Benjamin Franklin; Self-Revealed, Volume 2 (of 2): A Biographical and Critical Study Based Mainly on his own WritingsBruce, Wiliam Cabell
History
Benjamin Franklin; Self-Revealed, Volume 2 (of 2): A Biographical and Critical Study Based Mainly on his own Writings
Bruce, Wiliam Cabell
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
The editor of the _Gazette_ sustains to his readers a relation as personal
as that sustained by Poor Richard to his. He goes off to New Jersey to
print some paper currency for that Colony, and he inserts this paragraph in
the _Gazette_: "The Printer hopes the irregular Publication of this Paper
will be excused a few times by his Town Readers, on consideration of his
being at Burlington with the press, labouring for the publick Good, to make
Money more plentiful." The statement that a flash of lightning in Bucks
County had melted the pewter buttons off the waistband of a farmer's
breeches elicits the observation, "Tis well nothing else thereabouts was
made of pewter." When contributions by others failed him, he even wrote
letters to himself under feigned names. "Printerum est errare," we are
told, and then, under this announcement, Franklin, in another name,
addresses the following facetious letter to himself:
Sir, As your last Paper was reading in some Company
where I was present, these Words were taken Notice of
in the Article concerning Governor Belcher (After which
his Excellency, with the Gentlemen trading to New
England, died elegantly at Pontack's). The Word died
should doubtless have been dined, Pontack's being a
noted Tavern and Eating house in London for Gentlemen
of Condition; but this Omission of the Letter (n) in
that Word, gave us as much Entertainment as any Part of
your Paper. One took the Opportunity of telling us,
that in a certain Edition of the Bible, the Printer
had, where David says I am fearfully and wonderfully
made, omitted the Letter (e) in the last Word, so that
it was, I am fearfully and wonderfully mad; which
occasion'd an ignorant Preacher, who took that Text, to
harangue his Audience for half an hour on the Subject
of Spiritual Madness. Another related to us, that when
the Company of Stationers in England had the Printing
of the Bible in their Hands, the Word (not) was left
out of the Seventh Commandment, and the whole Edition
was printed off with Thou shalt commit Adultery,
instead of Thou shalt not, &c. This material Erratum
induc'd the Crown to take the Patent from them which is
now held by the King's Printer. The Spectator's Remark
upon this Story is, that he doubts many of our modern
Gentlemen have this faulty edition by 'em, and are not
made sensible of the Mistake. A Third Person in the
Company acquainted us with an unlucky Fault that went
through a whole Impression of Common-Prayer Books; in
the Funeral Service, where these Words are, We shall
all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an Eye,
&c., the Printer had omitted the (c) in changed, and it
read thus, We shall all be hanged, &c. And lastly, a
Mistake of your Brother News-Printer was mentioned, in
The Speech of James Prouse written the Night before he
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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