spondence among men; that, by which countries as well as private families flourish and are happy; and for want of which every thing comely, conspicuous, great, and worthy, must perish or go to ruin; that single quality, thus beneficial to society and to mankind in general, is found equally a happiness and good to each creature in particular; and is that by which alone man can be happy, and without which he must be miserable. And thus Virtue is the good, and Vice the ill, of every one."

The heresy of Shaftesbury consists chiefly in an ironical paragraph here and there, mildly ridiculing the doctrine of the miraculous production of the Bible. He has also some serious observations to the effect that there is no necessary connection between religion and virtue. The substance of his teaching is this: BE GOOD; and pay to the Church a decent show of respect, as a part of the state of things necessary at present to the integrity of the British empire, and belonging to its imperfect civilization; and, as to the Creed, deny nothing, assert nothing, laugh at it, or let it alone.

The result of all these heretical teachings was, that, before the apprentice was sixteen years old, he had become, to use his own words, "a thorough deist."

The word "deist" has long ago got out of general use, familiar as it was to our great-grandfathers, and not less awful than familiar. Perhaps, a representative deist of a hundred and fifty years ago might have defined the word thus: A deist is a Christian who has become incapable of believing in a miracle. Probably, all of this zealous sect would have assented to Humboldt's well-known summary: "All positive religions," says Humboldt, "contain three distinct parts: first, a code of morals, very pure, and nearly the same in all; next, a geological dream; and, thirdly, a myth or historical novelette, which last becomes the most important of all."* Collins, Shaftesbury, Gibbon, Hume, Voltaire, Bolingbroke, Jefferson, and Franklin in his sixteenth year, would all doubtless have smiled approvingly if they had heard these words.

Franklin, for one, found his new belief, or rather, his new unbelief, lamentably inadequate to the moral wear and tear of life. It made him conceited, and left him an easy prey to temptation. For some years, he wandered in heathenish darkness. He forsook

"Letters of Humboldt to V. Von Ense." Letter 60th.

the safe and good, though narrow ways of his forefathers, and of his father and mother, and his gentle Uncle Benjamin, without finding better and larger ways of his own. He was in danger of becoming a castaway, or a commonplace successful man of the world. He found, in due time, after many trials, and much suffering, and many grievous errors, that the soul of man does not thrive upon negations, and that, in very truth, a man must believe in order to be saved. On the other hand, he escaped the theology of terror, and became forever incapable of worshiping a jealous, revengeful, and vindictive God-the God of the Lord Brethren of Boston.

Situated as he was, and being the lad he was, there was no escape from this painful and perilous experience. It was not his fault, that his elders supported immortal truths on untenable grounds, and demanded that he should save his soul by denying his understanding. It was nobody's fault. It is human to be blind and weak, ignorant and fearful; and it is only by the rebellion of bolder and keener spirits that our horizon is enlarged and our fear allayed. But rebellion, in itself considered, is an evil. We see, in the ancient writings, that the revolters against the mythology of Greece and Rome experienced moral injury, as well as social inconveniences, similar to those which attend a questioning of modern creeds. Nor have the American people recovered from all the moral damage incurred in their most just and necessary rebellion against George the Third.

How Franklin emerged at length from the shades of denial into the light of belief; and from wandering in the wilderness, aimless, unto the Canaan of orderly, noble endeavor, we shall see, at the proper time. For the present he remains a thorough deist, excessively fond of perplexing the unwary believer by involving him in self-contradictions, after the manner of Socrates. His friend, John Collins, was brought over to deism. There are reasons for believing that James Franklin was something of a deist also-at least, no friend to the Lord Brethren. Their father, we may infer from one of his later letters, had no suspicion then of the change that had occurred in Benjamin's opinions.

While the apprentice was thus reveling in his books, extracting from each all its honey and some of its poison, his brother's business was expanding, and events were occurring which influenced the

destinies of both. These audacious young printers, while the younger of the two was only sixteen, found themselves, as might have been anticipated, in collision with the Lord Brethren.

CHAPTER VII.

THE FIRST SENSATION NEWSPAPER.

THERE was talk of a second newspaper in Boston when Benjamin had served a year of his apprenticeship, and James Franklin had hopes of being employed to print it.

Nothing made slower progress in Colonial America than journalism. The date of the first London newspaper is 1622 of the first French newspaper, 1632;* of the first Scotch newspaper, 1654; of the first Irish newspaper, 1685. The first American newspaper appeared at Boston, on Thursday, the twenty-fifth of September, 1690. It was a sheet of four pages, each page seven inches wide and eleven long; two columns on a page, and the last page blank. At the top of the first page were printed, in large letters, the words "Publick Occurrences, both Foreign and Domestic." It was designed to be published once a month, or oftener, "if any glut of occurrences happens."

Hunt's" Fourth Estate," i., 10, 20.

The following is a copy of the Prospectus:

"PUBLICK OCCURRENCES, FOREIGN AND DOMESTICK.

It is designed, that the Countrey shall be furnished once a moneth (or if any Glut of Occurrences happen oftener) with an Account of such considerable things as have arrived unto our Notice.

In order here unto, the Publisher will take what pains he can to obtain a Faithful Relation of all such things; and will particularly make himself beholden to such Persons in Boston whom he knows to have been for their own use the diligent Observers of such matters.

That which is herein proposed, is, First, That Memorable Occurrents of Divine Providence may not be neglected or forgotten, as they too often are. Secondly, that people everywhere may better understand the Circumstances of Publique Affairs, both abroad and at home: which may not only direct their Thoughts at all times, but at some times also to assist their Business and Negotiations.

Thirdly, That some thing may be done toward the Curing, or at least the Charming of the Spirit of Lying, which prevails among us, wherefore nothing shall be entered, but what we have reason to believe is true, repairing to the best fountains for our Information. And

The first number contains twelve well digested paragraphs of news, of which thirteen relate to domestic intelligence, and seven to foreign. There is no advertisement, and nothing of the nature of an editorial, except the prospectus. One paragraph arrests the eye of every one that glances over the contents of this sheet:

"We have News here that K. William is safe arrived in Ireland, and is marched with one hundred and forty thousand Foot and Horse. Himself leads the body, Duke Scomburgh the right Wing, and the Earl of Oxford the left Wing. Duke Hamilton of Scotland leads the forlorn Hope, with ten thousand men under him. Great victory they daily have, and much people daily come into him with submission; He has 200 Shipping with him of one sort or other, above one hundred Sail daily run between Ireland and England, with meat for Man and Beast; His Majesty being unwilling to trust falɛe Ireland for it."

In another paragraph, which relates the failure of the expedition led by Sir William Phipps against Canada, the editor mentions-only mentions-that a misunderstanding had arisen between Gen. Winthrop, of Massachusetts, and the Lieutenant-Governor of New York. He also ventures to intimate that the employment of Indians in such expeditions may be unwise. "And if," he adds, " Almighty God will have Canada to be subdued without the assistance of those miserable Salvages, in whom we have too much confided, we shall be glad that there will be no sacrifice offered up to the Devil upon this occasion; God alone will have all the glory."

Rash man! Four days after the appearance of this harmless and interesting paper, the authorities of the colony declared that it had come out contrary to law, and "contained reflections of a very high nature." They caused its suppression, and forbade the appearance of any thing in print, unless it had been first licensed. Of the Public Occurrences, therefore, but this one number was published, Of that number, only one copy is known to exist, which is in the Colo

when there appears any material mistake in any thing that is collected, it shall be corrected in the next.

Moreover, the Publisher of these Occurrences is willing to engage, that whereas, there are many False Reports, maliciously made, and spread among us, if any well minded person will be at the pains to trace any such false Report, so far as to find out and Convict the First Raiser of it, he will in this Paper (unless just Advice be given to the contrary) expose the Name of such Person as A malicious Raiser of a False Report. It is supposed that none will dislike this Proposal, but such as intend to be guilty of so rillanous a Crime."

nial State Paper Office, in London, where it was discovered, a few years ago, by Dr. J. B. Felt, author of the "Annals of Salem."*

The offense of the editor of this paper appears to have been, not that he had printed any thing false or injurious, but that he, a mere printer, had presumed to discourse at all of such high matters as warlike expeditions, and such high personages as kings, governors, and generals.

Whoever and whatever is destined to attain supreme power in the world passes through its period of martyrdom. It is necessary for the reader of these pages to understand, that the probation of the press by blood and torture was not half over in 1690. Only twentyseven years had elapsed since the following scene had occurred in

London:

The place was a court-room in the Old Bailey, Chief Justice Hyde presiding. The prisoner at the bar was a printer, named John Gwyn, a poor man, with a wife and three children. Gwyn was accused of printing a piece which criticised the conduct of the government, and which contained these words, and others similar: "If the magistrates pervert judgment, the people are bound by the law of God, to execute judgment without them, and upon them." This was a kind of justification of the execution of Charles I., as well as a threat against Charles II., then King of England. The poor man protested he had never read the offensive matter; it was brought to him by a maid-servant; he had earned forty shillings by printing it. When he was pronounced guilty, he humbly begged for mercy, pleading his poverty, his young children, and his ignorance of the contents of the paper. "I'll tell you what you shall do," roared the brutal sycophant who sat on the bench, "ask mercy of them that can give it that is, of God and the King." The prisoner said: "I humbly beseech you to intercede with his majesty for mercy." "Tie him up, executioner," began the judge in reply. "I speak it from my soul, I think we have the greatest happiness in the world in enjoying what we do under so good and gracious a king; yet you, Gwyn, in the rancor of your heart, thus to abuse him, deserve no mercy." After some further expressions of the same nature, he passed upon the prisoner this sentence: He was

"Annals of Salem," p. 14; "N. Y. Historical Magazine," vol. i., No. 8; Buckingham's "Speci mens of Newspaper Literature," i. The "N. Y. Historical Magazine," vol. i., No. 8, contains a copy of the entire contents of the Public Occurrences.