one were not offered me, I might play the truant and escape to fea; as, to his extreme mortification, my brother Jofias had done. He therefore took me sometimes to fee mafons, coopers, braziers, joiners, and other mechanics employed at their work; in order to discover the bent of my inclination, and fix it if he could upon fome Occupation that might retain me on fhore. I have fince, in confequence of thefe vifits, derived no fmall pleasure from seeing skilful workmen handle their tools; and it has proved of confiderable benefit, to have acquired thereby fufficient knowledge to be able to make little things for myself when I have had no mechanic at hand, and to conftruct small machines for my experiments, while the idea I have conceived has been fresh and ftrongly impreffed on my imagination.

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My father at length decided that I fhould be a cutler, and I was placed for fome days upon trial with my coufin Samuel, fon of my uncle Benjamin, who had learned this trade in London, and had established himself at Bofton. But the premium he required for my apprenticeship difpleafing my father, I was recalled home.

From my earliest years I had been paffionately fond of reading, and I laid out in books all the little money I could procure. I was particularly pleased with accounts of voyages. My first acquifition was Bunyan's collection in small separate volumes. These I afterwards fold in order to buy an historical collection by R. Burton, which confifted of fmall cheap volumes, amountine

all to about forty or fifty. My father's little library was principally made up of books of practical and polemical theology. I read the greatest part of them. I have fince often regretted, that

at a time when I had so great a thirst for knowledge, more eligible books had not fallen into my hands, as it was then a point decided that I fhould not be educated for the church. There was also among my father's books Plutarch's Lives, in which I read continually, and I still regard as advantageoufly employed the time I devoted to them. I found befides a work of De Foe's, entitled, An Effay on Projects, from which, perhaps, I derived impreffions that have fince influenced fome of the principal events of my life.

My inclination for books at last determined my father to make me a printer, though he had already a fon in that profeffion. My brother had returned from England in 1717, with a prefs and types, in order to establish a printing-house at Bofton. This bufinefs pleafed me much better than that of my father, though I had still a predilection for the fea. To prevent the effects which might refult from this inclination, my father was impatient to fee me engaged with my brother. I held back for fome time; at length, however, I iuffered mylelf to be periuaded, and figned my indentures, being then only twelve years of age. It was agreed that I fhould ferve as apprentice to the age of twenty-one, and fhould receive journeyman's wages only during the last year.

In a very fhort time I made great proficiency in this business, and became very ferviccable to

my brother. I had now an opportunity of procuring better books. The acquaintance I neceffarily formed with book fellers' apprentices, enabled me to borrow a volume now and then, which I never failed to return punctually and without injury. How often has it happened to me to pals the greater part of the night in reading by my bed-fide, when the book had been lent me in the evening, and was to be returned the next morning, left it might be miffed or wanted.

At length, Mr. Matthew Adams, an ingenious tradefman, who had a handfome collection of books, and who frequented our printing-houfe, took notice of me. He invited me to fee his library, and had the goodness to lend me any books I was defirous of reading. I then took a ftrange fancy for poetry, and compofed feveral little pieces. My brother, thinking he might find his account in it, encouraged me, and engaged me to write two ballads. One, called the Lighthoufe Tragedy, contained an account of the shipwreck of Capt. Worthilake and his two daughters; the other was a failor's fong on the capture of the noted pirate called Teach, or Black beard, They were wretched verfes in point of ftyle, mere blind-men's ditties. When printed, he dispatched me about the town to fell them. The firit had a prodigious run, becaufe the event was recent, and had made a great noise.

My vanity was flattered by this fuccefs; but my father checked my exultation, by ridiculing my productions, and telling me that verlifiers were always poor. I thus efcaped the misfor tune of being, probably a very wretched post.

But as the faculty of writing profe has been of great fervice to me in the course of my life, and principally contributed to my advancement, I hall relate by what means, fituated as I was, I acquired the fmall skill I may poffefs in that way.

There was in the town another young man, a great lover of books, of the name of John Collins, with whom I was intimately connected. We frequently engaged in difpute, and were indeed fo fond of argumentation, that nothing was fo agreeable to us as a war of words. This contentious temper, I would observe by the bye, is in danger of becoming a very bad habit, and frequently renders a man's company infupportable, as being no otherwife capable of indulgence than by indifcriminate contradiction. Independently of the acrimony and difcord it introduces into converfation, it is often productive of diflike, and even hatred, between perfons to whom friendship is indifpenfibly neceffary. I acquired it by reading, while I lived with my father, books of religious controverfy. I have fince remarked, that men of fenfe feldom fall into this error; lawyers, fellows of universities, and perfons of every profeffion educated at Edinburgh, excepted.

Collins and I fell one day into an argument relative to the education of women; namely, whether it were proper to inftruct them in the fciences, and whether they were competent to the ftudy. Collins fupported the negative, and affirmed that the task was beyond their capacity. I maintained the oppofite opinion, a little perhaps for the pleasure of difputing. He was

naturally more eloquent than I; words flowed copiously from his lips; and frequently I thought myfelf vanquished, more by the volubility than by the force of his arguments. We separated without coming to an agreement upon this point: and as we were not to fee each other again for fome time, I committed my thoughts to paper, made a fair copy, and sent it him. He answered, and I replied. Three or four letters had been written by each, when my father chanced to light upon my papers and read them. Without entering into the merits of the caufe, he embraced the opportunity of fpeaking to me upon my manner of writing. He observed, that though I had the advantage of my adversary in correct spelling and pointing, which I owed to my occupation, I was greatly his inferior in elegance of expreffion, in arrangement, and perfpicuity. Of this he convinced me by feveral examples. I felt the juftice of his remarks, became more attentive to language, and resolved to make every effort to improve my style. Amidst these refolves an odd volume of the Spectator fell into my hands. This was a publication I had never seen. I bought the volume, and read it again and again. I was enchanted with it, thought the ftyle excellent, and wished it were in my power to imitate it. With this view I felected fome of the papers, made fhort fummaries of the fenfe of each period, and put them for a few days afide. I then, without looking at the book endeavoured to restore the effays to their true form, and to express each thought at length, as it was in the riginal, employing the most appropriate words