"Early Piety in Elizabeth Butcher of Boston, being just 8 years and
11 months old," when she died in 1718. In two years two editions of her
life had been issued "to instruct and to invite little children to the
exercise of early piety."

Such mortuary effusions were so common at the time that Benjamin
Franklin's witty skit upon them is apropos in this connection. In 1719,
at the age of sixteen, under the pseudonym of Mrs. Dogood, he wrote a
series of letters for his brother's paper, "The New England Courant."
From the following extract, taken from these letters, it is evident that
these children's "Last Words" followed the prevailing fashion:

_A Receipt_ to make a _New England_
Funeral _Elegy_.

_For the title of your Elegy_. Of these you may have enough ready
made at your Hands: But if you should chuse to make it yourself you
must be sure not to omit the Words _Aetatis Suae_, which will
beautify it exceedingly.

_For the subject of your Elegy_. Take one of your neighbors who has
lately departed this life; it is no great matter at what age the
Party Dy'd, but it will be best if he went away suddenly, being
_Kill'd_, _Drown'd_ or _Froze to Death_.

Having chosen the Person, take all his Virtues, Excellencies, &c.
and if he have not enough, you may borrow some to make up a
sufficient Quantity: To these add his last Words, dying Expressions,
&c. if they are to be had: mix all these together, and be sure you
strain them well. Then season all with a Handful or two of
Melancholy Expressions, such as _Dreadful, Dreadly, cruel, cold,
Death, unhappy, Fate, weeping Eyes_, &c. Having mixed all these
Ingredients well, put them in an empty Scull of some _young
Harvard_; (but in case you have ne'er a One at Hand, you may use
your _own_,) then let them Ferment for the Space of a Fortnight, and
by that Time they will be incorporated into a Body, which take out
and having prepared a sufficient Quantity of double Rhimes, such as
_Power, Flower; Quiver, Shiver; Grieve us, Leave us; tell you, excel
you; Expeditions, Physicians; Fatigue him, Intrigue him_; &c. you
must spread all upon Paper, and if you can procure a Scrap of Latin
to put at the _End_, it will garnish it mightily: then having
affixed your Name at the bottom with a _Maestus Composuit_, you will
have an Excellent Elegy.

N.B.