and harmonious. He has been described as a utilitarian, or as a mere practical man striving to rise in the world; but it should be remembered that he was not contented to bend the world to his own uses and advantage: he endeavoured to leave it better than he found it. If he paid great attention to small gains, and laboured, in the first place, to improve his own circumstances, it was because he regarded such means as necessary to attain higher objects. For want of the practical wisdom of Franklin, many men of higher aspirations have wasted their powers and have lived in vain. No impartial reader can fail to admire the traits of selfcontrol, disinterestedness, and quietude of temper in Franklin's autobiography.

Of his other writings, the most characteristic is the collection of maxims of prudence and economy published under the title of Poor Richard, or The Way to Wealth. Such a scheme of morality must, of course, be judged with reference to its object, which is not to form perfect characters, nor to prepare men for a higher life than the present, but to make them here more prudent, industrious, and prosperous. The man who would cultivate with success the higher faculties of his nature, must first provide for his common wants, and he will find in Franklin's maxims the beginning though not the end of wisdom.

THE WAY TO WEALTH.

'Courteous reader, I have heard that nothing gives an author so great pleasure as to find his works respectfully quoted by others. Judge, then, how much I must have been gratified by an incident I am going to relate to you. I stopped my horse lately where a great number of people were collected at an auction of merchants' goods. The hour of the sale not being come, they were conversing on the badness of the times; and one of the company called to a plain, clean old man, with white locks: "Pray, Father Abraham, what think you of the times? Will not these heavy taxes quite ruin the country? How shall we ever be able to pay them? What would you advise us to?" Father Abraham stood up and replied: "If you would have my advice, I will give it you in short; for 'A word to the wise is enough,' as Poor Richard says." They joined in desiring him to speak his mind, and, gathering round him, he proceeded as follows:

"Friends," said he, "the taxes are indeed very heavy; and if those laid on by the government were the only ones we had to pay, we might more easily discharge them; but we have many others, and much more grievous to some of us. We are taxed twice as much by our idleness, three times as much by our pride, and four times as much by our folly; and from these taxes the commissioners cannot

ease or deliver us by allowing an abatement. However, let us hearken to good advice, and something may be done for us-God helps them that help themselves,' as Poor Richard says."-[The old man, after lecturing for some time on the virtues of industry and attention to one's own business, proceeds to shew the folly of careless expenditure]

"Here you are all got together at this sale of fineries and knickknacks. You call them goods; but if you do not take care, they will prove evils to some of you. You expect they will be sold cheap, and perhaps they may for less than they cost; but if you have no occasion for them, they must be dear to you. Remember what Poor Richard says: Buy what thou hast no need of, and erelong thou shalt sell thy necessaries.' And again: At a great pennyworth, pause a while.' He means, that perhaps the cheapness is apparent only, and not real; or the bargain, by straitening thee in thy business, may do thee more harm than good; for in another place he says: "Many have been ruined by buying good pennyworths.' Again: 'It is foolish to lay out money in a purchase of repentance;' and yet this folly is practised every day at auctions, for want of minding the Almanac.

"But what madness must it be to run in debt for these superfluities! We are offered, by the terms of this sale, six months' credit; and that perhaps has induced some of us to attend it, because we cannot spare the ready-money, and hope now to be fine without it. But ah! think what you do when you run in debt-you give to another power over your liberty. If you cannot pay at the time, you will be ashamed to see your creditor; you will be in fear when you speak to him; you will make poor, pitiful, sneaking excuses, and by degrees come to lose your veracity, and sink into base, downright lying; for 'The second vice is lying, the first is running in debt,' as Poor Richard says; and again, to the same purpose, Lying rides upon Debt's back;' whereas a free-born Englishman ought not to be ashamed nor afraid to see or speak to any man living. But poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue. It is hard for an empty bag to stand upright.'

"What would you think of that prince or of that government who should issue an edict forbidding you to dress like a gentleman or gentlewoman, on pain of imprisonment or servitude? Would you not say that you were free-have a right to dress as you please— and that such an edict would be a breach of your privileges, and such a government tyrannical? And yet you are about to put yourself under such tyranny, when you run in debt for such dress! Your creditor has authority, at his pleasure, to deprive you of your liberty, by confining you in jail till you shall be able to pay him. When you have got your bargain, you may perhaps think little of payment; but, as Poor Richard says, 'Creditors have better memories than debtors: creditors are a superstitious sect, great observers of set days and times.' The day comes round before you are aware, and the demand is made before you are prepared to satisfy it; or,

if you bear your debt in mind, the term, which at first seemed so long, will, as it lessens, appear extremely short. Time will seem to have added wings to his heels as well as his shoulders. Those have a short Lent who owe money to be paid at Easter. At present, perhaps, you may think yourselves in thriving circumstances, and that you can bear a little extravagance without injury; but

'For age and want save while you may;

No morning sun lasts a whole day.'

Gain may be temporary and uncertain, but ever, while you live, expense is constant and certain; and 'It is easier to build two chimneys, than to keep one in fuel,' as Poor Richard says; so, 'Rather go to bed supperless, than rise in debt.'

'Get what you can, and what you get hold;

'Tis the stone that will turn all your lead into gold.'

And when you have got the philosopher's stone, sure you will no longer complain of bad times or the difficulty of paying taxes.

"This doctrine, my friends, is reason and wisdom; but, after all, do not depend too much upon your own industry and frugality and prudence, though excellent things; for they may all be blasted, without the blessing of Heaven; and therefore ask that blessing humbly, and be not uncharitable to those that at present seem to want it, but comfort and help them. Remember Job suffered, and was afterwards prosperous.

"And now, to conclude, 'Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other,' as Poor Richard says, and scarce in that; for it is true,We may give advice, but we cannot give conduct.' However, remember this: "They that will not be counselled, cannot be helped ;' and, further, that 'If you will not hear Reason, she will surely rap your knuckles,' as Poor Richard says."

'Thus the old gentleman ended his harangue. The people heard it, and approved the doctrine, and immediately practised the contrary, just as if it had been a common sermon; for the auction opened, and they began to buy extravagantly. I found the good man had thoroughly studied my Almanacs, and digested all I had dropped on these topics during the course of twenty-five years. The frequent mention he made of me must have tired any one else; but my vanity was wonderfully delighted with it, though I was conscious that not a tenth part of the wisdom was my own which he ascribed to me, but rather the gleanings that I had made of the sense of all ages and nations. However, I resolved to be the better for the echo of it; and though I had at first determined to buy stuff for a new coat, I went away resolved to wear my old one a little longer. Reader, if thou wilt do the same, thy profit will be as great as mine. -I am, as ever, thine to serve thee,

RICHARD SAUNDERS.'

GENERAL LITERATURE AND POLITICS.

1700-1800.

In this place, we may notice, first, the few historical works produced in the eighteenth century. The History of New England, by Hubbard, already mentioned, was followed by a more extensive work on the same subject, written by THOMAS PRINCE (1687-1758), who employed a considerable part of his life in collecting materials. The greater portion of his valuable manuscripts was unfortunately lost or destroyed during the war of Independence. Of the succeeding writer, THOMAS HUTCHINSON, who wrote a History of Massachusetts, a competent critic writes, that he was blind except to facts,' and 'without a glimpse of the great truths which were the mighty causes of the revolutions he describes.'

'Next in character, if not in time,' says the same critic, ‘came The History of Connecticut, by the accurate, painstaking, scrupulous TRUMBULL. It excels Hutchinson's work in spirit, and equals it, nay, surpasses it in research. Its author lived in the scenes which he describes; his heart was with the fathers of his commonwealth; he held with them one faith and one hope; he revered them as they appeared in the train-bands of the militia, or in the meeting-house; at their village toils, or in their rural legislature. A true Connecticut feeling tingled in all his veins and animated all his thoughts. He read all sorts of records; he picked up and tested traditions; he was wise in the theology of Hooker and Stone; he knew the hills and the valleys, the towns and the villages of his commonwealth; and, in fact, he got Connecticut by heart before he began writing its history. Europe he knew but little of; and in reference to it, he makes mistakes, or betrays ignorance; but Connecticut he knew thoroughly. He could tell the name, birthplace, and career of every minister that had preached a good sermon, and every militiaman that had done a notable thing. Not a savage was overcome, not a backslider censured by the church, but he knew it all. His history is Connecticut put into a book; and done, not by a philosopher with wise arrogance-not by a heretic, scoffing at men who followed somewhat the laws of Moses-not by a lawyer, shewing with what indifference to precedent the New-England fathers were perpetually entering upon untried experiments; but by an honest, true-hearted Connecticut man.'

In a literary point of view, a work far superior to those already noticed is found in The History of New Hampshire, by Dr BELKNAP, a writer distinguished for his clear style and spirit of research. 'The tone of feeling which pervades his volumes is truly American; national, yet candid. He knew how to exhibit the faults of our ancestors without impairing admiration for their virtues. In his writings, the new spirit in literature, which naturally grew out of our revolution, began to appear; and he united happily the earnestness of old times with the liberal purposes of free inquiry. It would not be easy to name any local history in any European language superior to the history of Belknap.' 1 The amiable author of the work so justly praised, wrote some miscellaneous essays, and, if we remember truly, a novel, entitled The Foresters, the earliest work of its kind in American literature. He died in early manhood.

A History of Rhode Island, by JOHN CALLENDER, and an Account of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia, by WILLIAM STITH, may be named among the earlier contributions to American local history. PAUL DUDLEY (1675–1751), chiefjustice of Massachusetts, must be noticed as the first writer on natural history. The History of the Five Indian Nations, by CADWALLADER COLDEN (1688-1776), is described as a work of research and good judgment. The author, who studied the physical sciences, published in 1751 a work on the Principles of Action in Matter, and a treatise on Fluxions,

WILLIAM GORDON (died 1807) wrote a history of the American Revolution, which has been described as an unadorned narrative of facts. A more elaborate work on the same topic was written by DAVID RAMSAY (1749-1815), and first published in 1790. Hutchinson's History of Massachusetts, already briefly noticed, was continued by GEORGE R. MINOT (1758–1802); and about the same time SAMUEL WILLIAMS (1761-1817), who was esteemed as one of the best historical writers of his age, published A History of Vermont. A few years later, in 1797, ROBERT PROUD published A History of Pennsylvania, which has been characterised as a faithful narrative, and is frequently mentioned in Bancroft's references to authorities.

In miscellaneous writings-including essays and periodical papers-the eighteenth century has little to shew besides the popular works of Benjamin Franklin. His contemporary, EZRA

1 North American Review, No. 99.