1sh proverb, "are early orphans"—a melancholy reflection to those whose case it may be. With us, in America, marriages are generally in the morning of life; our children a therefore educated and settled in the world by noon; and thus, our business being done, we have an afternoon and evening of cheerful leisure to ourselves; such as our friend at present enjoys. By these early marriages we are blessed with more children; and, from the mode among us, founded by nature, of every mother nursing her own child, more of them are raised. Thence the swift progress of population among us, unparalleled in Europe. In fine, I am glad you are married, and congratulate you most cordially upon it. You are now in the way of becoming a useful citizen; and you have escaped the unnatural state of celibacy for life-the fate of many here, who never intended it, but who, having too long postponed the change of their condition, find, at length, that it is too late to think of it, and so live, all their lives, in a situation that greatly lessens a man's value. An odd volume of a set of books bears not the value of its proportion to the set: what think you of the odd half of a pair of scissors? it can't well cut any thing; it may possibly serve to scrape a trencher.

Pray make my compliments and best wishes acceptable to your bride. I am old and heavy, or I should, ere this, have presented them in person. I shall make but small use of the old man's privilege, that of giving advice to younger friends. Treat your wife always with respect; it will procure respect to you, not only from her, but from all that observe it. Never use a slighting expression to her, even in jest; for slights in jest, after frequent bandyings, are apt to end in angry earnest.

Be studious in your profession, and you will be learned. Be industrious and frugal, and you will be rich. Be sober and temperate, and you will be healthy. Be in general virtuous, and you will be happy. At least you will, by such conduct, stand the best chance for such consequences. I pray God to bless you both; being ever your affectionate friend.

B. FRANKLIN.

Dr. Franklin to Gov. Franklin,* New Jersey.

London, August 19, 1772.

* * IN yours of May 14, you acquaint me with your indisposition, which gave me great concern. The resolution you have taken, to use more exercise, is extremely proper; and I hope you will steadily perform it. It is of the greatest importance to prevent diseases, since the cure of them by physic is so very precarious. In considering the dif ferent kinds of exercise, I have thought that the quantum of each is to be judged of, not by time or by distance, but by the degree of warmth it produces in the body: thus, when I observe if I am cold when I get into a carriage in a morning, I may ride all day without being warmed by it; that if on horseback my feet are cold, I may ride sonie hours before they become warm; but if I am ever so cold on foot, I can not walk an hour briskly, without glowing from head to foot by the quickened circulation; I have been ready to say, (using round numbers, without regard to exactness, but merely to make a great difference,) that there is more exercise in one mile's riding on horseback

* Dr. Franklin's son, to whom the first part of the Memoirs of his Life is addressed.

than in five in a coach; and more in one mile's walking on foot than in five on horseback; to which I may add, that there is more in walking one mile up and down stairs, than in five on a level floor. The two latter exercises may be had within doors, when the weather discourages going abroad; and the last may be had when one is pinched for time, as containing a great quantity of exercise in a handful of minutes. The dumbbell is another exercise of the latter compendious kind; by the use of it I have in forty swings quickened my pulse from sixty to one hundred beats in a minute, counted by a second-watch: and I suppose the warmth generally increases with quickness of pulse. *

DEAR SIR,

Dr. Franklin to Dr. Priestley.

London, September 19, 1772.

IN the affair of so much importance to you, wherein you ask my advice, I can not, for want of sufficient premises, counsel you what to determine; but if you please, I will tell you how. When those difficult cases occur, they are difficult, chiefly, because, while we have them under consideration, all the reasons pro and con are not present to the mind at the same time; but sometimes one set present themselves, and at other times another, the first being out of sight. Hence the various purposes or inclinations that alternately prevail, and the uncertainty that perplexes us. To get over this, my way is to divide half a sheet of paper by a line into two columns: writing over the one pro, and over the other con; then, during three or four days' consideration, I put down, under the different

heads, short hints of the different motives that at different times occur to me, for or against the measure. When I have thus got them all together in one view, I endeavour to estimate their respec tive weights, and, where I find two (one on each side,) that seem equal, I strike them both out. If I find a reason pro equal to some two reasons con, I strike out the three. If I judge some two reasons con equal to some three reasons pro, I strike out the five; and thus proceeding, I find at length where the balance lies; and if, after a day or two of farther consideration, nothing new that is of importance occurs on either side, I come to a determination accordingly. And, though the weight of reasons can not be taken with the precision of algebraic quantities, yet, when each is thus considered separately and comparatively, and the whole lies before me, I think I can judge better, and am less liable to make a rash step; and, in fact, I have found great advantage from this kind of equation, in what may be called moral or prudential algebra. Wishing sincerely that you may determine for the best, I am ever, my dear friend, yours most affectionately.

B. FRANKLIN.

The Earl of Stafford's dying advice to his son.

MY DEAREST WILLIAM,

The Tower, May 11, 1641.

THESE are the last lines that you will receive from a father who tenderly loves you. I wish I had greater leisure to impart my mind to you: but, I trust, our merciful God will supply all things by his grace, and guide and protect you in all your ways. To his infinite goodness I bequeath you.

Therefore, be not discouraged; serve him, and trust in him, and he will preserve and prosper you.

Be sure you give all respect to my wife, which will well become you, for she has ever had a great love for you. Never be wanting in your care to your sisters, but let them ever be most dear to you; this is a duty that you owe to the memory of your excellent mother and myself. And the like regard you must have to your younger sister; for, indeed, you owe it to her also, both for her father's and her mother's sake.

Serve God diligently, morning and evening; recommend yourself to him; and have him before your eyes in all your ways. Be careful to take the counsel of those friends whom I have desired to advise you in your education. With patience hear their instructions, and diligently follow their counsel; for, till you have experience in the world, it will be far safer to trust to their judgments than to your own.

Lose not the time of your youth; but gather those seeds of virtue and of knowledge, which may be of use to yourself, and to your friends, for the rest of your life. And that this may be the better effected, attend to it with patience; and be sure to refrain from anger. Suffer not sorrow to cast you down; but, with cheerfulness and good courage, and in all sobriety and truth, go on in the race which you have to run. Be sure, with a hallowed care, to have regard to all the commandments of God: and do not allow yourself to neglect them in the least respect, lest by degrees you come to forget them in the greatest; for the heart of man is deceitful above all things. Perform all your duties and devotions towards God, rather joy. fully than pensively, for he loves a cheerful giver