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attack of a fimilar nature happened fome years after this, from which he foon recovered, and did not appear to fuffer any inconvenience in his refpiration from thefe difeafes."

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

THE BODY

of

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Printer,
(Like the cover of an old book,
Its contents torn out,

And fript of its lettering and gilding)
Lics here, food for worms;

Yet the work itfelf fhall not be loft,

For it will (as he believed), appear once more,

In a new

And more beautiful edition,

Corrected and amended

by

The Author.

EXTRACTS

EXTRACTS from the last Will and Teftament of Dr. FRANKLIN.

WITH regard to my books, those I had in France, and those I left in Philadelphia, being now affembled together here, and a catalogue made of them, it is my intention to difpofe of the fame as follows:

My hiftory of the Academy of Sciences; in fixty or feventy volumes quarto, I give to the philofophical fociety of Philadelphia, of which I have the honour to be prefident. My collection in foho of Les Arts & les Metiers, I give to the American philofophical fociety, established in New England, of which I am a member. My quarto edition of the fame Arts & Metiers, I give to the library company of Philadel

phia.

phia. Such and fo many of my books as I fhall mark, in the faid catalogue, with the name of my grandfon Benjamin Franklin Bache, I do hereby give to him and fuch and fo many of my books, as I fhall mark in the faid catalogue with the name of my grandfon William Bache, I do hereby give to him and fuch as fhall be marked with the name of Jonathan Williams, I hereby give to my coufin of that name. The refidue and remainder of all my books, manufcripts and papers, I do give to my grandfon William Temple Franklin. My share in the library company of Philadelphia I give to my grandfon Benjamin Franklin Bache, confiding that he will permit his brothers and fifters to share in the ufe of it.

I was born in Bofton, New England, and owe my firft inftructions in literature to the free grammar-schools established there. I therefore give one hundred pounds

pounds fterling to my executors, to be by them, the furvivors or furvivor of them, paid over to the managers or directors of the free fchools in my native town of Bofton, to be by them, orthe perfon or persons who shall have the superintendance and management of the faid fchools, put out to intereft, and fo continued at intereft for ever; which interest annually fhall be laid out in filver medals, and given as honorary rewards annually by the directors of the faid free schools, for the encouragement of scholarship in the faid fchools, belonging to the faid town, in fuch manner as to the difcretion of the select men of the faid town shall seem meet.

Out of the falary that may remain due to me, as prefident of the ftate, I give the fum of two thousand pounds to my executors, to be by them, the furvivors or furvivor of them, paid over to such person or perfons as the le

giflature

giflature of this ftate, by an act of affembly, fhall appoint to receive the fame, in truft, to be employed for making the Schuylkil navigable.

During the number of years I was in business as a stationer, printer, and poftmaster, a great many fmall fums became due to me, for books, advertisements, poftage of letters, and other matters, which were not collected, when, in 1757, I was fent by the affembly to England as their agent-and, by fubfequent appointments, continued there till 1775-when, on my return, I was immediately engaged in the affairs of congrefs, and fent to France in 1776, where I remained nine years, not returning till 1785; and the faid debts not being demanded in fuch a length of time, are become in a manner obfolete, yet are nevertheless juftly due.-Thefe, as they are stated in my great folio leger, E, I bequeath to the contributors of

the

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