patiently await that suffrage, because he would be eternal," and that, "like the divinity, he was patient because he was eternal.... patiens quia aternus."

If Madame de Stael has not made a god of her father, she has at least prepared for it in presenting him to us as "a man altogether aerial, altogether celestial, entire ly ethereal; loving only glory, because there is something aerial in glory, which places it between heaven and earth his soul was celestial, his look was celestial; he had a justness in his voice, which supposes I know not what of celestial in the soul, which ac cords with the speech;" "but he was more celestial still in his last moments, because heaven had already descended into his heart; he has left a memory, which will make, in this last age, a luminous ethereal path, a path, which goes from the earth and is con tinued to heaven." "He was a man, who only possessed all his powers when he was struggling against difficulties worthy of those powers; he increased with circumstances, he was proud against the strong; he had the most noble pride and the truest modesty; he had in his soul treasures, which are forever lost, and something vast in the coup-d'ail, which will perhaps never be found a gain." "He could have done every thing which he should have willed firmly; the means of attaining it would have easily presented themselves to his genius." "He had qualities made to serve an ambition without bounds, but restrained by a scrupulous conscience; his generosity was only circumscribed by his duties ;"" his faculties had no other bounds, than

his virtues ;" "a double virtue diminished doubly its force," &c. &c. &c.

That Mr. Necker was the most amiable man, the most tender father, the most desirable husband, that he had even a noble countenance, I agree. That he ought to be regarded as one of the best writers, from the brilliancy and magnificence of his imagination; that he was at the same time a poet and a calculator; that he has made excellent comedies; that he was unequalled from the universality of his faculties, as Voltaire by the diversity of his talents; that he was more continuedly beautiful than Bossuet, I am content not to deny. That he was celestial and divine, let that pass also; but I cannot recognise in him a man superiour to events, and who could master them at his will. I do not see in him that power, which developed itself with so much advantage, when it found obstacles worthy of that power. Did not the revolution appear to him an obstacle worthy of that power? Why did he not grow great with that event? Why did he not then become proud against the strong? Here his genius was not circumscribed by his duty. His duty was to save a monarchy, which he had been called to sustain; his duty was to save a king, who had honoured him with his confidence, and who to raise him had exceeded the laws of the state. Why did he abandon this unfortunate king, and, the only one among all the ministers, why did he refuse to accompany him on an occasion that might have been decisive ? Was it not to designate himself to the factious as a partizan? Ac

cordingly they did not fail to accord him every honour. They made him for some days a hero, soon after a conspirator, when he became of no use, or perhaps even dangerous by his virtues; for I wish to believe that he had some, at least by comparison.

But the colossal glory of Mr. Necker was the work of faction, as well as his proscription; and this is what Madame de Stael does not sufficiently distinguish, when she paints all France mad with joy at the return of Mr. Necker, whose name, elevated to the sky, seemed to return to the heart of his daughter, after having passed the homage of the earth. And what had Mr. Necker done, to merit that women should throw themselves on their knees on the ground, and that the most distinguished men should serve him as postillions,or unharness his horses to drag his carriage themselves? These extravagant demonstrations, which could hardly be justified by the most eminent services, attest the madness of the times, the power of factions, and are more disgraceful, than honourable to the memory of Mr. Necker.

I am obliged to refer to a second article the examination of the thoughts, and the novel,with which Mr. Necker terminated his literary career; but I cannot finish this without speaking of a singu larity, which has struck all those, who have read this account of his character and private life. I had been told before,that Madame de Stael had complained twice, that she had not been the wife of her father. I have found this regret expressed four times. Page 5.

"He retraced that part of his life, the recollection of which affected me so profoundly; that time, when I represented him to myself so amiable, so young, so alone! that period, when our destinies might have been united forever, if fate had created us cotemporaries." P. 111. "There was in the heart of Mr. Necker a love, pure like what is divine, agitated like what is terrestrial....Ah ! what years my mother has enjoyed!" P. 126. I should have lost in this defence my father, my brother, my friend, he whom I should have chosen for the only object of the affection of my life, if heaven had not cast me in another generation." P.139. "If I had been told, you shall be reduced to the most complete poverty, but you shall have your father, in his youth, for the companion of your life, the most delicious futurity would have offered itself to my imagination." From whence it may be concluded, as another singularity in the family, that if Madame de Stael was jealous of her mother, the Baron de Stael ought to have been jealous of Mr. Necker.

"Men, says Madame Necker somewhere, (for every body speaks in this family) men love glory, women shew the way and decide the success; they are the white doves that conduct AÆneas to the golden branch." It will not be the fault of Madame de Stael, if her father does not arrive at glory, and it may be said in her praise, that she has exerted herself to be one of the white doves, that will conduct him to the golden branch.

with some ostentation what pass es in his mind, and call it thoughts, but could make a collection full as agreeable and full as interesting. The reader will learn at least, that Mr. Necker was very fond of curtesies, and that he regrets very much, that the women have lost the custom of them. It was without doubt an enjoyment for him, when he was minister and entered into a saloon, to see all the ladies rise up and receive him with "that slow bending, their eyes cast down, their persons erect, and a manner of rising up and then regarding the person modestly, and throw ing back the body with grace. All this was more delicate than words, but very expressive as a mark of respect."

But if such are the thoughts of Mr. Necker, what must be his sketches of thoughts? To give to the publick even hints of thoughts is being very scrupulous towards it, and to render a very faithful account of what it has a right to expect from the succession of a great man. I believe however, that the nearest heirs might in conscience have sequestered, for their own profit, such sketches as these-On old men. "They ought not to make use of the word delicious, it does not belong to their time of life." So that a poor old man, who may have drank with delight a glass of Clos-Vougeot, cannot say it is delicious; this is hard!On women. "Women must not allow themselves any false movement. There is a primitive reason for every thing which is done habitually." Women will do right not to make any false movement; but I cannot see what connection there can be be

tween the first and second part. -The revolution. "The revolu tion has augmented in France the amount of understanding greater number of people have a little." This is very bad reasoning for a calculator; for if a small number of people have a great deal less, his addition might fail him.-On a custom at Geneva, "What a charming custom at Geneva! a man takes the name of his wife; what an admirable in vention, that of a woman!" I have often heard this jest, but I should never have imagined that it had been written seriously, and above all printed.

If the thoughts or the sketches of thoughts of Mr. Necker sometimes pass the commonplace cir, cle of puerility and silliness, they rarely distinguish themselves by any elevation of manner, truth, or profundity; nor by the graces of wit and refinement, the only cha. racters which can make such a work exist. I shall say nothing of the chapter On commerce and the legislation of grains, a piece which by its extent and its object passes the class of thoughts, and is more particularly connected with the meditations and customary studies of Mr. Necker. I have said nothing about an ingenious piece of pleasantry entitled, the happiness of fools, because it has been long known. M. de Talley. rand, who if he were happy could not believe in the system of Mr. Necker, gave an answer, which was read with pleasure, but which I believe was never printed. This delicate passage in it was remark, ed. "Mr. Necker is the first innovator who is not of his sect."

An Englishwoman with a beau, tiful face, and an Englishman

with a superb face, become man and wife ; they are ruined by a speculator, and they kill themselves. Such is the novel of Mr. Necker in all, three personages, the married couple and the scoundrel who dupes them; and three events, a marriage, the ruin of a family, and two discharges of a pistol, which finishes the affair and the novel. The rest is filled up with long amorous conversations of the husband and wife, and, when they find they are not worth a farthing, by long desperate conversations, followed by the still more desperate project of shooting them selves. This is not very gay, as one may see; and what is worse, it has very little attraction. The happiness of two people might be interesting, without doubt; but this happiness should be put in action. Nothing can be more fatiguing, nothing more soporifick, than to describe these eternal conversations, where the husband and wife assault us with insipidity, converse mutually of their charms, of their beauty, their eyes, their hair, their heart, their soul, their love, of that thee, which is me, of that thine,which is mine, of that universe which is gone when they are no longer together, &c.

What could be more ridiculous, than the part played by the Chevalier Sommers, when he had a party in his house, and when he

THE FAMILY

IN every place there are individuals, who can barely supply themselves with the necessaries of life, when in health, and who, when sick, require the assistance of charitable neighbours. In cit

"entered every moment into the apartment of my Lady Sommers to know if she was ready to ap pear; and when she was, he preceded her with precipitation, and placed himself in a manner to judge of the effect, which would be caused among the circle by the dress and beauty of Eliza. Then he approached the persons, who had shewn the most surprize!-Well!.....said he to each one of them in particular." Let every one figure to themselves how excessive silly is that well! in the mouth of the husband. As to Lady Sommers, she talks much to her husband of his noble beauty, of his superb countenance, of his beautiful eyes, of his beautiful hair, of his curls which become him so well, which she will roll herself on her fingers and think she is making a love-knot. She even tells him some sweet things in dreaming..

I shall say nothing of the catastrophe, it is still more monstrous, than affecting. Is the loss of fortune then a sufficient motive for suicide? Ought the gentle soul of a woman to partake the ferocious madness of her husband? Madame de Stael has defended suicide in theory; Mr. Necker, puts it in practice : Such are the conservatory ideas, that the father and daughter bequeath to their cotemporaries and posterity.