535 



Mtmoirs of Mr. Necker, by his Daughter. [}^n. I , 



vancing on me, lie will appear to my ima- 

 gination ; into his arms I fhali prepare to 

 tlirow myfelf. He fays in one of his 

 notes, *' Suppofe you havefeen the crowd 

 which will attend your funeral, and all is 

 (aid." Did he figure to himfelf the pro- 

 found grief his lofs has occafioned ? and 

 did his penetrating thought follow the 

 niinutia: of the mod terrible images ?— 

 Palling afterwards to ihofe mournful ideas, 

 to that delicacy of fentiment which no 

 private man, much lels public man, ever 

 pofTefled like him, he remarks on fome 

 childifh word he had heard from my 

 daughter, a word the ftnfibility of which 

 had atfcifed him, he adds, in fpeaking of 

 her, " I wifli I'ome one would come and 

 bring mc news of her." It is I, my fa- 

 ther, who will be the firft to bring ynu 

 thofc tidings. Ah ! Providence, who 

 wifhes to retain us fometime on the earth, 

 has done well to cover with a veil the hope 

 of the life to come. If our fight could 

 diltinguifli clearly the oppofite bank, who 

 would remain on this delolate coaft ! 



My father's diforder foon threw him 

 into a delirium. It was tiien that his 

 foul, without any relation to exterior ob- 

 jefls, difplayed itfclf in all its elevation 

 and fenfibility. He always fpoke of reli- 

 gion with affe<Slian and refpeiSl : he fup- 

 plicated with ardour the indulgence and 

 mercy of God. What are we if Uich a 

 man thought he required forgivenefs ? He 

 bleft his three child: en j he blelf his 

 daughter : placing his hand on his heart, 

 he repeated fevcral times, with all the 

 beautiful expreffion of his countenance, 

 with ail the energy of his foul, " She 

 baslovcd me dearly." Yes, afi'uredly (i\t 

 has loved you deaily ! He was very un- 

 eafy about my fuiure lot. Several times 

 in the courfe of his fever he (hewed figns 

 of alarm left hiS laft work might have in- 

 jured me, he pitied tne in lofing him. — 

 The mod tender though's engi'cfled him ; 

 his public career, his cchbrity, were for- 

 gotten ; his afFeftions anJ his virtues pre- 

 dominated in thoi'e moments of abaftment 

 when ordinary men evince nothing but 

 perfonalitics and weakneffts. 



His will begins in thefe words : — " I 

 thank the Supreme Being for ^ he lot he 

 has given me on earth, and I commit with 

 confidence my future deltiny to his good- 

 nefs and mercy." Thus, in fpite of all 

 he had fuiftred, he was content with his 

 ieftiny, witluut pride, and without hu- 

 mility ; he mult have been fenlible it had 

 been illuitrious, and that time would con- 

 lee rate its glory. 



The laft words he uttered were between 

 God and himfelf. •' Great God (he ex- 

 claimed), receive thy lervant, who is ad- 

 vancing with rapid Iteps towards death." 

 His prayer has doubtlefs been heard ; 

 Heaven has favoured him, but not his un- 

 happy daughter ; ftie heard not tl;e laft 

 accents of his voice ; (he did not fupport 

 him at this terrible crifis ; flie was pailing 

 her life in joy and peace at the m-ment he 

 was perilhing. 



In his Dilcourfe on Charity he has faid, 

 " How improving, how magnificent, is 

 that laft moment, when the good man, 

 looking back on all his paft life, can bor- 

 row the language of Job, and fay with 

 truth, ' I delivered the poor that cried, 

 and tlie fathcrlcfi, and him that had none 

 to help him. The bicfling of him that 

 was ready to perifli came upon me, and I 

 caufed the widow's heart to fing for joy." 

 Adaiirable pfediflion of his own end !— 

 In the fame Dilcourfe he ftiews, with a fa- 

 gacityatonce ihrevvd and affefling, every 

 fpecies of benefit that may be conferred on 

 the afflicted, all the coniblations that can 

 be ofFtred to the fufterings of the foul. — 

 It is there that may be feen all the inex- 

 hauftible relources of a fuperior mind in- 

 fpired b5 goodnefs. Alas 1 doss it not 

 fecm that in the fame day, by the fame 

 lofs, pity decayed and pride was abafed ; 

 for generous fouls were delighted to think 

 that at the toot of the Alps a great and 

 good man applauded their exercil'es, took 

 part in their troubles, and by his writings 

 ftill encouraged the love of moral beauty, 

 and that elevation of Ibul, a chofen and 

 religious joy, which compenfates every 

 other. There is now an end of this re- 

 fuge, there is now an end of the pleafure 

 of being recompenled by the approba'ion 

 of a virtuous man, by thofe words lb cor- 

 dial and lo Toothing which in his noble age 

 he aildrefTed to the young, who were ftill 

 captivated v-ith proud thoughts. H suni- 

 verfal confidi ration was a powerful au'ho- 

 rity for the good of a'l countries j and I 

 am not the only one to feel that death 

 which leaves dei'ert fo vait a fpace in the 

 wo. Id, where talent and virtue ftill find an 

 abode. 



Tiie world may certainly have feen ca- 

 reers more fortunate, names more daz- 

 zling, fortune more lading, and fuccefs 

 more uniform ; but a fiinilar devotion to 

 the Fiench nation, a genius fo virtuous, 

 a charafter fo good, a heait fo noble and 

 fo tender, will be feen no more ; neither 

 mankind nor I (hall ever fee it again. 



Coppet. Oil. 25, 1804.. 



Exira^ 



