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