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pallengers; among whom were two young women, and a grave and fenfible quaker lady with her fervants. I had fhewn an obliging forwardnefs in rendering the quaker fome trifling fervices, which led her probably, to feel fome intereft in my welfare; for when the faw a familiarity take place, and every day increase, between the two young women and me, the took me afide and faid, "Young man I am in pain for thee. Thou haft no parent to watch over thy conduct, and thou feemeft to be ignorant of the world, and the fnares to which youth is expofed. Rely upon what I tell thee: thofe are women of bad characters; I perceive it in all their actions. If thou doft not take care, they will lead thee into danger. They are tran gers to thee, and I advise thee, by the friendly intereft I take in thy prefervation, to form no conpection with them." As I appeared at firft not to think quite fo ill of them as the did, the related many things fhe had feen and heard, which had efcaped my attention, but which convinced me fhe was in the right. I thanked her for her obliging advice, and promifed to follow it.

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When we arrived at New York, they informed me where they lodged, and invited me to come and fee them. I did not however go, and it was well I did not; for the next day, the captain, miffing a filver (poon and fome other things which had been taken from the cabin, and knowing thefe women to be prostitutes, procured a fearch warrant, found the ftolen goods upon them, and had them punithed. And thus after having been faved Tro one rock concealed under water, upon which the

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veffel ftruck during our paffage, I efcaped another of a ftill more dangerous nature..

At New-York I found my friend Collins, who had arrived fome time before. We had been intimate from our infancy, and had read the fame books together; and he had the advantage of being able to devote more time to reading and study, and an aftonishing difpofition for mathematics, in which he left me far behind him. When at Bofton, I had been accuftomed to pafs with him almoft all my leifure hours. He was then a fober and induftrious lad; his knowledge had gained him a very general esteem, and he feemed to promife to make an advantageous figure in fociety. But, during my abfence, he had unfortunately addicted himfelf to brandy, and I learned, as well from himfelf as from the report of others, that every day fince his arrival at New-York he had been intoxi cated, and had acted in a very extravagant man. ner. He had alfo played, and loft all his money; fo that I was obliged to pay his expences at the inn, and to maintain him during the rest of the journey; a burden that was very inconvenient to me.

The governor of New-York, whofe name was Burnet, hearing the captain fay that a young man who was a paffenger in his flip had a great number of books, begged him to bring me to his houfe, I accordingly went and fhould have taken Collins with me had he been fober, The governor treated me with great civility, fhewed me his library, which was a very confidcrabic one, and we talked Come time upon bocks and authors. This was fecond governor who had honoured me with

his attention; and to a poor boy, as I then was, thefe little adventures did not fail to be pleafing.

We arrived at Philadelphia. On the way I received Vernon's money, without which we fhould have been unable to have finifhed our journey.

Collins withed to get imployment as a merchant's clerk; but either his breath or his countenance betrayed his bad habit; for, though he had recommendations, he met with no fuccefs, and continued to lodge and eat with me, and at my expence. Knowing that I had Vernon's money, he was continually alking me to lend him fome of it; promifing to repay me as foon as he fhould get employment. At laft he had drawn fo much of this money, that I was extremely alarmed at what might become of me, fhould he fail to make good the deficiency. His habit of drinking did not all diminifh, and was a frequent fource of difcord between us for when he had drank a little too much, he was very headstrong.

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Being one day in a boat together, on the Delaware, with fome other young perfons, he refuitd to take his turn in rowing. You fhall row for me, faid he, till we get home.-No, I replied, we will not row for you.-You fhall, faid he, or remain upon the water all night. As you pleafe.-Let us row, faid the rest of the company; what fignifies whether he affifts or not. But, already angry with him for his conduct in other refpects, I perfifted in my refufal. He then fwore that he would make me row, or would throw me out of the boat; and he made up to me. As foon as he was with in my reach took him by the collar, gave him a wiolent thruft, and threw him head-foremost into the river. I knew that he was a good fwimmer,

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and was therefore under no apprehenfions for his life. Before he could turn himfelf we were able, by a few strokes of our oars, to place ourselves out of his reach; and whenever he touched the boat, we asked him if he would row, ftriking his hands, with the oars to make him let go his hold. He was nearly fuffocated with rage, but obftinately refufed making any promife to row. Perceiving at length that his ftrength began to be exhausted, we took him into the boat, and conveyed him home in the evening, completely drenched. The utmost coldnefs fubfifted between us after this adventure.. At last a captain of a Weft-India fhip, who was commiffioned to procure a tutor for the children of a gentleman at Barbadoes, meeting with Collins, offered him the place. He accepted it, and took his leave of me, promifing to difcharge the debt he owed me with the first money he fhould receive; but I have heard nothing of him fince.

The violation of the truft repofed in me by Ver. non, was one of the first great errors of my life; and it proves that my father was no mistaken when he fuppofed me too young to be intrufted with the management of important affairs. But Sir William, upon reading his letter thought him too prudent. There was a difference, he faid, between individuals: years of maturity were not always accompanied with difcretion, neither was youth in every inftance devoid of it. Since your father, added he will not fet you up in business, I will do it myself. Make out a lift of what will be wanted from England, and I will fend for the articles. You fhall repay me when you can. I am determined to have a good printer here, and I am fure

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you will fucceed. This was faid with fo much feeming cordiality, that I fufpected not for an inftant the fincerity of the offer. I had hitherto kept the project with which Sir William had infpired me, of fettling in bufinefs, a fecret at Philadelphia, and I ftill continued to do fo. Had my reliance on the governor been known, fome friend, better acquainted with his character than myself, would doubtlefs have advifed me not to trust him; for I afterwards learned that he was univérfally known to be liberal of promifes, which he had no intention to perform. But having never folicited him, how could I fuppofe his offers to be deceitful? On the contrary I believed him to be the best man in the world.

I gave him an inventory of a fiall printing-office: the expence of which I had calculated at about a hundred pounds fterling. He expreffed his approbation; but asked if my prefence in England, that I might choofe the characters myself, and fee that every article was good in its kind, would not be an advantage. You will alfo be able, faid he, to form fome acquaintance there, and eftablish a correfpondence with ftationers and bookfellers. This I acknowledged was defirable. That being the cafe, added he, hold yourself in readines to go with the Annis. This was the annual veffel, and the only one, at that time, which made regula voyages between the ports of London and Phi ladelphia. But the Ann was not to fail for fome› months. I therefore continued to work with Keimer unhappy relpecting the fum which Collins' had drawn from me, and almoft in continual ago-my at the thoughts of Vernon, who fortunately

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