Benjamin Franklin was a passionate writer, especially in the cause of the democracy he helped found, but even such a prolific man of letters may have had second thoughts about posting too-hasty words, according to an exhibit for the 300th anniversary of Franklin's birth.

Perhaps Franklin thought better of that letter because he never sent it. But it was preserved and is one of 75 items in the Library of Congress' exhibit, "Benjamin Franklin: In His Own Words." The display was unveiled this week, a month ahead of the anniversary of Franklin's Jan. 17, 1706 birth, and is drawn from the more than 8,000 documents in the library's Benjamin Franklin Collection.

The exhibit will be on view through June 17, 2006. Admission is free.