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ILLNESS AND DEATH.

Mr. WEBSTER died at Marshfield, on Sunday morning, October 24th, 1852.

His health as has been intimated, had failed during the summer from his severe public labors and from the progress of an obscure disease in the liver of long standing, accelerated, no doubt, by the shock which his whole system had received when he was thrown from his carriage in the preceding May. He was aware of his decline, and watched it with a careful observation; frequently giving intimations to those nearest to him of the failure in strength which he noticed, and of the result which he apprehended must be approaching. Towards the end of September he seemed, indeed, to rally a little; but it was soon apparent to others, no less than to himself, that, as the days passed on, each brought with it some slight proof of a gradual decay in his bodily powers and rescources.

On Sunday evening, October 10, he desired a friend, who was sitting with him, to read to him the passage in the ninth chapter of St. Mark's Gospel, where the man brings his child to Jesus to be cured, and the Saviour tells him, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth; and straightway the father of the child cried out, with tears, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief." "Now," he continued, "turn to the tenth chapter of St. John, and read from the verse where it is said, Many of the Jews believed on him.' After this he dictated a few lines, and directed them to be signed with his name and dated Sunday Evening, Oct.

10, 1852. "This," he then added, "is the inscription to be placed on my monument." A few days later,—on the 15th,—he recurred to the same subject, and revised and corrected with his own hand what he had earlier dictated, so as to make the whole read as follows:

“Lord, I believe; help thou
mine unbelief."

Philosophical

argument, especially

that drawn from the vastness of

the Universe, in comparison with the apparent insignificance of this globe, has sometimes shaken my reason for the faith which is in me ; but my heart has always assured and reassured me, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ must be a Divine Reality. The Sermon on the Mount cannot be a merely human production. This belief enters into the

very depth of my conscience.

The whole history of man
proves it

DANIEL WEBSTER

When he first dictated this inscription, he said to the friend who wrote it down-"If I get well, and write a book on Christianity, about which we have talked, we can attend more fully to this matter. But if I should be taken away suddenly, I do not wish to leave any duty of this kind unperformed. I want to leave somewhere a declaration of my belief in Christianity. I do not wish to go into any doctrinal distinctions in regard to the person of Jesus but I wish to express my belief in his divine mission ; ”—solemn and remarkable words, by which it is plain that, having given the deliberate testimony of his life to the truth of Christianity, as a miraculous revelation of God's will to man he desired, though dead, still to bear the same testimony from his

grave to the same great truth. The monument on which he intended this striking inscription should be placed, he has elsewhere directed should be of "exactly the same size and form" with the modest monuments he had already erected, within the same inclosure, for his children and for their mother.

On Tuesday, the 19th of October, he was too feeble to appear at the dinner-table, and desired that his son might take his place at its head, till he should be able again to go down stairs; "or,” he added, 'until I give it up to him altogether." That evening was the last time his friends had the happiness to see him in his accustomed seat at his own hospital fire-side.

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Warned by his increasing debility he had already given some directions concerning a final disposition of his worldly affairs; but he now desired that his will might be immediately drawn up in legal form, and the next day he dictated a considerable portion of it with great precision and a beautiful appropriateness of phraseology. Some of its directions are very striking, not only from their import, but from the simplicity with which their meaning is set forth :

"I wish to be buried," he says, "without the least show or ostentation, but in a manner respectful to my neighbors, whose kindness has contributed so much to the happiness of me and mine, and for whose prosperity I offer sincere prayers to God."

After this, every thing relating to his personal concerns is wisely and well provided for, and all his immediate kindred tenderly remembered. He then goes on:

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My servant, William Johnson, is a free man. I bought his freedom not long ago for six hundred dollars. No demand is to be made upon him for any portion of this sum; but, so long as is agreeable, I hope he will remain with the family. Monicha McCarty, Sarah Smith, and Anna Bean, colored persons, now also, and, for a long time, in my service, are all free. They are very well-deserving, and whoever comes after me, must be kind to them." And then with the usual legal forms, this remarkable and characteristic document is closed.

The day when the preparation of the will was completed— Thursday-was one in which Mr. Webster had attended to much public business, besides giving his usual careful directions about every thing touching his household and his large estate. It was intended, therefore, to postpone the final signing and execution of that paper until the next morning; more especially as his forenoons were uniformly more comfortable than the later portions of the day. But, in the afternoon, his complaint assumed a new and more formidable character. Blood was suddenly ejected from his stomach. The symptom was decisive. He fixed an intensely scrutinizing look upon Dr. Jeffries,-his attending physician and personal friend,-and inquired what it was? He was answered that it came from the diseased part. "What is it?" he repeated with the same piercing look, and then, without waiting for a reply, added, "That is the enemy;-if you can conquer that "—he was interrupted by a recurrence of the attack, but his mind, it was obvious, was already made up. He knew that his time must be short, and that whatever he had to do must be done quickly.

He determined, therefore, at once to execute his will. It was made ready and brought to him. He ascertained that its provisions and arrangements were entirely satisfactory to the persons most interested in them, and then, having signed it with a larger boldness and freedom in the signature than was common to him, he folded his hands together and said solemnly, "I thank God for strength to perform a sensible act." In a full voice, and with a most reverential manner he went on and prayed aloud for some minutes, ending with the Lord's Prayer, and the ascription, "And nowunto God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost, be praise forever more. Peace on earth, and good will towards men; "after which, clasping his hands together, as at first, he added, with great emphasis,-"That is the happiness-the essence-Good will towards men."

Much exhausted with the effort, he desired all but Dr. Jeffries and a favorite colored nurse, who had long been in his service, to

leave the room, that he might rest. But, before he slept, he said, "Doctor you look sober. You think I shall not be here in the morning. But I shall. I shall greet the morning light."

The next forenoon, he repeated a similar assurance to his kind and faithful physician, who as he thought, again looked sad, though he was only overcome with fatigue and long watching. "Cheer up, Doctor-cheer up-I shall not die to-day. You will get me along to day." And so he went on through Friday, giving comfort and kind thoughts to all who surrounded him. In the course of the morning, he attended to the public business that needed immediate care, and gave directions for every thing about his farm and household as usual, and, in the evening sent for the person who managed his affairs, and directed him, with more than his customary exactness, concerning all arrangements for the next day.

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But when the next day-Saturday-came, he felt as he had not felt before. He felt that it was his last day. About eight o'clock in the morning, therefore, he desired that all in the room should leave it, except Doctor Jeffries, who had been his physician for a long period, and who had now been in constant attendance on him living in the house for above a week. During the night Mr. Webster perceived that he had grown weaker by excessive loss of blood from the stomach. He had just suffered afresh in the same way. But when he was certain that he was alone with his professional adviser, and that no loving ear would be pained by what he should say, he spoke in a perfectly clear and even voice, but with much solemnity, of manner, and said, "Doctor, you have carried me through the night. I think you will get me through the day. I shall die to-night." The faithful physician, much moved, said, after a pause, "You are right, Sir." Mr. Webster then went on:

"I wish you, therefore, to send an express to Boston for some younger person to be with you. I shall die to night. You are exhausted, and must be relieved. Who shall it be?" Dr. Jeffries suggested a professional brother, Dr. J. Mason Warren, adding that

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