tterly
deficient; it furnished evidence and illustration; in arguing upon
probabilities it went far toward demolishing the theories advanced by
the president of the board. The two briefs were laid before a tribunal
in which three men sat who certainly ought not to have been sitting in
this cause, since Franklin's interest was also their own; but probably
this did not more than counterbalance the prestige of official position
in the opposite scale. Certainly Franklin had followed his invariable
custom of furnishing his friends with ample material to justify them in
befriending him. In this respect he always gallantly stood by his own
side. The allies whom at any time he sought he always abundantly
supplied with plain facts and sound arguments, in which weapons he
always placed his chief trust. So at present, whatever was the motive
which induced privy councilors to open their ears to what Franklin had
to say, after they had heard him they could not easily decide against
him. Nor had those of them who were personally disinterested any great
inducement to do so, since, though some of them may have disliked him,
none of them had any great liking for his noble opponent. So they set
aside the report of the board of trade.[28]

[Note 28: A very interesting statement of these proceedings may be
found in Franklin's _Works_, x. 346.]

Upon this Lord Hillsborough fell into a hot rage, and sent in his
resignation. It was generally understood that he had no notion that it
would be accepted, or that he would be allowed to leave upon such a
grievance. He fancied that he was establishing a dilemma which would
impale Franklin. But he was in error; he himself was impaled. No one
expostulated with him; he was left to exercise "the Christian virtue of
resignation" without hindrance. Franklin said that the anticipation of
precisely this result, so far from being an obstacle in the way of his
own success, had been an additional incitement to the course taken by
the council.

So the earl, the enemy of America, went out; and the colonial agent had
shown him the door, with all England looking on. It was a mortification
which Hillsborough could never forgive, and upon four occasions, when
Franklin made the conventional call to pay his respects, he did not find
his lordship at home. At his fifth call he received from a lackey a very
plain intimation that there was no chance that he ever would find the
ex-secretary at home, and thereafter he de