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"Ben Franklin"
Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography: Page 37
of 154
return any of his books. This I esteem'd a great advantage, and I made as much
use of it as I could.
My pamphlet by some means falling into the hands of one Lyons, a surgeon, author
of a book entitled "The Infallibility of Human Judgment," it occasioned an
acquaintance between us. He took great notice of me, called on me often to
converse on those subjects, carried me to the Horns, a pale alehouse in ----
Lane, Cheapside, and introduced me to Dr. Mandeville, author of the "Fable of
the Bees," who had a club there, of which he was the soul, being a most
facetious, entertaining companion. Lyons, too, introduced me to Dr. Pemberton,
at Batson's Coffee-house, who promis'd to give me an opportunity, some time or
other, of seeing Sir Isaac Newton, of which I was extreamely desirous; but this
never happened.
I had brought over a few curiosities, among which the principal was a purse made
of the asbestos, which purifies by fire. Sir Hans Sloane heard of it, came to
see me, and invited me to his house in Bloomsbury Square, where he show'd me all
his curiosities, and persuaded me to let him add that to the number, for which
he paid me handsomely.
In our house there lodg'd a young woman, a milliner, who, I think, had a shop in
the Cloisters. She had been genteelly bred, was sensible and lively, and of most
pleasing conversation. Ralph read plays to her in the evenings, they grew
intimate, she took another lodging, and he followed her. They liv'd together
some time; but, he being still out of business, and her income not sufficient to
maintain them with her child, he took a resolution of going from London, to try
for a country school, which he thought himself well qualified to undertake, as
he wrote an excellent hand, and was a master of arithmetic and accounts. This,
however, he deemed a business below him, and confident of future better fortune,
when he should be unwilling to have it known that he once was so meanly
employed, he changed his name, and did me the honor to assume mine; for I soon
after had a letter from him, acquainting me that he was settled in a small
village (in Berkshire, I think it was, where he taught reading and writing to
ten or a dozen boys, at sixpence each per week), recommending Mrs. T---- to my
care, and desiring me to write to him, directing for Mr. Franklin, schoolmaster,
at such a place.
He continued to write frequently, sending me large specimens of an epic poem
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