Lives of the most eminent literary and scientific men of France, Vol. 2 (of 2)Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft
Science
Lives of the most eminent literary and scientific men of France, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft
Authors, French -- Biography
Bernardin de Saint Pierre, author of "Paul and Virginia," has left
delightful details of his visits to the recluse. They are far too long
to quote: we can only mention that they impress the reader with love and
esteem for Rousseau. Sometimes Saint Pierre was hurt by outbursts of
Rousseau's umbrageous temper, and on one occasion complained of his
morose manner and unjust suspicions, and asked whether he desired to
quarrel with him. Rousseau replied, with emotion, "I should be sorry to
see you too often, but still more sorry not to see you at all. I fear
intimacies, and have closed my heart against them; my temper masters me,
do you not perceive it? I suppress it for a time, but at last it
overcomes me, and bursts forth in spite of my endeavours. I have my
faults; but, when we value the friendship of any one, we must take the
benefit with all its burdens." Saint Pierre adds, "that these fits of
distrust were rare, that he was usually gay, confiding, and frank; when
I saw him gloomy, I knew some sad thought perplexed him: I began talking
of Plutarch, and he came to himself as if awakening from a dream."
Saint Pierre gives a pleasing account of the respect in which the
Parisians held him. They went together to hear the "Iphigenia" of Gluck:
the crowd and pressure were great; Rousseau was old; Saint Pierre felt
desirous to name him, and so to obtain protection: he hesitated, fearful
to offend; at length he whispered it to one or two, begging them to keep
the secret. Scarcely was the word uttered than a deep silence ensued,
the crowd looked respectfully on him, and emulated each other in
shielding him from pressure, without any one repeating the name that had
been revealed. At one time he suspected Saint Pierre of being in league
with his enemies; his friend insisted on an explanation, and succeeded
in convincing him of his innocence, though he still believed that his
enemies had endeavoured to make a cat's-paw of him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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