What Parton Says of _Courant_--The Knot of Liberals--Ben's First Anonymous Article, and His Ruse--Discussion over It by the _Courant_ Club--Decided to Publish It--Benjamin Puts It in Type--It Created a Sensation--The Second Article, Better Than First--Excitement over It Still Greater--Ben's Exultation--James' Astonishment--Surprise of the "Knot"--Ben a Favorite Now--How the Autobiography Tells the Story-- Decided Ben's Career--Canning and Microcosm--Examples of Industry, Tact, etc.--Boy without a Name. XIII. BOOKS OF HIS BOYHOOD. Four Classes of Readers--Ben after Diamonds--Hungry Mind--Words of Thomas Hood--What Franklin Said--First Book Pilgrim's Progress--Talk with His Father--What Franklin Said of Narrative--Plutarch's Lives--Easy to Do Good--What They Were--Incident by Parton--Plan to Buy Burton's Historical Collections--Describes Them--Boyle's Lectures--Kind Offer of Matthew Adams--Borrowing Books of Booksellers' Clerks--Great Favor--Books Very Scarce Then--Greenwood's English Grammar--Talk with Collins--Other Books Read--Habit of Taking Notes--Letter of Franklin about It--Professor Atkinson's Words--Garfield Had Same Habit. XIV. LEARNING THE ART OF COMPOSITION. Began to Write Poetry at Seven--Had Practised Putting Thoughts Together--James Praised His Pieces--Proposition to Write, Print, and Sell Verses--Wrote Two--Sold Well--His Father's Severe Rebuke-- After-talk with James--Best Writers Deficient at First--Reporting to James--Benefit to Ben--One of His Verses Preserved--What Franklin Said of It in Manhood--How He Used the _Spectator_--Determined to Improve--His Own Description of His Literary Work--How He Acquired Socratic Method--Rhetoric and Logic--How a Single Book Made Wesley, Martin, Pope, Casey, Lincoln, and Others What They Were--A Striking Case. XV. THE "COURANT" IN TROUBLE. The Startling News from the Assembly--A Discussion--A Sarcastic Letter the Cause--James and Benjamin Summoned before the Council--James Defiant--Benjamin Dismissed--How Mather Assailed the _Courant_--How James Answered Him--James in Prison--Benjamin Editing the Paper-- Quotation from Parton--Persecution of Printers in the Old Country--A Horrible Case--James Released, and Still Defiant--Inoculation a Remedy for Small Pox--The _Mercury_ Denouncing James' Imprisonment--James Still for Freedom of the Press--Secured It for All Time. XVI. THE BOY EDITOR. Attacking the Government--The Council Exasperated--Action of the _Courant_ Club--Plan to Evade Order of the Council--Benjamin, the Boy-editor--His Address in _Courant_--Quotations from _Courant_ of January 14, 1723--Not Libelous--Extract from Parton's Life--When Newspapers Ceased to be Carried Free--How Long Ben Was in Printing Office--Remarks by Mr. Sparks--What He Says of General Court--How the Experience Developed Benjamin--Right Boy in Right Place--Extract from _Courant_ about Bears. XVII. THE YOUNG SKEPTIC.