The introduction argues that many of Rousseau's faults stemmed from causes beyond his control, and that his greatest fault was a desire to appear other than he was. The deck covers his Confessions from childhood through his final years and death.
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Chapter 1 · Question
What faults does the introduction say were generally due to causes beyond Rousseau's control?
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Chapter 1 · Answer
The introduction states his faults and mistakes were generally due to a defective education, acute sensitiveness that bred suspicion, irresolution, an overstrained sense of honour and independence, and an obstinate refusal to take advice from would-be friends. It adds that he suffered from an incurable disease for most of his life, and asks that these causes be remembered when judging him.
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Section 14 cards
What faults does the introduction say were generally due to causes beyond Rousseau's control?
The introduction states his faults and mistakes were generally due to a defective education, acute sensitiveness that bred suspicion, irresolution, an overstrained sense of honour and independence, and an obstinate refusal to take advice from would-be friends. It adds that he suffered from an incurable disease for most of his life, and asks that these causes be remembered when judging him.
Chapter 1
What does the introduction call Rousseau's greatest fault, and how does it say he atoned?
It calls his greatest fault the renunciation of a father's duty to his offspring. The introduction says this crime he expiated by a long and bitter repentance. It also notes he occasionally treated the memory of his mistress and benefactress, Madame de Warens, with an unbecoming lack of delicacy, though it insists his love for her was deep and sincere.
Chapter 1
According to the introduction, what effect did La Nouvelle Heloise have on Switzerland?
The introduction says Rousseau may be said to have done for Switzerland what the Waverly Novels' author did for Scotland, turning its mountains, lakes and islands from objects of aversion into a fairyland of appealing characters. Shortly after publication began the stream of tourists and travellers that made Switzerland more celebrated and more opulent every year.
Chapter 1
How does the introduction describe Rousseau's final years and death?
After fleeing England he wandered in France, wrote the second part of the Confessions at Trye, declared Therese his wife before witnesses, lived seven years in Paris copying music, then stayed at Ermenonville with M. de Girardin. He died there on 3 July 1778 of apoplexy; the introduction says trustworthy witnesses, including a physician, contradict the suicide rumor.
Chapter 1
Section 24 cards
Why does Rousseau claim originality in the opening of his Confessions?
Rousseau declares he has studied mankind and knows his own heart, asserting he is made unlike anyone he has known, perhaps like no one in existence. He claims originality if not superiority, and says whether Nature did wisely in breaking the mould that formed him can only be judged after reading the work. He presents the book as a full account of his thoughts and actions, concealing no crimes and adding no virtues.
Chapter 2
How did Rousseau's parents' marriage come about, and what obstacle preceded it?
Rousseau's father and mother loved each other from childhood, walking together by the Treille at eight or nine. When he could not obtain her, she advised him to travel and forget her; he returned more passionate, and she was equally constant. Her brother Gabriel Bernard then wished to marry the father's sister, who made his sister's marriage to her brother an indispensable preliminary, so both weddings were celebrated the same day.
Chapter 2
What effect did the romance reading with his father have on young Rousseau?
After supper Rousseau and his father read from his mother's collection of romances, intended to improve his reading. They became so absorbed they read whole nights together, and his father would shamefacedly send them to bed at dawn. Rousseau says this dangerous custom gave him extreme facility in reading and comprehension but also, for his age, too intimate an acquaintance with the passions—sensations familiar without precise ideas, adding a romantic notion of life that experience never eradicated.
Chapter 2
How did reading Plutarch shape Rousseau's character, and what anecdote illustrates it?
Plutarch became Rousseau's favorite, extinguishing his taste for romances; he preferred Agesilaus, Brutus, and Aristides to romance heroes. These studies and conversations with his father produced, the author argues, a republican spirit and love of liberty that made him impatient of restraint. At table, relating the fortitude of Scoevola, he sprang from his seat and held his hand over a hot chafing-dish to represent the Roman's action.
Chapter 2
Section 34 cards
According to Rousseau, what first made him aware of caprice?
Rousseau claims he was a stranger to caprice until he experienced the authority of a master. He explains that because everyone around him loved him tenderly and his desires were so seldom contradicted, he hardly sensed possessing any desires at all. He presents this as evidence that his early environment of mildness kept him from becoming cruel or vicious.
Chapter 3
Who does Rousseau credit for his lifelong passion for music?
Rousseau credits his aunt Susan, though he admits his taste for music did not appear until considerably later. He is fully persuaded he owes it to her because she knew many songs and sang them with sweetness and melody. Some of her songs stayed in his memory, and as an old man he sometimes wept while muttering airs from his infancy.
Chapter 3
Why did Rousseau's father choose voluntary exile?
After a quarrel, M. G---- accused Rousseau's father of drawing his sword in the city, and they were about to take him to prison. The father insisted, under the law of the republic, that the accuser be confined at the same time. Unable to obtain this, he preferred voluntary banishment for the rest of his life rather than sacrifice his honor and liberty.
Chapter 3
What effect did Miss Lambercier's punishment have on young Rousseau?
Rousseau says the threatened punishment seemed dreadful, but the reality was much less terrible than the idea. It increased his affection for the woman who inflicted it, and a sensuality mingled with the smart and shame, leaving more desire than fear of repetition. He notes he was about eight and she about thirty, and claims this shaped his desires for life.
Chapter 3
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Why did Rousseau say he remained morally chaste despite an ardent constitution?
Rousseau says his natural timidity, joined with a childish taste formed by Miss Lambercier, kept him from being enterprising with women. He preferred falling at an imperious mistress's feet, obeying her mandates, and imploring pardon. He argues that the senses, working with a timid and romantic mind, preserved his morals and feelings, though a moderate portion of effrontery might have plunged him into excesses.
Chapter 4
What was Rousseau accused of at Bossey, and what did he swear decades later?
A comb belonging to Miss Lambercier was found with broken teeth. Only Rousseau had entered the room, so he was questioned, denied it, and was punished along with his cousin. Fifty years later he avers before Heaven that he was absolutely innocent and never went near the fire, though he cannot conceive how the damage happened.
Chapter 4
How did the punishment for the broken comb change Rousseau's childhood happiness?
Rousseau says the event ended his infantine serenity and that he ceased to enjoy pure happiness from that moment. He and his cousin learned to dissemble, rebel, and lie; affection and confidence toward their guides faded, and they no longer saw them as divinities. He describes the country as a gloomy desert and says they left the Lamberciers without regret.
Chapter 4
What did Rousseau and his cousin do to water their willow on the terrace?
They cut a willow slip and planted it on the terrace about eight to ten feet from Mr. Lambercier's walnut tree, making a hollow around it. Water was scarce and they were not permitted to fetch it, so they dug an underground furrow to divert water secretly from the walnut tree to their willow. The first attempt failed when the earth fell in and stopped the furrow.
Chapter 4
Section 52 cards
What two kinds of love does the author say he experienced?
The author argues he felt two equally real loves with scarce affinity: one for Miss Vulson, a serene, brotherly affection mixed with lover's jealousy, strongest in company; and one for Miss Goton, a bewildering, submissive passion where every sense was absorbed and he would have obeyed any command. He says his life was divided between these affections.
Chapter 5
What ended the author's correspondence with Miss Vulson?
She visited him at Geneva for two days, then sent sweetmeats and gloves. At the same moment he learned she had married, and that her journey had actually been to buy her wedding suit. Indignant, he swore never to see her again, though twenty years later he spotted her on the lake and had the boat turned away.
Chapter 5
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Why was Rousseau sent to Mr. Masseron, and how did that placement end?
His relatives, after long deliberation, sent him to Mr. Masseron, the City Register, to learn the occupation his uncle Bernard mockingly called that of a "scraper." Rousseau hated the assiduity and subjection required and never entered the office without horror. Masseron treated him with disdain, called him a fool and blockhead, and finally turned him out, with the clerks pronouncing him fit only to handle a file.
Chapter 6
How did Rousseau's apprenticeship under M. Ducommon change his character?
Rousseau was bound apprentice to M. Ducommon, an engraver of violent and boorish character. Under this servitude he forgot his Latin, history, and antiquities, and his father no longer saw his idol. He says the tyranny drove him to vices he naturally despised—falsehood, idleness, and theft—and he contrasts his earlier reasonable liberty with this abject slavery, which he says vitiated his mind.
Chapter 6
What was Rousseau's first theft, and what did he say caused it?
His first theft was asparagus: the journeyman Verrat persuaded him by flattery to gather the earliest asparagus from Verrat's mother's garden and sell it to old women at the Holard, who suspected how he got it and lowered the price. Rousseau says complaisance occasioned this first theft, but it produced others with less plausible excuse. He took only a small bribe while Verrat enjoyed the breakfast.
Chapter 6
How did Rousseau justify continuing to steal after beatings?
Rousseau says continual ill treatment made him callous; he came to see robbery and punishment as inseparable, a kind of traffic in which, if he performed his part, his master would not fail in his. So he stole with tranquility, answering any worry with "I know the worst, I shall be beat." He also says he stole tools and drawings to use in his master's service, imagining he stole the art itself.
Chapter 6
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Why does Rousseau say he feared taking money more than other misdeeds?
Rousseau argues his dread of stealing money came largely from education: the idea of money carried fear of infamy, prison, punishment, and death, which made him tremble even when tempted. By contrast, his other failings seemed to him a kind of waggery, punishable at most by a beating, which he was already prepared to endure.
Chapter 7
How does Rousseau describe his temperament in moments of passion versus tranquility?
Rousseau says his passions are extremely violent: under their influence he is impetuous, without discretion, respect, fear, or decorum, and no shame or danger stops him. In tranquil moments he is indolence and timidity itself; the least task seems intolerable labor, everything alarms him, and he is so subdued by fear and shame that he would hide from view.
Chapter 7
Why does Rousseau say he values money yet covets nothing more?
Rousseau argues money is the instrument of liberty, while money one lacks and strives to obtain is the instrument of slavery. As long as his purse holds money it secures his independence and spares him the trouble of seeking more, which he dreads. So he holds fast to what he has yet covets nothing further, and calls his disinterestedness really only idleness.
Chapter 7
What effect does Rousseau say his reading had on him during his apprenticeship?
Rousseau says reading became an unconquerable passion that made him neglect his work and brought additional punishment. He read avidly and without discrimination from La Tribu's library, and within less than a year had exhausted it. Though much of the reading was bad, it wore off childish follies and turned his heart to nobler sentiments, leaving him disgusted with his situation.
Chapter 7
Section 84 cards
Why did Rousseau vow never to return to his master?
After an accident on the glacis, his companions laughed and decided what to do, but Rousseau reacted with despair and made a sudden, different resolution: he swore on the spot never to return to his master's. The next morning he bade his companions an eternal adieu and asked them to tell his cousin Bernard of his resolution and where to see him one last time.
Chapter 8
What did cousin Bernard give Rousseau, and how does Rousseau interpret his cousin's conduct?
Bernard gave him trifling presents, including a small sword Rousseau was proud of and later sold at Turin out of absolute want. Rousseau argues Bernard's encouragement of the flight, and his seeming lack of feeling, likely followed his mother's instructions, perhaps his father's too; left to himself, Bernard would have tried to keep or accompany him. They never met or wrote again.
Chapter 8
What alternative life does Rousseau imagine he might have had as a Genevan engraver?
He imagines the peaceful condition of a good artificer in the respectable trade of engraver at Geneva would have suited him best: easy subsistence, moderate pleasures, his natural sphere, and no temptation to go beyond it. He says he would have been a good Christian, citizen, friend, and man, lived in happy obscurity among family, and died at peace, remembered with tenderness.
Chapter 8
How does Rousseau describe M. de Pontverre's motives in sending him to Madame de Warens?
Rousseau argues Pontverre was religious but not virtuous—a bigot whose merit lay in images, beads, and libels against Geneva's ministers. Rather than dissuade him or send him home, Pontverre encouraged his escape and directed him to Annecy and the convert Madame de Warens, caring only that a soul be restored to the church, not whether Rousseau became honest or a knave.
Chapter 8
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How does Rousseau first react to seeing Madame de Warens at the door?
He expected a devout, forbidding old woman, since he assumed M. de Pontverre's pious lady could be no other. Instead he sees a face beaming with charms, fine blue eyes, a dazzlingly white complexion, and an enchanting neck. He says in that instant he was hers, joking that a religion preached by such missionaries must lead to paradise.
Chapter 9
What does the chapter say about Madame de Warens's education and its effects?
She lost her mother at birth and was taught piecemeal by her governess, father, masters, and especially her lovers, notably M. de Tavel. These unarranged instructions impeded each other, so her natural good sense never fully developed. She knew some philosophy and physic but retained her father's fondness for empiricism and alchemy, making elixirs and tinctures while quacks exploited her.
Chapter 9
Why does Rousseau say Madame de Warens's active disposition benefited her?
He argues her inexhaustible activity demanded perpetual employment and made her unfit for the simple, uniform life of a nun and the parlor gossip of a convent. This restlessness, though it involved her in many difficulties, at least prevented her from spending the rest of her life in the monastic asylum she had chosen and had some thought of entering.
Chapter 9
What advice does the gluttonous fellow guest give Rousseau about his subsistence?
He advises Rousseau to go to Turin, to a hospital instituted for instructing catechumens, where he would find spiritual and temporal food, be reconciled to the church, and meet charitable Christians who would procure him a situation. He adds that the bishop and the baroness would contribute to the journey's expenses. Rousseau is displeased, though Madame de Warens mentions it to the bishop.
Chapter 9
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Why did Rousseau submit without much reluctance to being sent to Turin?
Rousseau says he submitted without much repugnance because the journey was undertaken in obedience to Madam de Warens, which he found more flattering than staying nearby. Turin, though farther from her than Geneva, was the capital of the country he was in. He also admits his insurmountable passion for rambling and the tempting idea of crossing the Alps and seeing the world.
Chapter 10
What moral lesson does Rousseau draw from his father's failure to reclaim him?
The author argues we should never put our interests in competition with our duty, or expect happiness from others' misfortunes, since in such circumstances love of virtue will sooner or later give way and we imperceptibly become unjust. He says this maxim, though practiced rather too late, shaped his conduct, and that observers mistook his avoidance of such situations for affectation and originality.
Chapter 10
How did Rousseau lose his money and possessions on the journey to Turin?
Rousseau had indiscreetly revealed that Madam de Warens had secretly given him money, and his conductors profited by it. Madam Sabran found means to deprive him of everything, even a silver-embroidered ribbon from Madam de Warens on his sword hilt, which he regretted most. He arrived at Turin without money, clothes, or linen.
Chapter 10
How does Rousseau describe his mood during the seven or eight days from Annecy to Turin?
He calls it the happiest circumstances of mind and body he ever recollected: young, healthy, secure, full of confidence in himself and others, in that charming moment when existence feels expansive and all nature charming. He imagined every house festive, meadows full of sport, and abundant fruit and cream, and says no interval of his life was more perfectly exempt from care.
Chapter 10
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Why did Rousseau enter the hospital of the catechumens?
He was to be instructed in the Catholic religion in return for subsistence, having delivered letters he was charged with. On entering, an iron-barred gate was double-locked behind him, and he was conducted to a large apartment with a wooden altar and crucifix, where four or five ill-looking companions awaited instruction.
Chapter 11
What did Rousseau claim about his own childhood religious capacity?
The author argues he had more religion than a child could be supposed capable of, insisting he was not a child in childhood but felt and thought as a man. He challenges skeptics to find a six-year-old moved to tears by romances, then he will admit his vanity was ridiculous.
Chapter 11
Why did Rousseau say Protestants are better instructed than Catholics?
He argues Protestant doctrine requires discussion while Catholic doctrine requires blind submission: the Catholic must accept others' decisions, the Protestant must learn to decide for himself. He notes the priests knew this, but underestimated his knowledge from M. Lambercier's and the church history he learned at his father's.
Chapter 11
What sophism did Rousseau say ruined him and many others?
He describes lamenting the want of resolution only after the opportunity to exercise it has passed. Virtue is difficult mainly through negligence; people yield to surmountable desires and enter perilous situations, then blame weakness. He says conscience replies that sufficient strength was given not to fall in the first place.
Chapter 11
Section 124 cards
Why did Rousseau hasten his abjuration at the hospital?
Rousseau says the hospital became more disagreeable every day, and he saw only one way out. He therefore hurried his abjuration as eagerly as he had previously delayed it, while his directors spent a month recapitulating every dogma so they could claim credit for a difficult conversion.
Chapter 12
What happened to Rousseau at the end of the conversion ceremonies?
After the ceremonies ended, his directors exhorted him to remain a good Christian and obey the grace he had received. They wished him good fortune, gave him rather more than twenty francs of small money collected during the procession, turned him out, shut the door, and he saw them no more.
Chapter 12
How did Rousseau feel after being turned out with only about twenty francs?
Rousseau claims he felt no despair, despite his expectations collapsing. Having spent two months confined, he felt chiefly joy at recovered liberty. He was again master of his time in a large city, and his twenty livres seemed an inexhaustible treasure he could spend without accounting to anyone.
Chapter 12
How did Rousseau meet Madame Basile, and what was his reaction?
Walking early in the Contra nova, Rousseau saw a young tradeswoman behind a counter and, despite his timidity, entered and offered his engraving services. She accepted, heard his story, pitied him, and fetched breakfast. He describes her as Madame Basile, and says he tasted there the purest and most delightful pleasures of love.
Chapter 12
Section 134 cards
What sign did Madame Basile give Rousseau when he knelt before her?
She said nothing and did not look at him; partly turning her head, she pointed with the movement of her finger only to the mat at her feet. Rousseau sprang up with a cry of joy and took the place, but dared do no more—not even speak or raise his eyes to hers.
Chapter 13
How did Rousseau explain his lack of success with women?
The author argues he loved too sincerely and purely, valuing the woman's reputation more than his own life. He claims he used so much care, precaution, and secrecy that all his adventures failed, concluding his want of success proceeded from having loved women too well.
Chapter 13
How did M. Basile react to finding Rousseau at his table?
He entered in a scarlet coat with gold buttons, received his wife's caresses with indifference, and asked sharply who the lad was. Told Rousseau did not lodge there, he rudely replied he might as well stay all night too. The monk defended Madame Basile's charity, but the husband's petulance showed he had already been informed.
Chapter 13
What ended Rousseau's relations with Madame Basile?
After the dinner, the clerk triumphantly told Rousseau he must leave the house at once and never return. Rousseau departed in sorrow, less for leaving her than for leaving her to such a husband. He walked the street hoping to see her but was watched, and other events soon banished her memory.
Chapter 13
Section 143 cards
What position did Rousseau take in the household of the Countess of Vercellis?
He entered her service as a footman, not as a favorite. He was clothed like the other servants, except he lacked a shoulder-knot, and since her livery had no lace it looked like a tradesman's suit. His main duty, which he did not dislike, was writing from her dictation because a cancer in her breast prevented her from writing herself.
Chapter 14
What did Rousseau steal, and whom did he accuse of taking it?
A pink and silver ribbon belonging to Mademoiselle Pontal was the only item missing from the inventory. Rousseau stole it, and when questioned he said Marion, the Mauriennese cook, gave it to him. He boldly maintained the accusation to her face; she denied it firmly but without anger, and the Count de la Roque sent them both away.
Chapter 14
What lasting effect did the false accusation of Marion have on Rousseau?
He says the painful remembrance of the crime hung on his conscience for forty years and seemed to gather strength as he aged. He never told anyone its details, not even Madam de Warens, though he admitted an atrocious crime. He argues remorse sleeps in prosperity but wakes in adversity, and the desire to relieve himself contributed to his resolve to write the Confessions.
Chapter 14
Section 154 cards
Why does Rousseau say he accused Marion of stealing the ribbon?
Rousseau claims wickedness was far from his thoughts and that his friendship for Marion actually caused the accusation. He says he formed his excuse from the first object that came to mind, accusing her of what he meant to do himself, and asserting she gave him the ribbon he intended to give her. He attributes the lie to overwhelming shame rather than fear of punishment.
Chapter 15
What emotion does Rousseau say drove him to persist in the false accusation?
Rousseau says he dreaded shame more than death, more than the crime, more than all the world. He would have buried himself in the earth; invincible shame bore down every other sentiment and caused all his impudence. He felt no dread except being publicly declared a thief, liar, and calumniator, and adds that if left to himself or gently taken aside, he would have confessed.
Chapter 15
What does Rousseau claim was the good effect of the Marion affair?
Rousseau says the deed preserved him through the rest of his life from any criminal action, leaving a terrible impression from the only crime he ever committed. He thinks his aversion to lying proceeds largely from regret at that black lie, and hopes forty years of uprightness and honor amid later misfortunes may have expiated it.
Chapter 15
What did M. Gaime teach Rousseau about virtue and duty?
Gaime taught that a man of understanding can reach happiness even in adverse fortune, that no true felicity exists without virtue, and that superiors are neither better nor happier than those they command. He said we would rather descend than rise if we could read hearts, and that steady discharge of little duties needs as much fortitude as heroic acts and brings more honor.
Chapter 15
Section 163 cards
Why did Rousseau believe the 't' in the Solar motto 'Tel fiert qui ne fue pas' was not superfluous?
He argued 'fiert' was an old French word derived not from the noun 'ferus' (proud, threatening) but from the verb 'ferit' (he strikes, he wounds). The motto therefore meant 'Some strike who do not kill' rather than a threat. His explanation astonished the company and earned praise from the old Count de Gauvon and a satisfied look from Mademoiselle de Breil.
Chapter 16
What position did the Abbe de Gauvon give Rousseau, and what did Rousseau gain from it?
The Abbe, a younger son destined for a bishopric, had studied at Sienna and took Rousseau on as a pupil, having him sit by his fireside each morning. Rousseau copied and wrote from dictation rather than performing menial offices. Through this secretary work he learned pure Italian and acquired a taste for literature and some discernment of composition, useful when he later wrote alone.
Chapter 16
Why did Rousseau abandon his promising prospects at the Count de Gauvon's household?
His friend Bacle, a lively Genevan comrade, was forbidden the house for engrossing Rousseau's time. Incensed, Rousseau neglected the abbe and count and was threatened with dismissal. That threat suggested Bacle need not depart alone, so Rousseau chose to travel with him, picturing Madam de Warens at the journey's end, and decided ambition was not worth a quarter hour of youthful liberty.
Chapter 16
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How did Madam de Warens receive Rousseau on his return?
The first glance of Madam de Warens banished his fears. She showed little surprise and no sorrow, calling him "Poor child!" and saying she knew he was too young for the journey but was glad it turned out better than she apprehended. She had him recount his history, arranged for him to sleep in the house, and said that since Providence sent him back, she was determined not to abandon him.
Chapter 17
Section 184 cards
Why did Rousseau dislike lingering so long at meals with Madam de Warens?
Madam de Warens was so incommoded by the first smell of soup or meat that she nearly fainted, and would not eat for the first half hour, talking meanwhile. Rousseau could have dined three times in that span, so he ate again for company, usually dining twice without inconvenience.
Chapter 18
What names did Rousseau and Madam de Warens use for each other, and what did they signify?
She called him 'child' and he called her 'mamma,' names they kept for the rest of her life, even after years had almost effaced the apparent age difference. Rousseau says the names convey the simplicity of their manners and the similarity of their dispositions, with her as the tenderest of mothers preferring his welfare to her own pleasure.
Chapter 18
How did Rousseau describe his feelings when present with versus absent from Madam de Warens?
In her presence he was only content, in a ravishing calm without transports or desires. When absent, his uneasiness reached almost to melancholy, and the wish to live with her gave him emotions of tenderness even to tears. He says the sudden sight of her at their first interview was the only truly passionate moment she ever inspired in him.
Chapter 18
What did Rousseau gain from reading The Spectator and the Henriade with Madam de Warens?
The Abbe de Gauvon had taught him to read less eagerly and with more attention, making his studies more serviceable. He practiced elocution and elegance of composition, discerning pure French from his provincial idiom. From two lines of the Henriade he corrected an orthographical fault common to all Genevese, learning that 'parlat' needed a 't' for the subjunctive.
Chapter 18
Section 194 cards
What did M. d'Aubonne conclude about Rousseau's abilities after questioning him?
M. d'Aubonne, sent by Madam de Warens under the pretense of messages, observed Rousseau in casual conversation and concluded that despite an animated countenance and promising exterior, Rousseau was a lad of very little sense, without ideas of learning, and very ignorant in all respects. He told Madam de Warens that becoming curate of some village was the utmost honor Rousseau should aspire to.
Chapter 19
How does Rousseau describe the relationship between his feelings and his ideas?
Rousseau says two opposite things unite in him: his disposition is ardent and his passions lively and impetuous, yet his ideas are produced slowly, with great embarrassment and afterthought. He claims his heart and understanding seem not to belong to the same individual. Sentiment seizes his soul like lightning but dazzles and confounds him; he feels all but sees nothing, and must be cool to think.
Chapter 19
Where and how does Rousseau say he composes his writing?
Rousseau says he can never do anything at a table with pen in hand; he must be walking among the rocks or in the woods, or at night in bed during wakeful hours. His manuscripts are blotted, scratched, and scarcely legible, and he transcribes each four or five times before press. He turns some periods over in his head five or six nights before committing them to paper.
Chapter 19
Why was Rousseau sent to the seminary, and who taught him there?
Since Rousseau did not know enough Latin for the priesthood, Madam de Warens arranged for him to be taught at the seminary under the Lazarist Superior M. Gras, with the bishop's consent and the bishop offering to pay the pension. A harsh Lazarist taught him Latin and made him detest it; M. Gras then moved him to the gentle young Abbe M. Gatier.
Chapter 19
Section 204 cards
Why did Rousseau make little progress with most of his teachers?
The author argues his mind was impatient of all constraint and could not submit to another's timetable. Fear of not learning made him inattentive, and dread of wearying his teachers made him feign understanding, so they moved faster than he could follow. He says he learned much only from his father and M. Lambercier, and the rest alone.
Chapter 20
What happened to M. Gatier after he left the seminary?
He returned to his province as deacon. Some years later Rousseau learned that Gatier, as vicar of a parish, had a child by a young girl, the only woman he ever loved. In a strictly governed diocese this scandal led to his imprisonment, defamation, and loss of his benefice. Rousseau later joined Gatier with M. Gaime to form the Savoyard Vicar in Emilius.
Chapter 20
Why did Rousseau attest to the fire anecdote for Berner's beatification?
He had truly seen the bishop praying and the wind change during the prayer, but could not be certain one caused the other. He says love of the marvellous is natural, and veneration for the prelate plus secret pride in perhaps contributing seduced him. He was then sincerely Catholic, and admits he acted ill by helping an indifferent occurrence pass for a miracle.
Chapter 20
How did Rousseau come to live with the musician M. le Maitre?
Madam de Warens held weekly concerts, and the cathedral music-master, a Parisian named M. le Maitre, often visited. She introduced them, a pension was agreed, and Rousseau spent the winter at his chambers, about twenty paces from hers. He calls this free but regular life one of his happiest intervals, learning to prize independence without abusing it.
Chapter 20
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Why did Madame de Warens send Rousseau to accompany Le Maitre to Lyons?
She ordered Rousseau to follow Le Maitre to Lyons and stay with him as long as he needed his services. She later admitted that a desire to detach Rousseau from M. Venture played a large part in the arrangement. She also added money to Le Maitre's purse under the pretext of paying Rousseau's expenses.
Chapter 21
How did Rousseau and Le Maitre deceive the curate Reydelet at Seyssel?
Though Reydelet was a canon known to Le Maitre and someone they should have avoided, Rousseau advised presenting themselves to him. Le Maitre claimed he was going to Bellay by the bishop's desire to supervise Easter music. Rousseau supported the tale with many invented details, so Reydelet welcomed them warmly, lodged and fed them well, and they parted as friends.
Chapter 21
What did Rousseau do when Le Maitre suffered a violent fit in a Lyons street?
Le Maitre was attacked by a fit so violent it alarmed Rousseau, who screamed for help and named their inn, asking people to carry him there. While the crowd gathered around the senseless man, Rousseau seized the moment when no one was watching him, turned the corner of the street, and disappeared, abandoning the only friend he could reasonably depend on.
Chapter 21
Where did Rousseau go after leaving Le Maitre, and what did he find on arrival?
He set out immediately for Annecy, with no wish but to return to Madame de Warens; his attachment to her had rooted out every project and ambition, and he felt only that distance from her increased his unhappiness. He traveled with such agitation that he recalls only leaving Lyons and reaching Annecy. On arrival he found she was not there, having set out for Paris.
Chapter 21
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Why did Rousseau believe Madame de Warens went to Paris?
Rousseau admits he never learned her motives, being incurious about friends' secrets. He conjectures that after the King of Sardinia's abdication caused upheaval at Turin, she feared being forgotten and sought the same advantage at the French court through M. d'Aubonne's intrigues. He notes she often said she preferred France, where abundant business prevents close inspection of one's conduct.
Chapter 22
What happened to Le Maitre's music box, and how did Rousseau later judge his desertion?
Le Maitre's precious box, containing his entire fortune, was seized at Lyons through Count Dortan, acting on information from the Chapter that they had absconded with it. Le Maitre's claim was decided by superior strength, and he lost the labor of his youth. Rousseau initially found his desertion not very culpable, but says he now sees it otherwise, since the remembrance of crimes is not extinguished.
Chapter 22
How did Rousseau meet Mademoiselle de G---- and Mademoiselle Galley?
One morning about a week after midsummer, Rousseau walked into the country to watch the sunrise. He heard horses and women's voices behind him; the two young women, unable to make their horses cross a brook, called him by name. He led Mademoiselle Galley's horse through the water, then was declared their prisoner and invited to accompany them to Toune.
Chapter 22
What was Rousseau's stated taste in women, and how did it shape his conduct that day?
Rousseau says seamstresses, chambermaids, and milliners never tempted him; he sighed for ladies. He claims it was not riches or rank but a well-preserved complexion, fine hands, elegant ornaments, neatness, taste in dress, a well-turned ankle, and small foot that attracted him. He confesses this preference is ridiculous yet his heart yields to it, and says it depended only on his own resolution to seize the opportunity.
Chapter 22
Section 234 cards
How did Rousseau describe the quality of the day spent with the two young ladies?
He calls it a day passed with the greatest freedom yet the utmost decency, with no equivocal words or double-meaning pleasantry. The delicacy was not affected, he says, but came from the heart. He argues that innocent manners carry an enjoyment superior to any other because it has no interval, and that the remembrance delighted him more than any other pleasure he ever tasted.
Chapter 23
What was the most familiar liberty Rousseau allowed himself with Mademoiselle Galley?
He says the greatest familiarity that escaped him was once kissing her hand. They were alone, he was embarrassed, her eyes were fixed on the ground, and she drew her hand gently back after the salute without any appearance of displeasure. He notes her friend entered at that moment, and he then thought her ugly. He insists his modesty, or folly, kept him from more.
Chapter 23
How does Rousseau respond to readers who laugh at his amours ending in a kiss of the hand?
He tells them not to mistake their estimate of his enjoyments. The author argues he has perhaps tasted more real pleasure in amours that concluded by a kiss of the hand than the reader will ever have in theirs, which at least begin there. He thus presents his restraint not as failure but as a source of superior enjoyment.
Chapter 23
What did Venture do for Rousseau regarding the Judge Major, and how did the dinner go?
Venture had spoken of Rousseau to the Judge Major, M. Simon, and took him to dine there the next day. Rousseau says Simon treated them politely and the conversation was agreeable. Rousseau played the listener without joining in. Neither man mentioned the couplet, and Rousseau does not know whether it ever passed for his. He dates their acquaintance from this dinner.
Chapter 23
Section 241 cards
What deception did Rousseau adopt at Lausanne, and how did his first composition go?
He resolved to act the part of Venture at Lausanne: teach music he did not understand and claim to come from Paris, where he had never been. He changed his name by anagram to Vaussore de Villeneuve and boasted of composing skill. For Monsieur de Freytorens's concerts he labored a fortnight on a piece, tacking on a popular street minuet. The performance dissolved into confused discord, though the minuet drew laughter and praise.
Chapter 24
Section 251 cards
What did Rousseau do after Lutold learned of his musical ignorance?
Rousseau confessed everything to the musician Lutold, admitting his ignorance and begging him to keep it secret. Lutold kept his word, but by that same evening all of Lausanne knew who Rousseau was. Notably, no one seemed to know—not even Perrotet, who continued to lodge and board him despite what had happened.
Chapter 25
Section 264 cards
How did Rousseau's public speaking differ between youth and old age?
Rousseau says the address before the sovereign at Berne was the only time he spoke boldly and well in public. He contrasts this with a later deputation at Yverdon, where, though naturally timid, he had sometimes acted with confidence in his youth; in advanced age he became confused, stopped short, and was laughed at, concluding that the more he saw of the world, the less he could adapt to its manners.
Chapter 26
How did the Marquis de Bonac respond to Rousseau's confession?
Rousseau, calling himself a Parisian, was detained by the ambassador and granted a private audience. He threw himself at Bonac's feet and disclosed everything without reserve. Bonac was so pleased with the story and Rousseau's ingenuousness that he presented him to the ambassadress, who said he must not follow the Greek monk. It was resolved he should stay at their hotel until something better could be arranged.
Chapter 26
What disappointed Rousseau on first entering Paris?
Rousseau had imagined Paris as a splendid city of magnificent palaces of marble and gold. Entering by the faubourg St. Marceau, he saw only dirty stinking streets, filthy black houses, slovenliness and poverty, beggars, carters, butchers, and cries of tisane and old hats. The impression was so strong that later magnificence never erased it, and he says he spent his time there seeking means to live away from it.
Chapter 26
Why did Rousseau refuse Colonel Godard's offer?
Godard, though immensely rich, was avaricious and wanted Rousseau's services for nothing, placing him with his nephew rather as an unpaid valet than a tutor. He argued Rousseau would be excused from duty and could live on the cadet's soldier pay, and hardly consented to give a uniform. Madam de Merveilleux and her son persuaded Rousseau to refuse, but no other situation was procured.
Chapter 26
Section 274 cards
What did Rousseau say he most regretted about his travels?
Rousseau says he most regrets not having kept a journal of his travels, since he is conscious that many interesting details have slipped his memory. He claims he never lived so thoroughly or was so much himself as on journeys made on foot, and laments that the ideas composed during those travels were never written down.
Chapter 27
How did walking affect Rousseau's thinking, according to the chapter?
The author argues that walking animates and enlivens his spirits, and that he can hardly think when inactive: his body must be exercised to make his judgment active. Fine country, free air, good appetite, health from walking, and the freedom of inns free his soul and give boldness to his thoughts, letting him dispose of all nature as he pleases.
Chapter 27
Why did the peasant hide his wine and bread from Rousseau?
The peasant feared the excise commissioners and 'cellar-rats,' concealing his wine because of the excise and his bread because of the tax imposed on it. He said he would be undone if suspected of not nearly perishing with want. Rousseau says this sowed in him an inextinguishable hatred of such vexations and of the oppressors of these unhappy people.
Chapter 27
What did the hostess's remark about Forez do to Rousseau's plan?
Rousseau had wished to prolong his journey to see the banks of the Lignon, recalling the romance Astrea read with his father. But when he inquired the way to Forez, the hostess said it was excellent for mechanics, with many forges and much iron work. This eulogium instantly calmed his romantic curiosity, as he felt no inclination to seek Dianas and Sylvanders among blacksmiths.
Chapter 27
Section 284 cards
Why did Rousseau's music copying for M. Rolichon fail?
Rolichon later told him the copied parts had so many omissions, repetitions, and transpositions that they could not be performed. Rousseau explains that long works bewilder him, so he spends more time altering and scratching out than writing, and without strict attention to comparing parts they fail in execution. He concludes that in choosing music he picked the profession he was least suited for, though his voice was good and he copied neatly.
Chapter 28
What employment did Madam de Warens obtain for Rousseau near Chambery?
She had him appointed as a secretary in the general survey of the country ordered by King Victor Amadeus to tax the nobility. Two or three hundred men, part geometricians and part secretaries, were employed. The post was not very lucrative but allowed him to live eligibly, and she hoped it would win the intendant's protection for something more settled. Rousseau says he soon understood the easy work.
Chapter 28
What kind of landscape does Rousseau say he means by 'a fine country'?
Never a flat one, however beautiful. He requires torrents, fir trees, black woods, mountains to climb or descend, and rugged roads with precipices on either side to alarm him. He describes enjoying vertigo at the Pas de l'Echelle, leaning over a parapet to watch the water and birds below, and piling stones to throw into the chasm.
Chapter 28
Why does Rousseau insist on minute detail rather than judging which facts matter?
He argues it is not his place to judge the importance of facts; he should declare them simply as they are and leave the estimate to the reader. Otherwise, he says, he might deceive himself or willfully mislead. He fears not saying enough or concealing truths more than saying too much, and claims to have adhered to this principle with scrupulous exactitude.
Chapter 28
Section 294 cards
Why did Madame de Warens settle at Chambery instead of going to Turin?
She feared that after recent revolutions and court agitation she would not be well received at Turin, and that the Count de Saint-Laurent, Intendent-General of Finances, was not in her interest. She instead rented his ill-situated, usually untenanted house in Chambery. The plan succeeded: her pension was not suppressed, and Saint-Laurent became one of her best friends.
Chapter 29
What happened when Claude Anet quarreled with his mistress?
After she said something affronting in a passion, Anet, unable to digest it, drank a bottle of laudanum and went peaceably to bed expecting to die. Madame de Warens, uneasy and wandering the house, found the empty phial, guessed the rest, screamed, and with repeated efforts made him throw up the laudanum. The scene revealed to Rousseau the intimacy between them.
Chapter 29
How did Rousseau's arithmetic study at Chambery develop?
His registering work sometimes required enough arithmetic to puzzle him, so he bought books on the science and studied alone. He found practical arithmetic extends further than supposed for exact precision, and that reflection with practice yields clear ideas and shorter methods. He became expert enough for any arithmetical question, and the skill largely remained thirty years later.
Chapter 29
What were Rousseau's early attitudes toward botany and music at Chambery?
He had no inclination for botany then, even despising it as fit only for an apothecary, though he later calls it congenial to his nature. Music he loved from infancy and it was the only inclination he constantly adhered to, yet he acquired it slowly and never could sing with certainty at sight. Practicing music with Madame de Warens made the study agreeable.
Chapter 29
Section 304 cards
Why did Rousseau begin reading the gazettes and caring about politics?
Rousseau says he had never troubled himself about politics until a French army passed through Chambery on its way to Piedmont. Reading Brantome's 'Celebrated Captains' filled his head with French heroes, and he became an ardent partisan of France, rejoicing at her successes and grieved by her reverses—a partiality he calls a blind passion with no reasonable cause.
Chapter 30
What did Rousseau identify as the cause of his lifelong partiality for France?
He traces it to the moment French troops passed Chambery while he was reading Brantome's 'Celebrated Captains.' A rising taste for literature attached him to French books, authors, and country, and his reading, drawn from the same nation, nourished the affection until it became a blind passion. He notes the same impression exists in every country among those fond of literature.
Chapter 30
What musical project did Rousseau organize with Madam de Warens's consent?
He proposed a little concert once a month, to which she consented. Madam de Warens and Father Cato sang; Roche and his son played violin; Canavas played cello; the Abbe Palais played harpsichord; and Rousseau conducted. He says it was charming, though not quite equal to his concert at Monsieur de Tretoren's. The devout murmured that a new convert living on the king's charity gave concerts.
Chapter 30
How did Father Cato's fellow monks treat him, and what happened to him?
Jealous of his merit and elegant manners, the monks and their chiefs combined against him. They degraded him from his office, took away his furnished apartment, and banished him. Rousseau says these evils overwhelmed his honest, proud soul, and he died of grief on a wretched bed in some cell or dungeon, lamented by all worthy people who knew him.
Chapter 30
Section 314 cards
Why did Rousseau quit his job at the survey office?
Rousseau left the survey office to pursue music, arguing to Madam de Warens that the post could not last and that he needed a permanent livelihood. He says he won her consent more by importunity and caresses than by sound reasons, then thanked Director-General Coccelli and quit without cause or pretext, as happily as he had accepted the job two years earlier.
Chapter 31
How did Rousseau's resignation affect his reputation and income?
Though he calls the step ridiculous, it won him consideration: some assumed he had resources he lacked, others judged his ability by his sacrifice. He says that among blind men the one-eyed are kings, so he passed for an excellent master because the rest were bad. His taste in singing, age, and figure brought more scholars than enough to replace his secretary's pay.
Chapter 31
What does Rousseau say about the society of Chambery and the Savoyards?
Rousseau says the easy access, obliging temper, and free humor of the country made commerce with the world agreeable. He calls the Savoyards the best and most sociable people he knows, and says Chambery is a little city where life's pleasures are enjoyed in friendly commerce. He argues that if he dislikes society, it is more society's fault than his.
Chapter 31
How did Madam de Menthon's plot against Madam de Warens backfire?
Madam de Menthon, resenting a rival, spread word that Madam de Warens had an ugly rat-shaped mark on her bosom. At cards she contrived to overset her rival's chair and dexterously displaced her handkerchief, but instead of the rat the gentleman saw a far different object, which by no means answered the lady's intentions. Rousseau offers this as a specimen of her ill turns.
Chapter 31
Section 324 cards
Why did Madam de Warens treat Rousseau more gravely and morally before her favor?
The author says she meant to guard him from the perils of youth by treating him as a man. She changed from playful gaiety to a uniform, neither familiar nor severe manner, then took him to the garden for a day of discourse full of sentiment and reason, tending to instruct rather than seduce. The author argues she took this step to protect him from dangers she thought otherwise inevitable.
Chapter 32
What error does the author say instructors make, citing his own Emilius?
The author argues that proposing a highly interesting object as the result of reason fails to make young minds attentive. The pupil, struck by the object, skips the preliminary discourses and leaps at once to the point, finding the lead-in tedious. To keep him attentive, the instructor must prevent him from seeing the whole design. The author says Madam de Warens did not act with sufficient precaution here.
Chapter 32
How did Rousseau feel during the eight days Madam de Warens gave him to think?
Contrary to expectation, the eight days seemed not like ages but something he wished lengthened. He describes a strange chaos of fear and impatience, dreading what he desired and seeking civil pretexts to evade his happiness. He says the novelty of the ideas struck him and disordered his mind, so he was glad of the interval to arrange them.
Chapter 32
What false principles did M. Tavel teach Madam de Warens, and with what result?
The author says Tavel, her first lover, attacked her by sophisms: that conjugal duties were a catechism fit for children, that infidelity was indifferent, and that the sin lay only in scandal, so a woman truly virtuous who appeared so. He thus subverted her reason though not her heart, and the author says he was punished by devouring jealousy, fearing she would treat him as he taught her to treat her husband.
Chapter 32
Section 334 cards
What does Rousseau claim about Madam de Warens's temperament and her one pleasure?
Rousseau admits that ascribing sensibility of heart together with coldness of temperament to the same person will generally be called a contradiction, and says perhaps Nature sported or blundered. He insists only that the combination did exist, and dares aver that Madam de Warens had but one pleasure in the world: serving those she loved. He says his business is to declare the truth, not to enforce belief in it.
Chapter 33
How did Rousseau say the intimate conversations with Madam de Warens affected his instruction?
He says he learned the particulars of her life in the conversations that followed their union and alone made it delicious. She had used him as a child but now treated him as a man, entertaining him with accounts of herself. He applied these confidential relations to his own improvement and received more instruction from them than from her teaching, arguing that the heart speaking opens our own to receive instruction, which no pedagogue's pompous morality can match.
Chapter 33
What was Madam de Warens's principal project at Chambery, and who was the demonstrator intended for?
Her principal project was establishing a Royal Physical Garden at Chambery with a Demonstrator attached, and Rousseau says it is unnecessary to add for whom the office was designed—meaning himself. The city's position amid the Alps favored botany, and she planned to add a College of Pharmacy, useful in a poor country where apothecaries were almost the only medical practitioners. The retreat of chief physician Grossi to Chambery seemed to favor the idea.
Chapter 33
What is Rousseau's maxim about idleness, and what example does he give of an occupation that prevents it?
Rousseau's maxim is that idleness is as much the pest of society as of solitude, and that nothing contracts the mind or engenders more tales, mischief, gossiping, and lies than people shut up together with nothing to do. He says knitting is as bad as doing nothing, but embroidery busies a woman enough to bear silence. He adds that at Motiers he made laces with neighbors and would carry a cup-and-ball in his pocket, calling it the only practical lesson of morality.
Chapter 33
Section 343 cards
Why did Anet's expedition to gather genipi end fatally?
Anet climbed the mountain to find genipi, a scarce Alpine plant needed by Monsieur Grossi. He overheated himself, contracted pleurisy, and died on the fifth day despite Grossi's skill and the care of his mistress and Rousseau. The genipi, though said to be specific for that disorder, could not relieve him.
Chapter 34
What thought did Rousseau blurt out to Madame de Warens after Anet's death?
He said he would inherit Anet's wardrobe, especially a handsome black coat he thought becoming. Because with her he thought and spoke as one, he uttered it immediately. She turned away and burst into tears, which he says washed the despicable sentiment from his heart.
Chapter 34
Why did Rousseau begin hoarding money, and how did Madame de Warens respond?
Fearing her creditors or a lost pension would leave her destitute, he secretly saved louis to give her later. She always discovered his hiding places and replaced the coins with larger sums, then spent them on clothes and gifts for him, including a silver-hilted sword and a watch.
Chapter 34
Section 354 cards
What did the Marquis of Sennecterre ask Rousseau to do after dinner?
The Marquis of Sennecterre, who understood music well, proposed that he and Rousseau perform the double chorus from the new opera 'Jephtha' together, offering to sing six parts himself. Rousseau, unaccustomed to French vivacity, was embarrassed because he lacked quickness at first sight. The Marquis then had him note a song from his voice, which Rousseau did correctly, and kindly downplayed Rousseau's earlier embarrassment.
Chapter 35
What vow did Rousseau make after witnessing the Barillots take opposing sides?
At Geneva in 1737, Rousseau saw the father and son of the Barillot family leave the same house armed, one for the townhouse and one for his quarters, likely to meet in combat. This unnatural sight so impressed him that he solemnly vowed never to interfere in any civil war, nor help decide internal disputes by arms, personally or by influence, should he ever enter his rights as a citizen.
Chapter 35
How does Rousseau describe Gauffecourt's character and fortune?
Rousseau calls Gauffecourt one of the most amiable men ever, with expressive features, a musical bass voice, and unaffected grace. Son of a clock-maker, he gained connections through M. de la Closure and obtained the privilege of furnishing the salts of Valais, worth twenty thousand livres a year. Rousseau says he was esteemed and sought after by all conditions without being envied or hated, and believes he passed through life without a single enemy.
Chapter 35
Why did Rousseau make journeys to Geneva and Lyons, and what did he admit about them?
Rousseau made little journeys to Geneva and Lyons to divert his mind from secret uneasiness over Madam de Warens's finances, though the trips increased expenses. He says Madam de Warens supplied pretexts through her connections and commissions. He admits that since what he denied himself would go to interested villains, he took advantage of her easiness to partake with them, like a dog carrying off a portion of meat he could not protect.
Chapter 35
Section 364 cards
What did Rousseau find among his uncle Bernard's papers in Geneva?
Rummaging through his deceased uncle's books and papers at his aunt's house, Rousseau found curious items including letters, Rohault's posthumous works in quarto with marginal commentaries that inclined him toward mathematics, and five or six manuscript memorials plus a printed one by Micheli Ducret. He took only two or three books and the memorials, leaving the rest with his aunt.
Chapter 36
What happened when Rousseau tried to make sympathetic ink?
Imitating a Dominican professor of physic at Chambery who made chemical experiments, Rousseau half-filled a bottle with quicklime, orpiment, and water. The effervescence turned violent; he ran to unstop the bottle but it burst in his face like a bomb, and he swallowed orpiment and lime. He remained blind for six weeks and nearly died, learning to avoid experimental chemistry while the elements were unknown to him.
Chapter 36
How did Rousseau's chess study with Bagueret turn out?
Bagueret, a Genevese who had worked under Peter the Great and was full of foolish money-making projects, taught Rousseau chess. Rousseau progressed so fast that in the first sitting he gave Bagueret the rook he had been given. He then shut himself up for two or three months studying alone, but when he returned he lost repeatedly; he never advanced beyond that first sitting's level.
Chapter 36
What did Rousseau blame for his declining health in his youth?
Though guilty of no excess and having a well-formed chest, Rousseau suffered shortness of breath, oppression, palpitations, spitting of blood, and a lingering fever. He attributes this to the violence of his passions — trivial objects that affected him as strongly as the throne of the universe — saying his passions both kept him alive and hastened his dissolution, like a sword wearing its scabbard.
Chapter 36
Section 374 cards
What does Rousseau say saved his life during his illness?
Rousseau credits Madam de Warens alone with saving his life through inconceivable care and vigilance. He states he has little faith in physicians' skill but depends greatly on real friends, and is persuaded that being easy in those particulars on which happiness depends is more salutary than any other application.
Chapter 37
Why did Rousseau and Madam de Warens choose Charmettes?
They sought a rural solitude away from town and Madam de Warens's hangers-on, but she feared displeasing her landlord and losing her means of life, so they kept her old house and paid a small pension to the Count of Saint-Laurent. At Charmettes they found a valley between two hills with a rivulet, garden terrace, orchard, vineyard, chestnut wood, and fountain.
Chapter 37
What physical event struck Rousseau one morning, and what lasting effects did it have?
While putting up a table leaf, Rousseau felt a sudden tempest in his blood; his arteries beat so violently he felt and heard them, with a loud noise in his ears of three or four distinct kinds. He believed it was death, and from that time was hard of hearing. The arterial beating and buzzing never left him for the thirty years since.
Chapter 37
How did Rousseau's view of his illness change his plans?
Believing he had little time to live, Rousseau became less anxious about a cure and resolved to employ his remaining life as usefully as possible. He notes Nature exempted him from expected suffering: he was incommoded by noise but felt no pain, though he had nocturnal wakefulness and shortness of breath on exertion.
Chapter 37
Section 384 cards
What effect did Rousseau say his illness had on his soul and passions?
Rousseau says the accident seemed to threaten the dissolution of his body but only killed his passions, and he thanks Heaven for its effect on his soul. He claims he only began to live when he considered himself entering the grave, valuing what he was quitting and turning to nobler objects he had neglected.
Chapter 38
How did Madame de Warens reconcile her Catholic faith with her own religious system?
She professed to be a good Catholic and accepted the Church's decisions, but on each particular article she thought diametrically opposite, taking eternal torments as figurative threats and Christ's death as an example of divine charity. She told her confessor she was not mistress of her faith but of her will, which she submitted.
Chapter 38
What did Rousseau believe about reading's effect on his health, contrary to advice?
He was assured reading would injure him, but he thought it serviceable to both soul and body: the application diverted his thoughts from his disorders and he soon felt less affected by them. He read with avidity as if certain to live forever, though he looked on each day as his last.
Chapter 38
What flawed method did Rousseau use when first reading the books he bought?
He imagined that to read profitably he must know every branch of knowledge a book mentioned, not realizing the author drew on other books. So he stopped constantly, ran from book to book, and before ten pages found himself turning over a whole library. He lost prodigious time and bewildered his head before perceiving he was on the wrong road.
Chapter 38
Section 394 cards
What method did Rousseau adopt after finding philosophers contradict each other?
He abandoned his chimerical project of reconciling the philosophers. Instead, he read each author by following all of that author's ideas without letting his own or other writers' ideas interfere, and without disputing their utility. He aimed first to stockpile clearly conceived ideas, true or false, until his understanding was furnished enough to compare and choose the most estimable.
Chapter 39
Why did Rousseau intermingle different subjects in his study plan?
He found that close application to one subject fatigued him, and after a few pages his understanding was bewildered and he became stupefied, no longer conscious of what he read. By alternating various subjects, one relieved the fatigue of another, and he could follow them with pleasure without needing a respite. He admits he sometimes worked on two things at once and neglected both.
Chapter 39
What did Rousseau prefer in geometry, and why did he dislike algebra for dimensions?
He preferred Father Lama's geometry, which seeks a connection of ideas, over Euclid, who seeks a chain of demonstration. He disliked performing operations by rule without understanding, comparing solving geometry by equations to playing a tune by turning a handle. He could not be satisfied until he verified a calculation with a figure, and could not rightly comprehend algebra applied to dimensions unless explained by lines.
Chapter 39
How did Rousseau learn Latin, and what did he fail to master?
He began with Port-Royal's Rudiments but lost himself in the rules and forgot earlier ones while studying later ones. Since a study of words suits no one without memory, he eventually relinquished it, reading easy authors with a dictionary and translating mentally. He could read Latin authors easily but never speak or write the language, and never understood prosody or versification rules.
Chapter 39
Section 404 cards
What did Rousseau study in the afternoons, and why did he avoid intense application?
Rousseau says he could never bear application after dinner, and in the heat of the day any attention was painful. So his afternoon occupation was more recreation than study: he read without rule, chiefly history and geography, and made progress only as his weak memory allowed. He tried Father Petau and chronology but was disgusted by the critical part, preferring measuring time by the celestial bodies.
Chapter 40
What happened when country people saw Rousseau observing the stars at night?
With a planisphere on four stakes, a candle hidden in a pail, and a telescope, Rousseau looked like a sorcerer in his nightcap, flapped hat and short cloak. Late-night passersby fled in horror, spread word of a witches' assembly in Monsieur Noiret's garden, and the rumor was only dispelled when two visiting Jesuits explained the matter. Rousseau then resolved to observe without light.
Chapter 40
How did Rousseau try to resolve his fear of hell, and what did he conclude?
Reading Port-Royal and Oratory writings made him half a Jansenist, and dread of hell disturbed his security, though Father Hemet, a gentle Jesuit confessor, kept up his hopes. To settle his doubt, Rousseau threw a stone at a large nearby tree, deciding a hit meant salvation and a miss damnation. He hit it, and from that moment never doubted his salvation, though he calls the expedient laughable.
Chapter 40
How does Rousseau describe his happiness at Charmettes with Madam de Warens?
Rousseau calls this period the closest he came to wisdom, feeling no great remorse for the past nor tormenting fear for the future, with enjoyment of the present reigning in his soul. He describes innocent pleasures — dinners on the grass, suppers in the arbor, the vintage, a St. Louis' day walk with Madam de Warens — as serene as paradise, and says he wished such happiness would last as long as he valued it.
Chapter 40
Section 411 cards
What did Rousseau resolve to do upon reaching the age of majority?
Having been of age some months, he determined to go to Geneva the following spring and demand his mother's inheritance, or at least the part belonging to him, until it could be ascertained what had become of his brother. He executed this plan: his father met him in Geneva, his rights were not disputed, and he found his patrimony reduced to very little.
Chapter 41
Section 424 cards
Why does Rousseau hesitate to declare his feelings to Madame de Larnage?
Rousseau explains that he was held back by dread of offending her and, still more, of being laughed at and ridiculed by the satirical marquis. He calls this bashfulness ridiculous yet unconquerable, and stays silent until Madame de Larnage herself interrupts the silence by embracing him.
Chapter 42
How does Rousseau distinguish his feelings for Madame de Larnage from those for Madame de Warens?
He says he never felt true love except once, and not for Madame de Larnage. With Madame de Warens his happiness was disturbed by secret sadness and compunction; with Madame de Larnage he felt a tender return of her affection, was proud of his happiness, and gave in without repugnance, making their meetings more delightful.
Chapter 42
What impression did the Pont-du-Gard make on Rousseau, and how did it compare with the amphitheatre at Nismes?
The Pont-du-Gard surpassed his expectation, the only time in his life reality did so; he lingered for hours in ravishing contemplation, struck by the enormous stones and the desert solitude. The amphitheatre at Nismes, though more magnificent, impressed him less, partly because admiration was exhausted and its city setting, crowded with dirty houses, stifled pleasure with regret and indignation.
Chapter 42
What plans did Rousseau and Madame de Larnage make for reuniting after their journey?
They agreed he would stay five or six weeks at Montpelier, giving her time to prepare his reception and avoid scandal, then return to Saint-Andiol and spend the winter under her direction. She instructed him on what to say and how to conduct himself, urged him to consult skilful physicians and follow their prescriptions, and tried to share her purse at parting.
Chapter 42
Section 434 cards
Why did Rousseau leave Montpelier and where did he decide to go?
Rousseau believed the physicians, who understood nothing of his disorder, treated it as imaginary with waters and whey, and he saw they only meant to amuse him and take his money. Judging the substitute at Saint-Andiol would serve him as well and be more agreeable, he resolved to give her the preference and quit Montpelier after about six weeks or two months.
Chapter 43
What resolution did Rousseau form at the Bridge of St. Esprit?
Reflecting on Madam de Warens and his duty to her, and fearing he might fall in love with Madam de Larnage's daughter and bring scandal to her family, Rousseau resolved to burn his whole magazine of letters from Saint-Andiol and continue his journey directly to Chambery. He executed this resolution courageously, with some sighs.
Chapter 43
What did Rousseau find on arriving at Madam de Warens's house?
He arrived exactly at the hour he had announced, expecting a joyful welcome, but found no one in the garden, at the door, or at the windows, and the servants seemed surprised to see him. He found a young man, the son of the captain of the Castle of Chillon, already established there: his place had been supplied.
Chapter 43
How does the author describe the young man who replaced him?
The author describes him as a tall, fair, silly youth from the country of Vaud, a journeyman peruke-maker, well enough made but with an unmeaning face and mind of the same description. He calls him vain, foolish, ignorant and insolent, noisy and restless, always with a hatchet or pick-axe, making noise enough for ten or a dozen men.
Chapter 43
Section 444 cards
Why does Rousseau resolve to leave Madam de Warens's house?
Rousseau resolves to leave because he feels desolate and alone in a house where he was once the soul, and because Madam de Warens shows a visible coldness toward him after he renounces sharing her. He believes that ceasing to see her will make him feel less cruelly separated, so he tells her of his resolution, and she approves it.
Chapter 44
What does Rousseau say happened to Madam de Warens's regard after his self-imposed abstinence?
The author argues that women scarcely ever forgive the affront of having their favors slighted when within reach, even if they care nothing for the man. He claims a sympathy so natural and ardent was impaired in her by an abstinence founded only on virtue, attachment, and esteem, so he no longer found the union of hearts that constituted his happiness.
Chapter 44
How does Rousseau describe his conduct and success as a tutor at M. Malby's?
Rousseau says he had almost enough knowledge to be a tutor and expected his method to be unexceptionable, but the year undeceived him. He was an angel when things went well and a devil when they went contrary; he used sentiment, reasoning, and passion, which he calls weak and often pernicious with children. His pupils, St. Marie and Condillac, profited very little.
Chapter 44
Why does Rousseau steal wine at M. Malby's, and what difficulty follows?
Rousseau takes white Arbois wine, which he had found delicious at table, after being trusted to fine it; he spoils it to the sight only, and then supplies himself with bottles to drink in his apartment. He cannot drink without eating, but cannot reserve bread, have it brought by the footman, or bear to buy a loaf himself.
Chapter 44
Section 454 cards
Why did Rousseau leave his position as tutor at Lyons?
Rousseau says he was disgusted with an employment he was not calculated for and found the confinement disagreeable. After a year's trial, during which he spared no pains to fulfill his engagement, he determined to quit his pupils, convinced he would never succeed in educating them properly. He notes Monsieur Malby saw this as clearly as he did and would likely never have dismissed him.
Chapter 45
What did Rousseau find upon returning to Madam de Warens?
He arrived in transports of early youth but found his former happiness had vanished forever. She received him with her usual excellence of heart, but within half an hour he was convinced he was in the same melancholy situation he had fled. He could not bear being a secondary person to her, and Courtilles, who now managed her affairs, appeared not to blame.
Chapter 45
What new music-notation idea did Rousseau develop, and why?
Reflecting on the trouble reading music cost him and his difficulty singing at sight, Rousseau concluded the fault might lie in the manner of noting rather than his own dulness. He devised a way to note any music by figures with exactitude and simplicity, believed his fortune made, and went to Paris to present the project to the Academy, selling his books to fund the trip.
Chapter 45
According to the preface to Book VII, what is the real object of the Confessions?
Rousseau states the real object is to communicate an exact knowledge of what he interiorly is and has been in every situation of his life. He promised the history of his mind, relying on the chain of sentiments rather than papers, which he no longer possesses. He admits he may omit facts, transpose events, and err in dates, but cannot be deceived in what he has felt.
Chapter 45
Section 464 cards
How did the Academy of Sciences respond to Rousseau's musical notation memoir?
Rousseau read his memoir to the Academy on August 22, 1742, and it was well received with compliments. Mairan, Hellot, and Fouchy examined it but, he says, did not understand musical composition. They cited Father Souhaitti's earlier cipher notation for the seven notes, and on the report the academy granted a certificate of fine compliments that in effect judged the system neither new nor useful.
Chapter 46
Why did Rousseau refuse the Abbe de Leon's offer to become his secretary?
The Abbe de Leon, a young nobleman lodging at the Sorbonne, befriended Rousseau and wanted him as secretary. But he was not rich, and the salary offered was only eight hundred livres. Rousseau refused with infinite regret because it was insufficient to cover lodging, food, and clothing. Earlier, Damesin had helped by introducing him to Gase and Leon for composition lessons.
Chapter 46
Why did Rousseau hasten his departure from Lyons regarding Mademoiselle Serre?
Rousseau renewed acquaintance with Mademoiselle Serre and felt strong affection, believing she was not unfavorable to him. Both lacked fortune, so marriage was impractical. She confided that a young merchant, M. Geneve, seemed to wish to marry her. Persuaded she would be happy with him, Rousseau hastened his departure to avoid disturbing their innocent love; she later married Geneve and died within two or three years.
Chapter 46
How does Rousseau explain neglecting the people who helped him in Lyons?
Rousseau says he neglected them not from ingratitude but from an invincible indolence that often resembles it. Their services were never effaced from his mind or heart, but he found it easier to prove gratitude than to show it assiduously. Once he began to relax in correspondence, shame and embarrassment at repairing the fault made him aggravate it and stop writing altogether. He notes Bordes later took vengeance for being neglected.
Chapter 46
Section 473 cards
What objection did Rameau raise against Rousseau's new musical notation?
Rameau objected that Rousseau's cipher-based signs require a mental operation that cannot always keep pace with rapid execution. With ordinary notation, the eye sees at a glance the progress of a series of notes from high to low; with Rousseau's system, one must run over the ciphers one after another, making the glance of the eye useless. Rousseau called the objection insurmountable and instantly assented to it.
Chapter 47
How did Madame de Beuzenval first slight Rousseau at her house, and how was it resolved?
Madame de Beuzenval invited Rousseau to stay for dinner, but a quarter of an hour later he understood by a word that the invitation was to the servants' hall. Judging him by his manner rather than his plain but neat dress, she had no idea of the respect due to talents. Rousseau prepared to leave without showing anger; Madame de Broglie whispered to her mother, who then rose and asked him to dine with them, and he stayed.
Chapter 47
What did Rousseau do with his time while waiting for his money to run out?
Rousseau gave himself up to indolence and Providence, spending a few remaining louis slowly while keeping his pleasures: the coffee-house every other day and the theatre twice a week. Each morning at ten he walked in the Luxembourg with a Virgil and a Rousseau, memorizing poets he had forgotten a hundred times, recalling that captive Athenians once earned a living reciting Homer. He also played chess in the evenings without improving.
Chapter 47
Section 482 cards
Why did Rousseau hesitate to declare his feelings to Madame Dupin?
He feared that permission to visit so opulent a family was a door open to fortune, and he did not want to risk shutting it against himself. He also found her serious and unanimated, with nothing alluring enough to embolden him. Her circle of distinguished guests inspired awe, and he felt he could not take a distinguished part among such superior talents.
Chapter 48
What happened after Rousseau wrote a letter declaring his feelings to Madame Dupin?
For the first two days she said nothing about it. On the third day she returned his letter with a few exhortations that froze his blood. He tried to speak but his words expired on his lips; his sudden passion was extinguished with his hopes, and after a formal declaration he continued to live with her on the same terms as before, without even speaking to her through the language of the eyes.
Chapter 48
Section 494 cards
How did Rousseau furnish his Lazaretto chamber during quarantine?
He improvised everything from his belongings: waistcoats and shirts became a mattress, napkins sewn together served as sheets, his robe de chambre a counterpane, and his cloak a pillow. One trunk laid flat made a seat, another a table. He set out writing paper, an inkstand, and a dozen books like a library, claiming he was almost as commodiously lodged as at the Tennis Court in the Rue Verdelet.
Chapter 49
What did Rousseau do about the sequin fee charged for passports?
The secretary who made out and countersigned passports collected a sequin from Frenchmen and others alike. Rousseau thought this unjust and abolished the fee for the French, but rigorously demanded his sequin from every other nation, even sending to demand it of the Marquis de Scotti. He claimed no Italian ever cheated him of it and no Frenchman ever paid it.
Chapter 49
How did Rousseau manage the ambassador's demand for ciphered despatches?
M. de Montaigu insisted most despatches be written in cipher despite containing nothing secret. Since court despatches arrived Friday and replies left Saturday, Rousseau protested there was no time. The ambassador's solution was to draft answers on Thursday to despatches not yet received. Rousseau complied, taking notes of loose remarks during the week and adding corrections after Friday's mail arrived.
Chapter 49
What was the ambassador's habit regarding information sent to other ministers?
Instead of letting information follow its course, M. de Montaigu sent back all information to its respective source: to M. Amelot the news of the court, to M. Maurepas that of Paris, to M. d'Havrincourt news from Sweden, and to M. de Chetardie that from Petersbourg. Since he signed despatches to other ambassadors without reading them, Rousseau could make the articles of information cross each other.
Chapter 49
Section 504 cards
How did Rousseau get Veronese released from his Venetian theatre engagement?
After the ambassador's vague instructions and Le Blond's ineffective approach to Zustinian failed, Rousseau went masked in a gondola bearing the ambassador's livery to the patrician's palace, announced himself, and claimed Veronese in the king's name. Zustinian, reprimanded by the state inquisitors, discharged Veronese the same day; Rousseau warned him to leave within a week or be arrested.
Chapter 50
What method secured Captain Olivet's ship release before a court answer arrived?
Rousseau inserted a relation of the embargo in a despatch to M. de Maurepas, knowing Venetian authorities opened such letters; he aimed to alarm the republic into releasing the vessel rather than wait for a reply from court, which would have ruined the captain. He also took depositions from the crew from his gondola, with Abbe Patizel refusing to question or sign.
Chapter 50
Why did Rousseau pay the hairdresser 200 livres out of his own purse?
Rousselot gave him a note for 200 livres owed by Zanetto Nani, who acknowledged the debt but stalled. The note was lost when Rousseau left the embassy; Zanetto refused to pay the three sequins or renew it. Rather than leave the creditor unpaid, Rousseau paid the full 200 livres himself, even though the creditor would likely have recovered only ten crowns otherwise.
Chapter 50
Why did the ambassador resent Rousseau despite praising his services?
Rousseau says the ambassador spoke highly of his services and never complained of his work; his dissatisfaction came from Rousseau insisting on quitting after repeated useless complaints. The author argues the ambassador's poor head turned compliments from other ministers into resentment, especially one concerning an important affair, which he never pardoned.
Chapter 50
Section 514 cards
What service did Rousseau render that the Marquis de l'Hôpital praised?
Rousseau forwarded timely advice to the Marquis de l'Hôpital, which the text says may have preserved the kingdom of Naples for the house of Bourbon. L'Hôpital thanked the Comte de Montaigu and mentioned the secretary's service to the common cause. Montaigu, who had been negligent in the affair, took the compliment as an implicit reproach and showed ill-humor toward Rousseau.
Chapter 51
How did Rousseau react when Vitali refused him the theater box key?
Vitali said he had disposed of the key, and the footman delivered the message publicly. Rousseau, enraged, refused Vitali's evening apology and demanded a public apology the next day in the same house and before the same witnesses, or one of them would leave. Vitali complied with a public apology but then secretly worked to make Rousseau's position intolerable.
Chapter 51
What grievance did Rousseau say was the ambassador's sole complaint before their separation?
Rousseau states he will not judge whether his exactness in discharging his duties was a just subject of complaint, but declares it was the sole grievance Montaigu ever mentioned before their separation. He also notes he never sought advancement improperly, believing faithful service entitled him to the esteem of those capable of judging and rewarding it.
Chapter 51
Why did Rousseau object to being excluded from the dinner for the Duke of Modena?
Montaigu told Rousseau he would not attend the dinner for the Duke of Modena and his family. Rousseau replied that his post ennobled him while he discharged its functions, ranking him above the gentlemen, and that etiquette called him to the public entry and to dine at St. Mark's with the doge and senate. The argument was unanswerable, though it did not convince the ambassador; the Duke never came to dine.
Chapter 51
Section 524 cards
Why did Rousseau lodge at the chancellor of the consulship's house before leaving Venice?
After the ambassador refused to settle his account or pay him anything, Rousseau borrowed twenty sequins each from M. le Blond and M. St. Cyr and lodged at the chancellor of the consulship's house until his departure, specifically to prove to the public that the nation was not an accomplice in the ambassador's injustice.
Chapter 52
How did the Venetian senate respond to the ambassador's memoir requesting Rousseau's arrest?
The senate did not deign to answer the ambassador's extravagant memoir. Instead it sent Rousseau word that he might remain in Venice as long as he thought proper, without worrying about the attempts of a madman. Rousseau therefore stayed a fortnight longer than planned, and his conduct was universally esteemed.
Chapter 52
What were the 'scuole' and why did Rousseau rank their music above opera?
The scuole were charitable houses educating poor girls, to whom the republic later gave a marriage portion or cloister dowry; music was foremost among their cultivated talents. At Sunday vespers, motets with full choruses and orchestra were sung by girls only, none over twenty. Rousseau found this music more voluptuous and affecting than opera, though an iron grate hid the singers.
Chapter 52
What happened when Le Blond let Rousseau meet the singers of the Mendicanti?
Rousseau trembled with love on entering, but Le Blond presented the celebrated singers one by one and nearly all had striking defects: Sophia was horrid, Cattina had one eye, Bettina was disfigured by smallpox. Le Blond laughed at his surprise. During the collation the girls grew lively, and Rousseau left almost in love with each ugly face, still finding their singing delightful.
Chapter 52
Section 534 cards
Why was Rousseau mortified at the dinner aboard Captain Olivet's vessel?
Rousseau expected a cannon salute to greet him and the Spanish embassy secretary, Carrio. The ship's company was drawn up to receive them, but not even a priming was burnt. Rousseau was mortified, especially because he perceived Carrio to be piqued at the neglect, and he thought he deserved a distinguished mark of respect from the captain.
Chapter 53
How did Zulietta explain her first embrace of Rousseau?
She claimed he resembled M. de Bremond, director of customs in Tuscany, to such a degree that she could have mistaken them. She said she had turned Bremond's head and would do it again, but quit him because he was a fool. She took Rousseau in Bremond's place, declaring she would love him because it pleased her, and he must be patient when she sent him away.
Chapter 53
What defect did Rousseau discover on Zulietta's body, and how did he react?
He perceived that she had a withered 'teton' (breast) that was not formed like the other. Persuaded it proceeded from some great natural vice, he convinced himself he held a species of monster, the refuse of nature, men and love. He even spoke to her of the discovery, and she eventually reddened, adjusted her dress, and went to the window.
Chapter 53
What did Zulietta say to Rousseau before postponing their next meeting?
After he revealed his distress over her breast, she withdrew and said in a reserved, disdainful tone: 'Zanetto, lascia le donne, a studia la matematica' — leave women and study mathematics. She postponed the next rendezvous for three days, adding with a satirical smile that he must need repose. When he returned, she had left for Florence.
Chapter 53
Section 544 cards
What arrangement did Rousseau and Carrio make regarding a young girl in Venice?
They jointly paid a poor girl's mother to provide for the child, gave her a spinnet and a singing-master, and planned to keep her for both of them. Rousseau says his attachment became paternal, and he believed they would have been protectors of her innocence rather than corrupters of it.
Chapter 54
How did Rousseau expose Montaigu's inflated baggage charge?
Montaigu's apothecary's bill valued the box Rousseau had added to his baggage at eleven hundred pounds and charged enormous carriage. Through M. Boy de la Tour, customs registers at Lyons and Marseilles proved the bale weighed only forty-five pounds and paid carriage by that weight. Rousseau attached this extract to Montaigu's memoir.
Chapter 54
What was the outcome of Rousseau's complaint against the ambassador?
Despite public sympathy and his proofs, Rousseau obtained no justice or reparation; he was left at the ambassador's discretion for his salary because, not being French, he had no claim to national protection. He says the affair was treated as private, and he eventually dropped it, tired of being right without redress.
Chapter 54
Why did Rousseau believe his indignation against civil institutions did not fully surface then?
He says two things checked it: his own private interest in the affair, which he claims never produces anything great or noble, and the charm of friendship, which calmed his wrath. He had met a Biscayan friend in Venice who shared his Paris lodging and studies.
Chapter 54
Section 554 cards
What did Rousseau resolve after feeling the inconvenience of dependence?
Rousseau resolved never again to expose himself to dependence. Having seen his ambitious projects overturned at their birth and being expelled from a career he had begun well, he decided to attach himself to no person, remain independent, and turn his talents to the best advantage, having begun to feel their extent and previously holding too modest an opinion of them.
Chapter 55
How does Rousseau describe Altuna's attitude toward religion?
Externally Altuna was devout like a Spaniard, but inwardly had the piety of an angel. Rousseau calls him, besides himself, the only man whose principles were not intolerant. Altuna never asked anyone's opinion on religion and did not care whether a friend was Jew, Protestant, Turk, Bigot, or Atheist, provided he was an honest man; on religious matters he said he was charged only with the care of himself.
Chapter 55
What did Rousseau first intend for Theresa, and what did he discover?
Rousseau says amusement was at first his only object, but he found he had gone further and given himself a companion. Reflecting on his situation, he realized that while thinking only of his pleasures he had done much toward his happiness. He wanted a successor to mamma, someone with simplicity and docility to live with her pupil, and found in Theresa the supplement he needed.
Chapter 55
What intellectual limitations of Theresa does Rousseau describe, and what does he say she excels at?
Rousseau says her mind was as nature formed it and not susceptible of cultivation: she never learned to read well though she writes tolerably, struggled a month to learn a sun-dial's hours, could not order the months, distinguish numerals, count money, or reckon prices, and often said the opposite of what she meant. Yet he says she gives excellent advice in difficulty, saw what he had not in Switzerland, England, and France, and was esteemed by princes and the great.
Chapter 55
Section 564 cards
Why did Philidor stop helping Rousseau finish his opera?
Philidor came twice and worked on the middle parts in the act of Ovid, but he could not confine himself to assiduous application when the promised advantages were distant and uncertain. He did not come a third time, so Rousseau finished the work himself.
Chapter 56
How did Rameau react when he first heard Rousseau's music performed?
Rameau was purposely extravagant in praising the overture, implying it could not be Rousseau's work. After a noble counter-tenor air with brilliant accompaniment, he could no longer contain himself and apostrophized Rousseau with a brutality that shocked everyone, claiming part was by an expert and the rest by an ignoramus.
Chapter 56
What did the Duke de Richelieu say after hearing Rousseau's opera performed in full?
The duke never ceased to exclaim and applaud. At the end of one of the choruses in the act of Tasso, he rose, came to Rousseau, pressed his hand, and said the harmony was transporting, that he had never heard anything finer, and that he would get it performed at Versailles.
Chapter 56
Why did Rousseau refuse to give Rameau the overture of his great opera?
Rameau, charged with the alterations indicated by Madam de la Popliniere, asked for the overture of Rousseau's great opera to substitute for the one just composed. Rousseau perceived the trick he intended to play and refused. As the performance was only five or six days away, Rameau had no time to make one and had to leave Rousseau's overture in place.
Chapter 56
Section 574 cards
Why did Madame de la Popliniere dislike Rousseau, according to Gauffecourt?
Gauffecourt gives two reasons: her friendship for Rameau, who will not tolerate a competitor, and an "original sin"—Rousseau is a Genevese. He adds that the Abbe Hubert, also from Geneva, had tried to stop the marriage, and that she vowed an implacable hatred to him and all Genevese. Gauffecourt warns Rousseau that La Popliniere remains in love with his wife and will not protect him.
Chapter 57
How did Rousseau respond to the letter he expected to contain financial news?
He felt ashamed of his impatient trembling, laid the unopened letter on the chimney-piece, undressed, slept better than usual, and rose late without thinking of it. He opened it leisurely while dressing and found a bill of exchange. He says the liveliest of his pleasing sensations was having known how to master himself.
Chapter 57
What did Rousseau do with the money he received, and what became of it?
He sent a small part to his "poor mamma," regretting with tears that he could not lay it all at her feet. But the money she received fell prey to the knaves surrounding her, and she gained no benefit. Rousseau was disgusted at dividing his own subsistence with these wretches, especially after his vain attempt to deliver her from them.
Chapter 57
Why did Rousseau withdraw his opera Les Muses Galantes after its rehearsal?
The rehearsal, conducted poorly by Rebel, convinced him the piece would not be received and needed great alterations before appearing. He withdrew it without a word to avoid an outright refusal. He also suspected Madame Dupin and M. de Francueil did not want him gaining reputation, lest their own books seem to graft on his talents—though he admits the reproach would be unjust to her.
Chapter 57
Section 584 cards
Why did Rousseau defend Diderot's imprisonment so impetuously at the prince's supper?
Passing Vincennes and seeing the dungeon stirred Rousseau's feelings, which the Baron de Thun noticed. At supper the prince mentioned Diderot's confinement, and the baron accused the prisoner of imprudence. Rousseau defended him with such impetuous zeal that it was pardoned and the conversation changed. Two Germans in the prince's service were present, including M. Klupssel, the chaplain.
Chapter 58
How did Rousseau help Condillac get his first work published?
Condillac had finished his Essay on the Origin of Human Knowledge but could find no bookseller, since Paris booksellers were shy of new authors and metaphysics was not in vogue. Rousseau spoke to Diderot about Condillac and introduced the two men. Diderot persuaded the bookseller Durand to take the manuscript, and Condillac received a hundred crowns for his first work, perhaps not without Rousseau's help.
Chapter 58
What arrangement did Rousseau and Diderot have for their weekly dinners?
Living in distant quarters of town, they assembled once a week at the Palais Royal and dined at the Hotel du Panier Fleuri. Rousseau notes these little weekly dinners must have pleased Diderot extremely, since Diderot failed almost all his appointments but never missed one of these. At this meeting Rousseau formed the plan for a periodical called 'le Persifleur,' which he and Diderot were alternately to write; the project went no further.
Chapter 58
What did Rousseau do when Diderot was confined at Vincennes?
Rousseau was almost distracted with anguish, imagining his friend imprisoned for life. He wrote to Madame de Pompadour begging her to release Diderot or obtain an order to shut him in the same dungeon. He received no answer, which he calls too reasonable to be efficacious, and does not flatter himself that it eased the confinement. He mentioned the letter to few people and never to Diderot himself.
Chapter 58
Section 594 cards
What question from the Dijon Academy did Rousseau read on the road to Vincennes?
While walking to visit the imprisoned Diderot in 1749, Rousseau read in the Mercure de France the Dijon Academy's prize question: 'Has the progress of sciences and arts contributed to corrupt or purify morals?' He says the moment he read it he seemed to behold another world and became a different man, and that Diderot encouraged him to compete for the prize.
Chapter 59
How did Rousseau compose his first Discourse, and what did he think of it afterward?
Rousseau meditated at night in bed with eyes closed, turned over his periods with great care, and stored finished sentences in memory until morning, when he dictated them to Madam le Vasseur before dressing made him lose them. He later judged the work full of force and fire but absolutely wanting logic and order, the weakest in reasoning of all his writings, and said the art of writing is not easily learned.
Chapter 59
What did Rousseau confess to Theresa about Klupssel's little friend, and how did she react?
Rousseau confesses that during a drunken supper with Klupssel and Grimm, he and the others successively took the girl into the next room, and he left the Rue des Moineaux as ashamed as Saint Preux leaving the house where he was intoxicated. He relieved his mind by freely confessing to Theresa; she was more shocked at Grimm's later malicious retelling than at his infidelity, and answered only with tender reproaches and no appearance of anger.
Chapter 59
How did Rousseau describe his domestic life with Theresa in their shared apartment?
With his salary raised to fifty guineas and furniture from Madam Dupin and Theresa, they set up a common household in the Hotel de Languedoc, Rue de Grenelle-Saint-Honore, and lived peaceably for seven years. He calls it the most perfect domestic happiness human weakness allows, recalling simple walks, eight or ten sous spent at guinguettes, and little suppers at the window on two chairs and a trunk.
Chapter 59
Section 604 cards
Why did Rousseau say his third child was sent to the foundling hospital?
Rousseau writes that he sent his third child, like the first two, to the foundling hospital, and later two more, five in all. He claims he chose what he thought the best destination, preferring public education and training as workmen or peasants over adventurers and fortune-hunters. He says he thought he acted as an honest citizen and good father, though he admits his heart later told him he was deceived.
Chapter 60
How did Rousseau's Discourse on Inequality fare at Dijon in 1750?
Rousseau says that the following year, 1750, he had stopped thinking about his discourse when he learned it had won the premium at Dijon. The news revived the ideas that had dictated it and completed the fermentation of the first leaven of heroism and virtue inspired by his father, his country, and Plutarch. He resolved to be free and virtuous, superior to fortune and opinion.
Chapter 60
What did Rousseau's servant mistake Klupssel for, and what name did the joke produce?
Rousseau had told the girl Klupssel was a minister and chaplain to the prince of Saxe-Gotha. Confusing dissimilar ideas, she took 'minister' to mean the pope and announced the pope had called. Rousseau told Grimm and Klupssel, who kept the name 'pope' among themselves, and they nicknamed the girl in the Rue des Moineaux 'Pope Joan.' Rousseau says their laughter was incessant.
Chapter 60
What job did Francueil offer Rousseau, and how did he learn it?
Francueil, receiver-general of finance, offered Rousseau the place of his cash-keeper Dudoyer, who was old, rich, and wished to retire. Rousseau spent a few weeks with Dudoyer taking instructions, but learned slowly and imperfectly, suspecting Dudoyer wanted the place for someone else. He still entered the office, kept the cashbook and cash, paid and received money, and resolved to conquer his disgust.
Chapter 60
Section 614 cards
Why did Rousseau give up his post as cash-keeper for M. de Francueil?
Rousseau says the anxiety of guarding 25,000–30,000 livres during Francueil's absence convinced him he was unfit to be a cash-keeper, and the strain contributed to an illness after Francueil's return. Morand reportedly told Madame Dupin he would not live six months; hearing this, Rousseau reflected on the folly of sacrificing his remaining days to an employment he found disgusting, and resolved during convalescence to abandon all projects of fortune and live in independence and poverty.
Chapter 61
What profession did Rousseau adopt after renouncing advancement, and why?
He became a copyist of music, paid by the page. He chose it because it suited his taste and was the only occupation that, without personal attendance, could earn him daily bread. He says he never repented the choice and never quit the profession until forced to, resolving to return to it as soon as possible. The success of his first discourse, which Diderot reported exceeded all imagination, gave him confidence that a copyist of some literary celebrity would not lack employment.
Chapter 61
How did Rousseau change his dress and habits after his resolution?
He began with his dress: he quit laced clothes and white stockings, put on a round wig, laid aside his sword, and sold his watch, saying with inexpressible pleasure that he should no longer want to know the hour. He did not at first extend the reform to his fine linen, to which he was attached. After forty-two fine shirts were stolen from a garret on Christmas Eve—he and Thérèse suspected her brother—he was cured of his inclination for fine linen.
Chapter 61
What did Rousseau claim happened to his friendships once he gained literary fame?
The author argues that while he lived unknown to the public he was beloved by all his private acquaintances and had not a single enemy, but the moment he acquired literary fame he had no longer a friend. He says his personal reformation, more than his literary fame, drew jealousy, and that people calling themselves friends used that sacred name to lead him toward destruction—an odious conspiracy he promises to explain in later memoirs.
Chapter 61
Section 624 cards
Why did Rousseau's plan to live by copying music fail in Paris?
Rousseau wished to live by his copying profession, but the public would not let him. Celebrity from his first writings filled his apartment with visitors and dinner invitations, and people offered presents to compensate for his time. He saw no way to end the dependence except refusing all presents, which only multiplied givers and brought accusations of arrogance.
Chapter 62
How did Rousseau explain his sour, cynical manner?
Rousseau says his timidity made him fear failing in society's forms, so he resolved to tread them under foot. He became sour and cynic from shame and affected to despise a politeness he could not practice. He admits this austerity seemed to ennoble itself as the intrepidity of virtue, though friends led the 'untractable bear' about like a lamb.
Chapter 62
What happened to Grimm after Mademoiselle Fel refused him?
Grimm fell violently in love with Mademoiselle Fel and wished to supplant Cahusac, but she refused him. He then fell into a strange lethargy: days and nights motionless with eyes open, not speaking, eating, or stirring, though his pulse beat regularly. Raynal watched by night and Rousseau by day; Senac found nothing to fear. Grimm recovered and never spoke of it.
Chapter 62
Why did Rousseau resist Baron d'Holbach's early advances?
Rousseau says a natural repugnancy kept him from answering the baron's advances for a long time. When d'Holbach asked the reason, Rousseau told him he was too rich. The baron persisted and eventually succeeded. Rousseau calls his inability to resist marked attention his greatest misfortune and says he has repented of yielding to it.
Chapter 62
Section 634 cards
How did Rousseau's friendship with M. Duclos begin?
Rousseau first met Duclos at Madam d'Epinay's house at the Chevrette, where they dined and spoke briefly after dinner. Duclos was prepossessed in Rousseau's favor and invited him to visit, but Rousseau was held back by timidity and indolence until encouraged by his first success and Duclos's praise. Rousseau then visited, Duclos returned the visit, and their connection began.
Chapter 63
What did Rousseau learn from Duclos about letters and character?
Rousseau says that through Duclos, as well as from the testimony of his own heart, he learned that uprightness and probity may sometimes be connected with the cultivation of letters. In other words, Duclos served as evidence that literary talent need not exclude moral integrity.
Chapter 63
What did Rousseau compose at Passy, and why did he write it?
After a supper conversation with Mussard about Italian opera-buffe they had both seen in Italy, Rousseau, unable to sleep, sketched couplets and airs, including 'J'ai perdu mon serviteur' and the duo 'A jamais, Colin, je t'engage.' Encouraged by Mussard and Mademoiselle du Vernois, he wrote his drama in six days and finished the music in three weeks.
Chapter 63
Why was Rousseau's recitative altered before the Fontainebleau performance?
Rousseau's recitative was accented in an entirely new manner and accompanied the utterance of the word. The directors dared not let this innovation pass, fearing it would shock ears of people who never judge for themselves. Francueil and Jelyotte proposed another recitative, to which Rousseau consented while refusing to have anything to do with it himself.
Chapter 63
Section 644 cards
At the coffee-house, what did the officer claim that astonished Rousseau?
An officer gave a long, confident account of the previous night's rehearsal—describing the author and what he said and did—though Rousseau, the author himself, saw the man had not been there and the story contained not a syllable of truth. Rousseau blushed and looked down, then left quickly, fearing the man would suffer if his lie were exposed.
Chapter 64
How did Rousseau justify attending the performance in careless dress and uncombed wig?
Surrounded by well-dressed women, Rousseau first felt uneasy, then resolved he was in his place because he was invited to see his own piece. He argued he should not subject himself to public opinion or blush at dress suited to his chosen state, since his appearance was simple but not dirty, and a beard is natural and sometimes an ornament.
Chapter 64
What was the audience's reaction to the first performance at court?
The piece was poorly acted but well sung. From the first scene, a murmur of surprise and applause spread and grew, and during the scene between the two good little folks the effect was complete. Since no one claps before the king, everything was heard. Women whispered praise, and Rousseau wept, convinced the pleasure of the sex outweighed authorial vanity.
Chapter 64
Why did Rousseau refuse the pension and presentation to the king?
D'Aumont arranged a presentation, and a pension was expected. Rousseau spent a sleepless night dreading his urinary infirmity in the palace and being unable to answer the king before the whole court. He left court in the morning, sacrificing the pension to avoid the yoke it would impose, though Diderot reproached him for not securing it for Madam Vasseur and her daughter.
Chapter 64
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Why did Rousseau's divertissement for Le Devin du Village fail to satisfy him?
Rousseau wanted the divertissement to run in action from beginning to end as a continued subject, which he believed would afford agreeable representations. When he proposed this at the opera-house, nobody would hearken to him, so he was obliged to tack together music and dances in the usual manner. He says the result, though full of charming ideas, succeeded only middlingly.
Chapter 65
How did the Italian Bouffons affect French opera according to Rousseau?
A company of Italian Bouffons arrived in Paris and performed at the opera-house. Rousseau says that although they were detestable and the orchestra mutilated their pieces, they did the French opera an injury that would never be repaired. Hearing both kinds the same evening opened French ears, and audiences could not endure the languid French music after the lively Italian accents.
Chapter 65
What two parties formed in the quarrel over French versus Italian music?
All Paris divided into two parties with violence greater than an affair of state or religion. The larger, more powerful party of the great, wealthy, and ladies supported French music and was called the Coin du Roi, assembled under the king's box. The livelier, haughtier party of connoisseurs, talents, and genius supported Italian music and was called the Coin de la Reine, meeting under the queen's box.
Chapter 65
How did Rousseau's Lettre sur la Musique Françoise differ in effect from the Petit Prophète?
Rousseau says the Petit Prophète, though long attributed to him, was taken as pleasantry and caused the author no inconvenience. His Lettre sur la Musique Françoise was taken seriously and incensed the whole nation, which felt its music attacked. Every other quarrel was forgotten, the Bastille or banishment was determined on, and the musicians of the opera orchestra resolved to murder him.
Chapter 65
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Why did Rousseau avow authorship of Narcissus after its poor reception?
Rousseau says he left the theatre early, weary of the first performance, and went to the Cafe de Procope, where he openly declared himself the author, judging the piece as everyone else had. He claims this public avowal of an unsuccessful piece was admired, that his self-love was flattered by the courage, and that there was more pride in speaking than foolish shame in silence.
Chapter 66
What did Rousseau do at St. Germain while working on the Inequality discourse?
Rousseau went to St. Germain for seven or eight days with Theresa, their hostess, and a friend. The women handled care and expense while he wandered the forest, tracing the history of primitive ages, comparing natural man with man of art, and concluding that all human evils proceed from people themselves. He says the resulting discourse pleased Diderot, whose advice greatly helped.
Chapter 66
What did Rousseau learn about Gauffecourt during their journey to Geneva?
Theresa revealed that Gauffecourt, over sixty, gout-ridden, and impotent, had repeatedly tried to corrupt her with base means, including a purse, an abominable book, and infamous figures. On the journey's first evening, while Rousseau had gone to bed with a headache, Gauffecourt acted more like a satyr than a man of honor. Rousseau concealed his contempt to avoid exposing Theresa.
Chapter 66
Why did Rousseau return to his ancestral religion in Geneva?
Rousseau says republican enthusiasm, heightened by his kind reception in Geneva, made him mortified at being excluded from citizen rights by holding a religion different from his forefathers'. He resolved to return to it, reasoning that the gospel is the same for all Christians, that differences come from human explanations, and that the sovereign power in each country has the right to fix worship, which citizens should follow.
Chapter 66
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What excursion did Rousseau most enjoy before leaving Geneva, and who joined him?
Rousseau says that of all the amusements he partook in, he was most pleased by sailing round the lake in a boat with De Luc the father, his daughter-in-law, his two sons, and Theresa. They gave seven days to this excursion in the finest possible weather, and he later used his memory of a spot at the other end of the lake in a description in his New Eloisa.
Chapter 67
How did the Geneva council and public receive Rousseau's Discourse on Inequality?
The reception was unfavorable. The dedication, dictated by what Rousseau calls the purest patriotism, created enemies in the council and inspired jealousy among many burgesses. First syndic M. Chouet wrote a polite but very cold letter, and only a few private persons, including Du Luc and De Jalabert, offered compliments. Rousseau notes he did not perceive a single Genevese pleased with the work's hearty zeal.
Chapter 67
Why did Voltaire's residence near Geneva help decide Rousseau against returning there?
Rousseau understood that Voltaire would cause a revolution at Geneva, so he would find there the same manners that drove him from Paris, leaving him only the choice of being an insufferable pedant, a poltroon, or a bad citizen. Voltaire's letter on his last work confirmed these fears, and from that moment Rousseau considered Geneva lost.
Chapter 67
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Why did Rousseau plead for Palissot after his satire offended King Stanislaus?
Rousseau wrote a strong solicitation to the Comte de Tressan asking him to intercede with the king on Palissot's behalf. Stanislaus granted a pardon, and Tressan said the whole affair would be entered in the academy register. Rousseau objected that this would perpetuate the punishment rather than pardon it, and after repeated requests he obtained a promise that nothing about the affair would be recorded publicly.
Chapter 68
Why did Rousseau refuse to write books for a living?
Rousseau argues that writing for bread would have extinguished his genius, since his talents lay less in his pen than in his heart and depended on noble thinking. He claims nothing vigorous or great comes from a venal pen, and that necessity or avarice would have made him write rapidly rather than well. He says the profession of letters is illustrious in proportion as it is less a trade, and an author must be independent of success to dare speak great truths.
Chapter 68
What daily schedule did Rousseau set for himself at the Hermitage?
Rousseau set apart his mornings for copying music and his afternoons for walking, carrying a little paper book and pencil. He says he could never write and think at ease except sub dio (in the open air), so he expected the forest of Montmorency, almost at his door, to become his closet and study. He had several works begun and intended to pursue them with more diligence away from city interruptions.
Chapter 68
What central question did Rousseau's Institutions Politiques set out to answer?
Rousseau says he first conceived the idea at Venice, observing the defects of its much-praised government, and later extended his views through historical study of morality. He concluded everything is radically connected with politics and that a people is never more than the nature of its government makes them. The great question thus became: what government is most proper to form the most virtuous and enlightened, wisest and best people, and which by nature stays nearest to the laws?
Chapter 68
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Why did Rousseau keep his 'Institutions Politiques' secret from friends like Diderot?
Rousseau had labored five or six years on the work and had told no one of the project, not even Diderot. He feared it would be thought too daring for the age and country in which he wrote, and that his friends' fears would restrain him from carrying it out. He notes that the wise severity of Duclos especially inspired this fear, and that conversations with Diderot tended to make him more satirical than his natural disposition.
Chapter 69
What was Rousseau's proposed 'Morale Sensitive' meant to investigate and achieve?
Rousseau proposed a book to be titled 'Morale Sensitive' ou le Materialisme du Sage. He wished to search for the causes of why men vary in character, confining observations to causes depending on ourselves, and to show how such variations might be directed to make us better. He found these variations largely depended on anterior impressions of external objects—climate, seasons, sounds, colors, light, ailments, noise, motion and rest—acting on the animal machine and thus the mind.
Chapter 69
Why did Rousseau find living in France favorable for publishing his ideas?
Rousseau, as a stranger living in France, found his situation favorable for daring to speak the truth. He was determined not to print anything in the kingdom without permission, so he was not obliged to give anyone there an account of his maxims or their publication elsewhere. He says he would have been less independent at Geneva, where the magistrate had a right to criticize the contents of his books wherever printed—a consideration that helped persuade him to abandon settling at Geneva.
Chapter 69
What did Rousseau claim about the reception of his bold ideas before Emilius?
Rousseau argues that every strong idea in the Social Contract had already been published in the discourse on Inequality, and every bold opinion in Emilius had previously appeared in Eloisa. The New Eloisa appeared with the same facility and applause, and its deathbed profession of faith resembles the Savoyard vicar's. This unrestrained freedom, he says, excited no murmur against the first two works, so it was not that which caused the reaction against the latter.
Chapter 69
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Whom did Rousseau consider his moral existence fixed by uniting with?
Rousseau says he always considered the day he was united to Theresa as the day that fixed his moral existence. He explains an attachment was necessary to him because the heart that should have sufficed had been cruelly broken, and the thirst for happiness is never extinguished in man.
Chapter 70
What does Rousseau claim about his feelings for Theresa from first sight?
Rousseau states that from the first moment he saw Theresa until the time of writing, he never felt the least love for her, and never desired to possess her more than he did Madame de Warens. He says the physical wants satisfied with her person were solely those of the sex, not of the individual.
Chapter 70
Why did Rousseau place his children in the foundling hospital?
Rousseau says the strongest reason, stronger than those stated in his letter to Madame de Francueil, was fear of entrusting his children to a badly brought-up family to be worse educated. He says the risk of the foundling hospital's education was much less, and he chose to appear less excusable rather than reproach the family of a person he loved.
Chapter 70
How did Rousseau describe his transformation after adopting his new principles?
Rousseau says he had been good and then became virtuous, or at least infatuated with virtue. He describes becoming bold, haughty, and intrepid, with confidence residing in his soul rather than his manner, and says this state lasted almost six years rather than six days or weeks, until particular circumstances restored him to nature.
Chapter 70
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Why did Rousseau's indignation toward men fade after leaving Paris?
The author explains that once he quitted Paris and lost sight of the vices of that city, the indignation it inspired no longer sustained itself. Removed from those who designed him evil, his hatred ceased; his heart, little fitted for hatred, pitied their misery and wickedness. This gentler situation soon allayed his ardent enthusiasm, and he insensibly became fearful, complaisant, and timid again—the same Jean Jacques as before.
Chapter 71
What did Theresa reveal about her mother's handling of Madam Dupin's presents?
Theresa disclosed that both she and her mother had received numerous presents from Madam Dupin, made on Rousseau's account and mostly for him. The cunning old woman appropriated them to her own use and that of her other children, giving Theresa no share, and strictly forbade her to mention the matter. The poor girl obeyed with incredible exactness, which surprised Rousseau more than the appropriation itself.
Chapter 71
What did Rousseau conclude about the manuscripts given him by the Comte de St. Pierre?
On examination, Rousseau found they were little more than a collection of the printed works of the Count's uncle, with notes and corrections in his own hand, plus a few unpublished fragments. The moral writings confirmed his higher opinion of the author's sense, but the political works showed only superficial notions and useful yet impracticable projects, since the author believed men are guided by sagacity rather than passions.
Chapter 71
According to the author, what was the fundamental error in the Comte de St. Pierre's political systems?
The author argues the Count's error was adopting the false principle of improved reason, born of his high opinion of modern knowledge. This became the basis of all his proposed institutions and the source of his political sophisms. Attempting to make men like himself rather than taking them as they are, he wandered from error to error, laboring for imaginary beings while thinking he served his contemporaries.
Chapter 71
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How did Rousseau plan to structure his work on the Abbé de Saint Pierre's manuscripts?
He planned two absolutely distinct parts: one explaining and amplifying the author's projects in a favorable light, and a second, appearing only after the first had its effect, giving his own opinion of those projects. The whole was to be headed by a life of the author, for which Rousseau had collected good materials and had known the abbé in his old age.
Chapter 72
Why did Rousseau abandon the project of editing Saint Pierre's works?
He realized most of the abbé's writings contained free observations on French government. The abbé had been tolerated as a kind of preacher whom nobody listened to; but had Rousseau procured him readers, Rousseau, a foreigner repeating the censures, could be rudely asked what he meddled with. He perceived the hold he was giving the government and withdrew.
Chapter 72
What inner conflict did Rousseau describe despite having Theresa and friends?
He says a secret grief never left him: in possessing Theresa he felt she wanted something to her happiness, and the idea of not being everything to her made her next to nothing to him. His friends' persistent efforts to control his tastes and wishes oppressed him, so he dreaded opening their letters. He found no real enjoyment in pleasures he had most desired.
Chapter 72
How did Rousseau respond to the impossibility of attaining real beings?
He says the impossibility of attaining real beings threw him into the regions of chimera. He peopled an ideal world with beings after his own heart, formed societies of perfect friends, and passed hours and days in ecstasy, forgetting the human species. When real visitors interrupted him, he received them so uncivilly that it confirmed his reputation as a misanthrope.
Chapter 72
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Why did Rousseau write to Voltaire about the Lisbon poem?
Struck by Voltaire complaining of life's miseries despite his prosperity, Rousseau formed the project of proving to him that everything was right. He argued that no evil could be attributed to Providence; all evils arose from man's abusive use of his faculties. He sent the letter to Doctor Tronchin, Voltaire's physician, with power to deliver or destroy it.
Chapter 73
What did Rousseau claim about Voltaire's professed belief in God?
The author argues that Voltaire, while appearing to believe in God, never really believed in anything but the devil. Rousseau asserts Voltaire's pretended deity is a malicious being who takes pleasure only in evil, and calls this doctrine absurd, especially disgusting coming from a man enjoying the greatest prosperity.
Chapter 73
How did Rousseau discover who was stealing M. d'Epinay's fruit?
The gardener blamed dormice, so Rousseau destroyed many of them, yet fruit kept disappearing. Watching the gardener closely, he found the man himself was the thief: lodging at Montmorency, he came at night with his wife and children to carry off fruit hidden by day and sold it in Paris. Rousseau had loaded him with kindness.
Chapter 73
What happened during Madame d'Houdetot's first visit to the Hermitage?
She lost her way; her carriage stuck in a quagmire, and she walked the rest, ruining her delicate shoes in the dirt. Servants extricated her, and she arrived in boots, laughing heartily, which Rousseau joined. Theresa supplied a change of clothes, and she stayed briefly but seemed pleased and disposed to return.
Chapter 73
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What contradiction did Rousseau feel about writing his novel?
Rousseau felt he had contradicted himself openly: after publicly asserting severe principles and violently inveighing against books full of effeminacy and love, he was now writing one himself. He reproached himself, blushed, and was vexed, but could not return to reason. He resolved to brave public opinion, though he had not yet decided whether to publish the work.
Chapter 74
What two aims did Rousseau intend his novel to serve?
Rousseau says he aimed at conjugal chastity and morality, which he saw as connected to all social order. He also had a secret aim for concord and public peace: to abate the hatred between the warring Encyclopedie parties by destroying their prejudices and showing each side the other's virtue. He admits the project lacked wisdom and only united the parties against its author.
Chapter 74
How does Rousseau describe Madame d'Houdetot?
He says she was nearly thirty, not handsome, marked by smallpox, coarse-complexioned, short-sighted, with rather round eyes, but had fine long black hair, an agreeable figure, and natural pleasing wit. He calls her character angelic, founded on sweetness of mind, lacking only prudence and fortitude. She was faithful in society, incapable of hatred, and never spoke ill of absent persons.
Chapter 74
What did Madame d'Epinay send that moved Rousseau most?
During extreme frost, Rousseau opened a packet of items Madame d'Epinay had purchased for him and found an English flannel under-petticoat she said she had worn, asking him to make an under-waistcoat from it. He kissed the note and petticoat repeatedly, weeping; Theresa thought him mad. He says this mark of friendship touched him most, and he long preserved her note.
Chapter 74
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Why did Madame d'Houdetot first visit Rousseau?
The author says she came partly from inclination but much more to please Saint Lambert, who had asked her to visit. She knew Rousseau was aware of her connection with Saint Lambert, so she could speak freely with him, and it was believed the friendship forming among the three would make the society agreeable to all.
Chapter 75
How did Rousseau realize he had fallen in love with Madame d'Houdetot?
He did not notice at first. Only after she left, when he tried to think of his fictional Julia, was he surprised to find he could think of nothing but Madame d'Houdetot. Then his eyes were opened: he felt his misfortune and lamented it, but did not foresee the consequences.
Chapter 75
How did Madame d'Houdetot respond to Rousseau's declaration of love?
The author admires her response as prudent and generous. She did not abruptly break with him, which would have required explaining to Saint Lambert and risked a rupture between the two friends. She pitied his folly without encouraging it, tried to restore him to reason, and sometimes added severe reproaches he admits he deserved.
Chapter 75
What happened in the grove by moonlight, according to Rousseau?
Seated beside her on a turf seat under a blooming acacia, he spoke his passion and both shed tears. She exclaimed that no man was so amiable or loved like him, but that Saint Lambert heard them and her heart could not love twice. They embraced, and that was all; she returned at midnight as pure as she came.
Chapter 75
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What physical effects did anticipating a kiss from Madame d'Houdetot have on Rousseau?
Rousseau says the mere thought of the kiss awaiting him at Eaubonne inflamed his blood so much that his head was affected, his eyes dazzled, his knees trembled and could not support him. He had to stop and sit down, his whole frame in inconceivable disorder, and he was on the point of fainting. He adds that he does not believe he ever made this little excursion alone with impunity.
Chapter 76
How did Madame d'Epinay try to obtain Madame d'Houdetot's letters?
Madame d'Epinay asked Theresa whether she and Rousseau wrote to each other, then pressed her to hand over Madame d'Houdetot's letters, promising to reseal them so it would never be known. Theresa sealed the letters more carefully instead. Madame d'Epinay later went into Rousseau's closet and pressed the mother and daughter to show the letters; only the daughter knew the secret and denied any were kept.
Chapter 76
What did Madame d'Houdetot tell Rousseau about St. Lambert's reaction?
She said she feared his follies would cost her the repose of her remaining days. St. Lambert had been informed of what passed, and ill informed. She said he did her justice but was vexed and concealed part of his vexation. She had hidden nothing from him about their connection, formed under his auspices, except Rousseau's extravagant passion, which she hoped to cure and which St. Lambert imputed to her as a crime.
Chapter 76
Whom did Rousseau and Madame d'Houdetot suspect of informing St. Lambert?
They suspected Madame d'Epinay, who corresponded with St. Lambert and had made many efforts to detach Madame d'Houdetot from her lover. Rousseau's suspicions became certainty when he heard what passed in his own house. He also notes Grimm had made unsuccessful attempts on Madame d'Houdetot and was piqued, having suddenly discontinued his visits to her.
Chapter 76
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Why did Rousseau write to Madame d'Epinay about his suspicions rather than name names?
Rousseau says he deliberately confined his letter to suspicions so he would not be forced to produce proofs, fearing the vengeance of an "implacable and intriguing woman" against anyone he named. He admits this made his outburst less excusable, since mere suspicions could not justify treating a friend as he had treated Madame d'Epinay.
Chapter 77
How did Madame d'Epinay react when Rousseau arrived expecting an attack?
Unexpectedly: she threw her arms around his neck and burst into tears, which deeply affected him and made him weep too. Supper was served, but no explanation followed that evening or the next day; their reconciliation consisted only of that first embrace, and Rousseau soon foolishly believed she had forgotten the quarrel.
Chapter 77
What sentence in Diderot's Fils Naturel offended Rousseau?
The sentence "Il n'y a que le méchant qui soit seul" — only the wicked man is alone. Rousseau found it equivocal, shocking, and uncivil from an author who had a friend retired from the world, since it made no exception for his friend or for sages who sought peace in retirement. He wrote to complain in a mild, tearful letter.
Chapter 77
What did Diderot's reply to Rousseau's complaint say?
Diderot wrote that he was glad his work pleased and affected Rousseau, told him to say what good he liked of hermits and be the only one of whom Diderot would think well, hinted much could be said if it were possible to speak without giving offence, mentioned "a woman eighty years of age," and noted a phrase from Madame d'Epinay's son's letter had been mentioned to him.
Chapter 77
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Why did Madame le Vasseur stay at the Hermitage despite complaints?
Rousseau offered to send her back to Paris and pay her lodging, but she rejected it, saying the country air suited her and she was content. Her daughter said she would have been sorry to leave and had only spoken of dissatisfaction because she was asked to, to induce Rousseau to return to Paris.
Chapter 78
How does Rousseau answer Diderot's charge about the twenty poor on the rampart?
Rousseau replies that the learned man, a farmer-general, had probably already compensated the Paris poor, so he appoints him his substitute. He says he would rather give two sous weekly to a destitute old laborer near Montmorency than a hundred farthings to rampart beggars, arguing philosophers wrongly treat city dwellers as the only proper objects of charity.
Chapter 78
What accusation did Diderot make about keeping Madame le Vasseur in the country?
Diderot construed it as a crime to keep an eighty-year-old woman away from the succors she might need, implying Rousseau wished to end her life. Rousseau counters that she was in perfect health, could get help at nearby Montmorency, and that she chose to stay; he calls it an atrocious accusation from which Diderot did not except him.
Chapter 78
Why did Rousseau travel to Paris to visit Diderot, and what happened?
Madame d'Houdetot urged him because Diderot was in distress, facing a storm over the Encyclopedie and accusations that his play was taken from Goldoni. Rousseau went partly to disprove a report that he had broken with Diderot over this. Diderot received him well, and they let reciprocal invectives be forgotten rather than explained.
Chapter 78
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How did Saint Lambert respond to Rousseau's conduct with Madame d'Houdetot?
The chapter says Saint Lambert behaved like an honest and judicious man: since Rousseau alone was culpable, he alone was punished, though with the greatest indulgence. He treated Rousseau severely but in a friendly manner, so Rousseau felt he had lost some of Saint Lambert's esteem but none of his friendship. Rousseau consoled himself that esteem was easier to recover than friendship, and that Saint Lambert had too much sense to confuse an involuntary weakness and a passion with a vice of character.
Chapter 79
What did Rousseau do while reading his letter to Voltaire aloud to Saint Lambert?
After dinner Rousseau read Saint Lambert the letter he had written the preceding year to Voltaire, which Saint Lambert had heard spoken of. While Rousseau was reading, Saint Lambert fell asleep. Rousseau, who calls himself lately so haughty but at present so foolish, dared not stop, and continued reading while Saint Lambert continued to snore. Rousseau presents this as an indignity he endured and as Saint Lambert's revenge, though he says Saint Lambert's generosity kept such exercises private between them.
Chapter 79
Why did Rousseau compose a motet for the Chevrette chapel, and how was it received?
Rousseau perceived doubts about his knowledge of musical composition, even in the mind of M. d'Epinay. Without appearing to notice, he undertook to compose a motet for the dedication of the Chevrette chapel and asked d'Epinay to choose the words; de Linant supplied them. The motet, beginning 'Ecce sedes hic Tonantis', was finished within a week. Rousseau says spite was his Apollo and never better music came from his hand. It was performed with the best performers and Madam Bruna singing, succeeded well, and was later twice generally applauded at the spiritual concert despite secret cabals and a bad execution.
Chapter 79
How does Rousseau describe Grimm's behavior toward him at the Chevrette?
Rousseau says Grimm made the Chevrette insupportable with airs he had never seen in anyone. Grimm received him like the Comte de Tuffiere, scarcely returned his salute, never spoke to him, and took the first place without attention. At supper with Madame d'Epinay, Grimm seated himself at the fire and ate without a word while Rousseau, indisposed and older, walked about until a cover was brought and supped at the end of the table. Rousseau also notes Grimm was given the chamber of favor contiguous to Madame d'Epinay's, which had a private door.
Chapter 79
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What single-article morality did Madame d'Epinay attribute to Grimm?
The author reports that Madame d'Epinay described Grimm's morality as consisting of one article: that man's sole duty is to follow all the inclinations of his heart. Rousseau says he first took this as a play of wit but came to see it as the real rule of Grimm's conduct, and he identifies it as the interior doctrine Diderot often intimated to him without ever explaining.
Chapter 80
What did Rousseau resolve about Grimm, and how did Madame d'Epinay respond?
Judging Grimm's character at least suspicious and his friendship false, Rousseau resolved to see him no more and told Madame d'Epinay, supporting the decision with facts he says he has since forgotten. She fought the resolution, then the next day gave him a letter she and Grimm had drawn up together, justifying Grimm and blaming Rousseau for suspecting his friend. The letter staggered him, and he later apologized to Grimm.
Chapter 80
How did Grimm receive Rousseau's apology, according to the chapter?
Rousseau expected open arms but says Grimm received him like a Roman Emperor, with unmatched haughtiness. Before granting favor, Grimm delivered a prepared harangue listing his rare virtues, especially those of friendship, stressing that he had always kept the same friends. He then humbled Rousseau with proofs of the friends' preference for him, and finally granted a slight embrace Rousseau compares to a king's accolade to new-made knights.
Chapter 80
What did Rousseau conclude about how he learned of his children's disposal?
Rousseau had told only three friends — Diderot, Grimm, and Madame d'Epinay — while Duclos, whom he calls the most worthy of his confidence, was the only real friend he did not inform, yet Duclos knew. Rousseau reasons the perfidy probably did not come from Madame d'Epinay, leaving Grimm and Diderot, then closely united against him, as likely sharing the crime. He wagers Duclos alone never spoke of it again.
Chapter 80
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Why did Diderot write to Rousseau about accompanying Madame d'Epinay to Geneva?
Diderot urged Rousseau to go with Madame d'Epinay to Geneva, arguing she was ill, going to a strange country, and would need company, and that Rousseau owed her gratitude. He warned that refusal would be interpreted as ingratitude or a secret motive, and suggested Rousseau could follow even without a carriage. The note was folded so its contents were easily read and sent via M. de Linant, the son's tutor.
Chapter 81
How did Rousseau react to Diderot's letter, and what did he do with it?
Rousseau was trembling and nearly blind with rage. He noticed Diderot's unusually polite language and the odd delivery method, suspecting a secondhand maneuver. He wrote a heated reply defending his obligations to Madame d'Epinay and rejecting the advice as coming from others, then carried it from the Hermitage to Chevrette and read both letters aloud to Madame d'Epinay and Grimm.
Chapter 81
What did Rousseau resolve about his feelings for Madame d'Houdetot during their farewell at Eaubonne?
Rousseau resolved to see Madame d'Houdetot only as his friend and Saint Lambert's mistress, using Saint Lambert's letter as a shield against his weakness. They spent four hours together in a calm he found preferable to the fever he usually felt in her presence. She esteemed him for his efforts, and they planned an intimate lasting connection among the three of them.
Chapter 81
What did Madame d'Houdetot ask of Rousseau regarding his break with Madame d'Epinay?
She opposed his resolution to quit the Hermitage and urged him to avoid an open rupture, however mortifying. She feared being blamed for his refusal to go to Geneva, since Diderot's letter seemed to announce it. Rousseau agreed to palliate his refusal with plausible reasons, giving preference to her reputation over his own, and later asks whether he fulfilled this engagement.
Chapter 81
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Why did Rousseau refuse to accompany Madame d'Epinay to Geneva?
Rousseau argues the journey was unnecessary and would embarrass Madame d'Epinay, and that it inconvenienced him. He also notes Grimm was not expected to go, though Grimm's name was never mentioned. He wrote to Grimm explaining this, but Grimm delayed his reply and eventually broke with him violently.
Chapter 82
What sacrifice did Rousseau choose when his duties conflicted?
Faced with failing in respect to Madame d'Epinay, Madame d'Houdetot, or himself, Rousseau resolved to make himself the victim. He openly and fully sacrificed his own reputation, which he says his enemies exploited to ruin him and deprive him of public esteem, but which restored his self-esteem and consoled him.
Chapter 82
How did Rousseau describe his self-control during his final meeting with Madame d'Houdetot?
Rousseau says his passion was never more ardent, yet Saint Lambert's letter, his sense of duty, and his horror of perfidy kept his senses at peace throughout the interview. He did not even kiss her hand, and her parting embrace before her servants proved he had mastered himself.
Chapter 82
What did Grimm's first letter to Rousseau say, and how did Rousseau react?
Grimm wrote that Madame d'Epinay's departure was postponed because her son was ill, told Rousseau to remain quiet at the Hermitage, and said he would send his opinion later. Rousseau was astonished, finding the delays and mysteries incompatible with honor and uprightness.
Chapter 82
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Why did Rousseau leave the Hermitage in December 1757?
Rousseau left after Madame d'Epinay's letter of 1 December 1757, which he read as a dismissal refusing consent to his staying the winter. Though friends urged him to wait until spring, he resolved to leave within a week, gave up the keys on 15 December, and moved to a small house at Mont Louis in Montmorency offered by M. Mathas.
Chapter 83
What did Rousseau tell Diderot about Madame d'Epinay's conduct?
Rousseau told Diderot of Madame d'Epinay's maneuvers to intercept letters from her sister-in-law, and had Theresa relate the particulars. He did not admit that Madame d'Houdetot knew of his passion. He was astonished when Madame le Vasseur contradicted Theresa's account to his face, which he took as decisive proof of his imprudence in keeping her near him.
Chapter 83
How did Rousseau describe his health after moving to Montmorency?
Once out of the Hermitage, the momentary strength that had enabled him to leave vanished. He suffered from retentions and a new complaint, a rupture, and was reduced to a cruel state. His old friend the physician Thieiry explained his situation. The fine season did not restore him, and he passed 1758 in languor, believing he was near the end of his life.
Chapter 83
What four capital offences did rumor attribute to Rousseau?
Rousseau says he could not learn the specifics of the accusations, but public rumor rested on four capital offences: retiring to the country, his passion for Madame d'Houdetot, refusing to accompany Madame d'Epinay to Geneva, and leaving the Hermitage. He claims Grimm, Madame d'Epinay, and Tronchin spread accusations while posing as his friends.
Chapter 83
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What conspiracy does Rousseau believe Grimm and the Holbach circle formed against him?
Rousseau argues that Grimm, Diderot, and D'Holbach, being at the center of Parisian society while he lived in solitude, conspired to destroy his reputation. He claims Grimm devised the plan to raise an edifice of obscurity around him, cutting off all communication so no word of truth could reach him, while appearing to favor him. Rousseau admits the enterprise required deceiving honest men and alienating his friends.
Chapter 84
How did Rousseau compose his letter to D'Alembert on theatres?
In February, during a severe winter at Mont Louis, Rousseau went morning and evening to an open alcove at the end of his garden, exposed to wind and snow with no fire but that in his heart. There, over three weeks, he composed his letter to D'Alembert on theatres, finding charms in philosophical labor. He says the work bears marks of his melancholy and of love still remaining in his heart.
Chapter 84
What did Madame d'Houdetot's letter tell Rousseau, and how did he react?
After a long silence, Madame d'Houdetot wrote that his passion for her was known throughout Paris, that he had spoken of it to persons who made it public, and that the rumor nearly cost Saint Lambert his life. Though Saint Lambert did her justice and peace was restored, she felt obliged to break off all correspondence with Rousseau for the sake of her reputation, promising to inquire after his health. Rousseau exclaimed against Diderot as an unworthy friend.
Chapter 84
How did Saint Lambert's visit change Rousseau's view of his friends?
Saint Lambert visited Rousseau twice; the second time Rousseau was out, so Theresa spoke with him for over two hours. Saint Lambert was surprised to learn that nobody doubted Rousseau had lived with Madame d'Epinay as Grimm did, and was convinced the rumor was false. He also revealed circumstances Rousseau had told only to Diderot under friendship's seal. This determined Rousseau to break with Diderot forever.
Chapter 84
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How did Rousseau plan to publicly announce his rupture with Diderot?
Rousseau resolved to follow Montesquieu's example of openly declaring a break with a former friend, but without scandal. From his retreat he inserted, as a note in his work, a passage from the book of Ecclesiasticus that declared the rupture and its subject clearly enough for those aware of the circumstances, while meaning nothing to others. He also determined to speak of the renounced friend only with the honor due to extinguished friendship.
Chapter 85
Why did Saint Lambert reject Rousseau's gift and condemn him?
Saint Lambert returned the copy, saying the Ecclesiasticus passage made the book drop from his hand. He noted Rousseau had seemed persuaded Diderot was innocent of the imputed indiscretions, and that whatever grievances Rousseau had, he had no right to insult Diderot publicly, especially given Diderot's persecutions. He said their principles differed too much, asked Rousseau to forget he existed, and promised to remember only his talents.
Chapter 85
What effect did the dinner at Madam d'Epinay's have on Rousseau?
Rousseau accepted the invitation, though trembling at appearing before Madam d'Houdetot. He received a warm reception, but Madam de Blainville, resentful of him, mortified him during dinner. Afterward Saint Lambert and Madam d'Houdetot approached him and conversed familiarly as before. He left scarcely thinking of Madam d'Houdetot, his mind taken up with Saint Lambert, and concluded Saint Lambert's distance came more from jealousy than disesteem.
Chapter 85
How did Rousseau's gift to Marmontel create an enemy?
Rousseau, too proud to send works to periodical authors, inscribed the book to M. Marmontel rather than the author of the Mercure, intending a compliment. Marmontel mistook it for a cruel offence and became his irreconcilable enemy, writing against the letter with politeness but perceptible bitterness and thereafter injuring him in society and his works. Rousseau reflects how carefully one must avoid anything equivocal in compliments to men of letters.
Chapter 85
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What kind of connections did Rousseau resolve to have after shaking off his tyrants?
He resolved to have no connections other than those of simple benevolence, which impose no constraint on liberty and are based on equality. He found this the most suitable way of life for his age, letting him end his days in peace, removed from the agitations, quarrels, and cavillings in which he had been half submerged.
Chapter 86
What career advice did Rousseau give young Loyseau de Mauleon, and what did he predict?
Rousseau predicted Mauleon would have an illustrious career at the bar if he set rigid rules for choosing cases and defended only virtue and justice. He said Mauleon's genius, elevated by this sublime sentiment, would equal the greatest orators. Mauleon followed the advice, and Rousseau cites his defense of M. de Portes as worthy of Demosthenes.
Chapter 86
What did Father Berthier do that changed Rousseau's opinion of his good nature?
Berthier wrote to Rousseau on behalf of Madam le Vasseur, asking permission for her to accept Grimm's offer to maintain her on a pension of three hundred livres and live at Deuil. Rousseau found the application surprising, but gave consent. He says Berthier's forced smile, like Panurge's, later changed his physiognomy in Rousseau's eyes.
Chapter 86
Who were the two men Father Berthier introduced to Rousseau, and how did Theresa nickname them?
They were Ferrand and Minard, called each other cousin, were Jansenists, and passed for disguised priests, perhaps because of their long swords. They lodged at Paris with D'Alembert and took a summer apartment at Montmorency, doing all their own housework in weekly turns. Theresa called them the gossips, a name long known at Montmorency.
Chapter 86
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Why did Rousseau never visit M. le Blond, and what fault does he blame?
Rousseau repeatedly postponed the visit until shame at the delay kept him from going at all, so he never presented himself. He says this negligence made him appear ungrateful, though his heart felt innocent, and he claims indolence and delay in small duties harmed him more than great vices: his greatest faults were omissions, rarely doing what he ought not, still more rarely what he ought.
Chapter 87
Why did Rousseau stop visiting M. de Joinville after the cold reception?
Joinville received him coldly after a supper with some girls and clerks; Rousseau could find no offense he had given and, since Joinville would not explain, resolved never to return. He notes he seldom revisits where he was once ill received, and no Diderot pleaded Joinville's case. He kept sending his works and later met Joinville, who reproached him, but he kept his resolution.
Chapter 87
How did Malesherbes help with Eloisa, and how did Rousseau respond to the profits?
As censor, Malesherbes let proofs be addressed to him free of postage and forwarded under his father the chancellor's countersign, and delayed sale until an edition was sold for Rousseau's benefit. Rousseau, having sold the manuscript to Rey, refused the gift without Rey's consent, which Rey generously gave, then insisted on splitting the hundred pistoles with Rey, who would not take any.
Chapter 87
Why did Rousseau refuse the place at the Journal des Savans?
Margency offered him the post, which Rousseau saw was authorized by Malesherbes: two abstracts a month, no need to go to Paris, a salary of eight hundred livres, and a society of distinguished men of letters. He hesitated for fear of displeasing them, but refused because he could not bear the constraint of working by command, and believed he would perform badly, since his talent depended on warmth of imagination.
Chapter 87
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What did Rousseau do with his 'Institutions Politiques' manuscript?
Rousseau examined the state of the work and found it required several years' labor. Lacking courage to continue and wait for completion before carrying out his plans, he laid the book aside, determined to take from it all he could, and to burn the rest. Continuing this with zeal without interrupting Emilius, he finished the 'Contrat Social'.
Chapter 88
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Why did Rousseau move his guests out of his chamber at Mont Louis?
He feared the rotten, failing floor would sink under the weight of the marechal's attendants. Less worried about his own danger than about exposing the marechal, he led him, despite cold weather, to his alcove, which was open to the air and had no chimney, and explained the reason. The marechale then urged him to accept lodging in the castle or the Little Castle until the floor was repaired.
Chapter 89
What did Rousseau do when Madame de Luxembourg proposed he join the French Academy?
He raised his religion as an obstacle; she said it was no barrier and offered to remove it. He replied that however great the honor, having refused M. de Tressan and in some measure the King of Poland to join the Academy at Nancy, he could not properly enter another. She did not insist and nothing more was said.
Chapter 89
How did Rousseau try to avoid awkward conversation with Madame de Luxembourg?
Knowing she was difficult as to conversation and that women of her rank must be amused, he feared his blunders would weary her. His expedient was reading: she had heard of his Eloisa and wished to see it, so he offered to read it to her. Each morning at ten he read by her bedside with M. de Luxembourg present and the door shut, pacing the readings to fill her stay.
Chapter 89
Why did Rousseau decide to cut Lord Edward's adventures from Eloisa?
He thought they did not match the rest and would spoil the work's interesting simplicity, its principal merit. A stronger reason came when he met Madame de Luxembourg: the adventures included a Roman marchioness of bad character, parts of which might be applied to her by people who did not know her well. He was pleased with the decision and resolved to keep it.
Chapter 89
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How did Coindet get the New Eloisa engravings, and what did he do with them?
Rousseau asked Coindet for the engravings, which he says belonged to him by every title, especially since he had given Coindet the proceeds from the plates' considerable sale. Coindet repeatedly delayed, pretending to add new ornament, then presented the engravings himself. Rousseau quotes 'Ego versiculos feci, tulit alter honores,' implying another took the honor. The author argues this gave Coindet an introduction to the Hotel de Luxembourg.
Chapter 90
How did Coindet come to dine with the Marechal de Luxembourg?
Coindet visited Rousseau in the mornings, especially when M. and Madam de Luxembourg were at Montmorency, so Rousseau stayed to see him and was reproached for absenting himself from the castle. When told to bring Coindet, he did, which was what Coindet sought. Thus a clerk to M. Thelusson was suddenly placed at a marechal's table with princes and duchesses. The marechal once led the company to accompany Coindet on the road to St. Denis.
Chapter 90
How did Rousseau arrange his lodgings at Mont Louis and the little castle?
Rousseau furnished the little house of Mont Louis and lived there, but kept the key to the little castle and often went there to sleep, staying three or four days as at a country-house. M. Mathas, his host, left him absolute direction of the repairs and insisted he dispose of the workmen without interference. Rousseau made a first-story chamber into a chamber, antechamber, and water closet; the ground floor held the kitchen and Theresa's chamber.
Chapter 90
How did Rousseau first become acquainted with the Marchioness of Verdelin?
Madam de Verdelin, his neighbor at Soisy, wanted his company. She came several times to Mont Louis without finding him, and, seeing he did not return her visit, sent pots of flowers for his terrace to force him to call. Rousseau felt obliged to go thank her, which was all she wanted, and so they became acquainted. He describes the connection, like others formed against his inclination, as beginning boisterously.
Chapter 90
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Why did Rousseau send his crayon portrait to the Luxembourg castle?
La Tour the painter brought Rousseau his crayon portrait, which Rousseau initially did not choose to accept; Madam d'Epinay, who had given him her own portrait, prevailed on him to ask for it. After his rupture with her, Rousseau returned her portrait and put his own in his chamber at the castle. M. de Luxembourg saw it, found it good, and Rousseau offered and sent it to him.
Chapter 91
What condition did Rousseau insist on for printing Emilius, and who mediated?
Madam de Luxembourg wished to handle the printing so Rousseau might profit more, and she got M. de Malesherbes to write a long letter arguing the Savoyard vicar's profession of faith would gain approval everywhere. Rousseau still required the book be printed in Holland by the bookseller Neaulme, with the edition sold for a French bookseller's profit, and it was agreed he would have no further concern with it.
Chapter 91
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How did Madame de Luxembourg respond to Rousseau's plea for Abbé Morrellet?
She went to Versailles to speak to M. de St. Florentin on Morrellet's behalf, reporting that he was favorably disposed but faced obstacles he hoped to remove when next dealing with the king. She also asked that Morrellet not be exiled to Nancy. She promised to press St. Florentin until the affair ended as Rousseau desired.
Chapter 92
Why did Rousseau say he hated Voltaire?
Rousseau wrote that Voltaire had injured him despite his being a disciple and admirer: ruining Geneva despite its asylum, alienating Rousseau's fellow citizens despite his eulogies, making residence in his own country insupportable, and obliging him to die in a foreign land. He hated Voltaire because Voltaire had been desirous he should, though he still honored his talents.
Chapter 92
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Why did Rousseau refuse the prince's third gift of game?
Rousseau had accepted two hampers of game from the prince, the second accompanied by a note that the prince himself had shot it. He then wrote to Madam de Boufflers that he would not accept a third. He admits the letter was generally and deservedly blamed, calling the refusal less the delicacy of a haughty man than the rusticity of a clown, and says he blushes to reread it.
Chapter 93
How did Rousseau behave when playing chess with the prince?
Though the prince was said to beat the Chevalier de Lorenzy, who played better than Rousseau, Rousseau ignored the chevalier's signals and won both games. He then told the prince gravely that he honored him too much not to beat him always. Rousseau believes the prince, who had real wit, felt he was the only person there treating him like a man, and was not displeased.
Chapter 93
What happened when the Princess of Talmont received Eloisa?
A hawker brought her the novel on the evening of an opera ball. After supper she began reading while dressing and kept reading past midnight, when her carriage was ready. Told it was two, then four o'clock, she said it was too late for the ball, had the horses taken off, undressed, and spent the rest of the night reading.
Chapter 93
What did readers wrongly assume about the author of Eloisa?
Many believed Rousseau had written his own history and was himself the hero, so strongly that Madam de Polignac asked to see Julia's portrait. Rousseau says he wrote while his imagination was inflamed, but real objects were not necessary; without Madam d'Houdetot and a few youthful memories, his described loves would have been with fairy nymphs. He neither confirmed nor destroyed the advantageous error.
Chapter 93
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What agreement did Rousseau make with M. de Bastide regarding the Paix Perpetuelle?
Rousseau gave Bastide the manuscript of the Paix Perpetuelle for twelve louis, on the agreement that Bastide would print it in his journal, Le Monde. Once Bastide owned the manuscript, however, he printed it separately with retrenchments required by the censor. Rousseau notes that his own opinion of the work was not part of the agreement and remains in manuscript among his papers.
Chapter 94
Why did Madame de Luxembourg object to Rousseau's advice that the marechal retire from court?
Rousseau had advised retirement, comparing it to the counsel Cyneas gave Pyrrhus. Madame de Luxembourg reprimanded him, arguing that long habit had made court life a necessity and amusement for M. de Luxembourg, and that retirement would be less a relaxation than an exile, in which inactivity, weariness and melancholy would soon end his existence. Rousseau was convinced and kept his promise never to raise it again.
Chapter 94
According to Rousseau, what caused the deaths of the grandson and later the grandfather?
Rousseau says the grandson died of inanition because his mother, Madame de Montmorency, trusted the physician Borden, who gave the youth medicines for food; Rousseau's remonstrances were ignored. The grandfather, M. de Luxembourg, was hastened toward death by confidence in quacks and by wishing to dissimulate the infirmities of age, with a gouty toe treated by beaume tranquille instead of being acknowledged as gout.
Chapter 94
What happened when Rousseau was asked to judge the Abbe de Boufflers' portrait of Madame de Luxembourg?
The abbe sketched a portrait of Madame de Luxembourg that she said did not resemble her, which Rousseau says was true. The abbe consulted Rousseau, who falsely claimed there was a likeness in order to flatter him. Madame de Luxembourg noted what Rousseau had said, the abbe got what he wanted and laughed at him, and Rousseau concluded he was not born to flatter.
Chapter 94
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What did Rousseau tell Madame de Boufflers about her prose tragedy?
He gave her the moderate praise the work deserved, but also told her that her piece, 'L'Esclave Genereux', greatly resembled the English tragedy 'Oroonoko', little known in France though translated into French. She thanked him but insisted there was no resemblance. He notes he mentioned the plagiarism only to her, to discharge a duty she imposed, and later recalled the consequences of Gil Blas's sincerity to the preaching archbishop.
Chapter 95
Why did Rousseau change his dog Duke's name to Turk?
Out of what he calls foolish pusillanimity: the dog, given to him soon after his arrival at the Hermitage, was called Duke, and Rousseau renamed him Turk to avoid giving offense to any duke. The Marquis of Villeroy, knowing of the change, attacked him at table so that Rousseau had to explain publicly, embarrassing him before dukes including M. de Luxembourg and his son.
Chapter 95
What did Madame de Luxembourg do when Rousseau confessed his faults to her?
Having made it a maxim to show friends himself as he really was, he declared his connection with Theresa and the disposal of his children. She received his confessions favorably, even too much so, sparing him the censures he merited. She also showed goodness to Theresa, making her presents, sending for her, and embracing her in public, which affected Rousseau more than kindnesses to himself.
Chapter 95
What happened to the sealed manuscript of the Social Contract en route to Rey?
Rousseau gave it sealed to Du Voisin, a minister in the pays de Vaud and chaplain at the Hotel de Hollande, who undertook to send it to Rey. Passing the barriere, the packet fell into the hands of the Commis, who opened and examined it, then returned it when Du Voisin reclaimed it in the ambassador's name. Du Voisin read it himself, praised the work, and reserved censure until publication.
Chapter 95
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What did Rousseau plan to do with the expected proceeds from his works?
Rousseau expected his various productions, including the essay on the origin of languages, to yield a net capital of eight to ten thousand livres. He intended to sink this sum in annuities for his own life and Theresa's, then retire with her to a province to live peacefully, do good locally, and write his memoirs at leisure.
Chapter 96
How did the bookseller Rey show generosity toward Rousseau?
Rey, though heedless where Rousseau was choleric, was exact and honest in matters of interest. He frankly admitted he gained largely by Rousseau's works and settled an annuity of three hundred livres on Theresa, the governess, as acknowledgment for advantages Rousseau had procured him — done quietly, without ostentation, so no one would have known had Rousseau not spoken of it.
Chapter 96
What maxim governed Rousseau's handling of money between himself and Theresa?
Rousseau says Theresa always disposed of everything. When he kept her money he gave a faithful account and never applied any of the deposit to common expenses, even when she was richer than he. His maxim was: "What is mine is ours, and what is thine is thine." He says he would eat bread she earned but not bread given to her.
Chapter 96
What warning did Duclos give Rousseau about Emilius being printed in Paris?
After Rousseau read him the Profession of Faith of the Savoyard Vicar, Duclos asked whether this was part of a work then printing in Paris. Told yes, and that it ought to be printed at the Louvre by order of the king, Duclos replied that he confessed it, but begged Rousseau not to mention to anybody that he had read him this fragment.
Chapter 96
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What conspiracy did Rousseau suspect regarding the Jesuits and Emilius?
Rousseau imagined the Jesuits, furious at his contemptuous remarks about colleges, had obtained his manuscript and delayed publication until after his death. He believed they intended to curtail and mutilate it, attributing to him sentiments not his own. He suspected Guerin, Father Griffet's talk of the work, and the Abbe de Grave, though Malesherbes pointed out the Jesuits were themselves facing suppression.
Chapter 97
How did Malesherbes and Madame de Luxembourg respond to Rousseau's distress?
M. de Malesherbes, discovering Rousseau's agitation, worked to restore his tranquility, showing excessive goodness of heart; Madame de Luxembourg aided him and several times went to Duchesne to learn the edition's state. The printing resumed and progressed faster than ever. Malesherbes came to Montmorency to calm Rousseau, and Rousseau's confidence in his uprightness overcame the derangement of his head.
Chapter 97
What did Rousseau fear about his papers and his neighbors at Montmorency?
Rousseau noticed his papers seemed deranged and once missed a volume for three days. He suspected the Jansenist neighbors, who had connections with D'Alembert and had shown the first volume of Emilius around. He moved his papers from the alcove to his chamber and dropped the acquaintance. He never suspected M. Mathas or M. du Moulin, in whom his confidence was unbounded.
Chapter 97
Section 984 cards
What did Friar Come conclude after examining Rousseau?
After several careful examinations, Come declared there was no stone; instead the prostate gland was schirrous and considerably thickened. He added that Rousseau had a great deal to suffer and should live a long time. Rousseau notes that if the second prediction is as fully accomplished as the first, his sufferings are far from over.
Chapter 98
How did M. de Luxembourg respond to Rousseau's illness?
During the Easter journey, Rousseau's melancholy prevented him from going to the castle, so M. de Luxembourg came to see him every day without fail. Perceiving Rousseau's incessant suffering, he prevailed on him to see Friar Come, sent for him, came with him, and stayed through the cruel and tedious operation—a courage Rousseau calls uncommon to a man of his rank.
Chapter 98
How did Rousseau react to the publication of Emilius?
The work received no public applause, unlike his earlier writings, though it was highly praised in private. Correspondents like Mme de Boufflers and D'Alembert praised it but with odd mystery—D'Alembert didn't sign his note. Only Clairaut spoke freely. M. de Blaire predicted it would soon be spoken of more than the author might wish; Rousseau laughed, seeing only a man of the robe's mystique.
Chapter 98
What did Rousseau fear about the passage on peasants and game?
He had witnessed peasants forced to suffer havoc from game without daring to act, and the cruelty of the Comte de Charolois toward them. Near the end of Emilius he exclaimed against this. He feared the Prince of Conti, whose people were little less severe on his estates, might take offense, since Rousseau respected and was grateful to him. His conscience acquitted him, and he heard the prince took no notice.
Chapter 98
Section 994 cards
Why did Rousseau decide not to resist arrest and instead flee France?
Rousseau says he had courage to adhere strictly to truth even if it harmed him, but he doubted he had the presence of mind or firmness to avoid implicating Madam de Luxembourg if interrogated. To protect her tranquillity, he resolved to sacrifice his reputation and leave, a sacrifice he says nothing could have made him do for himself.
Chapter 99
What did Madam de Boufflers urge Rousseau to do, and how did he respond?
She urged him to leave the kingdom for England, offering introductions to her friends including Hume. She also warned that if arrested he might have to name Madam de Luxembourg. Rousseau rejected England, saying he had never loved England or the English, and her eloquence only increased his repugnance without his knowing why.
Chapter 99
Why did Rousseau choose not to settle in Geneva after leaving France?
He feared the French ministry was more powerful at Geneva than at Paris and would still torment him. He also believed the council harbored secret hatred toward him over the Discourse on Inequality, and had briefly banned New Eloisa at Doctor Tronchin's request before reversing itself. He resolved only to approach Geneva and wait in Switzerland.
Chapter 99
What did Rousseau do the evening before the arrest order was to be issued?
On June 8 he walked with two Oratory professors, Father Alamanni and Father Mandard, carrying a collation to Champeaux. They forgot glasses and drank wine through rye stalks, competing over large tubes. He says he was never more cheerful. That night he read the Bible past his usual hour, finishing Judges, and was deeply affected before La Roche arrived with the warning.
Chapter 99
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Why did Rousseau leave Theresa behind when he fled Montmorency?
He wanted her to stay to watch what happened, collect his money, and settle his effects advantageously, since arresting officers customarily seized papers and sealed property. He also deliberately kept his destination from her so she could truthfully plead ignorance if interrogated. He promised she would soon join him, and the marechal confirmed the promise.
Chapter 100
How did Rousseau describe his emotional parting from the marechal de Luxembourg?
He calls it one of the bitterest moments of his life. The marechal was pale as death and silent, insisted on accompanying him to the carriage, and took the park key with a surprising vivacity when Rousseau handed it over. Their long, silent embrace felt to both like a final adieu.
Chapter 100
What did Rousseau compose during his flight, and how did he judge it?
He wrote the first three cantos of 'The Levite of Ephraim,' finished later at Motiers, attempting Gessner's pastoral style on a horrid subject. He was astonished at the liveliness of his ideas and calls it perhaps his most esteemed work, praising its mildness, coloring, and antique simplicity. He argues it proves a heart free of acrimony can find consolation in misfortune.
Chapter 100
What was Rousseau's reaction upon entering the territory of Berne?
He ordered the postillion to stop, got out, prostrated himself, kissed the ground, and exclaimed in joy that Heaven, protector of virtue, was praised and that he touched a land of liberty. He notes the postillion thought him mad, and comments that he was blind and unsuspecting in his hopes, having been passionately attached to what would make him unhappy.
Chapter 100
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Why does Rousseau say he cannot identify who is behind his persecution?
Rousseau opens Book XII by claiming that for eight years he has been enveloped in a "work of darkness" he cannot penetrate. He says he feels the blows of misfortune but cannot perceive the hand directing them or the means employed, and that shame and misfortune seem to fall on him of themselves. He states the primitive causes are given in earlier books, but he cannot explain even by conjecture how they combine.
Chapter 101
How did Geneva and Paris respond to Rousseau, and how did the public react?
Rousseau's book was burned at Geneva, and on June 18, nine days after Paris ordered his arrest, the republic issued a similar decree. He says these decrees triggered a Europe-wide cry of malediction in gazettes, journals and pamphlets, with the French especially violent, calling him impious, atheist, madman, wild beast and wolf. He notes the public instead eulogized the author of 'Esprit', who was persecuted.
Chapter 101
Why did Rousseau hesitate to settle at Motiers in Neuchatel?
Madam Boy de la Tour offered him a furnished house at Motiers in the Val de Travers, in Neuchatel, then under the King of Prussia, where he expected shelter from religious persecution. But he had an aversion to the King of Prussia, whose maxims seemed to trample natural law. He had displayed a portrait of the prince with a distich ending "Il pense en philosophe, et se conduit en roi," and had satirized him as Adrastus in 'Emilius'.
Chapter 101
What does Rousseau reveal about Theresa and his children in this chapter?
Rousseau says he must conceal nothing and admits he perceived Theresa's affections growing cooler toward him while his remained unchanged, comparing it to what he felt with mamma. He also says the way he disposed of his children, though it seemed reasonable, left his heart uneasy; remorse nearly forced a public confession at the beginning of 'Emilius', and he feared a relapse.
Chapter 101
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Why did Rousseau write to Lord Keith upon arriving at Motiers?
Rousseau wrote to Lord Keith, marshal of Scotland and governor of Neuchatel, to inform him of his retreat into the states of his Prussian majesty and to request his protection. Keith answered with his well-known generosity, as Rousseau had expected, and invited him to his house. Rousseau went there with M. Martinet, lord of the manor of Val de Travers, who was in great favor with his excellency.
Chapter 102
What was Lord Keith's character and how did the people of Neuchatel misjudge him?
Keith was a hereditary marshal of Scotland, proscribed for attachment to the house of Stuart, who later served the King of Prussia. The people of Neuchatel, whose manners the author calls trivial, mistook his simplicity for haughtiness, his candor for rusticity, and his laconism for stupidity, rejecting his benevolent cares because he would not flatter people he did not esteem.
Chapter 102
How did Frederick the Great respond to Rousseau's situation, and how did Rousseau react?
The king approved of what the marshal had done and desired him to give Rousseau twelve louis. The embarrassed old man softened the offer by turning the money into provisions, writing that he had orders to furnish wood and coal, and adding that his majesty would willingly build Rousseau a little house if he fixed on the ground. Rousseau accepted neither but considered Frederick his benefactor and protector.
Chapter 102
Why did Rousseau adopt the Armenian dress at Motiers, and how did Lord Keith greet it?
Rousseau had long considered the Armenian habit, particularly at Montmorency, where frequent use of probes often kept him in his chamber and made him see the advantages of a long robe. He consulted M. de Luxembourg, who advised following his inclination, and later the pastor, who said he might wear it even in the temple. Keith greeted him only with "Salaam aleki," the Turkish salutation.
Chapter 102
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Why did Rousseau learn to make lace, and what condition did he attach to the laces he gave away?
Rousseau took up lace-making so he could endure the empty chatter of social visits, carrying his cushion to visits or working at his door while chatting with passers-by. He gave the laces to young female friends upon their marriages, on condition that they nurse their own children. Isabella d'Ivernois's eldest sister kept this condition and received a lace; Isabella also received one.
Chapter 103
How did the Neuchatel authorities and ministers treat Rousseau, and how did he respond?
The classe of Neuchatel urged the council of state against him; failing there, the municipal magistrate banned his book, treated him uncivilly, and filled their Mercury with absurdities to turn the people against him. Though protected by the King of Prussia and the lord marshal, Rousseau was vexed enough to avoid Neuchatel for almost two years, which he calls his own weakness.
Chapter 103
What happened when Rousseau wrote to minister Montmollin about taking communion?
Rousseau wrote to M. de Montmollin declaring his desire to communicate and his union with the Protestant church, but refused to hear any particular explanation of doctrine. He expected refusal; instead Montmollin declared he was admitted under that condition, and that he and the elders were honored to have him in their flock. Rousseau felt great surprise and consolation, attending with tears of tenderness.
Chapter 103
How did Rousseau react to Madam de Boufflers's reproof and to the Sorbonne censure?
Madam de Boufflers rebuked him for writing to Montmollin and communicating; Rousseau found it diverting that she would direct his conscience, but answered without anger, stating his reasons. Of the Sorbonne censure, he first thought it a mockery, then concluded the learned doctors belonged in a madhouse rather than their college.
Chapter 103
Section 1044 cards
Why did Rousseau stay at Motiers despite wanting to end his days there?
He found Motiers agreeable but lacked assured means of subsistence: living was dear there, his Montmorency household had been dissolved, his furniture sold or squandered, and his remaining capital shrank daily. He hoped to stretch his resources until the public recovered from its frenzy, meanwhile finishing his Dictionary of Music and beginning his memoirs.
Chapter 104
What gap did Rousseau find while preparing his letters for his memoirs?
While transcribing letters into a book to guide his memory, he found a break of almost six months, from October 1756 to March following. Letters from Diderot, De Leyre, Madam d'Epinay and Madam de Chenonceaux that should have filled the void were missing, and he concluded they had certainly been taken away.
Chapter 104
Whom did Rousseau suspect of stealing his papers, and whom did he exonerate?
He never suspected the marechal de Luxembourg, whose friendship and integrity he knew. His most reasonable supposition was D'Alembert, who had entered Madam de Luxembourg's company and might have taken manuscripts and letters to embroil him with their writers or use them privately. He also briefly suspected Madam de Luxembourg regarding the Lord Edward extract.
Chapter 104
Why did Rousseau renounce his freedom of the city of Geneva?
After a year of vainly expecting remonstrance against the illegal decree, and seeing himself abandoned by fellow-citizens who stayed silent, he wrote to the first syndic, M. Favre, solemnly giving up his freedom of the city. He had sworn never to take part in civil dissension in his country, preferring exile to violent return.
Chapter 104
Section 1054 cards
Why did Dastier return Rousseau's first sheets of the Letters from the Mountains?
Dastier kept the sheets for some time, then sent them back saying no bookseller dared to sell them. Rousseau therefore turned to Rey, sending his papers one at a time and holding back later batches until he had word that earlier ones had arrived. Before publication he learned the work had been seen in the ministers' office, and D'Escherny mentioned a book titled De l'Homme de la Montagne that D'Holbach had attributed to him.
Chapter 105
What did Rousseau do when D'Ivernois warned that Sauttern was a French spy?
Rather than quietly dropping him, Rousseau proposed a walking trip to Pontarlier without revealing the warning. There he handed D'Ivernois's letter to Sauttern, embraced him warmly, and said Sauttern needed no proof of his confidence, but the public needed proof that Rousseau knew whom to trust. The embrace, he writes, gave a pleasure persecutors can neither feel nor take away.
Chapter 105
How did Sauttern deceive Rousseau, and what was his real name?
Rousseau says he was deceived but never believes Sauttern was a spy or betrayed him. Sauttern kept his own heart shut while Rousseau opened his, invented a story to justify returning home, and went to Strasbourg instead of Hungary. He had caused disorder in a Strasbourg family before. His real name was Sauttersheim, not Sauttern; Rousseau still thought him a gentleman.
Chapter 105
How did Rousseau react to the Motiers inn servant's claim that Sauttern fathered her child?
Convinced the pregnancy was feigned or a machination of enemies, Rousseau offered to pay all expenses and give security for Sauttersheim, and urged him to return and confound the woman. He was surprised by Sauttern's pusillanimous reply: he wrote to the parish master to stifle the matter. Rousseau dropped it, astonished that so low a man had deceived him by reserve.
Chapter 105
Section 1064 cards
What became of Sauttersheim after he left Strasbourg for Paris?
He went to Paris to seek his fortune but found only misery, and wrote to Rousseau acknowledging his error. Rousseau, moved by memories of their former friendship, sent him money. Later Rousseau saw him in Paris, still in a similar situation and intimate with M. de Laliand. Two years afterward Sauttersheim returned to Strasbourg, wrote to Rousseau, and died there. Rousseau still believes he was of distinguished birth and that his conduct resulted from his reduced circumstances.
Chapter 106
How did Rousseau respond to the report that he was named in the Marshal de Luxembourg's will?
The bookseller Guy reported that Rousseau's name was in the marshal's will. Rousseau found this neither incredible nor extraordinary, and after deliberation decided to accept whatever legacy it might be, as an honor to an honest man who had truly befriended him despite his rank. He heard nothing further about it. He adds that he would have felt pain at profiting by the death of someone he had once held dear, citing his principle stated to Leneips.
Chapter 106
What were Rousseau's three losses at this time, and how did each occur?
First, M. de Luxembourg died after physicians long tormented him, treating him for gout they would not acknowledge, as for a disorder they thought curable. Second, the best of women and mothers—Rousseau's mother-figure—died, weighed down by years, infirmities and misery; he learned of it from M. de Conzie. Third, the lord marshal did not die but left Neuchatel, tired of serving the ungrateful, and Rousseau never saw him again.
Chapter 106
Why did Rousseau plan a general edition of his works, and on what terms was it undertaken?
He wanted to establish which books bearing his name he actually wrote and distinguish them from works falsely attributed to him by enemies, and it was an honorable means of livelihood after he renounced the author's profession. A company of Neuchatel merchants undertook it, with the printer Reguillat of Lyons directing it. Rousseau had matter for six quarto volumes and agreed to assist; the merchants were to pay him a thousand crowns down and a life annuity of sixteen hundred livres.
Chapter 106
Section 1074 cards
What ended the agreement that was concluded but not signed?
The agreement was ended by the appearance of the Letters from the Mountain. The chapter says the terrible explosion caused by this work and its author terrified the company, so the undertaking came to an end. The author compares its effect to that of the Letter on French Music, though that earlier letter brought hatred and danger but also respect and esteem.
Chapter 107
How did the Little Council of Geneva respond to the Letters from the Mountain?
The Little Council, stirred by the French resident and directed by the attorney-general, issued a declaration against the work. In severe terms it declared the work unworthy of being burned by the hangman's hands, adding, in an address bordering on burlesque, that it could not be spoken of or answered without dishonor. The author says he would transcribe the piece but does not have it by him.
Chapter 107
Why did Rousseau refuse Montmollin's advice not to take communion?
Montmollin advised Rousseau not to present himself at the holy table, assuring him he was not his enemy and would leave him undisturbed. Rousseau found the compliment whimsical, recalling Madame de Boufflers' letter, and could not see why his communicating mattered so much. He considered compliance cowardice and feared giving the people a new pretext to charge him with impiety, so he refused.
Chapter 107
What happened when Rousseau was summoned to appear before the Consistory?
Rousseau resolved to appear and wrote a discourse to avoid answering questions, memorizing it with ardor while Theresa laughed at his muttering. He had it by rote the night before, but in the morning forgot it, became confused, stammered, and lost his presence of mind. His courage failed, so he stayed home and wrote to the Consistory pleading his disorder.
Chapter 107
Section 1084 cards
Who helped Rousseau by getting Montmollin to submit in his Consistory?
Colonel Pury, though a private individual, did more than the magistrates to defend Rousseau. He found means to make Montmollin submit in his Consistory by keeping the elders to their duty, and used his credit to stop the sedition. But he had only law, justice, and reason against money and wine, so the combat was unequal and Montmollin triumphed.
Chapter 108
How did Rousseau repay Colonel Pury for his help?
Rousseau knew Pury wanted to be named a counsellor of state but was in disgrace with the prince and governor for his conduct in the affair of minister Petitpierre. Rousseau wrote to the lord marshal in Pury's favor, even naming the desired employment, and the application was so well received that the king conferred the post almost instantly, contrary to expectations.
Chapter 108
What did Rousseau think of Hume before meeting him?
Rousseau knew Hume mainly through the Abbe Prevot's translation of part of his history of the House of Stuart. From hearsay he believed Hume joined a very republican mind to English paradoxes in favor of luxury, and so considered the apology of Charles I a prodigy of impartiality. He had as great an idea of Hume's virtue as of his genius, and Hume's letter and Lord Marshal's anecdote strengthened this good opinion.
Chapter 108
What did Rousseau do after suspecting Vernes wrote the anonymous libel?
Rousseau had the libel printed at Geneva by Duchesne with an advertisement naming Vernes and short notes, and sent copies to several persons including Prince Louis of Wirtemberg. Doubts raised by the prince and Du Peyrou made him write to suppress it. He later offered Vernes reparation if Vernes would name the real author or prove his innocence, and wrote a memoir submitting the question to arbitrators, but Du Peyrou advised suppressing it and Rousseau did.
Chapter 108
Section 1093 cards
What happened to Rousseau's house during the night of the Motiers fair?
A shower of stones was thrown against the window and gallery door; one stone broke the window, forced open his chamber door, and fell at his feet. He judged the noise was meant to draw him out so a thrown stone could hit him. The chatelain came with the guard and found a court door forced.
Chapter 109
Why did Rousseau accept the Bernese island of St. Peter as his asylum?
He had visited it the previous year with Du Peyrou and was delighted. Before deciding, he had Marshal Keith sound out the Bernese through M. Sturler, and Colonel Chaillet made further inquiries; the Bernois reportedly regretted their past conduct and wished him settled there in peace. The receiver obtained permission to lodge him.
Chapter 109
What did Rousseau claim about honor and the resources offered him?
He says it was ordained that honor should oblige him to reject resources fortune and his labors placed within reach, and that he should die as poor as he had lived. He asks whether he could have kept engagements that care renders ignominious without reducing himself to infamy, and says others judged his heart by their own.
Chapter 109
Section 1104 cards
Why does Rousseau say the indolence of company is burdensome but solitude's is charming?
The author argues company's inaction is forced: one must sit or stand still, not run, jump, sing, or even dream, while paying attention to foolish talk and preparing one's own jests. Solitary indolence is free and depends on the will, so the apparent contradiction in his character is consistent—he flees constraint, not activity itself.
Chapter 110
What kind of indolence does Rousseau say he loves, and how does botany fit it?
He loves a restless, childlike idleness: starting a hundred things and finishing none, changing projects at every instant, following a fly, musing without order. Botany suits it because it fills leisure without leaving room for imaginative delirium or total inactivity—wandering woods, gathering flowers, and re-observing the same things he always forgets.
Chapter 110
Why does Rousseau claim only those with some botanical knowledge appreciate plants?
He argues plants' constant analogy combined with prodigious variety pleases only those who already grasp the vegetable system. The ignorant feel only stupid, monotonous admiration: they see no detail because they don't know what to look for, and no whole because they lack the chain of connections. His poor memory kept him at that happy point of knowledge.
Chapter 110
How does Rousseau describe his prayer and his preference for studying plants in nature?
He says silent admiration of nature's works is the worthiest homage, recalling a bishop who praised an old woman's single prayer 'Oh!' He prays more fervently outdoors than in his chamber. He also prefers studying plants where they grow, criticizing Linnaeus for studying botany too much in herbals and gardens rather than in nature itself.
Chapter 110
Section 1114 cards
Why did Rousseau wish to be forcibly detained on the island of St. Peter?
Rousseau was so happy on the island of St. Peter that he feared being driven away. He wished the Bernois would give it to him as a perpetual prison, saying he would joyfully accept condemnation to stay there rather than face the danger of being sent elsewhere. He envied Micheli du Cret, who was quiet in the castle of Arbourg.
Chapter 111
What order did the bailiff of Nidau send Rousseau regarding the island?
The bailiff of Nidau, within whose jurisdiction the island lay, announced an order from their excellencies to quit the island and their states. Rousseau thought himself in a dream, finding the order neither natural, reasonable, nor foreseen, and he suspected ill-disposed people had chosen the vintage and senate vacation to injure him.
Chapter 111
What did Rousseau propose to M. de Graffenried after receiving the expulsion order?
Rousseau asked for an explanation and a delay, and then proposed that his persecutors condemn him to perpetual imprisonment rather than force him to wander ceaselessly. The answer from Berne to both letters was a formal, severe order to leave the island and all the republic's territories within twenty-four hours, never to return.
Chapter 111
Why did the Corsicans approach Rousseau, and what made him hesitate?
Corsican chiefs read his praise of them in the Social Contract and asked for his ideas on establishing their republic; Buttafuoco and Paoli wrote to him. Rousseau hesitated because he thought the task beyond his abilities, needed to study the people and country on site, and felt unfit for the active life of speaking and conferring with men.
Chapter 111
Section 1123 cards
What plan did Rousseau devise to avoid entering an active public life in Corsica?
He resolved to go to Corsica with M. Buttafuoco's directions but live there in tranquillity, renouncing in appearance everything relative to legislation. Instead he would write the history of the Corsicans in the country, while secretly gathering information to become more useful to them should success seem probable—thus avoiding any engagement and preserving his beloved solitude.
Chapter 112
How did Rousseau come to stay at Bienne, and what happened next?
Wildremet and other Biennois, joined by Barthes, pressed him with such warm solicitations that his heart, unable to resist friendly attentions, gave way and he consented to remain until spring. Wildremet found him a dirty third-story chamber. The next day he learned the city was in fermentation against him and that he would receive a severe order to quit immediately.
Chapter 112
How did the bailiff of Nidau help Rousseau despite the Bernois order?
The bailiff had disapproved of the Bernois' violent proceedings and, in his generosity, wished to publicly show he took no part in them. He courageously left his bailiwick to visit Rousseau at Bienne the evening before departure, coming in ceremony with his coach and secretary, and brought a passport in his own name so Rousseau could cross the state of Berne without molestation.
Chapter 112
Section 1134 cards
Why did Rousseau leave Bienne so hastily?
Rousseau says he left the "barbarous country" before the deputation meant to honor him arrived, and even before seeing Theresa. He had written to her to come when he expected to stay at Bienne, then barely had time to countermand that by a short letter telling her of his new disaster. He promises to explain in a later part of his memoirs how, thinking he set off for Berlin, he actually departed for England.
Chapter 113
What does Rousseau claim about the two ladies who disposed of his person?
Rousseau asserts that two ladies who wished to dispose of his person, after maneuvering to drive him from Switzerland where he was not sufficiently in their power, finally delivered him into the hands of their friend. He says he will state in the third part of his memoirs, if he is ever able to write them, the means by which this happened.
Chapter 113
What does Rousseau declare to his listeners after reading his memoirs?
Rousseau declares he has written the truth: anyone who has heard contrary things, even if proved a thousand times, has heard calumny and falsehood. He says whoever refuses to examine and compare them with him while he lives is no friend to justice or truth. He adds that whoever examines his disposition, character, manners, inclinations, pleasures and habits, even without reading his works, and calls him dishonest, deserves a gibbet.
Chapter 113
How did the audience react to Rousseau's reading and declaration?
Rousseau reports that everyone was silent. Madame d'Egmont was the only person who seemed affected; she visibly trembled, soon recovered herself, and was silent like the rest of the company. Rousseau closes by calling this the fruit of his reading and declaration, presenting the reaction as the outcome of his performance before the Countess of Egmont, Prince Pignatelli, the Marchioness of Mesme and the Marquis of Juigne.
Chapter 113
Source and licence
Text used: Project Gutenberg eBook #3913 (Public domain in the United States). Generated from the full text; cards paraphrase the source.
Version: Public domain edition. Retrieved 2026-10-25. Cards reviewed 2026-10-25.
These cards paraphrase the text for study. They are not a substitute for reading the book, and they do not reproduce long passages.
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