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One of the early American plates around which
historical memories gather is that of William Penn, Esq.,
Proprietor of Pennsylvania as the name and address appear
upon the plate itself. This plate shows the arms of the Penn
family, one of distinction in England, with the motto, Dum
clarum rectum teneam, " May I keep the line of right as well
as of glory." There have been a number of books in auction
sales within a few years having this plate in them; and as
there is some reason to doubt the authenticity of many of
these, the collector is warned to be careful lest he purchase
what may prove a disappointment instead of a treasure, While
it is not probable that the Penn plate was ever forged in the
manner of the George Washington plate, it is possible that an
engraver took some prints from the old copper, before
altering it to suit the needs of Thomas Penn (as was done),
and that the prints thus produced are about. Or it may be
that a second plate will some day come to light. Certainly,
the incentive to forgery to the extent of so careful a
reproduction on copper of the really genuine design as this
supposed fraudulent plate is, is too little to admit of the
theory. There is no demand for the books of Penn as there is
for those of Washington ; and in the case of the Washington
forgery, the plate from which the deceptive prints were made
was not a careful reproduction, although those who purposed
using it may well have wished it to be such. The two Penn
plates coincide exactly in so many particulars as to leave no
doubt of their being printed from the same copper. Some
retouching the plate had, of course, to account for the very slight differences; but that
there was ever a deliberate purpose to forge the plate of
William Penn seems quite improbable.
There is, in the rooms
of the Pennsylvania Historical Society in the city of
Philadelphia, the Bible used by Hannah 'Callowhill Penn, the
second wife of William Penn; and the plate, undoubtedly
genuine, is pasted within its cover. When the plate was made
over for Thomas Penn, he was styled First Proprietor of
Pensilvania, which title seems hardly justifiable, and the
spelling of the last word rather bungling. Among the most famous men of his times was Dr. Benjamin Rush, who was born on the banks of Poquestion Creek, not far from Philadelphia, and who rose to a distinguished position in his native land, and received substantial proof from foreign lands of the esteem in which he was there held. Successful in his profession, he was attacked by enemies, who suffered the defeat they merited. It is said that during a scourge of yellow fever he saved not less than six thousand persons from death. His position in the government of the state and the nation was conspicuous. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. His plate still exists, but in poor condition and in a very limited number; it is supposed because he destroyed all copies of it he could lay his hands on. The exact reason for this is not known; but it will be surmised that it was due to his intense patriotism during the events of 1875 and 1876, when so much feeling against the British was shown in his city, and when, to him, the use, even within the covers of his own books, of armorial bearings granted by England, may have been distasteful. Another doctor of medicine whose useful life added to the fame of his native city was John Morgan, one of the founders of the American Philosophical Society, a strong patriot and a physician of an uncommon education and experience. He used a book-plate of the Chippendale style, which, from its appearance, one is inclined to think was engraved by Henry Dawkins. Dr. Morgan married the beautiful Mary Hopkinson, and has left a letter in which he speaks most courteously of her. It is written to the mother of Mrs. Morgan, and in the letter the doctor says : " She is an excellent companion at all times, but if possible excels herself on the road. It would delight you to get a glimpse of us just now, Colonel Kirkbride at the violin and she at the harpsichord and sings most blithely and most sweetly." That good old Dr. James Abercrombie, of Philadelphia, who was the rector of two important churches in the city, Christ and St. Peter's, is the subject of a story which shows him to have loved the good things supplied in this world, while travelling through it to a higher. The story, as told by Mr. George Ord, a raconteur of no small ability, was to the effect that, having occasion to visit a small town in New Jersey, the good doctor was cheered with some choice old Madeira wine, which not expecting to find in that sparse country, he was mightily pleased. His appropriate text for the sermon of the following: Sabbath was from that verse in the Acts of the Apostles in which it is recorded that " the barbarous people showed us no little kindness." In his books, this genial soul pasted a book-plate on which was the motto, Vive ut vivas, the spirit of which may be variously understood. Francis Hopkinson, skilled in an astonishing number of accomplishments, a wit of no mean order, able to make music, to paint, to compose popular airs, and to discuss the weighty affairs of government, the latest developments in science, or the intricacies of politics, used a very delightful book-plate, the design of which is very similar to that of Bushrod Washington. It has the same horrid griffin hissing from behind the roses, and the same arrangement of flowers and ornamentation is observed. This plate was done by Dawkins, that scamp of tried ability whose very talent landed him in prison, and from which his wit likely enough released him. John Adams liked Francis Hopkinson, but he left a saying about the latter's head which cannot be forgotten. He declared it was not larger than a good-sized apple ! He was a member of the Philosophical Society, married Ann Borden, and was, of course, prominent in all the social gatherings of the day. One little adventure is worthy of record. He was one of the three young men who, by means of a rope ladder, released pretty Miss Shewell from the high room her brother had confined her in to prevent her taking the ship which would carry her to London to be the wife of the painter Benjamin West. Fate was against the brother, and the wedding took place in the chapel of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields. Joseph Hopkinson, who wrote Hail Columbia, and who was the son of Francis, used the same copper that his father before him had used, only having the first name erased and his own substituted. The work was entrusted to a poor engraver, for the name Francis can be plainly seen under the Joseph, even in the prints. Continued on this page |