Page:Works of the Late Doctor Benjamin Franklin (1793).djvu/44

34 lodge at his houſe, and he would give me a little work now and then, till ſomething better ſhould offer.

The old man offered to introduce me to the new printer. When we were at his houſe: "Neighbour," ſaid he, "I bring you a young man in the printing buſineſs; perhaps you may have need of his ſervices."

Keimer aſked me ſome queſtions, put a compoſing ſtick in my hand to fee how I could work, and then ſaid, that at preſent he had nothing for me to do, but that he ſhould ſoon be able to employ me. At the ſame time taking old Bradford for an inhabitant of the town well-diſpoſed towards him, he communicated his project to him, and the proſpect he had of ſucceſs. Bradford was careful not to diſcover that he was the father of the other printer; and from what Keimer had ſaid, that he hoped ſhortly to be in poſſeſſion of the greater part of the buſineſs of the town, led him by artful queſtions, and by ſtarting ſome difficulties, to diſcloſe all his views, what his hopes were founded upon, and how he intended to proceed. I was preſent, and heard it all. I inſtantly ſaw that one of the two was a cunning old fox, and the other a perfect novice. Bradford left me with Keimer, who was ſtrangely ſurprized when I informed him who the old man was.

I found Keimer's printing materials to conſiſt of an old damaged preſs, and a ſmall caſt of worn-out Engliſh letters, with which he was himſelf at work upon an elegy on Aquila Roſe, whom I have mentioned above, an ingenious young man, and of an excellent character, highly eſteemed in the town, ſecretary to the aſſembly, and a very tolerable poet. Keimer alſo made verſes, but they were indifferent ones. He could not be ſaid to write in verſe, for his method was to ſet the