Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/451

 FRANKLIN 439 government to sow discord between America and her ally. He was now accredited to the French king as minister plenipotentiary (1778), and subsequently one of the commissioners for negotiating peace with the mother country. His diplomatic career forms a chief chapter in the history of his country. He signed the peace Nov. 30, 1782, and now longed to return, but was not able to do so till 1785, when, after 53 years in the service of hia country, he re- tired to private repose. Before leaving Paris he concluded the treaties with Sweden and Prussia, embodying many of his great interna- tional principles. He had been throughout the whole period of his mission an object of marked enthusiasm. His venerable age, his plain de- portment, his fame as a philosopher and states- man, the charm of his conversation, his wit, his vast information, his varied aptitudes and discoveries, all secured for him not only the enthusiastic admiration of Europe, but a cfrcle of ardent friends, embracing the very widest range of human characters. His simple cos- tume and address, and dignified aspect, among a splendidly embroidered court, commanded the respect of all. " His virtues and renown," says Lacretelle, "negotiated for him; and before the second year of his mission had expired, no one conceived it possible to refuse fleets and armies to the countrymen of Franklin." On his return to Philadelphia (Sept. 14, 1785), he was elected " president of Pennsylvania." Washington, with whom he enjoyed an un- interrupted friendship, was among the first to welcome him. At the age of 82 he was a delegate to the convention for forming the federal constitution, and entered actively and heartily into the business of that body. He served also as president of the society for po- litical inquiries, and wrote interesting and vig- orous papers upon many important subjects. In his 84th year he wrote to Washington: "For my personal ease I should have died two years ago ; but though those years have been spent in excruciating pain, I am glad to have lived them, since I can look upon our present situation." His faculties and aifections were unimpaired to the last. At his funeral 20,000 persons assembled to do honor to his remains. He was interred by the side of his wife in the cemetery of Christ church. Throughout the country every species of re- spect was manifested to his memory ; and in Europe extraordinary public testimonials are on record of honors to one of the greatest bene- factors of mankind. Fault has been found with his religious character. He confesses that for a time before the age of 21 he had been a thorough deist ; and it has been said that five weeks before his death he expressed a " cold approbation" of the "system of morals " of " Jesus of Nazareth." Whatever his faith and doctrine may have been, his reverence for reli- gion and Christian institutions was constantly manifest. It was Franklin who brought for- ward a motion for daily prayers in the Philadel- phia convention. The motion was rejected, as " the convention, except three or four persons, thought prayers unnecessary." We find him advising his daughter to rely more upon prayer than upon preaching ; and as a practical mor- al adviser he has left us beautiful teachings, at least, of scarcely surpassed human wisdom. At the most critical epoch of his public life, when beset with menace, jealousy, bribery, and official caprice and injustice, he said: "My rule is to go straight forward in doing what appears to me to be right, leaving the conse- quences to Providence." His epitaph, written by himself many years before his death, has become famous : " The Body of Benjamin Franklin, Printer, (Like the cover of an old book, Its 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 more In a new And more beautiful Edition, Corrected and Amended By The Author." Franklin was strong and well formed. His stature was 5 ft. 9 or 10 in. His complexion was light, his eyes gray. His manners were extremely winning and affable. His daughter Sarah married Richard Bache. The last of his race who bore his name was his grandson, WILLIAM TEMPLE FKANKLIN, who died in Paris, May 25, 1823, and who published in London and Philadelphia, between 1816 and 1819, edi- tions of his grandfather's works. The complete edition of the works of Franklin, edited by Jared Sparks, appeared in Boston in 12 vols. 8vo in 1836-'40, with notes and a life of the author. A new edition was published in Phil- adelphia in 1858. Franklin's autobiography, one of the most interesting works of the kind ever written, was first published in Paris in 1791, in a French translation made from a copy of the author's manuscript. This version was retranslated into English and published in London in 1793. This English version was again translated into French and published in Paris in 1798. The copy of the original auto- graph from which the first French version was made was published in Temple Franklin's col- lection of Franklin's writings in 1817. A new edition of the work, edited by John Bigelow from an original autograph which he had ob- tained in France, was published in Philadel- phia in 1868. See Parton's "Life and Times of Franklin" (2 vols., New York, 1864). FRANKLIN. I. Sir John, an English naval officer and arctic explorer, born at Spilsby, Lincolnshire, April 16, 1786, died in the arc- tic regions, near lat. 69 37' N., Ion. 98 4' W., June 11, 1847. He was the youngest son of a respectable yeoman, who was obliged to sell his estate and engage in trade. John was in- tended for the clerical profession, and received his early education at St. Ives and at the gram-