Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

attack of a similar nature happened some years ter this, from which he soon recovered, and did appear to suffer any inconvenience in his respirat from these diseases."

The following epitaph on himself, was writ by him many years previous to his death:

THE BODY

OF

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, PRINTER
(LIKE THE COVER OF AN OLD BOOK

IT'S CONTENTS TORN OUT,

AND STRIPT OF ITS LETTERING AND GILDING,

LIES HERE, FOOD FOR WORMS;

YET THE WORK ITSELF SHALL NOT BE LOST, FOR IT WILL ( AS HE BELIEVEd) appear onCE MOR

IN A NEW

AND MORE BEAUTIFUL EDITION,

GORRECTED AND AMENDED

BY

THE AUTHOR.

Extracts from the last Will and Testament of Dr. Franklin.

With regard to my books, those I had in France, and those I left in Philadelphia, being now assembled together here, and a catalogue made of them, it is my intention to dispose of the same as follows:

My history of the Academy of Sciences, in sixty or seventy volumes quarto, I give to the philosophical society of Philadelphia, of which I have the honor to be president. My collection in folio of Les Arts & Les Metiers, I give to the philosophi cal society, established in New England, of which I am a member. My quarto edition of the same Arts and Metiers, I give to the library company of Philadelphia. Such and so many of my books as I mark in the said catalogue, with the name of my grandson, Benjamin Franklin Bache, I do hereby give to him, and such and so many of my books, as I shall mark in the said catalogue with the name of my grandson William Bache, I do hereby give to him and such as shall be marked with the name of Jonathan Williams, I hereby give to my cousin of that nsme. The residue and remainder of all my books, manuscripts and papers, I do give to my grandson William Temple Franklin. My share in the library company of Philadelphia I give to my grandson Benjamin Franklin Bache, confiding that he will permit his brothers and sisters to share in the use of it.

:

I was born in Boston, New England, and owe my first instructions in literature to the free grammar schools established there. I therefore give ne hundred pound sterling to any executors, to be

P་པསv

པས་

dance and management of the said shools, put o to interest, and so continued at interest for eve which interest annually shall be laid out in silv medals, and given as honorary rewards annually the directors of the said free schools, for the enco ragement of scholarship in the said schools, belon ing to the said town, in such manner as the discr tion of the select men of the said town shall see meet.

Out of the salary that may remain due to me, president of the state, I give the sum of two the sand pounds to my executors, to be by them, t survivors or survivor of them, paid over to ea person or persons as the legislature of this state, an act of assembly, shall appoint to receive the sain in trust, to be employed for making the Schuylk navigable.

During the number of years I was in business a stationer, printer, and postmaster, a. great ma small sums became due to me, for books, advertis ments, postage of letters, and other matters, whi were not collected, when, in 1757, I was sent the assemby to England as their agent-and, subsequent appointments continued there till 177 when, on my return, I was immediately engaged the affairs of congress, and sent to France in 177 where I remained nine years, not returning 185; and the said debts not being demanded such a length of time, are become in a manner o solete, yet are nevertheless justly due.-These, they are stated in my great folio ledger, E. I H queath to the contributors of the Pennsylvania h

pital; hoping that these debtors, and the descen dants of such as are deceased, who now, as I find, make some difficulty of satisfying such antiquated demands as just debts, may however be induced to pay or give them as charity to that excellent institution. I am sensible that much must inevitably be lost; but I hope something considerable may be recovered. It is possible too that some of the parties charged may have existing old unsettled accounts against me; in which case the managers of the said hospital will allow and deduct the amount, and pay the balance, if they find it against me.

I request my friends Henry Hill, Esq. John Jay, Esq. Francis Hopkinson, Esq. and Mr. Edward Duffield, of Bonfield, 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 ex. pence or ceremony as may be.

Philadelphia, July 17, 1788.

CODICIL.

I, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, in the foregoing or an nexed last will and testament, having further considered the same, do think proper to make and publish the following codicil, or addition thereto :

It having long been a fixed political opinion of mine, that in a democratical state there ought to be no offices of profit, for the reasons I had given in an article of my drawing in our constitution, it was my intention, when I accepted the office of presi-. dent, to devote the appointed salary to some public. use: Accordingly I had already, before I made my last will, in July last, given large sums of it to col

[ocr errors][ocr errors]

leges, schools, building of churches, &c. and in that will I bequeathed two thousand pounds more to the state, for the purpose of making the Schuylkill navigable; but understanding since, that such a sum will do but little towards accomplishing such a work, and that project is not likely to be undertaken for many years to come-and having entertained another idea, which I hope may be found more extensively useful, I do hereby revoke and annul the bequest and direct that the certificates I have of what remains due to me of that salary, be sold towards raising the sum of two thousand pounds sterling, to be disposed of as I am now about to order.

It has been an opinion, that he who receives an estate from his ancestors, is under some obligation to transmit the same to posterity. This obligation lies not on me, who never inherited a shilling from an ancestor or relation. I shall, however, if it is not diminished by some accident before my death, leave a considerable estate among my descendants and relations. The above observation is made merely as some apology to my family, for my making bequests that do not appear to have any immes diate relations to their advantage.

I was born in Boston, New-England, and owe my first instructions in literature to the free grammar schools established there. I have therefore considered those schools in my will

But I am under obligations to the state of Massachusetts, for having, unasked, appointed me formerly their agent, with a handsome salary, which continued some years; and although I accidentally lost in their service, by transmitting governor Hutchinson's letters, much more than the amount of what they gave me, I do not think that ought in

« ZurückWeiter »