SEEST THOU A MAN DILIGENT IN HIS CALLING, HE SHALL STAND BEFORE KINGS, HE SHALL NOT

STAND BEFORE MEAN MEN.PROVERBS OF SOLOMON.

EDINBURGH:

PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS;
AND W. S. ORR AND COMPANY, LONDON.

1839.

PREFACE.

VARIOUS editions of the Philosophical Papers of Franklin appeared before the year 1766; collections, comprehending political and miscellaneous pieces, were issued in different forms in 1779 and 1787; and in 1793, appeared for the first time that well-known miscellany, which has been so often printed, under the title of the Life and Essays of Dr Franklin.

In 1806, a much larger collection was published by two London bookselling houses, under the title of "The Complete Works, in Philosophy, Politics, and Morals, of the late Dr Benjamin Franklin," forming three volumes octavo; and in the editor's preface the following remarkable statement was made, with reference to the nonpublication of an authentic edition of the works of the American philosopher by the individual to whom he entrusted the task on his deathbed:

"In bequeathing his papers, it was no doubt the intention of the testator, that the world should have the chance of being benefited by their publication. It was so understood by the person in question, his grandson, who, accordingly, shortly after the death of his great relative, hastened to London, the best mart for literary property, employed an amanuensis for many months in copying, ransacked our public libraries that nothing might escape, and at length had so far prepared the works of Dr Franklin for the press, that proposals were made by him to several of our principal booksellers for the sale of them. They were to form three quarto volumes, and were to contain all the writings, published and unpublished, of Franklin, with Memoirs of his Life, brought down by himself to the year 1757, and continued to his death by the legatee. They were to be published in three different languages, and the countries corresponding to those languages, France, Germany, and England, on the same day. The terms asked for the copyright of the edition were high, amounting to several thousand pounds, which occasioned a little demur; but eventually they would have no doubt been obtained. Nothing more was heard of the proposals or the work, in this its fair market. The proprietor, it seems, had found a bidder of a different description in some emissary of government, whose object was to withhold the manuscripts from the world, not to benefit it by their publication; and they thus either passed into other hands, or the person to whom they were bequeathed received a remuneration for suppressing them. This, at least, has been asserted by a variety of persons, both in this country and America, of whom some were at the time intimate with the grandson, and not wholly unacquainted with the machinations of the ministry; and the silence which has been preserved for so many years respecting the publication, gives additional credibility to the report. What the manuscripts contained, that should have excited the jealousy of government, we are unable, as we have never seen them, positively to affirm; but from the conspicuous part acted by the author in the American Revolution and the wars connected with it, it is by no means difficult to guess; and of this we are sure, from his character, that no disposition of his writings could have been more contrary to his intentions or wishes."

Whatever truth there may be in this statement-and we have never heard of its being contradicted-the authentic edition ultimately did appear in 1817, under the care of Dr Franklin's grandson, William Temple Franklin. Such is a brief outline of the history of Dr Franklin's writings. It remains that a few words be said respecting the present edition.

It is designed as an improvement upon the popular miscellany which was first published in 1793. The British Booksellers have printed that work over and over again, without making any attempt to remedy its deficiencies, or to accommodate it to the present state of information on the subjects it embraces. In this edition, an effort has been made to render the work, in these respects, more worthy of the public patronage.

1. The life of the Author by himself, from his birth to 1731, has received some additional notes, marked by being enclosed within brackets.

2. Instead of the continuation of the Life, usually given, and which now appears meagre and unsatisfactory, a very ample Memoir has been prepared. It not only details his philosophical and political career with considerable minuteness, but presents notices of the chief associates of Franklin, besides many historical and geographical notes which seem necessary for the British reader of the present day. In the preparation of this narrative, and its notes, besides various historical works, recourse has been had to the pages of the North American Review, the American Encyclopedia, Watson's Annals of Philadelphia, Lord Woodhouselee's Life of Kames, the Biographie Universelle, and some other European and American publications. Care has also been taken that the Memoir should be consistent with such parts of the publication of 1817 as bear upon the subject. With these advantages, it may be confidently described as the most complete account of Franklin which has ever been given to the British public.

3. The Miscellany which follows the Life has received several important additions.

Altogether, the publishers allow themselves to hope, that, in the present edition, the wisdom which Franklin has bequeathed to mankind, in the example of his life, and in his writings, will carry more meaning to the understandings of the great bulk of men, than it has ever done in any previous form.

EDINBURGH, March 1, 1833.