1901.] ROSENGARTEX — FRANKLIN' S BAGATELLES. 93 



Passy, Nov. 16, 1779. 



I received my dear Friend's two Letters, one for Wednesday & one 

 for Saturday. This is again Wednesday. I do not deserve one for 

 to day, because I have not answered the former. [But you will] But 

 indolent as 1 am, and averse to Writing, the Fear of [receiving] having 

 no more of your [ever] pleasing Epistles, if I do not contribute to the 

 Correspondence, obliges me to take up my pen. And as M. Brillon 

 has kindly sent me Word, that he sets out to morrow to see you, instead 

 of spending this Wednesday evening as I [us'd to do Since these] have 

 long done its Namesake's, in your delightful Company, I set down to 

 spend it in thinking of you [and] in writing to you, in reading- over and 

 over again your Letters. 



I am charm'd with your Description of Paradise, & with your Plan of 

 living there. And I approve much of your Conclusion, that in the 

 mean time we should draw all the Good we can from this World below. 

 — In my Opinion we might all [do] draw more good from it than we do 

 and suffer less Evil, if we [but careful enough] would but take care not 

 to give too much for our Whistles. For to me it seems that most of the 

 unhappy people we meet with, are become so by the Neglect of that 

 [Circumstance] Caution. 



You ask, what I mean ? — You [ask what I] love Stories, and will 

 excuse my telling you [a little] one of myself. When I was a Child of 

 7 Years old, my Friends [on a] on a holiday [fill'd my] fill'd my little 

 Pocket with halfpence. I went directly to a Shop where they sold Toys 

 for Children ; and being- charm'd with the Sound of a Whistle, that I 

 met by the way m the hands of another Boy, I voluntarily offer'd and 

 gave all my Money for it. When I came home, whistling all over the 

 House, much pleased with my Whistle, but disturbing all the Family, my 

 Brothers, Sisters & Cousins understanding the Bargain I had made, 

 told me I had given four times as much for it as it was worth ; put me 

 in mind what Good things I might have bought with the rest of the 

 Money, and laught at me so much for my folly that I cry'd with Vex- 

 ation ; and the [Ch Chagrin I suffer'd by it was greater] Reflection [on] 

 gave me more Chagrin than the Whistle gave me Pleasure. 



PROC. AMER. PHILOS. SOC. XL. 166. G. PRINTED JULY 18, 1901. 



