before you are aware, and the demand is made before you are "For age and want fave while you may, "No morning fun lafts a whole day." Gain may be temporary and uncertain, but ever, while you hold: ""Tis the ftone that will turn all your lead into gold.” And when you have got the philofopher's ftone, fure you will no longer complain of bad times, or the difficulty of paying taxes.' Thus the Old Gentleman-fays Poor Richard, for he is now the speaker-ended his harangue.- The people heard it, and approved the doctrine; and immediately practifed the contrary, juft as if it had been a common fermon; for the auction opened, and they began to buy extravagantly.-I found the good man had thorougly ftudied my Almanacks, and digefted all I had dropt on thofe topics during the courfe of twenty-five years. The frequent mention he made of me must have tired any one elfe; but my vanity was wonderfully delighted with it, though I was conscious, that not a tenth part of the wifdom was my own, which he afcribed to me, but rather the gleanings that I had made of the fenfe of all ages and nations. However, I refolved to be the better for the echo of it; and, though I had at first determined to buy ftuff for a new coat, I went away, refolved to wear my old one a little longer. Reader, if thou wilt, do the fame, thy profit will be as great as mine,' RICHARD SAUNDERS. If every one of us, in our refpective stations, would attend to, and immediately put in practice, the excellent advice given by poor Richard in this paper; each individual would, we apprehend, foon find a much more fenfible alleviation of the weight that he bears in the burthens impofed by the ftate*, than is to be expected from even the prefent endeavours to procure relief, by the abolition of finecures, and the reduction of exorbitant • The Reviewer is aware of an obvious objection: but the frugality of individuals can never injure the ftate, with refpect to revenue, io much as it muft fuffer, even as a state, by their idleness, diffipation, and the other political fins or failings, againft which Father Abraham raifes his truly patriotic voice in this oration, emoluments, emoluments, how proper foever. Be this as it may, we are glad to circulate a part of poor Richard's plain and wholesome precepts; and to extend the knowledge of them farther, by intimating that the whole of this excellent little piece has been printed on a fingle sheet of paper, of a small size, fit for framing, and may be had of the publisher of the prefent volume, at the fmall price of two-pence. In perufing the political pieces in this collection, though the Reader will frequently be reminded of Swift, when treating of the interests of Ireland; yet no two characters will be found more different in feveral refpects. Except in thofe parts of his writings where he treats of what may be called General Politics, Swift exhibits every mark of a difappointed, paffionate, and even cauftic party man; execrating minifters, and in fhort, almost constantly venting his fpleen in perfonalities against those who differ from him. Dr. Franklin, on the contrary, in the political writings now before us, appears almoft on every occafion the placid and difpaffionate philofopher;-as much a philofopher, at least, as one, who is at the fame time a public man, and on very trying occafions, can be expected to be. His writings, before the American troubles commenced, every where breathe the fpirit of peace and conciliation. They exprefs an anxious defire to unite and blend the interefts of the parent country and its colonies, in one common mafs of vigour and public felicity; and to prevent every measure that thewed a tendency to alienate the two countries from each other. It is evident likewife, from fome papers in this collection, that he earneftly wifhed to preserve the natural connection between this country and his own t; even after certain proceedings-(on both fides, it must be acknowledged) had created a distinction between them. In a letter to a friend, written from Philadelphia, October 3, 1775, when he was a member of the Continental Congrefs, he thus expreffes his fentiments on the fubject: I wifh as ardently as you can do for peace, and should rejoice exceedingly in co-operating with you to that end. But every fhip from Britain brings fome intelligence of new meafures that tend more and more to exafperate; and it seems to me, that until you have found by dear experience the reducing us by force impracticable, you will think of nothing fair and reasonable. We have as yet refolved only on defenfive meafures. If you would recall your forces and ftay at home, we fhould meditate nothing to injure you. A little time fo given for cooling, on both fides, would have excellent effects. But you + Dr. Franklin is an American; born at Boston, as we learn from an infcription under a buft of him, prefixed to this collection, in the year 1706. will goad and provoke us. You defpife us too much; and you are infenfible of the Italian adage, that there is no little enemy.' We meet with no perfonalities in our Author's productions refpecting the American conteft. Indeed a candid looker on will perhaps infer, that the measures that have been pursued, in this country, with refpect to America, are not to be wholly afcribed to any particular fet of men, in or out of place;-for perfons of both thefe defcriptions have contributed to the bringing matters to the present formidable crifis :—but to the monopolifing spirit of a rich, proud, warlike, and commercial NATION, operating with the fpirit of their rulers for the time being. The nation will perhaps, to a philofophic eye, appear to have been equally criminal with the minifters of the day, in anticipating a catastrophe which must, however, probably have taken place, under any management whatever, though at a later period. In fact, we are now little more than commenting on a paffage contained in a letter of Dr. Franklin's. Speaking of the British nation, in the letter to Lord Howe above alluded to, the Author fays- I know too well ther abounding pride and deficient wifdom, to believe the will ever take fuch falutary measures' [meaning the repairing the mifchiefs done to America, previous to, and during the course of, the war. Her fondness for conqueft as a warlike nation; her luft of dominion as an ambitious one; and her thirst for a gain ful monopoly as a commercial one (none of them legitimate caufes of war) will join to hide from her eyes every view of her true intereft; and continually goad her on in these ruinous diftant expeditions, fo deftructive both of lives and of treasure, that they must prove as pernicious to her in the end, as the croifades formerly were to most of the nations of Europe:'He then adds- I have not the vanity, my Lord, to think of intimidating, by thus predicting the effects of this war; for I know it will in England have the fate of all my former predictions; nor be believed till the event shall verify it.' But enough of thefe gloomy and mortifying politics :-yet before we quit the political part of this collection, we owe an act of justice to their Author; whofe moral character has long fuffered moft feverely, on account of certain transactions in the year 1773, while he refided here as agent for the colony of the Maffachufett's Bay. We allude to his having, by fome means or other, procured and tranfmitted to his conftituents at Bofton, certain letters of Governor Huchinfon, &c. :-to the fubfequent duel fought, in confequence of mifapprehenfions on both fides, between Mr. Whately and Mr. Temple; and to Dr. Franklin's afterwards declaring the perfect innocence of thefe two gentlemen, in a letter printed in the Public Advertiser; and avowing avowing that he alone was the perfon who obtained and tranfmitted to Boston the letters in question. To mark the politics of the times, and the nature of the centures paffed in England upon Dr. Franklin's conduct,' the Editor has collected into one page, the moft licentious parts of Mr. Wedderburn's fhameful Philippic, pronounced on this occafion before the Privy Council; Dr. Franklin being all the time prefent. Here are fome traits of this intemperate oration. "I hope, my Lords, you will mark [and brand] the man, for the honour of this country, of Europe, and of mankind. "He has forfeited all the refpect of focieties and of men. Into what companies will he hereafter go with an unembarraffed face, or the honeft intrepidity of virtue? Men will watch him with a jealous eye; they will hide their papers from him, and lock up their efcrutoires. He will henceforth efteem it a libel to be called a man of letters; homo trium literarum ?" [FUR, or thief.] Alluding to the duel, and Dr. Franklin's fubfequent printed letter above mentioned, he exclaims-" It is impoffible to read his account, expreffive of the cooleft and moft deliberate malice, without horror-Amidst these tragical events, of one perfon nearly murdered; of another anfwerable for the iffue; of a worthy Governor hurt in his dearest interests; the fate of America in fufpence; here is a man, who, with the utmost infenfibility or remorse, ftands up, and avows himfelf the Author of all. I can compare it only to Zanga, in Dr. Young's Revenge; "Know then, 'twas-1: I forged the letter, I difpofed the picture; I hated, I defpifed, and I deftroy." "I afk, my Lords, whether the revengeful temper attributed, by poetic fiction only, to the bloody African, is not furpaffed by the coolness and apathy of the wily American ?" Thefe horrid charges are refuted by the Editor-firft, with regard to the duel- by obferving, that the letter of provocation appeared in the morning, and the parties met in the afternoon. Dr. Franklin was not then in town: it was after fome interval that he received the intelligence. What had paffed he could not forefee; he endeavoured to prevent what ftill might follow.' With refpect to his procuring the letters, he informs us, that Dr. Franklin afterwards took an oath in Chancery, that at the time that he tranfmitted the letters, he was ignorant of the party to whom they had been addreffed; having himself received them from a third perfon, and for the exprefs purpose of their being conveyed to America.'It was not perhaps fingular, the Editor afterwards. adds, that, as a man of honour, Dr. ་ Franklin Franklin fhould furrender his name to public fcrutiny, in order to prevent mischief to others; and yet not betray his coadjutor, (even to the present moment) to relieve his own fame from the fevereft obloquy but perhaps it belonged to few befides Dr.' Franklin, to poffefs mildnefs and magnanimity enough, to refrain from intemperate expreffions and measures, against Mr. Wedderburn and his fupporters, after all that had paffed.' Quitting these contentious fcenes, and this unworthy treat ment of fo venerable a character, we fhall relieve the indignant reader, and introduce him into better and more edifying company; by inftantly transporting him into a club-room in Philadelphia; where whilom, in more ferene and happy times, a fociety met, governed by fuch regulations as, to use nearly the words of the Editor, carry indeed along with them an air of fingularity; but accompanied with fuch operative good fenfe and philanthropy, as characterise them to be the production of Dr. Franklin. This club is faid to have been compofed of men confiderable for their influence and difcretion. Previous to admiffion, the candidate was to ftand up, lay his hand on his breaft, and answer the four following questions: 1. Have you any particular difrefpect to any present members?-Anfwer. I have not.' 2. Do you fincerely declare that you love mankind in general; of what profeffion or religion foever?-Anf. I do.' 3. Do you think any perfon ought to be harmed in his body, name, or goods, for mere fpeculative opinions, or his external way of worship?-Anf. Ño.' 4. Do you love truth for truth's fake; and will you endeavour impartially to find and receive it yourself, and communicate it to others? Anf. Yes.' The rules of this inftitution are perfectly congenial to fo fenfible and liberal a teft as the preceding. They appear in the form of queries. The following may ferve as fpecimens: 'Have you met with any thing in the Author you last read, remarkable, or fuitable to be communicated to the Junto? particularly in history, morality, poetry, phyfic, travels, mechanic arts, or other parts of knowledge? Hath any citizen in your knowledge failed in his bufinefs lately; and what have you heard of the caufe? Have you lately heard of any citizen's thriving well, and by what means? 'Do you think of any thing at prefent, in which the Junto may be ferviceable to mankind? to their country, to their friends, or to themselves? Hath any deferving ftranger arrived in town fince laft meeting, that you heard of? and what have you heard or obferved of his character or merits; and whether think you, it lies in the |