“The meeting then adjourned.

“H.L.  ELLSWORTH, Chairman

“ISAAC S. TINSLEY, Secretary.”

“Washington, February 13, 1844.

“GENTLEMEN,—­I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication.  Gentlemen connected with the public press have, I believe, reported my speech in the case arising under Mr. Girard’s will.  I will look over the report of that part of it to which you refer, so far as to see that it is free from material errors, but I have not leisure so to revise it as to give it the form of a careful or regular composition.

“I am, Gentlemen, with very true regard, your obedient servant,

“DANIEL WEBSTER.

“To Messrs. P.R.  FENDALL,
            HORACE STRINGFELLOW,
            JOSHUA N. DANFORTH,
            R.R.  GURLEY,
            WILLIAM RUGGLES,
            JOEL S. BACON,
            THOMAS SEWALL,
            WILLIAM B. EDWARDS.”]

The following mottoes were prefixed to this speech, in the original pamphlet edition.

“Socrates. If, then, you wish public measures to be right and
noble, virtue must be given by you to the citizens.

“Alcibiades. How could any one deny that?

“Socrates. Virtue, therefore, is that which is to be first possessed, both by you and by every other person who would have direction and care, not only for himself and things dear to himself, but for the state and things dear to the state.

     “Alcibiades. You speak truly.

     “Socrates. To act justly and wisely (both you and the state), YOU
     MUST ACT ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD.

     “Alcibiades. It is so.”—­Plato.

     “Sic igitur hoc a principio persuasum civibus, dominos esse omnium
     rerum ac moderatores, deos.”—­Cicero de Legibus.

     “We shall never be such fools as to call in an enemy to the
     substance of any system, to supply its defects, or to perfect its
     construction.”

     “If our religious tenets should ever want a further elucidation, we
     shall not call on atheism to explain them.  We shall not light up
     our temple from that unhallowed fire.”

     “We know, and it is our pride to know, that man is, by his
     constitution, a religious animal.”—­Burke.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONORS:—­

It is not necessary for me to narrate, in detail, the numerous provisions of Mr. Girard’s will.  This has already been repeatedly done by other counsel, and I shall content myself with stating and considering those parts only which are immediately involved in the decision of this cause.

The will is drawn with apparent care and method, and is regularly divided into clauses.  The first nineteen clauses contain various devises and legacies to relatives, to other private individuals and to public bodies.  By the twentieth clause the whole residue of his estate, real and personal, is devised and bequeathed to the “mayor, aldermen, and citizens of Philadelphia,” in trust for the several uses to be after mentioned and declared.