home in the evening completely drenched. The utmoft coldnefs fubfifted be tween us after this adventure. At laft the captain of a West-India ship, who was commiffioned to procure a tutor for the children of a gentleman at Barbadoes, meeting with Collins, offered him the place. He accepted it, and took his leave of me, promifing to discharge the debt he owed me with the first money he fhould receive; but I have heard nothing of him fince,

The violation of the truft repofed in me by Vernon, was one of the first great errors of my life; and it life; and it proves that my father was not miftaken when he suppofed me too young to be intrufted with the management of important affairs. But Sir William, upon reading his letter, thought him too prudent. There was a difference, he faid, between individuals i years of maturity were not always accompanied

companied with difcretion, neither was youth in every inftance devoid of it. Since your father, added he, will not fet you up in bufinefs, I will do it myself. Make out a lift of what will be wanted from England, and I will fend for the articles. You fhall repay me when you

I am determined to have a good

printer here, and I am fure you will fucceed. This was faid with fo much feeming cordiality, that I fufpected not for an inftant the fincerity of the offer. I had hitherto kept the project, with which Sir William had infpired me, of fettling in business, a fecret at Philadelphia, and I ftill continued to do fo. Had my reliance on the governor been known, fome friend, better acquainted with his character than myself, would doubtlefs have advised me not to trust him; for I afterwards learned that he was univerfally known to be liberal of promises, which he had no intention to perform. But having

having never folicited him, how could I fuppofe his offers to be deceitful? On the contrary, I believed him to be the beft man in the world.

I gave him an inventory of a fmall printing-office; the expence of which I had calculated at about a hundred pounds fterling. He expreffed his approbation; but asked, if my prefence in England, that I might choose the characters myself, and fee that every article was good in its kind, would not be an advantage? You will also be able, faid he, to form fome cquaintance there, and eftablish a correfpondence with stationers and booksellers. This I acknowledged was defirable. That being the cafe, added he, hold yourfelf in readiness to go with the Annis. This was the annual veffel, and the only one, at that time, which made regular voyages be tween the ports of London and Philadelphia. But the Annis was not to fail

for

for fome months. I therefore continued to work with Keimer, unhappy refpecting the fum which Collins had drawn from me, and almost in continual agony at the thoughts of Vernon, who fortu, nately made no demand of his money, till feveral years after.

In the account of my firft voyage from Boston to Philadelphia, I omitted I believe a trifling circumftance, which will not perhaps be out of place here. During a calm which stopped us above Block-ifland, the crew employed themfelves in fishing for cod, of which they caught a great number, I had hitherto adhered to my resolution of not eating any thing that had poffeffed life; and I confidered on this occafion, agreeably to the maxims of my master Tryon, the capture of every filh as a fort of murder, committed without provocation, fince thefe animals had neither done, nor were capable of doing, the fmalleft injury to

any

any, one that should justify the meafure. This mode of reasoning I conceived to be unanswerable. Meanwhile I had formerly been extremely fond of fish; and when one of these cod was taken out of the frying-pan, I thought its flavour delicious. I hesitated fome time between principle and inclination, till at laft recollecting, that when the cod had been opened fome fmall fish were found in its belly, I faid to myself, If you eat one another, I fee no reason why we may not eat you. I accordingly dined on the cod with no small degree of pleasure, and have fince continued to eat like the rest of mankind, returning only occafionally to my vegetable plan. How convenient does it prove to be a rational animal, that knows how to find or invent a plaufible pretext for whatever it has an inclination to do!

I continued to live upon good terms with Keimer, who had not the smallest fufpicion