Book excerpt: Excerpt from Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin, L. L. D. F. R. S, Vol. 1 The Editor, in ofl'ering this justificatory plea to the public, and taking credit for having exercised so much discretion as to keep these relics in his private custody, till the return of halcyon days and a brightened horison, when their true value might be best appreciated, feels that he has discharged his duty in that manner which the venerable writer himself would have prescribed, could he have anticipated the disorders which have ravaged the most polished and enlightened states since his removal from this scene bf pride and weakness; where nations as well as individuals have their periods of infancy and decrepitude, of moral vigor and wild derangement. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.