3/40 By the advice of M.de Maurepas, the king sent for M.Necker. Engaging in business without any personal taste for it and by his father's wish, he had been successful in his enterprises; at forty he was a rich man, and his banking-house enjoyed great credit when he retired from business, in 1772, in order to devote himself to occupations more in accordance with his natural inclinations. He was ambitious and disinterested. The great operations in which he had been concerned had made his name known. He had propped up the _Compagnie des Indes_ nearly falling to pieces, and his financial resources had often ministered to the necessities of the State. |