Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Lord Howe (1776)
My Lord, I received safe the Letters your Lordship so kindly forwarded to me, and beg you to accept my Thanks. The Official Dispatches to which you refer me, contain […]
An Account of the Supremest Court of Judicature in Pennsylvania, viz. The Court of the Press
POWER OF THIS COURT It may receive and promulgate accusations of all kinds against all persons and characters among the citizens of the state, and even against all inferior courts, […]
Reasons Against Satirizing Religion
To ——– Dear Sir I have read your Manuscrit with some Attention. By the Arguments it contains against the Doctrine of a particular Providence, tho’ you allow a general Providence, […]
Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Peter Collinson (1753)
Sir, I received your Favour of the 29th. August last and thank you for the kind and judicious remarks you have made on my little Piece. Whatever further occurs to […]
The Busy-Body, No. 1
Mr. Andrew Bradford, I design this to acquaint you, that I, who have long been one of your Courteous Readers, have lately entertain’d some Thoughts of setting up for an […]
Letter from Benjamin Franklin to a Royal Academy About Farting (1781)
Franklin, Benjamin. “To the Royal Academy Of ***.” In The Bagatelles from Passy (The Eakins Press, New York, 1967 reprint). https://archive.org/details/bagatellesfrompa0000benj/page/n7/mode/1up GENTLEMEN, I have perused your late mathematical Prize Question, […]
The Speech of Miss Polly Baker
The SPEECH of Miss Polly Baker, before a Court of Judicature, at Connecticut in New England, where she was prosecuted the fifth Time for having a Bastard Child; which influenced […]
Old Mistresses Apologue
My dear Friend, I know of no Medicine fit to diminish the violent natural Inclinations you mention; and if I did, I think I should not communicate it to you. […]
On Censure or Backbiting
Impia sub dulci melle venena latent. Ovid Naturam expellas furca licet, usq; recurret. Hor. There is scarce any one Thing so generally spoke against, and at the same time so […]