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Memoirs of Mr , Necker, by his Daughter, [Nov. I » 



you fee him, the more you admire him, 

 the more plainly you dircoverthe image of 

 that Providence who prefides in the ftarry 

 heavens, yet difdains not to adorn the 

 lily, or watch over the life of a fpar- 

 row. 



My father has often been praifed in the 

 writings of his wite and daughter, althn* 

 it had been eafy for us to underftand and 

 to attain to that modefty in common, 

 which is irapofed on families : but vve iaw 

 into his heart, and dil'covered in it virtues 

 fo conftant and fo natural, virtues fo ftrift. 

 ly in harmony with his public f(.ieeches 

 and conduft, that our hearts felt a necef- 

 fity of cxprefling that fort of domeftic 

 wuifJiip wnich v»HS thebuhnefs of our life. 

 Opprtfled by gratitnde and love, we brav- 

 eti thvt vain Ipii it of ridicule which might 

 bedireftid againft the truth of cur lenti- 

 Boentf . 



In quitting Venailles, Mr. Necker had 

 not even taken a paiTport, to avoid admit- 

 ting any individual into his confidence ; 

 be fcrupiiloufly rejected every pretext, and 

 every motive that might retard his jour- 

 ney. When artivcd at Valenciennes, the 

 governor of that city would not let him 

 pafs through without a psITport ; my fa- 

 ther (hewed him the King's letter, the go- 

 vernor read it, and at the fame time recog- 

 uized my father, from the print ot him he 

 had over his chimney; he let him pafs, 

 iighing over the irreparable misfortunes, 

 which wer« to relult trom his depar- 

 ture. 



It had been propofed to the King to ar- 

 reft my father, becaufe nobody could be- 

 lieve that he would take fuch direct pre- 

 eau:ions againft that enthufiafm which he 

 had excited ; but the King, ■R-ho has 

 never failed to do juftice tu the perted 

 probity of Mr. Nccker, exprefled his 

 affiirance that he would fecretly depart if 

 he ordered him. It is clear the King 

 was not deceived. 



In the morning of the 1 2th of July, I 

 received a letter from my father, which 

 announced his departure, and dtfired me 

 to go into the country, Kft I fliould re- 

 ceive on his account fome exprelTions of 

 public homage at Paris. In fad, depu- 

 tations from all quarters of the city came 

 the next morning to my houfe, and held 

 the mod exalted language on my father's 

 flight, and on what was necertary to be 

 done to compel his return. I hardly know 

 what line of conducl my age and my en- 

 thufiafm might have prompted mr at that 

 time to purl'ue, but I obeyed the will of 

 my father, I immediately retired to fome 

 leagues diftance from Paris. A frcfli 



courier from him inftrufled me in hit 

 route, of which he had ftill made a myftery 

 to me in his iirft letter, and on the 13th of 

 July I fet out to join him. 



My father had chofen Bruffels as a lef* 

 diftant frontier than that of Switzerland, 

 an additional precaution, that he might 

 not augment the chance of being recog- 

 nized. During the four and twenty hours 

 that we pafTed together, to make prepara- 

 tion for the long journey he had yet to 

 make through Germany to return to Swit- 

 zerland, he rccollefled that a few days 

 previous to his exile, Meflrs. Hope, ban- 

 kers, of Amfteruam, had required him to 

 guarantee from his private fortune, from 

 his two millions depodted in the royal 

 treafury, a fupply of grain which was in- 

 difpenlable lor the conlumption of Paris in 

 this year of fcarciiy. The troubles of 

 France excited gieat anxiety among fo. 

 reignets, and the peifonal fecurity of Mr. 

 Nccker affording them the raoft perfeft 

 confidence, he did not hefitate to give it : 

 on arriving at Bruffels, he was fearful the 

 news of his banifhment might alarm 

 Mcflis. Hope, and that they would fuf- 

 pend their fupply. He wrote to them 

 from that jjlace, to renew his guaranty. 

 Exiled, profcribed as he was, he expoled 

 the greater part of what Aill remained to 

 him, to preferve the inhabitants of Paris 

 from the evil which the embarralTment 

 and inexperience of a new minifttr might 

 occafion them. Oh! Frenchmen! Oh! 

 France ! it is thus that my father has 

 ferved you ! 



During the firft labours of the epheme- 

 ral fuccelFion of Mr. Necker at that time, 

 the principal fecretary of finance, Mr. 

 Dulrenede Saint Leon, was called onto 

 prefent in the minifterial correl'pondence 

 the anfwer of Meflrs. Hope, which ac- 

 cepted of the firft fecurity my father had 

 offered th':m I do not know what the fuc- 

 ctflbr thought of this mode of ferving the 

 King without emolument, and ofriflcing 

 too his pe'loi.il fortune for the good of 

 the ftate ; but can ihere be an initance of 

 more noblenefs, of more grandeur, of 

 more antique pa!riotifm, than even during 

 exile to confirm fuch a facnfice, to be fo 

 far exempt ironi fentiments the moft na- 

 tural to man, the dcfire that their fuc- 

 ceffbr fhould caul'e them to be regretted, 

 and that their abience Ihould begrievoufly 

 felt. 



My father fet out, accompanied only by 

 Mr. de Stael, to go to Bafle, through 

 Germany : my mother and I followed ra- 

 ther more flovvly, and at Frankfort we 

 were overtaken by the meffenger who 

 brought 



