MDDM Ch. 27 Apothecary shoppe

[Otto]

From: Jbor:
>
> I guess the interesting thing to find out is whether or not Ben Franklin
did
> actually meet up with Mason and Dixon at some point - I imagine that if he
> had it would be recorded in his journals or correspondence somewhere.
>

Given the fact that our novel heroes meet Ben Franklin, George Washington
(Chap. 28) and Thomas Jefferson (395.23ff) I believe that we really have
embarked in the land of Hutcheon's Historiographic Metafiction here:
"To parody is not to destroy the past; in fact, to parody is both to
enshrine the past and to question it." (1989, 6)

"According to Linda Hutcheon, parody in its broadest sense is repetition
with a difference. This difference should be noted, for it tells us
something: The original is ridiculous. The original is funny. The imitation
is funny because its playing with the original. The imitation is my way of
using the original to suit my needs. We took the original to be sacred; this
shows it's not. We took the original to be normal or natural; this shows it
is a product of our culture (a social construction) which leave out
important facts or possibilities."
http://acunix.wheatonma.edu/rpearce/MorrisonWeb/Cultural_Concepts/Signifying
/signifying.html

Franklin on Penn:
He told me the following anecdote of his old master, William Penn,
respecting defense. He came over from England, when a young man, with that
proprietary, and as his secretary. It was war-time, and their ship was
chas'd by an armed vessel, suppos'd to be an enemy. Their captain prepar'd
for defense; but told William Penn and his company of Quakers, that he did
not expect their assistance, and they might retire into the cabin, which
they did, except James Logan, who chose to stay upon deck, and was quarter'd
to a gun. The suppos'd enemy prov'd a friend, so there was no fighting; but
when the secretary went down to communicate the intelligence, William Penn
rebuk'd him severely for staying upon deck, and undertaking to assist in
defending the vessel, contrary to the principles of Friends, especially as
it had not been required by the captain. This reproof, being before all the
company, piqu'd the secretary, who answer'd, "I being thy servant, why did
thee not order me to come down? But thee was willing enough that I should
stay and help to fight the ship when thee thought there was danger."
http://www.earlyamerica.com/lives/franklin/chapt10/index.html

>
> The meeting, "quite by chance", in Mr Mispick's store, strikes me as a
> literary contrivance of the same order as the runaway Octuple Gloucester
> back at Stroud.
>

Franklin:
My son, who had some experience of a camp life, and of its wants, drew up a
list for me, which I enclos'd in my letter. The committee approv'd, and used
such diligence that, conducted by my son, the stores arrived at the camp as
soon as the waggons. They consisted of twenty parcels, each containing
6 lbs. loaf sugar. 1 Gloucester cheese.
6 lbs. good Muscovado do. 1 kegg containing 20 lbs. good
1 lb. good green tea. butter.
1 lb. good bohea do. 2 doz. old Madeira wine.
6 lbs. good ground coffee. 2 gallons Jamaica spirits.
6 lbs. chocolate. 1 bottle flour of mustard.
1-2 cwt. best white biscuit. 2 well-cur'd hams.
1-2 lb. pepper. 1-2 dozen dry'd tongues.
1 quart best white wine vinegar 6 lbs. rice.
6 lbs. raisins.
http://www.earlyamerica.com/lives/franklin/chapt12/index.html

> (I suspect the answer to the question of whether or not they did meet is -
> "We don't know." On second thoughts, that's probably not right at all. I
> imagine Ben's life is very thoroughly documented, and it's probably common
> knowledge that they did meet on quite a few occasions. But I think
Pynchon's
> instinct in the novel is that the probability that they met at some very
> early stage in the venture is high, and he purposely inserts the hints
that
> Ben had in fact manipulated this initial "chance" meeting in order to give
a
> feeling of the back-room dealings and intrigue within the American
political
> scene of the time. As Mason says: "I am sorry the Politics here have
become
> so, as one would say, Italian, in their intricacies." 269.23)
>
> best
>

The autobiography ends on July 27th, 1757.

I found nothing on the case between Pennsylvania and Maryland. But by
looking more closely it should be possible to locate something like: "I am
no stranger to rejection, I have long learn'd to deal with it in Dignity, as
a sane man would" (269.20) in his writings if he has really said so. It fits
very well to "Strangers, heed my wise advice - Never pay the Retail Price"
(267.31-32).

I had some fun reading his aphorisms like:
"He that lieth down with Dogs, shall rise up with Fleas."
http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/quotable/quote13.htm

"Fish and visitors stink after three days."
http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/quotable/quote32.htm

Otto