[90]This controversy evoked the following verse:"While you, great George, for safety hunt,And sharp conductors change for blunt,The Empire's out of joint.Franklin a wiser course pursues,And all your thunder fearless views,By keeping to thepoint."(Cited in Parton,op. cit., II, 217.)
[90]This controversy evoked the following verse:
"While you, great George, for safety hunt,And sharp conductors change for blunt,The Empire's out of joint.Franklin a wiser course pursues,And all your thunder fearless views,By keeping to thepoint."
"While you, great George, for safety hunt,And sharp conductors change for blunt,The Empire's out of joint.Franklin a wiser course pursues,And all your thunder fearless views,By keeping to thepoint."
(Cited in Parton,op. cit., II, 217.)
[91]Son of the philosopher, David Hartley. Hartley the younger (1732-1813) met Franklin about 1759. A Lord Rockingham man, he opposed the war with the colonies. He and Franklin drew up the Peace Treaty of 1783. SeeDictionary of National Biography, XXV, 68-9.
[91]Son of the philosopher, David Hartley. Hartley the younger (1732-1813) met Franklin about 1759. A Lord Rockingham man, he opposed the war with the colonies. He and Franklin drew up the Peace Treaty of 1783. SeeDictionary of National Biography, XXV, 68-9.
[92]A. H. Smyth thinks that this dialogue was "written soon after Franklin's arrival in France" (Writings, VII, 82 note).
[92]A. H. Smyth thinks that this dialogue was "written soon after Franklin's arrival in France" (Writings, VII, 82 note).
[93]A Charles de Weissenstein included in his letter from Brussels, June 16, 1778, a "Plan of Reconciliation," plans for a future American government: he wished to have a secret conference with Franklin (Writings, VII, 166; Smyth note).
[93]A Charles de Weissenstein included in his letter from Brussels, June 16, 1778, a "Plan of Reconciliation," plans for a future American government: he wished to have a secret conference with Franklin (Writings, VII, 166; Smyth note).
[94]Arcana imperii detecta: or, divers select cases in Government, London, 1701. [A trans. ofDisquisitiones politicaeby Mark Zuirius Boxhorn.] (A. H. Smyth note,Writings, VII, 169.)
[94]Arcana imperii detecta: or, divers select cases in Government, London, 1701. [A trans. ofDisquisitiones politicaeby Mark Zuirius Boxhorn.] (A. H. Smyth note,Writings, VII, 169.)
[95]Franklin writes to William Carmichael (Passy, June 17, 1780): "The Moulin Joli is a little island in the Seine about two leagues hence, part of the country-seat of another friend [Claude-Henri Watelet], where we visit every summer, and spend a day in the pleasing society of the ingenious, learned, and very polite persons who inhabit it. At the time when the letter was written, all conversations at Paris were filled with disputes about the music of Gluck and Picini, a German and Italian musician, who divided the town into violent parties. A friend of this lady [Madame Brillon] having obtained a copy of it, under a promise not to give another, did not observe that promise; so that many have been taken, and it is become as public as such a thing can well be, that is not printed; but I could not dream of its being heard of at Madrid! The thought was partly taken from a little piece of some unknown writer, which I met with fifty years since in a newspaper, and which the sight of the Ephemera brought to my recollection" (Writings, VIII, 100). A. H. Smyth observes that it is generally thought that the Ephemera is a reworking of an essay on "Human Vanity" which appeared in thePennsylvania Gazette, Dec. 4, 1735. Also see M. K. Jackson,op. cit; 75; and L. S. Livingston,Franklin and His Press at Passy(New York, 1914), 30. Compare Wm. Bartram's similar description of Ephemera in hisTravelsed. by M. Van Doren (An American Bookshelf), New York, 1928, 88-9. See H. H. Clark's Introduction toPoems of Freneau(New York, 1929), xlvii-lviii, for provocative discussion of the degree to which naturalism may motivate an obsession with transience, mutability, and death.
[95]Franklin writes to William Carmichael (Passy, June 17, 1780): "The Moulin Joli is a little island in the Seine about two leagues hence, part of the country-seat of another friend [Claude-Henri Watelet], where we visit every summer, and spend a day in the pleasing society of the ingenious, learned, and very polite persons who inhabit it. At the time when the letter was written, all conversations at Paris were filled with disputes about the music of Gluck and Picini, a German and Italian musician, who divided the town into violent parties. A friend of this lady [Madame Brillon] having obtained a copy of it, under a promise not to give another, did not observe that promise; so that many have been taken, and it is become as public as such a thing can well be, that is not printed; but I could not dream of its being heard of at Madrid! The thought was partly taken from a little piece of some unknown writer, which I met with fifty years since in a newspaper, and which the sight of the Ephemera brought to my recollection" (Writings, VIII, 100). A. H. Smyth observes that it is generally thought that the Ephemera is a reworking of an essay on "Human Vanity" which appeared in thePennsylvania Gazette, Dec. 4, 1735. Also see M. K. Jackson,op. cit; 75; and L. S. Livingston,Franklin and His Press at Passy(New York, 1914), 30. Compare Wm. Bartram's similar description of Ephemera in hisTravelsed. by M. Van Doren (An American Bookshelf), New York, 1928, 88-9. See H. H. Clark's Introduction toPoems of Freneau(New York, 1929), xlvii-lviii, for provocative discussion of the degree to which naturalism may motivate an obsession with transience, mutability, and death.
[96]On Oct. 22, 1779, Bache wrote to Franklin explaining that Lee and Izard objected to his employing William Temple Franklin, his grandson.
[96]On Oct. 22, 1779, Bache wrote to Franklin explaining that Lee and Izard objected to his employing William Temple Franklin, his grandson.
[97]Benjamin Franklin Bache (1769-1798), son of Richard Bache, Franklin's son-in-law. See B. Faÿ,The Two Franklins: Fathers of American Democracy(Boston, 1933). SeeThe Diary of B. F. B. Aug. 1, 1782, to Sept. 14, 1785. Trans. from the French by William Duane, 1865 (in W. S. Mason Collection). A charming self-portrait of a precocious lad who is grief-stricken when rain prevents him from going to the mountains to witness M. du Villard's experiments, who follows avidly the ascensions of "aërostatic globes," who takes M. Charles's course in natural philosophy. Franklin had Didot, the master type founder, come to Passy to teach Ben how "to cast printing types." On July 12, 1785, he records the patriarch's exodus from Passy: "A mournful silence reigned around him and was only interrupted by sobs."
[97]Benjamin Franklin Bache (1769-1798), son of Richard Bache, Franklin's son-in-law. See B. Faÿ,The Two Franklins: Fathers of American Democracy(Boston, 1933). SeeThe Diary of B. F. B. Aug. 1, 1782, to Sept. 14, 1785. Trans. from the French by William Duane, 1865 (in W. S. Mason Collection). A charming self-portrait of a precocious lad who is grief-stricken when rain prevents him from going to the mountains to witness M. du Villard's experiments, who follows avidly the ascensions of "aërostatic globes," who takes M. Charles's course in natural philosophy. Franklin had Didot, the master type founder, come to Passy to teach Ben how "to cast printing types." On July 12, 1785, he records the patriarch's exodus from Passy: "A mournful silence reigned around him and was only interrupted by sobs."
[98]Barbeu Dubourg (June 28, Paris) wrote to Franklin, "sending Franklin's manuscript on 'The Morals of Chess,' of which he has retained a copy; expects to have it printed shortly inle Journal de Paris; hopes to follow it with a few reflections of his own on the subject." (Calendar of the Papers of Benjamin Franklin in the Library of the American Philosophical Society, III, 102.) [XIV, 218.] Brackets in selection indicate Smyth's collation of incomplete MS copy and printed version.
[98]Barbeu Dubourg (June 28, Paris) wrote to Franklin, "sending Franklin's manuscript on 'The Morals of Chess,' of which he has retained a copy; expects to have it printed shortly inle Journal de Paris; hopes to follow it with a few reflections of his own on the subject." (Calendar of the Papers of Benjamin Franklin in the Library of the American Philosophical Society, III, 102.) [XIV, 218.] Brackets in selection indicate Smyth's collation of incomplete MS copy and printed version.
[99]The Parable against Persecution.
[99]The Parable against Persecution.
[100]ConsultBenjamin Franklin's Story of the Whistle, with an Introductory Noteby L. S. Livingston, andA Bibliography to 1820(Cambridge, Mass., 1922).
[100]ConsultBenjamin Franklin's Story of the Whistle, with an Introductory Noteby L. S. Livingston, andA Bibliography to 1820(Cambridge, Mass., 1922).
[101]Matthew Arnold inSweetness and Lightappraises Franklin as "a man the most considerable, ... whom America has yet produced." Missing the irony of Franklin's burlesque, however, Arnold exclaimed after reading theProposed Version: "After all, there is a stretch of humanity beyond Franklin's victorious good sense!"
[101]Matthew Arnold inSweetness and Lightappraises Franklin as "a man the most considerable, ... whom America has yet produced." Missing the irony of Franklin's burlesque, however, Arnold exclaimed after reading theProposed Version: "After all, there is a stretch of humanity beyond Franklin's victorious good sense!"
[102]Two days before, he wrote to Richard Price: "We make daily great Improvements inNatural, there is one I wish to see inMoralPhilosophy; the Discovery of a Plan, that would induce and oblige Nations to settle their Disputes without first Cutting one another's Throats" (Writings, VIII, 9). One remembers Franklin's classic utterance (in a letter to David Hartley, Passy, Feb. 2, 1780): "There hardly ever existed such a thing as a bad Peace, or, a good War" (ibid., VIII, 5; also see VIII, 506). An interesting comment on Franklin's devotion to peace may be found inA Project of Universal and Perpetual Peace. Written by Pierre-André Gargaz, a former Galley-Slave, and printed by Benjamin Franklin at Passy in the Year 1782. Here reprinted, together with an English Version, Introduction, and Typographical Note by George Simpson Eddy, New York, 1922.
[102]Two days before, he wrote to Richard Price: "We make daily great Improvements inNatural, there is one I wish to see inMoralPhilosophy; the Discovery of a Plan, that would induce and oblige Nations to settle their Disputes without first Cutting one another's Throats" (Writings, VIII, 9). One remembers Franklin's classic utterance (in a letter to David Hartley, Passy, Feb. 2, 1780): "There hardly ever existed such a thing as a bad Peace, or, a good War" (ibid., VIII, 5; also see VIII, 506). An interesting comment on Franklin's devotion to peace may be found inA Project of Universal and Perpetual Peace. Written by Pierre-André Gargaz, a former Galley-Slave, and printed by Benjamin Franklin at Passy in the Year 1782. Here reprinted, together with an English Version, Introduction, and Typographical Note by George Simpson Eddy, New York, 1922.
[103]Sainte-Beuve asks, "Is not that a comparison which, by the sweetness of its inspiration and the breadth of its imagery, recalls the Homeric comparisons of the Odyssey?" (Portraits of the Eighteenth Century, Historic and Literary, 366.)
[103]Sainte-Beuve asks, "Is not that a comparison which, by the sweetness of its inspiration and the breadth of its imagery, recalls the Homeric comparisons of the Odyssey?" (Portraits of the Eighteenth Century, Historic and Literary, 366.)
[104]The famous Orientalist, later Sir William Jones. Married Georgiana Shipley. In 1779 Jones attempted unofficially to bring about a reconciliation between the colonies and England. See Parton,op. cit., II, 333-4.
[104]The famous Orientalist, later Sir William Jones. Married Georgiana Shipley. In 1779 Jones attempted unofficially to bring about a reconciliation between the colonies and England. See Parton,op. cit., II, 333-4.
[105]Essay on the Population of England, 2d ed., 1780.
[105]Essay on the Population of England, 2d ed., 1780.
[106]London Coffee House.
[106]London Coffee House.
[107]Madame Helvétius. Consult A. Guillois,Le salon de Madame Helvétius(Paris, 1894).
[107]Madame Helvétius. Consult A. Guillois,Le salon de Madame Helvétius(Paris, 1894).
[108]Georgiana Shipley (in a letter, May 6, 1781) acknowledges hisDialogue with the Goutand this piece. SeeCalendar of the Papers of Benjamin Franklin in the Library of the American Philosophical Society, III, 371 (XXII, 8). This delightful letter is printed in Sparks, IX, 25; Bigelow, VII, 230; and Stifler, "My Dear Girl" ... (New York, 1927). Smyth brackets a passage, not in the MS draft, which is printed in the W. T. Franklin edition.
[108]Georgiana Shipley (in a letter, May 6, 1781) acknowledges hisDialogue with the Goutand this piece. SeeCalendar of the Papers of Benjamin Franklin in the Library of the American Philosophical Society, III, 371 (XXII, 8). This delightful letter is printed in Sparks, IX, 25; Bigelow, VII, 230; and Stifler, "My Dear Girl" ... (New York, 1927). Smyth brackets a passage, not in the MS draft, which is printed in the W. T. Franklin edition.
[109]Date uncertain. A. H. Smyth notes that since Miss Shipley replied May 6, 1781 (cf. note 108), it was probably written between January and May, 1781. MS incomplete at both beginning and end.
[109]Date uncertain. A. H. Smyth notes that since Miss Shipley replied May 6, 1781 (cf. note 108), it was probably written between January and May, 1781. MS incomplete at both beginning and end.
[110]For Hartley's letter seeCalendar of the Papers of Benjamin Franklin in the Library of the American Philosophical Society, III, 398 (XXII, 162), Sept. 26, 1781. From Passy (Jan. 15, 1782) Franklin writes to Hartley: "Whatever may be the Fate of our poor Countries, let you and I die as we have lived, in Peace with each other" (Writings, VIII, 361).
[110]For Hartley's letter seeCalendar of the Papers of Benjamin Franklin in the Library of the American Philosophical Society, III, 398 (XXII, 162), Sept. 26, 1781. From Passy (Jan. 15, 1782) Franklin writes to Hartley: "Whatever may be the Fate of our poor Countries, let you and I die as we have lived, in Peace with each other" (Writings, VIII, 361).
[111]Excellent summary of the effect of this hoax may be found in L. S. Livingston,Franklin and His Press at Passy, 59-67. Walpole wrote to the Countess of Ossory, Oct. 1, 1782; "Have you seen in the papers an excellent letter of Paul Jones to Sir Joseph York?Elle nous dit bien des verités!I doubt poor Sir Joseph cannot answer them! Dr. Franklin himself, I should think, was the author. It is certainly written by a first-rate pen, and not by a common man-of-war" (ibid., 62). A. H. Smyth quotes Wm. Temple Franklin's note: "The deception intended by this supposed 'Supplement,' (which was very accurately imitated with respect to printing, paper, the insertion of advertisements, etc.,) was, that, by transmitting it to England, it might actually be taken for what it purported to be" (Writings, VIII, 437). To Charles W. F. Dumas, Franklin writes (Passy, May 3, 1782): "Enclosed I send you a few copies of a paper that places in a striking light, the English barbarities in America, particularly those committed by the savages at their instigation. TheFormmay perhaps not be genuine, but thesubstanceis truth; the number of our people of all kinds and ages, murdered and scalped by them being known to exceed that of the invoice. Make any use of them you may think proper to shame your Anglomanes, but do not let it be known through what hands they come" (ibid., 448). Brackets are Franklin's.
[111]Excellent summary of the effect of this hoax may be found in L. S. Livingston,Franklin and His Press at Passy, 59-67. Walpole wrote to the Countess of Ossory, Oct. 1, 1782; "Have you seen in the papers an excellent letter of Paul Jones to Sir Joseph York?Elle nous dit bien des verités!I doubt poor Sir Joseph cannot answer them! Dr. Franklin himself, I should think, was the author. It is certainly written by a first-rate pen, and not by a common man-of-war" (ibid., 62). A. H. Smyth quotes Wm. Temple Franklin's note: "The deception intended by this supposed 'Supplement,' (which was very accurately imitated with respect to printing, paper, the insertion of advertisements, etc.,) was, that, by transmitting it to England, it might actually be taken for what it purported to be" (Writings, VIII, 437). To Charles W. F. Dumas, Franklin writes (Passy, May 3, 1782): "Enclosed I send you a few copies of a paper that places in a striking light, the English barbarities in America, particularly those committed by the savages at their instigation. TheFormmay perhaps not be genuine, but thesubstanceis truth; the number of our people of all kinds and ages, murdered and scalped by them being known to exceed that of the invoice. Make any use of them you may think proper to shame your Anglomanes, but do not let it be known through what hands they come" (ibid., 448). Brackets are Franklin's.
[112]William Cowper. SeeCorrespondence of William Cowper, ed. by Thomas Wright, I, 479, for his note that Thornton, a merchant, had sent Franklin his poems.
[112]William Cowper. SeeCorrespondence of William Cowper, ed. by Thomas Wright, I, 479, for his note that Thornton, a merchant, had sent Franklin his poems.
[113]Henri-Léonard-Jean-Baptiste Bertin (1719-1792).
[113]Henri-Léonard-Jean-Baptiste Bertin (1719-1792).
[114]President of the Royal Society (1743-1820). SeeDictionary of National Biography, III, 129-33.
[114]President of the Royal Society (1743-1820). SeeDictionary of National Biography, III, 129-33.
[115]Dr. Pierre-Marie-Auguste Broussonet (1761-1807) met Sir Joseph Banks in 1782.
[115]Dr. Pierre-Marie-Auguste Broussonet (1761-1807) met Sir Joseph Banks in 1782.
[116]A. H. Smyth believes that this was "written in September, 1782" (Writings, VIII, 603 note). It was often translated and may well have drawn many immigrants to the colonies.
[116]A. H. Smyth believes that this was "written in September, 1782" (Writings, VIII, 603 note). It was often translated and may well have drawn many immigrants to the colonies.
[117]Probably written after signing of the peace treaty. Compare his letter to Richard Oswald, Passy, Nov. 26, 1782 (Writings, VIII, 621-7); and hisThe Retort Courteous(ibid., X, 105-16).
[117]Probably written after signing of the peace treaty. Compare his letter to Richard Oswald, Passy, Nov. 26, 1782 (Writings, VIII, 621-7); and hisThe Retort Courteous(ibid., X, 105-16).
[118]Sir Charles Blagden (1748-1820), physician and physicist, friend to Sir Joseph Banks, F. R. S., in 1772. (Dictionary of National Biography, V, 155-6.)
[118]Sir Charles Blagden (1748-1820), physician and physicist, friend to Sir Joseph Banks, F. R. S., in 1772. (Dictionary of National Biography, V, 155-6.)
[119]B. Faÿ in "Franklin et Mirabeau collaborateurs" (see Bibliography) shows that Franklin furnished information forConsiderations on the Order of Cincinnatus ...(London ed., 1785). Mirabeau thunders, "Must we then own, with the enemies of freedom, that the noble ideas of Sidney, Locke, Rousseau, and others, who have indulged dreams of political happiness, may be the object of a sublime theory, but cannot possibly be reduced into practice?" (Mirabeau,op. cit., 73.) The members of the order will in time become "Gothic tyrants" (ibid., 14). He warns America against paralleling the decadence of Rome (ibid., 25), suggesting a Rousseauistic equalitarianism. Other references to Franklin's antipathy for the Order areWritings, IX, 222, 269-70. Smyth observes that "passages in brackets are not found in the draft in Library of Congress."
[119]B. Faÿ in "Franklin et Mirabeau collaborateurs" (see Bibliography) shows that Franklin furnished information forConsiderations on the Order of Cincinnatus ...(London ed., 1785). Mirabeau thunders, "Must we then own, with the enemies of freedom, that the noble ideas of Sidney, Locke, Rousseau, and others, who have indulged dreams of political happiness, may be the object of a sublime theory, but cannot possibly be reduced into practice?" (Mirabeau,op. cit., 73.) The members of the order will in time become "Gothic tyrants" (ibid., 14). He warns America against paralleling the decadence of Rome (ibid., 25), suggesting a Rousseauistic equalitarianism. Other references to Franklin's antipathy for the Order areWritings, IX, 222, 269-70. Smyth observes that "passages in brackets are not found in the draft in Library of Congress."
[120]The Quinquet lamp was invented in 1784. A. H. Smyth suggests that March 20, 1784, is the exact date of composition, from Franklin's sentence, "In the six months between the 20th of March and the 20th of September...."
[120]The Quinquet lamp was invented in 1784. A. H. Smyth suggests that March 20, 1784, is the exact date of composition, from Franklin's sentence, "In the six months between the 20th of March and the 20th of September...."
[121]Son of Cotton Mather. Died June 27, 1785.
[121]Son of Cotton Mather. Died June 27, 1785.
[122]Benjamin Vaughan (1751-1835), unitarian, pro-colonial, and a Lord Shelburne man. He edited the first collective edition of Franklin's works in London (1779). SeeDictionary of National Biography, LVIII, 158-9.
[122]Benjamin Vaughan (1751-1835), unitarian, pro-colonial, and a Lord Shelburne man. He edited the first collective edition of Franklin's works in London (1779). SeeDictionary of National Biography, LVIII, 158-9.
[123]SeeWritings, IX, 264. Sparks (II, 383-426) reprints George Whately'sPrinciples of Trade. Elision marks indicate that parts of this letter are omitted.
[123]SeeWritings, IX, 264. Sparks (II, 383-426) reprints George Whately'sPrinciples of Trade. Elision marks indicate that parts of this letter are omitted.
[124]A. H. Smyth quotes W. T. Franklin, who observes that the book was Paley'sMoral Philosophy(Writings, IX, 488 note).
[124]A. H. Smyth quotes W. T. Franklin, who observes that the book was Paley'sMoral Philosophy(Writings, IX, 488 note).
[125]A. H. Smyth thinksThe Retort Courteous(ibid., IX, 489 note).
[125]A. H. Smyth thinksThe Retort Courteous(ibid., IX, 489 note).
[126]At Rancocas, New Jersey.
[126]At Rancocas, New Jersey.
[127]Sparks (X, 281-2) prints this letter as to Thomas Paine. Smyth, suggesting that Paine's "deistical writings" were not done before 1786, denies that Paine is the correspondent. H. H. Clark has argued shrewdly (and with evidence) that since part ofThe Age of Reasonwas written before 1781 (this M. C. Conway in hisLife of Paineadmits), it is not implausible that Franklin's letter was directed to Paine. ("An Historical Interpretation of Thomas Paine's Religion,"University of California Chronicle, XXXV, 84, 1933.)
[127]Sparks (X, 281-2) prints this letter as to Thomas Paine. Smyth, suggesting that Paine's "deistical writings" were not done before 1786, denies that Paine is the correspondent. H. H. Clark has argued shrewdly (and with evidence) that since part ofThe Age of Reasonwas written before 1781 (this M. C. Conway in hisLife of Paineadmits), it is not implausible that Franklin's letter was directed to Paine. ("An Historical Interpretation of Thomas Paine's Religion,"University of California Chronicle, XXXV, 84, 1933.)
[128]Since Franklin was acquainted with John Ray'sWisdom of God ..., it is not improbable that he was acquainted with his aphorisms published in 1670 (Cambridge), in which this wit occurs. It is also found in Wollaston'sReligion of Nature Delineated, but as in Ray, in crude form: "It is as when a man spits at heaven, and the spittle falls back upon his own face" (1725 ed., 132). Remembering that Franklin helped set up this piece while working for Samuel Palmer in 1725, his use of it may not be wholly fortuitous.
[128]Since Franklin was acquainted with John Ray'sWisdom of God ..., it is not improbable that he was acquainted with his aphorisms published in 1670 (Cambridge), in which this wit occurs. It is also found in Wollaston'sReligion of Nature Delineated, but as in Ray, in crude form: "It is as when a man spits at heaven, and the spittle falls back upon his own face" (1725 ed., 132). Remembering that Franklin helped set up this piece while working for Samuel Palmer in 1725, his use of it may not be wholly fortuitous.
[129]His speech (delivered June 11, 1787)On the Proportion of Representation and Votes(Writings, IX, 595-9) shows how with gift for compromise he helped to bring together the large and small states through his dual scheme of equal and proportional representation in the Senate and House.
[129]His speech (delivered June 11, 1787)On the Proportion of Representation and Votes(Writings, IX, 595-9) shows how with gift for compromise he helped to bring together the large and small states through his dual scheme of equal and proportional representation in the Senate and House.
[130]CompareWritings, IX, 659. He observes to Dupont de Nemours (June 9, 1788), "The wisest must agree to some unreasonable things, that reasonable ones of more consequence may be obtained." Brackets are Franklin's.
[130]CompareWritings, IX, 659. He observes to Dupont de Nemours (June 9, 1788), "The wisest must agree to some unreasonable things, that reasonable ones of more consequence may be obtained." Brackets are Franklin's.
[131]Clergyman of Boston and friend of Mrs. Mecom, Franklin's sister. Elision marks indicate that parts of this letter are omitted.
[131]Clergyman of Boston and friend of Mrs. Mecom, Franklin's sister. Elision marks indicate that parts of this letter are omitted.
[132]Charles Carroll (1737-1832). He had accompanied Franklin on his Canada commission. SeeDictionary of American Biography, III, 522-3.
[132]Charles Carroll (1737-1832). He had accompanied Franklin on his Canada commission. SeeDictionary of American Biography, III, 522-3.
[133]CompareWritings, IX, 636-9.
[133]CompareWritings, IX, 636-9.
[134]CompareWritings, X, 60-3, 127-9.
[134]CompareWritings, X, 60-3, 127-9.
[135]He writes (Nov. 2, 1789) to Benjamin Vaughan: "The revolution in France is truly surprising. I sincerely wish it may end in establishing a good constitution for that country. The mischiefs and troubles it suffers in the operation, however, give me great concern" (Writings, X, 50). He confesses (Nov. 13, 1789) to Jean Baptiste Le Roy: "The voice ofPhilosophyI apprehend can hardly be heard among those tumults" (ibid., 69).
[135]He writes (Nov. 2, 1789) to Benjamin Vaughan: "The revolution in France is truly surprising. I sincerely wish it may end in establishing a good constitution for that country. The mischiefs and troubles it suffers in the operation, however, give me great concern" (Writings, X, 50). He confesses (Nov. 13, 1789) to Jean Baptiste Le Roy: "The voice ofPhilosophyI apprehend can hardly be heard among those tumults" (ibid., 69).
[136]Rev. Ezra Stiles (1727-1795), member of the American Philosophical Society (1768), theologian and Newtonian scientist, President of Yale (1778-1795). For the activities of this versatile clergyman, see hisLiterary Diary, ed. by F. B. Dexter (3 vols., New York, 1901), and I. M. Calder (ed.),Letters and Papers of Ezra Stiles(New Haven, 1933). Also see Abiel Holmes'sLife of Ezra Stiles(Boston, 1798).
[136]Rev. Ezra Stiles (1727-1795), member of the American Philosophical Society (1768), theologian and Newtonian scientist, President of Yale (1778-1795). For the activities of this versatile clergyman, see hisLiterary Diary, ed. by F. B. Dexter (3 vols., New York, 1901), and I. M. Calder (ed.),Letters and Papers of Ezra Stiles(New Haven, 1933). Also see Abiel Holmes'sLife of Ezra Stiles(Boston, 1798).
[137]Dr. Stuber's note, cited inWritings, X, 86-7: "Dr. Franklin's name, as President of the Abolition Society, was signed to the memorial presented to the House of Representatives of the United States, on the 12th of February, 1789, praying them to exert the full extent of power vested in them by the Constitution, in discouraging the traffic of the human species. This was his last public act. In the debates to which this memorial gave rise, several attempts were made to justify the trade. In theFederal Gazetteof March 25th, 1790, there appeared an essay, signedHistoricus, written by Dr. Franklin, in which he communicated a Speech, said to have been delivered in the Divan of Algiers, in 1687, in opposition to the prayer of the petition of a sect calledErika, or Purists, for the abolition of piracy and slavery. This pretended African speech was an excellent parody of one delivered by Mr. Jackson, of Georgia. All the arguments, urged in favour of negro slavery, are applied with equal force to justify the plundering and enslaving of Europeans. It affords, at the same time, a demonstration of the futility of the arguments in defence of the slave-trade, and of the strength of mind and ingenuity of the author, at his advanced period of life. It furnishes, too, a no less convincing proof of his power of imitating the style of other times and nations, than hisParable against Persecution. And as the latter led many persons to search the Scriptures with a view to find it, so the former caused many persons to search the bookstores and libraries for the work from which it was said to be extracted." According to thePennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, XX, 50, the memorial was presented in 1790.
[137]Dr. Stuber's note, cited inWritings, X, 86-7: "Dr. Franklin's name, as President of the Abolition Society, was signed to the memorial presented to the House of Representatives of the United States, on the 12th of February, 1789, praying them to exert the full extent of power vested in them by the Constitution, in discouraging the traffic of the human species. This was his last public act. In the debates to which this memorial gave rise, several attempts were made to justify the trade. In theFederal Gazetteof March 25th, 1790, there appeared an essay, signedHistoricus, written by Dr. Franklin, in which he communicated a Speech, said to have been delivered in the Divan of Algiers, in 1687, in opposition to the prayer of the petition of a sect calledErika, or Purists, for the abolition of piracy and slavery. This pretended African speech was an excellent parody of one delivered by Mr. Jackson, of Georgia. All the arguments, urged in favour of negro slavery, are applied with equal force to justify the plundering and enslaving of Europeans. It affords, at the same time, a demonstration of the futility of the arguments in defence of the slave-trade, and of the strength of mind and ingenuity of the author, at his advanced period of life. It furnishes, too, a no less convincing proof of his power of imitating the style of other times and nations, than hisParable against Persecution. And as the latter led many persons to search the Scriptures with a view to find it, so the former caused many persons to search the bookstores and libraries for the work from which it was said to be extracted." According to thePennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, XX, 50, the memorial was presented in 1790.
[138]Date of composition uncertain. Printed as pamphlet in 1784.
[138]Date of composition uncertain. Printed as pamphlet in 1784.
[139]Date unknown.
[139]Date unknown.
[140]A. H. Smyth dates this piece as during the summer of 1786 (Writings, X, 131-2 note). Sparks and Bigelow had conjecturedly dated it 1772.
[140]A. H. Smyth dates this piece as during the summer of 1786 (Writings, X, 131-2 note). Sparks and Bigelow had conjecturedly dated it 1772.
Transcriber's Notes:5. Minor punctuation corrections have been made without comment and include missing or misplaced periods, opening or closing quotation marks and parentheses, apostrophes, hypens, etc., however no punctuation has been added, a specific example being on:p. 281, In the speech of "Father Abraham", p. 281-288, added closing quote at end of speech to match opening quote at beginning, however intervening paragraphs are without quote punctuation in the original and have been retained so in this e-text.6. Minor spacing corrections have been made as follows:p. v, Contents, page numbers have been right justified in a column.p. 13, "some how" to "somehow" (was once somehow or other)p. 21 "De foe" to "Defoe" (Defoe in his Cruso)p. 206, replaced blank space with double emdash, (are under ---- Years of Age)p. 410, "TitlePage" to "Title Page" (Lines in the Title Page)7. p. 3, In "Selections from BENJAMIN FRANKLIN", moved note about the "Notes" section from the bottom to the top of selection, above the header, as it pertains to ALL remaining pages.8.SPELLING CORRECTIONS: (not otherwise marked by editor)p. xxxix, "strengthned" to "strengthened" (14) (strengthened by long prescription)p. ci, "transfererd" to "transferred" (1) (transferred from the Penn Charter) (in Footnote i-327)*p. 9, "Wharf" to "Wharff" (My proposal was to build a Wharff)p. 16, "Shaftsbury" to "Shaftesbury" (33) (reading Shaftesbury and Collins)p. 67, "preceeding" to "preceding" (16) (a preceding Wife)p. 184, "hear" to "here" (I have here described)*p. 266, "harrassed" to "harassed" (past has harassed them)*p. 369, "harrassed" to "harassed" (order them to be harassed)p. 347, "exhilirates" to "exhilerates" (exhilerates me more)p. 451, "Univers" to "Universe" (greatest in the Universe;)*Correction made because word occurs correctly or alternately spelled elsewhere in the SAME document.9.WORD VARIATIONS: (found to be valid spellings in W. E. D.)"abovementioned" (1) and "above-mentioned" (1)"abridgment" (15) and "abridgement" (2)"agreable" (11) and "agreeable" (26)"ale-house" (1) and "alehouse" (1)"Algernon Sidney" (1) and "Algernoon Sidney" (1)"allege" (7) and "alledge" (2)"Almanac" (10) and "Almanack" (38)"antient" (15) and "ancient" (50)"apetite" (1) and "appetite" (7)"arithmetic" (9) and "arithmetick" (5)"balance" (13) and "ballance" (5)"beforementioned" (1) and "before-mentioned" (1)"bias" (4) and "biass" (2)"Boulogne" (2) and "Bouloigne" (1)"boundlessly" (1) and "boundlesly" (1)"Brientnal" (3) (in Autobiography), "Breintnal" (1) (in Introduction)and "Breintnall" (3) (in footnotes)"Broussonet" (1) and "Broussonnet" (1)"burden" (7) and "burthen" (12)"Cabin" (5) and "Cabbin" (2)"Caesar" (1) and "Cesar" (1)"characteris'd" (1) and "characterized" (1)"chearfulness" (1) and "cheerfulness" (1)"Chelsea" (2) and "Chelsey" (1)"Chesnut Street" (1) and "Chestnut Street" (1)"chuse" (8) and "choose" (7)"Classics" (2) and "Classicks" (1)"Clothes" (4) and "Cloaths" (4)"Coffee House" (2) and "Coffee-house" (2)"compleat" (10) and "complete" (11)"control" (3) and "controul" (4)"courthouse" (1) and "court-house" (1)"croud" (3) and "crowd" (12)"Curiositee" (1) and "Curiosity" (8)"Customhouse" (1) and "Custom-house" (1)"d'Alibard" (2) and "Dalibared" (2)"dependence" (5) and "dependance" (6)"disagreable" (3) and "disagreeable" (5)"drove" (3) and "drave" (1)"Edinborough" (1) and "Edinburgh" (9)"Eliptic" (1) and "Eliptick" (1)"Encyclopædia" (4) and "Encyclopedia" (2)"Encyclopædists" (2) and "Encyclopedists" (1)"enlightened" (2) and "enlightned" (2)"enter" (7) and "entre" (5)"entitled" (8) and "entituled" (Old Fr. Sp.) (2)"expel" (1) and "expell" (1)"Expence" (22) and "Expense" (3)"extreme" (21) and "extream" (26)"Falsehood" (2) and "Falshood" (4)"Favor" (1) and "Favour" (26)"fixt" (3) and "fixed" (14)"Folger" (1) and "Folgier" (1) (Peter ----)"foretell" (1) and "fortel" (1)"Free-will" (1) and "Free-Will" (1)"froze" (2) and "Frose" (1)"Good-Will" (1), "Good-will" (3), and "Goodwill" (1)"Governor" (47) and "Governour" (1)"Grub-Street" (1) and "Grub-street" (1)"Hawksworth" (1) and "Hawkesworth" (4)"hainous" (1) and "heinous" (1)"height" (6), "heigth" (1), and "heighth" (1)"hindered" (2) and "hindred" (1)"home-spun" (1) and "homespun" (1)"Humor" (1) and "Humour" (5)"Ill-will" (2) and "Ill-Will" (1)"Increase" (114) and "Encrease" (8)"indiscrete" (1) and "indiscreet" (3)"intolerable" (2) and "intollerable" (1)"Jealousy" (3) and "Jealousie" (1)"Job" (12) and "Jobb" (4) (as in work)"Joli" (1) and "Joly" (3) (Moulin ----)"Journey-man" (1),"Journeyman('s)" (3) and JourneyMen (1)"Knicknacks" (1) and "Nicknack" (1)"Labors" (1) and "Labours" (5)"land-holder" (1) and "Land-holder" (1)"Latinè" (1) and "Latine" (1)"laught" (3) and "laughed" (3)"Linnaeus" (1) and "Linnæus" (2) (a Naturalist)"Livlihood" (4) and "Livelyhood" (1)"Mama" (1) and "Mamma" (1)"mankind" (35) and "man-kind" (1) (in quoted material)"Mathmatics" (4) and "Mathmaticks" (1)"Mechanic" (7) and "Mechanick" (4)"melancholy" (4) and "melancholly" (2)"Merchandise" (1) and "Merchandize" (2)"middle-ag'd" (1) and "middle-aged" (1)"music" (7) and "musick" (4)*"natural" (193) and "naturall" (1) (in Bacon Quote)"Negro" (3) and "Negroe" (11)"Neighbor" (1) and "Neighbour" (11)"News-Paper" (2) and "NewsPapers" (1)"News-writers" (1) and "Newswriters" (1)"nonsense" (5) and "nonsence" (1)*"obtain" (28) and "obteyn" (1) (in Mather quote)"Offence" (14) and "Offense" (2)"Optics" (1) and "Opticks" (1)"partial" (7) and "partiall" (1)"Penny-worth" (1) and "Pennyworth(s)" (1)"Pennsylvania" (159) and "Pensilvania" (15) and "Pensylvania" (1)"persuaded" (16) and "perswaded" (2)"Physic" (1) and "Physick" (2)"Polly" (9) and "Polley" (1) (---- Stevenson)"Portrait" (9) and "Pourtrait" (1)"possest" (1) and "possessed" (10)"printing-house" (2), "Printing-house" (2), "Printing-House" (7) and"Printinghouse" (2)"Priviledge" (1) and "Privilege" (3)"Public" (22) and "Publick" (43)*"Puffendorf" (3) and "Puffendorff" (1)"rejoicing" (5) and "rejoycing" (1)"rendered" (7) and "rendred" (1)"rendering" (3) and "rendring" (1)"Rhetoric" (6) and "Rhetorick" (1)"rhime" (3) and "rhyme" (3)"Rhode Island" (4) and "Rhodeisland" (3)"Ribands" (1) and "Ribbands" (4)"Rochefoucauld" (2), "Rochefoucault" (1) and "Larochefoucault" (1)"role" (5) and rôle (2)"rouse" (1) and "rouze" (1)"satirize" (1) and "satyrize" (1)"Scolar" (7) and "Scollar" (1)"seacoasts" (1) and "sea-coasts" (1)"Silinc" (1) and "Silence" (4) (---- Dogood)"smoke" (3) and "smoak" (2)"soured" (1) and "sowred" (1)"staied" (2) and "stayed" (2)"straight" (4) and "strait" (8)"subtle" (1) and "subtile" (1)"sunset" (1) and "sun-set" (1)"surprise" (11) and "surprize" (16)"Surveyor-General" (1) and "Surveyor General" (2)"Susquehannah" (1), "Susquehanah" (1) and "Sasquehannah" (1)"threatened" (5) and "threatned" (1)"tiger" (1) and "tyger" (1)"to-day" (6) (in text) and "today" (5)"topic" (2) and "topick" (1)"Une loge" (1) and "Un loge" (1)"virtuous" (19) and "vertuous" (1)"Watergruel" (1) and "Water-gruel" (1)"wellmeaning (1) and "well-meaning" (1)"wondered" (4) and "wondred" (1)"Wool" (3) and "Wooll" (4)(* found within directly quoted material)10. Several instances of mixed case words appear in the text as follows: footPath, JourneyMen, mySelf, thySelf, etc., and have been retained.
5. Minor punctuation corrections have been made without comment and include missing or misplaced periods, opening or closing quotation marks and parentheses, apostrophes, hypens, etc., however no punctuation has been added, a specific example being on:
p. 281, In the speech of "Father Abraham", p. 281-288, added closing quote at end of speech to match opening quote at beginning, however intervening paragraphs are without quote punctuation in the original and have been retained so in this e-text.
6. Minor spacing corrections have been made as follows:
7. p. 3, In "Selections from BENJAMIN FRANKLIN", moved note about the "Notes" section from the bottom to the top of selection, above the header, as it pertains to ALL remaining pages.
8.SPELLING CORRECTIONS: (not otherwise marked by editor)
*Correction made because word occurs correctly or alternately spelled elsewhere in the SAME document.
9.WORD VARIATIONS: (found to be valid spellings in W. E. D.)
(* found within directly quoted material)
10. Several instances of mixed case words appear in the text as follows: footPath, JourneyMen, mySelf, thySelf, etc., and have been retained.