ote introduced him to
distinguished men, which was of much advantage to him.

While he lodged in Little Britain, he made the acquaintance of a
bookseller, by the name of Wilcox, who had a very large collection of
secondhand books. Benjamin wanted to gain access to them, but he could
not command the means to purchase; so he hit upon this plan: he
proposed to Wilcox to pay him a certain sum per book for as many as he
might choose to take out, read, and return, and Wilcox accepted his
offer. In this transaction was involved the principle of the modern
circulating library. It was the first instance of lending books on
record, and for that reason becomes an interesting fact. It was
another of the influences that served to send him forward in a career
of honour and fame.

When he first entered the printing-house in London, he did press-work.
There were fifty workmen in the establishment, and all of them but
Benjamin were great beer-drinkers; yet he could lift more, and endure
more fatigue, than any of them. His companion at the press was a
notorious drinker, and consumed daily "a pint of beer before
breakfast, a pint at breakfast with his food, 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,"--in all six
pints per day. They had an alehouse boy always in attendance upon the
workmen.

"A detestable habit," said Benjamin to his fellow-pressman, "and a
very expensive one, too."

"I couldn't endure the wear and tear of this hard work without it,"
replied the toper.

"You could accomplish more work, and perform it better, by drinking
nothing but cold water," rejoined Benjamin. "There is nothing like it
to make one strong and healthy."

"Fudge! It may do for a Water-American like you, but Englishmen would
become as weak as babes without it."

"That is false," said Benjamin. "With all your drinking _strong_ beer
in this establishment, you are the weakest set of workmen I ever saw.
I have seen _you_ tug away to carry a single form of type up and down
stairs, when I always carry two. Your beer may be _strong_, but it
makes you _weak_."

"You Americans are odd fellows, I confess," added the beer-swigger;
"and you stick to your opinions like a tick."

"But look here, my good fellow," continued Benjamin. "Do you not see
that the bodily strength afforded by beer can be only in proportion to
the grain or flour of the barley dissolved