第2章

TWYFORD, at the Bishop of St. Asaph's, 1771

Dear son:

I have ever had pleasure in obtaining any little anecdotes of my ancestors. You may remember the inquiries I made among the remains of my relations when you were with me in England, and the journey I undertook for that purpose. Imagining it may be equally agreeable to you to know the circumstances of my life, many of which you are yet unacquainted with, and expecting the enjoyment of a week's uninterrupted leisure in my present country retirement, I sit down to write them for you.

To which I have besides some other inducements. Having emerged from the poverty and obscurity in which I was born and bred, to a state of affluence and some degree of reputation in the world, and having gone so far through life with a considerable share of felicity, the conducing means I made use of, which with the blessing of God so well succeeded, my posterity may like to know, as they may find some of them suitable to their own situations, and therefore fit to be imitated.

That felicity, when I reflected on it, has induced me sometimes to say, that were it offered to my choice, I should have no objection to a repetition of the same life from its beginning, only asking the advantages authors have in a second edition to correct some faults of the first. So I might, besides correcting the faults, change some sinister accidents and events of it for others more favorable. But though this were denied, I should still accept the offer. Since such a repetition is not to be expected, the next thing most like living one's life over again seems to be a recollection of that life, and to make that recollection as durable as possible by putting it down in writing.

Hereby, too, I shall indulge the inclination so natural in old men, to be talking of themselves and their own past actions; and I shall indulge it without being tiresome to others, who, through respect to age, might conceive themselves obliged to give me a hearing, since this may be read or not as any one pleases.

And, lastly (I may as well confess it,since my denial of it will be believed by nobody), perhaps I shall a good deal gratify my own vanity. Indeed, I scarce ever heard or saw the introductory words, "Without vanity I may say, " &c., but some vain thing immediately followed. Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves; but I give it fair quarter wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others that are within his sphere of action; and therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts of life.

The notes one of my uncles (who had the same kind of curiosity in collecting family anecdotes) once put into my hands, furnished me with several particulars relating to our ancestors. From these notes I learned that the family had lived in the same village, Ecton, in Northamptonshire, for three hundred years, and how much longer he knew not (perhaps from the time when the name of Franklin, that before was the name of an order of people, was assumed by them as a surname when others took surnames all over the kingdom), on a freehold of about thirty acres, aided by the smith's business, which had continued in the family till his time, the eldest son being always bred to that business; a custom which he and my father followed as to their eldest sons.

When I searched the registers at Ecton, I found an account of their births, marriages and burials from the year 1555 only, there being no registers kept in that parish at any time preceding. By that register I perceived that I was the youngest son of the youngest son for five generations back.

My grandfather Thomas, who was born in 1598, lived at Ecton till he grew too old to follow business longer, when he went to live with his son John, a dyer at Banbury, in Oxfordshire, with whom my father served an apprenticeship. There my grandfather died and lies buried. We saw his gravestone in 1758. His eldest son Thomas lived in the house at Ecton, and left it with the land to his only child, a daughter, who, with her husband, one Fisher, of Wellingborough, sold it to Mr. Isted, now lord of the manor there. My grandfather had four sons that grew up, viz.: Thomas, John, Benjamin and Josiah. I will give you what account I can of them, at this distance from my papers, and if these are not lost in my absence, you will among them find many more particulars.

Thomas was bred a smith under his father; but, being ingenious, and encouraged in learning (as all my brothers were) by an Esquire Palmer, then the principal gentleman in that parish, he qualified himself for the business of scrivener; became a considerable man in the county; was a chief mover of all public-spirited undertakings for the county or town of Northampton, and his own village, of which many instances were related of him; and much taken notice of and patronized by the then Lord Halifax.

He died in 17O2, January 6, old style, just four years to a day before I was born. The account we received of his life and character from some old people at Ecton, I remember, struck you as something extraordinary, from its similarity to what you knew of mine.

"Had he died on the same day, " you said, "one might have supposed a transmigration."

John was bred a dyer, I believe of woolens. Benjamin was bred a silk dyer, serving an apprenticeship at London. He was an ingenious man. I remember him well, for when I was a boy he came over to my father in Boston, and lived in the house with us some years. He lived to a great age. His grandson, Samuel Franklin, now lives in Boston. He left behind him two quarto volumes, MS., of his own poetry, consisting of little occasional pieces addressed to his friends and relations, of which the following, sent to me, is a specimen.

He had formed a short-hand of his own, which he taught me, but, never practising it, I have now forgot it. I was named after this uncle, there being a particular affection between him and my father.

He was very pious, a great attender of sermons of the best preachers, which he took down in his short-hand, and had with him many volumes of them. He was also much of a politician; too much, perhaps, for his station.

There fell lately into my hands, in London, a collection he had made of all the principal pamphlets, relating to public affairs, from 1641 to 1717; many of the volumes are wanting as appears by the numbering, but there still remain eight volumes in folio, and twenty-four in quarto and in octavo. A dealer in old books met with them, and knowing me by my sometimes buying of him, he brought them to me. It seems my uncle must have left them here, when he went to America, which was about fifty years since. There are many of his notes in the margins.

This obscure family of ours was early in the Reformation, and continued Protestants through the reign of Queen Mary, when they were sometimes in danger of trouble on account of their zeal against popery. They had got an English Bible, and to conceal and secure it, it was fastened open with tapes under and within the cover of a joint-stool. When my great-great-grandfather read it to his family, he turned up the joint-stool upon his knees, turning over the leaves then under the tapes.

One of the children stood at the door to give notice if he saw the apparitor coming, who was an 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 England till about the end of Charles the Second's reign, when some of the ministers that had been outed for nonconformity holding conventicles in Northamptonshire, Benjamin and Josiah adhered to them, and so continued all their lives: the rest of the family remained with the Episcopal Church.

Josiah, my father, married young, and carried his wife with three children into New England, about 1682. The conventicles having been forbidden by law, and frequently disturbed, induced some considerable men of his acquaintance to remove to that country, and he was prevailed with to accompany them thither, where they expected to enjoy their mode of religion with freedom.

By the same wife he had four children more born there, and by a second wife ten more, in all seventeen; of which I remember thirteen sitting at one time at his table, who all grew up to be men and women, and married; I was the youngest son, and the youngest child but two, and was born in Boston, New England.

My mother, the second wife, was Abiah Folger, daughter of Peter Folger, one of the first settlers of New England, of whom honorable mention is made by Cotton Mather in his church history of that country, entitled Magnalia Christi Americana, as 'a godly, learned Englishman, " if I remember the words rightly. I have heard that he wrote sundry small occasional pieces, but only one of them was printed, which I saw now many years since.

It was written in 1675, in the home-spun verse of that time and people, and addressed to those then concerned in the government there. It was in favor of liberty of conscience, and in behalf of the Baptists, Quakers, and other sectaries that had been under persecution, ascribing the Indian wars, and other distresses that had befallen the country, to that persecution, as so many judgments of God to punish so heinous an offense, and exhorting a repeal of those uncharitable laws.

The whole appeared to me as written with a good deal of decent plainness and manly freedom. The six concluding lines I remember, though I have forgotten the two first of the stanza; but the purport of them was, that his censures proceeded from good-will, and, therefore, he would be known to be the author.

"Because to be a libeller (says he)

I hate it with my heart;

From Sherburne town, where now I dwell

My name I do put here;

Without offense your real friend,

It is Peter Folgier."

My elder brothers were all put apprentices to different trades. I was put to the grammar-school at eight years of age, my father intending to devote me, as the tithe of his sons, to the service of the Church. My early readiness in learning to read (which must have been very early, as I do not remember when I could not read), and the opinion of all his friends, that I should certainly make a good scholar, encouraged him in this purpose of his.

My uncle Benjamin, too, approved of it, and proposed to give me all his short-hand volumes of sermons, I suppose as a stock to set up with, if I would learn his character. I continued, however, at the grammar-school not quite one year, though in that time I had risen gradually from the middle of the class of that year to be the head of it, and farther was removed into the next class above it, in order to go with that into the third at the end of the year. But my father, in the meantime, from a view of the expense of a college education, which having so large a family he could not well afford, and the mean living many so educated were afterwards able to obtain-reasons that be gave to his friends in my hearing-altered his first intention, took me from the grammar-school, and sent me to a school for writing and arithmetic, kept by a then famous man, Mr. George Brownell, very successful in his profession generally, and that by mild, encouraging methods. Under him I acquired fair writing pretty soon, but I failed in the arithmetic, and made no progress in it.

At ten years old I was taken home to assist my father in his business, which was that of a tallow-chandler and sope-boiler; a business he was not bred to, but had assumed on his arrival in New England, and on finding his dying trade would not maintain his family,being in little request. Accordingly, I was employed in cutting wick for the candles, filling the dipping mold and the molds for cast candles, attending the shop, going of errands, etc.

I disliked the trade, and had a strong inclination for the sea, but my father declared against it; however, living near the water, I was much in and about it, learnt early to swim well, and to manage boats; and when in a boat or canoe with other boys, I was commonly allowed to govern, especially in any case of difficulty; and upon other occasions I was generally a leader among the boys, and sometimes led them into scrapes, of which I will mention one instance, as it shows an early projecting public spirit, tho’not then justly conducted.

There was a salt-marsh that bounded part of the mill-pond, on the edge of which, at high water, we used to stand to fish for minnows. By much trampling, we had made it a mere quagmire. My proposal was to build a wharff there fit for us to stand upon, and I showed my comrades a large heap of stones, which were intended for a new house near the marsh, and which would very well suit our purpose. Accordingly, in the evening, when the workmen were gone, I assembled a number of my play-fellows, and working with them diligently like so many emmets, sometimes two or three to a stone, we brought them all away and built our little wharff. The next morning the workmen were surprised at missing the stones, which were found in our wharff. Inquiry was made after the removers; we were discovered and complained of; several of us were corrected by our fathers; and though I pleaded the usefulness of the work, mine convinced me that nothing was useful which was not honest.

I think you may like to know something of his person and character. He had an excellent constitution of body, was of middle stature, but well set, and very strong;he was ingenious, could draw prettily, was skilled a little in music, and had a clear pleasing voice, so that when he played psalm tunes on his violin and sung withal, as he sometimesdid in an evening after the business of the day was over, it was extremely agreeable to hear.

He had a mechanical genius too, and, on occasion, was very handy in the use of other tradesmen's tools; but his great excellence lay in a sound understanding and solid judgment in prudential matters, both in private and publick affairs. In the latter, indeed, he was never employed, the numerous family he had to educate and the straitness of his circumstances keeping him close to his trade; but I remember well his being frequently visited by leading people, who consulted him for his opinion in affairs of the town or of the church he belonged to, and showed a good deal of respect for his judgment and advice: he was also much consulted by private persons about their affairs when any difficulty occurred, and frequently chosen an arbitrator between contending parties.

At his table he liked to have, as often as he could, some sensible friend or neighbor to converse with, and always took care to start some ingenious or useful topic for discourse, which might tend to improve the minds of his children. By this means he turned our attention to what was good, just, and prudent in the conduct of life; and little or no notice was ever taken of what related to the victuals on the table, whether it was well or ill dressed, in or out of season, of good or bad flavor, preferable or inferior to this or that other thing of the kind, so that I was bro't up in such a perfect inattention to those matters as to be quite indifferent what kind of food was set before me, and so unobservant of it, that to this day if I am asked I can scarce tell a few hours after dinner what I dined upon. This has been a convenience to me in travelling, where my companions have been sometimes very unhappy for want of a suitable gratification of their more delicate, because better instructed, tastes and appetites.

My mother had likewise an excellent constitution: she suckled all her ten children. I never knew either my father or mother to have any sickness but that of which they dy'd, he at 89, and she at 85 years of age. They lie buried together at Boston, where I some years since placed a marble over their grave, with this inscription:

JOSIAH FRANKLIN,

and

ABIAH his Wife,

lie here interred.

They lived lovingly together in wedlock

fifty-five years.

Without an estate, or any gainful employment,

By constant labor and industry,

with God's blessing,

They maintained a large family

comfortably,

and brought up thirteen children

and seven grandchildren

reputably.

From this instance, reader,

Be encouraged to diligence in thy calling,

And distrust not Providence.

He was a pious and prudent man;

She, a discreet and virtuous woman.

Their youngest son,

In filial regard to their memory,

Places this stone.

J.F. born 1655, died 1744, AEtat 89.

A.F. born 1667, died 1752, - 85.

By my rambling digressions I perceive myself to be grown old. I us'd to write more methodically. But one does not dress for private company as for a publick ball. 'Tis perhaps only negligence.

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, having left my father, married, and set up for himself at Rhode Island, there was all appearance that I was destined to supply his place, and become a tallow-chandler. But my dislike to the trade continuing, my father was under apprehensions that if he did not find one for me more agreeable, I should break away and get to sea, as his son Josiah had done, to his great vexation. He therefore sometimes took me to walk with him, and see joiners,bricklayers, turners, braziers, etc., at their work, that he might observe my inclination, and endeavor to fix it on some trade or other on land.

It has ever since been a pleasure to me to see good workmen handle their tools; and it has been useful to me, having learnt so much by it as to be able to do little jobs myself in my house when a workman could not readily be got, and to construct little machines for my experiments, while the intention of making the experiment was fresh and warm in my mind. My father at last fixed upon the cutler's trade, and my uncle Benjamin's son Samuel, who was bred to that business in London, being about that time established in Boston, I was sent to be with him some time on liking. But his expectations of a fee with me displeasing my father, I was taken home again.

From a child I was fond of reading, and all the little money that came into my hands was ever laid out in books. Pleased with the Pilgrim's Progress, my first collection was of John Bunyan's works in separate little volumes. I afterward sold them to enable me to buy R. Burton's Historical Collections; they were small chapmen's books, and cheap, 40 or 50 in all. My father's little library consisted chiefly of books in polemic divinity, most of which I read, and have since often regretted that, at a time when I had such a thirst for knowledge, more proper books had not fallen in my way since it was now resolved I should not be a clergyman. Plutarch's Lives there was in which I read abundantly, and I still think that time spent to great advantage. There was also a book of De Foe's, called an Essay on Projects, and another of Dr. Mather's, called Essays to do Good, which perhaps gave me a turn of thinking that had an influence on some of the principal future events of my life.

This bookish inclination at length determined my father to make me a printer, though he had already one son (James) of that profession. In 1717 my brother James returned from England with a press and letters to set up his business in Boston. I liked it much better than that of my father, but still had a hankering for the sea. To prevent the apprehended effect of such an inclination, my father was impatient to have me bound to my brother. I stood out some time, but at last was persuaded, and signed the indentures when I was yet but twelve years old.

I was to serve as an apprentice till I was twenty-one years of age, only I was to be allowed journeyman's wages during the last year. In a little time I made great proficiency in the business, and became a useful hand to my brother. I now had access to better books. An acquaintance with the apprentices of booksellers enabled me sometimes to borrow a small one, which I was careful to return soon and clean. Often I sat up in my room reading the greatest part of the night, when the book was borrowed in the evening and to be returned early in the morning, lest it should be missed or wanted.

And after some time an ingenious tradesman, Mr. Matthew Adams, who had a pretty collection of books, and who frequented our printing-house, took notice of me, invited me to his library, and very kindly lent me such books as I chose to read. I now took a fancy to poetry, and made some little pieces; my brother, thinking it might turn to account, encouraged me, and put me on composing occasional ballads. One was called The Lighthouse Tragedy, and contained an account of the drowning of Captain Worthilake, with his two daughters: the other was a sailor's song, on the taking of Teach (or Blackbeard) the pirate. They were wretched stuff, in the Grub-street-ballad style; and when they were printed he sent me about the town to sell them.

The first sold wonderfully, the event being recent, having made a great noise. This flattered my vanity; but my father discouraged me by ridiculing my performances, and telling me verse-makers were generally beggars. So I escaped being a poet, most probably a very bad one; but as prose writing bad been of great use to me in the course of my life, and was a principal means of my advancement, I shall tell you how, in such a situation, I acquired what little ability I have in that way.

There was another bookish lad in the town, John Collins by name, with whom I was intimately acquainted. We sometimes disputed, and very fond we were of argument,

and very desirous of confuting one another, which disputatious turn, by the way, is apt to become a very bad habit, making people often extremely disagreeable in company by the contradiction that is necessary to bring it into practice; and thence, besides souring and spoiling the conversation, is productive of disgusts and, perhaps enmities where you may have occasion for friendship. I had caught it by reading my father's books of dispute about religion. Persons of good sense, I have since observed, seldom fall into it, except lawyers, university men, and men of all sorts that have been bred at Edinborough.

A question was once, somehow or other, started between Collins and me, of the propriety of educating the female sex in learning, and their abilities for study. He was of opinion that it was improper, and that they were naturally unequal to it. I took the contrary side, perhaps a little for dispute's sake. He was naturally more eloquent, had a ready plenty of words; and sometimes, as I thought, bore me down more by his fluency than by the strength of his reasons.

As we parted without settling the point, and were not to see one another again for some time, I sat down to put my arguments in writing, which I copied fair and sent to him. He answered, and I replied. Three or four letters of a side had passed, when my father happened to find my papers and read them. Without entering into the discussion,he took occasion to talk to me about the manner of my writing; observed that, though I had the advantage of my antagonist in correct spelling and pointing (which I ow'd to the printing-house), I fell far short in elegance of expression, in method and in perspicuity, of which he convinced me by several instances. I saw the justice of his remark, and thence grew more attentive to the manner in writing, and determined to endeavor at improvement.

About this time I met with an odd volume of the Spectator. It was the third. I had never before seen any of them. I bought it, read it over and over, and was much delighted with it. I thought the writing excellent, and wished, if possible, to imitate it. With this view I took some of the papers, and, making short hints of the sentiment in each sentence, laid them by a few days, and then, without looking at the book, try'd to compleat the papers again, by expressing each hinted sentiment at length, and as fully as it had been expressed before, in any suitable words that should come to hand. Then I compared my Spectator with the original, discovered some of my faults, and corrected them.

But I found I wanted a stock of words, or a readiness in recollecting and using them, which I thought I should have acquired before that time if I had gone on making verses;since the continual occasion for words of the same import, but of different length, to suit the measure, or of different sound for the rhyme, would have laid me under a constant necessity of searching for variety, and also have tended to fix that variety in my mind, and make me master of it. Therefore I took some of the tales and turned them into verse; and, after a time, when I had pretty well forgotten the prose, turned them back again.

I also sometimes jumbled my collections of hints into confusion, and after some weeks endeavored to reduce them into the best order, before I began to form the full sentences and compleat the paper. This was to teach me method in the arrangement of thoughts. By comparing my work afterwards with the original, I discovered many faults and amended them; but I sometimes had the pleasure of fancying that, in certain particulars of small import, I had been lucky enough to improve the method or the language, and this encouraged me to think I might possibly in time come to be a tolerable English writer, of which I was extremely ambitious.

My time for these exercises and for reading was at night, after work or before it began in the morning, or on Sundays, when I contrived to be in the printing-house alone, evading as much as I could the common attendance on public worship which my father used to exact on me when I was under his care, and which indeed I still thought a duty, though I could not, as it seemed to me, afford time to practise it.

When about 16 years of age I happened to meet with a book, written by one Tryon, recommending a vegetable diet. I determined to go into it. My brother, being yet unmarried, did not keep house, but boarded himself and his apprentices in another family. My refusing to eat flesh occasioned an inconveniency, and I was frequently chid for my singularity. I made myself acquainted with Tryon's manner of preparing some of his dishes, such as boiling potatoes or rice, making hasty pudding, and a few others, and then proposed to my brother, that if he would give me, weekly, half the money he paid for my board, I would board myself. He instantly agreed to it, and I presently found that I could save half what he paid me. This was an additional fund for buying books.

But I had another advantage in it. My brother and the rest going from the printing-house to their meals, I remained there alone, and, despatching presently my light repast, which often was no more than a bisket or a slice of bread, a handful of raisins or a tart from the pastry-cook's, and a glass of water, had the rest of the time till their return for study, in which I made the greater progress, from that greater clearness of head and quicker apprehension which usually attend temperance in eating and drinking.

And now it was that, being on some occasion made asham'd of my ignorance in figures, which I had twice failed in learning when at school, I took Cocker's book of Arithmetick, and went through the whole by myself with great ease. I also read Seller's and Shermy's books of Navigation, and became acquainted with the little geometry they contain; but never proceeded far in that science. And I read about this time Locke On Human Understanding, and the Art of Thinking, by Messrs. du Port Royal.

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 procur'd Xenophon's Memorable Things of Socrates, wherein there are many instances of the same method. I was charm'd with it, adopted it, dropt my abrupt contradiction and positive argumentation, and put on the humble inquirer and doubter.

And being then, from reading Shaftesbury and Collins, become a real doubter in many points of our religious doctrine, I found this method safest for myself and very embarrassing to those against whom I used it; therefore 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. I continu'd this method some few years, but gradually left it, retaining only the habit of expressing myself in terms of modest diffidence; never using.

when I advanced any thing that may possibly be disputed, the words certainly, undoubtedly, or any others that give the air of positiveness to an opinion; but rather say, I conceive or apprehend a thing to be so and so; it appears to me, or I should think it so or so, for such and such reasons; or I imagine it to be so; or it is so, if I am not mistaken. This habit, I believe, has been of great advantage to me when I have had occasion to inculcate my opinions, and persuade men into measures that I have been from time to time engag'd in promoting; and, as the chief ends of conversation are to inform or to be informed, to please or to persuade, I wish well-meaning, sensible men would not lessen

their power of doing good by a positive, assuming manner, that seldom fails to disgust, tends to create opposition, and to defeat every one of those purposes for which speech was given to us, to wit, giving or receiving information or pleasure. For, if you would inform, a positive and dogmatical manner in advancing your sentiments may provoke contradiction and prevent a candid attention. If you wish information and improvement from the knowledge of others, and yet at the same time express yourself as firmly fix'd in your present opinions, modest, sensible men, who do not love disputation, will probably leave you undisturbed in the possession of your error. And by such a manner, you can seldom hope to recommend yourself in pleasing your hearers, or to persuade those whose concurrence you desire.

Pope says, judiciously:

"Men should be taught as

if you taught them not,

And things unknown propos'd

as things forgot; "

farther recommending to us"To speak, tho’sure,

with seeming diffidence."

And he might have coupled with this line that which he has coupled with another, I think, less properly,

"For want of modesty is want of sense."

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."

Now, is not want of sense (where a man is so unfortunate as to want it) some apology for his want of modesty? and would not the lines stand more justly thus?

"Immodest words admit but this defense,

That want of modesty is want of sense."

This, however, I should submit to better judgments.

My brother had, in 1720 or 1721, begun to print a newspaper. It was the second that appeared in America, and was called the New England Courant. The only one before it was the Boston News-Letter. I remember his being dissuaded by some of his friends from the undertaking, as not likely to succeed, one newspaper being, in their judgment, enough for America. At this time (1771) there are not less than five-and-twenty. He went on, however, with the undertaking, and after having worked in composing the types and printing off the sheets, I was employed to carry the papers thro’the streets to the customers.

He had some ingenious men among his friends, who amus'd themselves by writing little pieces for this paper, which gain'd it credit and made it more in demand, and these gentlemen often visited us. Hearing their conversations, and their accounts of the approbation their papers were received with, I was excited to try my hand among them;but, being still a boy, and suspecting that my brother would object to printing anything of mine in his paper if he knew it to be mine, I contrived to disguise my hand, and, writing an anonymous paper, I put it in at night under the door of the printing-house. It was found in the morning, and communicated to his writing friends when they call'd in as usual. They read it, commented on it in my hearing, and I had the exquisite pleasure of finding it met with their approbation, and that, in their different guesses at the author, none were named but men of some character among us for learning and ingenuity. I suppose now that I was rather lucky in my judges, and that perhaps they were not really so very good ones as I then esteem'd them.

Encourag'd, however, by this, I wrote and convey'd in the same way to the press several more papers which were equally approv'd; and I kept my secret till my small fund of sense for such performances was pretty well exhausted and then I discovered it, when I began to be considered a little more by my brother's acquaintance, and in a manner that did not quite please him, as he thought, probably with reason, that it tended to make me too vain. And, perhaps, this might be one occasion of the differences that we began to have about this time. Though a brother, he considered himself as my master, and me as his apprentice, and accordingly, expected the same services from me as he would from another, while I thought he demean'd me too much in some he requir'd of me, who from a brother expected more indulgence.

Our disputes were often brought before our father, and I fancy I was either generally in the right, or else a better pleader, because the judgment was generally in my favor. But my brother was passionate, and had often beaten me, which I took extreamly amiss; and, thinking my apprenticeship very tedious, I was continually wishing for some opportunity of shortening it, which at length offered in a manner unexpected.

One of the pieces in our newspaper on some political point, which I have now forgotten, gave offense to the Assembly. He was taken up, censur'd, and imprison'd for a month, by the speaker's warrant, I suppose, because he would not discover his author. I too was taken up and examin'd before the council; but, tho’I did not give them any satisfaction, they content'd themselves with admonishing me, and dismissed me, considering me, perhaps, as an apprentice, who was bound to keep his master's secrets.

During my brother's confinement, which I resented a good deal, notwithstanding our private differences, I had the management of the paper; and I made bold to give our rulers some rubs in it, which my brother took very kindly, while others began to consider me in an unfavorable light, as a young genius that had a turn for libelling and satyr. My brother's discharge was accompany'd with an order of the House (a very odd one), that "James Franklin should no longer print the paper called the New England Courant."

There was a consultation held in our printing-house among his friends, what he should do in this case. Some proposed to evade the order by changing the name of the paper; but my brother, seeing inconveniences in that, it was finally concluded on as a better way, to let it be printed for the future under the name of Benjamin Franklin; and to avoid the censure of the Assembly, that might fall on him as still printing it by his apprentice, the contrivance was that my old indenture should be return'd to me, with a full discharge on the back of it, to be shown on occasion, but to secure to him the benefit of my service, I was to sign new indentures for the remainder of the term, which were to be kept private. A very flimsy scheme it was; however, it was immediately executed, and the paper went on accordingly, under my name for several months.

At length, a fresh difference arising between my brother and me, I took upon me to assert my freedom, presuming that he would not venture to produce the new indentures. It was not fair in me to take this advantage, and this I therefore reckon one of the first errata of my life; but the unfairness of it weighed little with me, when under the impressions of resentment for the blows his passion too often urged him to bestow upon me, though he was otherwise not an ill-natur'd man: perhaps I was too saucy and provoking.

When he found I would leave him, he took care to prevent my getting employment in any other printing-house of the town, by going round and speaking to every master, who accordingly refus'd to give me work. I then thought of going to New York, as the nearest place where there was a printer; and I was rather inclin'd to leave Boston when I reflected that I had already made myself a little obnoxious to the governing party, and, from the arbitrary proceedings of the Assembly in my brother's case, it was likely I might, if I stay'd, soon bring myself into scrapes; and farther, that my indiscrete disputations about religion began to make me pointed at with horror by good people as an infidel or atheist.

I determin'd on the point, but my father now siding with my brother, I was sensible that, if I attempted to go openly, means would be used to prevent me. My friend Collins, therefore, undertook to manage a little for me. He agreed with the captain of a New York sloop for my passage, under the notion of my being a young acquaintance of his, that had got a naughty girl with child, whose friends would compel me to marry her, and therefore I could not appear or come away publicly. So I sold some of my books to raise a little money, was taken on board privately, and as we had a fair wind, in three days I found myself in New York, near 300 miles from home, a boy of but 17, without the least recommendation to, or knowledge of any person in the place, and with very little money in my pocket.

My inclinations for the sea were by this time worne out, or I might now have gratify'd them. But, having a trade, and supposing myself a pretty good workman, I offer'd my service to the printer in the place, old Mr. William Bradford, who had been the first printer in Pennsylvania, but removed from thence upon the quarrel of George Keith. He could give me no employment, having little to do, and help enough already; but says he,"My son at Philadelphia has lately lost his principal hand, Aquila Rose, by death; if you go thither, I believe he may employ you." Philadelphia was a hundred miles further; I set out, however, in a boat for Amboy, leaving my chest and things to follow me round by sea.

In crossing the bay, we met with a squall that tore our rotten sails to pieces, prevented our getting into the Kill and drove us upon Long Island. In our way, a drunken Dutchman, who was a passenger too, fell overboard; when he was sinking, I reached through the water to his shock pate, and drew him up, so that we got him in again. His ducking sobered him a little, and he went to sleep, taking first out of his pocket a book, which he desir'd I would dry for him. It proved to be my old favorite author, Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, in Dutch, finely printed on good paper, with copper cuts, a dress better than I had ever seen it wear in its own language. I have since found that it has been translated into most of the languages of Europe, and suppose it has been more generally read than any other book, except perhaps the Bible.

Honest John was the first that I know of who mix'd narration and dialogue; a method of writing very engaging to the reader, who in the most interesting parts finds himself, as it were, brought into the company and present at the discourse. De Foe in his Cruso, his Moll Flanders, Religious Courtship, Family Instructor, and other pieces, has imitated it with success; and Richardson has done the same, in his Pamela, etc.

When we drew near the island, we found it was at a place where there could be no landing, there being a great surff on the stony beach. So we dropt anchor, and swung round towards the shore. Some people came down to the water edge and hallow'd to us, as we did to them; but the wind was so high, and the surff so loud, that we could not hear so as to understand each other. There were canoes on the shore, and we made signs, and hallow'd that they should fetch us; but they either did not understand us, or thought it impracticable, so they went away, and night coming on, we had no remedy but to wait till the wind should abate; and, in the meantime, the boatman and I concluded to sleep, if we could; and so crowded into the scuttle, with the Dutchman, who was still wet, and the spray beating over the head of our boat, leak'd thro’to us, so that we were soon almost as wet as he. In this manner we lay all night, with very little rest; but, the wind abating the next day, we made a shift to reach Amboy before night, having been thirty hours on the water, without victuals, or any drink but a bottle of filthy rum, and the water we sail'd on being salt.

In the evening I found myself very feverish, and went in to bed; but, having read somewhere that cold water drank plentifully was good for a fever, I follow'd the prescription, sweat plentiful most of the night, my fever left me, and in the morning, crossing the ferry, I proceeded on my journey on foot, having fifty miles to Burlington, where I was told I should find boats that would carry me the rest of the way to Philadelphia.

It rained very hard all the day; I was thoroughly soak'd, and by noon a good deal tired; so I stopt at a poor inn, where I staid all night, beginning now to wish that I had never left home. I cut so miserable a figure, too, that I found, by the questions ask'd me, I was suspected to be some runaway servant, and in danger of being taken up on that suspicion. However, I proceeded the next day, and got in the evening to an inn, within eight or ten miles of Burlington, kept by one Dr. Brown. He entered into conversation with me while I took some refreshment, and, finding I had read a little, became very sociable and friendly. Our acquaintance continu'd as long as he liv'd.

He had been, I imagine, an itinerant doctor, for there was no town in England, or country in Europe, of which he could not give a very particular account. He had some letters, and was ingenious, but much of an unbeliever, and wickedly undertook, some years after, to travestie the Bible in doggrel verse, as Cotton had done Virgil. By this means he set many of the facts in a very ridiculous light, and might have hurt weak minds if his work had been published; but it never was.

At his house I lay that night, and the next morning reach'd Burlington, but had the mortification to find that the regular boats were gone a little before my coming, and no other expected to go before Tuesday, this being Saturday; wherefore I returned to an old woman in the town, of whom I had bought gingerbread to eat on the water, and ask'd her advice. She invited me to lodge at her house till a passage by water should offer; and being tired with my foot travelling, I accepted the invitation.

She understanding I was a printer, would have had me stay at that town and follow my business, being ignorant of the stock necessary to begin with.

She was very hospitable, gave me a dinner of ox-cheek with great good will, accepting only a pot of ale in return; and I thought myself fixed till Tuesday should come.

However, walking in the evening by the side of the river, a boat came by, which I found was going towards Philadelphia, with several people in her. They took me in, and, as there was no wind, we row'd all the way; and about midnight, not having yet seen the city, some of the company were confident we must have passed it, and would row no farther; the others knew not where we were; so we put toward the shore, got into a creek, landed near an old fence, with the rails of which we made a fire, the night being cold, in October, and there we remained till daylight. Then one of the company knew the place to be Cooper's Creek, a little above Philadelphia, which we saw as soon as we got out of the creek, and arriv'd there about eight or nine o'clock on the Sunday morning, and landed at the Market-street wharf.

I have been the more particular in this description of my journey, and shall be so of my first entry into that city, that you may in your mind compare such unlikely beginnings with the figure I have since made there.

I was in my working dress, my best cloaths being to come round by sea. I was dirty from my journey; my pockets were stuff'd out with shirts and stockings, and I knew no soul nor where to look for lodging. I was fatigued with travelling, rowing, and want of rest, I was very hungry; and my whole stock of cash consisted of a Dutch dollar, and about a shilling in copper. The latter I gave the people of the boat for my passage, who at first refus'd it, on account of my rowing; but I insisted on their taking it. A man being sometimes more generous when he has but a little money than when he has plenty, perhaps thro’fear of being thought to have but little.

（1771年，写于都怀福德村圣·阿萨夫教堂主教家中）

亲爱的儿子：

我向来喜欢搜集有关我的祖辈的一切奇闻逸事。也许你还记得，当你和我一同住在英国的时候，我曾经为了这一缘故而跋涉旅途，调查了我亲友中尚存于世的人。我现在正在乡间度假，预计会有整整一个星期的闲暇，我想你也许同样喜欢知道我这一辈子的事情，其中有许多还是你没有听说过的，因此我就坐了下来，替你写出来。

除此以外，我还有一些其他的动机。由于出身贫寒，幼年生长于穷苦卑微的家庭，而后来竟然生活优裕，在世界上享有些许声誉，并且至今一帆风顺，我的处世之道——承蒙上帝的福佑——获得了巨大的成就，我的子孙或许愿意知道，就像他们所发现的一样，这些处世之道的一部分或许与他们自己的情况相符，因此适合仿效。

当我回顾一生中的幸运时，有时我不禁会这样说，如果有人提议给我选择的话，我不会拒绝把我这一生从头再演一遍，而仅仅要求像作家那样，在再版之际有机会改正初版中的某些缺陷。除了改正错误，我也可以把某些不幸的遭遇和事件变得更加顺利些。但是，即使这些都无法回避的话，我还是愿意接受提议，以重演我的一生。由于这种重演是不可能的，那么，与重演某人一生最接近的，似乎就是回忆了。为了使这种回忆尽可能保持长久，就是把它记载下来。

因此，我将按着老年人常有的倾向，来谈论自己和自己过去的经历。我将尽量不让听的人感到厌倦——他们或者是因为尊敬老人而觉得非听我的话不可，这些一经写下来，那么听不听就全凭个人喜好了。

最后（我还是自己承认的好，因为即使我否认，谁也不会相信），写自传或许还能极大地满足我的自负心。事实上，我很少听见或看到“我可以毫不自夸地说……”这种开场白以后，不说一些自我吹嘘之话的。

大多数人不喜欢别人的吹嘘，不管他们自己是多么的自负。但是，无论我在哪里遇到这种情况，我总是能宽恕的，因为我相信这种心理对自己和他周围的人都有益处。所以，在许多情况下，如果一个人把自负心当作生命的一种安慰而感恩的话，这也不是荒诞之举。

我的一位伯父（他也同样喜欢搜集家族中的遗闻轶事），曾交给我一些笔记，给我提供了一些有关我们祖先的事迹。从这些笔记中，我知道了我们家族在诺桑普顿郡的爱克顿教区至少已住了300年；而在这以前还有多少年，他就不知道了（也许从他们采用“富兰克林”这个姓起。在这以前，“富兰克林”是一个人民阶层的名称，当时英国各地的人都采用了姓氏）。他们有30英亩土地，以打铁为副业，直到我伯父的时代为止，打铁这一行业一直保持着，家中长子一直学打铁，我伯父和我父亲都遵循着这个传统，叫他们的长子学打铁。

我研究了爱克顿教区的户籍册，只找到了1555年以后人们出生、嫁娶和丧葬的记录，在那以前的户籍册，那个教区已经没有保留了。从这个户籍册中，我发现我是五代以来小儿子的小儿子。

我的祖父汤玛斯出生于1598年，住在爱克顿，直到老得不能干活为止，然后就住到了他儿子约翰那里，约翰是牛津郡班布雷村的一个染匠，我父亲就跟着他学徒。我的祖父死在那里，并安葬于斯。我们在1758年看到了他的墓碑。他的长子汤玛斯住在爱克顿的家中，后来把房子和土地传给了他唯一的女儿。他女儿和她的丈夫费雪（威灵堡人）又把这些卖给了伊斯德先生，他现在是那里的庄园主。

我祖父养大了4个儿子，名叫汤玛斯、约翰、本杰明和约西亚。我将把我记得的给你写出来，由于我手里头没有材料，如果这些东西在我离家以后还不曾遗失的话，你可以从记录中找到更详细的材料。

汤玛斯被他父亲培养成了一个铁匠，但是他天生聪颖，当时该教区的大绅士帕尔默鼓励他求学上进（他的弟弟们也得到了同样的鼓励），他就获得了担任书记官的资格，成为地方上有影响的人，也成为他本村和诺桑普顿城镇以及他所在的州的一切公益事业的主要推动者，有许多事情都和他有关，并受到了当时的哈利法克斯勋爵的赏识和奖励。

他死于旧历1702年1月6日，正好是我出生之前的整整4年。当我们从爱克顿教区的一些老人口中听到有关他的生平和性格的时候，我还记得，你非常惊异，因为这一切很像你所知道的我。

“如果他在您出世的那一天去世，”你说，“有人也许会认为灵魂转世呢！”

约翰学了染匠，我相信是染呢绒的。本杰明当了丝绸染匠，是在伦敦学的手艺。他生性聪明。我清楚地记得他，因为当我还是一个孩子的时候，他渡海来波士顿找我父亲，和我们一起住了好几年。他活了很大一把年纪。他的孙子萨缪尔·富兰克林现在还住在波士顿。他死后，留下来两本四开本的诗稿，里面是一些写给他的朋友和亲戚的诗。下面寄给我的这首诗，就是一个实例。

他自己研究出了一套速写术，并教给了我，但是我从来没有练过，所以现在全忘了。我的名字就来自他，因为我父亲跟他感情特别好。

他非常虔诚，经常去听著名传教士的讲道，并用他的速记法把他们的讲道记下来，他身边就有许多这样的笔记本。他还是一位了不起的政治家，或许还超出了他的地位本身。

最近，我在伦敦得到了他搜集的从1641到1717年间重要的政治事件手册，从标明的序号来看，有许多册已经散失了，但是还留下了对开本8本，四开本和八开本24本。一个旧书商人得到了这些书，因为我有时来他这里买书，他认识我，所以他就把它们送给了我。看来是我伯父去美洲时留在这里的，至今已经50多年了。在书的空白边上，有许多他的注解。

我们这个卑微的家族很早就投身于宗教改革运动，而且在玛丽女王整个统治时期一直坚持信仰新教，当时他们狂热地反对教皇，所以有时会遭受迫害之险。他们有一本英文版《圣经》，为了隐藏和保管它，他们将它打开，用细带子绑在一个折叠凳的底部。当我的高祖父对全家人读经文时，就把折叠凳翻过来放在他的膝盖上，然后翻动带子下面的书页。

他的一个孩子站在门口放哨，如果看见教会法庭的官员走过来，就提前通知。这时，凳子又重新翻过来，四脚落地，《圣经》又像以前一样藏好了。这些我是从本杰明伯父那里听来的。直到大约查理二世统治的时候，这个家族还是一致信奉国教。但是，那时有一些牧师因为不信奉国教教义而被开除了教籍，他们在诺桑普顿举行会议。本杰明和约西亚改信了他们的教派，而且一生不变，家里的其他人仍然信奉国教。

我父亲约西亚很早就结婚了，大约在1682年，带着他的妻子和3个孩子迁到了新英格兰。由于非国教的宗教集会受到法律禁止，而且时常受到干扰，致使我父亲的朋友中，一些有声望的人打算移居到新大陆，我父亲答应陪他们一起去那里。他们希望在那里能自由地信仰他们的宗教。

在新英格兰，这位太太又生了4个孩子；他的第二个妻子又生了10个，共17个孩子。我还记得，有一阵子，他的餐桌旁围坐着13个孩子，这13个孩子都已经长大了，而且都结了婚。我是幼子，比我小的只是两个妹妹。我出生在新英格兰的波士顿。

我母亲是我父亲的第二个妻子，叫阿拜亚·福尔戈，是彼得·福尔戈的女儿。我的外祖父，则是新英格兰的最早移民之一。他曾被克顿·马休在他的《美洲教会史》中表扬过，称他为“一个虔诚而有学问的英国人”，如果我记对了的话。我听说他曾经写过各种即兴短诗，但只有一首印刷出来，我在许多年以前曾读过。

这首诗写于1675年，用当时民间流行的体裁写成，是写给当时当地的执政当局的。它拥护信仰自由，支持受迫害的浸礼会、教友会和其他教派，指出殖民地的印第安人战争和其他灾祸是迫害教徒的后果，是上帝对这种重大罪行的判决和惩罚，并规劝当局废除那些残酷的法律。

在我看来，整首诗简洁紧凑，平易近人。这首诗的最后6行我还记得，但是最初两行我已记不清了；不过这两行的大意，是说他的批评出于善意，因此他情愿让别人知道他是这首诗的作者。

由于从心坎里

我憎恶做一个匿名诽谤者；

我现在就住在谢尔本；

我的姓名就在这里，

你真诚的朋友，毫无恶意，

他就是彼得·福尔戈。

我的兄长们都投身从事不同的行业。我8岁就被送到语法学校读书，因为我父亲打算把我当作他的儿子中的什一（税）来捐献给教会。在识字方面我起步很早（我一定很早就识字了，因为我不记得我曾有不识字的时期），他的朋友们又都说我将来读书一定会有出息，这都鼓舞了我父亲送我去学校读书。

我的伯父本杰明也赞成此举，并提议把他全部说教的速记本送给我，我想这是作为他开张的资本吧，如果我愿意学习他的速记法的话。但是，我在语法学校念了不到一年，虽然我在这一年中逐渐从班里面的中等生上升到了优等生，接着就升入了二年级，准备在那年的年终随班一起升入三年级。然而，这时候，我父亲考虑到大学教育的花费，因为有一大家子人要抚养，同时许多受过大学教育的人后来穷困潦倒——这是他在我面前对他的朋友们讲的，所以他改变了原来的主意，让我离开了语法学校，并将我送到了一所书算学校。这所学校由当时著名的乔治·布朗纳先生主持，一般来说他的办学非常成功，并且能够循循善诱，采用鼓励的教学方法。在他的教导下，我很快就学会了一手漂亮的书法，但是我的算术不及格，并且毫无进步。

我10岁的时候，被父亲接回家来，帮助他经营生意。他经营油烛和肥皂制造业，他原来并不是干这一行的，但是到了新英格兰之后，他发现他原来从事的染色生意冷清，不能维持全家人的生活，所以就改了行。因此，我被指定做剪烛芯、灌烛模、管店铺、出差等事情。

我不喜欢这个行业，同时我强烈地想去航海，可是我父亲说他反对。但是，因为住在海边，我经常到海边去玩水，早就很会游泳了，还学会了划船。当我和其他小孩在大船或小船里面的时候，我总是发号施令的人，特别是在处境困难的时候。在其他场合下，我一般也是孩子王，有时候会让他们陷入窘境。我想举其中的一个例子，因为这件事显示了我很早就已经突显出来的热心公益的精神，虽然这件事在当时做得不对。

在水车贮水池的边上有一个盐泽，在涨潮时分，我们时常站在盐泽边上钓鲦鱼。由于经常践踏，我们把盐泽的边沿踩成了一个泥潭。我提议在那里修一个码头，这样我们就可以站在那里。我将一大堆石头指给我的伙伴们看，这些石头是准备在盐泽边上建一所新房子用的，正好很符合我们的需要。因此，当工人们晚上离开的时候，我召集了几个玩伴，就像一群蚂蚁一样，勤快地工作着，有时两三个人搬一块石头，我们终于把石头全搬来了，建好了我们的小码头。第二天早上，工人们很奇怪石头不见了，后来在我们的码头上找到了它们。他们追查是谁干的，我们被查了出来，被狠狠地批评了一顿，我们中有几个因此而受到了父亲的责备。虽然我辩解说这件事是有益的，但是我父亲使我深信，不诚实的事情是不会有益的。

我想你或许想知道一些我父亲的外貌和性格吧。他有着强健的身体，身材中等，但是非常结实，十分强壮。他天资聪颖，画得一手好画，稍微懂点儿音乐。他有一副清脆悦耳的嗓音，所以有时候当他晚上忙完一天的工作，用提琴拉着赞歌的调子唱歌，还是挺动听的。

他还有机械方面的才华，有时候偶尔拿到其他行业的工具，他也能熟练地使用。但是，他最大的长处，是表现在处理公私重大问题时所展现出来的深刻见解和正确判断上。事实上，他从来没有参与政事，由于家里那么多孩子必须教育，家境又困难，他只能死死地守着他的生意。但是我清楚地记得，地方上有头有脸的人经常来拜访他，向他请教镇上或他所属教会的问题，而且很重视他的判断和忠告；当人们在个人生活中遇到了困难的时候，也常常来向他请教，他常常被人们选定为争执双方的仲裁人。

他经常喜欢尽可能地请一些明理通达的友人或邻居来进餐聊天，这时候，他总是设法提一些明智的或有益的题目来讨论，以此增进孩子们的智力。通过这种方式，他使我们的注意力转向了立身处世中善良、正直和审慎等美德方面，而很少留意或完全不在意餐桌上的食物，不管它做得好不好，时鲜不时鲜，味道好不好，以及与其他同类菜肴比较是好还是坏。所以，当我长大以后，对这些事情完全不在意，对我面前的菜肴也毫不关心，甚至粗心大意到若有人在饭后几小时内问我吃了什么时，我会不知所对的程度。在旅途中，当我的旅伴们因为缺乏可口的食物而不能满足他们那比较高贵精致的口味和食欲而感到不快的时候，我这种习惯倒成了一种方便。

我母亲同样也有一个健康的体格，她哺育了她所有的10个孩子。除了我父母去世之前得病以外，我从未听说我父亲或母亲得过什么病。父亲活到89岁，母亲活到85岁，他们的遗体同穴安葬在波士顿。几年前，我在他们的墓前立了一块大理石墓碑，上面刻了这些碑文：

约西亚·富兰克林和他的妻子阿拜亚

共葬于此。

在婚后的55年中

他们相互亲爱的生活着。

他们既无田产，又无高官厚禄，

靠着不断的劳动和勤勉，

蒙上帝的福佑，

他们抚养了一个大家庭，

幸福地生活。

并且养大了十三个孩子，

和七个孙儿孙女，

享有盛誉。

从这个实例中，

读者诸君，

应当受到鼓舞，在你的职业中勤奋工作，

切勿不信上帝。

约西亚是一个虔诚谨慎的男子，

阿拜亚是一个细心而贞洁的女子。

他们的幼子

为表孝心和纪念，

特立此碑。

约西亚·富兰克林，生于1655年，死于1744年，享年89岁。

阿拜亚·富兰克林，生于1667年，死于1752年，享年85岁。

我唠唠叨叨地讲了许多离题的话，从这里我就知道自己已经在变老了。我过去写文章比现在有条理得多，但是，这好比在私人的团聚中，人们的穿着原本就和公共舞会上不同。这可能只是一种疏懒而已。

让我们言归正传吧。

我替父亲操持生意持续了两年，那就是说，直到我12岁的时候为止。我哥哥约翰本来是学皂烛制造业的，这时已经离开了我父亲，结婚成家了，自己在罗德岛做起了生意；很明显，我注定要接替他的位置，成为一个蜡烛制造匠了。但是，由于我仍然不喜欢这个行业，我父亲担心如果他不替我找一个更合适的职业的话，我会像他的儿子约西亚所做的那样，私自脱逃去航海，这使得他十分恼怒。因此，他有时带我一起去散步，去拜访细木匠、砖匠、旋工、铜匠等，看他们的工作，以便发现我的兴趣所在，力图把我的兴趣固定在陆地上的某种行业上。

从那时起，我就一直喜欢观察那些手艺高明的工人运用他们的工具。这种观察对我很有用，由于从观察中学到了很多东西，所以在匆忙间找不到工人的时候，我自己就能做家里的一些小修小补的工作，当做实验的兴趣在我内心还很新鲜强烈的时候，我能为自己的实验制造小小的机器。最后，我父亲选定了制刀业。由于我伯父本杰明的儿子萨缪尔在伦敦学了制刀业，大约那时候准备在波士顿开业，我就被送到他那里，与他同住一段时间，试试这个行业。但是，因为他希望从我身上获得一些报酬，这激怒了我父亲，所以我又被带回了家。

我从小就喜欢读书，总是将我手里的零花钱全部用来买书。因为我喜欢《天路历程》，所以我最早收集的就是约翰·班扬的文集单独发行的小册子。后来我把它们卖了，用这笔钱买了柏顿的《历史文集》。这些是开本很小的、由小贩们贩卖的书籍，价格低廉，总共有四五十册。我父亲的小图书馆收藏的主要是一些有关神学论辩方面的书，其中大部分我都读过。但令我感到遗憾的是，既然当时已经决定不当牧师了，而我又正是求知欲旺盛的时候，却没有机会阅读更合适的书。在那里，有一本普鲁泰克的《英雄传》，我读了许多，我至今仍然认为，花那么多时间读这本书是非常值得的。那儿还有一本笛福的书《论计划》，另一本是马休博士的书，叫作《论行善》，这本书可能在我的思想上形成了一种转折，它对我生活中后来的某些重大事件都有影响。

这种对书籍的爱好，最后使我父亲决定让我当一名印刷工人，虽然他已经有了一个儿子（詹姆斯）从事了这个行业。1717年，我哥哥詹姆斯从英国回来，带来了一架印刷机和铅字，准备在波士顿开张做生意。我对于印刷业的爱好，要远远胜过对我父亲那个行业的，但是，我对于航海仍然难以忘怀。为了预防这种渴望产生令人忧惧的后果，我父亲急着让我跟我哥哥学徒。我犹豫了一段时间，但最后被说服了，并且签订了师徒合同，那时我只有12岁。

按照合同，我当学徒要到21岁为止，但在最后一年我将获得新职员的工资。在很短的时期内，我就熟悉了印刷业，成为我哥哥的一个得力助手。我现在有机会读一些比较好的书了。由于认识一些卖书的学徒，我有时候能从他们那里借到一本小书，我会非常小心地很快就归还，并且保持书的干净。当晚上借到一本书时，为了避免被人发现缺了书或有人买这本书，第二天一大早就必须还过去，因此我常常坐在房间，一看就是大半个晚上。

过了一些时候，有一位聪明的商人马休·亚当斯先生，他家有很多藏书，经常来我们的印刷厂，注意到了我，就邀请我到他的藏书室去，很乐意地借给我一些我选中的书。这时，我迷上了诗歌，也写过几首小诗。由于考虑到写诗可能以后有用，我哥哥就鼓励我，并且命我编写两首应时的故事诗。一首叫《灯塔悲剧》，叙述了华萨雷船长和他的两个女儿溺水而死的故事；另一首是《水手之歌》，叙述了缉拿海盗铁契（或被称为“黑胡子”）的经过。它们都是毫无价值的东西，用低级小调的格式写成；在印好之后，我哥哥就让我到镇上去卖。

第一首卖得很好，因为叙述的事情是新近发生的，曾经产生过很大的轰动。这使我非常得意，但是我父亲却给我泼了冷水，他嘲笑我的诗歌，告诉我说诗人通常都是穷光蛋。这样我就幸免成为一个诗人，而且很可能成为一个十分拙劣的诗人。但是，由于散文写作在我一生中十分有用，而且是我得以发展的一种主要手段，因此我将告诉你，在这种情况下，我在这方面是如何获得我的一点小才能的。

在这个镇子上，另外有一个喜欢读书的孩子，名叫约翰·格林斯，我和他往来密切。我们有时争论，我们的确十分喜欢争辩，而且都很想驳倒对方。这种爱争辩的癖好，顺便说一句，很容易变成一种坏习惯。为了争辩，人们必须提出反对意见，这就常常使一个人在其他人面前变得不受欢迎。因此，它除了使交谈变得别扭和遭到破坏之外，还会产生反感，甚至给本来可能酝酿融洽友情的场合造成敌意。我这种喜欢争辩的习气，是从阅读我父亲那些有关宗教论辩的书中得来的。从那时起我就发现，除了律师、大学生以及在爱丁堡受过训练的各式各样的人以外，明智的人是很少染上这种习气的。

不知为什么，格林斯和我辩论起妇女是否应接受高等教育和妇女是否有能力从事研究工作的问题来了。他持反对观点，认为她们天赋低劣，难以胜任。我则站在另一面，或许有点儿只是为了争辩而已。他天生就雄辩，有丰富的词汇，有时候我觉得他之所以能压倒我，更多的是得力于他那流畅的语言，而不是他的论据的说服力。

我们分手的时候，问题还没有解决，而且在短期内我们也不再会见面，因此我坐下来，写下了我的论点，誊清之后寄给了他。他回了信，我又答辩。就这样，双方交换了三四次信件，这时我父亲碰巧看见了我的信，并读了这些信。尽管他没有参加我们的论辩，但是他趁机和我讨论起我的文章体裁来。他指出，虽然我在正字和标点方面胜过我的论敌（这要归功于印刷厂），但是在措辞的典雅、叙述的条理清晰方面，我还差了一大截，对此他举了几个实例，使我不得不服。我看出了他的评论是公平的，所以从此以后更加注意文章的风格，决定努力改进。

大约在这时候，我偶然看到了一本《旁观者》的零散本，这是第三册。我在这之前从未看见过这个刊物。我买了它，读了一遍又一遍，非常喜欢它。我认为文笔非常优美，并且希望——如果可能的话——模仿它的风格。因此，我拿了几篇论文出来，把每一句的思想做了一个简单的摘要，把它们放下一些日子，然后不看原书，尽量用我自己想得到的合适词语，把每一条摘录下来的思想用完整的句子表达出来，又凑成整篇的论文，使它表达得像以前一样完整。然后，我把我的《旁观者》与原文相比较，发现了我的一些缺点，并做了修正。

但是，我发现我的词汇贫乏，或者说不能很快想出合适的词来用，我想如果我以前坚持写诗的话，那么到那时我的词汇一定会很丰富的，因为经常要寻找具有同样意义但又长度不同的词汇以适合诗的韵律，或者寻找不同音素的词来凑韵脚，会迫使我不断地搜索各种不同形式的同义词，这将有助于我记住这些不同的词，并使我能掌握它们。因此，我抽出其中一些故事，将它们改写成诗；过了一些时候，当我差不多已经忘掉了原来的散文时，又把它们重新还原。

有时，我也会把我摘录的思想打乱来，过了几个星期以后，再努力将它们用最好的次序排列好，然后再把它们写成完整的句子，组织成论文。这是为了教我组织思想的方法。通过比较复原后的文章和原文，我发现了许多缺点，就加以改正。但是，我有时候喜欢幻想：在某些次要的地方，我侥幸改进了原文的条理和语言，这种幻想鼓舞了我，使我相信我将来或许能成为一个不太差的英文作家，在这方面我原来是很有野心的。

我做这类练习和读书的时间，是在晚上工作结束之后，或者是早上工作开始以前，或者是在星期天。在星期天，我总是设法独自一人留在印刷厂里，尽管我父亲在我还由他管教的时候经常逼我去做礼拜，而我当时确实也认为做礼拜是我们应尽的义务——虽然我好像没有时间去做礼拜——我总是尽可能地躲避参加这种普遍遵守的崇拜仪式。

大约在我16岁的时候，我偶然看到了一本书，是一个叫特瑞昂的人写的宣传素食的书。我决定素食。我哥哥还没有结婚，无暇料理家务，他和他的学徒们只好在另外一家人那里包伙食。由于我不吃荤，这造成了不便，我常常因这种怪僻而遭到责备。我让自己学会了一些特瑞昂烹调他自己食物的方法，例如煮山芋、煮饭、做快速布丁等，然后建议我哥哥，如果他愿意把每周付给我的伙食费的一半交给我，我愿意自理伙食，他立即答应了。不久我就发现，我可以从他给我的钱中节省一半，这又是一笔买书的额外钱。

但是，这样做我还有另外一个方便之处。当我哥哥和其余的人离开印刷厂去吃饭的时候，我独自一人留在那里，我很快就草草地吃完了我的轻便点心，这通常只是一块饼干或一片面包、一把葡萄干，或者是从面包店买的一块果馅饼和一杯清水。在他们回来以前的这一段时间里，我就有时间读书了。由于饮食方面有节制，常常使人头脑清醒、思维敏捷，所以我的进步更快了。

以前，由于我在某事上因对算术不重视而受到羞辱，在学校时算术曾有两次考试不及格，因此这时我拿来考克氏的算术书，自己从头到尾非常顺利地通学了一遍。我还读了舍勒和谢尔美关于航海的书，掌握了这些书中讲到的一点几何学。除此之外，我对几何学从未有过更深入的研究。大约在这时候，我读了洛克的《人类悟性论》和波尔洛亚尔派的先生们撰写的《思考的艺术》。

正当我全身心地改进我的文体的时候，我看到了一本英语语法书（我想它是格林伍德的语法），在这本书的后面，有两篇关于修辞法和逻辑的简介，后面那篇在结束时采用了一个实例，是关于苏格拉底式论辩术的。此后不久，我买到了一部色诺芬的《苏格拉底重要言行录》。在这本书里，有许多同样方法的实例。我很喜欢这种方法，就采用了它，放弃了我那种生硬的反驳和武断的立论，变成了一个谦虚的提问者和怀疑者。

然后，由于读了莎夫茨贝利和柯林斯的作品，我对于我们教义的许多地方成了一个真正的怀疑者。我发现用这种方法对我自己是最可靠的，但却令我的对手十分为难。因此，我喜欢上了这种方法，坚持不断地应用它，变得十分巧妙和老到，使人们——即使是很有学问的人，也不得不让步，而这种让步的后果他们又不能预知，这样便可以使他们进入无法自拔的窘境，从而使我自己和我的论题常常获胜，而这种胜利本来是得不到的。这个方法我连续用了好几年，但是后来逐渐放弃了，只保留了用谦逊的口气来表达我个人意见的习惯。

当我提出任何可能有争论的意见时，从都不用“一定”“毫无疑问”或任何其他表示肯定意见的词；而是说“我猜想”，或者是“猜想某事怎样”“因为什么理由，在我看来这件事好像是”，或者“我想是这么回事”，或者说“我想象是这样的”，或者说“如果我没有搞错的话，事情是这样的”。我相信这个习惯对我非常有益，因为我需要阐述我的观点，劝人们接受我不时地提出来的各种措施。而且，谈话的主要目的是教诲人，或是被别人教诲，让别人高兴或说服别人，因此我希望那些善良的聪明人，为了不削弱他们行善的能力，千万不要采取独断的、自以为是的态度。这种态度往往会令人反感，引起别人的反对，从而彻底破坏语言用于交流思想和增进感情的目的。因为你的目的如果是要教诲人的话，那么讲话时那种过于自信的武断态度有时候会招来反驳，从而难以做到公正的讨论；如果你的目的是想从别人的知识中获得经验和改进，但同时却又坚定不移地表示你自己的意见，那么，那些谦逊睿智的人由于不爱争辩，他们很可能不愿指出你的错误，使你依然得不到改进。同时，用这种态度，你很难希望使你的谈话对象高兴，或是赢得别人的赞同。

诗人波普说得很好：

你不应当用教训的口吻去教导人；

别人不懂的东西，

你应当作为他们遗忘了的东西

向他们提出来。

他又要求我们：

即使你自己深信无疑，

说话时也应当外表谦逊。

在这里，他本可以用他在其他地方的一行联句与这句连起来，我认为这比在原来的地方更合适。

因为傲慢就是愚蠢。

如果你问为什么这行诗在原来的位置不很合适，那么我只能引用原诗了：

大言不惭是没有理由的，

因为傲慢即是愚蠢。

那么，愚蠢（假如某人不幸而如此愚蠢的话）不正是他傲慢的理由么？这两行诗如果这样写，是不是更合理呢？

大言不惭，只有这唯一的理由，

那就是——傲慢即愚蠢。

这一点是否如此，希望得到高明之士的不吝赐教。

1720年或1721年，我哥哥开始印发一份报纸。这是在美洲出现的第二份报纸，叫《新英格兰报》。在它之前的唯一一份报纸是《波士顿邮报》。我记得我哥哥的朋友中有人认为，由于这项计划不容易成功，就劝他放弃。据他们判断，既然这里已经有了一家报纸，对于美洲殖民地来说已经足够了。现在（1771年）这里有了不下25份报纸。但是，我哥哥执行了原定计划，在报纸排好版印出来之后，就派我沿街把报纸送给客户。

在他的朋友中，有一些很有才华的人，他们替报纸写了一些小品文来自娱自乐。这些文章提高了报纸的声誉，使其销路更广了。这些绅士们经常来看我们。当我听他们的谈话，听到他们讲他们的报纸是如何受欢迎的时候，我也受到鼓舞，想写一些东西投稿；但是，因为我还是一个孩子，同时我猜想，如果我哥哥知道是我写的，他将会反对在他的报纸上发表我的任何东西的。于是我设法改变了我的笔迹，写了一篇匿名文章，晚上将它放在印刷厂的大门底下。第二天早上，这篇文章被发现了，当那些写文章的朋友照常来访时，文章被交给他们。他们读了，我也听见了他们的评语。令我异常高兴的是，他们称赞了这篇文章，当他们猜测它的作者时，提到的全是我们中间有学问、有智慧的知名之士。现在想起来，我觉得当时对我的鉴定非常侥幸，也许他们并不真的是我当时所想象的那样有眼光的鉴赏家。

尽管如此，在受到鼓励以后，我又写了几篇文章，并用同样的方式投给了报纸，同样获得了赞赏。我守着我的秘密，直到我写这种文章所必需的一点儿常识快要用光时，才拆穿了秘密。这时，我哥哥的朋友们开始对我重视起来，但是我哥哥却不喜欢；因为，他觉得可能他有充分的理由，这样做或许会使我过于自负。这件事或许是我俩之间这时正在开始的不和睦的原因之一。尽管他是我哥哥，但他认为他自己是师父，而我是他的徒弟，因此他认为我当然也要像其他徒弟一样为他卖力；然而，我认为他要求我做的某些事过分了些，作为他的弟弟，我认为他应当对我放宽一些。

我们的争执经常闹到父亲跟前来。我想，或者是我大多数时候总是对的，或者是我比他能说善辩，因为父亲的判决一般都支持我。但是，我哥哥脾气暴躁，经常揍我，这使我十分生气。我觉得我的学徒生活十分枯燥，因此我不断地希望有机会缩短我的学徒时间。终于，出人意料的机会来了。（原注：我想，我哥哥对我的粗暴专横的态度，也许是我在以后的一生中强烈反对独断专横的权力的原因之一）

我们报纸上刊载的一篇关于某一政治问题的文章——我现在忘记它的题目了——触犯了州议会。议长发出了一份拘押票，逮捕了我哥哥，并控告了他，还判了他一个月的徒刑，我想这大概是因为他不愿泄露他的作者的缘故。我也被逮捕了，在会议上受审，但是，虽然我没有给他们满意的回答，他们也仅仅是教训了我一顿，就放了我，也许是认为我作为一个学徒，有责任为师父保守秘密吧。

尽管我和我哥哥之间存在个人分歧，但是对于他的被判刑，我十分的愤慨。在他被拘留期间，我主持了报纸的业务。在报纸上，我大胆地讽刺了我们的统治者，我哥哥很喜欢这些文章，但是另一些人却开始对我印象不好了，把我看成了一个有诽谤讽刺癖好的天才青年。我哥哥被释放了，州议会同时发出了一道命令（一道十分奇特的命令），那就是“禁止詹姆斯·富兰克林继续出版《新英格兰报》”。

我哥哥的朋友们在我们印刷厂举行了一次会议，商讨在这种情况下的应对之策。有人提议改变报纸的名称来逃避法令，但是我哥哥认为这样做有许多不便；最后总结出了一个较好的办法，将来这份报纸以本杰明·富兰克林的名义出版。为了避免州议会可能会非难他，说他仍然通过他学徒出版报纸，他们就提出把我那份旧的师徒合同还给我，在合同背面写明解除一切义务，必要时可以拿出来给人看。但是，为了保障他对我的服役的权益，我还要另外签一份新的合同，以适用于未完的学徒期限，这份合同私下里保密。这实在是一个非常浅薄的计划，但是马上得到了执行。就这样，这份报纸在我的名义下继续办了几个月。

终于，我和我哥哥之间发生了新的争执，我坚决维护我的自由，认为他不敢冒险拿出新合同来。我这样做是不公平的，因此我认为这是我一生中所犯的最大错误之一；但是，他的急躁脾气，经常使他对我拳打脚踢。我在愤恨之际，当然对我这一行动的不正直性觉得无所谓了。但是，他在平时倒不是性情暴戾的人，可能我当时太无礼、太让人生气了。

当他发现我将要离开他时，就故意不让我在镇子里的任何一家印刷厂找到工作。他走遍了各家印刷厂，和每一个老板打了招呼，因此他们都拒绝给我工作。然后，我就想到纽约去，因为那是离波士顿最近的地方，还有一家印刷厂。这时，我已经使自己成为当地统治集团的眼中钉；而且从州议会处理我哥哥的案件中所表现出来的专横，我想到假如我留在这里的话，很可能会使自己陷入困境；另外，由于我对于宗教问题有欠谨慎的言论，那些善男信女开始把我看成是可怕的异教徒和无神论者了。当我想到这一切时，倒情愿离开波士顿了。

我已经决定要离开了，但是因为我父亲这时候偏袒我哥哥，我想如果我公然离开的话，他们会想方设法阻拦我的。因此，我的朋友格林斯为我出了一条小小的妙计。他和纽约州一艘帆船的船长打了招呼，让我搭他的船，说我是他一位年轻友人，由于使一个淘气的女孩子怀了孕，她的朋友们强迫我娶她，因此我不能公开出现或上船。就这样，我卖掉了我一部分书，凑了一点儿盘缠，悄悄地上了船，由于风顺，我三天后就到了纽约，离家几乎有480公里。像我这样一个只有17岁的男孩子，既没有一封介绍信，也不认识当地任何人，而且我的口袋里仅有少量的钱。

这时，我对航海的兴趣已经消失了，否则我现在倒是能满足这个愿望了。但是，由于我学会了一门手艺，而且我认为自己是一个技术很好的工人，因此我毛遂自荐，找到了当地印刷厂的老板——年迈的威廉·勃拉福，他是宾夕法尼亚第一家印刷厂的老板，在乔治·凯夫争执发生后，他就从那里搬到纽约来了。但是他不能雇用我，因为他的生意不多，人手已经足够。不过，他说：“我在费城的儿子最近失去了他的主要助手阿克拉·罗斯，他死了。如果你到那里去，我相信他可能雇用你。”虽然费城有160公里远，但我还是坐船朝安蒲出发，留下了我的箱子和行李，以后由海上运来。

在横渡海湾时，我们遭遇到一阵狂风，把我们那破烂不堪的船帆撕成了碎片，因此我们无法驶入基尔河，我们反而被吹到了长岛。在我们的旅途中，有一个喝醉酒的荷兰乘客坠入海中，当他正往下沉的时候，我手伸进海水中，一把抓住他那乱糟糟的头发，将他拉了上来，这样我们又把他放在船上了。坠入水中使他清醒了不少，他先是从口袋里掏出来一本书，要我替他弄干了，然后他就睡觉了。我一看，原来是我老早就仰慕的作家班扬的《天路历程》，是荷兰文版，用上等纸精美地印刷的，还附有铜版插图，其装帧印刷比我曾经看过的用其本国语印制的版本还要好。后来我发现，《天路历程》已经被译成了欧洲大多数语言，我想也许除了《圣经》以外，它比任何其他书都拥有更广泛的读者。

据我所知，“诚实的约翰”是将叙述和对话混合在一起运用的第一个人。这种写法使读者很感兴趣，读者能在最动人的部分身临其境，亲自参加讨论。笛福在他的《鲁滨孙漂流记》《摩尔·福兰德尔》《宗教求爱》《家庭教师》以及其他作品中，都成功地模仿了这种写法；而且理查逊在他的《帕米拉》等书中，也采用了这种方法。

当我们快要靠近长岛时，我们发现那里没有地方可以登陆，因为那里的海滩海浪汹涌，乱石林立。于是我们就抛了锚，船身向着海岸摇摆着。有人朝海这边来了，对着我们大声叫喊，我们也朝他们大声呼叫，但风浪是如此之大，以至于我们听不清对方说什么，也不能理解相互之间的意思。岸上有小船，我们做了手势，喊他们用小船来接我们。但是，他们或者是没有弄明白我们的意思，或者是认为根本做不到，就走开了。

夜幕降临了，除了等风势减弱以外，我们毫无选择。这时候，船老板和我决定去睡觉，如果我们还能睡得着的话。于是我们就挤进小船舱里，和那个浑身湿透的荷兰人待在一起。浪花溅打在船头上，漏进船舱，打在我们身上。因此，没过多久，我们几乎和那个荷兰人一样全身湿透了。我们就这样躺了一夜，根本没有睡着。但是，第二天风渐渐小了，我们努力想在天黑之前到达安蒲，因为我们在海上已经待了30个小时，既没有食物，又没有饮水，只有一瓶混浊的甜酒，而我们航行的海水是咸咸的。

晚上，我发现自己烧得很厉害，就上床睡了；但是，我曾在什么地方读过，说是多喝凉水对发烧有益处，所以我就照着做了，出了大半夜的汗，烧也就退了。到第二天上午，过了渡口，我就朝着80公里以外的柏林顿徒步前进。在那里，有人告诉我，我可以找到船送我走完去费城的剩下路程。

这天，下了一整天的大雨，我被浇成了落汤鸡；到了中午，我精疲力竭，于是就在一家小旅店住了一晚上，这时我开始有点儿后悔当初不该离家出走了。由于我的外表显得如此寒酸，我发现，从别人问我的话来看，他们怀疑我是一个逃跑的仆人，而且很有可能因为这种嫌疑而遭到逮捕。但是，我第二天还是继续上路；傍晚时住在由勃朗医生开的一家旅店里，这里距离柏林顿有13公里或16公里远。我吃饭的时候，他进来和我说话。当他发现我读过一些书的时候，变得十分和善友好。他在世的时候，我们的关系一直持续着。

我猜想，他以前是一个行走江湖的医生，因为没有哪个英国或欧洲国家的城镇是他不能详细描述的。他有一些学问，也很聪明，但是不大信宗教；几年以后，他甚至恶作剧地将《圣经》滑稽化，把它改写成拙劣的诗体，就像克顿以前改写维吉尔的诗那样。通过这种方式，他将《圣经》中的许多故事荒谬化了；如果他的作品出版的话，可能会打击那些信心不够的人，但是它从来都没有出版。

我那天晚上住在他店里，第二天早上到了柏林顿，但是懊丧地发现，就在我到达前不久，开往费城的定期航船已经走了。这天是星期六，而在下周二之前不再有开往那里的船了，因此我回到城中一位老妇人那里，我曾向她买了一些准备在船上吃的姜饼，我就问她该怎么办。她请我住到她家中，直到船出航。由于徒步行走的劳累，我接受了她的邀请。

她得知我是一个印刷匠之后，就劝我留在那里开一家印刷厂；但是，她不知道，开印刷厂是要资金的。

她很好客地招待了我，非常善意地请我吃了一顿牛腮肉饭，却只接受一壶啤酒作为回报。就这样，我以为我肯定要等到星期二才能走了。

但是，我傍晚在河边散步的时候，来了一艘船，我发现它是去费城的，船上有几个人。他们搭上了我，由于没有风，所以我们一路上都是划船前进。大约到了午夜，因为还看不到费城，于是有些人确信我们一定已经过了费城，不愿再划了。其他人也不知道我们身处何处，因此我们朝河岸边划过去，进了一条小河，在一个旧木栅旁登岸。因为晚上很冷，正好是10月，我们就用木栅生起了火，我们就在那里一直待到天亮。当时，有一个人认出这地方叫库柏河，离费城北面不远，只要我们划出这条河，费城就可以看到了。大约在星期日早上八九点钟，我们到了费城，在市场街码头上了岸。

我对于我这次旅程的叙述特别详细，我初次进城的经过我也将详细交代，是想让你在想象中比较一下这种不大有希望的开端和我后来在这里出人头地的情况。

我穿着我的工作服，因为我最好的衣服要从海道运来。由于旅途奔波，我脏兮兮的，口袋里装满了衬衫和袜子。我举目无亲，也不知道住在哪里。由于一路上旅行、划船和缺乏休息，我感到很累；而且我又很饿，但是我的全部现金只有1元荷兰币和大约1先令的铜币。我将铜币给了船上的人，作为我的船费，他们起初不肯收，因为我划了船；但是我坚持要他们收下。当一个人只有一点儿钱的时候，有时候反而比钱多时更慷慨，这也许是怕别人认为他穷吧。