Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

on a freehold of about thirty acres, for at least three hundred years, and how much longer could not be ascertained.*

Thomas, my eldest uncle, was bred a smith under his father, but being ingenious, and encouraged in learning (as all my brothers This small estate would not have sufficed were) by an esquire Palmer, then the princifor their maintenance without the business of pal inhabitant of that parish, he qualified hima smith, which had continued in the family self for the bar, and became a considerable down to my uncle's time, the eldest son being man in the county; was chief mover of all always brought up to that employment; a public-spirited enterprizes for the county or custom which he and my father followed with town of Northampton, as well as of his own regard to their eldest sons. When I searched village, of which many instances were relatthe registers at Ecton, I found an account of ed of him: and he was much taken notice of, their marriages and burials from the year and patronized by lord Halifax. He died in 1555 only, as the registers kept did not com-1702, the 6th of January; four years to a day mence previous thereto. I however learnt before I was born. The recital which some from it, that I was the youngest son of the elderly persons made to us of his character, I youngest son for five generations back. My remember, struck you as something extraorgrandfather Thomas, who was born 1598, liv-dinary, from its similarity with what you ed at Ecton, till he was too old to continue knew of me. "Had he died," said you, "four his business, when he retired to Banbury in Oxfordshire, to the house of his son John, with whom my father served an apprenticeship. There my uncle died and lies buried. We saw his grave stone in 1758. His eldest son Thomas lived in the house at Ecton, and left it with the land to his only daughter, who with her husband, one Fisher of Wellingborough, sold it to Mr. Isted, now lord of the manor there. My grandfather had four sons, who grew up: viz. Thomas, John, Benjamin, and Josiah. Being at a distance from my papers, I will give you what account I can of them from memory: and if my papers are not lost in my absence, you will find among them many more particulars.†

* Perhaps from the time, when the name of FRANK LIN, which before was the name of an order of people, was assumed by them for a surname, when others took Eurnames all over the kingdom.

As a proof that FRANKLIN was anciently the common name of an order or rank in England, see Judge For tescue, De laudibus Legum Anglia, written about the year 1412, in which is the following passage, to show that good juries might easily be formed in any part of England.

gives a lively account. Some think we are of a French free line; a line free from that vassalage which was extract, which was formerly called Franks; some of a common to subjects in days of old; some from a bird of long red legs. Your uncle Benjamin made inquiry of one skilled in heraldry, who told him there is two coats of armour, one belonging to the Franklins of the north, and one to the Franklins of the west. However, been worth while to concern ourselves much about our circumstances have been such as that it hath hardly these things, any further than to tickle the fancy a

little.

The first that I can give account of, is my great grand

father, as it was a custom in those days among young men too many times to goe to seek their fortune, and in his travels he went upon liking to a taylor; but he kept such a stingy house, that he left him and travelled farther, and came to a smith's house, and coming on a fasting day, being in popish times, he did not like there the first day; the next morning the servant was called up at five in the morning, but after a little time came a good toast and good beer, and he found good housekeeping there; he served and learned the trade of

a smith.

In queen Mary's days, either his wife, or my grandmother, by father's side, informed my father that they kept their bible fastened under the top of a joint-stool that they might turn up the book and read in the bible, that when any body came to the dore they turned up the stool for fear of the aparitor, for if it was discovered, they would be in hazard of their lives. My grand

father was a smith also, and settled at Eton in North

Regio etiam illa, ita respersa refertaque est posses-amptonshire, and he was imprisoned a year and a day soribus terrarum et agrorum, quod in ea, villula tam parva reperiri non poterit, in qua non est miles, armiger, vel pater-familias, qualis ibidem Frankleri vulga riter nuncupatur, magnis ditatus possessionibus, nec non libere tenentes et alii valccti plurimi, suis patrimoniis sufficientes ad faciendum juratam, in forma præ.

notata.

"Moreover, the same country is so filled and repre. nished with landed menne, that therein so small a thorpe cannot be found wherein dweleth not a knight, an es quire, or such a householder, as is there commonly called a Franklin, enriched with great possessions; and also other freeholders and many yeomen able for their livelihoodes to make a jury in form aforementioned." (Old Translation.)

Chaucer too calls his country gentleman, a Franklin; and after describing his good housekeeping, thus characterises him:

This worthy Franklin bore a purse of silk,
Fix'd to his girdle, white as morning milk.
Knight of the Shire, first Justice at th' Assize,
To help the poor, the doubtful to advise.
In all employments, generous, just, he proved;
Renown'd for courtesy, by all beloved.

↑ Copy of an original letter, found among Dr. Franklin's
papers, from Josiah to B. Franklin.
LOVING SON,-As to the original of our name there is
various opinions; some say that it came from a sort
of title of which a book, that you bought when here,

on suspicion of his being the author of some poetry that
touched the character of some great man. He had only
Henry, my father's name was Thomas, my mother's
one son and one daughter; my grandfather's name was
Northamptonshire, on the 18th of October, 1598; married
name was Jane. My father was born at Ecton or Eton,
to Miss Jane White, niece to Coll White, of Banbury, and
died in the 24th year of his age. There was nine chil.
dren of us who were happy in our parents, who took
great care by their instructions and pious example to
but one child, which was married to one Mr. Fisher, at
breed us up in a religious way. My eldest brother had
Wallingborough, in Northamptonshire. The town was
lately burnt down, and whether she was a sufferer or
not I cannot tell, or whether she be living or not. Her
father dyed worth fifteen hundred pounds, but what her
circumstances are now I know not. She hath no child.
If you by the freedom of your office, makes it more like-
ly to convey a letter to her, it would be acceptable to
There is also children of brother John and sister
Morris, but I hear nothing from them, and they write
not to me, so that I know not where to find them. I
have been again to about seeing.
.... but have

me.

mist of being informed. We received yours, and are
glad to hear poor Jammy is recovered so well. Son
John received the letter, but is so busy just now that
he cannot write you an answer, but will do the best he
can. Now with hearty love to, and prayer for you all
I rest your affectionate father. Boston, May 26, 1739.
JOSIAH FRANKLIN.

years later, on the same day, one might have supposed a transmigration." John, my next uncle, was bred a dyer, I believe of wool. Benjamin was bred a silk dyer, serving an apprenticeship in London. He was an ingenious man. I remember, when I was a boy, he came to my father's in Boston, and resided in the house with us for several years. There was always a particular affection between my father and him, and I was his godson. He lived to a great age. He left behind him two quarto volumes of manuscript, of his own poetry, consisting of fugitive pieces addressed to his friends. He had invented a short hand of his own, which he taught me, but not having practised it, I have now forgotten it. He was very pious, and an assiduous attendant at the sermons of the best preachers, which he reduced to writing according to his method, and had thus collected several volumes of them. He was also a good deal of a politician; too much so, perhaps, for his station. There fell lately into my hands in London, a collection | he made of all the principal political pamphlets relating to public affairs, from the year 1641 to 1717; many of the volumes are wanting, as appears by their numbering, but there still remain eight volumes in folio, and twenty in quarto and in octavo. A dealer in old books had met with them, and knowing me by name, having bought books of him, he brought them to me. It would appear that my uncle must have left them here, when he went to America, which was about fifty years ago. I found several of his notes in the margins. His grandson, Samuel Franklin, is still living in Bos

ton.

Our humble family early embraced the reformed religion. Our forefathers continued Protestants through the reign of Mary, when they were sometimes in danger of persecution, on account of their zeal against popery. They had an English bible, and to conceal it, and place it in safety, it was fastened open with tapes under and within the cover of a joint stool. When my great grandfather wished to read it to his family, he placed the joint stool on his knees, and then turned over the leaves under the tapes. One of the children stood at the door to give notice if he saw the apparitor coming, who was an officer of the spiritual court. In that case the stool was turned down again upon its feet, when the bible remained concealed under it as before. This anecdote I had from uncle Benjamin. The family continued all of the church of England, till about the end of Charles II. reign, when some of the ministers that had been outed for their nonconformity, holding conventicles in Northamptonshire, my uncle Benjamin and my father Josiah adhered to them, and so continued all their lives: the rest of the family remained with the episcopal church.

My father married young, and carried his wife with three children to New England, about 1682. The conventicles being at that time forbidden by law, and frequently disturbed in their meetings, some considerable men of his acquaintance determined to go to that country, and he was prevailed with to accompany them thither, where they expected to enjoy the exercise of their religion with freedom. By the same wife my father had four children more born there, and by a second wife ten others-in all seventeen; of which I remember to have seen thirteen sitting to gether at his table, who all grew up to years of maturity, and were married; I was the youngest son and the youngest of all except two daughters. I was born in Boston in New England. My mother, the second wife of my father, was Abiah Folger, daughter of Peter Folger, one of the first settlers of New England; of whom honourable mention is made by Cotton Mather, in his ecclesiastical history of that country, entitled Magnalia Christi Americana, as "a goodly and learned Englishman,” if I remember the words rightly. I was informed he wrote several small occasional works, but only one of them was printed, which I remember to have seen several years since. It was written in 1675. It was in familiar verse, according to the taste of the times and people; and addressed to the government there. It asserts the liberty of conscience, in behalf of the Anabaptists, the Quakers, and other sectarians, that had been persecuted. He attributes to this persecution the Indian wars, and other calamities that had befallen the country; regarding them as so many judgments of God, to punish so heinous an offence, so contrary to charity. This piece appeared to me as written with manly freedom and a pleasing simplicity. The six last lines I remember, but have forgotten the preceding ones of the stanza; the purpose of them was, that his censures proceeded from good will, and therefore he would be known to be the author.

"Because to be a libeller (said he)

I hate it with my heart;

From Sherburne* town, where now I dweil,
My name I do put here;
Without offence, your real friend,-
It is Peter Folgier.

My elder brothers were all put apprentices to different trades. I was put to the grammar school at eight years of age, my father intending to devote me as the tythe of his sons, to the service of the church. My early readiness in learning to read, (which must have been very early, and I do not remember when I could not read,) and the opinion of all my friends, that I should certainly make a good scholar, encouraged him in this purpose of

*Sherburne in the island of Nantucket.

his. My uncle Benjamin, too, approved of it, | after the authors of this transfer; we were and proposed to give me his short-hand vo- covered, complained of, and corrected by our lumes of sermons to set up with, if I would fathers; and though I demonstrated the utililearn short-hand. ty of our work, mine convinced me that, that which was not truly honest could not be truly useful.

I suppose you may like to know what kind of a man my father was. He had an excellent constitution, was of a middle stature, well set, and very strong: he could draw prettily, was a little skilled in music; his voice was sonorous and agreeable, so that when he played on his violin and sung withal, as he was accustomed to do after the business of the day was over, it was extremely agreeable to hear. He had some knowledge of mechanics, and on occasion was very handy with other tradesmen's tools; but his great excellence was his sound understanding and solid judgment in prudential matters, both in private and public affairs. It is true he was never employed in the latter, the numerous family he had to educate, and the strictness of his circumstances keeping him close to his trade: but I remember well his being frequently visited by leading men, who consulted him for his opinion in public affairs, and those of the church he belonged to, and who shewed great respect for his judgment and advice: he was also much consulted by private persons about their affairs, when any difficulty occurred; and fre

I continued however at the grammar school rather less than a year, though in that time I had risen gradually from the middle of the class of that year, to be at the head of the same class, and was removed into the next class, whence I was to be placed in the third at the end of the year. But my father, burthened with a numerous family, was unable, without inconvenience, to support the expense of a college education; considering, moreover, as he said to one of his friends in my presence, the little encouragement that line of life afforded to those educated for it, he gave up his first intentions, took me from the grammar school, and sent me to a school for writing and arithmetic, kept by a then famous man, Mr. George Brownwell. He was a skilful master and successful in his profession, employing the mildest and most encouraging methods. Under him I learnt to write a good hand pretty soon, but failed entirely in arithmetic. At ten years old, I was taken to help my father in his business of a tallow-chandler and soap boiler, a business to which he was not bred, but had assumed on his arrival in New England, because he found that his dying trade, being in little request, would not maintain his family. Accordingly, I was employed in cut-quently chosen an arbitrator between contendting the wick for the candles, filling the moulds for cast candles, attending the shop, going of errands, &c.

I disliked the trade, and had a strong inclination to go to sea, but my father declared against it; but residing near the water, I was much in it and on it. I learnt to swim well, and to manage boats; and when embarked with other boys, I was commonly allowed to govern, especially in any case of difficulty; and upon other occasions, I was generally the leader among the boys, and sometimes led them into scrapes, of which I will mention an instance, as it shows an early projecting public spirit, though not then justly conducted.

There was a salt marsh which bounded part of the mill-pond, on the edge of which at high water we used to stand to fish for minnows; by much trampling we had made it a mere quagmire. My proposal was to build a wharf there for us to stand upon, and I shewed my comrades a large heap of stones, which were intended for a new house near the marsh, and which would very well suit our purpose. Accordingly, in the evening when the workmen were gone home, I assembled a number of my playfellows, and we worked diligently like so many emmets, sometimes two or three to a stone, till we had brought them all to make our little wharf. The next morning the workmen were surprised, on missing the stones which formed our wharf; inquiry was made

ing parties. At his table he liked to have, as often as he could, some sensible friend or neighbour to converse with, and always took care to start some ingenious or useful topic for discourse, which might tend to improve the minds of his children. By this means he turned our attention to what was good, just, and prudent, in the conduct of life; and little or no notice was ever taken of what related to the victuals on the table, whether it was well or ill dressed, in or out of season, of good or bad flavour, preferable or inferior to this or that other thing of the kind, so that I was brought up in such a perfect inattention to those matters, as to be quite indifferent as to what kind of food was set before me. Indeed I am so unobservant of it, that to this day I can scarce tell a few hours after dinner of what dishes it consisted. This has been a great convenience to me in travelling, where my companions have been sometimes very unhappy for want of a suitable gratification of their more delicate because better instructed tastes and appetites.

My mother had likewise an excellent constitution: she suckled all her ten children. I never knew either my father or mother to have any sickness but that of which they died-he at 89 and she at 85 years of age. They lie buried together at Boston, where I some years since placed a marble over their grave, with this inscription:

JOSIAH FRANKLIN,
and

ABIAH, his wife,

lie here interred.

They lived lovingly together in wedlock

fifty-five years.

And without an estate, or any gainful employment,
By constant labour and honest industry,
maintained a large family comfortably,
and brought up thirteen children and seven grand-
children respectably.

From this instance, reader,

Be encouraged to diligence in thy calling
And distrust not Providence.

He was a pious and prudent man;
She a discreet and virtuous woman.
Their youngest son,

In filial regard to their memory,
Places this stone.

J. F. born 1655, died 1744, Ætas 89.
A. F. — 1667, -1752,

85.

By my rambling digressions, I perceive myself to be grown old. I used to write more methodically. But one does not dress for private company as for a public ball. Perhaps it is only negligence.

regretted, that at a time when I had such a thirst for knowledge, more proper books had not fallen into my way, since it was resolved I should not be bred to divinity; there was among them Plutarch's lives, 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 an Essay 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.

sion.

This bookish inclination at length determined my father to make me a printer, though he had already one son (James) of that profesIn 1717 my brother James returned from England with a press and letters to set up his business in Boston. I liked it much better than that of my father, but still had an hankering for the sea. To prevent the apprehended effect of such an inclination, my faTo return: I continued thus employed in ther was impatient to have me bound to my my father's business for two years, that is till brother. I stood out some time, but at last I was twelve years old; and my brother John, was persuaded, and signed the indentures who was bred to that business, having left my when I was yet but twelve years old. I was father, married and set up for himself at Rhode to serve as an apprentice till I was twenty-one Island, there was every appearance that I years of age, only I was to be allowed jourwas destined to supply his place, and become neyman's wages during the last year. In a a tallow-chandler. But my dislike to the trade little time I made a great progress in the busicontinuing, my father had apprehensions, that ness, and became a useful hand to my brother. if he did not put me to one more agreeable, I I now had access to better books. An acquaintshould break loose and go to sea, as my bro-ance with the apprentices of booksellers, enather Josiah had done to his great vexation. bled me sometimes to borrow a small one, In consequence he took me to walk with him, which I was careful to return soon and clean. and see joiners, bricklayers, turners, braziers, Often I sat up in my chamber the greatest &c., at their work, that he might observe my part of the night, when the book was borrow inclination, and endeavour to fix it on some ed in the evening to be returned in the morntrade or profession that would keep me on ing, lest it should be found missing. After land. It has ever since been a pleasure to me to some time a merchant, an ingenious, sensible see good workmen handle their tools; and it has man, Mr. Matthew Adams, who had a pretty been often useful to me to have learnt so much collection of books, frequented our printing by it as to be able to do some trifling jobs in office, took notice of me, and invited me to the house, when a workman was not at hand, see his library, and very kindly proposed to and to construct little machines for my expe- lend me such books as I chose to read. Inow riments, at the moment when the intention of took a strong inclination for poetry, and wrote making them was warm in my mind. My some little pieces; my brother supposing it father determined at last for the cutlers' trade, might turn to account, encouraged me, and and placed me for some days on trial with Sa- induced me to compose two occasional ballads. muel, son to my uncle Benjamin, who was bred One was called the Light-house tragedy, to that trade in London, and had just establish- and contained an account of the shipwreck of ed himself in Boston. But the sum he exacted captain Worthilake, with his two daughters: as a fee for my apprenticeship displeased my the other was a sailor's song, on the taking of father, and I was taken home again. From the famous Teach (or Blackbeard) the pirate. my infancy I was passionately fond of read- They were wretched stuff in street ballad ing, and all the money that came into my style; and when they were printed, my brohands was laid out in the purchasing of books. ther sent me about the town to sell them.I was very fond of voyages. My first acqui- The first sold prodigiously, the event being sition was Bunyan's works in separate little recent, and having made a great noise. This volumes. I afterwards sold them to enable success flattered my vanity, but my father disme to buy R. Burton's Historical Collec-couraged me, by criticising my performances, tions; they were small chapmen's books, and and telling me verse makers were generally cheap, 40 volumes in all. My father's little beggars. Thus I escaped being a poet, and library consisted chiefly of books in polemic probably a very bad one: but as prose writdivinity, most of which I read. I have often ing 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 accquired what little ability I may be supposed to have in that way.

There was another bookish lad in the town, John Collins by name, with whom I was intimately acquainted. We sometimes disputed, and very fond we were of argument, and very desirous of confuting one another, which disputatious turn, by the way, is apt to become a very bad habit, making people often extremely disagreeable in company, by the contradiction that is necessary to bring it into practice; and thence besides souring and spoiling the conversation, it is productive of disgusts and perhaps enmities with those who may have occasion for friendship. I had caught this by reading my father's books of disputes on religion. Persons of good sense, I have since observed, seldom fall into it, except lawyers, university men, and generally men of all sorts who have been bred at Edinburg. A question was once some how or other started, between Collins and me, on the propriety of educating the female sex in learning, and their abilities for study. He was of opinion that it was improper, and that they were naturally unequal to it. I took the contrary side, perhaps for dispute sake. He was naturally more eloquent, having a greater plenty of words; and sometimes, as I thought, I was vanquished more by his fluency than by the strength of his reasons. As we parted without settling the point, and were not to see one another again for some time, I sat down to put my arguments in writing, which I copied fair and sent to him. He answered, and I replied. Three or four letters on a side had passed, when my father happened to find my papers and read them. Without entering into the subject in dispute, he took occasion to talk to me about my manner of writing; observed that, though I had the advantage of my antagonist in correct spelling and pointing, (which he attributed to the printing house,) I fell far short in elegance of expression, in method, and perspicuity, of which he convinced me by several instances. I saw the justice of his remarks, and thence grew more attentive to my manner of writing, and determined to endeavour to improve my style.

About this time I met with an odd volume of the Spectator. 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 that view I took some of the papers, and making short hints of the sentiments 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 that should occur to me.

Then I compared my Spectator with an original, discovered some of my faults, and corrected them. But I found I wanted a stock of words, or a readiness in recollecting and using them, which I thought I should have acquired before that time, if I had gone on making verses; since the continual search for words of the same import, but of different lengths, to suit the measure, or of different sounds 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 in the Spectator, 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 collection of hints into confusion, and after some weeks endeavoured to reduce them into the best order, before I began to form the full sentences and complete the subject. This was to teach me method in the arrangement of the thoughts. By comparing my work with the original, I discovered many faults and corrected them; but I sometimes had the pleasure to fancy, that in particulars of small consequence I had been fortunate enough to improve the method or the language, and this encouraged me to think, that I might in time come to be a tolerable English writer, of which I was extremely ambitious. The time I allotted for writing exercises and for reading, was at night or before work began in the morning, or on Sunday, when I contrived to be in the printing house, avoiding as much as I could the constant attendance at public worship, which my father used to exact from me when I was under his care, and which I still continued to consider as a duty, though I could not afford time to practise it.

When about sixteen years of age, I happened to meet with another book, written by one Tryon, recommending a vegetable diet. I determined to go into it. My brother being yet unmarried, did not keep house, but boarded himself and his apprentices in another family. My refusing to eat flesh occasioned an inconvenience, and I was frequently chid for my singularity. I made myself acquainted with Tryon's manner of preparing some of his dishes, such as boiling potatoes or rice, making hasty pudding, and a few others, and then proposed to my brother, if he would give me weekly, half the money he paid for my board, I would board myself. He instantly agreed to it, and I presently found that I could save half what he paid me.

This was an additional fund for buying of books. But I had another advantage in it.— My brother and the rest going from the printing office to their meals, I remained there alone; and despatching presently my light repast, which was often no more than a biscuit,

« AnteriorContinuar »