. Benjamin Franklin: his autobiography : with a narrative of his public life and services. siness. Perhaps, too, shethought my expectations not so well founded as Iimagined them to be. My chief acquaintances at this time were Charles LIFE OF FRANKLIN. 63 Osborne, Joseph Watson, and James Ralph, alllovers of reading. The two first were clerks toan eminent scrivener or conveyancer in the town,Charles Brockden; the other was a clerk to a mer-chant. Watson was a pious, sensible young man,of great integrity; the others rather more lax intheir principles of religion, particularly Ralph, who,as well
. Benjamin Franklin: his autobiography : with a narrative of his public life and services. siness. Perhaps, too, shethought my expectations not so well founded as Iimagined them to be. My chief acquaintances at this time were Charles LIFE OF FRANKLIN. 63 Osborne, Joseph Watson, and James Ralph, alllovers of reading. The two first were clerks toan eminent scrivener or conveyancer in the town,Charles Brockden; the other was a clerk to a mer-chant. Watson was a pious, sensible young man,of great integrity; the others rather more lax intheir principles of religion, particularly Ralph, who,as well as Collins, had been unsettled by me, forwhich they both made me suffer. Osborne wassensible, candid, frank; sincere and affectionate tohis friends; but, in literary matters, too fond of criti-cism. Ralph was ingenious, genteel in his manners,and extremely eloquent; I think I never knew aprettier talker. Both w^ere great admirers of poetry,and began to try their hands in little pieces. Manypleasant walks we have had together on Sundaysin the woods, on the banks of the Schuylkill, where. we read to one another, and conferred on what w^ehad read. Ralph was inclined to give himself up entirely to 64 LIFE OF FRANKLIN. poetry, not doubting that he might make great pro-ficiency in it, and even make his fortune by it. Hepretended that the greatest poets must, when theyfirst began to write, have committed as many fauksas he did. Osborne endeavored to dissuade him,assured him he had no genius for poetry, and ad-vised him to think of nothing beyond the businesshe was bred to ; that, in the mercantile way, thoughhe had no stock, he might, by his dihgence and punc-tuaUty, recommend himseH to employment as a factor,and in time acquire wherewith to trade on his ownaccount. I approved, for my part, the amusing onesself with poetry now and then, so far as to improveones language, but no further. On this it was proposed that we should each of us,at our next meeting, produce a piece of our own c
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