244 Benjamin Franklin [1784
reliqguit reminds me of. You know every thing
makes me recollect some story. He had built a very
fine house, and thereby much impaired his fortune.
He had a pride, however, in showing it to his acquaintance.
 One of them, after viewing it all, remarked
 a motto over the door ‘OIA VANITAS.”
“What,” says he, ‘‘is the meaning of this OIA? It
is a word I don’t understand.” “I will tell you,”
said the gentleman; ‘‘I had a mind to have the
motto cut on a piece of smooth marble, but there
was not room for it between the ornaments, to be
put in characters large enough to read. 1 therefore
made use of a contraction anciently very common
in Latin manuscripts, whereby the #’s and #'s in
words are omitted, and the omission noted by a line
above, which you may see there; so that the word
is ommia, oMNIA VANITAS.” “Oh,” said his friend,
“TI now comprehend the meaning of your motto: it
relates to your edifice; and signifies that, if you have
abridged your ommia, you have, nevertheless, left
your VANITAS legible at full length.” I am, as ever,
your affectionate father,
B. FRANKLIN.