The record-union., 1899-05-31
FRANKLIN AS A PARODIsT.
Initiated the Style of Genesis and
Rewrote the Lords Prayer.

In the Century Paul L. Ford has
paper on THE Many-Sided Franklin.
This time it is the writer and journal
list that he considers.
1t was not his contemporaries alone
whom Franklin deceived by the clever
ness of his art While acting as agent
in London for a number of the colo
nies, he was compelled, if he wished
their interests to receive the slightest
attention, to dance attendance at the
levees; but he put his disgust at a
system of business based on personal
influence and corruption into one OF
the severest pieces of irony he ever
penned. 1T is now more than one
hundred and seventy years since the
translation of our common English
Bible he began a paper which he en-
titled Proposed New Version of the
Bible THE language in that time
is much changed" he continues, "and
the style being obsolete, and less agree
able, is perhaps one reason why the
reading of that excellent book is of late
so much neglected. I have therefore
thought it would be Well to procure
new version, in which. preserving the
sense, the turn of phrase and manner
of expression should be modern. l do
not pretend to have the necessary abil-
tiles for such a work myself; [ throw
out the hint for the consideration of the
learned; and only venture to send you
a few verses of the first chapter of
Job, which may serve as a sample of
the kind of version l would recon-
mend
Then followed seven paraphrased
verses, which. without the least change
Of substance, were, by mere change
of words, made TO become a savage
satire on the monarchial system of
government. Yet such was the skill
with which it was written that the
editor to whom it was sent printed it in
good faith as a genuine proposal, and
1t has since been frequently cited as a
serious endeavoro of it's author. Thus
one Of his recent biographers devotes
three pages to abuse of the travesty.
Something Matthew Arnold wrote is
still more amusing:
II remember the relief with which,
after long feeling the sway of Frank
Inns imperturbable common sense,
came upon a project of his for a new
version of the Book of Job, to replace
the old version, the style of which, says
Franklin, has become obsolete, and
thence less agreeable. I give he con-
| tinues, a few verses which may serve
as a sample of the kind of version
would recommend We all recollect
the famous verse in our translation:
Then Satan answered the Lord, and
said, Doth Job fear God for nought?'
Franklin makes it, Does your Majesty
imagine that Jobs good conduct is the
effect of mere personal attachment
and affection?' l we'll remember how
when first 1 read that I drew a deep
breath of relief, and said to myself,
After all, there is a stretch of human
ity beyond Franklin's victorious good
sense The lover of literary curiosi-
ties may be almost sorry that Frank
Inns proposal never got any further
1t is a pity that Franklin could not
read both these judgments, for no one
would have enjoyed such literary Curl
osities'' more, and that he should have
successfully deceived biographers and
critics is only a further monument to
his cleverness in letters.
Franklin attempted a far more diff
cult piece of biblical revision however,
than paraphrase of Job, by rewriting
the Lords Prayer. His draft, which
has been strangely overlooked by his
editors and biographers, though imper-
feet, gives reasons for each suggested
change, too long to be included here,
though most interesting. The text of
the prayer, as far as extant, was:
Heavenly Father. May all revere
Thee. And become Thy dutiful Chill
dren and faithful Subjects. May the
Laws be obeyed on Earth as perfectly
as they are in Heaven. Provide for
US this Day as Thou hast hitherto daily
done. Forgive us our Trespassess and
enable us likewise to forgive those that
offend us. Keep us out of Tempta-
ton"