L I N

With Illustrations By E. Boyd Smith

CONTENTS

Introduction

vii

The Autobiography

1

I.

Ancestry and Early Life in Boston

3

II.

Beginning Life as a Printer

21

III.

Arrival in Philadelphia

41

IV.

First Visit to Boston

55

V.

Early Friends in Philadelphia

69

VI.

First Visit to London

77

VII.

Beginning Business in Philadelphia

99

VIII.

Business Success and First Public Service

126

IX.

Plan for Attaining Moral Perfection

146

X.

Poor Richard's Almanac and Other Activities

169

XI.

Interest in Public Affairs

188

XII.

Defense of the Province

201

XIII.

Public Services and Duties

217

XIV.

Albany Plan of Union

241

XV.

Quarrels with the Proprietary Governors

246

XVI.

Braddock's Expedition

253

XVII.

Franklin's Defense of the Frontier

274

XVIII.

Scientific Experiments

289

XIX.

Agent of Pennsylvania in London

296

Appendix

Electrical Kite

327

The Way to Wealth

331

The Whistle

336

A Letter to Samuel Mather

340

Bibliography

343

ILLUSTRATIONS

Franklin at the Court of Louis XVI

Frontispiece


 

Page

Portrait of Franklin

vii

Pages 1 and 4 of The Pennsylvania Gazette, Number XL, the first number after Franklin took control

xxi

First page of The New England Courant of December 4-11, 1721

33

"I was employed to carry the papers thro' the streets to the customers"

36

"She, standing at the door, saw me, and thought I made, as I certainly did, a most awkward, ridiculous appearance"

48

"I took to working at press"

88

"I see him still at work when I go home from club"

120

Two pages from Poor Richard's Almanac for 1736

171

"I regularly took my turn of duty there as a common soldier"

204

"In the evening, hearing a great noise among them, the commissioners walk'd out to see what was the matter"

224

"Our axes ... were immediately set to work to cut down trees"

278

"We now appeared very wide, and so far from each other in our opinions as to discourage all hope of agreement"

318

"You will find it stream out plentifully from the key on the approach of your knuckle"

328

Father Abraham in his study

330






BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Representative Selections, With Introduction, Bibliography, And Notes

By Frank Luther Mott

CONTENTS

I. Franklin's Milieu: The Age of Enlightenment, xiii
II. Franklin's Theories of Education, xxxii
III. Franklin's Literary Theory and Practice, xlvi
IV. Franklin as Printer and Journalist, lvii
V. Franklin's Economic Views, lxiv
VI. Franklin's Political Theories, lxxxii
VII. Franklin as Scientist and Deist, cx
Chronological Table, cxlii
Selected Bibliography
I. Works, cli
II. Collections and Reprints, cliii
III. Biographies, clv
IV. Biographical and Critical Studies, clviii
V. The Age of Franklin, clxxiv
VI. Bibliographies and Check Lists, clxxxvi
From the Autobiography, 3
Dogood Papers, No. I (1722), 96
Dogood Papers, No. IV (1722), 98
Dogood Papers, No. V (1722), 102
Dogood Papers, No. VII (1722), 105
Dogood Papers, No. XII (1722), 109
Editorial Preface to the New England Courant (1723), 111
A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain (1725), 114
Rules for a Club Established for Mutual Improvement (1728), 128
Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion (1728), 130
The Busy-Body, No. 1 (1728/9), 137
The Busy-Body, No. 2 (1728/9), 139
The Busy-Body, No. 3 (1728/9), 141
The Busy-Body, No. 4 (1728/9), 145
Preface to the Pennsylvania Gazette (1729), 150
A Dialogue between Philocles and Horatio (1730), 152
A Second Dialogue between Philocles and Horatio (1730), 156
A Witch Trial at Mount Holly (1730), 161
An Apology for Printers (1731), 163
Preface to Poor Richard (1733), 169
A Meditation on a Quart Mugg (1733), 170
Preface to Poor Richard (1734), 172
Preface to Poor Richard (1735), 174
Hints for Those That Would Be Rich (1736), 176
To Josiah Franklin (April 13, 1738), 177
Preface to Poor Richard (1739), 179
A Proposal for Promoting Useful Knowledge among the British Plantations in America (1743), 180
Shavers and Trimmers (1743), 183
To the Publick (1743), 186
Preface to Logan's Translation of "Cato Major" (1743/4), 187
To John Franklin, at Boston (March 10, 1745), 188
Preface to Poor Richard (1746), 189
The Speech of Polly Baker (1747), 190
Preface to Poor Richard (1747), 193
To Peter Collinson (August 14, 1747), 194
Preface to Poor Richard Improved (1748), 195
Advice to a Young Tradesman (1748), 196
To George Whitefield (July 6, 1749), 198
Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania (1749), 199
Idea of the English School (1751), 206
To Cadwallader Colden Esq., at New York (1751), 213
Exporting of Felons to the Colonies (1751), 214
Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind, Peopling of Countries, Etc. (1751), 216
To Peter Collinson (October 19, 1752), 223
Poor Richard Improved (1753)—facsimile reproduction, 225
To Joseph Huey (June 6, 1753), 261
Three Letters to Governor Shirley (1754), 263
To Miss Catherine Ray, at Block Island (March 4, 1755), 270
To Peter Collinson (August 25, 1755), 272
To Miss Catherine Ray (September 11, 1755), 274
To Miss Catherine Ray (October 16, 1755), 277
To Mrs. Jane Mecom (February 12, 1756), 278
To Miss E. Hubbard (February 23, 1756), 278
To Rev. George Whitefield (July 2, 1756), 279
The Way to Wealth (1758), 280
To Hugh Roberts (September 16, 1758), 289
To Mrs. Jane Mecom (September 16, 1758), 291
To Lord Kames (May 3, 1760), 293
To Miss Mary Stevenson (June 11, 1760), 295
To Mrs. Deborah Franklin (June 27, 1760), 298
To Jared Ingersoll (December 11, 1762), 300
To Miss Mary Stevenson (March 25, 1763), 301
To John Fothergill, M.D. (March 14, 1764), 304
To Sarah Franklin (November 8, 1764), 307
From A Narrative of the Late Massacres in Lancaster County (1764), 308
To the Editor of a Newspaper (May 20, 1765), 315
To Lord Kames (June 2, 1765), 318
Letter Concerning the Gratitude of America (January 6, 1766), 321
To Lord Kames (April 11, 1767), 325
To Miss Mary Stevenson (September 14, 1767), 330
On the Labouring Poor (1768), 336
To Dupont de Nemours (July 28, 1768), 340
To John Alleyne (August 9, 1768), 341
To the Printer of the London Chronicle (August 18, 1768), 343
Positions to be Examined, Concerning National Wealth (1769), 345
To Miss Mary Stevenson (September 2, 1769), 347
To Joseph Priestley (September 19, 1772), 348
To Miss Georgiana Shipley (September 26, 1772), 349
To Peter Franklin (undated), 351
On the Price of Corn, and Management of the Poor (undated), 355
An Edict by the King of Prussia (1773), 358
Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One (1773), 363
To William Franklin (October 6, 1773), 371
Preface to "An Abridgment of the Book of Common Prayer" (1773), 374
A Parable against Persecution, 379
A Parable on Brotherly Love, 380
To William Strahan (July 5, 1775), 381
To Joseph Priestley (July 7, 1775), 382
To a Friend in England (October 3, 1775), 383
To Lord Howe (July 30, 1776), 384
The Sale of the Hessians (1777), 387
Model of a Letter of Recommendation (April 2, 1777), 389
To —— (October 4, 1777), 390
To David Hartley (October 14, 1777), 390
A Dialogue between Britain, France, Spain, Holland, Saxony and America, 394
To Charles de Weissenstein (July 1, 1778), 397
The Ephemera (1778), 402
To Richard Bache (June 2, 1779), 404
Morals of Chess (1779), 406
To Benjamin Vaughan (November 9, 1779), 410
The Whistle (1779), 412
The Lord's Prayer (1779?), 414
The Levée (1779?), 417
Proposed New Version of the Bible (1779?), 419
To Joseph Priestley (February 8, 1780), 420
To George Washington (March 5, 1780), 421
To Miss Georgiana Shipley (October 8, 1780), 422
To Richard Price (October 9, 1780), 423
Dialogue between Franklin and the Gout (1780), 424
The Handsome and Deformed Leg (1780?), 430
To Miss Georgiana Shipley (undated), 432
To David Hartley (December 15, 1781), 434
Supplement to the Boston Independent Chronicle (1782), 434
To John Thornton (May 8, 1782), 443
To Joseph Priestley (June 7, 1782), 443
To Jonathan Shipley (June 10, 1782), 445
To James Hutton (July 7, 1782), 447
To Sir Joseph Banks (September 9, 1782), 448
Information to Those Who Would Remove to America (1782?), 449
Apologue (1783?), 458
To Sir Joseph Banks (July 27, 1783), 459
To Mrs. Sarah Bache (January 26, 1784), 460
An Economical Project (1784?), 466
To Samuel Mather (May 12, 1784), 471
To Benjamin Vaughan (July 26, 1784), 472
To George Whately (May 23, 1785), 479
To John Bard and Mrs. Bard (November 14, 1785), 481
To Jonathan Shipley (February 24, 1786), 481
To —— (July 3, 1786?), 484
Speech in the Convention; On the Subject of Salaries (1787), 486
Motion for Prayers in the Convention (1787), 489
Speech in the Convention at the Conclusion of Its Deliberations (1787), 491
To the Editors of the Pennsylvania Gazette (1788), 493
To Rev. John Lathrop (May 31, 1788), 496
To the Editor of the Federal Gazette (1788?), 496
To Charles Carroll (May 25, 1789), 500
An Account of the Supremest Court of Judicature in Pennsylvania, viz. the Court of the Press (1789), 501
An Address to the Public (1789), 505
To David Hartley (December 4, 1789), 506
To Ezra Stiles (March 9, 1790), 507
On the Slave-Trade (1790), 510
Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America, 513
An Arabian Tale, 519
A Petition of the Left Hand (date unknown), 520
Some Good Whig Principles (date unknown), 521
The Art of Procuring Pleasant Dreams, 523
Notes, 529