Autobiography of Benjamin FranklinJ.B. Lippincott & Company, 1868 - 409 pages Charming self-portrait covers boyhood, work as a printer, political career, scientific experiments, much more. Its openness, honesty, and readable style have made the "Autobiography" one of the great classics of the genre. |
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Page 63
... Officers . Offence to Proprietor . Assist- ance to Boston Ambassadors . Journey with Shirley , & c . Meet with Braddock . Assistance to him . To the Officers of his Army . Furnish him with Forage . His concessions to me and character of ...
... Officers . Offence to Proprietor . Assist- ance to Boston Ambassadors . Journey with Shirley , & c . Meet with Braddock . Assistance to him . To the Officers of his Army . Furnish him with Forage . His concessions to me and character of ...
Page 82
... officer of the spiritual court . In that case the stool was turned down again upon its feet , when the Bible remained concealed under it as before . This anecdote I had from my uncle Benjamin . The family continued all of the Church of ...
... officer of the spiritual court . In that case the stool was turned down again upon its feet , when the Bible remained concealed under it as before . This anecdote I had from my uncle Benjamin . The family continued all of the Church of ...
Page 181
... officer always has of engaging the prin- cipal men of a place in his party , by conferring , when he pleases , so many posts of profit and honor . Their happy mother country will per- haps observe , with pleasure , that though her ...
... officer always has of engaging the prin- cipal men of a place in his party , by conferring , when he pleases , so many posts of profit and honor . Their happy mother country will per- haps observe , with pleasure , that though her ...
Page 263
... six , including the three officers , are known to have belonged to the Junto , -namely , Franklin , Hopkin- son , Coleman , Godfrey , Rhoads , and Parsons . - B . harangued them a little on the subject , read the BENJAMIN FRANKLIN . 263.
... six , including the three officers , are known to have belonged to the Junto , -namely , Franklin , Hopkin- son , Coleman , Godfrey , Rhoads , and Parsons . - B . harangued them a little on the subject , read the BENJAMIN FRANKLIN . 263.
Page 264
... officers , and met every week to be in- structed in the manual exercise , and other parts of military discipline . The women , by subscriptions among themselves , provided silk colors , which they presented to the companies , painted ...
... officers , and met every week to be in- structed in the manual exercise , and other parts of military discipline . The women , by subscriptions among themselves , provided silk colors , which they presented to the companies , painted ...
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Common terms and phrases
acquaintance advantage affairs afterwards agreeable appear'd appeared arriv'd Art of Virtue Assembly attended Autograph Benjamin Franklin Boston CALIFORN captain character colonies conduct continu'd continued copy desire dispute Ecton Edition of 1817 England English father France French friends gave give good-natur'd governor grandfather hands honor instructions intended Keimer letter LIBRARY Little Britain lived London Lord Loudoun manner manuscript Memoirs ment never Northamptonshire occasion opinion original pamphlet paper Paris Passy perhaps person Philadelphia piece pounds sterling present printed printer printing-house profit propos'd proposed proprietary province published Quakers Ralph receiv'd received says sect sent Society soon Sparks thing thought thro tion took translation uncle Benjamin Union Fire Company UNIVERS UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Veillard Collection virtue waggons William Franklin William Temple Franklin writing written wrote young
Popular passages
Page 100 - I took a delight in it, practis'd it continually, and grew very artful and expert in drawing people, even of superior knowledge, into concessions, the consequences of which they did not foresee, entangling them in difficulties out of which they could not extricate themselves, and so obtaining victories that neither myself nor my cause always deserved.
Page 101 - If you ask, Why less properly ? I must repeat the lines : " Immodest words admit of no defense For want of modesty is want of sense.
Page 222 - Father of light and life, thou Good Supreme ! O teach me what is good ; teach me Thyself ! Save me from folly, vanity, and vice, From every low pursuit ; and fill my soul With knowledge, conscious peace, and virtue pure ; Sacred, substantial, never-fading bliss...
Page 229 - And to this habit (after my character of integrity) I think it principally owing that I had early so much weight with my fellow-citizens when I proposed new institutions, or alterations in the old, and so much influence in public councils when I became a member ; for I was but a bad speaker, never eloquent, subject to much hesitation in my choice of words, hardly correct in language, and yet I generally carried my points.
Page 209 - Seest thou a man diligent in his calling, he shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean men...
Page 223 - I was surprised to find myself so much fuller of faults than I had imagined; but I had the satisfaction of seeing them diminish. To avoid the trouble of renewing now and then my little book, which, by scraping out the marks on the paper of old faults to make room for new ones in a new course, became full of holes...
Page 91 - To return : I continued thus employed in my father's business for two years, that is, till I was twelve years old ; and my brother John, who was bred to that business...
Page 99 - While I was intent on improving my language, I met with an English Grammar (I think it was Greenwood's), at the end of which there were two little sketches of the arts of rhetoric and logic, the latter finishing with a specimen of a dispute in the Socratic method ; and soon after I procured Xenophon's Memorable Things of Socrates, wherein there are many instances of the same method.
Page 112 - Second-street, and ask'd for bisket, intending such as we had in Boston; but they, it seems, were not made in Philadelphia. Then I asked for a three-penny loaf, and was told they had none such. So not considering or knowing the difference of money, and the greater cheapness nor the names of his bread, I bade him give me three-penny worth of any sort. He gave me, accordingly, three great puffy rolls. I was...
Page 221 - Here will I hold. If there's a power above us (And that there is, all Nature cries aloud Through all her works), he must delight in virtue ; And that which he delights in must be happy.