Project Gutenberg's Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, by Benjamin Franklin

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Title: Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Author: Benjamin Franklin

Editor: Frank Woodworth Pine

Illustrator: E. Boyd Smith

Release Date: December 28, 2006 [EBook #20203]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ***

Produced by Turgut Dincer, Brian Sogard and the Online
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[Illustration: FRANKLIN ARMS]

[Illustration: FRANKLIN SEAL]

[Illustration: Franklin at the Court of Louis XVI

"He was therefore, feasted and invited to all the court
parties. At these he sometimes met the old Duchess of
Bourbon, who, being a chess player of about his force,
they very generally played together. Happening once to
put her king into prize, the Doctor took it. 'Ah,' says
she, 'we do not take kings so.' 'We do in America,' said
the Doctor."--Thomas Jefferson.]

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

OF

BENJAMIN

FRANKLIN

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
_by_
E. BOYD SMITH

EDITED
_by_
FRANK WOODWORTH PINE

[Illustration: Printers Mark]

_New York_
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
1916

Copyright, 1916,

BY
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY

June, 1922

THE QUINN & BODEN CO. PRESS
RAHWAY, N. J.

CONTENTS

PAGE
Introduction vii

The Autobiography

I. Ancestry and Early Life in Boston 3
II. Beginning Life as a Printer 21
III. Arrival in Philadelphia 41
IV. First Visit to Boston 55
V. Early Friends in Philadelphia 69
VI. First Visit to London 77
VII. Beginning Business in Philadelphia 99
VIII. Business Success and First Public Service 126
IX. Plan for Attaining Moral Perfection 146
X. _Poor Richard's Almanac_ and Other Activities 169