friends to pass to-morrow with him at Gaillon-his house is not far distant—but my orders are to bring you to him, nolens volens, and not let you lodge anywhere else.'

A majority of the party did not appreciate the joke and were in favor of going on, but Franklin, who overheard the conversation, said: "We accept, sir, with pleasure."

To one of the party he remarked: "When undertaking a long and hazardous journey, it is well to have the benison of the church; it can do no harm, and it may be much good, if these prelates have the spiritual power with which many invest them."

After reaching the French coast, the party crossed the English Channel to Southampton to await the arrival of the ship which had been engaged to convey them to America. The British Government sent an order from London exempting Dr. Franklin's effects and those of his party from the usual custom-house examination.

The news of his intended return to America having become current, his old friends hastened to Southampton from all quarters to see him for the last time. His son, William Temple Franklin, who had not met his father for ten years, came to embrace him. The country-seat of the good Bishop of St. Asaph was only a few miles distant, and Franklin sent a messenger immediately to notify him of his arrival. The bishop replied, sending a note by the messenger: "The first emotion of my heart is to thank heaven that you are once more so near me, and that I shall have the happiness of seeing you a few hours. Some of our good friends are come most untimely to dine with us. As soon as we are rid of them, my wife and I, and the only daughter that is now with us, will hasten to welcome you and to enjoy, till the last moment of your departure, as much of the blessings of your con

versation as we can without being tiresome. Adieu till seven or eight in the evening."

David Hume, the great English metaphysician and historian, said in parting: "I am very sorry that you intend soon to leave our hemisphere. America has sent us many good things, gold, silver, sugar, tobacco, indigo, etc., but you are the first philosopher, and indeed the first great man of letters, for whom we are beholden to you. It is our fault that we have not kept you; whence it appears that we do not agree with Solomon, that wisdom is above gold, for we take care never to send back an ounce of the latter which we once lay our hands upon."

The bishop, his wife, and daughter dined with the departing voyagers. After dinner, they all embarked in a shallop and went on board the ship, which was to sail early the next morning. Capt. Truxton gave them an earnest invitation to remain on board all night. Dr. Franklin retired, expecting to see them all again and bid them farewell as the vessel was on the point of sailing. At breakfast, the captain told him that they had returned to Southampton the previous evening, but had left a note for him. It read:

We all left the ship with heavy hearts; but the taking leave was a scene we wished to save you, as well as ourselves. God grant that you may have a good voyage; it will be our constant toast every day at dinner.

THE

CHAPTER XXXI

"UNDER HIS VINE AND FIG TREE."

'HE passage was uneventful; it took forty-eight days, but loving friends had made such provision that the inseparable discomforts were reduced to the minimum. Those which could not be prevented he bore patiently. He was still genial and mellow, in spite of disease, and full of anecdotes, which he delighted in telling, as well as stories of curious experiences. His voice was low and his countenance open, frank, and pleasing.

The home of his daughter, which in reality was his, was located in Philadelphia, on a court long afterwards called by his name, a little back from the south side of Market street, between Third and Fourth streets. There was a small garden attached to it and also a grass-plot, on which was a large mulberry tree, under which he often sat and received visitors on summer afternoons. He built a large addition to the house, comprising a library, a room for the meetings of the American Philosophical Society, with some bedrooms in the third story. Here he passed the closing years of his life with his daughter and grandchildren, reading, writing, receiving visits from distinguished men, and playing chess and cards in the winter evenings. Here he enjoyed what, to him, was one of the greatest pleasures of life-children and grandchildren. He had six grandchildren, and, no doubt, often wished

that he had more. He had no patience with celibacy, and was constantly urging marriage on his friends.

Almost immediately after his return to Philadelphia, he was made President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania under the Constitution he had helped to make before he went to France in 1776. This office was like that of the modern governor. He held it for three years, by annual re-election, but without being involved in any question of importance.

He had been so long in governmental harness that he could not give up, even at his advanced age, taking an active part in public affairs. He was much interested in the Indian question, and thought that wars between the red men and the whites had been occasioned by some injustice of the latter towards the former. "It is much cheaper," he said, "as well as honester, to buy their lands than to take them by force."

To the governor of a Southern State, he wrote:

Your State would, I imagine, be much more secure from the mischiefs of Indian wars, if you imitated the mode of settlement in the New England States, which was to grant their lands in townships of about six square miles to sixty families. These first chose a spot for their town, where they cleared a square of perhaps twenty acres, around which they fixed their houses so that they were all in sight of each other. In the middle of the square they erected a house for public worship and a school, stockaded around as a fort for the reception and protection of their women and children in case of alarm. Behind each house was first a garden plot, then an orchard, and then a pasture for a cow or two, and behind all outwards a cornfield. Thus situated one house could not be attacked without its being seen and giving alarm to the rest, who were ready to run to its succour. This discouraged such attempts. Then they had the advantage of giving schooling to their children, securing their morals by the influence of religion, and improving each other by civil society and conversation. In our way of sparse and remote settlements, the people are without these advantages, and we are in danger of bringing up a set of savages of our own color.

Franklin's belief in the value of religion was illustrated in the Federal convention of 1787. At a certain stage of the discussion, the differences of opinion which had developed were apparently irreconcilable and threatened to put an end to the gathering. He thereupon made his famous motion for prayers, and when it was voted down, he indorsed on the manuscript, in either surprise or indignation:

The Convention, except three or four persons, thought prayers unnecessary!

In few accounts of the proceedings of the convention which adopted the United States Constitution is any credit given to Franklin for the part taken by him. therein. The sessions were secret, and no verbatim report of the arguments and speeches made. It is known, however, that to Franklin is due the section providing for two senators from each State, irrespective of population. The speech made by him just before the final adoption was a model in its way and exerted a most potent influence.

"Mr. President," said he, "I confess that I do not entirely approve this Constitution, but, sir, I am not sure that I shall never approve it. I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. In these sentiments, sir, I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such. I doubt, too, whether any other convention we can obtain may be able to make a better Constitution. The opinions I have had of its errors I sacrifice to the public good. I have never whispered a syllable of them abroad. Within these walls they were born and here they shall die. On