Life and Character of Nathaniel Boioditch. 39 



was absolutely scorching and withering. But he never cherished 

 any personal resentments in his bosom. He did not let the sun 

 go down upon his wrath. His anger was like a cloud, which 

 passes over the disk of the moon, and leaves it as mild and clear 

 as before ; or, as the judicious Hooker's was represented to be, 

 " like a vial of clear water, which, when shook, beads at the top, 

 but instantly subsides, without any soil or sediment of unchari- 

 tableness." 



Let me relate an incident illustrative of this remarkable trait in 

 his character. Dr. Bowditch had been preparing a plan of Salem, 

 which he intended soon to publish. It had been the fruit of much 

 labor and care. By some means or other, an individual in the 

 town had surreptitiously got possession of it, and had the auda- 

 city to issue proposals to publish it as his own. This was too 

 much for Dr. Bowditch to bear. He instantly went to the per- 

 son, and burst out in the following strain : " You villain ! how 

 dare you do this ? What do you mean by it ? If you presume 

 to proceed any farther in this business, I will prosecute you to the 

 utmost extent of the law." The poor fellow cowered before the 

 storm of his indignation, and was silent ; for his wrath was ter- 

 rible. Dr. Bowditch went home, and slept on it ; and the next 

 day, hearing from some authentic source, that the man was ex- 

 tremely poor, and had probably been driven by the necessities of 

 his family to commit this audacious plagiarism, his feelings were 

 touched, his heart relented, his anger melted away like wax. He 

 went to him again, and said, " Sir, you did very wrong, and you 

 know it, to appropriate to your own use and benefit the fruit of 

 my labors. But I understand you are poor, and have a family to 

 support. I feel for you, and will help you. That plan is unfin- 

 ished, and contains errors that would have disgraced yoiii and me, 

 had it been published in the state in which you found it. I'll tell 

 you what I will do. I will finish the plan ; I will correct the er- 

 rors ; and then you shall publish it for your own benefit, and I 

 will head the subscription list with my name." 



What a sublime, noble, christian spirit was there manifested ! 

 This was really overcoming evil with good, and pouring coals of 

 fire upon the poor man's head. The natural feeling of resent- 

 ment, which God has implanted within all bosoms for our protec- 

 tion against sudden assault and injury, was overruled and con- 

 quered by the higher, the sovereign principle of conscience. 



