XII Mon. February hath xxviii days.

Man's rich with little, were his Judgment.true,
Nature isfrugal, and her Wants are few;
Those few Wants antwer'd, bring fincere Delights,
But Fools create themfelves new Appetites.
Fancy and Pride feek Things at vaft Expence,
Which relish not to Reafon nor to Senje
Like Cats in Airpumps, to fubfit we suive
On Joys too thin to keep the Soul alive.

MW Remarkable Days, HDO rifes Lunations,
D. DAffects, Weather wilp! land fets. Drifer & fers
plea [$ 21,6 18 6/Laft Quarter.

2 EStragesima. 32 fant, with 43 ΔΕΟ wind 5 47 fet 10 and 65 perhaps fome tain 6 D

87

9 E Shrove Sunday..

9 16 476

10196 46

with

Sirius fo. 8 41
risez 42 mo
A good Wife &
6h rife 9 7
60 in

2 246 39 6

rife 5 32

36 38 6New 9 day,

rifes 138 3h 186 37 6 at 3 morn. 113 Shrove Tueday 4 V6 35 6 with, & q.

12 4h-Wednesdays 126 34 6 D fets 8 56 af.

13 5h

14 6 Balenting.

clouds with 47 18 3 wind and 19 4Ember Deek. 20 500 rain 21 6 or fnow.

22 7 then change

E

Sh236 3 6 Health, is a
686 32 6 Man's best
7 176 30 6 Wealth.
8 296 29 63 fets 7 18
96 28 6Firft Quarrer.
10256 26 6Sirias 10 7 43
106 25 67* fet 12 0
11216 23 6 fers 4 2

mo

126 22 6h rises 8 11

186 20 64 quarrelome

24 day,

22 2 Sund.inLent.26 19 6 Man has to good

24 2 St.Jatthias. 3 186 18 6 Full

The page here given in facsimile is from the almanac for 1746. The copy from which it is taken belonged to Edward
Holyoke, President of Harvard College, who died in 1769 at the age of 80. His son, Dr. Edward A. Holyoke, lived to
be over a hundred. In 1746 the old style still held, by which the year began with March, so that February was the
twelfth month, as stated in the heading of the page. This was the old Roman usage, which explains the significance of
October, November, December.

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY

OF

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

WITH NOTES AND A CHAPTER COMPLETING THE
STORY OF HIS LIFE

PART II.

FROM 1732 TO 1757; WITH A SKETCH OF FRANKLIN'S LIFE

FROM THE POINT AT WHICH HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY

ENDS, CHIEFLY DRAWN FROM HIS LETTERS

973.3
783а

677277

Copyright, 1886,

BY HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO.

All rights reserved.

The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A.
Electrotyped and Printed by H. O. Houghton & Company.

VI.

SELF-EDUCATION.

HAVING mentioned a great and extensive project which I had conceived, it seems proper that some account should be here given of that project and its object. Its first rise in my mind appears in the following little paper, accidentally preserved, viz. :

Observations on my reading history, in Library, May 19, 1731.

"That the great affairs of the world, the wars, revolutions, etc., are carried on and affected by parties. "That the view of these parties is their present general interest, or what they take to be such.

"That the different views of these different parties occasion all confusion.

"That while a party is carrying on a general design, each man has his particular private interest in view.

"That as soon as a party has gained its general point, each member becomes intent upon his particular interest; which, thwarting others, breaks that party into divisions, and occasions more confusion.

"That few in public affairs act from a mere view of the good of their country, whatever they may pretend; and, though their actings bring real good to their country, yet men primarily considered that their own and their country's interest was united, and did not act from a principle of benevolence.