his son Dan, as a serpent in the way that biteth the horses heels, so that his rider falleth backward.— Que. 8. What of Cooke the Cobbler?-Ans. That he is dignified with that title, which many others deserve much more.-Que. 9. What of Bedlam for political madmen?-Ans. T'will by no means do, being already occupied by madmen of a more sacred profession.-Que. 10. What think you of patriotism? -Ans. As I do of the balance-master's act; very few have virtue enough (in the Roman sense) to keep themselves perpendicular.-Que. 11. What of disappointed ambition?-Ans. Consult your own mind in having no reply to this question.-Que. 12. What of the fable of the Bees ?-Ans. As it proves the good old word, "the wrath of man shall praise the Lord.-Que. 13. What?-Ans. 'Tis the recapitulation of all your queries."

"Thus I have gone through my catechism, and according to the good rule of education, the next step is to learn it with the proofs, in which I shall hardly fail of success, if I keep to that standard. As for your fifty questions more, with which you threaten me, I beg you would observe a good modern rule of answering them yourself, as you go along; in the mean time conceive yourself obliged to answer these small queries. What think you of our—? of our act?-of that strange compound, soul and body? and of mankind? Expecting to see your agreeable Democritical visage, I subscribe, your fellow gazer and friend, R. T. P."

Jonathan Sewall, one of the class of 1748, in the Cambridge catalogue, and for several years Attorney General of Massachusetts, was a man of fine

He was

talents and most honourable character. strongly attached to his country, and was early jealous of the arbitrary intentions of the British ministry against it. After the death of his uncle, who held the place of Chief Justice, as mentioned on a previous page, Mr. Sewall presented a petition to the legislature, relative to his estate; the failure of which, he attributed, though erroneously, to the want of support from Otis and his father. Hutchinson, on hearing of his dissatisfaction, with his usual alertness to gain partisans, immediately courted his good will, praised his talents, and patronized his practice. Soon afterwards the office of Solicitor General was erected expressly for him, and he was won over to the ministerial party. Though he was always opposed to every measure of injustice against his country, he adhered to the side of the ministry, from believing as did many others, that the power of England could at any time crush the Colonies, and that resistance would only entail upon them the greatest calamities. Mr. Sewall left Boston for England in 1775, in which country he remained till 1788, when he came out with his family to Nova Scotia, and died soon after. One of his sons was appointed Chief Justice, and the other Attorney General, in Canada. Mr. Sewall wrote much in the newspapers; and among others, a very able series of essays under the signature of Massachusettensis, (answered by President Adams,

under the signature of Nov-Anglus,) has usually been attributed to him.*.

Robert Treat Paine, the correspondent of Sewall on this occasion, was in the next class to him at college. He stood high in his profession, and took a decided part in politics. in politics. He had the good fortune to be one of the delegates from Massachusetts in the first Congress, and his name is enrolled among the signatures to the declaration of Independence; he continued in that Congress through the Revolutionary war. A voice whose tones were a deep base, and serious if not stern expression of countenance, gave him an appearance of greater severity than he possessed. He was respected for his talents and integrity, which procured him the post of Attorney General, and afterwards of Judge of the Supreme Court of the state, which he filled for many years. He died in Boston, May 11th, 1814, aged eighty-four years.

To return to the question of the currency; it was settled at the next meeting of the legislature, according to the principles which Otis had maintained, and acts were passed to issue new treasury notes

These Essays were republished in Boston, in 1819. There is a most interesting sketch of Mr. Sewall, by his friend President Adams, in the introduction to them, from which these minutes of him are derived. That he was the auther of Massachusellensis, however, has been recently contradicted. A gentleman of high respectability in Nova Scotia, asserts on his own positive knowledge, that these papers were written by Mr. Leonard, formerly of Massachusetts, but since Chief Justice of Bermuda.

† He had kind feelings and a strong relish of humour, though with this peculiarity, that his perception of it was not quick, and the report of his laugh was sometimes not heard, till the flash of the jest had entirely vanished.

to replace the old ones, and making gold and silver a legal tender in all cases at the usual rates. But there was one circumstance attending these acts, that had more than a temporary interest: this was, the refusal of the legislature to make the crime of counterfeiting the notes capital. The act was at the next session of the legislature returned by the Governor unsigned, because the offence was not made capital, and thereby differing from every other part of the British dominions, to whose practice he urged them to conform. Otis was one of the committee on this subject, and in their answer to the Governor's communication, after agreeing in the mischievous and atrocious nature of the offence, they proceed to say: "At the same time, the house are very averse to capital punishment, in any case, where the interest of the government does not absolutely require it. And as they doubt not, some other punishment than death, will be sufficient effectually to deter from the commission of this crime, they cannot give their consent it should be punished with death." It is gratifying to find this early stand made in our legislature, against the prodigal use of sanguinary punishments; a policy which is about being adopted in relation to the same crimes, by the wisdom and humanity of the English parliament at the present day.

In the winter session of 1762, the legislature made Governor Bernard a present of Mount Desert Island.* No opposition was given to this grant, which shews a

* Mount Desert is an island, fifteen miles long and twelve broad, on the coast of Maine.

good will towards him, and proves that the subjects of dispute had not rendered him unpopular.

Chapter XX.

Choice of a Colony Agent-Message of Governor Bernard respecting Troops, and important discussion-Answer of the Legislature drawn by Otis-Objections to it by the Governor-Otis' vindication and extracts from it.

In the winter session of 1762, a new agent for the Colony in England was chosen. This was an important trust, and for many years was placed in very incapable hands. The first agents of Massachusetts were Hugh Peters, Hibbins and Weld, appointed in 1641; from that period down, there were occasionally able men entrusted with these concerns. At no period however, were there more inefficient agents, than from the dismissal of Mr. Bollan* in 1762, to

"Mr. Bollan" says President Adams, "was a kind of learned man, of indefatigable research, and a faithful friend to America; though he lost all his influence, when his father-in-law, Governor and General Shirley, went out of circulation. This Mr. Bollan printed a book very early on the "Rights of the Colonies." I scarcely ever knew a book so deeply despised. The English Reviews would not allow it to be the production of a rational creature. In America itself, it was held in no esteem. Otis himself, expressed in the House of Representatives, in a public speech, his contempt of it in these words: "Mr. Bollan's book is the strangest thing I ever read; under the title of Rights of the Colonies,' he has employed one third of this work to prove that the world is round; another, that it turns round; and the last, that the pope was a devil for pretending to give it to whom he pleased."