The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Allusions & Cultural References

Biblical References

• Geneva Bible (1.6)
• Leviticus (1.51)
• Exodus (1.53)
• Psalm 18 (1.53)
• Philippians (2.1)
• James II (2.56)
• New Testament (2.12)

Literary and Philosophical References

• Cotton Mather, The Wonderful Work of Christ in America (1.8)
• John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress (1.15)
• R. Burton (Nathaniel Crouch), Historical Collections (1.15)
• Plutarch, Parallel Lives (1.15)
• Daniel Defoe, Essay on Projects (1.15)
• Cotton Mather, Bonifacius: An Essay upon the Good (1.15)
• Joseph Addison and Richard Steele, The Spectator (1.18)
• Thomas Tryon
• Edward Cocker, Arithmetic (1.21)
• John Seller (1.21)
• Samuel Sturmy (1.21)
• John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1.21)
• Pierre Nicole of Port Royal, Logic: Or the Art of Thinking (1.21)
• James Greenwood (1.22)
• Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury (1.22)
• Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism (1.22)
• Wentworth Dillon, Essay on Translated Verse (1.23)
• Benjamin Franklin, Silence Dogood (1.25)
• Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders, Religious Courtship, The Family Instructor (1.28)
• Samuel Richardson, Pamela (1.28)
• Charles Cotton (1.32)
• William Wollaston, Religion of Nature (1.65)
• William Lyons, The Infallibility, Dignity, and Excellence of Human Judgment (1.67)
• Bernard Mandeville, The Fable of the Bees (1.67)
• Edward Young (1.69)
• Melchisédeck de Thevenot (1.74)
• John Dryden (1.88)
• Benjamin Franklin, A Modest Inquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency (1.102)
• Tacitus (2.10)
• Benjamin Franklin, Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion (2.39)
• Pythagoras (43)
• Addison, Cato, a Tragedy (2.46)
• Cicero, Tusculan Disputations (2.46)
• James Thomson (2.48)
• Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac (3.6)
• George Whitefield (3.20)
• Thomas Hopkinson (3.22)
• Benjamin Franklin, A Proposal for Promoting Useful Knowledge among the British Plantations in America (3.30)
• Benjamin Franklin, Plain Truth; or, Serious Considerations on the Present State of the City of Philadelphia, and Province of Pennsylvania (3.31)
• Benjamin Franklin, Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Papers (3.68)
• Dryden's translation of Juvenal's Tenth Satire (3.68)
• Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote (3.72)
• David Hume (3.103)
• Benjamin Franklin, Dialogue between X, Y, and Z (3.108)
• Benjamin Franklin, Experiments and Observations on Electricity (3.120)
• Dr. Archibald Spencer (3.120)
• Peter Collinson (3.120)
• Edward Cave (3.121)
• Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Burron (3.121)
• Thomas Dalibard (3.121)
• Jean Nollet (3.121)
• Jean Baptiste Le Roy (3.121)
• Edward Wright (3.122)
• William Watson (3.122)
• George Parker, Earl of Macclesfield (3.122)
• Richard Jackson, An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania (3.124)

Historical References

• Queen Mary of England (1.6)
• King Charles II of England (1.6)
• Sir William Keith (1.39)
• William Burnet (1.46)
• Andrew Hamilton (1.58)
• James Hamilton (1.58)
• Robert Wilkes (1.63)
• Dr. Henry Pemberton (1.67)
• Sir Isaac Newton (1.67)
• Sir Hans Sloane (1.67)
• Sir William Wyndham (1.77)
• Patrick Gordon (1.79)
• Robert Boyle (1.88)
• The American Revolution (1.111)
• Gaius Julius Caesar (2.10)
• King Christian VI of Denmark (2.36)
• James Foster (3.10)
• Alexander Spotswood (3.17)
• George Whitefield (3.20)
• Sir William Penn (3.30)
• George Thomas (3.31)
• Archibald Spencer (3.49)
• John Fothergill (3.56)
• Archibald Kennedy (3.67)
• William Shirley (3.68)
• Robert Morris (3.71)
• William Denny (3.73)
• The French and Indian War (3.75 and following)
• Edward Braddock (3.76)
• Thomas Dunbar (3.95)
• Thomas Penn (3.124)
• Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales (3.124)
• John Campbell, earl of Loudon (3.125)
• Sir William Pitt (3.129)
• Jeffrey Amherst (3.129)
• James Wolfe (3.129)
• John Carteret, earl of Granville (4.1)
• John Ferdinand Paris (4.3)
• Charles Calvert, Baron Baltimore (4.3)
• William Murray, earl of Mansfield (4.6)