seeing the least Sign of it. I might, on this Occasion, return Mr. J n the Name of Baal's false Prophet he gave me some Years ago in his Wrath, on Account of my Predicting his Reconciliation with the Church of Rome, (tho' he seems now to have given up that Point) but I think such Language ******* old Men and Scholars unbecoming; and ********* the Affair with the Buyers of this Almanack as well as he can, who perhaps will not take it very kindly, that he has done what in him lay (by sending them out to gaze at an invisible Eclipse on the first of April) to make April Fools of them all. His old threadbare Excuse which he repeats Year after Year about the Weather, "That no man can be infallible therein, by Reason of the many contrary Causes happening at or near the same time, and the Unconstancy of the Summer Showers and Gusts," etc. will hardly serve him in the Affair of Eclipses; and I know not where he 'll get another. I have made no Alteration in my usual Method, except adding the Rising and Setting of the Planets, and the Lunar Conjunctions. Those who are so disposed, may thereby very readily learn to know the Planets, and distinguish them from each other. I am, dear Reader, Thy obliged Friend R. SAUNDERS. (L. C.) PHILADELPHIA, November 4, 1743. 40. TO CADWALLADER COLDEN1 SIR, I received the favour of yours, with the proposal for a new method of printing, which I am much pleased with; and, 1 Transcript in Library of Congress. Cadwallader Colden (1688-1776) published a "History of the Five Indian Nations” (New York, 1727; Lon since you express some confidence in my opinion, I shall consider it very attentively and particularly, and in a post or two send you some observations on every article.' My long absence from home in the summer put my business so much behindhand, that I have been in a continual hurry ever since my return, and had no leisure to forward the scheme of the Society. But that hurry being now near over, I purpose to proceed in the affair very soon, your approbation being no small encouragement to me. I cannot but be fond of engaging in a correspondence so advantageous to me as yours must be. I shall always receive your favours as such, and with great pleasure. I wish I could by any means have made your son's longer stay here as agreeable to him, as it would have been to those who began to be acquainted with him. I am, Sir, with much respect, Your most humble servant, B. FRANKLIN. 41. TO WILLIAM STRAHAN 2 (P. C.) PHILADA, Feb. 12, 1744. SIR, I received your Favour per Mr. Chew, dated Sept. 10. and a Copy via Boston. I received also Mr. Middleton's don, 1745), and "Principles of Action in Matter," with a treatise on "Fluxions," London, 1752. — ED. 1 The "proposal" here referred to, which was evidently an original invention of Mr. Colden, has some resemblance to the early attempts at stereotype printing. Franklin's "observations" have not been found. - ED. 2 Printed by Bigelow, "Life of Benjamin Franklin," 5th edition, 1905, Vol. I, p. 375. Printed here from Puttick and Simpson's Catalogue, No. 374, July 16, 1888. VOL. II-R pieces. I am pleased to hear that my old Acquaintance Mr. Wiggate, is promoted, and hope the Discovery will be compleated. I would not have you be too nice in the Choice of Pamphlets you send me. Let me have everything, good or bad, that makes a Noise and has a Run: For I have Friends here of different tastes to oblige with the sight of them. "If Mr. Warburton publishes a New Edition of Pope's Works, please to send it me as soon as it is out, 6 setts. That Poet has many Admirers here, and the Reflection he somewhere casts on the Plantations as if they had a Relish for such Writers as Ward' only, is injurious. Your Authors know but little of the Fame they have on this side of the Ocean. We are a kind of Posterity in respect to them. We read their Works with perfect impartiality, being at too great a distance to be byassed by the Factions, Parties and Prejudices that prevail among you. We know nothing of their Personal Failings; the Blemishes in their Charactre never reaches [sic] us, and therefore the bright and amiable part strikes us with its full Force. They have never offended us or any of our Friends, and we have no competitions with them, therefore we praise and admire them without Restraint. Whatever Thomson writes send me a dozen copies of. I had read no poetry for several years, and almost lost the Relish of it, till I met with his Seasons. That charm 1 See Letter to Strahan, July 4, 1744. 2 Edward Ward (1667-1731), “The London Spy," a writer of Hudibrastic His works sold in great numbers in the Plantations. Hence Pope's reference to him in the Dunciad 1, 234: verse. "Nor sail with Ward to ape-and-monkey climes - ED. ing Poet has brought more Tears of Pleasure into my Eyes than all I ever read before. I wish it were in my Power to return him any Part of the joy he has given me." I purpose to send you by a Ship that is to sail shortly from this port a bill and an invoice of Books that I shall want for Sale in my Shop, which I doubt not you will procure as cheap as possible, otherwise I shall not be able to sell them, as here is one who is furnish'd by Oswald that sells excessively low: I cannot conceive upon what Terms they deal. The Pamphlets and Newspapers I shall be glad to receive by way of N. York and Boston when there is no Ship directly hither. If you direct them for B. F., Postm. Philada., they will come readily to hand from those Places. Mr. Hall is perfectly well and gains Ground daily in the Esteem of all that know him. I hope Caslon1 will not delay casting the English Fount I wrote to you for, so long as he has some that have been sent me. I have no doubt but Mr. Hall will succeed well in what he undertakes. He is obliging, discreet, industrious, and honest; and where those Qualities meet, Things seldom go amiss. Nothing in my Power shall be wanting to serve him. I cannot return your Compliments in Kind, this Quaker plain Country producing none. All I can do is to demonstrate, by a hearty Readiness in serving you when I have an Opportunity, or any Friend you recommend, that I do truly esteem and love you, being, Sir, Your obliged humble Servant B. FRANKLIN. 1 William Caslon (1692-1766), the English Elzevir. At the time this letter was written his foundry was in Chiswell Street, and he had taken his son into partnership with him. ED. 42. PREFACE TO LOGAN'S TRANSLATION OF "CATO MAJOR "1 1 THE PRINTER TO THE READER 2 This Version of Cicero's Tract de Senectute, was made Ten Years since, by the Honourable and Learned Mr. Logan, of this City; undertaken partly for his own Amusement, (being then in his 60th Year, which is said to be nearly the Age of the Author when he wrote it) but principally for the Entertainment of a Neighbour then in his grand Climacteric; and the Notes were drawn up solely on that Neighbour's Account, who was not so well acquainted as himself with the Roman History and Language: Some other Friends, however, (among whom I had the Honour to be ranked) obtained Copies of it in MS. And, as I believed it to be in itself equal at least, if not far preferable to any other Translation of the same Piece extant in our Language, besides the Advantage it has of so many valuable Notes, which at the same time they clear up the Text, are highly instructive and entertaining; I resolved to give it an Impression, being confident that the Publick would not unfavourably receive it. 1 M. T. Cicero's "Cato Major, or his Discourse of Old-Age: With Explanatory Notes. Philadelphia. Printed and sold by B. Franklin, 1744.” 2 Logan wrote to Franklin (February 26, 1744): "Pray do not forget to mention that it was done ten years since in the 60th year of my life nearly the same age that Cicero was when he wrote the original, tho' perhaps he was a year or two older: that it was wrote only for my own diversion and for the entertainment of a Friend less skill'd in the language or the history of Rome, and far from the thought of ever seeing it in print, for I well know there were other English versions of it, tho' I had never seen one of them." (Cicero was in his 63d year.) — ED. |