ing my prefent retirement in the antry. But there are other motives which induce me to the undertaking. From the bofom of poverty and obfcurity, in which I drew my first breath and spent my earlieft years, I have raised myself to a flate of opulence, and to fome degree of celebrity in the world. A conftant good fortune has attended me through every period of life to my prefent advanced age; and my defcendants may be defirous of learning what were the means of which I made ufe, and which, thanks to the affifting hand of Providence, have proved fo eminently fuccefsful. They may alfo, fhould they ever be placed in a fimilar fituation, derive fume utility from my narrative. When I reflect, as I frequently do, upon the felicity I have enjoyed, I fometimes fay to inyfelf, that, were the offer made me, I would engage to run again, from beginning to end, the fame career of life. AllI would ask fhould be the privilege of an author, to correct, in a fecond edition, certain errors of the first. I could with alfo, if it were in my power, to change fome trivial events and incidents for others more favourable. Were this however denied me, till I would not decline the offer. But fince a repetition of life cannot take place, there is nothing which appears to me fo nearly to refemble this employment gratify my vanity. Scarcely indeed, have I ever heard or read the introductory phrate, I may fay without vanity, but fome ftriking and, characteristic instance of vanity has immediately followed. The generality of men hate vanity in others, however ftrongly they may be tinctured with it themselves. For myself, I pay obeifance to it wherever I meet it, convinced that it is advantageous, as well to the individual himself, as to those who are within the fphere of its influence. Of confequence, it would in many cafes not be wholly abfurd, that a man fhould count his vanity among the other fweets of life, and render thanks to Providence for the bleffing. And here I cannot help with all humility acknowledging, that to divine Providence I owe the felicity which I have hitherro enjoyed. is that power alone which has furnifhed me with the means I have employed, and crowned them with fuccefs. My faith in this refpect leads me to hope, though I cannot count upon it, that the divine goodnefs will fill be exercifed towards me, either by prolonging the duration of my happiness to the clofe of life, or giving me fortitude to fupport any melancholy reverfe which may happen to me, as to fo many others. My future fortune is un is our deitiny, and who can make our very afflictions fubfervient ta our benefit. it, as to call to mind all its circum-known, only to him in whose hand tances; and to render their remem brance more drable, to commit them to writing. By thus employing myself, I hall yield to the inclination fo natural in old men, to talk of themselves and their exploits, and fhall be able to follow freely my bent without being tirefome to thote who, from refpect to my age, might think themselves obliged to listen to me; fince they will be at liberty to read me or not, as they please, In fine, and I may as well avow it, fince nobody would believe me were to deny it-I fhall, perhaps by One of my uncles, defirous, like myfelf, of collecting anecdotes of the family, gave me fome notes from which I have derived various particulars refpecting our ancestors. From thefe I learn, that they had lived in the fame village, (Eaton in Northamptonhire), upon a freehold of about thirty acres, for the fpace at least of three hundred years. How long they had retided there prior to this period, my qucle had been un able to discover; perhaps ever fince the inftitution of furnames, when they took the appellations of Franklin, which had formerly been the name of a particular order of individuals. This petty eftate would not have fufficed for their fubfittence, had they not added the trade of blacksmith, which was perpetuated in the family down to my uncle's time, the oldest son having been conftantly brought up to this employment: a cuftom which both he and my father followed with refpect to their eldest fons. In the researches I made at Eaton, I found no detail of their births, marriages, and deaths, earlier than the year 1555; the parish register not extending further back than that perio. This regitter informed me, that I was the youngest fon of the youngest branch of the family, counting five generations. My grandfather Thomas, who was born in 1598, lived at Eaton, till he was too old to conti nue his trade, when he retired to Banbury in Oxfordshire, where his fon John refided, who was a dyer, and with whom my father was apprenticed. He died and was buried there; we faw his monument in 1758. His eldest son I homas lived in the paternal houfe at Eaton, which he bequeathed with the land belonging to it, to his only daughter, who, in concert with her hufband, Mr. Fisher of Wellingborough, afterwards fold it to Mr. Ested, the prefent proprietor. at the folicitation of a gentleman of the name of Palmer, who was then the principal inhabitant of the village, and who encouraged in like manner all my uncles to cultivate their talents. Thomas thus quali fied himfelf for the office of notary; he foon became an effential perfonage in the affairs of the village, and was one of the chief movers of public enterprife, as well relative to every the county as to the town of Northampton. A variety of remarkable circumstances were told us of him at Eaton. After enjoying the esteem and protection of lord Halifax, he died 6th January 1702, precifely four years before I was born. The recital that was made us of his life and character, by fome aged perfons of the village, ftruck you, if I remember right, as fomething extraordinary, from its analogy of what you knew of myself. "Had he died," faid you," exctly four years later, one might have fuppofed a tranfmigration of fouls." John, to the best of my belief was brought up to the trade of a wooldyer. Benjamin ferved his apprenticefhip in London to a filk-dyer. He was an induftrious man. I remember him well; for while I was a child, he joined my father at Bofton, and lived fome years with us in the fame houfe. A particulat affection bad always fubfifted between my father and him; and I was his godfon. He arrived to a great age. He left behind him two quarto vo My grandfather had four furviv-lumes of manufcript poems, of his ing tons, Thomas, John, Benjamin, and joias. I fhail give you fuch particulars of them as my memory will furnish, not having my papers here, in which you will find a more m nute account, if they are not loft during my abfence, Thomas had learned the trade of blackfmith under his father; but poffeffing a very good natural underHanding, he improved it by ftudy, own compofition, confifting of little fugitive pieces, addreffed to hs friends. He had inventea a (hort-band in which he inftructed me; but having never made use of it, I bare now forgotten it. He was pious, and a conftant attendant on the bett preachers, whole fermons he took a delight in writing down according to the expeditory method he had devifed. Many volumes were thus cot collected by him. He was alfo ex-in Northamptonshire, they were joined by Benjamin and Jofias, who adhered to them ever after. The reft of the family continued in the epifcopal church. My father, Jofias, married early in life. He conducted his wife, with three children, to New England, about the year 1682. Conventicles tremely fond of politics, too much fo perhaps for his fituation. I lately found in London a collection which he had made of all the principal pamphlets relative to public affairs from 1641 to 1717. Many volumes are wanting, as appears by the feries of numbers; but there still remain eight in folio, and twenty-being at that time prohibited by law, four in quarto and octavo. The collection had fallen into the hands of a fecond-hand bookfeller, who knowing me, by having fold me fome books, brought it to me. It feemed that my uncle had left it behind him when he departed for America, about fifty years ago. I found various notes of his writing in the margins. His grandfon, muel, is now living at Bollon. Our humble family had early braced the reformation. Our fathers remained faithfully attached during the reign of queen Mary, when they were in danger of being molested on account of their zeal against popery. They had an English Bible; and to conceal it the more fecurely, they conceived the project of fattening it open, with packthreads across the leaves, on the infide of the lid of a clofe-tool. When my great-grandfather wished to read to his family, he reverfed the lid of the clof ftool upon his knees, and palled the leaves from oe tide to the other which were held down on each by the packthread; one of the child en was ftationed at the door, to give notice if he faw the beadle, (an offcer of the spiritual court,) make his appearance. In that cafe, the lid was restored to its place, with the Bible concealed under it as before. I had this anecdote from my uncle Benjamin. and frequently molested, fome confiderable perfons of his acquaintance, determined to go to America, where they hoped to enjoy the free exercife of their religion, and he was induced to accompany them. My father had alfo by the fame wife four children, born in America, and ten others by a fecond wife, Sa-making in all feventeen. I remember to have feen thirteen feated to em-gether at his table, who all arrived at maturity and were married. I was the latt of the fons, and the youngest child, excepting two daughters. I was born at Boston in New England. My mother, the fecond wife, was Abias Folger, daughter of Peter Folger, one of the first colonift of New England, of whom Cotton Mather makes honourable mention in his ecclefiftical hiftory of that province, as a pious and learned Englishman, if I rightly recollect his expreflions. I have been told of his having compofed a variety of little pieces; but there appears to be only one in print, which I met with many years ago. It was written in the year 1675, and is in fami iar verfe, agreeably to the tale of the times, and the country. The author addreffes himself to the governor for the time being; fpeaks of liberty of confeience, and in favour of the Anabaptifts, Quakers, and other fectaries, who had fuffered perfecution. To this perfecution, he attributes the wars with the natives, and other calamities which afflicted the country, regarding them as fo many judgments of God, in punishment of fo odious an offence; and he exhorts The whole family preferved its attachment to the church of England till towards the clofe of the reign of Charles II; when certain minifters who had been ejected as non conformifts, having held conventicles the the government to repeal those laws fo contrary to charity. The poem appeared to be written with a manly freedom and a pleafing fimplicity. 1 recollect the fix concluding lines, though I have forgotten the order of words of the two fird, the meaning of which was, that his cenfures were dictated by benevolence, and that, of confequence, he wished to be known as the author, becaufe, faid he, I hate from my very foul diffimulation: From Shurburne, where I dwell, I therefore put my name, PETER FOLGER. My brothers were all put apprentice to different trades. With refpect to myself, I was fent to a college at the age of eight years. My father deftined me for the church, and already regarded me as the chaplain of the family. The promptitude with which I had from my infancy learned to read, for I do not remember to have been ever without this acquirement, and the cucou ragement of his friends, who affared him that I fhould one day certainly become a man of letters, confirmed him in this defign. My uncle Benjamin approved alfo of the fcheme, and promifed to give me all his volumes of fermons, written, as I have faid, in the fhort-hand of his invention, if I would take the pains to learn it. I remained, however, fcarcely a year at colirge, although, in this fort interval, I had risen from the middle to the head of my clafs, from thence to the clafs immediately above, and was to pass at the end of the year, to the one next in order. But my father, burthened with a numerous family, found himfelf incapable, without fubjecting himself to difficulties, of providing for the expence of a college education; and • Town in the illand of Nantucket. confidering befides, as he faid to his friends in my prefence, the few refources which fuch a career promifed, he renounced his first intentions, took me from college, and fent me to a fchool for writing and arithmetic, kept by Mr. George Brownwel; who was a fkilful master, and had great fuccefs in his profeffion, by employing no other than gentle means, and fuch as were calculated to encourage his fcholars. Under him I foon acquired an excel lent hand; but I failed in arithmetic, and made therein no fort of progrefs. At the age of ten years I was called home to affift my father in his occupation; which was that of foapboiler and tallow-chandler; a busi nefs to which he had ferved no apprenticeship, but which he embraced on his arrival in New England, because he found his own, that of a dyer, in too little request to enable him to educate his family. I was confequently employed in cutting the wicks for the candles, filling the moulds, taking care of the hop, carrying meffages, &c. This bufinefs difpleafed me, and I felt a strong inclination for that of a mariner; but my father fet his face against it: the vicinity of the opportunities of venturing myself water, however, gave me frequent both upon and within it, and I foon acquired the art of fwimming and managing a boat. When embarked commonly yielded to me, particu with other children, the helm was larly on difficult occafions; and in every other project I was almost always the perfon who led the troop, whom I fometimes involved in embaraflments. I fhall give an inftance of this, which demonstrates terprifes, though the one in question an curly difpofition for public enwas not conducted by justice. The mill-pond was terminated on one fite by a falt marshi, upon the border of which we were accustomed to take take our ftand, at high water, to [ we It will not, I imagine, be unintereting to you to know what fort of a man my father was. He had an excellent conftitution, was of a moderate flature, but well made and frong, and very active in every thing which he undertook. He painted tolerably well, and knew a little of mufic. His voice was fo agreeable and fonorous, that when he lung pfalms, accompanying himfelf at the fame time on the violin, which was his frequent practice in the evening, after the bufinefs of the day was at an end, it was truly delightful to hear him. He was verfed allo in mechanics, and could, upon occafion, make use of the tools of other trades than his own. But what he was not to be admired for was a found underctanding, and folid judgment in matters appertaining to prudence, whether in public affairs, or in private life. In the firft, indeed, he was never employed, bes caufe the numerous family which he had to provide for, and the mediocrity of his fortune, required an unremitted attention to his bufinefs: but I very well remember that he was often vifited by the leading men of that place, who came to confult him upon affairs relative to the town, or the church to which he belonged, and who paid great deference to his judgment and opinion. Individuals were in the habit of confulting hun in different cafs, and he was tre quenly chofen as the arbiter between contending parties. He was fond of having at his table fome friends, or well informed neighbours, with whom he could converfe, and he was always careful to introduce fuch fubjects of converfation as might tend to form the minds of his children. By this means our attention was directed to what was good, juft, prudent, and useful in the conduct of life. He never talked of the meats which appeared upon the table, never difcuffed whether they were well or ili dreffed, of a good or bad flavour, high fea foned or otherwife, preferable or inferior to this or that dish of the fame kind. Accordingly, accustomed from my infancy to the most perfed inattention as to thefe objects, I have always been regardless of the kind of food that has been placed before me, and am still so indifferent in this refpect, that it would be extremely difficult for me to fay, a few hours after my meal, of what it had been compofed. In travelling, I have particularly experienced the advantages of this habit; for it has often happened to me to be in company with perfons who, having a more delicate, because a more exercifed tafte, have fuffered id many cafes conficerable inconvenienc", while as to my felf I have had nothing to cetire. My |