The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-02-14
lExtract from Macaulay's History OF England.
n n N OTTER OF WILLIAM PENN.

politics as pursuit dangerous to their spIl-
iual interests, one Of them, widely distin-
guished from the rest by education and for
tune, lived in the highest circles, and had
constant access to the royal ear. This was
the celebrated VIM. Penn. His father had
held great naval commands, had been COM
missioner Of the Admiralty, had sat in pal
lament, had received the honor of knight
hood, and had heen encouraged TO expect a
peerage. The son had been educated, and
had been designed Tor the profession Of arms,
but had, while still young, injured his pros
poets and Disguised his friends by joining
what was then generally considered as a
gang of crazy heretics. He had been sent
sometimes to the Tower, and sometimes to
Neweate. He had been tried at the Old
Bailey for preaching in defiance Of the law
After time, however, he had been recon
clled to his family, and had succeeded in OBJ
tanning such powerful protection, that, while
all the jails Of England ware filled with his
bretheren, he was permitted, during many
years, 10 profess his opinion without moles-
tation, Towards the close Of the late reign,
he had obtained, in satisfaction of an old debt
due to him from the crown, the grant Of an
immense region in North America. In this
tract, than peoped only by Indian hunters,
he invited his prosecuted friends to settle
His colony was still in its infancy when
James mounted the throne.
Between James and Penn there had long
been familiar acquaintance The Quaker
now became courtier, and almost favorite.
He was every day summoned from the gal
lery into the closet, and sometimes had long
audiences, while peers We're kept waiting in
the ante-chambers 1t was noised abroad
that he had more real power to help and hurt
than many mobiles who filled high Offices -
He was soon surrounded by fatterers and
supplicants. His house at Kingston was
sometimes thronged at his hour of rising, by
more than two hundred suitors. lie paid
dear, however, for this seeming prosperity
Even his own sect looked coldly on him, and
required his services with obloquy. He was
loudly accused Of being a papist, nay, a Je-
suit, Some affirmed that he had been edu-
Gated at st. Omer's, and others that he had
been ordained at Rome, These calumnies,
indeed, could only find credit with the On
discerning multitude but with these calum-
MES were mingled accusations much better
founded
Tospeak the whole truth concerning Penn
is a task whichrequires some courage, fol he
is rather a mythical than historical person.
Rival nations and hostile sects have agreed
in .canonizing.him. England is proud of his
name. great commonwealth beyond the
Atlantic regards him with a reverence SINH
lar to that which the Athenians felt for The
seus, and the Romans for Quirinus. The
respectable society Of which he was mem
Der honor him as an apostle. By pious men
OF other persuasons he is generally regar-
ded as bright pattern Of Christian virtue.
Meanwhile admirers Of "a very different sort
have sounded his praises. The French phi
losoPhers Of the 18th century pardoned what
they regarded as his superstt.cus fancies,
in consideration Of his contempt for priests,
and of his cosmopolitan benevolence, impair
TALLY extended to all races and to all creeds
His name has thus become, throughout all
civilized countries, synonym for probity and
philanthropy.
Nor IS this high reputation altogether I'M
merlted. Penn was without doubt a man Of
eminent virtues. He had strong sense Of
religious duty, and fervent desire to pro-
mote the happiness Of mankind On one or
two points OF high Importance he had notions
more correct than were, in this day, common
even among men of enlarged minds and,
as the proprietor and legislator Of province,
which, being almost uninhabited when il
came INTO his possession, afforded a clear
field for moral experiments, he had the rare
good fortune OF being able to carry his theo-
ries into practice without any compromise,
and yet without any shock to existing instr
tutions He will always be mentioned with
honor as founder OF colony, who did not,
in his dealings with a savage people, abuse
the strength derived from civilization, and
as law-giver, who, in an age Of persecu-
ton, made religious liberty the cornerstone
of polity. But his writings and his life
furnish abundant proofs that he was not
man Of strong sense. He had no skill in
reading the characters Of others. His con-
fdence in persons less vlrtuous than himself,
led him into great errors and ,misiortunes -
His enthusiasm for one great principle some
times impelled him to violate other great prin-
ciples, which he ought to have held sacred
Nor was his integrity altogether proof
against the temptations to which it was ex-
posed in that splendid and polite, but deeply
corrupted society with which he now ming
led. The whole court was in ferment
with intrigues Of gallantry and intrigues Of
ambition. The traffic in honors, places and
pardons, was incessant. 1t was natural that
man who was daily seen at the palace, and
who was known to have free excess to maies-
ty, should be frequently importuned to use
his influence for purposes which rigid mo-
rality would condemn. The integrity of
Penn has stood firm against obloquy and per-
secution but now, attacked By royal smiles,
by female Establishments, by the insinuatng
eioquence and delicate fattery Of veteran d.
plomatists and courtiers, his resolution began
to give way. Titles and phrases against
which he had often borne his testimony,
dropped occasionally from his lips and his pen.
II would be well il he had been guilty Of
nothing worse than such compiances with the