Volume I Part 11 (1/2)
The following character of Dr Franklin, by one of his intimate friends, is so ably and accurately drawn, that we cannot refrain adding it to the foregoing
”There is in the character of every distinguished person so to ireat man always excite curiosity and often afford improvement If there be talents which we can never expect to equal, if there be a series of good fortune which we can never expect to enjoy, we still need not lose the labour of our biographical inquiries We may probably become acquainted with habits which it may be prudent to adopt, and discover virtues which we cannot fail to applaud It will be easy for the reader to make a full application of these remarks in his contemplations upon the late celebrated DR FRANKLIN By his death one of the best lights of the world uished I shall not attempt any historical details of the life of this illustrious patriot and philosopher, as I have nothing farther in view than totraits of his character
”Original genius was peculiarly his attribute The native faculties of his mind qualified hience left no field of knowledge unexplored There were no limits to his curiosity His inquiries were spread over the whole face of nature But the study of enius had any special bias, it lay in discovering those things that made men wiser and happier As truth was the sole object of his researches, he was, of course, no sectary: and as reason was his guide, he embraced no system which that did not authorize In short, he laid the whole voluently and faithfully perused it
”Nor were his political attainments less conspicuous than his philosophical The ancients usually ranked good fortune a those circumstances of life which indicateseldom undertaken more than he accomplished
The world are too well acquainted with the events of his political career to require, at this time, a particular enumeration of them It may be presumed the historians of the American revolution will exhibit them in proper colours
”If Dr Franklin did not aspire after the splendour of eloquence, it was only because the deh he neither loved political debate nor excelled in it, he still preserved much influence in public assemblies, and discovered an aptitude in his re part in such investigations as could never terree of certainty To come forward in questions which, in their nature, are indefinite, and in their issue problematical, does not coht himself to look, for demonstration He reserved his observations for those cases which science could enlighten and common sense approve The simplicity of his style ell adapted to the clearness of his understanding His conceptions were so bright and perfect, that he did not choose to involve them in a cloud of expressions If he used metaphors, it was to illustrate, and not to eery of ideas should never affect the arts of a vain rhetorician, whose excellence consists only in a beautiful arrangement of words
”But whatever claims to eminence Dr Franklin may have as a politician or a scholar, there is no point of light in which his character shi+nes with more lustre than e view hireat in cos Perhaps no man ever existed whose life can, withever passed through his hands without receiving iaining wisdoacity was so sharp and his science so various, that, whatever ht be the profession or occupation of those horound He could enliven every conversation with an anecdote, and conclude it with a moral
”The whole tenour of his life was a perpetual lecture against the idle, the extravagant, and the proud It was his principal aim to inspire ality, and to inculcate such duties as promote the important interests of humanity He never wasted aof nity of his station required he readily sustained, li them by the strictest rules of propriety
Many public institutions experienced his well-timed liberality, and he manifested a sensibility of heart by numerous acts of private charity
”By a judicious division of ti to advantage, and his amusements were of such a nature as could never militate with the main objects of his pursuit In whatever situation he was placed by chance or design, he extracted so useful for himself or others His life was remarkably full of incident
Every circumstance of it turned to so mind has formed apply to innumerable cases and characters Those who move in the lowest, equally with those who uided by his instructions In the private deportment of his life, he in many respects has furnished a , and his address winning and respectful All who knew hireeable man, and all who have heard of him applaud him as a very useful one A man so wise and so amiable could not but haveare extracts froard to my books, those I had in France and those I left in Philadelphia being now asseue made of them, it is my intention to dispose of the same as follows: My 'History of the Acadeive to the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, of which I have the honour to be president My collection in folio, of 'Les Arts et les Metiers'
[Arts and Trade], I give to the Aland, of which I am a ive to the Library Company of Philadelphia Such and so ue with the naive to him: and such and so ue with the naive to him: and such as shall be ive to my cousin of that name The residue and reive to randson William Temple Franklin My share in the Library Corandson Benja that he will permit his brothers and sisters to share in the use of it
”I was born in Boston, New-England, and owe raive one hundred pounds sterling to my executors, to be by theers or directors of the freeschools in my native town of Boston, to be by them, or those persons or person who shall have the superintendance and ement of the said schools, put out to interest, and so continued at interest for ever; which interest annually shall be laid out in silver iven as honorary rewards annually by the directors of the said freeschools, for the encourage to the said town, in such manner as to the discretion of the selectmen of the said town shall seem meet Out of the salary that ive the sum of two thousand pounds to my executors, to be by them, the survivers or surviver of theislature of this state, by an act of assembly, shall appoint to receive the saable
”During the number of years I was in business as a stationer, printer, and postreat many small sue of letters, and other matters, which were not collected, when, in 1757, I was sent by the asseent, and by subsequent appointments continued there till 1775; when, on ress, and sent to France in 1776, where I re till 1785; and the said debts not being deth of time, have become in a manner obsolete, yet are nevertheless justly due
These, as they are stated in er E, I bequeath to the contributors of the Pennsylvania Hospital, hoping that those debtors, and the descendants of such as are deceased, who now, as I find,such antiquated deive them as charity to that excellent institution I am sensible thatconsiderable may be received It is possible, too, that so old unsettled accounts against ers of the said hospital will allow and deduct the aainst me
”I request my friends, Henry Hill, Esq, John Jay, Esq, Francis Hopkinson, Esq, and Mr Edward Duffield, of Benfield, in Philadelphia county, to be the executors of this my last will and testament, and I hereby nominate and appoint them for that purpose
”I would have my body buried with as little expense or ceremony as may be
”Philadelphia, July 17, 1788”
CODICIL
”I, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, in the foregoing or annexed last will and testa farther considered the sa codicil or addition thereto:
”It having long been a fixed political opinion of ht to be no offices of profit, for the reasons I had given in an article ofin our constitution, it was my intention, when I accepted the office of president, to devote the appointed salary to soly, I had, before I es, schools, building of churches, &c; and in that will I bequeathed two thousand poundsthe Schuylkill navigable; but understanding since that such a su such a work, and that the project is not likely to be undertaken forentertained another idea, that I hope may be more extensively useful, I do hereby revoke and annul that bequest, and direct that the certificates I have for what re the su, to be disposed of as I am now about to order
”It has been an opinion, that he who receives an estate froation to transation does not lie onfrom any ancestor or relation I shall, however, if it is not diminished by so my descendants and relations The above observation isbequests that do not appear to have any ie
”I was born in Boston, New-England, and owe rammar-schools established there I have, therefore, already considered those schools in ations to the state of Massachusetts for having, unasked, appointed land, with a handsoh I accidentally lost in their service, by trans Governor Hutchinson's letters, ave ratitude I have considered that aood citizens; and having , in my native town, and afterward assisted to set up my business in Philadelphia by kind loans of money from two friends there, which was the foundation of my fortune, and of all the utility in life that may be ascribed to me, I wish to be useful, even aftermen, that may be serviceable to their country in both these towns To this end I devote two thousand pounds sterling, which I give, one thousand thereof to the inhabitants of the town of Boston, in Massachusetts, and the other thousand to the inhabitants of the city of Philadelphia, in trust, to and for the uses, intents, and purposes herein after mentioned and declared The said su, if accepted by the inhabitants of the town of Boston, shall be ed under the direction of the selectmen, united with the ational, and Presbyterian churches in that toho are to let out the same upon interest at five per cent