A certain Freed-man of Cicero's is reported to have said of a medicinal Well, discovered in his Time, wonderful for the Virtue of its Waters in restoring Sight to the Aged, That it was a Gift of the bountiful Gods to Men, to the end that all might now have the Pleasure of reading his Master's Works. As that Well, if still in being, is at too great a Distance for our Use, I have, Gentle Reader, as thou seest, printed this piece of Cicero's in a large and fair Character, that those who begin to think on the Subject of Old Age, (which seldom happens till their Sight is somewhat impair'd by its Approaches) may not, in Reading, by the Pain small Letters give the Eyes, feel the Pleasure of the Mind in the least allayed.

I shall add to these few Lines my hearty Wish, that this first Translation of a Classic in this Western World, may by followed with many others, performed with equal Judgment and Success; and be a happy Omen, that Philadelphia shall become the Seat of the American Muses.

PHILADELPHIA, Febr. 29. 1743-4.1

1 James Logan (1674-1751) came to America as secretary to William Penn. He was a man of great learning and accumulated the most valuable library upon the Western Continent. He was the friend and correspondent of Fabricius, and through him secured books which "neither price nor prayers could buy." Franklin's literary education was derived from Logan's library at Stenton. The following letter gives a good notion of the relation existing between the great scholar and the eager pupil.

MY GOOD FRIEND B. FRANKLIN :

STENTON, May 6, 1741.

I return thee all thy Books with my hearty thanks for thy trouble in favouring me with a sight of them, and am highly pleased there are any in the Province who are so fond of such studies, and at the same time so well furnish'd with cash as to take them all together in their present condition at those Prices. But as I have some knowledge of the unhappy young man that most (not all) of them belonged to, I am sorry he should strain so far as to say the Homer cost him 4 Moydores. For one of the same, most exquisitely

THEIR CONSTRUCTION AND MANNER OF OPERATION IS PARTICULARLY EXPLAINED; THEIR ADVANTAGES ABOVE EVERY OTHER METHOD OF WARMING ROOMS DEMONSTRATED; AND ALL OBJECTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED AGAINST THE USE OF THEM ANSWERED AND OBVIATED. WITH DIRECTIONS FOR PUTTING THEM UP, AND FOR USING THEM TO THE BEST ADVANTAGE. AND A COPPER-PLATE IN WHICH THE SEVERAL PARTS OF THE MACHINE ARE EXACTLY LAID DOWN, FROM A SCALE OF EQUAL PARTS.

PHILADELPHIA:

PRINTED AND SOLD BY B. FRANKLIN. 1744.1

In these Northern Colonies the Inhabitants keep Fires to sit by, generally Seven Months in the Year; that is, from the Beginning of October to the End of April; and in some Winters near Eight Months, by taking in part of September and May.

bound, was offer'd to me the same year they were printed (1711) for less than one, and I never heard they were much started. I have one of the same edition of the Herodotus, perfect with all its maps of which this has not one that was bought of Ch. Bateman for 14 sh'gs for Wm. Masters, but this has been bound at least a second time, and only in sheepskin after it had been grossly abused, etc. I therefore advise thee by all means to accept the offer tho' with some considerable abatement, but I would willingly know who the Possessor is to be of the Ovid, for I want the use of the 3d vol. for about a week at most. I hope notwithstanding it suits us not to deal at present, Thou wilt still continue thy resolution to favour us with a visit.

Thy real friend,

1 Published in November, 1744.

JAMES LOGAN.

Wood, our common Fewel, which within these 100 Years might be had at every Man's Door, must now be fetch'd near 100 Miles to some Towns, and makes a very considerable Article in the Expence of Families.

As therefore so much of the Comfort and Conveniency of our Lives, for so great a Part of the Year, depends on the Article of Fire; since Fuel is become so expensive, and (as the Country is more clear'd and settled) will of course grow scarcer and dearer; any new Proposal for Saving the Wood, and for lessening the Charge and augmenting the Benefit of Fire, by some particular Method of Making and Managing it, may at least be thought worth Consideration.

The New Fire-Places are a late Invention to that purpose, (experienced now three Winters by a great Number of Families in Pennsylvania) of which this Paper is intended to give a particular Account.

That the Reader may the better judge whether this Method of Managing Fire has any Advantage over those heretofore in Use, it may be proper to consider both the old and new Methods, separately and particularly, and afterwards make the Comparison.

In order to this 'tis necessary to understand well some few of the Properties of Air and Fire, viz.

1. Air is rarified by Heat, and condens'd by Cold, i.e. the same Quantity of Air takes up more Space when warm than when cold. This may be shown by several very easy Experiments. Take any clear Glass Bottle (a Florence Flask stript of the Straw is best), place it before the Fire, and, as the Air within is warm'd and rarified, part of it will be driven out of the Bottle; turn it up, place its Mouth in a Vessel of Water, and remove it from the Fire; then, as the Air within

cools and contracts, you will see the Water rise in the Neck of the Bottle, supplying the Place of just so much Air as was driven out. Hold a large hot Coal near the Side of the Bottle, and as the Air within feels the Heat, it will again distend and force out the Water. Or, Fill a Bladder halffull of Air, tie the Neck tight, and lay it before a Fire as near as may be without scorching the Bladder; as the Air within heats, you will perceive it to swell and fill the Bladder, till it becomes tight, as if full blown: Remove it to a cool Place, and you will see it fall gradually, till it becomes as lank as at first.

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2. Air rarified and distended by Heat is specifically 1 lighter than it was before, and will rise in other Air of greater Density. As Wood, Oil, or any other Matter specifically lighter than Water, if plac'd at the Bottom of a Vessel of Water, will rise till it comes to the Top; so rarified Air will rise in common Air, till it either comes to Air of equal Weight, or is by Cold reduc'd to its former Density.

A Fire then being made in any Chimney, the Air over the Fire is rarified by the Heat, becomes lighter and therefore immediately rises in the Funnel, and goes out; the other Air in the Room (flowing towards the Chimney) supplies its Place, is rarified in its turn, and rises likewise; the Place of the Air thus carried out of the Room is supplied by fresh Air coming in thro' Doors and Windows, or, if they be shut, thro' every Crevice with Violence, as may be seen by holding a Candle to a Key-hole: If the Room be so tight as that all the Crevices together will not supply so much Air as is con

1 Body or Matter of any sort is said to be specifically heavier or lighter than other Matter, when it has more or less Substance or Weight in the same Dimensions.-F.

tinually carried off, then in a little time the Current up the Funnel must flag, and the Smoke, being no longer driven up must come into the Room.

1. Fire (i.e. Common Fire) throws out Light, Heat, and Smoke (or Fume) The two first move in right Lines, and with great Swiftness; the latter is but just separated from the Fuel, and then moves only as it is carried by the Stream of rarified Air. And without a continual Accession and Recession of Air, to carry off the smoaky Fumes, they would remain crouded about the Fire, and stifle it.

2. Heat may be separated from the Smoke as well as from the Light, by means of a Plate of Iron, which will suffer Heat to pass through it without the others.

3. Fire sends out its Rays of Heat, as well as Rays of Light, equally every way: But the greatest sensible Heat is over the Fire, where there is, besides the Rays of Heat shot upwards, a continual rising Stream of hot Air, heated by the Rays shot round on every Side.

These Things being understood, we proceed to consider the Fire-places heretofore in Use, viz.

1. The large open Fire-places used in the Days of our Fathers, and still generally in the Country, and in Kitchens. 2. The newer-fashion'd Fire-places, with low Breasts and narrow Hearths.

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3. Fire-places with hollow Backs, Hearths and Jams of Iron, (described by Mons. Gauger) for warming the Air as it comes into the Room.

4. The Holland Stoves, with Iron Doors opening into the Room.

5. The German Stoves, which have no Opening in the

1 In his Tract entitled, La Méchanique de Feu.—F.