AS Citizen and Philanthropist 39 



What wonder then, that when the Province en- 

 deavoured to raise money for a defence against the 

 threatening Indians, and encountered the " indescrib- 

 able meanness " of the proprietaries, William Penn's 

 own sons, in utterly refusing to allow their vast tracts 

 of land to be taxed for this or for any purpose, 

 — what wonder that the distressed colonists should 

 turn to Franklin, the citizen who, of all others, had 

 been their wisest counsellor in the past, and send him 

 to England to petition the King for relief. Of course, 

 he was as successful as was possible in the circumstances 

 and gained great but temporary relief by a compro- 

 mise, — that " heretic that works on leases of short num- 

 bered hours." 



It is not my province to speak, you will shortly hear 

 it from a more golden mouth, of his diplomacy on these 

 missions, of his brilliant success in an examination be- 

 fore Parliament, when, for hours, on no throne did 

 there ever beat a fiercer light than on one unassum- 

 ing, dignified citizen, who, with imperturbable calm- 

 ness, answered every question triumphantly, and with the 

 tongue, dowered on that occasion, with the Elfin Queen's 

 gift to Thomas of Ercildoun, " the tongue that could not 

 lie," set forth with unflinching frankness the manifold 

 grievances of the colonies. But it does fall, I think, 

 within my limits to urge that this triumph was due to 

 Franklin's absolute mastery of every quality which goes 



