16. General Reed and the Bribe

General Joseph Reed was a prominent American officer in the Revolutionary war. He was a man of great influence and loyal to the interests of his country. The English officers were anxious to secure some one who would be a traitor to the American cause of liberty and who would serve them. One day Governor Johnson, one of the three Commissioners of King George III, came to Joseph Reed and whispered secretly: “I will give you fifty thousand dollars and a public office besides, under the British Government, if you will agree to promote the British interests.” General Reed replied quickly: “I am not worth purchasing; but such as I am, the King of Great Britain is not rich enough to buy me!”

No wonder that such a patriot, loyal to honor and to his country, was admired even among those who offered the bribe, while that other general, Benedict Arnold, who actually received the bribe to betray his country, has ever since been despised by Englishmen as well as by Americans.