CHARACTERS. 



525 



to have any ground for hope that 

 it can be efficacious on a death- 

 bed — but" — risingashespoke,and 

 clasping his hands with the utmost 

 fervour and devotion—" I throw 

 myself entirely" (the last word 

 being pronounced vvilh a strong 

 emphasis) " upon the mercy of 

 God, through themeritsofChrist !" 

 The bishop assured him, that the 

 frame of his mind, at this awful 

 moment, was exactly such as might 

 reasonably be expected to render 

 prayer acceptable and useful. 



The bishop then read prayers, 

 and Mr. Pitt joined in them with 

 calm and humble piety. He re- 

 peatedly expressed, in the strongest 

 manner, his sense oF his own un- 

 worthiness to appear in the pre- 

 sence of God; disclaiming all ideas 

 of merit, but with a conscience 

 clear and undisturbed. He appeal- 

 ed to the bishop's knowledge of 

 the steadiness of his religious prin- 

 ciples, and said it had ever been 

 his wish and endeavour to act 

 rightly, and to fulfil his duty to 

 God and to the world ; but that 

 he was very sensible of manyerrors 

 and failures. He declared that he 

 was perfectly resigned to the will 

 of God ; that he felt no enmity to- 

 wards any one, but died in peace 

 with all mankind ; and expressed 

 his hope, at once humble and con- 

 fident, ofeternal happiness through 

 the intercession of his Redeemer. 

 Mr. Pitt desired that the settle- 

 ment of his affairs and papers might 

 be left to his brother and the bi- 

 shop of Lincoln. Adverting to his 

 family, he said, " I wish a thou- 

 sand, or fifteen hundred a-year to 

 be given to my nieces, if the pub- 

 lic should think my long services 

 deserving it ; but I do not presume 

 to think that I have earned it." He 



expressed great concern about 

 lady Hester and Mr. Stanhope; 

 but his anxiety, on their account, 

 seemed to be abated by the recol- 

 lection that they had a father. He 

 attempted to give some written 

 directions respecting the disposal 

 of his papers ; but finding himself 

 unable to write legibly, he resign- 

 ed the pen to the bishop, who 

 wrotewhatMr. Pitt dictated. Mr. 

 Pitt afterwards read what was 

 written, and signed the different 

 papers, in the presence of sir 

 Walter Farquhar, and several of 

 the servants, who had remained 

 in the room a part of the time in 

 which Mr. Pitt was engaged in 

 religious duties, and heard this 

 great and good man profess the 

 faith, and hope, and charity of an 

 humbly pious christian. 



Mr. Pitt was much exhausted 

 by these exertions, and very soon 

 grew much worse. About two 

 o'clock on the Wednesday after- 

 noon he suffered much for some 

 time and seemed to struggle for 

 breath. He then fell into a kind 

 of stupor, but remained sensible 

 almost to thelast. About a quar- 

 ter past four on Thursday morn- 

 ing, the 23rd of January, 1806,— 

 the anniversary of that day on 

 which, five-and-twenty years be- 

 fore, he had first become a mem- 

 ber of the British senate, — he 

 breathed his last, without strug- 

 gle, and without pain. He was 

 then in his forty-seventh year. 



Asa statesman, the resources, as 

 well as the firmness of Mr. Pitt's 

 mind, have been amply demon- 

 strated by the measures which he 

 adopted, to meet the various and 

 unforeseen difficulties with which 

 this nation was surrounded during 



