"A competence is vital to content; Much wealth is corpulence, if not disease" (manuscript essay), 1799 March 30

Three-page handwritten essay in English by Buckminster with a story about a wealthy young Englishman named Francis who discovers that money is not the source of happiness. The essay is titled with a quote from Edward Young's poem, "The Complaint." Buckminster's essay begins, "Francis was the son of a rich English nobleman."

Student essay attributed to William Ellery Channing, 1797 June 5

Three-page handwritten essay composed in English and attributed to Harvard undergraduate William Ellery Channing. The verso of the last page is inscribed "Channing 5 June 97." A quotation from Edward Young appears at the top of the first page: "A Competence is vital to content / Much wealth is corpulence, if not disease" and discusses the topic of affluence. The document includes edits and struck-through words.