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 sissEsaar, 
 
 INTERESTING 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 
 
 OF DISTINGUISHED MEN. 
 
 Childhood is the morn of life, 
 And we should sHun all foolish strife ; 
 Be ever courteous, and greet 
 With smiling faces those we meet, 
 And ever strive to gain the love 
 O-'' man below and God above, 
 That when our day of life snail cea 
 Wo mny resign this world in peace. 
 
 HARTFORD: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY L. STEBBINS, 
 
 1839. 
 
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 INTERESTING 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 
 
 OF 
 
 DISTINGUISHED MEN. 
 
 FOR THE 
 
 INSTRUCTION AND AMUSEMENT 
 
 OF 
 
 CHILDREN AND YOUTH. 
 
 PART SECOND. 
 
 " The proper study of mankind is man." — Pope. 
 " Knowledge is power. r — Bacon. 
 
 HARTFORD: Conn. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY L. STEBBINS. 
 
 1839. 
 
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 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 
 
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 DISTINGUISHED MEN. 
 
 George Washington was born in Virginia, Feb. 22d, 1732, and died 
 Dec. 14th, 1799. At the age of nineteen he was appointed one of the 
 adjutant generals of Virginia. During the war of the Revolution, he was 
 commander-in-chief of the American forces, and refused all compensa- 
 tion for his services. He was eight years president of the United States, 
 and was afterwards appointed to the chief command of the United States' 
 armies. He was a good speaker, an excellent writer, a wise statesman, 
 and an able general. He was dignified, benevolent, and magnanimous. 
 His name stands engraven upon the hearts of his countrymen ; and he 
 will ever be beloved for his wisdom, patriotism, and the unsullied purity 
 of his life. 
 
 John Adams, the second president of the United States, was born 1735, 
 and died July 4th, 1826. He was one of the first and most decided oppo- 
 sers of the tyranny of Great Britain. He was a member of the Conti- 
 nental Congress, and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. 
 He rendered important service to his country, by procuring loans and ma- 
 king treaties. He was the first ambassador from the United States to 
 Great Britain, and the first vice-president of the United States. 
 
 Thomas Jefferson was the successor of Mr. Adams, as president of 
 the United States. He was born in 1743, and died July 4th, 1826, on the 
 same day with Mr. Adams. He was distinguished as a sound legislator 
 and statesman ; unyielding in his determination, and a sound patriot. He 
 is celebrated as the author of the " Declaration of Independence." In pri- 
 vate life he was said to be benevolent, humane, and affable. He was a 
 member of several literary societies in Europe and America. He pub- 
 lished " Notes on Virginia," which were translated into the French lan- 
 guage, and published in 1784. 
 
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 James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, was born 
 1751, and died 1836. His career commenced at the close of the revolu- 
 tionary war, and he participated in the discussions relative to the consti- 
 tution of the United States. He ranked high among the luminaries of the 
 day. In affairs of state, his reserve was habitual. He seldom yielded to 
 expediency ; and his honesty as a statesman, it is believed, was never 
 doubted. During his administration, the president's house was burnt by 
 the British. 
 
 James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, was born in 
 1759, and died July 4th, 1630. He took a part in the revolutionary war, 
 and his undaunted courage was evinced on more than one occasion. He 
 was devoted to Washington, an admirer and imitator of Jefferson, and a 
 friend and companion of Madison. He was a successful lawyer ; and was, 
 successively, secretary of state and of war. His constancy, vigon, and 
 firmness were conspicuous. While he was president, it will be difficult 
 to find a real blemish in his administration. 
 
 Benjamin Franklin was born. at Boston in 1706, and died in 1790. He 
 was a self-made man, and self-taught. From a state of poverty and ob- 
 scurity, he raised himself to a state of affluence and celebrity. He made- 
 many important discoveries in science, particularly in electricity ; and no 
 philosopher of the age stood on a prouder eminence. He filled several 
 important public stations, and ever enjoyed the confidence of his fellow- 
 citizens. His life is well worthy the perusal of every youth. 
 
 Patrick Henry was born in Virginia, in 1736. He was distinguished 
 for his commanding eloquence, and was the first man who proposed to the 
 colonies hostile measures against Great Britain. He was the first gover- 
 nor of Virginia after the declaration of independence, and a member of the 
 old congress. He declined the appointments of secretary of state, under 
 president Washington, and of minister to France, under his successor 
 He was one of the most eloquent men that America ever produced. He 
 died in the year of our Lord 1799. 
 
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 Roger Sherman was born at Newtown, Mass., in 1721, and died in New 
 Haven, Conn., in 1793. His father intended him for a shoemaker, but, in 
 after life, he studied law. He was nineteen years an assistant, and twen- 
 ty-three years a judge of the superior court. He was a delegate to the 
 first congress, and signed the act of Independence. He was a member of 
 the general convention, and of the United States' senate. Jefferson said 
 of him, " He never said a foolish thing in his life." Mr. Macon said, " Ro- 
 ger Sherman has more common sense than any man I ever knew." 
 
 William Penn was born in London in 1664, and died in Rushcomb, in 
 England, in 1718. He established the colony of Pennsylvania, which took 
 its name from him. Jt was granted to him in consideration of debts due 
 his father, for services done to the crown. He afterwards purchased it of 
 the Indians, and ever treated them with perfect fairness. He resided most 
 of the time in England, and governed his colony by the assistance of depu- 
 ties. About the commencement of the Revolution, the inhabitants of the 
 colony paid him $370,000 for it. The character of Penn is truly amiable, 
 benevolent, and humane ; and his labors were devoted to the good of 
 mankind. 
 
 Benjamin West was born in Pennsylvania in 1738, and died in London 
 in 1820. When a mere boy, he displayed great talent in painting. His first 
 efforts were made with no other color than ink, and no pencil bat a pen, 
 and cat's hair pencils. He went to Rome to study the works of the great 
 masters, and afterwards to Florence, Bologna, and Venice. He spent his 
 life in London in the confidence of George III, and was president of the 
 Royal Academy from 1791 till his death. He ranked higher, as an histori- 
 cal painter, than any of his contemporaries. 
 
 De Witt Clinton was born in the state of New York in 1769, and died 
 in 1828. He was a major-general in the revolutionary war, and filled va- 
 rious public stations in his native state, and was a senator in congress. 
 In the great and growing state of which he was a member, his name, his 
 genius, and his services are stamped upon many monuments of public 
 munificence ; and the promptitude, solidity, and talent exhibited in his 
 public career, have shown that his energy was equal to any emergency. 
 He was educated at Columbia college. 
 
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 Alfred the Great, king of England, was born in 849, and died 901. 
 This illustrious man seems almost to have lifted himself above the tyran- 
 ny of circumstances, and his greatness grew out of the difficulties with 
 which he had to contend. He lived in an age of ignorance, but possessed 
 a genuine love of letters, and did much to elevate and enlighten England. 
 Among kings, he is not only great, but the very greatest ; and is one of 
 the most perfect characters in history. 
 
 Sir William Wallace was born in 1288, and died 1305. He was a 
 man of uncommon elegance and beauty, of great agility, and superior 
 strength of body and mind. He roused his countrymen — the Scots — to re- 
 sist the tyranny of the English. He was proclaimed regent of Scotland, 
 put himself at the head of her armies, and bravely defended his country, 
 obtaining many victories. He was basely betrayed, by John Monteith, 
 into the hands of the English, by whom he was bribed. He was unjustly 
 hung, drawn, and quartered, and his head placed on London bridge. Tiie 
 brave and generous William Wallace was thus cruelly betrayed and but- 
 chered, to the everlasting disgrace of England. 
 
 Robert Bruce was a celebrated Scotch general, and was elected king 
 in 1306. He was considered as the deliverer of his country, at that time 
 in subjection to Edward I, of England, and laboring under many oppres- 
 sions. In 1306 he defeated the English army, and gained the famous bat- 
 tle of Bannockburn. It is said there were 200,000 English, and but 30,000 
 Scotch. There were 50,000 slain, and 30,000 taken prisoners. He died 
 in 1329. 
 
 William Tell was an illustrious Swiss patriot, and one of the heroes 
 who restored liberty to their country, in. 1307. Gesler, the Austrian gov- 
 ernor, ordered his hat to be raised on a pole, and the same homage done 
 to it as to himself. Tell refused to do homage to the hat, and was carried 
 before Gesler, who ordered him to shoot at an apple placed on the head of 
 his son, or else, with his child, be dragged to immediate*- death. He shot 
 the apple off his son's head, and, soon after, shot Gesler. The Swiss, 
 roused to arms by his conduct, drove away their masters, and established 
 their independence. 
 
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 Nicolas Gabrini de Rienzi was a remarkable character of the 14th 
 century. lie was the son of an obscure miller, yet, by his zeal in opposing 
 the existing vices, and by persuading his friends that he was able to re- 
 store the ancient glory of his country, he gained the supreme power, and 
 was declared the sovereign of Rome, with the approbation of the pope. 
 This excited the jealousy of the nobles, and he was murdered in the year 
 of our Lord 1354. 
 
 Chaucer has been called the father of British poetry. ITe was born in 
 1328, and died in 14U0. He is one of the greatest, as well as most ancient 
 poetical writers of Great Britain. His distinguished accomplishments, 
 both of body and mind, gained him the friendship of many persons of dis- 
 tinction. He was remarkable for the degree and variety of the qualities 
 which he possessed — excelling equally in the comic and serious. At one 
 time he was forced to leave England, for offending the clergy. He was 
 buried at Westminster Abbey. 
 
 Henry VIIT, king of England, was born in 1491, and died 1547. He had 
 six wives — two perished on the scaffold, and two of the others were di- 
 vorced. He obtained the title of defender of the faith from the pope, by 
 opposing Luther. He afterwards quarrelled with the pope, who refused 
 to divorce him from his wife, renounced his authority, and declared him- 
 self head of the church, thus introducing the reformation in England. He 
 must be detested for his tyranny and oppression 
 
 Francis I, king of France, was bom 1494, and died at Rambouillet in 
 1547. He succeeded Lewis XII on the French throne in 1515. He is 
 known as the rival of Charles V, emperor of Germany, and was a rival 
 candidate for that throne at the time Charles was elected. He was en- 
 gaged in war with him, with various success, during almost the whole of 
 his reisrn ; and, at one time, Charles held Francis and his two sons prison- 
 ers. He is somewhat celebrated as a patron of literature and the arts. 
 
 
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 Christopher Columbus was born at Genoa about the year 1436, and 
 died at Valladolid May 20th, 1506. At the age of fourteen he went to sea, 
 and became early impressed with the idea that the earth was round, and 
 that land might be discovered by sailing west. He applied for assistance 
 to Portugal, England, Genoa, and finally to Spain, who furnished him with 
 three vessels and ninety men. He sailed west and discovered America, 
 but was doomed to end a life of toil with sad disappointments ; those upon 
 whom he had conferred so much glory repaying him with ingratitude. 
 
 Martin Luther, an illustrious German divine, and reformer of the 
 church, was born in 1483, and died in 1546. He engaged in the official du- 
 ties of the Roman church from motives of real piety, but observing the cor- 
 ruption of the pontifical court, and the debauched lives of the dignitaries of 
 the church, he became disgusted with the Roman ecclesiastical govern- 
 ment, and openly preached against their vile practices with wonderful suc- 
 cess, and thus begun the reformation in Germany. 
 
 Thomas Wolsey was born in 1471, and died in 1530. He was the son 
 of a poor butcher at Ipswich, but rose to be archbishop of York, chancel- 
 lor of England, and cardinal of St. Cicely. He was prime minister to Henry 
 VIII, and exercised a great influence over him. He was haughty and am- 
 bitious, and aspired to be the pope of Rome. Some of his schemes, going 
 counter to the wishes of Henry, were discovered. 
 
 John Calvin, one of the chief reformers of the church in the 16th cen- 
 tury, was born in 1509, and died in 1564. He was a man whom God had 
 endowed with very eminent talents — a solid judgment, clear understand- 
 ing, and a happy memory. He was a judicious, elegant, and indefatigable 
 writer, and possessed of very extensive learning, and a great zeal for truth. 
 His extreme rigor procured him many enemies. Indeed, it very ill became 
 a reformer to burn heretics. 
 
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 Saavedra Cervantes was born at Madrid in 1549. He was the author 
 of Don Quixotte, the hero of La Mancha— the masterpiece of Spanish lite- 
 rature. This celebrated work is a strong and pleasant satire on the books 
 of knight-errantry, which were then so fashionable in Spain. It met with 
 universal approbation, and, though written to ridicule the follies of a par- 
 ticular age, it is still read and admired throughout the civilized world. It 
 was written in a dungeon. 
 
 Galileo, an Italian astronomer, was bom in 1567. Having constructed 
 a telescope, he made such discoveries in the science of astronomy that it 
 convinced him of the truth of the Copernician system. At that period a 
 belief of this system was considered as heretical, and as contrary to the 
 word of God. No sooner was it known that he had embraced this system 
 than he was summoned before the Inquisition, and was twice confined in 
 its dungeons, where he spent four years. 
 
 Charles V was born in 1500, and died in 1558. He was the eldest son 
 of Philip of Austria, and ascended the throne of Spain in 1516. He was 
 elected emperor of Germany in 1518. He was a prince of great note in 
 Europe, and was engaged, a great part of his reign, in war with his rival, 
 Francis I, of France. Three years before his death, he resigned his pos- 
 sessions and retired to a cloister. 
 
 Francis Bacon, an English philosopher and statesman, was born in 1561, 
 and died in 1626. He was one of the greatest geniuses that any age or 
 country has produced. He laid down those principles upon which Newton 
 demonstrated the whole law of nature. He was chosen lord hi°h chan- 
 cellor of England, but was legally convicted of bribery and corruption, and 
 accused of the most gross and profligate flattery. He spent the last years 
 of his life m study and retirement. He is an example of the height to which 
 man may rise— of the depth to which he may fall. Pope calls him " The 
 wisest, brightest, meanest of mankind." 
 
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