I have the honor to be, with great regard, dear Sir, your most obedient humble servant, RALPH IZARD. [63] See the history of the 11th and 12th articles of the treaty, in Mr Deane’s letter of the 12th of October, 1778, Vol. I. p. 166; also in Arthur Lee’s, letters, Vol. II, p. 127. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN TO RALPH IZARD. Passy, January 29th, 1778. Dear Sir, I received yours late last evening. Present circumstances, which I will explain to you when I have the honor of seeing you, prevent my giving it a full answer now. The reasons you offer had before been all under consideration. But I must submit to remain some days under the opinion you appear to have formed, not only of my poor understanding in the general interests of America, but of my defects in sincerity, politeness, and attention to your instructions. These offences, I flatter myself, admit of fair excuses, or rather will be found not to have existed. You mention, that you _feel yourself hurt_. Permit me to offer you a maxim, which has through life been of use to me, and may be so to you, in preventing such imaginary hurts. It is, “always to _suppose_ one’s friends _may be right_, till one _finds_ them wrong, rather than _to suppose them wrong_, till one _finds_ them right.” You have heard and imagined all that can be said or supposed on one side of the question, but not on the other. I am, nevertheless, with sincere esteem, dear Sir, your most obedient and humble servant, B. FRANKLIN. TO BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. Paris, January 30th, 1778. Dear Sir, I was yesterday favored with your letter, containing a maxim, which though a very old one, I am bound to thank you for, and can assure you, that so far from disapproving it, it has been one of the constant rules of my life. If you will be pleased to recollect the most extraordinary inattention, to say the least of it, with which I have been treated during the six months I have been in Paris, you will I hope think I have profited by it. You will be pleased likewise to recollect, that after having borne this for a considerable time, I complained to you of it. Forced as I was into this complaint, it was, however, not made without studying how it should be done in a manner least likely to give you offence. I should have been extremely glad, if you had attended to the maxim yourself yesterday. Had you done so, I should not have been supposed to have formed an opinion, that you had a poor understanding in the general interests of America, or that you were insincere. My letter had no such meaning, neither can any such construction be fairly put upon it.