Boston And London
contributor: Eric Lease Morgan (Infomotions, Inc.)
creator: Franklin, Benjamin
extent: 146313
format: text/plain
language: en
publisher: Eris Etext Project
rights: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/GPL/2.0/
source: 27
subject: time
subject: man
subject: england
subject: presume
subject: will
subject: add
subject: somewhat
subject: entertainment
subject: franklin
subject: benjamin
subject: boston
subject: london
subject: american
subject: literature
type: text
local mirror: franklin-boston-245.txt
concordance: http://infomotions.com/alex/cgi-bin/concordance.pl
plain html: franklin-boston-245.htm
sort title: Boston And London
full text: BOSTON AND LONDON by Benjamin Franklin 1722-1726 _Silence Dogood, No. 1_ _To the Author of the_ New-England Courant. _Sir,_ It may not be improper in the first Place to inform your Readers, that I intend once a Fortnight to present them, by the Help of this Paper, with a short Epistle, which I presume will add somewhat to their Entertainment. And since it is observed, that the Generality of People, now a days, are unwilling either to commend or dispraise what they read, until they are in some measure informed who or what the Author of it is, whether he be _poor_ or _rich_, _old_ or _young_, a _Schollar_ or a _Leather Apron Man_, &c. and give their Opinion of the Performance, according to the Knowledge which they have of the Author's Circumstances, it may not be amiss to begin with a short Account of my past Life and present Condition, that the Reader may not be at a Loss to judge whether or no my Lucubrations are worth his reading. At the time of my Birth, my Parents were on Ship-board in their Way from _London_ to _N. England._ My Entrance into this troublesome World was attended with the Death of my Father, a Misfortune, which tho' I was not then capable of knowing, I shall never be able to forget; for as he, poor Man, stood upon the Deck rejoycing at my Birth, a merciless Wave entred the Ship, and in one Moment carry'd him beyond Reprieve. Thus was the _first Day_ which I saw, the _last_ that was seen by my Father; and thus was my disconsolate Mother at once made both a _Parent_ and a _Widow._ When we arrived at _Boston_ (which was not long after) I was put to Nurse in a Country Place, at a small Distance from the Town, where I went to School, and past my Infancy and Childhood in Vanity and Idleness, until I was bound out Apprentice, that I might no longer be a Charge to my Indigent Mother, who was put to hard Shifts for a Living. My Master was a Country Minister, a pious good-natur'd young Man, & a Batchelor: He labour'd with all his Might to instil vertuous and…