t Franklin was not contented with simply printing
these sayings, for he practised them as well.

Sometimes his friends would ask him why he began work so early in
the morning, and kept at it so many hours. He would laugh, and tell
them that his father used to repeat to him this saying of Solomon's:
"_Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before
kings; he shall not stand before mean men._"[8]

At that time the young printer never actually expected to stand in
the presence of a king, but years later he met with five; and one
of them, his friend the king of France, gave him his picture set round
with diamonds.

[Footnote 4: Almanac (al'ma-nak).]

[Footnote 5: Gazette (ga-zet'): a newspaper.]

[Footnote 6: Type: the raised metal letters used in printing are made
by melting lead and some other metals together and pouring the
mixture into molds.]

[Footnote 7: Thrive: to get on in business, to prosper.]

[Footnote 8: See Prov. xxii. 29.]

111. Franklin's boyhood; making tallow candles; he is apprenticed[9]
to his brother; how he managed to save money to buy books.--Franklin's
father was a poor man with a large family. He lived in Boston, and made
soap and candles. Benjamin went to school two years; then, when he was
ten years old, his father set him to work in his factory, and he never
went to school again. He was now kept busy filling the candle-molds
with melted grease, cutting off the ends of the wicks, and running
errands. But the boy did not like this kind of work; and, as he was
very fond of books, his father put him in a printing-office. This
office was carried on by James Franklin, one of Benjamin's brothers.
James Franklin paid a small sum of money each week for Benjamin's
board; but the boy told him that if he would let him have half the
money to use as he liked, he would board himself. James was glad to do
this. Benjamin then gave up eating meat, and, while the others went out
to dinner, he would stay in the printing-office and eat a boiled
potato, or perhaps a handful of raisins. In this way, he saved up a
number of coppers every week; and when he got enough laid by, he would
buy a book.

But James Franklin was not only a mean man, but a hot-tempered one;
and when he got angry with his young apprentice,[10] he would beat
and knock him about. At length the lad, who was now seventeen, made
up his mind that he would run away, and go to New York.

[Footnote 9: Apprenticed: bound by a