Benjamin Franklin and ‘Good Old Mantuan’

Hayes focuses on Benjamin Franklin and 'Good Old Mantuan'. In the 25 March 1731 issue of the Pennsylvania Gazette, Franklin published an editorial urging people to treat the sick with compassion during the current smallpox epidemic. In lieu of a title, two Latin epigraphs head the work. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Notes and queries 2020-09, Vol.67 (3), p.411-414
Main Author: Hayes, Kevin J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Franklin, Benjamin (1706-90)
Literary criticism
Personal profiles
Writers
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Hayes focuses on Benjamin Franklin and 'Good Old Mantuan'. In the 25 March 1731 issue of the Pennsylvania Gazette, Franklin published an editorial urging people to treat the sick with compassion during the current smallpox epidemic. In lieu of a title, two Latin epigraphs head the work. The first comes from Juvenal's tenth satire: 'Mors sola fatetur / Quantula sint hominum corpuscula' (Death alone reveals how small our bodies are). The next epigraph presents a second Latin verse: 'Post obitum benefacta manent, aeternaq; virtus / Non metuit Stygiis, nec rapiatur aquis' (Good deeds transcend death, and virtue, eternal virtue, never fears the Stygian undertow).
ISSN:0029-3970
1471-6941
DOI:10.1093/notesj/gjaa106