Honoured & Worthy Docter Benjamin Franklin

These Lines—Comes from the hands of Languishing prisoner. Worthy Sir the petitioners to your person Was Born In the North of Ireland of Reputable parents, & Went to Pensylvenia Very Young Where I Had 4 Unckles Settled In [Pequeas?] Lancaster County 46 years past viz—Archibald Junr. & Senr. Douglass & James & Andrew Douglass & My Sister With Numbers of Cousines, I Have Lived In that Country the Most part of my Life But Misfortunately Left it Last Aprile Came In A Brigg In the Continental Imploy of Mr. Miles & Freasy, from Boston to Cadiz In Spain Being Treacherously Lead Into the Inglish Counsel’s House Don Joshua Hartly Vice Counsil Archdeackon Instead of the Spanish Oficer of the Navil Ofice Who Orderd me to get A pass Equal to 20 Dollars from Me & Would Not Give me one peny of it Untill he comited me Under a Boatsman Care to Portugal With Orders to Gow or be Comited Into Prison from Lisbon he Kept me 10 Days at An English Imployed Lodg he had Where he had A Scum of British Sealors Who Incouradged to pick & plunder my Litle Efects Indeed the Cursed Jenowe Landlord Charged Me for Nrs. of Diners & Supers I Never Teasted [Burnd?] Drink he Gave the Vagabonds on My Scoare I Was 12 Dolars of Expences for Scarce 1 ½ Real Value Being half Distracted With Griefe to Be Sent Into Prison I Aplyed to Several Irish Oficers to Tell the Counsil [?] to the Governor of the City & one Lyons a Tavern keeper In Short I Could Not Get one as Would Strive to Get me Relased out of the Inglish Counsels Clutches In Lisbon I Ofer’d full pasage Money to A french Sloope Bound to Bayoney But the Hellish portugees Would Not Let me Gow, I Was Obliged to gow to falmouth in the Packet And After my Arival In England I had But Bear 3 Dolars out of my 20 & Indeed if I had Not paid my Way Independent I Would have Been pressed on Board Some Kings Ship I Was Very Harshly Used by the people if England for coming from America & Indeed Had A Narow Escape for my Life if they Discovered my Been sworn to the Congress, After Being Advanced Into England Some Litle Distance my pocket Mony fell Short Which Oblidged me to Gow to Ireland,to Seek Reliefe of Help I found One Cousin Who Helped me to 3 Crownes as A help to Get Into Holand. As to Get Shiping Back to America, I Tryed Roterdam & found No American Vesels there I aplyed In Midleburgh City for A pass to Come to france to procure A passage, Being But 5 Days in france Before I Was Comited to prison In Sansleere 23 miles North of paris I Was Bound to Rouen & Was Expecting to procure a pass from your Honour Mr. Francklin. As I Expected you have had Some Knowledge of Some of my Unckles In Ofice In Pensulvenia viz Andrew Douglass Justice of the peace for Lancaster County & his Sons George Douglass Esqr. for Berke County or Might Have Some Knowledge of John Douglass Assembly Man 7 years for Lancaster County With Old Mr. Weber Honoured Mister Franklin if you are So Good & Merciful As to Relieve me from the yawning faces of Death As I Realy find this prison, I Shall for Ever be in Duty Bound to Serve the United States With the Greatest Integrety, I Am Willing to Gow Any Time On Board of An American priviteer Or my friends Would pay my Redemption Money In Philadelphia I have Been 5 years Under A heavy Burthen of Sickness Geting the Surface of my Scull [Milkd?] by the heat of A Blazing Duch Stove In A Cold Room & Am to A Skeloten & Indeed if I Do Not Meet With Som Reliefe of your hand I Am Oblidged to Execute my poor Life out of the Inhuman Bad Usage of these Inveterate Catholicks Indeed All As Ever I Sufered Seemed But Lite In Comparison of the Envious Briuts Who Torments Me by Day & all Nights Worthey Mr Francklin I have A Number of Very Remarkable Writings from the Comitys & Majestrates & Neighbours In Pensylvenia & from Nathaniel Barber Chearman of Boston & Comasary of the Navil Ofice or if you Did Not Think proper to Send me On Board Some American Armed Vesil I Was Hoping your Honour Would be So Merciful As to Release me from this prison 5 miles North of Paris & Let me Return Back Into Holand As I Understand the high Duth Tonge Where I Would Recover my forlorn State, Heere I Wait Impatient to heere Some Word from your Honours Will & Indeed Very few of your Citizens Would Alow me to Languish In Prison viz Mr Andrew Caldwell of Water Street or Mr Carson or Dan Woster or Jacob [Benz?] or Charles Thompson or William West or James [Hunting?] or Mr Poter or Gromes or David Hall or John Spearhawk or My Well Natured friend Acount & Indeed Thomas Douglass of Lancaster County ows me Nigh 30 Pensylvenia Courancy of An Indisputable Debt—Am your Humble Petitioner Impatiently Waiting for Some Inglish Interpreter to Read my Writing