BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 23 



formed, and committed to writing, while at sea, a plan for 

 regulating the future conduct of his life. This unfortunately 

 has been lost ; but he tells us himself, that although con- 

 ceived and determined upon when he was so young, it had 

 yet 'been pretty faithfully adhered to quite through to old 

 age.' 



Mr. Denham had only begun business for a few months 

 when he died ; and Franklin was once more left upon the 

 world. He now engaged again with his old master, Keimer, 

 the printer, who had got a better house, and plenty of new 

 types, though he was still as ignorant of his business as he was 

 at the time of Franklin's former connection with him. While 

 in this situation, Franklin got acquainted with several persons, 

 like himself, fond of literary pursuits ; and as the men never 

 worked on Saturday, that being Keimer's self-appointed 

 Sabbath, he had the whole day for reading. ^ He also showed 

 his ingenuity, and the fertility of his resources, on various 

 occasions. They wanted some new types, which, there being 

 no letter foundry in America, were only to be procured from 

 England; but Franklin, having seen types cast in London, 

 though he had paid no particular attention to the process, 

 contrived a mould, made use of the letters they had as 

 puncheons, struck the matrices in lead, and thus supplied, as 

 he tells us, in a pretty tolerable way, all deficiencies. ' I also,' 

 he adds, 'engraved several things on occasion; made the 

 ink ; I was warehouseman ; and, in short, quite z. factotum.^ 



He did not, however, remain long with Keimer, who had 

 engaged him only that he might have his other workmen 



' Keimer had peculiar notions upon religious observances, and amongst 

 other things fancied it a Chriaun.u duty to observe the Sabbath on the I^t 

 day of the week« 



