Was Benjamin Franklin Kinky? As one of the founding fathers of our country, Ben Franklin was busy doing other things too. For instance, he fathered a son, William, out of wedlock. With his common-law wife Deborah, he took custody of the boy and raised him as his own. In June of 1745, Benjamin Franklin, then thirty-nine years old, wrote a letter to a young male friend on the merits of taking an older mistress rather than a young one. Below is a copy of that original hand written letter Benjamin Franklin wrote. It is held in the archives of The Rosenbach Museum and Library, Philadelphia, PA and is herewith used by their permission. The typed translation is courtesy of the American Philosophical Society and the Yale University Library.

June 25. 1745    mouseover speaker to listen to a reading of the letter                                                       or click here to use Media Player “My dear Friend,” “I know of no Medicine fit to diminish the violent natural Inclinations you mention; and if I did, I think I should not communicate it to you. “…in all your Amours you should prefer old Women to young ones. You call this a Paradox, and demand my Reasons. They are these:

1. Because as they have more Knowledge of the World and their Minds are better stor’d with Observations, their Conversation is more improving and more lastingly agreable.” 2. Because when Women cease to be handsome, they study to be good.... They learn to do a thousand Services small and great, and are the most tender and useful of all Friends when you are sick. 3. Because there is no hazard of Children, which irregularly produc’d may be attended with much Inconvenience. 4. Because thro’ more Experience, they are more prudent and discreet in conducting an Intrigue to prevent Suspicion. The Commerce with them is therefore safer with regard to your Reputation. And with regard to theirs, if the Affair should happen to be known, considerate People might be rather inclin’d to excuse an old Woman who would kindly take care of a young Man, form his Manners by her good Counsels, and prevent his ruining his Health and Fortune among mercenary Prostitutes.” 5... And as in the dark all Cats are grey, the Pleasure of corporal enjoyment with an old Woman is at least equal, and frequently superior, every Knack being by Practice capable of Improvement.

Franklin was appointed the agent of Colonies of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Jersey in 1757, to the court of England. While in this position, he began his friendship with Sir Francis Dashwood (Lord Le Despencer), who was the founder of the Medmenham Monks. This later became known as the Hell Fire Club. Dashwood was at one point the Postmaster of England, at a time when Franklin was Postmaster of the Colonies. They first got to know each other on Franklin’s trip to England in 1752.

In 1765, Franklin was again asked to return to England as the representative of the Colonies to Great Britain. Franklin's exposure to the Hell Fire Club is described as follows by Cecil B. Currey, in Road to Revolution, Benjamin Franklin in England, 1765-1775:

"... Franklin knew Le Despencer very well. He was fully aware of an enterprise which the Englishman had been conducting for some years more or less surreptitiously, known as the Hell Fire Club. Its activities were familiar to Franklin and he occasionally joined in them... In his youth, Le Despencer had been a member of ... rakes' groups. In later years, ... he determined to form a secret society that would express his interest in architecture, literature, and religion. Only the cleverest and most humorous of his friends would be asked to join. ... The perfect location for such a society was soon found. Only six miles from the baron's estate, on the bank of the Thames River near Marlow in Buckinhamshire, lay the ruins of Medmenham Abbey. It had been founded by Cistercian monks in 1145. The abbey was well located in a grove of trees, which nearly concealed it from view. The nearest road was some distance away, but members would be able to approach it easily in private boats... and ... could return to their homes in complete privacy. ... Workmen were sent in and the abbey was rebuilt and the grounds landscaped ... to make them into a `garden of lust.'

Marble pillars were erected on which were carved pornographic inscriptions in bastard, or `macaroni' Latin. Small Grecian-styled temples were put up here and there. The groves were filled with statuary in indecent poses. ... Hollowed from a hill was the Cave of Trophonius. A fresco within it pictured sexually robust animals, a crowing cock, and a laughing nun... The buildings were designed also to carry out the theme of sexuality. ... To one side of the main door sat a statue of Harpocrates, the god of silence... Opposite was ... Volupian Angerone, goddess of secret passion. Rooms adjacent to the chapel were designed to heighten the sexual utility of the place. There was a Roman Room, its wall hung with paintings copied from ancient and indecent Roman frescoes. Also on the walls were paintings of famous English prostitutes... Small statues of Egyptian gods and goddesses sat in niches in the walls. The abbey's library was situated near the Roman Room. It supposedly contained one of the most complete collections of pornography in England...

Somewhere between 1752 and 1755, Dashwood ... opened his society, known as the Medmenham Monks, and later referred to as the Hell Fire Club. For his monks there was to be a goodly number of nuns... - the main reason many belonged to the club. Most were prostitutes... some were local girls wanting excitement, but many were ladies of society. Of the last group, one of the best known was Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Many nuns were wives, mothers, sisters, or the betrothed of members... The members, or monks, were `dabblers in art and literature', and many were among the most prominent men in the kingdom. There were two orders of monks; the superior and the inferior - twelve superiors and perhaps as many as forty to fifty inferior members. ...

... superior members included ... Lord Sandwich...John Wilkes…Charles Churchill A group with a membership of this scope ... could wield tremendous power should they wish to act in unison for political ends. It was for this reason that Benjamin Franklin became a monk ... sometime after his arrival in England in 1765. ... Sir Francis had a huge and elaborate cave dug in the side of a hill on his grounds. It was in this underground headquarters that the monks met after 1762. ...

... Franklin wrote...: 'The exquisite sense of classical design, charmingly reproduced... whimsical and puzzling as it may be in its imagery, is as evident below the earth as above it.' ... Others known to be present at the time were Lady Mary Wortley Montague, and the household of Frederick, Prince of Wales. ..." (Currey)

In the film, Eyes Wide Shut with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, the Black Mass with everyone in masks, depicted part of what is known about the activities of the Hell Fire Club.