be in Europe. Denham, who was Hamilton's friend, was of opinion that he ought to be made acquainted with it; and in reality, the inftant he arrived in England, which was very foon after, I waited on him, and, as much from good-will to him as from refentment against the governor, put the letter into his hands. He thanked me very fincerely, the information it contained being of confequence to him; and from that moment beftowed on me his friendship, which afterwards proved on many occafions ferviceable to me.

But what are we to think of a governor who could play fo fcurvy a trick, and thus grofsly deceive a poor young lad, wholly deftitute of experience? It was a practice with him. Wifhing to please every body, and having little to beftow, he was lavish of promifes. He was in other refpects ienfible and judicious,' a very tolerable writer, and a good governor for the people; though not fo for the proprietaries, whofe inftructions he frequently Cifregarded. Many of our beft laws were his work and established during his adminiftration.

Ralph and I were infeparable companions. We took a lodging together at three-and-fixpence a week, which was as much as we could afford. He met with fome relations in London, but they were poor, and not able to aflift him. He now, for the firft time, informed me of his intention to remain in England, and that he had no thoughts of ever returning to Philadelphia. He was totally without money; the little he had been able to raise having barely fufficed for his paffage. I had ftill fif teen piftoles remaining; and to me he had from time to time recourfe, while he tried to get employment.

At first blieeving himfelf poffeffed of talents for the stage he thought of turning actor; but Wilkes, to whom he applied, frankly advised him to renounce the idea, as it was impoffible to fucceed. He next propofed to Roberts, a bookfeller in Paternofter Row, to write a weekly paper in the manner of the fpectator, upon terms to which Roberts would not liften. Lafly he endeavoured to procure employment as a copyift, and applied to the lawyers and stationers about the Temple; but he could find no vacancy.

As to myself I immediately got engaged at Palmer's, at that time a noted printer in Bartholomew Close, with whom I continued nearly a year. I applied very affiduoufly to my work; but I expended with Ralph almost all that I earned. Plays and other places of amufement which we frequented together, having exhaufted my piftoles, we lived after this from hand to mouth. He appeared to have entirely forgotten his wife and child, as I alfo by degrees forgot my engagements with Mifs Read, to whom I never wrote more than one letrer, and that merely to inform her that I was not likely to return foon. This was another grand error of my life, which I fhould be defirous of correcting, were I to begin my career again.

I was employed at Palmer's on the fecond edition of Woolafton's Religion of Nature. Some of his arguments appearing to me not to be well founded, I wrote a fmall metaphyfical treatife, in which I animadverted on thofe pafliges. It was entitled a Differtation on Liberty and necellity. Pleasure and Pain. I dedicated it to my friend Ralph, and printed a small number of copies. Pal- mer upon this treated me with more confideration,

and regarded me as a young man of talents; tho' he seriously took me to task for the principles of my pamphlet, which he looked upon as abomina. ble. The printing of this book was another error of my life.

While I lodged in Little Britain I formed acquaintance with a bookfeller of the name of Wilcox, whofe fhop was next door to me. Circulating libraries were not then in ufe.. He had an immenfe collection of books of all forts. We agreed that, for a reasonable retribution, of which I have now forgotten the price, I fhould have free access to his library, and take what books I pleafed, which I was to return when I had read them. I confidered this agreement as a very great advantage; and I derived from it as much benefit as was in my power.

My pamphlet falling into the hands of a furgeon, of the name of Lyons, author of a book entitled lafallibility of Human Judgment, was the occafion of a confiderable intimacy between us, He expreffed great efteem for me, came frequently to fee me, in order to converfe upon metaphyfical fubjects, and introduced me to Dr. Mandeville, author of the Fable of Bees, who had inftituted a club at a tavern in Cheapfide, of which he was the foul: he was a facetious and very amufing character. He alfo introduced me, at Bafton's coffee-house, to Dr. Pemberton, who promifed to give me an opportunity of feeing Sir Ifaac Newton, which I very ardently defired; But he never kept his word.

I had brought fome curiofities with me from America; the principal of which was a purfe made of afbeftos, which fire only purifies. Sir Hans Sloane hearing of it, called upon me, and invited

me to his houfe in Bloomsbury fquare, where, after fhowing me every thing that was curious, he prevailed on me to add this piece to his collection; for which he paid me very handsomely.

There lodged in the fame houfe with us a young woman, a milliner, who had a fhop by the fide of the exchange. Lively and fenfible, and having received an education fomewhat above her rank, her conversation was very agreeable. Ralph read plays to her every evening. They became intimate. She took another lodging, and he followed her. They lived for fome time together; but Ralph being without employment, the having at child, and the profits of her bufinefs not fufficing for the maintenance of three, he refolved to quit London and try a country school. This was a plan in which he thought himielf likely to fucceed, as he wrote a fine hand and was verfed in arithmetic and accounts. But confidering the office as beneath him, and expecting fome day to make a better figure in the world, when he should be afhamed of its being known that he had exercised a profeffion fo little honorable, he changed his name and did me the honour of affuming mine. He wrote to me foon after his departure, informing me that he was fettled at a fmall village in Berkfhire. In his letter he recommended Mrs. T***, the milliner to my care, and requested an answer, directed to Mr. Franklin, fchoolmatter at N***.

He continued to write to me frequently, fending me large fragments of an epic poem he was compofing, and which he requested me to criticife and correct. I did fo, but not without endeavouring to prevail on him to renounce this purfuit. Young had juft published one of his Satires.

I

copied and fent him a great part of it; in which the author demonftrates the folly of cultivating the Mufes, from the hope, by their inftrumentality, of rifing in the world. It was all to no purpofe; paper after paper of his poem continued to arrive every poft.

Meanwhile Mrs. T*** having loft, on his account, both her friends and her bufinefs, was frequently in diftrefs. In this dilemma fhe had recourfe to me; and to extricate her from her difficulties, I lent her all the money I could spare. I felt a little too much fondness for her. Having at that time no ties of religion, and taking advantage of her neceffitous fituation, I attempted liberties (another error of my life) which the repelled with becoming indignation. She informed Ralph of my conduct; and affair occafione a breach between us. When he returned to London, he gave me to understand that he confidered all the obligations he owed me as annihilated by this proceeding; whence I concluded that I was never to expect the payment of what money I had lent him, or. advanced on his account. I was the lefs afflict. ed at this, as he was unable to pay me; and as, by lofing his friendship, I was relieved at the fame time from a very heavy burden.

I now began to think of laying by fome money. The printing-houfe of Watts, near Lincoln's InnFields, being a fill more confiderable one than that in which I worked, it was probable I might find it more advantageous to be employed there. Loffered myself, and was accepted; and in this houfe I continued during the remainder of my ftay in London..

On my entrance I worked at first as a prefiman,

The