1 4 RISEN B Y PERSE VERANCE. 



This newspaper soon after afforded him, very unex- 

 pectedly, an opportunity ot extricating himself from his 

 indenture to his brother, who had all along treated him with 

 great harshness, and to whom his rising literary reputation 

 only made him more an object of envy and dislike. An 

 article which they had admitted having offended the local 

 government, his brother, as proprietor of the paper, was not 

 only sentenced to a month's imprisonment, but prohibited 

 from any longer continuing to print the offensive journal 

 In these circumstances, it was determined that it should 

 appear for the future in the name of Benjamin, who had 

 managed it during his brother's confinement; and in ordei 

 to prevent it being alleged that the former proprietor was 

 only screening himself behind one of his apprentices, the 

 indenture by which the latter was bound was given up to 

 him ; he at the same time, in order to secure to his brother 

 the benefit of his services, signing new indentures for the 

 remainder of his time, which were to be kept private. * A 

 very flimsy scheme it was,' says Franklin; 'however, it was 

 immediately executed; and the paper was printed accord- 

 ingly under my name for several months. At length a fresh 

 difference arising between my brother and me, I took upon 

 me to assert my freedom, presuming that he would not 

 venture to produce the new indentures. It was not fair 

 in me to take this advantage, and this I therefore reckon 

 one of the first errata of my life ; but the unfairness of 

 it weighed little with me, when under tlie impressions of 

 resentment for the blows his passion too often urged him to 

 bestow upon me, though he was otherwise not an ill-natured 

 man : perhaps I was too saucy and provoking.' 



Finding, however, that his brother, in consequence of this 



