king was fond of pleasure, and he spent so much money on himself and
his friends that he had none left to pay his just debts. Penn knew
this; so he told His Majesty that if he would give him a piece of
wild land in America, he would ask nothing more.

[Illustration: WILLIAM PENN AT THE AGE OF 22.]

Charles was very glad to settle the account so easily. He therefore
gave Penn a great territory[1] north of Maryland[2] and west of the
Delaware River. This territory was nearly as large as England. The
king named it Pennsylvania, a word which means Penn's Woods. At that
time the land was not thought to be worth much. No one then had
discovered the fact that beneath Penn's Woods there were immense
mines of coal and iron, which would one day be of greater value than
all the riches of the king of England.

[Footnote 1: Territory: any very large extent of land.]

[Footnote 2: See map in paragraph 97.]


97. William Penn's religion; what he wanted to do with his American
land.--Penn belonged to a religious society called the Society of
Friends; to-day they are generally spoken of as Quakers. They are
a people who try to find out what is right by asking their own hearts.
They believe in showing no more signs of respect to one man than to
another, and at that time they would not take off their hats even
to the king himself.

[Illustration: Map of eastern Pennsylvania and surroundings.]