CHARACTERS. 



385 



are very powerful. To be sure I 

 long to see again my friends tliere, 

 whom I lyve abundantly : but 

 there are difficulties and objections 

 of several kinds, which at prc'rcnt 

 1 don't see how to get over. 



I lament with you the political 

 disorders England at present la- 

 bours tmder. Your papers are 

 full of strange accounts of anarchy 

 and confusion in America, of whicli 

 we know nothing, while your own 

 affairs are really in a deplorable 

 situation. In my humble opinion, 

 the root of the evil lies not so 

 much in too long, or too unequally 

 chosen parliaments, as in the enor- 

 mous salaries, emoluments, and 

 patronage of your great officers ; 

 and that you \vill never be at re^t 

 till they are all abolished, and every 

 place of honour made at the same 

 time, instead of a place of profit, 

 a place of expense and burthen. 

 Ambition and avarice are each of 

 them strong passions, and when 

 they are united in the same ])er- 

 sons, and have the same objects 

 in view for their gratification, they 

 are too strong for public spirit 

 and love of country, and are apt 

 to pi'oduce the most violent fac- 

 tions and contentions. They should 

 therefore be separated, and made 

 to act one against the other. Those 

 places, to speak in our old style 

 (brother type) may be good for 

 the CH.^PEL, but they are bad for 

 the master, as they create con- 

 stant (juarrels that hinder the bu- 

 siness. For example, here arc two 

 months tliat your government has 

 been en)})loyed in getting its form 

 to press; which is not yet fit to 

 work on, every page of it being 

 squahbltd, and tlie whole ready to 

 fall into p>je. 'J'iie founts too must 

 be veiy scantv, or strangely out of 



Vol. LIX.' ' "* 



sorts, since your compositors cannot 

 find either upper or lov:er-case let- 

 ters sufficient to set the word Ad- 

 MiNisTRiTioN, but are forced to 

 be continually turning for them. 

 However, to return to common 

 (though perhaps too saucy) lan- 

 guage, don't despair; you have 

 still one resource left, and that 

 not a bad one, since it may re- 

 unite the empire. We have some 

 remains of affection for you, and 

 shall always be ready to receive 

 and take care of you in case of 

 distress. So if you have not sense 

 and virtue enough to govern your- ■ 

 selves, e'en dissolve your present 

 old crazy constitution, and send 

 members to congress. 



You will say my advice "smells 

 of Madeira." You are right. This 

 foolish letter is n)ere chit-chat te- 

 tween ourselves, over the second bottle. 

 Jf, therefore, you show it to any 

 body, (except our indulgent friends 

 Dagge and Lady 8trachan) 1 \\\\{ 

 positively solless you. Yours ever 

 most aftectionately, 



Ji. Franklin. 



To THE Rev. Doctor Ma'^er, 

 Boston. 



On his Advice to the People of 

 America. 

 Rev. Sir, Passy, May 12, 1784. 



I received your kind letter with 

 your excellent advice to the peo- 

 ple of the United States, which I 

 read with great pleasuie, and liope 

 it will be duly regarded. Such 

 writings, though they may be 

 liglitly passed over by many lead- 

 ers, yet if they make a deep im- 

 pression on one active mind in an 

 hundred, the efifects may be con- 

 siderable. Permit me to mention 

 one little instance, which though 



2C it 



