my earliest

I was

have frequently experienced the ad- ever, had a very great aversion to it.
vantages of this habit; for I have Of the circumstances that led him
often seen my fellow travellers, to become a printer he gives the
whose tastes were more delicate, following account:
because they had been more exer-

From

years cised than mine, suffer much in cir- passionately fond of reading, and I cumstances where I really did not laid out in books all the little money feel that I wanted any thing. I was master of. I was particularly

My mother likewise possessed fond of the relations of voyages. an excellent conftitution. She had My first acquisition was Bunyan's suckled ten children, and I never collection in linall separate volumes. heard either her or my father com. This I afterwards sold in order to *2 plain of any other disease than that procure the publication of Burton, of which they died-my father at which consisted of forty or fifly In the age of 87, and my mother of little volumes. My father's smail mare 85. They are buried together at library consisted principally of Boston, where, a few years ago, I books of pra&ical or polemical placed a marble tablet over their theology. I read the greatest part grave with this inscription : of them. I have often fince regret-. " Here Lie

ted, that at a time when I had so Fofas Franklin and Abias his Wife. great a thirst for kuowledge, some da They lived together, with recipro- had not fallen into my hands, as II

more useful and instruđing books il mig calaffection, during fifty-nine years; and without any private fortune, There was also Plutarch's lives, in

was not to belong to the church. without any lucrative employment, which I read much, and I ftill constha by affiduous labour and honest in- sider the time fo employed as well. Adam duftry, with the blessing of Heaven, bestowed. Besides, I'found a work of they supported decently a numerovis family, and brought up thir- Projects," from whicb, perhaps

, Ieron

of De Foe, called " Au Essay on from teen children, and feven grand- might receive fomc impreffions that children. Reader, let this example have fivce influenced the principal es u.cn encourage you to discharge dili.

events of iny life.

Arcus gently the duties of your vocation, and to rely on the support of Divine laft determined my father to make a

lly inclination for books at tot Providence.

ine a printer, although he had al. sinki He was pious and prudent

ready a son in that profeflion. My in it, She was discreet and virtuous. The youngest of their sons fulfils from England in 1717

, with a prelse

brother James had just returned his duty in confecrating to their and types, in order to establish a com memory this stone."

printing-house at Boston. This The doctor informs his readers, business was much more agreeables that his father was originally a dyer, to me than that of my father, albut not finding sufficient employ- though I still retained a predilection ment in that line in Boston, he be- for the sea. To prevent the effects 4,0 came a soap and candle-maker, and which might result from this incli. in this line the doctor himself serv. nation, my father was eager to see ed leveral years; he always, how. me engaged with my brother .

the rea very

This I for a long time refused; at about the town to sell them. The Jaft, however, I suffered myself to first had a prodigious run, becaule be persuaded, and ligned articles of the event was recent, and bad apprenticeship to my brother, at made a great noise. twelve years of age. It was agreed My vanity was flattered by

that I thould serve as apprentice my success; but my father checked *till I was of age, and should receive my exultation by ridiculing my wages only during the last year. In productions, and telling me that

short time I made great pro- verlifiers were always poor. Thus gress in this business, and became I escaped the chance of being a para useful afliftant to my brother. poet-probably, indeed, a very bad I had now an opportunity of pro. one. But as the faculty of writing curing better books. The acquain- prose has been of great use to me to kance that I neceiiarily made with during the course of my life, and

the apprentices of some of the bas principally contributed to my po booksellers, enabled me frequently advancement, I fhall relate by

to borrow a volume, which I never what means, in the situation 1 then

failed to return punctually and was, I acquired what small degree es without injury. How often have I of power I may poffefs in that line. Ere te palled the far greater part of the There was in the town another bure night in reading in my bed-cham- young man of the name of J. Colfoto ber, that I might be able to return lins, a great lover of books also, 10 ore the book I had borrowed in the with whom I became intimately at morning, left it might be missed or connected. We had frequent dirMiley wanted.

putes with each other, we loved At length a merchant, a Mr. argument, and were never so happy jempire Matthew Adams, a man of genius, as when at it. I must observe by les, li- and possessed of a good library, who the bye, that this turn for contenend and frequented our printing-houfe, paid tion is extremely liable to degene

Some attention to me. He invited rate into a bad habit, which almeni me to see his library, and had the ways renders a person disagreeable exced tragoodness to lend me any books that to company, because it cannot be

I was desirous of reading. I then exercised without contradi&ion; o took a fancy for poetry, and com- and, independent of the eagerness per riposed several little pieces. My and noise to which it gives rise in and brother, thinking he might find his conversation, it produces dislikes, account in it, encouraged me, and and very often enmities, where ind is engaged me to compose two bal- there may be much more occasion

an argument relative to the educa- imitate it

. With this view I pitchs tion of women, Whether it was ed upon some of the papers- I made proper to teach them the sciences; thort fummaries of each sentenceand if they had a capacity for ac these I laid aside for some days; quiring them? He supported the then, without looking at the origi. negative, asserting that they were nal, I attempted to recompose the incapable of acquiring them. I paper, and to express each idea at time sustained the contrary opinion, length as it was in the original, merely, perhaps, for the sake of employing the most appropriate argument. He was naturally more words that occurred to my mind, de eloquent than I. Words flowed I then compared my Spe&tator with freely from his mouth, and some- the original. Some of my faules (2 0 times, at least in my own opinion, I perceived and corrected, but I found the was vanquished more by his volu- that I still wanted a stock of words, bility, than by the force of his ar- and a facility of employing them, guments. We separated without which I thought I should have pri the a having come to any agreement; and seffed, bad I continued my praćice as we were to be some time with- of making verses. The contant za is te out seeing each other, I put my need of words synonimous, but offesa adip reasons upon paper, and made a various lengths for the measure, of

, a tacha fair copy, which I sent to him, of different terminations for the wat bow He aniwered me; I replied ; and rhyme, would have obliged me toksinan there had been three or four letters search for a variety of terms, and icg to written by each, when my father would have fixed them in my pro chanced to light upon my papers head. With this view I feletedot: and i and read them. Without entering fome of the Spectators, and turned tozalari into any discullion concerning the them into verse, and after a certain i she mi object in dispute, he spoke to me time, when I had completely fure: fever of my manner of writing. He ob- gotten the original, I again endere e being served, that although I had the ad- voured to re-write them in profe. maly-P vantage of my antagonist in ortho. Sometimes I mingled all mye tien n graphy and punctuation, which I epitomes together; and after fometat if owed to the printing-house, I was weeks I tried to arrange them in tai eh much his inferior in elegance of their original order, before I ate by expreslion, in method, and in clear. tempted to finish the periods or o 1o th nels. Of this he convinced me by complete the discourse. This I did it and several examples. I felt the justice with a view to acquire a method of and of his remarks ; I became more at. arranging my ideas. I then come za tura tentive to my language, and resolv- pared my performance with the origins la ed to attempt to improve my style. ginal, and corrected such faults as

far. About this time there happen- could discover. But sometimes I stráne ed to fall into my hands a separate had the satisfaction to think, that in volume of the Spectator; I think a few particulars of little importance As dit the third. I had never seen the I was fortunate enough to improve that book. I bought it; read it again either the method or the languages, ard again, and was delighted with and this encouraged me to bopes it: the style I found excellent, and that perhaps in time I might be abiertas, was very delirous, if poflible, to to write decently in Englilh, which

my ambition.

ci in private.

was one of the great objects of till their return to study; and my

progress was rapid in proportion to The time which I dedicated to that clearness of ideas and facility these exercises, and to my reading, of conception which are the refult was the evening, after my day's of temperance in eating and drink

labour was finished, the morning, ing.
te before it began, or Sundays, when About this period, having oc-

I could escape attending divine casion one day to blush for my
service, and remain alone at the ignorance in arithmetic, which I
printing house. When at home had twice failed to acquire at

my father infifted on my pun&ual school, I took up Cocker's Arith7.2. attendance on public worihip, al- metic, and foon made mytelf master

though it then appeared to me I of the whole with the utmott Halo had not time to practise its duties ease.- About the same time alio

I made some small progress in geoAbout the age of fixteen I read metry, and I read Locke on the tiskt a work of Tryon, in which a vege- Human Understanding, and the erles. Ti table diet is recommended. I re Art of Thinking of M. M. du Port

folved to adopt it. My brother, Royal. es being a bachelor, did not keep Whilft I was thus employed in emrint: house, but boarded with his ap- labouring to improve my Ityle, I we on prentices in a neighbouring family. met with Greenwood's English rets My refusing to eat animal food was Grammar, at the end of which are fied frequently productive of incon- two etlays, on rhetoric and logic. this so wenience; and I was often scolded In the last I found an example of pettere for my fingularity. I made myself the Socratic mode of difputation. e, ad tiz matter of the mode in which Tryon Soon afterwards I procured Xeno

prepared leveral of his dishes; phon's Memorabilia of Socrates, in inalfuch as boiling potatoes or rice, which he gives several examples of rike Lic: making hafty-puddings and such the fame method. This I adopted I seg like. I then made an offer to my with enthusiasm, and renounced ober; zit e brother, that if he would allow me rude contradiction and direct and to 27 Weekly half the money which he positive argument, adopting the i orden

, epaid for my board, I would find more humble style of a Queris. h to myself

. To this he immediately The perufal of Shaftesbury and consented, and I soon found that Collins made me a Pyrrhonist; and o capite of this I couid save the half.' This as I was previoully to with respect

was a new fund for the purchase of to several of our religious do&rines,

books; but I also found other ad- I found that this Socratic method autode vantages in it. When my brother was the most favourable to my own

Es hand his workmen left the printing- cause, as well as the most embar. we: boufe to go to dinner, I remained, rating to those againtt whom i se and quickly dispatching my little employed it. In this exercile I prepaft

, which ofieu confifted merely took peculiar pleafire, practifed it bera of a biscuit

, a flice of bread with a incessantly, and became very adroit few raisins, or a bun from the in obtaining, even from people of e paftry cook's, with a glass of water, far superior knowledge, conceßious

1 bad all the remainder of the time of which they could not forcfee tha

consequences. Thus I embarrassed the knowledge of others, you es. them in difficulties from which press yourself as if you were firengly they could not extricate themselves, attached to your own opinions, and sometimes obtained victories modest and sensible men, who are neither due to my cause nor to my averse to contest, will probably arguments.

leave you to remain in peaceabic This method I continued to em possession of your errors. By fala ploy during several years; I left it lowing such a method you can off, however, by degrees, and re- rarely hope to please your hcarers, tained only the habit of exprefling to conciliate their good will, or to myself with modeft diffidence, and persuade such as you are defirous race when I advanced any proposition of bringing over to your views. Na that might be controverted, never Pope justly saysto make use of the words certainly, undoubtedly, or any other that might

“Men must be taught as if you give the appearance of being ob

caught them noi,

" And things unknown propos'da o, stinately attached to an opinion. I