LifeofM. Le Roy. T 



recompenses^ as far as his circumstances would permit? After 

 a life so spent, can we be astonished at the concourse of 

 workmen who followed his funeral ? Can we be surprised 

 at their expressing with sorrow, that they had lost their sup- 

 porter ! their friend ! their father ?" 



After having considered the good qualities for which 

 Julien Le Roy was so much admired and cherished as an 

 artist by all who were intimate with him, let us turn to a 

 few traits in his life, from which we may judge of those that 

 distinguished him as a man and a member of society. He 

 had been very intimate with Henry Sully ; and the pleasure 

 which these two celebrated men found in discoursing together 

 of their art, so far from exciting envy, hlad formed between 

 them the bond of the closest and most sincere friendship. 

 When the watch-manufactories of Versailles and St. Ger- 

 main were broken up. Sully tried to persuade his friend to 

 accept a pension from the English ambassador, and to go 

 and reside in London : but it was to no purpose ; he never 

 would consent to expatriate himself, and carry his discoveries 

 and knowledge out of his native country. When Sully died, 

 which happened in October 1 728, Julien Le Roy was pressed 

 to solicit the pension from the king, which Sully had re- 

 ceived ; but he constantly refused it, because madame Sully 

 had requested the king to continue it to her. The same 

 zeal engaged him to undertake every thing that could do 

 honour to the memory of his departed friend j and it is to 

 him we are indebted for the little that is known of Sully's 

 iife. Notwithstanding his continual occupations, Le Roy 

 undertook the reprinting one of his works, and enriched it 

 with every thing that could recommend it. He might have 

 intermixed his own subjects with Sully's ; but he chose 

 rather to bring forward his name and writings after those of 

 his deceased friend, and to print a part of his Memoirs at 

 the end of the Regie art'ificielle du Temps. 



Such was this celebrated man ; to whom was given, if I 

 may use the expression of a celebrated journalist, the art of 

 chaining down lime, and forcing matter to represent with 

 the utmost precision the rapid fight of our years. The 

 king deigned to honour him with his regret when he heard 

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