had not fallen in my way, since it was now resolved1 I should not be a clergyman.2 Plutarch's Lives3 there was in which I read abundantly, and I still think that time spent to great advantage. There was also a book of De Foe's, called an Essay on Projects, and another of Dr. Mather's, called 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 determined my father to make me a printer, though he had already one son (James) of that profession. In 1717 my brother James returned from England with a press and letters,7 to set up his business in Boston. I liked 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 1 resolved. Give a synonym. 2 clergyman. Franklin in his Autobiography says, "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." 8 Plutarch: a Greek who flourished in the latter half of the first century, A.D., renowned as the author of the "parallel lives" of forty-six Greeks and Romans. 4 abundantly. See Webster. 5 De Foe: author of Robinson Crusoe. 6 Dr. Mather: i.e., Rev. Cotton Mather (born in Boston 1665, died 1728), a famous theological writer. In a letter written by Franklin from Paris in 1784 to Samuel Mather, son of Cotton Mather, Franklin says, "The Essays to Do Good gave me such a turn of thinking as to have an influence on my conduct through life; and if I have been, as you seem to think, a useful citizen, the public owes the advantage of it to that book." 7 letters: i.e., type. 8 that of my father. Franklin's father was a tallow-chandler and soap-boiler; i.e., he made candles and soap. 9 prevent. See Glossary. me bound to my brother.1 I stood out some time, but at last was persuaded, and signed the indentures when I was yet but twelve years old. I was to serve as an apprentice till I was twenty-one years of age, only I was to be allowed 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 and clean. Often I sat up in my room reading the greatest part of the night, when the book was borrowed in the evening and to be returned early in the morning, lest it should be missed or wanted. And after some time an ingenious 2 tradesman, Mr. Matthew Adams, who had a pretty collection of books, and who frequented our printing-house, took notice of me, invited me to his library, and 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, encouraged me, and put me on composing 5 occasional ballads. One was called "The Light-house Tragedy," and contained an account of the drowning of Captain Worthilake, with his two daughters; the other was a sailor's song, on the taking of "Teach" (or Blackbeard), the pirate. 4 1 bound to my brother: i.e., apprenticed; the contract by which a lad thus apprenticed himself for a term of years was called his indentures. 2 ingenious, having some culture. 3 pretty, considerable. 5 composing. See Webster. They were wretched stuff, in the Grub-street ballad style; and when they were printed he sent me about the town to sell them. The first sold wonderfully, the event,2 being recent, having made a great noise. This flattered my vanity; but my father discouraged me by ridiculing my performances, and telling me versemakers were generally beggars. So I escaped being a poet, most probably a very bad one; but as prose-writing has been of 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 acquired what little ability I have in that way. . . About this time I met with an odd volume of the Spectator. It was the third. I had never before seen any of them. I bought it, read it over and over, and was much delighted with it. I thought the writing excellent, and wished, if possible, to imitate it. With this view I took some of the papers, and, making short hints of the sentiment in each sentence, laid them by a few days; and then, without looking at the book, tried to complete the papers again by expressing each hinted sentiment at length, and as fully as it had been expressed before, in any suitable words 1 Grub-street... style. Grub in the eighteenth century (1711), Street in London was in the eighteenth century much inhabited by hack writers. "Whence," says Dr. Johnson, "any mean production is called Grub-street" style. and containing literary criticism, sketches of character, and light social chit-chat. It was in this paper that Addison, the principal contributor, first displayed the charms of his graceful humor and agreeable style. 4 sentiment. Give a synonym. that should come to hand.1 Then I compared my Spectator with the original, discovered some of my faults, and corrected them. But I found I wanted2 a stock of words, or a readiness in recollecting3 and using them, which I thought I should have acquired before that time if I had gone on making verses; since the continual occasion for words of the same import,5 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, and make me master of it. Therefore I took some of the tales and turned them into verse, and after a time, when I had pretty well forgotten the prose, turned them back again. I also sometimes jumbled my collections of hints into confusion, and after some weeks endeavored to reduce them into the best order, before I began to form the full sentences and complete the paper. This was to teach me method in the arrangement of thoughts. By comparing my work afterwards with the original, I discovered many faults, and amended them; but I sometimes had the pleasure of fancying that, in certain particulars of small import,7 I had been lucky enough to improve the method or the 1 with this view... to hand. | the poem turns from one point to What type of sentence gram- another. matically? Period or loose sentence? 2 wanted, lacked. 3 recollecting. See Glossary. 4 verse, a line: from vertere, versum, to turn, because at its close 5 import, meaning. 6 reduce. See Glossary. Give a synonym. 7 import, importance. Compare with Note 5; and see meaning in the Glossary. language; and this encouraged1 me to think I might possibly in time come to be a tolerable English writer, of which I was extremely ambitious. My time for these exercises and for reading was at night, after work, or before it began in the morning; or on Sundays, when I contrived to be in the printinghouse alone, evading as much as I could the common attendance on public worship which my father used to exact 2 of me when I was under his care, and which, indeed, I still thought a duty, though I could not, as it seemed to me, afford time to practice it. 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 Socratic3 method; and, soon after, I procured Xenophon's "Memorable Things of Socrates," wherein there are many instances of the same method. I was charmed with it, adopted it, dropped my abrupt 5 contradiction and positive argumentation, and put on the humble inquirer and doubter. I found this method safest for myself, and very embarrassing to those against whom I used it therefore I took a delight in it, practiced it 1 encourage: from French cœur, | phizing. The Socra.ic method of heart; Latin cor, cordis; and hence, reasoning and instruction was by literally, to put in heart, to hearten; a series of questions leading to the opposite of dishearten. desired result." WEBSTER. 2 exact. See Glossary. 2 Socratic: " pertaining to Socrates, the Grecian sage, or to his manner of teaching and philoso 4 Xenophon: a pupil of Socrates, born about 444 B.C. 5 abrupt. See Glossary. 6 put on, assumed (the air of). |