Peace-makers find

Content of Mind.-1756, New Haven.

The People's Crimes,

Cause evil Times.-1758, New Haven.

Perhaps some memorable Battle will be fought about this time.-1756 (May 20-24), New Haven.

Physicians easily can tell,

Advice to others, when themselves are well.-1758, New Haven.

Plain down right Honesty, is the Beauty and Elegancy of Life.-1755, Boston.

A Poem's Life and Death, dependeth still:

Not on the Poet's Wit, but Reader's Will.-1755, Boston. A poor Spirit's worse

Than a poor purse.-1755, Boston.

The Powers above

do Mercy love.-1758, New Haven.

Pride and Excess are growing Evils.-1758, New Haven. Profaness Intemperance & Injustice presage Calamitious Times.-1753, New London.

The Promises of Princes and Courts should not be by after Arts evaded,

For who dares punish the breach of Oaths in Subjects, and yet slight the Faith he has made them.-1755, Boston. A prudent temperate Abstinence

against Diseases is the best Defence.-1758, New Haven.

Publick good is to be preferred before private Interest.1755, Boston.

Reason & passion answer one great Aim,

And true self love & social are the same.-1753, New London; also 1753, New York.

Reason's whole Pleasure, all the Joys of Sense,

lie in three Words,-Health, Peace and Competence.-1750, Boston.

Self Interest will turn some mens opinions as certainly as the wind will a weather cock.-1753, New London.

Senates and Judges have been bought for Gold:

Esteem & Love were never to be sold.-1750, Boston.
Silence is a decent cover to a want of sense.-1750, New York.

So weak is our judgment & frail is our sight
That we cannot level our own wishes right.
And if sometimes we make a wise advance

T'ourselves we little owe, but much to chance.-1750, New York.
Soft Whispers run along the leafy Woods,

and Mountains eccho to the murm 'ring Floods.-1761, Boston. Some Men study more how to seem judicious than to be so.— 1755, Boston.

Some waste their precious time in gaming.

Others in trifles not worth naming.-1754, New York. Study to know thyself, meddle not with other Men's matters. -1760, Boston.

The tender Vines and Flow'rs:

The cruel Frost devours.-1761, Boston.

That which in the beginning is vicious, cannot by tract of Time be made good.-1755, Boston.

Those that profanely Swear & Curse, at best they are but scandalous.-1751, Boston.

Those who in slander delight,

discover both folly and spite.-1756, New Haven.

Those who stir up sedition among the People, are the worst enemies of the state.-1756, New Haven.

Though good things answer many good intents;

Yet Crosses do bring forth the best Events-1755, Boston.

A timely Reformation,

Wo'd save our Land & Nation.-1758, New Haven.

The Times wherein we live are very bad:

Let's every one mend our Ways, and we shall soon see better Days.-1751, Boston.

'Tis Bias or Grudge makes some Men misjudge.-1753, New London.

'tis greater honour to confess a fault than to defend it.1754, New York.

Tis greater Honour to Retract an error, than to Defend it.1754, New London.

'Tis Heav'n each Passion sends; which different Men directs to different ends.-1760, Boston.

'Tis in Life as 'tis in Painting

much may be right yet much is wanting.-1758, New Haven.

"Tis strange the Miser should his Cares employ,

to gain those Riches that he wont enjoy.-1760, Boston. "Tis Virtue only make[s] our Bliss below,

& our chief Knowledge is Ourselves to know.-1750, Boston. To be easy all Night,

Let your Supper be light.-1750, Boston.

To brand a doubtful Folly with a Smile,

Or madly blaze unknown Defects is vile.-1760, Boston.

To save a soul, our men of modern sense,
Grudge Peter, for his guidance, a few pence,

A finger akes (so clear their light within is)

They all allow the doctor's claim to guineas.1750, New York.

To whom can Riches give Repute or Trust,

Content or Pleasure, but the Good and Just.-1750, Boston. True Charity, tho' never so secret, finds a just reward.-1755, Boston.

True Peace of Mind

the virtuous find.-1760, Boston.

'Twas not allow'd to Jove, to hold at once, his Reason and his Love.-1755, Boston.

The Tyranny of OLD TENOR, that mystery of Iniquity source of Injustice, & disturber of the Peace is now Expiring; to the Joy of all Honest Men.-1754, New London.

Unheedful Vows may heedfully be broken.-1755, Boston.

The various Harmony in the Works of Nature:
Manifest the Wisdom of the Creator.-1751, Boston.

The Weather now is freezing cold,

uncomfortable for young or old

but I can't tell how long 'twill hold.-1750 (December, 19 to 24), Boston.

What suits mens Wishes is forwardly believed.-1753, New London.

While young people are gathering flowers and nose gays, Let them beware of the snake in the grass.-1750, New York. Whoe'r to play the coxcombs part by niggard nature's ariven, May pardon find; but fools by art can never be forgiven.-1750, New York.

Whoso assents to any proposition farther than there is evidence to support it does not love truth for its own sake.— 1753, New York.

Why should Men

be Tyrants then?-1758, New Haven.

The Winds are high

as well as dry.-1751 (August 30-31), Boston.

Wisdom and knowledge are preferable to gold and silver.1754, New York; also 1754, New London.

Wise men wonder good men grieve

Knaves invent and fools believe.-1750, New York.

With liberal Hand and choicest Grain,

the Farmer sowes the furrow'd Plain.-1761, Boston.

the World subsists by elemental strife,

and Passions are, the element of Life.-1760. Boston.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND THE FIRST BALLOONS.

BY ABBOTT LAWRENCE ROTCH.

The recent bi-centenary of Franklin's birth, which coincided with the revival of interest in balloons, makes this a timely topic, especially since Franklin's descriptions of the first balloon ascensions are almost unknown and do not appear among his philosophical papers. The five letters which I have the honor to present were written to Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society of London, in 1783, when Franklin was Minister to the Court of France and, with the collateral documents, they give perhaps the most complete and accurate account of the beginning of aerial navigation, enlivened with the humor and speculation characteristic of the writer. It is certainly remarkable that Franklin, in the midst of diplomatic and social duties, could have found time to investigate personally this new invention of which he at once appreciated the possibilities.

The documents which I publish are copies of Franklin's letters, made on thin paper in a copying press (probably the rotary machine invented by Franklin), and all but one bear his signature in ink. They have corrections in the author's hand-writing and, except for a few words, are quite legible. They were purchased by me from Dodd, Mead & Co., in December, 1905, and previously had belonged to G. M. Williamson, of Grandview-on-the-Hudson, to whom they had come from Vienna. None of the letters appear in Sparks' edition of Franklin's Works, and while all but one are included in the collections compiled by Bigelow and Smyth, there are numerous inaccuracies, some of which will be specified hereafter. Drafts of three of the