274 DAVID BARCLAY CHAP. 



themselves for a moment before speaking. " This will prevent 

 their ever saying a foolish thing or doing a bad one." Let 

 them never act contrary to the conviction of their own minds 

 on any motive whatever. " For although this conviction is 

 often disregarded, it seldom fails to return in the cool of the 

 day, and to embitter every sweet obtained contrary to its 

 dictates." Dancing they had learned a little to obtain graceful 

 deportment only. The sole Punishment he had used was 

 declining to give them his conversation, never his company. 

 The instructions close with a few words on cultivating the 

 memory of their beloved Mother. 



The elder daughter died in girlhood. The younger, 

 Agatha, lived to rejoice the hearts of her parents ; for 

 Barclay took a second wife, Rachel Lloyd, in 1767. We 

 get a view of Agatha Barclay in 1770, as she appeared to 

 an acquaintance. She was, we are told, a lovely girl, 

 even more in character than in form, diffident, good- 

 natured, well-informed : " nature and fortune have 

 liberally bestowed their gifts " upon her ; these " will 

 always secure for her the admiration of men, but none 

 will deserve her who do not yet more value her sweet 

 simplicity and goodness of heart." 1 



Agatha Barclay married in 1773 Richard Gurney, and 

 bore him two children. She seemed to have reached the 

 summit of earthly bliss, when every wish was completed. 

 Few more pathetic journeys are recorded than that of 

 David Barclay, three years later, when he took Dr. 

 Fothergill with him post-haste, to see his sick daughter 

 at her home at Keswick Hall. The beautiful young life 

 was over before they could arrive. The father, we are 

 told, calmly requested to be taken to the remains of his 

 beloved and only child, and after contemplating the 

 scene for some moments, he said, " It was best it should 

 be so." From the father's noble example the husband 

 derived fortitude. " All Norwich mourned her loss in 

 sackcloth and ashes." The care of the two young 

 grandchildren was a solace to Barclay in later years. 



1 MS. Journal of Betty Fothergill. 



2 MS. Journal of Esther Tuckett, attending London Yearly Meeting, May 

 1776; MS. Journal of Sarah Champion, 1776. 



