"Courant" continued "boldly reflecting on His Majesty's Government and on the Administration of it in this Province, the Ministry, Churches and College; and it very often contains Paragraphs that tend to fill the Readers minds with vanity, to the Dishonor of God, and disservice of Good Men." Finally, a particular issue of the journal had so strong a "Tendency" to "Mock Religion and bring it into Contempt," and so "profanely abused" the Bible, and so "injuriously reflected on the Reverend and Faithful Ministers of the Gos

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; however, it was immediately executed, and the paper went on accordingly, under my name for several months.

United as the brothers might be in their fight with church and state, there was serious disagreement between them, and 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 weighed little with me, when under the impressions of resentment for the blows his passion too often urged him to bestow upon me, though he was otherwise not an illnatur'd man: perhaps I was too saucy and 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 and speaking to every master, who accordingly refus'd to give me work.

This inhibition brought the prentice, whose share at first had been "to carry the papers thro' the street to the customers," more to the fore. In the trial of James Franklin, Benjamin was "taken up and examin'd before the Council; but, tho' I did not give them any satisfaction, they content'd themselves with admonishing me, and dismissed me, considering me perhaps, as an apprentice who was bound to keep his master's secrets." Upon his brother's imprisonment, Franklin, though but sixteen, assumed the management of the paper, and when the order was issued that James Franklin should no longer print the "Courant"

There was a consultation held in our printinghouse among his friends, what he should do in this case. Some proposed 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

Failing to secure employment in Boston, Franklin became the runaway prentice so frequently advertised for at that time. Sneaking on board a sloop, "in three days I found myself 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." However, "At the workingman's house hunger looks in, but does not enter," and "having a trade, and supposing myself a pretty good workman, I offer'd my services to the printer in the place, old Mr. William Bradford." From him he obtained no direct aid, but he was told of

a possible place in Philadelphia, and at once set out for that city. Here he obtained a job from Samuel Keimer, one of the two printers of the place, and worked with him till a more ambitious opening offered.

By chance a letter of the lad was shown to the governor of Pennsylvania, Sir William Keith. From it he inferred that Franklin was "a young man of promising parts, and therefore should be encouraged," for the "printers at Philadelphia were wretched ones." He advised, therefore, that the newcomer should start in business on his own account, "making no doubt I should succeed," and hinted that "he would procure me the public business, and do me every other service in his power." Keith came to the printing-office to see the young journeyman, which made his master stare "like a pig poison'd," and took him off to a tavern, where "over the Madeira he propos'd my setting up my business," and was so eager to bring it to pass that he wrote a letter to Josiah Franklin, recommending him to advance his son the necessary money. The father, however, with more prudence, or possibly from lack of the means, disapproved of the scheme.

of 1724 reached London. It proved a sorry holiday time to him, for here it was that he first learned that he had been deceived with false promises and hopes, and that the governor's name would not have procured him the necessary credit to purchase the outfit, even had he fulfilled his word. It was a bitter disappointment to the lad, whom Poor Richard had not yet taught that "Experi

Sir William, despite this damper, still stuck to his suggestion, and offered to loan Franklin the needed funds. "Give me an inventory of the things necessary to be had from England," he told the young fellow, "and I will send for them." When made out it amounted to about one hundred pounds sterling, and, "at the governor's suggestion," it was decided that Franklin should go to London to make the purchase, because of the advantage of " my being on the spot. to chuse the types and see that everything was good of the kind."

Never dreaming of bad faith, Franklin got him aboard ship, and on Christmas eve

ence keeps a dear school, but fools will learn at no other."

Once again Franklin had proof of the value of a trade, for "I immediately got into work at Palmers, then a famous printinghouse in Bartholomew Close, and here I continu'd near a year," lodging meantime in "Little Britain at three shillings and sixpence a week." It was in this establishment that Franklin set up and printed for himself his "wicked tract," and however much he may have later thought it "an erratum," the pamphlet is typographically anything but that, and as a piece of bookmaking shows him already a most admirable "brother of the type."

Leaving Palmer's, in the hope of bettering himself, Franklin went to "Watts's, near Lincoln's Inn Fields, a still greater printing-house," and "here I continued all the rest of my stay in London." At first "I took to working at press, imagining I felt a want of bodily exercise I had been us'd to in America, where press work is mixed with composing."

Watts, after some weeks, desiring to have me in the composing-room, I left the pressmen; a new bien venu or sum for drink, being five shillings, was demanded of me by the compositors. 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, etc., etc., if I were ever so little out of

printing-house, that he might better attend to his stationer's shop," and Franklin "clos'd again" with him.

Franklin found in Keimer's employ a number of green hands whom "he had agreed with at extream low wages per week, to be rais'd a shilling every three months, as they would deserve by improving in their business; and the expectation of these high wages, to come on hereafter, was what he had drawn them in with."

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 cheerfully, 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.

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 contrived 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 warehouseman, and everything, and, 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 encumber'd circumstances were partly the cause. At length a trifle snapt our connections; for, a great noise happening near the court-house, I put my head out of the window to see what was the matter. Keimer, being in the street, look'd up and 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 neighbors 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 that his wish was unnecessary, for I would leave him that instant; and so, taking my hat, walk'd out of doors.

One of Keimer's workmen, Hugh Meredith, came to Franklin in the evening and suggested that when his " time was out" they

VOL. LVII.-103-104.

should form a partnership, his father to advance the money needed to obtain the press and types. "The proposal was agreeable, and I consented."

I gave an inventory to the father [Franklin continues], who carry'd it to a merchant; the things were sent for, the secret was to be kept till they should arrive, and in the mean time I was to get work, if I could, at the other printinghouse. But I found no vacancy there, and so remain'd idle a few days, when Keimer, on a prospect of being employ'd to print some paper money in New Jersey, which would require cuts and various types that I only could supply, and apprehending Bradford might engage me and get the jobb from him, sent me a very civil message, that old friends should not part for a few words, the effect of sudden passion, and wishing me to return. Meredith persuaded me to comply, as it would give more opportunity for his improvement under my daily instruction; so I return'd, and we went on more smoothly than for some time before. The New Jersey jobb was obtain'd, I contriv'd a copper-plate press for it, the first that had been seen in the country; I cut several ornaments and checks for the bills. We went together to Burlington, where I executed the whole to satisfaction; and he received so large a sum for the work as to be enabled thereby to keep his head much longer above water.

It was in the summer of 1728 that the firm of " B. Franklin and H. Meredith " set up their" New Printing-Office near the Market,' and

We had scarce opened our letters and put our press in order, before George House, an acquaintance of mine, brought a countryman to us, whom he had met in the street inquiring for a printer. All our cash was now expended in the variety of particulars we had been obliged to procure, and this countryman's five shillings, being our firstfruits, and coming so seasonably, gave me more pleasure than any crown I have since earned; and the gratitude I felt toward House has made me often more ready than perhaps I should otherwise have been to assist young beginners. Another friend helped them by procuring From the Quakers the printing forty sheets of their history, the rest being to be done by Keimer; and upon this we work'd exceedingly hard, for the price was low. It was a folio, pro patria size, in pica, with long primer notes. I compos'd of it a sheet a day, and Meredith worked it off at press; it was often eleven at night, and sometimes later, before I had finished my distribution for the next day's work, for the little jobbs sent in by our other friends now and then put us back. But so determin'd I was to continue doing a sheet a day of the folio, that one night, when, having impos'd my forms, I thought my day's work over, one of them by accident was broken, and two pages re