Produced by Joseph R. Hauser, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: EMERSON, IRVING, COOPER, HAWTHORNE] THE BEST of the WORLD'S CLASSICS RESTRICTED TO PROSE HENRY CABOT LODGE Editor-in-Chief FRANCIS W. HALSEY Associate Editor With an Introduction, Biographical and Explanatory Notes, etc. IN TEN VOLUMES Vol. IX AMERICA--I FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY NEW YORK AND LONDON COPYRIGHT, 1909, BY FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY * * * * * The Best of the World's Classics VOL. IX AMERICA--I 1579-1891 * * * * * CONTENTS VOL. IX--AMERICA--I _Page_ JOHN SMITH--(Born in 1579, died in 1631.) His Story of Pocahontas. (From the "General History of Virginia") 3 WILLIAM BRADFORD--(Born in 1590, died in 1657.) The Pilgrims Land and Meet the Indians. (From the "History of Plymouth") 11 SAMUEL SEWALL--(Born in 1652, died in 1730.) How He Courted Madam Winthrop. (From his "Diary") 19 COTTON MATHER--(Born in 1663, died in 1728.) In Praise of John Eliot. (From the "Magnalia Christi Americana") 33 WILLIAM BYRD--(Born in 1674, died in 1744.) At the Home of Colonel Spotswood. (From "A Visit to the Mines") 38 JONATHAN EDWARDS--(Born in 1703, died in 1758.) Of Liberty and Moral Agencies. (From the "Freedom of the Will") 44 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN--(Born in 1706, died in 1790.) I His First Entry into Philadelphia. (From the "Autobiography") 51 II Warnings Braddock Did Not Heed. (From the "Autobiography") 55 III How to Draw Lightning from the Clouds. (From a letter to Peter Collinson) 59 IV The Way to Wealth. (From "Poor Richard's Almanac") 61 V Dialog with the Gout 68 VI A Proposal to Madame Helvetius. (A letter to Madame Helvetius) 76 GEORGE WASHINGTON--(Born in 1732, died in 1799.) I To His Wife on Taking Command of the Army. (A letter written on June 18, 1775) 79