John the Irishman soon ran away. With the rest I began to live
very agreably; for they all respected me, the more as they found
Keimer incapable of instructing them, and that from me they learnt
something daily. We never work’d on a Saturday, that being
Keimer’s Sabbath. So I had two Days for Reading. My Acquaintance
with Ingenious People in the Town, increased. Keimer himself
treated me with great Civility, and apparent Regard; and nothing
now made me uneasy but my Debt to Vernon, which I was yet unable
to pay being hitherto but a poor Oeconomist. He however
kindly made no Demand of it.
Our Printing-House often wanted Sorts, and there was no
Letter Founder in America. I had seen Types cast at James’s in
London, but without much Attention to the Manner: However I
now contriv’d a Mould, made use of the Letters we had, as Puncheons,
struck the Matrices in Lead, and thus supply’d in a pretty
tolerable way all Deficiencies. I also engrav’d several Things on
occasion. I made the Ink, I was Warehouse-man and every thing,
in short quite a Factotum.
But however serviceable I might be, I found that my Services
became every Day of less Importance, as the other Hands improv’d
in the Business. And when Keimer paid my second Quarter’s
Wages, he let me know that he felt them too heavy, and thought I
should make an Abatement. He grew by degrees less civil, put on
more of the Master, frequently found Fault, was captious and
seem’d ready for an Out-breaking. I went on nevertheless with a
good deal of Patience, thinking that his incumber’d Circumstances
were partly the Cause. At length a Trifle snapt our Connexion. For
a great Noise happening near the Courthouse, I put my Head out
of the Window to see what was the Matter. Keimer being in the
Street look’d up and saw me, call’d out to me in a loud Voice and
angry Tone to mind my Business, adding some reproachful Words,
that nettled me the more for their Publicity, all the Neighbours who
were looking out on the same Occasion being Witnesses how I was
treated. He came up immediately into the Printing-House, continu’d
the Quarrel, high Words pass’d on both Sides, he gave me the
Quarter’s Warning we had stipulated, expressing a Wish that he
had not been oblig’d to so long a Warning: I told him his Wish was
unnecessary for I would leave him that Instant; and so taking my
Hat walk’d out of Doors; desiring Meredith whom I saw below to
take care of some Things I left, and bring them to my Lodging.
Meredith came accordingly in the Evening, when we talk’d my
Affair over. He had conceiv’d a great Regard for me, and was very
unwilling that I should leave the House while he remain’d in it. He
dissuaded me from returning to my native Country which I began
to think of. He reminded me that Keimer was in debt for all he
possess’d, that his Creditors began to be uneasy, that he kept his
Shop miserably, sold often without Profit for ready Money, and
often trusted without keeping Accounts. That he must therefore
fail; which would make a Vacancy I might profit of. I objected my
Want of Money. He then let me know, that his Father had a high
Opinion of me, and from some Discourse that had pass’d between
them, he was sure would advance Money to set us up, if I would
enter into Partnership with him. My Time, says he, will be out with
Keimer in the Spring. By that time we may have our Press and
Types in from London: I am sensible I am no Workman. If you
like it, Your Skill in the Business shall be set against the Stock I
furnish; and we will share the Profits equally. The Proposal was
agreable, and I consented. His Father was in Town, and approv’d
of it, the more as he saw I had great Influence with his Son, had
prevail’d on him to abstain long from Dramdrinking, and he hop’d
might break him of that wretched Habit entirely, when we came to
be so closely connected. I gave an Inventory to the Father, who
carry’d it to a Merchant; the Things were sent for; the Secret was
to be kept till they should arrive, and in the mean time I was to get
work if I could at the other Printing House. But I found no Vacancy
there, and so remain’d idle a few Days, when Keimer, on a
Prospect of being employ’d to print some Paper-money, in New
Jersey, which would require Cuts and various Types that I only
could supply, and apprehending Bradford might engage me and
get the Jobb from him, sent me a very civil Message, that old
Friends should not part for a few Words, the Effect of sudden Passion,
and wishing me to return. Meredith persuaded me to comply,
as it would give more Opportunity for his Improvement under my
daily Instructions. So I return’d, and we went on more smoothly
than for some time before. The New Jersey Jobb was obtain’d. I
contriv’d a Copper-Plate Press for it, the first that had been seen in
the Country. I cut several Ornaments and Checks for the Bills.
We went together to Burlington, where I executed the Whole to
Satisfaction, and he received so large a Sum for the Work, as to be
enabled thereby to keep his Head much longer above Water.
At Burlington I made an Acquaintance with many principal
People of the Province. Several of them had been appointed by the
Assembly a Committee to attend the Press, and take Care that no
more Bills were printed than the Law directed. They were therefore
by Turns constantly with us, and generally he who attended brought
with him a Friend or two for Company. My mind having been
much more improv’d by Reading than Keimer’s, I suppose it was
for that Reason my Conversation seem’d to be more valu’d. They
had me to their Houses, introduc’d me to their Friends and show’d
me much Civility, while he, tho’ the Master, was a little neglected.
In truth he was an odd Fish, ignorant of common Life, fond of
rudely opposing receiv’d Opinions, slovenly to extream dirtiness,
enthusiastic in some Points of Religion, and a little Knavish withal.
We continu’d there near 3 Months, and by that time I could reckon
among my acquired Friends, Judge Allen, Samuel Bustill, the Secretary
of the Province, Isaac Pearson, Joseph Cooper and several
of the Smiths, Members of Assembly, and Isaac Decow the Surveyor
General. The latter was a shrewd sagacious old Man, who
told me that he began for himself when young by wheeling Clay
for the Brickmakers, learnt to write after he was of Age, carry’d the
Chain for Surveyors, who taught him Surveying, and he had now
by his Industry acquir’d a good Estate; and says he, I foresee, that
you will soon work this Man out of his Business and make a Fortune
in it at Philadelphia. He had not then the least Intimation of
my Intention to set up there or any where. These Friends were
afterwards of great Use to me, as I occasionally was to some of
them. They all continued their Regard for me as long as they lived.
Before I enter upon my public Appearance in Business it may be
well to let you know the then State of my Mind, with regard to my
Principles and Morals, that you may see how far those influenc’d
the future Events of my Life. My Parents had early given me
religious Impressions, and brought me through my Childhood
piously in the Dissenting Way. But I was scarce 15 when, after
doubting by turns of several Points as I found them disputed in the
different Books I read, I began to doubt of Revelation it self. Some
Books against Deism fell into my Hands; they were said to be the
Substance of Sermons preached at Boyle’s Lectures. It happened
that they wrought an Effect on me quite contrary to what was intended
by them: For the Arguments of the Deists which were
quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the Refutations.
In short I soon became a thorough Deist. My Arguments
perverted some others, particularly Collins and Ralph: but each of
them having afterwards wrong’d me greatly without the least
Compunction and recollecting Keith’s Conduct towards me, (who
was another Freethinker) and my own towards Vernon and Miss
Read which at Times gave me great Trouble, I began to suspect
that this Doctrine tho’ it might be true, was not very useful. My
London Pamphlet, which had for its Motto those Lines of Dryden
And from the Attributes of God, his infinite Wisdom, Goodness
and Power concluded that nothing could possibly be wrong in the
World, and that Vice and Virtue were empty Distinctions, no such
Things existing: appear’d now not so clever a Performance as I
once thought it; and I doubted whether some Error had not insinuated
itself unperceiv’d into my Argument, so as to infect all that
follow’d, as is common in metaphysical Reasonings. I grew convinc’d
that Truth, Sincerity and Integrity in Dealings between Man
and Man, were of the utmost Importance to the Felicity of Life,
and I form’d written Resolutions, (which still remain in my Journal
Book) to practice them ever while I lived. Revelation had indeed no
weight with me as such; but I entertain’d an Opinion, that tho’ certain
Actions might not be bad because they were forbidden by it, or
good because it commanded them; yet probably those Actions
might be forbidden because they were bad for us, or commanded
because they were beneficial to us, in their own Natures, all the
Circumstances of things considered. And this Persuasion, with the
kind hand of Providence, or some guardian Angel, or accidental
favourable Circumstances and Situations, or all together, preserved
me (thro’ this dangerous Time of Youth and the hazardous Situations
I was sometimes in among Strangers, remote from the Eye
and Advice of my Father) without any wilful gross Immorality or
Injustice that might have been expected from my Want of Religion.
I say wilful, because the Instances I have mentioned, had something
of Necessity in them, from my Youth, Inexperience, and the Knavery
of others. I had therefore a tolerable Character to begin the World
with, I valued it properly, and determin’d to preserve it.
We had not been long return’d to Philadelphia, before the New
Types arriv’d from London. We settled with Keimer, and left him
by his Consent before he heard of it. We found a House to hire
near the Market, and took it. To lessen the Rent, (which was then
but £ 24 a Year tho’ I have since known it let for 70) We took in
Tho’ Godfrey a Glazier and his Family, who were to pay a considerable
Part of it to us, and we to board with them. We had
scarce opened our Letters and put our Press in Order, before
George House, an Acquaintance of Mine, brought a Country-man
to us; whom he had met in the Street enquiring for a Printer. All
our Cash was now expended in the Variety of Particulars we had
been obliged to procure and this Countryman’s Five Shillings being
our first Fruits, and coming so seasonably, gave me more Pleasure
than any Crown I have since earn’d; and from the Gratitude I felt
towards House, has made me often more ready than perhaps I
should otherwise have been to assist young Beginners.
There are Croakers in every Country always boding its Ruin.
Such a one then lived in Philadelphia, a Person of Note, an elderly
Man, with a wise Look, and very grave Manner of speaking. His
Name was Samuel Mickle. This Gentleman, a Stranger to me, stopt
one Day at my Door, and asked me if I was the young Man who
had lately opened a new Printing House: Being answer’d in the
Affirmative; he said he was sorry for me, because it was an expensive
Undertaking and the Expence would be lost; for Philadelphia
was a sinking Place, the People already half Bankrupts or near being
so; all Appearances of the contrary, such as new Buildings and the
Rise of Rents being to his certain Knowledge fallacious, for they
were in fact among the Things that would soon ruin us. And he
gave me such a Detail of Misfortunes, now existing or that were
soon to exist, that he left me half-melancholy. Had I known him
before I engag’d in this Business, probably I never should have done
it. This Man continu’d to live in this decaying Place; and to declaim
in the same Strain, refusing for many Years to buy a House
there, because all was going to Destruction, and at last I had the
Pleasure of seeing him give five times as much for one as he might
have bought it for when he first began his Croaking.
I should have mention’d before, that in the Autumn of the preceding
Year I had form’d most of my ingenious Acquaintance into
a Club for mutual Improvement, which we call’d the Junto. We
met on Friday Evenings. The Rules I drew up requir’d that every
Member in his Turn should produce one or more Queries on any
Point of Morals, Politics or Natural Philosophy, to be discuss’d by
the Company, and once in three Months produce and read an Essay
of his own Writing on any Subject he pleased. Our Debates were
to be under the Direction of a President, and to be conducted in
the sincere Spirit of Enquiry after Truth, without Fondness for
Dispute, or Desire of Victory; and to prevent Warmth all Expressions
of Positiveness in Opinion, or of direct Contradiction, were
after some time made contraband and prohibited under small pecuniary
Penalties. The first Members were Joseph Brientnal, a
Copyer of Deeds for the Scriveners; a good-natur’d friendly middle-ag’d
Man, a great Lover of Poetry, reading all he could meet
with, and writing some that was tolerable; very ingenious in many
little Nicknackeries, and of sensible Conversation. Thomas Godfrey,
a self-taught Mathematician, great in his Way, and afterwards
Inventor of what is now call’d Hadley’s Quadrant. But he knew little
out of his way, and was not a pleasing Companion, as like most
Great Mathematicians I have met with, he expected unusual Precision
in every thing said, or was forever denying or distinguishing
upon Trifles, to the Disturbance of all Conversation. He soon left
us. Nicholas Scull, a Surveyor, afterwards Surveyor-General, Who
lov’d Books, and sometimes made a few Verses. William Parsons,
bred a Shoemaker, but loving Reading, had acquir’d a considerable
Share of Mathematics, which he first studied with a View to Astrology
that he afterwards laught at. He also became Surveyor General.
William Maugridge, a Joiner, a most exquisite Mechanic and a solid
sensible Man. Hugh Meredith, Stephen Potts, and George Webb, I
have Characteris’d before. Robert Grace, a young Gentleman of
some Fortune, generous, lively and witty, a Lover of Punning and
of his Friends. And William Coleman, then a Merchant’s Clerk,
about my Age, who had the coolest clearest Head, the best Heart,
and the exactest Morals, of almost any Man I ever met with. He
became afterwards a Merchant of great Note, and one of our Provincial
Judges: Our Friendship continued without Interruption to
his Death upwards of 40 Years.
And the club continu’d almost as long and was the best School
of Philosophy, Morals and Politics that then existed in the Province;
for our Queries which were read the Week preceding their Discussion,
put us on Reading with Attention upon the several Subjects,
that we might speak more to the purpose: and here too we
acquired better Habits of Conversation, every thing being studied
in our Rules which might prevent our disgusting each other. From
hence the long Continuance of the Club, which I shall have frequent
Occasion to speak farther of hereafter; But my giving this Account
of it here, is to show something of the Interest I had, every one of
these exerting themselves in recommending Business to us. Brientnal
particularly procur’d us from the Quakers, the Printing 40 Sheets
of their History, the rest being to be done by Keimer: and upon
this we work’d exceeding hard, for the Price was low. It was a
Folio, Pro Patria Size, in Pica with Long Primer Notes. I compos’d
of it a Sheet a Day, and Meredith work’d it off at Press. It
was often 11 at Night and sometimes later, before I had finish’d my
Distribution for the next days Work: For the little Jobbs sent in by
our other Friends now and then put us back. But so determin’d I
was to continue doing a Sheet a Day of the Folio, that one Night
when having impos’d my Forms, I thought my Days Work over,
one of them by accident was broken and two Pages reduc’d to Pie,
I immediately distributed and compos’d it over again before I went
to bed. And this Industry visible to our Neighbours began to give
us Character and Credit; particularly I was told, that mention being
made of the new Printing Office at the Merchants every-night-Club,
the general Opinion was that it must fail, there being already
two Printers in the Place, Keimer and Bradford; but Doctor Baird
(whom you and I saw many Years after at his native Place, St. Andrews
in Scotland) gave a contrary Opinion; for the Industry of that
Franklin, says he, is superior to any thing I ever saw of the kind:
I see him still at work when I go home from Club; and he is at
Work again before his Neighbours are out of bed. This struck the
rest, and we soon after had Offers from one of them to Supply us
with Stationary. But as yet we did not chuse to engage in Shop
Business.
I mention this Industry the more particularly and the more
freely, tho’ it seems to be talking in my own Praise, that those of
my Posterity who shall read it, may know the Use of that Virtue,
when they see its Effects in my Favour throughout this Relation.
George Webb, who had found a Female Friend that lent him
wherewith to purchase his Time of Keimer, now came to offer himself
as a Journeyman to us. We could not then imploy him, but I
foolishly let him know, as a Secret, that I soon intended to begin a
Newspaper, and might then have Work for him. My Hopes of Success
as I told him were founded on this, that the then only Newspaper,
printed by Bradford was a paltry thing, wretchedly manag’d,
and no way entertaining; and yet was profitable to him. I therefore
thought a good Paper could scarcely fail of good Encouragement.
I requested Webb not to mention it, but he told it to Keimer, who
immediately, to be beforehand with me, published Proposals for
Printing one himself, on which Webb was to be employ’d. I resented
this, and to counteract them, as I could not yet begin our
Paper, I wrote several Pieces of Entertainment for Bradford’s Paper,
under the Title of the Busy Body which Brientnal continu’d
some Months. By this means the Attention of the Publick was fix’d
on that Paper, and Keimers Proposals which we burlesqu’d and ridicul’d,
were disregarded. He began his Paper however, and after
carrying it on three Quarters of a Year, with at most only 90 Subscribers,
he offer’d it to me for a Trifle, and I having been ready
some time to go on with it, took it in hand directly, and it prov’d
in a few Years extreamly profitable to me.
I perceive that I am apt to speak in the singular Number, though
our Partnership still continu’d. The Reason may be, that in fact the
whole Management of the Business lay upon me. Meredith was no
Compositor, a poor Pressman, and seldom sober. My Friends lamented
my Connection with him, but I was to make the best of it.
Our first Papers made a quite different Appearance from any
before in the Province, a better Type and better printed: but some
spirited Remarks of my Writing on the Dispute then going on between
Govr. Burnet and the Massachusetts Assembly, struck the
principal People, occasion’d the Paper and the Manager of it to be
much talk’d of, and in a few Weeks brought them all to be our
Subscribers. Their Example was follow’d by many, and our Number
went on growing continually. This was one of the first good
Effects of my having learnt a little to scribble. Another was, that
the leading Men, seeing a News Paper now in the hands of one who
could also handle a Pen, thought it convenient to oblige and encourage
me. Bradford still printed the Votes and Laws and other
Publick Business. He had printed an Address of the House to the
Governor in a coarse blundering manner; We reprinted it elegantly
and correctly, and sent one to every Member. They were sensible
of the Difference, it strengthen’d the Hands of our Friends in the
House, and they voted us their Printers for the Year ensuing.
Among my Friends in the House I must not forget Mr. Hamilton
before mentioned, who was now returned from England and
had a Seat in it. He interested himself* for me strongly in that
Instance, as he did in many others afterwards, continuing his Patronage
till his Death. Mr. Vernon about this time put me in mind