390 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



ago, which I often view with 

 pleasure. But the canvass is more 

 permanent. We wish to be pos- 

 sessed of the durable resemblance 

 of the American patriot and philo- 

 sopher. You have merited and 

 received all the honours of the re- 

 public of letters ; and are going to 

 a world, where all sublunary glo- 

 ries will be lost in the glories of 

 immortality. Should you shine 

 throughout the intellectual and 

 stellary universe, with the emi- 

 nence and distinguished lustre 

 with which you have appeared in 

 this little detached part of the cre- 

 ation, you would be what I most 

 fervently wish to you. Sir, what- 

 ever may be my fate in eternity. 

 The grand climacteric in which I 

 now am, reminds me of the in- 

 teresting scenes of futurity. You 

 know. Sir, that I am a Christian, 

 and would to heaven all others 

 were such as I am, except my im- 

 perfections and deficiencies of mo- 

 ral character. As much as I know 

 of Dr. Franklin, I have not an 

 idea of his religious sentiments. I 

 wish to know the opinion of my 

 venerable friend concerning Jesus 

 of Nazareth. He will not impute 

 this to impertinence or improper 

 curiosity, in one, who for so many 

 years has continued to love, esti- 

 mate, and leverence his abilities 

 and literary character, with an 

 ardour and affection bordering on 

 adoration. If I have said too 

 much let the request be blotted 

 out, and be no more ; and yet I 

 shall never cease to wish you that 

 happy immortality which I believe 

 Jesus alone has purchased for the 

 virtuous and truly good of every 

 religious denomination in Chris- 

 tendom, and for those of every 

 age, nation, and mythology, who 



reverence the Deity, are filled with 

 integrity, righteousness, and be- 

 nevolence. Wishing you every 

 blessing, 1 am, dear Sir, your 

 most obedient servant, 



Ezra Stiles. 



ANSWER TO THE REVEREND PRE- 

 SIDENT STILES. 



Philadelphia, March 9, 1790- 



RlTEnEND AND DEAR SiR, 



I received your kind letter of 

 January 28, and am glad you have 

 at length received the portrait of 

 Governor Yale from his family, 

 and deposited it in the college 

 library. He was a great and good 

 man, and had the merit of doing 

 infinite service to your country by 

 his munificence to that institution. 

 The honour you propose doing 

 me, by placing mine in the same 

 room with his, is much too great 

 for my deserts; but you always 

 had a partiality for me, and to 

 that it must be ascribed. I am 

 however too much obliged to Yale 

 College, the first learned society 

 that took notice of me and adorned 

 me with its honours, to refuse a re- 

 quest that comes from it through so 

 esteemed a friend. But 1 do not think 

 any one of the portraits you men tion 

 as in my possession worthy of the 

 situation and company you propose 

 to place it in. You have an ex- 

 cellent artist lately arrived. If he 

 will undertake to make one for 

 you, 1 shall cheerfully pay the 

 expense : but he must not delay 

 setting about it, or I may slip 

 through his fingers, for I am now 

 in my 85th year, and very infirm. 



I send with this a very learned 

 work as it seems to me, on the 

 ancient Samaritan Coins, lately 

 printed in Spain, and at least cu- 

 rious 



