after all, do not depend too much upon your own Industry, and Frugality, and Prudence, though excellent Things, for they may all be blasted without the Blessing of Heaven; and therefore, ask that Blessing humbly, and be not uncharitable to those that at present seem to want it, but comfort and help them. Remember, Job suffered, and was afterwards prosperous. And now to conclude, Experience keeps a dear School, but Fools will learn in no other, and scarce in that; for it is true, we may give Advice, but we cannot give Conduct, as Poor Richard says: However, remember this, They that won't be counselled, can't be helped, as Poor Richard says: and farther, That, if you will not hear Reason, she'll surely rap your Knuckles." Thus the old Gentleman ended his Harangue. The People heard it, and approved the Doctrine, and immediately practised the contrary, just as if it had been a common Sermon; for the Vendue opened, and they began to buy extravagantly, notwithstanding, his Cautions and their own Fear of Taxes. I found the good Man had thoroughly studied my Almanacks, and digested all I had dropt on these Topicks during the Course of Five and twenty Years. The frequent Mention he made of me must have tired any one else, but my Vanity was wonderfully delighted with it, though I was conscious that not a tenth Part of the Wisdom was my own, which he ascribed to me, but rather the Gleanings I had made of the Sense of all Ages and Nations. However, I resolved to be the better for the Echo of it; and though I had at first determined to buy Stuff for a new Coat, I went away resolved to wear my old One a little longer. Reader, if thou wilt do the same, thy Profit will be as great as mine. I am, as ever, thine to serve thee, RICHARD SAUNDERS. July 7, 1757. [Poor Richard Improved, 1758.] Dear Sister, TO MRS. JANE MECOM London, September 16, 1758. I received your favour of June 17. I wonder you have had no letter from me since my being in England. I have wrote you at least two, and I think a third before this, and what was next to waiting on you in person, sent you my picture. In June last I sent Benny a trunk of books, and wrote to him; I hope they are come to hand, and that he meets with encouragement in his business. I congratulate you on the conquest of Cape Breton, and hope as your people took it by praying, the first time, you will now pray that it may never be given up again, which you then forgot. Billy is well, but in the country. I left him at Tunbridge Wells, where we spent a fortnight, and he is now gone with some company to see Portsmouth. We have been together over a great part of England this summer, and among other places, visited the town our father was born in, and found some relations in that part of the country still living. Our cousin Jane Franklin, daughter of our uncle John, died about a year ago. We saw her husband, Robert Page, who gave us some old letters to his wife, from uncle Benjamin. In one of them, dated Boston, July 4, 1723, he writes that your uncle Josiah has a daughter Jane, about twelve years old, a good-humoured child. So keep up to your character, and don't be angry when you have no letters. In a little book he sent her, called "None but Christ," he wrote an acrostick on her name, which for namesake's sake, as well as the good advice it contains, I transcribe and send you, viz. "Illuminated from on high, And shining brightly in your sphere, In prayer and praise your God address, After professing truly that I had a great esteem and veneration for the pious author, permit me a little to play the commentator and critic on these lines. The meaning of three stories higher seems somewhat obscure. You are to understand, then, that faith, hope, and charity have been called the three steps of Jacob's ladder, reaching from earth to heaven; our author calls them stories, likening religion to a building, and these are the three stories of the Christian edifice. Thus improvement in religion is called building up and edification. Faith is then the ground floor, hope is up one pair of stairs. My dear beloved Jenny, don't delight so much to dwell in those lower rooms, but get as fast as you can into the garret, for in truth the best room in the house is charity. For my part, I wish the house was turned upside down; 'tis so difficult (when one is fat) to go up stairs; and not only so, but I imagine hope and faith may be more firmly built upon charity, than charity upon faith and hope. However that may be, I think it the better reading to say "Raise faith and hope one story higher." Correct it boldly, and I'll support the alteration; for, when you are up two stories already, if you raise your building three stories higher you will make five in all, which is two more than there should be, you expose your upper rooms more to the winds and storms; and, besides, I am afraid the foundation will hardly bear them, unless indeed you build with such light stuff as straw and stubble, and that, you know, won't stand fire. Again, where the author says, "Kindness of heart by words express," strike out words, and put in deeds. The world is too full of compliments already. They are the rank growth of every soil, and choak the good plants of benevolence, and beneficence; nor do I pretend to be the first in this comparison of words and actions to plants; you may remember an ancient poet, whose works we have all studied and copied at school long ago. "A man of words and not of deeds Is like a garden full of weeds." 'Tis a pity that good works, among some sorts of people, are so little valued, and good words admired in their stead: I mean seemingly pious discourses, instead of humane benevolent actions. Those they almost put out of countenance, by calling morality rotten morality, righteousness ragged righteousness, and even filthy rags-and when you mention virtue, pucker up their noses as if they smelt a stink; at the same time that they eagerly snuff up an empty canting harangue, as if it was a posey of the choicest flowers: So they have inverted the good old verse, and say now I have forgot the rhyme, but remember 'tis something the very reverse of perfume. So much by way of commentary. My wife will let you see my letter, containing an account of our travels, which I would have you read to sister Dowse, and give my love to her. I have no thoughts of returning till next year, and then may possibly have the pleasure of seeing you and yours; taking Boston in my way home. My love to brother and all your children, concludes at this time from, dear Jenny, your affectionate brother, B. FRANKLIN. TO THE PRINTER OF THE LONDON CHRONICLE Sir, I met lately with an old Quarto Book on a Stall, the Title-Page and the Author's Name wanting, but containing Discourses, address'd to some King of Spaine, on the Means of extending the Greatness of that Monarchy, translated into English, and said in the last Leaf, to be printed at London by Bonham Norton and John Bill, Printers to the King's most excellent Majestie, MDCXXIX. The Author appears to have been a Jesuit, for, speaking of that Order in two Places, he calls it our Society. Give me leave to communicate to the Public a Chapter of it, so apropos to our present Situation, (only changing Spain for France,) that I think it well worth general Attention and Observation, as it discovers the Arts of our Enemies, and may therefore help in some Degree to put us on our Guard against them. What Effect the Artifices here recommended might have had in the Times when our Author wrote, I cannot pretend to say; but I believe, the present Age being more enlightened and our People better acquainted than formerly with our true National Interest, such Arts can now hardly prove so generally successfull; for we may with Pleasure observe, and to the Honour of the British People, that tho' Writings and Discourses like these have lately not been wanting, yet few in any of the Classes he particularizes seem to be affected by them, but all Ranks and Degrees among us persist hitherto in declaring for a vigorous Prosecution of the War, in Preference to an unsafe, disadvantageous, or dishonourable Peace; yet as a little Change of Fortune may make such Writings more attended to and give them greater Weight, I think the Publication of this Piece, as it shows the Spring from whence these Scriblers draw their poisoned Waters, may be of publick Utility. I am, &c. "CHAP. XXXIV. A BRITON. "Of the Meanes of disposing the Enemie to Peace. "Warres, with whatsoever Prudence undertaken and conducted, do not always succeed; many thinges out of Man's Power to governe, such as Dearth of Provision, Tempests, Pestilence, and the like, oftentimes interfering and totally overthrowing the best Designes; so that these Enemies (England and Holland) of our Monarchy, tho' apparently at first the weaker, may by disastrous Events of War, on our Part, become the stronger, and tho' not in such degree, as to endanger the Body of this great Kingdom, yet, by their greater Power of Shipping and Aptness in Sea Affairs, to be able to cut off, if I may so speak, some of its smaller Limbs and Members, that are remote therefrom and not easily defended, to wit, our Islands and Col |