His Apprentice David Harry, whom I had instructed while I work’d with him, set up in his Place at Philadelphia, having bought his Materials. I was at first apprehensive of a powerful Rival in Harry, as his Friends were very able, & had a good deal of Interest. I therefore propos’d a Partnership to him; which he, fortunately for me, rejected with Scorn. He was very proud, dress’d like a Gentleman, liv’d expensively, took much Diversion & Pleasure abroad, ran in debt, & neglected his Business, upon which all Business left him; and finding nothing to do, he follow’d Keimer to Barbadoes; taking the Printinghouse with him. There this Apprentice employ’d his former Master as a Journeyman. They quarrel’d often, Harry went continually behindhand, and at length was forc’d to sell his Types, and return to his Country Work in Pennsylvania. The Person that bought them, employ’d Keimer to use them, but in a few years he died. There remain’d now no Competitor with me at Philadelphia, but the old one, Bradford, who was rich & easy, did a little Printing now & then by straggling Hands, but was not very anxious about the Business. However, as he kept the Post Office, it was imagined he had better Opportunities of obtaining News, his Paper was thought a better Distributer of Advertisements than mine, & therefore had many more, which was a profitable thing to him & a Disadvantage to me. For tho’ I did indeed receive & send Papers by Post, yet the public Opinion was otherwise; for what I did send was by Bribing the Riders who took them privately: Bradford being unkind enough to forbid it: which occasion’d some Resentment on my Part; and I thought so meanly of him for it, that when I afterwards came into his Situation, I took care never to imitate it.

I had hitherto continu’d to board with Godfrey, who lived in Part of my House with his Wife & Children, & had one Side of the Shop for his Glazier’s Business, tho’ he work’d little, being always absorb’d in his Mathematics. Mrs Godfrey projected a Match for me with a Relation’s Daughter, took Opportunities of bringing us often together, till a serious Courtship on my Part ensu’d, the Girl being in herself very deserving. The old Folks encourag’d me by continual Invitations to Supper, & by leaving us together, till at length it was time to explain. Mrs Godfrey manag’d our little Treaty. I let her know that I expected as much Money with their Daughter as would pay off my Remaining Debt for the Printinghouse, which I believe was not then above a Hundred Pounds. She brought me Word they had no such Sum to spare. I said they might mortgage their House in the Loan Office. The Answer to this after some Days was, that they did not approve the Match; that on Inquiry of Bradford they had been inform’d the Printing Business was not a profitable one, the Types would soon be worn out & more wanted, that S. Keimer & D. Harry had fail’d one after the other, and I should probably soon follow them; and therefore I was forbidden the House, & the Daughter shut up. Whether this was a real Change of Sentiment, or only Artifice, on a Supposition of our being too far engag’d in Affection to retract, & therefore that we should steal a Marriage, which would leave them at Liberty to give or withhold what they pleas’d, I know not: But I suspected the latter, resented it, and went no more. Mrs Godfrey brought me afterwards some more favorable Accounts of their Disposition, & would have drawn me on again: but I declared absolutely my Resolution to have nothing more to do with that Family. This was resented by the Godfreys, we differ’d, and they removed, leaving me the whole House, and I resolved to take no more Inmates. But this Affair having turn’d my Thoughts to Marriage, I look’d round me, and made Overtures of Acquaintance in other Places; but soon found that the Business of a Printer being generally thought a poor one, I was not to expect Money with a Wife unless with such a one, as I should not otherwise think agreeable. In the mean time, that hard-to-be-govern’d Passion of Youth, had hurried me frequently into Intrigues with low Women that fell in my Way, which were attended with some Expense & great Inconvenience, besides a continual Risk to my Health by a Distemper which of all Things I dreaded, tho’ by great good Luck I escaped it.

A friendly Correspondence as Neighbors & old Acquaintances, had continued between me & Mrs Read’s Family, who all had a Regard for me from the time of my first Lodging in their House. I was often invited there and consulted in their Affairs, wherein I sometimes was of service. I pity’d poor Miss Read’s unfortunate Situation, who was generally dejected, seldom cheerful, and avoided Company. I consider’d my Giddiness & Inconstancy when in London as in a great degree the Cause of her Unhappiness; tho’ the Mother was good enough to think the Fault more her own than mine, as she had prevented our Marrying before I went thither, and persuaded the other Match in my Absence. Our mutual Affection was revived, but there were now great Objections to our Union. That Match was indeed look’d upon as invalid, a preceding Wife being said to be living in England; but this could not easily be prov’d, because of the Distance. And tho’ there was a Report of his Death, it was not certain. Then tho’ it should be true, he had left many