Chapter 1
I am by birth a Genevese, and my family is one of the most
distinguished of that republic. My ancestors had been for many
years counsellors and syndics, and my father had filled several
public situations with honour and reputation. He was respected by
all who knew him for his integrity and indefatigable attention to
public business. He passed his younger days perpetually occupied by
the affairs of his country; a variety of circumstances had
prevented his marrying early, nor was it until the decline of life
that he became a husband and the father of a family.
As the circumstances of his marriage illustrate his character, I
cannot refrain from relating them. One of his most intimate friends
was a merchant who, from a flourishing state, fell, through
numerous mischances
