|
"Ben Franklin"
Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography: Page 19
of 154
by one Dr. Brown. He entered into conversation with me while I took some
refreshment, and, finding I had read a little, became very sociable and
friendly. Our acquaintance continu'd as long as he liv'd. He had been, I
imagine, an itinerant doctor, for there was no town in England, or country in
Europe, of which he could not give a very particular account. He had some
letters, and was ingenious, but much of an unbeliever, and wickedly undertook,
some years after, to travestie the Bible in doggrel verse, as Cotton had done
Virgil. By this means he set many of the facts in a very ridiculous light, and
might have hurt weak minds if his work had been published; but it never was.
At his house I lay that night, and the next morning reach'd Burlington, but had
the mortification to find that the regular boats were gone a little before my
coming, and no other expected to go before Tuesday, this being Saturday;
wherefore I returned to an old woman in the town, of whom I had bought
gingerbread to eat on the water, and ask'd her advice. She invited me to lodge
at her house till a passage by water should offer; and being tired with my foot
travelling, I accepted the invitation. She understanding I was a printer, would
have had me stay at that town and follow my business, being ignorant of the
stock necessary to begin with. She was very hospitable, gave me a dinner of
ox-cheek with great good will, accepting only a pot of ale in return; and I
thought myself fixed till Tuesday should come. However, walking in the evening
by the side of the river, a boat came by, which I found was going towards
Philadelphia, with several people in her. They took me in, and, as there was no
wind, we row'd all the way; and about midnight, not having yet seen the city,
some of the company were confident we must have passed it, and would row no
farther; the others knew not where we were; so we put toward the shore, got into
a creek, landed near an old fence, with the rails of which we made a fire, the
night being cold, in October, and there we remained till daylight. Then one of
the company knew the place to be Cooper's Creek, a little above Philadelphia,
which we saw as soon as we got out of the creek, and arriv'd there about eight
or nine o'clock on the Sunday morning, and landed at the Market-street wharf.
I have been the more particular in this description of my journey, and shall be
|