TheaccountofhowFranklin'’slongestwork, , writtenasalettertohisson, WilliamFranklin, wasnotintendedforpublication; andthecompositionismoreinformalandthenarrativemorepersonalthaninthesecondpart, from1730on, , theexpressionissohomelyandnaturalthathisgrandson, WilliamTempleFranklin, , BishopShipley, atTwyford, inHampshire, southernEngland, , completedto1731, , -threepagesofcloselywrittenmanuscriptfellintothehandsofAbelJames, anoldfriend, whosentacopytoFranklinatPassy, nearParis, .Hisworkwassooninterruptedandwasnotresumeduntil1788, , infirm, andsuffering, , amongotherstoMonsieurLeVeillardatParis.
, , someinGermany, twoinEngland, andanotherinFrance, sogreatwasthedemandforthework.
, WilliamTempleFranklin, ’sworksin1817, hesenttheoriginalmanuscriptoftheAutobiographytothedaughterofLeVeillardinexchangeforherfather’scopy, probablythinkingtheclearertranscriptwouldmakebetterprinter’, , , ’’’sresidenceatFifthAvenueandFiftyseventhStreet, NewYorkCity.
, hewasastonishedtofindthatwhatpeoplehadbeenreadingforyearsastheauthenticLifeofBenjaminFranklinbyHimself, .In1868, therefore, ’, comprisingthelastfewpagesofthemanuscript, writtenduringthelastyearofFranklin’, withadditionalinterestingmatter, inthreevolumesin1875, in1905, ’seditions.[2]
, perhapsunconsciously, , clear, , homelyexpressions, aptillustrations, , varied, .
HisbookistherecordofthatunusuallifetoldinFranklin’’.
F.W.P.
TheGilmanCountrySchool,
Baltimore, September, 1916.
NOTES:
[1] .
[2] Forthedivisionintochaptersandthechaptertitles, however, thepresenteditorisresponsible.
Pages1and4ofThePennsylvaniaGazette, thefirstnumberafterFranklintookcontrol.
