去年美国全国性刊物《美国史杂志》聘我为特约编辑。在两月前我收到的季刊(1992年12月出版)中,读到一条图书广告,书名为《本杰明·富兰克林和威廉·富兰克林:爱国者和勤玉者》。原书还未见到,但广告却引起一些翩翩浮想。本杰明·富兰克林(1706—1790)是美国建国早期一位杰出的政治家。对于美国独立革命运动所立下的功绩彪炳显赫。他能顺应明代前进的潮流,由一个忠顺的不列颠臣民,转向一个坚定的反对英国殖民统治的革命者。这种转变足可说明,他是一个正直英明的识时务者。 1757—1762年间,富兰克林是宾夕法尼亚殖民地立法会议的驻英代表。他驻节伦敦时,正值英法“七年战争”。当时他发表演说,反对同法国早日媾和,并在1760年匿名刊行一本小册子,题为“大不列颠与其殖民地间 Last year, the U.S. national publication “American History Magazine” hired me as a contributing editor. In the quarterly newsletter I received two months ago (published in December 1992), I read a book advertisement entitled “Benjamin Franklin and William Franklin: Patriots and Jade Jade.” The original book has not been seen, but advertising has caused some elegant and imaginative. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was an outstanding politician in the early days of the founding of the United States. The achievements made by the U.S. Independent Revolutionary Movement have been outstanding. He was able to follow the trend of the Ming Dynasty and move from a loyal British subject to a firm revolutionary against British colonial rule. This shift shows that he is an honest and wise intellectual. Between 1757 and 1762, Franklin was a resident representative to the Pennsylvania Colony Legislative Assembly. When he was in London, he was at the “Seven Years War” with Britain and France. At that time, he gave a speech opposing the earliest meeting with France and published an anonymous booklet in 1760 titled "Between Great Britain and its Colony