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ed by Benjamin and Jofias, who adhered to them ever after. The reft of the family continued in the epifcopal Church.

My father, Jofias, married early in life. He went, with his wife, and three children, to New England about the year 1682. conventicles, being at that time prohibited by law, and frequently. difturbed, fome confiderable perfons of his acquaintance determined to go to America, where they hoped to enjoy the free exercife of their religion, and my father was prevailed on to accompany them.

My father had alfo by the fame wife four children born in America, and ten others by a fecond wife, making in all feventeen. Iremember to have feen thirteen feated together athis table, whoall arrived to years of maturity, and were married, I was the Haft of the fons, and the youngest child, excepting two daughters. I was born at Bofton in New En gland. My mother the fecond wife, was Abiah Folger, daughter of Peter Folger, one of the firft: colonists of New England, of whom Cotton Mather makes honourable mention, in his Ecclefiafti, cal History of that province, as "a pious and learn, "ed Englishman," if Irightly recall his expref fions. I have been told of his having written a variety of little pieces; bur there appears to be on, ly one in print, which I met with many years ago. It was published in the year 1675, and is in fami liar verfe, agreeable to the tafle of the times and the country. The author addrefies himself to the governors for the time being, fpeaks for liberty of confcience, and in favour of the anabaptifs quas. kers, and other fectaries, who had fuffered periecution. To this perfecution he attributes the wars

with the natives, and other calamities which afflict. ed the country, regarding them as the judgements of God in punishment of fo odious an offence, and he exhorts the government to the repeal of laws fo contrary to charity. The poem appeared to be written with a manly freedom and a pleafing fin plicity. Irecollect the fix concluding lines, though I have forgotten the order of words of the two firft; the sense of which was, that his cenfures were dictated by benevolence, and that, of confequence, he wished to be known as the author; becaufe, faid he, I hate from my very foul diffimulation : From Sherburne*; where I'dwell,

I therefore put my name,
Your friend who means you well,

PETER FOLGER.

My brothers were all put apprentices to different trades. With refpect to my felf, I was fent, at the age of eight years to a grammar fchool. My father deftined me for the church, and already regarded me as the chaplain of the family. The promptitude with which from my infancy I had learned to read, for I do not remember to have been ever without this acquirement, and the encouragements of his friends, who affured him that I fhould one day certainly become a man of letters, confirmed him in this defign. My uncle Benjamin approved alfo of the fcheme, and promifed to give me all his volumes of fermons, written, as I have faid, in the fhort hand of his invention, if I would take the pains to learn it.

I remained however fcarcely a year at grammar fchool, although, in this fhort interval, I had ri

Town in the Island of Nantucket.

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fen from the middle to the head of my clafs, from thence to the clafs immediately above, and was to pals at the end of the year, to the one next in order. But my father, burthened with a numerous family, found that he was incapable, without fubjecting himself to difficulties, of providing for the expence of a collegiate education; and confidering befides, as I heard him fay to his friends, that perfons fo educated were often poorly provided for, he renounced his firft intentions, took me from the grammar fchool, and fent me to a fchool for writing and arithmetic, kent by a Mr. George Brownwel, who was a skilful mafter, and fucceeded very well in his profeffion by employing gentle means only, and fuch as were calculated to encourage his scholars. Under him I foon acquir. ed an excellent hand; but I failed in arithmetic, and made therein no fort of progress..

At ten years of age, I was called home to affit my father in his occupation, which was that of foap-boiler and tallow chandler; a bufinefs to which he had ferved no apprenticeship, but which he embrac'd on his arrival in New England, becaufe he found his own, that of a dyer, in too little request to enable him to maintain his family. I was accordingly employed in cutting the wicks, filling the moulds, taking care of the hop, carrying meffages, &c.

This bufinefs difpleafed me, and I felt a strong inclination for a fea life; but my father fet his face against it. The vicinity of the water, however, gave me frequent opportunities of venturing my felf both upon and within it, and I foon acquired the art of iwimming, and of managing a boat.When embarked with other children, the help

was commonly deputed to me, particularly on dif ficult occafions; and, in every other project, I was almost always the leader of the troop, whom I fometimes involved in embarraffments. I fhall give an inftance of this, which demonftrates an early difpofition of mind for public enterprises, though the one in queftion was not conducted by justice.

The mill-pond was terminated on one fide by a marth, upon the borders of which we were accuftomed to take our stand, at high water, to angle for fmall fish. By dint of walking, we had converted the place into a perfect quagmire. My propofal was to erect a wharf that fhould afford us firm footing; and I pointed out to my companions a large heap of ftones, intended for the building a new house near the marsh, and which were well adapted for our purpofe. Accordingly, when the workmen retired in the evening, I affembled a number of my playfellows, and by labouring dili gently, like ants, fometimes four of us uniting our ftrength to carry a fingle ftone, we removed them all, and constructed our little quay. The workmen were furprifed the next morning at not finding their ftones, which had been conveyed to our wharf. Enquiries were made refpecting the authors of this conveyance; we were difcovered; complaints were exhibited agajnit us; many of us underwent correction on the part of our parents; and though I ftrenuously defended the utility of the work, my father at length convinced me, that nothing which was not frictly ho neft could be useful.

It will not, perhaps, be uninterefting to you to know what fort of a man my father was. He b

an excellent conftitution, was of a middle fize, but well made and strong, and extremely active in whatever he undertook. He defigned with a degree of neatnefs, and knew a little of mufic. His voice was fonorious and agreeable; fo that when he fung a pfalm or hymn with accompaniment of his violin, as was his frequent practice in an evening when the labours of the day were finifhed, it was truly delightful to hear him. He was verfed alfo in mechanics, and could upon occafion, ufe the tools of a variety of trades. But his greateft excellence was a found understanding and folid judgement in matters of prudence, both in public and private life. In the former indeed the never engaged, because his numerous family and the mediocrity of his fortune, kept him unremittingly employed in the duties of his profeffion. But I very well remember that the leading men of the place ufed frequently to come and afk his Hadvice refpecting affairs of the town, or of the church to which he belonged, and that they paid much deference to his opinion. Individuals were alfo in the habit of confulting him in their private affairs, and he was often chofen arbiter between contending parties.'

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He was fond of having at his table, as often as poffible, fome friends or well informed neighbours capable of rational converfation, and he was always careful to introduce useful or ingenious to

lifcourfe, which might tend to form the of his children. By this means he early I our attention to what was juft, prudent, eficial in the conduct of life. He never the meats which appeared upon the ta difcuffed whether they were well or ill

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