BEN FRANKLIN’S EPITAPH 
The curious epitaph that appears upon the tomb of Benjamin Frank¬ 
lin was written many years before his death by the philanthropist him¬ 
self: 
“ THE BODY OF 
B. FRANKLIN, 
PRINTER, 
LIKE THE COVER OF AN OLD BOOK, 
ITS CONTENTS TORN OUT, 
AND STRIPPED OF ITS LETTERING AND GILDING, 
LIES HERE FOOD FOR WORMS. 
BUT THE WORK SHALL NOT BE WHOLLY LOST; 
FOR IT WILL, AS HE BELIEVED, APPEAR ONCE MORE, 
IN A NEW AND MORE PERFECT EDITION. 
CORRECTED AND AMENDED 
BY THE AUTHOR.” 
This most interesting epitaph may well stand as the confession of a 
great man’s faith, answering to the soul’s satisfaction the cry, “ If a man 
die, shall he live again? ” 
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