197 







Books were always in his mind and by his side. He com- 

 pared his own life to a book. At the age of eighty-three he 

 wrote : 



" Hitherto this long life has been tolerably happy ; so that, 

 if I were allowed to live it over again, I should make no ob- 

 jection, only wishing for leave to do, what others do in a sec- 

 ond edition of their works correct some of my errata" 



His " Autobiography," written in the same spirit, noted the 

 " errata " in its author's career with true printer's interest, as if 

 he were scanning a bundle of proof sheets. He did not con- 

 ceal them, but marked them so that all could see, frankly con- 

 fessed his errors, and did what he could in atonement. 



Jefferson desired that his monument should declare that he 

 was the author of the Declaration of Independence and the 

 founder of a great university. Franklin, in his will, sought 

 no higher title than that of printer. A maker of books he 

 had been for three-quarters of a century, and a friend and 

 lover of literature even longer. The epitaph, written by his 

 own hand for his tomb, which can never become trite by repe- 

 tition, is full of the spirit of the great printer. 



"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, 



FOB IT WILL, AS HE BELIEVED, APPEAR ONCE MORE, 



IN A NEW 



AND MORE BEAUTIFUL EDITION, 

 CORRECTED AND AMENDED 



BY 

 THE AUTHOR." 



