until his business entirely fell away, and he followed Keimer to Barbadoes. No other printer now remained in Philadelphia but Bradford, who was rich, and cared little about his trade. As he held the postoffice, his paper obtained a wider circulation than Franklin's, both from the idea that he must have better opportunities of procuring information, and from his efforts to keep his rival's paper from the public; for Franklin could only receive and send papers by the post by bribing the postmen, Bradford taking care to forbid their taking it out; "a practice," says Franklin, "which I thought so meanly of, that when I afterwards came into the same situation, I took care never to imitate it."

In 1729, Mr and Mrs Godfrey, with whom he boarded (as they still lived in part of his house) proposed a match for him with the daughter of a relative of theirs, whose parents also encouraged the affair, inviting Franklin frequently, and leaving the danghter and him together. Franklin at length commissioned Mrs Godfrey to inform the young lady's friends, that he expected as much money, for a marriage portion, as would pay off the running debt upon his printing-house, to the amount perhaps of 100.; they replied, that they had no such sum to spare, when he suggested that they might obtain it by way of mortgage on their house: but they now abruptly pretended not to approve of the match; said that printing was a poor business; that the types would be soon defaced and useless; that Keimer and Harry having failed in succession, he would, in all probability, shortly do the same, &c. Franklin considered this so unhandsome, that when Mrs Godfrey afterwards brought him more favourable accounts of their disposition towards him, he declared his resolution to have no further connexion with the family; and differences shortly afterwards arose, in consequence of which they left the house.

But Franklin had turned his thoughts seriously to marriage; and after having made overtures in other

places, he found that the business of a printer was in small repute, and that he was not to expect money with a wife. In the mean time, he says, his youthful passions often hurried him into intrigues with low women, which were attended with expense, and occasional disgrace. He resumed his attentions therefore to Miss Read, as he still lived on intimate terms with the family; and when he observed her frequent dejection and solitary habits, could not at times avoid reflecting that his own inconstancy had been their primary cause. Their mutual affection, in fact, was renewed, but there were formidable obstacles in the way of their union. She had married a man who had long forsaken her during Franklin's absence in England; and although the marriage was considered as invalid, the husband being said to have had another wife at the time, there was no actual proof of the circumstance, and the reports of his death could be traced to no certain origin. Besides, he had left many debts, which his successor might be called upon to pay. Notwithstanding these difficulties, Franklin married this lady, September 1730; neither the former claim on her (if any) nor any of its consequences, ever appeared; but he found the union every thing that could contribute to his prosperity and happiness.

About this period, he formed what he justly calls the bold design of endeavouring to arrive in his practice at moral perfection. “As he knew," he says,

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or thought he knew, right from wrong, he could not see why he might not always do the one, and avoid the other." Now, therefore, he formed the following scale of virtues and precepts:

1. TEMPERANCE.-Eat not to dulness; drink not to elevation.

2. SILENCE.-Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

3. ORDER.-Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

4. RESOLUTION.-Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

5. FRUGALITY.-Make no expense but to do good to others, or yourself; i. e., waste nothing.

6. INDUSTRY.-Lose no time; he always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions. 7. SINCERITY.-Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly; and if you speak, speak accordingly. 8. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

8. MODERATION.-Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries, so much as you think they deserve.

10. CLEANLINESS.-Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.

11. TRANQUILLITY.-Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

12. CHASTITY.

13. HUMILITY.-Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

CHAPTER IV.

Franklin's remarkable scheme of morals and self-discipline. His journal of virtuous and vicious conduct.-Partial success, frequent failures, recorded. -His scepticism, and religious notions.-The Junto.-Poor Richard's Almanack. His decided success in business.-A celebrated preacher detected as a plagiarist.-A more celebrated one, Mr Whitfield, at Philadelphia.— Franklin's acquaintance and correspondence with him.-Philosophical inventions and discoveries.-Pennsylvanian tire-places.

WE pause at this period to review his remarkable scheme of self-government, and that plan for establishing his moral habits, for which he has been much applauded. On imbibing the scepticism which Collins and Shaftesbury taught him very early in life, he plainly saw, that if the influence of revealed religion was withdrawn, some severe system of personal discipline must be substituted for it: but he declares, in his old age, that he never was without some religious principles; that he never for instance doubted the being of a God, or that he governed by his providence that world which he made in wisdom; that he always believed the soul of man to be immortal, and would be, here or hereafter, punished or rewarded.

In 1728 he composed a short liturgy or form of prayer for his private use, of which the fragment preserved in his family contains many excellent moral sentiments. He adores the Heavenly Majesty for all the mercies of nature, the station of man in the creation, heat and cold, rain and sunshine, and, for delighting in the happiness of his creatures. "Thou art my friend, my father, and my benefactor," he says, praised be thy name, O God, for ever!" In a short service, of which these sentiments form the introduction, he there purposes to read and meditate on extracts from Ray's Wisdom of God, Blackmore on the Creation, or Fenelon's demonstration of the

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being of a God, or else to spend some time in serious silence, contemplating these themes.

Then to sing Milton's Hymn to the Creator, afterwards to read some moral discourses, or something exciting to moral virtue.

Then to petition "Supreme Goodness" for assistance in eschewing vice and persevering in virtue.

Concluding with thanks for peace and liberty, food and raiment, for the common benefits of life, for friends and their prosperity, for the fewness of his enemies, &c.

To insure the habit of attention to these rules of conduct, he considered it would be best, while aiming at the whole, to devote a week's particular attention to each of the virtues in succession, and determined faithfully to mark in a book, with a little black spot, each day's transgression of that virtue. Thus, in a quarter of a year, he proposed to try his strength upon the whole; proceeding, he says, like a man who, having a garden to weed, does not attempt to eradicate all the bad herbs at once, which would exceed his reach and strength, but works on one of the beds first, and then proceeds to a second.

His idea of order requiring that every part of his business should have its appointed time, he thus divided the twenty-four hours of an ordinary day :

Rise at five. Ask the question, What good shall I do this day? Until seven-wash, address Powerful Goodness, contrive day's business, take the resolution of the day, prosecute the present study, and breakfast. Eight to eleven-work. Twelve to oneread or look over accounts, and dine. Two to fivework. Six to nine-ask, What good have I done to day? put things in their places; supper; music; diversion or conversation; examination of the day. Ten to four-sleep.

Our author honestly confesses the abundance of his faults upon this scheme. After a while, he went through one course only in a year, then one in several years, till at length the multiplicity of his affairs, as