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"Ben Franklin"
Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography: Page 38
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which he was then composing, and desiring my remarks and corrections. These I
gave him from time to time, but endeavor'd rather to discourage his proceeding.
One of Young's Satires was then just published. I copy'd and sent him a great
part of it, which set in a strong light the folly of pursuing the Muses with any
hope of advancement by them. All was in vain; sheets of the poem continued to
come by every post. In the mean time, Mrs. T----, having on his account lost her
friends and business, was often in distresses, and us'd to send for me, and
borrow what I could spare to help her out of them. I grew fond of her company,
and, being at that time under no religious restraint, and presuming upon my
importance to her, I attempted familiarities (another erratum) which she
repuls'd with a proper resentment, and acquainted him with my behaviour. This
made a breach between us; and, when he returned again to London, he let me know
he thought I had cancell'd all the obligations he had been under to me. So I
found I was never to expect his repaying me what I lent to him, or advanc'd for
him. This, however, was not then of much consequence, as he was totally unable;
and in the loss of his friendship I found myself relieved from a burthen. I now
began to think of getting a little money beforehand, and, expecting better work,
I left Palmer's to work at Watts's, near Lincoln's Inn Fields, a still greater
printing-house. Here I continued all the rest of my stay in London.
At my first admission into this printing-house I took to working at press,
imagining I felt a want of the bodily exercise I had been us'd to in America,
where presswork is mix'd with composing. I drank only water; the other workmen,
near fifty in number, were great guzzlers of beer. On occasion, I carried up and
down stairs a large form of types in each hand, when others carried but one in
both hands. They wondered to see, from this and several instances, that the
Water-American, as they called me, was stronger than themselves, who drank
strong beer! We had an alehouse boy who attended always in the house to supply
the workmen. My companion at the press drank every day a pint before breakfast,
a pint at breakfast with his bread and cheese, a pint between breakfast and
dinner, a pint at dinner, a pint in the afternoon about six o'clock, and another
when he had done his day's work. I thought it a detestable custom; but it was
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