CHARACTERS. 



589 



of those bishops who could have 

 served the church most effectually, 

 in these times of schism and in- 

 subordination. 



" On the morning of the Epi- 

 phany, having expressed to me his 

 regret at being unable to perform 

 mass himself, I went, by his or- 

 der, to perform it for his spiritual 

 good. During that short interval, 

 he seemed to grow evidently 

 weaker, and he received extreme 

 unction. 



" Immediately afterwards he 

 called me to his bedside, and hav- 

 ing required every other person to 

 leave the room, he dictated to me 

 his last letter, which he signed, 

 ordering me to show it to four 

 persons here, and to send it off the 

 moment his eyes were closed. It 

 was in dictating this letter, that, 

 collecting all his strength, and 

 feeling that he was about to ap- 

 pear before his God, he sought to 

 fit himself by a declaration of his 

 real sentiments. Short as the let- 

 ter is, it would be impossible to 

 express greater disinterestedness 

 for his family, more respect and 

 attachment for his king, more af- 

 fection for his diocese, more zeal 

 for the faith against the errors of 

 the Jansenists, or a more absolute 

 submission to the church, mother 

 and mistress. 



" He suffered a great deal the 

 rest of the day, and during his last 

 night ; but he rejoiced in being 

 like Jesus Christ by suffering. ' I 

 am on the cross,' said he 'with 

 Jesus Christ. Christo confixus 

 sum cruci.' We then read those 

 texts of scripture which relate to 

 the necessity of suffering, to its 

 brevity, and to its minuteness, 

 compared to the immense magni- 

 tude of eternal glory with which 



God rewards it. His pains in- 

 creasing, we told him what St. 

 Luke relates of Jesus Christ : that 

 on those occasions he redoubled 

 his prayers — ' Factus in agonia, 

 prolixius orabat.' ' Jesus Christ,' 

 added he himself, • repeated three 

 times thesame prayer, Oravittertio 

 eundem sermonem dicens;' but 

 the violence of the pain not per- 

 mitting him to finish alone, we 

 continued with him, — < Father, if 

 thou be willing, remove this cup 

 from me ; nevertheless, not my 

 will, but thine be done.' — ' Yes, 

 Lord,' he repeated, raising his 

 trembling voice as much as he 

 could, ' thy will, and not mine.' 

 His fever increased at intervals, 

 and occasioned delirium, which he 

 himself perceived, and respecting 

 which he was alarmed ; but no- 

 thing escaped his lips that was in 

 any manner unbefitting. When 

 the paroxysm was passed, he was 

 seen immediately to clasp his 

 hands, raise his eyes to heaven, 

 full of entire submission, and 

 peacefully resigned to God. That 

 religious submission had been, 

 from his youth, the prevailing sen- 

 timent of his heart, and he always 

 reverted to it in his most familiar 

 discourses. It was, as it were, 

 his food and nourishment, and he 

 loved that they should taste of it 

 who lived in intimacy with him. 



" I still recollect, with anguish, 

 the affecting scene of that last 

 night. All the individuals of his 

 pious family, who were assembled 

 at Cambrai : the abbe de Beau- 

 mont, the marquis of Fenelon, the 

 abbe de Fenelon, the chevaliers 

 de Fenelon, M. de I'EschelJe, for- 

 merly one of those who conducted 

 the education of the duke of Bur- 

 gundy, the abb6 de FEschelle; his 



