164 The Writings of Benjamin Franklin. 



" legs, wiped their eyes with their forefeet, beat and brushed 

 " their wings with their hind-feet, and soon after began to fly, 

 " finding themselves in Old England, without knowing how 

 " they came thither. The third continued lifeless until sunset, 

 " when, losing all hopes of him, he was thrown away. 



" I wish it were possible, from this instance, to invent a 

 " method of embalming drowned persons, in such a manner 

 " that they may be recalled to life at any period, however 

 " distant ; for having a desire to see and observe the state 

 " of America an hundred years hence, I should prefer to 

 " any ordinary death, the being immersed in a cask of 

 " Madeira wine, with a few friends until that time, to be 

 " recalled to life by the solar warmth of my dear country ! 

 " But since in all probability we live in an age too early and 

 " too near the infancy of science, to hope to see such an art 

 " brought in our time to perfection, I must for the present 

 " content myself with the treat, which you are so kind as to 

 " promise me, of the resurrection of a fowl or turkey cock. 

 " I am, &c, 



" B. Franklin." 



In conclusion I give an epitaph written on himself 

 many years previous to his death : — 

 " Works" vol. 1., p. 155. 



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, 



for it will (as he believed) appear once more 



in a new 



and more beautiful edition 



corrected and amended 



by 



The Author. 



