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 ac- 
quaintance. One of them, after viewing it all, re- 
marked 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.