day, sat by her bedside, and with her own hand administered the medicine prescribed.  When death had closed the eyes of this poor woman, instead of fleeing in haste from an object so appalling to the young and gay in general, the princess remained and gave utterance to the compassion she felt on viewing the remains in that state from which majesty itself cannot be exempt.  A friend of the deceased, seeing Her Royal Highness was much affected, said, “If your Royal Highness would condescend to touch her, perhaps you would not dream of her.”  “Touch her,” replied the amiable princess, “yes, poor thing! and kiss her, too; almost the only one I ever kissed, except my poor mother!” Then bending her head over the coffin of her humble friend, she pressed her lips to the cold cheeks, while tears flowed from her eyes.

M. de Montesquieu being at Marseilles, hired a boat with the intention of sailing for pleasure; the boat was rowed by two young men, with whom he entered into conversation, and learnt that they were not watermen by trade, but silversmiths, and that when they could be spared from their usual business, they employed themselves in that way to increase their earnings.  On expressing his surprise at their conduct, and imputing it to an avaricious disposition; “Oh! sir,” said the young men, “if you knew our reasons, you would ascribe it to a better motive.—­Our father, anxious to assist his family, devoted the produce of a life of industry to the purchase of a vessel, for the purpose of trading to the coast of Barbary, but was unfortunately taken by a pirate, carried to Tripoli, and sold as a slave.  In a letter we have received from him, he informs that he has luckily fallen into the hands of a master who treats him with great humanity; but the sum demanded for the ransom is so exorbitant, that it will be impossible for him ever to raise it.  He adds, that we must therefore relinquish all hope of ever seeing him again.  With the hopes of restoring to his family a beloved father, we are striving by every honest means in our power to collect the sum necessary for his ransom, and we are not ashamed to employ ourselves for such a purpose in the occupation of watermen.”  M. de Montesquieu was struck with this account, and on his departure made them a handsome present.  Some months afterwards, the young men being at work in their shop, were greatly surprised at the sudden arrival of their father, who threw himself into their arms; exclaiming at the same time, that he feared they had taken some unjust method to raise the money for his ransom, for it was too great for them to have gained by their ordinary occupation.  They professed their ignorance of the whole affair; and could only suspect they owed their father’s release to that stranger to whose generosity they had before been so much obliged.  Such, indeed, was the case; but it was not till after Montesquieu’s death that the fact was known, when an account of the affair, with the sum remitted to Tripoli for the old man’s ransom, was found among his papers.