What has poster'ty done for us,
That we, lest they their rights should lose,
Should trust our read more

What has poster'ty done for us,
That we, lest they their rights should lose,
Should trust our necks to gripe of noose?

Herself the solitary scion left
Of a time-honour'd race.

Herself the solitary scion left
Of a time-honour'd race.

Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will read more

Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.

As to posterity, I may ask (with somebody whom I have forgot)
what has it ever done to oblige read more

As to posterity, I may ask (with somebody whom I have forgot)
what has it ever done to oblige me?

The survivorship of a worthy man in his son is a pleasure scarce
inferior to the hopes of the read more

The survivorship of a worthy man in his son is a pleasure scarce
inferior to the hopes of the continuance of his own life.

Posterity, thinned by the crime of its ancestors, shall hear of
those battles.
[Lat., Audiet pugnas, vitio parentum
read more

Posterity, thinned by the crime of its ancestors, shall hear of
those battles.
[Lat., Audiet pugnas, vitio parentum
Rara juventus.]

Why should we put ourselves out of our way to do anything for
posterity; for what has posterity done read more

Why should we put ourselves out of our way to do anything for
posterity; for what has posterity done for us?

Posterity is as likely to be wrong as anybody else

Posterity is as likely to be wrong as anybody else

I hope that posterity will judge me kindly, not only as to the things which I have explained, but also read more

I hope that posterity will judge me kindly, not only as to the things which I have explained, but also to those which I have intentionally omitted so as to leave to others the pleasure of discovery.