Benjamin Franklin Papers

From Benjamin Franklin to William Strahan, 14 April 1745

To William Strahan

Duplicate:3 Rosenbach Foundation

Philada. April 14. 1745

Sir

I wrote to you lately via New York, and sent a Copy via Maryland, one or other of which I hope may come to hand. I have only Time now to desire you to send me the following Books,4 viz.

 1 Doz Cole’s Eng. Dictionaries

 3 Doz. Mather’s Young Man’s Companion

 2 Doz Fisher’s Ditto

 2 Quarter Waggoners for America

 6 Echard’s Gazetteer

 4 Doz Grammars with const[ruin]g Book

 1 Doz Clark’s Corderius

 1 Doz London Vocabulary

 1 Doz Bailey’s English Exercises

 6 Clark’s Introduction

 6 Esop’s Fables, Latin

 1 Doz Accidences.

 6 Brightland’s English Grammar

I am, Sir, Your most humble Servant

B Franklin

Copy

[Note numbering follows the Franklin Papers source.]

3Written at the top of the sheet which carried the second letter of the same date, printed here directly following.

4The identifiable works in this list were probably the following: Elisha Coles, An English Dictionary … Now Corrected and Much Improved (London, 1732); William Mather, The Young Man’s Companion (15th edit., London, 1737); George Fisher, The Instructor: or, Young Man’s Best Companion; “Quarter Waggoners for America”: The English Pilot. The Fourth Book. Describing the West India Navigation, from Hudson’s-Bay to the River Amazones (London, 1737 or 1745. “Wagoner” was a term used for an atlas of charts, derived from a work of this nature published in Leyden in 1588 by Lucas Wagenaer); Laurence Echard (or Eachard), The Gazetteer’s: or, Newsman’s Interpreter (15th edit., London, 1741); John Clarke, Corderii Colloquiorum centuria selecta (10th edit., London, 1740); The London Vocabulary, English and Latin (London, [1700?]); Nathan Bailey, English and Latin Exercises (5th edit., London, 1720); John Clarke, An Introduction to the Making of Latin (13th edit., London, 1742); John Brightland, A Grammar of the English Tongue (4th edit., London, 1721).

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