佛兰克林自传

佛兰克林自传
作者：本杰明·富兰克林
1916年1月
译者：刘文典

本作品收录于《新青年/卷1》

Benjamin Franklin（1706—1790）为十八世纪第一伟人。 于文学科学政治皆冠绝一世。其自疆不息勇猛精进之气。尤足为青年之典型。斯篇乃其七十九岁所作自传。吾青年昆弟读之。倘兴高山仰止之思。群效法其为人。则中国无疆之休而不侫所馨香祷祝者也。原书辞繁不可备译。译其青年时代者。叔雅识。

一、予八岁入小学。予父有子十人。欲如当时习俗。以其什一事上帝。望予将来得为僧侣。盖予幼而善读。（不能读时予竟不复记忆故知能读必甚早也）诸父执复群许其他日必成学者。故予父遂有此意。予叔父班家明亦赞成之。且谓予茍有意习速记术则将举其所记牧师说教辞若干卷。尽以授予。以为初学模拟之资也。予入小学之年虽由一年级之中渐升为全级首席。寻迁至上一级以备年终更升入第三年级。然在校实不及一年。因予父以家族之累过重。大学教育之资无力筹措。又闻其与友朋谈。谓为僧侣者前途难期荣达。故遂变其初志。命予退学。转入当时颇负盛名之焦吉包雷氏所设书算学校。此君温良善诱。教育有方。克尽厥职者也。予从彼未久即能书。然于算术则绝无进步。十岁时遂退学而归。助予父从事业务。予父业造烛及肥胰。此业本非其素习。抵美洲后始从事于此。以其所操染业需要甚少。所入不足以支家计也。故予既归遂使予切烛心。纳熔腊于型中以制烛。照拂店务或供奔走焉。

二、予不喜此业。坚欲浮海。而予父。大不然谓然以所居近水。常游泳荡舟其中。夙能泅水操舟。与群儿乘舟时例由予操纵之。遇困难时尤然。余时予大抵为群儿之首领。往往陷彼曹于困境。今试举一端。虽当时之处置未当然亦足以见少时急公之精神也。

三、与水车相接处。有盐沼焉。潮满时吾曹惯立其边以钓鲦鱼。践踏既甚。遂成泥涂。予建议筑一埠头以便立足。适有在泽畔建新屋者。其傍堆积石瑰甚多。极便吾曹筑埠之用。予以示吾之侪辈。使取材焉。其晚工人既去。予遂集嘻戏之伴侣多人。同运石块。奔走甚勤。有如群蚁。石之巨者有时以二三共举之。终尽运之而吾曹之小埠头遂成。次晨工人亡石大惊。卒得之于吾曹之埠头。乃查究为孰所运。吾曹之事遂发。侪辈皆大遭呵斥。多有为其父所痛责者。予虽力辩此役之有功。予父终喻予以不正之事必难有功之理也。

四、予意读者当欲知予父为何如人也。彼之体格极佳。修短适中。且甚强健。颇有才。既工绘事复稍能音乐。其声清朗悦耳。一日之事务既终。时时奏忽雷而歌。其音极可听也。彼又有机械学之天才。遇无可如何时。能使他业工人之器具。然其最大长处则在聪明睿智。能于公私疑难下正确之判断也。彼有多数子女赖其教养加之生计艰难不得不委身业务。未尝从事于公共事业。然予忆常有显者来访。与之商酌城市及其所奉教会之公事。于其判断忠告皆深表敬意也。私人遇有困难来求其教者亦不少。且常被推为调人以排难解纷焉。又好招良朋邻里会宴于家。每以贤明有益之事为谈资。籍以启迪其子女。以此使吾曹致意于人生之善良正直敏勉诸德。至于酒馔则不甚措意。烹调之美恶。入时与否。滋味若何。及比较若何。皆非所顾虑。故予于此等事亦遂绝不措意。无论进何食品视之全若无关。虽至今日。茍于进膳数时后。叩予所进何物。不能答也。予之不知味在旅行之际颇觉其便。而予之伴侣以辨味过精。难得可口之食物。往往觉其良苦也。

五、今更述予之事。予从事于予父之职业者更历二年。直至予年十二时止。予兄约翰。素习此业。会彼授室。去予父而独立自营于罗德岛。予似必将继彼而为制烛工矣。然予厌此业如故。予父忧茍不使予就适宜之业则予将效予兄焦霞逃之海上为舟子。故时时携予散步。使观木工、瓦工、辘轳工、铜工之操作。欲观予性之所喜。使执业于陆上。予自是乃好观良工之操作。且获益不少。茍工人不易觅时。能于家中办小工作。实验之兴勃发时且能自制实验之机械焉。予父其后终决意使予操刀剑业。予叔父之子撒密尔习此业于伦敦。此时方设肆于波士顿。乃送予往其肆学习。彼以望报致予父不怿。故未几予复归家。

六、予自孩提时即好读。钱到手尽以购书。爱读天路历程。初得之书即班扬氏著作也。书已敝。分装为数小册。其后卖此以购布尔顿氏之历史丛书。此书为仿间小本。价甚廉。凡四五十册。予父略有藏书。大都神学之著作。予皆尝读之。然既决计不为僧侣。而当此勤求知识有如饥渴之年竟无适当之书可读。思之每引为大憾也。有卜奴达齐氏英雄传一册。予读之多通。及今思之。此光阴良非虚掷。又有戴福氏之规画论。马塞博士之为善论。是书感予至深。他日之大业多受其影响也。

七、予虽已有一兄（名詹姆士）操印刷业。予父以予有好书癖。决意命予亦业此。千七百十七年。予兄詹姆士自英格兰携印刷机及活字归。开业于波士顿。予爱此远过于制烛业。然欲为舟子之念犹未或忘。予父防予逃之海上。急欲托予于兄。予初抗父命。终乃勉从其意。签名契约。时年仅十二也。据此约予当服役至二十一岁。唯最终一年可得赁金如工人。未几予业大进。兄倚如左右手。斯时予遂能得良书。盖与书肆生徒相识。可时时借阅。读毕即还。不敢损污。往往夕借一书。夜坐读之。至于深宵。次晨早还之。惧或失之也。

八、其后有马秀亚丹君者。贤智之商人也。藏书甚富。时往来予之印刷肆。予邀其眷顾。招予至其斋中。惠然假予以所欲读之书。予此际颇知好诗歌。尝作短诗数章。予兄以为可观。甚奖进予。使作咏时事诗二章。一曰灯塔之惨剧。叙船长王锡类与其二女遇风坏舟事。一为舟子之歌咏海盗黑髯公之就擒。此二诗固下里巳人之音。印既成。兄使子走城市卖之。第一章以其事方新。人争购读。声名大振。此颇使予自豪。然予父笑之且谓诗人大抵皆乞丐。大挫予气。予乃免为俚鄙之诗人矣。然散文于予生之用至宏。予之立身。斯为至要。以当日之地位。果以何术得成此薄技。将为公等道之。

九、时予得见残本斯贝台陀杂志一册。此为第三卷。予于此杂志未之前见。购归反复讽诵。大好之。深爱其文。思摸拟之。乃取其其章句中所含趣意。以简单之辞书之别纸。置之数日。乃掩卷不观。取前所书短句。试以所能运用之字敷衍之。务求尽达其旨。与原文等。然后取原文比较观之。得见疵谬。即加改正。然予识字甚少。且不善遣辞。自思将作韵文必先能此。盖作诗歌当多识同义而异形之字以为辞藻。同义异音之字以叶声韵。势不得不勤为搜讨。识之于心。且求善用之也。故予取书中故实。演以韵文。俟稍历时日。其原文已忘。复取此韵文演为散文。予时又取别纸所书简短之辞而散乱之。数星期后乃尽心排列之。求其通顺。然后敷衍辞句。连缀篇章。以为全文。此予学文章章法之方也。然后以予所作比之原文。见有瑕玷。即加改削。惟予幸时能见原文章法辞句之小疵而改正之。沾沾自喜。益自奋励。思将来或能成英文作家。此盖予中心所切望者也。予学文读书之时为夜间事毕。清晨事前。或星期日。予居父膝下时。星期日常命予必往教堂之祈祷大会。予则务避不往。独居印刷室以读书。然予虽无暇遵行父命。至今犹觉其当遵也。

十、方予专心修辞时。得见英文法一册。（忆为葛林武德氏书）其卷末载有短文二首。一为修辞学论略一为名学论略。后者之末附有梭格拉底氏论法之问答。未几予得读宰罗逢氏之梭格拉底言行录。其中载有此论法之例题不少。见其于吾最安全而能窘人。遂大好之。练习不辍。术渐精。能使知识高于已者辟易退让。不知其极。陷之于困难。弗能自脱。以予之无俚。所持论又至浅薄。然竟往往博奇捷也。

一一、予用此法者数年。然后亦渐弃之。惟措辞谦逊之习惯尚存。有所争辩不用“确然”“无疑”或其他稍涉独断之辞。宁谓“予思其如是如是”。“觉其如是如是”。或“以是因缘。予见其如是”“予料其如是”“使予非谬。此殆如是”而已。予信此习惯于余之诲人及时时劝人从已所倡之法皆所利甚多。谈论之要在于教人、求教、悦人、劝人。愿明达之士慎勿以独断自是之风招恐树敌。转减却劝人为善之效。使天赋吾人以为授受知识乐利之资者失其功用也。茍欲教人而以自是独断之风出之。则易招反对而虚怀听纳者盖寡。茍欲受教于人。而又固执已见。则谦抑君子。不好争辩。将望而去之。任汝过误。不复容啄矣。盖以此道行之。必难望听者之乐从也。

善哉潘卜之言曰。

教人如非教。

不知唯不知。

又戒吾人曰。

事虽真且确。言之如有疑。彼本当以此下所举句为上二句之对。而乃对以他句。予颇思其不当。

以无冲怀者。即无意识故。茍问何谓。请视下文。

发为不逊辞。厥咎无可恕。

以无冲怀者。即无意识故。

呜乎。“无意识”（人茍不幸而无此）宁非不逊之解耶。改之如下宁不更切当耶。

发为不逊辞。厥咎无可恕。

以无冲怀者。即无意识故。

然此尚当质之高明也。

一二、千七百二十一年顷。予兄创刊一新闻纸。名新英兰报。此在美洲为第二报纸。前所有者唯一波士顿报耳。忆予兄友人多有谏阻其事者。彼辈以为美洲有一报纸已足。再刊一报。恐难期发达也。今则已不下二十五种矣。予兄毅然行之。排印既毕。使予挟之。周历街衢而致之读者焉。

一三、予兄友朋中颇有能文者。好作小品文投之彼报以自娱乐。以是颇得信用。读者益众。诸文士时来访。予聆其谈论。闻世人褒美其文之辞。不禁跃跃欲试。思作一文。分彼曹之席。然予固犹一童子。窃意予兄茍知为予作。将不许其载之报纸。乃变易笔迹。草隐名文一首。夜半投之印刷室户下。次晨予兄见之。其文友来时。循例以示。彼辈读且赞于予前。予以此文为所叹赏。且诸人猜度其作者。所举皆以才学著称之人。不禁为之大乐。及今思之。当日予之得此鉴识。真为侥幸。且诸人亦非真衡文家。如吾当时之所崇奉也。

一四、予于此行叙之加详。于初入此城时之状况亦特详叙之。俾读者心中一较予困穷无似之发端。及他日于此之自致通显也。予之衣由海道来。故所衣为工人服。长征既久。尘土满衣。囊中满塞^078。既无故旧复不知投止何所。陆则徒行。水则荡舟。夜复少眠。故疲且饥。囊金仅荷兰银币一圆及铜币约一先零。予以铜币尽与舟人为舟资。彼辈以予为之荡舟。始却不受。予强彼辈受之。人当囊空往往视多金时为轻财。此殆恐人谓其此外无所有也。

一五、予于是游览街中。至市场近处。遇一挟面包之童子。予既常以面包为膳。询其何处购此。彼示予在二道街。予急奔往。向沽饼干。意欲如在波士顿所沽者。然此类费拉特尔费亚似不制之。予乃向沽价三片尼之面包。肆中人答以无之。予既不知波士顿与此地面包之价相悬殊。又不能举其面包名。乃命其勿拘种类但与我以三片尼之物。肆主遂授予膨然三巨块。予惊其过多。然亦遂受之。囊不能容。乃以二腕各挟其一。一则行且食之。如斯游行市场街四道街。过李德先生之门。彼盖他日予之妇翁也。予妻时立门首。见予状至鄙陋可笑。此诚然也。予于是转往栗街胡桃街。行时食面包不辍。行一周复至市场街埠头。去予所乘来之舟不远。乃复往其舟饮河水一杯。予食面包一块既果腹。乃以余二块与一妇人及其幼儿。彼与吾同舟来此尚将他往者也。

一六、予饮食休憩。复徘徊市上。斯时道上衣冠整洁者甚多。皆向一处行。予随之。遂至魁加派之大会场。乃坐于众中。予以前夜过劳且未得眠。疲不可支。举目略瞩四周。亦未闻会众作何语。遂熟睡其中。直至散会始有唤予醒者。故此会场者。予在费拉特尔费亚所居所眠之第一家也。

英文

1. I was put to the grammar-school at eight years of age, myfather intending to devote me, as the tithe[注：Tithe本义为什一税。 乃由区中土地牧畜等收入征其十分之一以供教会及牧师之俸给者。Franklin之父有十子。当时有以财产十分之一献教会之习惯。故借此为喻。]of his sons, tothe service of the churcb. My early readiness in learning to read (which must have been very early, as I do not remember when I couldnot read),and the opinion of all his friends that I should certainlymake a good scholar, encouraged him in this purpose of his. My uncleBenjamin, too, approved of it, and proposed to give me all his short-hand volumes of sermons, I suppose as a stock to set up with, if Iwould learn his character.[注：His character=his method of short-hand.]I continued, however, at the grammar school not quite one year, though in that time I had risen gradually from the middle of theclass of that year to be the head of it, and, farther, was removedinto the next class above it, in order to go with that into the thirdat the end of the year. But my father, in the meantime, from a viewof the expense of a college education, which, having so large afamily, he could not well afford, and the mean living many soeducated were after wards able to obtain—reasons that he gave to his friends in my hearing—altered his first intention, took me from thegrammar-school, and sent me to a school for writing and arithmetic, kept by a then famous man, Mr. George Brownell, very successful in his profession generally, and that[注：And that之“that”当上文之very successful]by milde, encoura-ging methods. Under him I acquired fairwriting pretty soon, but I failed in the arithmetic, and made noprogress in it. At ten years old I was taken home to assist my fatherin his business, which was that of a tallow chandler and soapboiler —a business he was not bred to, but had assumed on his arrival in NewEngland, and on finding his dyeing trade would not maintain his family, being in little request. Accordingly, I was employed in cuttingwick for the candles, filling the dipping-mould and the moulds forcast candles, attending the shop, going of errands, etc.

2. I disliked the trade, and had a strong inclination for the sea, but my father declared against it. However, living near the water, I was much in and about it, learned early to swim well, and to manageboats; and when in a boat or canoe with other boys, I was commonlyallowed to govern, especially in any case of difficulty. And uponother occasions I was generally a leader among the boys, andsometimes led them into scrapes, of which I will mention one instance, as it shows an early projecting public spirit, though notthenjustly conducted.

3. There was a salt marsh that bounded part of the mill- pond, onthe edge of which, at high-water,[注：ligh-water 潮满]we used to standto fish for minnow. By much trampling, we had made it a mere quagmire. My proposal was to build a wharf there fit for us to stand upon, and I showed my comrades a large heap of stones which were intendedfor a new house near the marsh, and which would very well suit ourpurpose. Accordingly, in the evening, when the workmen were gone, I assembled a number of my play-fellows, working with them diligentlylike so many emmets, sometimes two or three to a stone, we broughtthem all away, and built our little wharf. The next morning theworkmen were surprised at missing the stones, which were found in ourwharf. Inquiry was made after the removers; we were discovered, andcomplained of; several of us were corrected[注：corrected 谴责] by ourfathers; and, though I pleaded the usefulness of the work, mine [注：Mine=my father.]convinced me that nothing was useful which was nothonest.

4. I think you may like to know something of his person andcharacter. He had an exceellnt constitution of body, was of middlestature, but well set, and very strong. He was ingenious, could drawprettily, was skilled a little in music, and had a clear, pleasingvoice; so that when he played psalm tunes on his violin and sungwithal, as he sometimes did in an evening after the business of theday was over, it was extremery agreeable to hear. He had a mechanicalgenius too, and, on occasion, was very handy in the use of othertradesmen's tools; but his great excellence lay in a soundunderstanding and solid judgment in prudential matters,[注：Prudentialmatters.=Matters requiring the exerci e of prudence or foresight. ]both in private and public affairs. In the latter, indeed, he wasnever employed, the numerous family he had to educate and thestraitness of his cireumstances[注：Straitness of his cir cumstances生计艰难]keeping him close to his trade; but I remember well his beingfrequently visited by leading people, who consulted him for hisopinion in affairs of the town or of the church he belonged to, andshowed a good deal of respect for his judgment and advice. He wasalso much consulted by private persons about their affairs when anydifficulty occurred, and frequently chosen an arbitrator betweencontending parties. At his table he liked to have, as often as hecould, some sensible friend or neighbor to converse with, and alwaystook care to start some ingenious or useful topic for discourse, which might tend to improve the minds of his children. By this meanshe turned our attention to what was good, just, and prudent in theconduct of life; and little or no notice was ever taken of whatrelated to the victuals on table, whether it was well or ill dressed, in or out of season, of good or bad flavor, preferable or inferior tothis or that other thing of the kind;[注：Inferior to……of the kind 较其同种类者之优劣，如此肉较彼肉如何此鱼较他鱼如何。 ] so that I wasbrought up in such a perfect inattention to those matters as to bequite indifferent what kind of food was set before me, and sounobservant of it that, to this day, if I am asked I can scarce tell, a few hours after dinner, what I dined upon. This has been aconvenience to me in travelling, where my companions have beensometimes very unhappy for want of a suitable gratification of theirmore delicate, because better instructed;[注：Better instructed 更知味，辨味更精之义。]tastes and appetites.

5. To return: I continued thus employed in my father's businessfor two years, that is, till I was twelve years old; and my brotherJohn, who was bred to that business, having left my father, married, and set up for himself at Rhode Island, there was all appearance thatI was destined to supply his place, and become a tallow-chandler. Butmy dislike to the trade continuing, my father was under apprehensionsthat if he did not find one for me more agreeable, I should breakaway[注：Break away 逃亡]and get to sea, as his son Josiah had done,tohis great vexation. He therefore sometimes took me to walk with him, and see joiners, bricklayers, turners, braziers, etc., at their work,that he might observe my inclination and endeavor to fix it on some trade or other on land. It has ever since been a pleasure to me tosee good workmen handle their tools; and it has been useful to me, having learned so much by it as to be able to do little jobs myselfin my house when a workman could not readily be got, and to constructlittle machines for my experiments [注： Experiments 谓电学之实验也] while the intention of making the experiment was fresh and warm in my mind. My father at last fixed upon the culler's trade, and my uncle Benjamin's son, Samuel, who was bred to that business in London, being about, that time established in Boston, I was sent to be with him some time on liking.[注： On liking=On trial, at the pleasure of both,]But his expectations of a fee[注：A fee= A sum paidto a master. ] with me displeasing my father, I was taken home again.

6. From a child I was fond of reading, and all the little moneythat came into my hands was ever laid out in books. Pleased with the Pilgrim's Progress,[注：Pilgrim's Progress 即 Bunyan（1628—1688 英之宗教家）所著天路历程。]my first collection was of John Bunyan's works, in separate little volumes. I afterwards sold them to enable me tobuy R. Burton's Historical Collections; [注：Burton's Historical Collections.此书为伦敦 Nathaniel Crouch 所发行，其时在十七世纪， 与著Anatomy of Melancholy 之 Robert Burton 为两人。]they were smallchapmen's books, and cheap, forty or fifty in all. My father's little library consisted chiefly of books in polemic[注：Polemic—Controversal.]divinity, most of which I read, and have since often regretted that, at a time when I had such a thirst for knowledge, more proper books had not fallen in my way since it was now resolvedI should not be a clergyman. Plutarch's Lives[注：Plutarch's Lives为希腊史家 Plutarch所作英雄列传，Emerson称其为“the Bibble of Heroisms”者也]there was, in which I read abundantly, and I still think thattime spent to great advantage. There was also a book of De Foe's,[注： Daniel Defoe（1661—1731）英之小说家即著 Robinson Crusoe 者。]called an Essay on Projects, and another of Dr.Mather's, called Essaysto Do Good, which perhaps gave me a turn of thinking that had an influence on some of the principal future events of my life.

7. This bookish inclination at length determined my father tomake me a printer, though he had already one son ( James) of thatprofession. In 1717 my brother James returned from England with apress and letters, to set up his business in Boston[注：Rev. Dr.cottonMather（1663—1728）美之神学家。] I liked it much better than that ofmy father, but still had a hankering for the sea. To prevent the apprehended effect of such an inclination, my father was impatient tohave me bound ot my brother.I stood out[注：Stand out.违抗。]some time, bnt at last was persuaded, and signed the indentures when I was yetbut twelve years old. I was to serve as an apprentice till. I wastwenty-one years of age, only I was to be allowed journeyman's wagesduring the last year. In a little time I made great proficiency inthe business, and became a useful hand to my brother. I now hadaccess to better books. An acquaintance with the apprentices ofbooksellers enabled me somteimes to borrow a small one, which I wascareful to return soon and clean. Often I sat up in my room readingthe greatest part of the night, when the book was borrowed in theevening and to be returned early in the morning, lest it should bemissed or wanted.

8.And after some time an ingenious tradesman, Mr. Matthew Adams, who had a pretty collection of books,and who frequented our printing-house, took notice of me, invited me to his library, and very kindlylent me such books as I chose to read, I now took a fancy to poetry, and made some little pieces. My brother, thinking it might turn toaccount, [注：Turn to account 可用，可观。]encouraged me, and put me on[注： Put me on=Induced me.] composing occasional ballads.One was called The Lighthouse Tragedy, and contained an account of the drowingof Captain Worthilake, with his two daughters;the other was a sailor'ssong, on the taking[注：The taking捕获。]of Teach (or Blackbeard), thepirate. They were wretched stuff, in the Grub Street[注：Grub Street A street in London, "much inbabited (in 18th centnry) by writers of small histories, dictiouaries, and temporary poems, whence any mean production is called grubstreet.]ballad style; and when they wereprinted he sent me about the town to sell them. The first soldwonderfully, the event been recent, having made a great noice. Thisflattered my vanity; but my father discouraged me by ridiculing myperformances, and telling me verse-makers were generally beggars. SoI escaped being a poet, most probably a very bad one; but as prose-writing has been of great use to me in the course of my life; andwas a principal means of my advancement, I shall tell you how, insuch a situation, I acquired what little ability I have in that way ……

9. About this time I met with an odd volume of the Spectator. Itwas the third.[注：The third=The third volume.]I had never before seen any of them. I bought it, read it over and over and was much delighted with it. I thought the writing excellent, and wished, if possible, to imitate it. With this view I took some of the papers,and,making short hints of the sentiment in each sentence, laid them by afew days, and then, without looking at the book, tried to completethe papers again by expressing each hinted sentiment at length, andas fully as it had been expressed before, in any suitable words thatshould come to hand. Then I compared my Spectator with the original, discovered some of my faults, and corrected them. But I found Iwanted a stock of words, or a readiness in recollecting and using them, which I thought I should have acquired before that time if I hadgone on making verses; since the continual occasion for words of thesame import, but of different length[注：Different length.字母多寡之不同者。]to suit the measure, or of different sound for the ryhme, wouldhave laid me under a constant necessity of searching for variety [注：Variety.谓字异义同或字同义异等变化。]and also have tended to fixthat variety in my mind, and make me master of it. Therefore I tooksome of the tales and turned them into verse, and, after a time, whenI had pretty well forgotten the prose, turned them back again. I alsosometimes jumbled my collections of hints into confusion, and aftersome weeks endeavored to reduce them into the best order, before Ibegan to form the full sentences and complete the paper. This was toteach me method in the arrangement of thoughts. By comparing my workafterwards with the original, I discovered many faults and amandedthem; but I sometimes had the pleasure of fancying that, in certainparticulars of small import. I had been lucky enough to improve themethod or the language; and this encouraged me to think I mightpossibly in time to come be a tolerable English writer, of which Iwas extremely ambitious. My time for these exercises and for readingwas at night, after work, or before it began in the morning, or onSundays, when I contrived to be in the printing-house alone, evadingas much as I could the common attendance on public woiship which myfather used to exact of me when I was under his care, and whichindeed I still thought a duty, though I could not, as it seemed to me, afford time to practise it.

10. While I was intent on impr ving my language, I met with an English grammar(I think it was Greenwood's),[注：Greenwood' — James Greenwood 氏千七百十一年始刊行于伦敦之文法书]at the end of which there was two little sketches of the arts of rhetoric and logic, the latter finishing with a dispute in the Socratic method;[注： socratic Method—The mode of arguing pursued by Socrates, the illustrious Greek philosopher（B.C.471—399）.]and, soon after, I procured Xenophon's Memorable Things of Socrates,[注：Zenophon（B.C.444？ ）. 希腊名将而Socrates 之弟子也 ] wherein are many instances of the same method. I found this method safest for myself and very embarassing to those against whom I used it, therefore I took a delight in it, practised it continually, and grew very artful and expert in drawingpeople, even of superior knowledge, into concessions, the con equences of which they did not foresee,entangling them in difficultiesout of which they could not extricate themselves, and so obtaining victories that neither myself nor my cause always deserved……

11.I continued this method some few years, but gradually left it ,retaining only the habit of expressing myself in terms of modestdiffidence; never using, when I advanced anything that may possiblybe disputed, the words certainly, undoubtedly, or any others thatgive the air of positiveness to an opinion; but rather say, I conceiveor apprehend a thing to be so and so; it appears to me, or, Is ouldthink it so and so, for such and such reasons; or, I imagine it to beso; or, it is so, if I am not mistaken. This habit, I believe, hasbeen of great advantage to me when I have had occasion to inculcatemy opinions, and persuade men into measures that I have been fromtime to time engaged in promoting; and, as the chief ends ofconversation are to inform or to be informed, to please or topersuade, I wish well-meaning, sensible men would not lessen theirpower of doing good by a positive, assuming manner, that seldom failsto disgust, tends to creat opposition, and to defeat every one ofthose purposes for which speech was given us —to wit, giving orreceiving information or pleasure. For if you would inform, apositive and dogmatical manner in advancing your sentiments mayprovoke contradiction, and prevent a candid attention. If you wishinformation and inprovement from the knowledge of others, and yet atthe same time express yourself as firmly fixed in your presentopinions, modest, sensible men, who do not love disputation, willprobably leave you undisturbed in possession of yonr error. And bysuch a manner, you can seldom hope to recommend yourself in pleasingyour hearers, or to persuade those whose concurrence you desire.

Pope[注：Alexander Pope（ 1688 — 1744 ）英之大诗人。 所引句见彼所作Essay on Criticism]says judiciously:"Men must be taught as if you taught them not, And things unknown proposed as things forgot."[注： 二句之义盖谓诲人当出以婉辞不可以师自居。不知之事当不提及有如忘却也。]further recommending to usTo speak, though sure, with seeming diffidence." And he might havecoupled with this line that line that which he has coupled withanother, I think,less properly,[注：He might have coupled …… less properly.——that which=that lime which,指下“For want of modesty”&c.句。“this line”指“To speak, though sure”&c.句。 ‘ Another ’指“Immodest words odmit”&c.句。详言之即“To speak, though sure”句当与“For want of modesty”句为对偶，今以与“Immodest words” 句相偶似觉失当。]"For want of modesty is want of sense."If you ask, why less properly? I must repeat the lines——"Immodest words admit of no defence,For want of modesty is want of sense."Now, is not "want of sense"(where a man is so unfortunate as to wantit)some apology for his "want of modesty"? And would not the linesstand more justly thus?"Immodest words admit but this defence,that want of modesty is want of sense."This,however, I submit to better judgments.

12. My brother had, in 1720 or 1721, begun to print a newspaper. It was the second that appeared in America, and was called the NewEngland Courant. The only one before it was the Boston News- Letter. Iremember his being dissuaded by some of his friends from theundertaking, as not likely to succeed, one newspaper being, in thierjudgment, enough for America. At this time there are no less thanfive-and-twenty. He went on, however with the undertaking, and afterhaving worked in composing the types and printing off the sheets, Iwas employed to carry the papers through the streets to the customers.

13.He had some ingenious men among his friends, who amusedthemselves by writing little pieces for this paper, which gained itcredit and made it more in demand, and these gentlemen often visitedus.Hearing their conversations, and their accounts of the approbationtheir papers were received with, I was excited to try my hand amongthem;but,being still a boy, and suspecting that my brother wouldobject to printing anything of mine in his paper if he knew it to bemine, I contrived to disguise my hand, and, writing an anonymouspaper, I put it in at night under the door of the printing-house. Itwas found in the morning, and communicated to his writing friendswhen they called in as usual. They read it, commented on it in myhearing, and I had the exquisite pleasure of finding it met withtheir approbation, and that, in their different guesses at the author,none were named but men of some character among us for learning andingenuity. I suppose now that I was rather lucky in my judges, andthat perhaps they were not really so very good ones as I thenesteemed them……

14. I have been the more particular in this description of myjourney,[注：My journey.上文所略甚多，此 my journey 谓其出印刷店而往Philadelphia之行也。]and shall be so of my first entry into that city,[注：That city 谓 philadelphia.]that you may in your mind compare such unlikely beginnings with a figure I have since made there. I wasin my working dress, my best clothes being to come round by sea.I was dirty from my journey; my pockets were stuffed out with shirts aud stockings, and I knew no soul, nor where to look for lodging. I was fatigued with travelling, rowing, and want of res; I was very hungry, and my whole stock of cash consisted of a Dutch dollar, and about a shilling in copper. The latter I gave to the people of the boat for my passage, who at first refused it on account of my rowing; but I insisted on their taking it. A man being sometimes more generous when he has but a little money than when he has plenty, perhaps through fear of being thought to have but little.

15. Then I walked up the street, gazing about, till, near themarket-house, I met a boy with bread. I had made many a meal on bread, and, inquiring where he got it, I went immediately to the baker'she directed me to, in Second Street, and asked for biscuit, intendingsuch as we had in Boston; but they, it seems, were not made inPhiladelphia. Then I asked for a threepenny loaf, and was told theyhad none such. So, not considering or knowing the difference of money, and the greater cheapness nor the names of his bread, I bade himgive me threepenny-worth of any sort. He gave me, accordingly, threegreat puffy rolls. I was surprised at the quantity, but took it, and,having no room in my pockets, walked off with a roll under each arm , and eating the other. Thus I went up Market Street as far as FourthStreet, passing by the door of Mr. Read, my future wife's father; when she, standing at the door, saw me, and thought I made, as Icertainly did, a most awkward, ridiculous appearance. Then I turnedand went down Chestnut Street, and part of Walnut Street, eating myroll all the way, and, coming round, found myself again at MarketStreet Wharf, near the boat I came in, to which I went for a draughtof the river water; and, being filled with one of my rolls, gave theother two to a woman and her child that came down the river in theboat with us, and were waiting to go farther.

16. Thus refreshed, I walked again up the street, which by thistime had many clean-dressed people in it, who were all walking thesame way. I joined them, and thereby was led into the great meeting-house of the Quakers,[注：Quaker—a religious sect founded by GeorgeFox (1624— 90)in Philade lphia.]near the market. I sat down amongthem, and, after looking round awhile and hearing nothing said,[注：Hearing nothing said —此派多好默祷故无所闻。 ] being very drowsythrough labor and want of rest the preceding night, I fell fastasleep, and continued so till the meeting broke up, when one was kindenough to rouse me. This was, therefore, the first house I was in, orslept in Philadelphia.