Works of the Late Doctor Benjamin Franklin: Consisting of His Life, Written by Himself, Together with Essays, Humorous, Moral & Literary, Chiefly in the Manner of The Spectator |
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Page 2
... wish , likewise , if it were in my power , to change fome trivial incidents and events for others more fa- vourable . Were this however denied me , ftill would I not decline the offer . But fince a repe- tition of life cannot take place ...
... wish , likewise , if it were in my power , to change fome trivial incidents and events for others more fa- vourable . Were this however denied me , ftill would I not decline the offer . But fince a repe- tition of life cannot take place ...
Page 21
... wish to inform , a pofitive and dogmatical manner of advancing your opinion may provoke contradiction , and prevent your being heard with attention . On the other hand , if with a defire of being informed , and of benefiting by the ...
... wish to inform , a pofitive and dogmatical manner of advancing your opinion may provoke contradiction , and prevent your being heard with attention . On the other hand , if with a defire of being informed , and of benefiting by the ...
Page 50
... wish therefore you would take the verses , and produce them as your own . I will pretend not to have had leisure to write any thing . We fhall then fee in what manner he will speak of them . I a- greed to this little artifice , and ...
... wish therefore you would take the verses , and produce them as your own . I will pretend not to have had leisure to write any thing . We fhall then fee in what manner he will speak of them . I a- greed to this little artifice , and ...
Page 54
... wish to have nothing to do " either with him or his letters . " He inftantly put the letter in my hand , turned upon his heel , and left me to ferve fome cuftomers . I was aftonished at finding thefe letters were not from the governor ...
... wish to have nothing to do " either with him or his letters . " He inftantly put the letter in my hand , turned upon his heel , and left me to ferve fome cuftomers . I was aftonished at finding thefe letters were not from the governor ...
Page 86
... wish to put him to no farther incon- venience . I fee that I am not at all calculated for a printer ; I was educated as a farmer , and it was abfurd in me to come here , at thirty years of age , and bind myself apprentice to a new trade ...
... wish to put him to no farther incon- venience . I fee that I am not at all calculated for a printer ; I was educated as a farmer , and it was abfurd in me to come here , at thirty years of age , and bind myself apprentice to a new trade ...
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affembly affift againſt alfo almoft alſo America amongſt becauſe beft Bofton bufinefs buſineſs cafe circumftances colonies confequence confiderable confifted conftitution continued converfation courſe defire difpofed difpute diſcovery electricity endeavoured Engliſh eſtabliſhed Europe exerciſe expence expreffed faid fame favour fchool fcience fecurity feen fent ferve fervice feven feveral fhall fhew fhillings fhip fhort fhould fide figned filk fince firft firſt fituation fmall fociety fome fometimes foon fpirit Franklin friends ftate ftill fubfifted fubject fuccefs fuch fuffered fufficient fuppofed fupport Great-Britain himſelf houfe houſe increaſe induſtry inftitution inftructed intereft Keimer laft leaſt lefs letters mafter meaſure ment moft moſt muft muſt myſelf neceffary obferved occafion oppofition paffage paffed Pennſylvania perfons Philadelphia philofophers pleaſed pleaſure pounds power of points prefent prefs propofed publiſhed purpoſe reafon refpect reft ſtate thefe themſelves theſe thofe Thomas Penn thoſe tion underſtand uſe whofe
Popular passages
Page 137 - THE BODY OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Printer, {like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out, and stript of its lettering and gilding) lies here food for worms ; yet the work itself shall not be lost, for it will (as he believed) appear once more in a new and more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by THE AUTHOR.
Page 244 - We have had some experience of it — several of our young people were formerly brought up at the colleges of the northern provinces; they were instructed in all your sciences, but when they came back to us, they were bad runners, ignorant of every means of living in the woods, unable to bear either cold or hunger, knew neither how to build a cabin, take a deer, or kill an enemy, spoke our language imperfectly, were therefore neither fit for hunters, warriors, nor counsellors; they were totally good...
Page 155 - I voluntarily offered and gave all my money for one. I then came home and went whistling all over the house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My brothers and sisters and cousins, understanding the bargain I had made, told me I had given four times as much for it as it was worth...
Page 156 - I saved my money. As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who gave too much for the whistle.
Page 156 - I, you are providing pain for yourself, instead of pleasure; you give too much for your whistle.
Page 250 - If a white man, in travelling through our country, enters one of our cabins, we all treat him as I do you ; we dry him if he is wet, we warm him if he is cold, and give him meat and drink, that he may allay his...
Page 271 - Land being cheap in that country, from the vast forests still void of inhabitants, and not likely to be occupied in an age to come, insomuch that the propriety of an hundred acres of fertile soil full of wood may be obtained near the frontiers, in many places, for eight or ten guineas...
Page 245 - The Business of the Women is to take exact notice of what passes, imprint it in their Memories, for they have no Writing, and communicate it to their Children. They are the Records of the Council, and they preserve...
Page 164 - ... of minutes become corrupt, like those of other and older bushes, and consequently as wretched : and in philosophy how small our progress ! Alas ! art is long, and life is short ! My friends would comfort me with the idea of a name, they say, I shall leave behind me ; and they tell me I have lived long enough to nature and to glory. But what will fame be to an...
Page 271 - Multitudes of poor people from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Germany, have by this means in a few years become wealthy farmers, who, in their own countries, where all the lands are fully occupied, and the wages of labour low, could never have emerged from the poor condition wherein they were born.