314 LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE OF THE . [179O 



On the 17th of July the Public Commencement in the Depart- 

 ment of Arts took place, and Dr. Smith sent the following: 



Ooliege of Pennsylvania fo the Supreme Executive Council of 



Pennsylvania. 



College of Philadelphia, July 15, 1790. 

 The Trustees and Faculty of the College of Philadelphia request to 

 be honored with the company of his Excellency the President and Su- 

 preme Executive Council, at a Commencement to be held in the College 

 Hall on Saturday morning next, at 9 o'clock. 



William Smith, Provost, etc. 



The graduates in the Department of Arts were Robert Andrews, 

 Gerardus M. Clarkson, James Coxe, of Sunbury, Henry Hutchins, 

 William T. Meredith, William Wilson, and Benjamin Wood. 



But while in one sense the triumph of Dr. Smith was complete 

 with the restoration ot the college charter, in all others, that is to 

 say, in a practical and pecuniary sense, the victory was a barren 

 one.* By the long cessation of its name and proper functions, 



* I do not mean to say that Dr. Smith himself considered his triumph a " barren 

 one." On the contrary, he looked upon the day of his victory as the proudest day of 

 his life. He tells the following curious story, which he found in " Percy's Anecdotes," 

 to illustrate the fate of political persecutors, and applies it to his own case. 



" Lord Carnarvon in Charles Second's time is said to have never spoken in the House 

 of Lords, but b^ing heated by wine in the company of the Duke of Buckingham, and 

 excited by him not to remain always a dumb Lord, he was provoked to declare before 

 he went up to the House, that he would speak on any subject that should offer. The 

 subject happened to be the prosecution of the Lord High Treasurer Danby. Accord- 

 ingly, Lord Carnarvon stood up and delivered himself thus — ' My Lords ! 1 understand 

 but little of Latin, but a good deal of English, and not a little of English history, from 

 which I have learned the mischiefs of such kinds of prosecutions as this, and the ill 

 fate of the prosecutors. I could bring many instances, and those very ancient, but I 

 will go no farther hack than the latter end of Queen Elizabeth's reign. At that time 

 the Earl of Essex was run down by Sir Walter Raleigh, and your Lordships know very 

 well what became of Sir Walter Raleigh. My Lord Bacon, he run down Sir Walter 

 Raleigh, and your Lordships know what became of my Lord Bacon. The Duke of 

 Buckingham, he run down my Lord Bacon, and your Lordships know what happened 

 to the Duke of Buckingham. Sir Thomas Wentworth, afterwards Earl of Strafford, 

 he run down the Duke of Buckingham, and you all know what became of him. Sir 

 Harry Vane, he run down the Earl of Strafford, and your Lordships know what be- 

 came of Sir Harry Vane. Chancellor Hyde, he run down Sir Harry Vane, and your 

 Lordships know what became of the Chancellor. Sir Thomas Osbourn, now Earl of 

 Danby, run down Chancellor Hyde, but what will become of the Earl of Danby your 

 Lordships best can tell. But let me see the man that dare run down the Earl of Danby, 

 and we shall soon see what will become of him.' 



"This speech, being pronounced in an extraordinary tone and manner, the Duke of 

 Buckingham, both surprised and disappointed, crimed out : ' The man is inspired, and 

 Claret has done the business! ' " 



