"Wooton, March 31, 1766. "My friend, I wrote you the day before yesterday, and the same evening I received your letter of the 15th. It had been opened and sealed again: it came to me through Mr. Hume, who is very intimate with the son of the juggler Fronchin, and resided in the same house with him. He is also much connected with my most dangerous enemies at Paris, and if he be not a cheat, I owe him in my heart many reparations, I owe him thanks for the trouble he has taken respecting me, in a land where I know not the language. He concerns himself much about my little interests; but my reputation gains not by this, and I know not how it happens, that the public papers, which spoke much of me, and always with honour, before our arrival, have ceased to do so since he came to London, or only speak to my disadvantage. All my affairs, all my letters pass through his hands: those I write arrive not; those I receive, are open. Several other circumstances render me suspicious of his conduct, and even of his zeal. I cannot yet discover what his intentions are, but I cannot help thinking them sinister; and I am much deceived, if all our letters are not divulged by the jugglers, who will infallibly endeavour to injure us. In the hope of learning something to aid my inquiry, seal your letters with more care, and I will try on my part to open with your correspondents a direct communication, without the letters passing through this dangerous entrepot."

Rousseau had brought over with him a copy of M. du Peyrou's letters concerning the treatment he met with at Neufchatel, and given them to Mr. Becket, the bookseller, to publish. A delay having arisen in consequence of the indisposition of the translator, the fretful Rousseau immediately perceived conspiracy and treason in this circumstance; and under that impression wrote the following letter to Messrs. Becket and De Hondt: a farther explanation of the accidental causes of this delay will be afterwards given.

"GENTLEMEN,

Wooton, April 9, 1766.

"I was surprised at not seeing published the translation of the letters of M. du Peyrou, which I had transmitted to you, and about which you seemed so earnest. But on reading in the public papers a pretended letter of the king of Prussia to me, I readily conceived why those of M. du Peyrou had not appeared. Well, gentlemen, as the public wish to be deceived, let them be so. I myself feel but very little interest in it, and hope that the black vapours raised at London, will not disturb the serenity of the air i breathe here. But it appears to me, that as you make no use of the copy, you ought to have returned it, before my bringing it to your recollection. Have the goodness, I request you, to send it back, &c."

It was the practice of Rousseau, on the occurrence of a storm, of which he himself was generally the author, to fill Europe with

his complaints; and he was not wanting in industry upon the present occasion. The countess de Bouffleurs, the common friend of both philosophers, had long interested herself in behalf of Rousseau, and was one of those who had arranged his journey to England; she was a woman of ability, a sçavante, mistress of the prince of Conti, and very desirous of being his wife. To this lady the angry citizen of Geneva, two days after he had written to the editor of the James's Chronicle, sent a letter containing a violent attack on the integrity of Mr. Hume. He wrote in a like style to the marchioness de Verdelin, to lord Marischal, to M. d'Ivernois, and M. de Malsherbes.

Inconscious of having committed any fault, the unsuspecting Hume continued his kind offices in behalf of Rousseau, and renewed his solicitations respecting the pension, as soon as the state of general Conway's health permitted. The general applied again to his majesty, who likewise renewed his consent. Application had been also made to the marquis of Rockingham, then first commissioner of the treasury. In fine, Hume, having happily accomplished his purpose according to his wishes, informed Rousseau of his success; but all his exertions were blasted by the following letter, which the philosopher thought proper to write to general Conway.

a SIR,

May 12, 1766.*.

"Affected by a most lively sense of the favour his majesty has honoured me with, and of your goodness, which procured it me: I experience the most agreeable sensation in reflecting that the best of kings, and the person most worthy of his confidence, are pleased to interest themselves in my fortune. This, sir, is an advantage of which I am justly tenacious, and which I will never deserve to lose. But it is necessary I should speak to you with the frankness you admire. After so many misfortunes, I thought myself armed against all possible events; there have happened to me some, however, which I did not foresee; and which indeed an ingenuous mind could not have foreseen. Hence it is that they affect me so much the more severely, and the trouble in which they involve me deprives me of the ease of mind necessary for directing my conduct. All I can reasonably do, in so distressed a situation. is to suspend my resolutions about every affair of such importance as that in agitation. So far from refusing the beneficence of the king from pride, as is imputed to me, I am proud of acknowledging it, and am only sorry I cannot do so more publicly. But when I actually receive it, I wish to be able to give up myself entirely to those sentiments which it would inspire, and to have a heart replete with gratitude for his majesty's goodness and yours. I am not at all afraid that this manner of thinking will make any alteration in yours towards me. Deign, therefore, sir, to preserve that kindness for me, till a more happy opportunity: you will then be satisfied, that I defer taking advantage of it, only to render myself more worthy of it. I beg of you, sir, to accept of my most humble and respectful salutations."

This letter appeared both to general Conway and to our historian a plain refusal, as long as the stipulation of secrecy was insisted on. Hume, however, being willing to overlook the apparent neglect in writing him, prevailed on the general to keep the matter still open, and wrote a friendly letter to Rousseau, exhorting him to return to his former way of thinking, and to accept of the pension. As to the pretended distress which he mentions in his letter to the general, all fears were removed by a letter from Mr. Davenport, who reported his guest to be at the time extremely happy, easy, cheerful, and even sociable. I saw plainly in this occurence,' observes Mr. Hume, the ususl infirmity of my friend, who wishes to interest the world in his favour by passing for sickly, and persecuted, and distressed, and unfortunate, beyond all measure, even while he is the most happy and contented. His pretences of an extreme sensibility had been too frequently repeated, to have any effect on a man who was so well acquainted with them.'

After waiting three weeks in vain for an answer to his letter, but having to do with a very eccentric character, and still accounting for his silence by supposing him ashamed to write to him, Hume nevertheless determined not to abate in his endeavours to do him an essential service; and accordingly renewed his applito ication to the ministers, the result of which he communicated him in the following letter:

«SIR,

"Lisle-street, Leicester-fields, June 19, 1766.

"As I have not received any answer from you. I conclude, that you persevere in the resolution of refusing all marks of his majesty's goodness, as long as they must remain a secret. I have, therefore, applied to general Conway to have this condition removed; and I have been so fortunate as to obtain his promise that he would speak to the king for that purpose. "It will only be requisite," said he, "that we know previously from M. Rousseau, whether he would accept of a pension publicly granted him, that his majesty may not be exposed to a second refusal. He gave me authority to write to you on the subject; and I beg to hear your resolution as soon as possible. If y f you give your consent, which I earnestly entreat you to do, I know that I can depend on the good offices of the duke of Richmond to second general Conway's application; so that I have no doubt of success. I am, my dear sir, your's with great sincerity."

Five days afterwards Rousseau returned the following answer: "Wooton, June 23, 1766.

“SIR,

"I imagined that my silence, truly interpreted by your conscience, had said enough; but since you have some design in not understand

ing me, I shall speak. You have but ill disguised yourself. I know you, and you are not ignorant of it. Before we had any connexion, quarrels or disputes: while we knew each other only by literary reputation, you affectionately made me an offer of the good offices of yourself and friends. Affected by this generosity, I threw myself into your arms; you brought me to England apparently to procure me an asylum; but, in fact, to bring me to dishonour. You applied to this noble work, with a zeal worthy of you heart. and a success worthy of your abilities. To succeed, it was not necessary to take so much pains; you live in the world. and I in solitude. The public love to be deceived, and you were formed to deceive them. I know one man, however, whom you cannot deceive; I mean yourself. You know with what horror my heart rejected the first suspicion of your designs. I told you with tears in my eyes, while I embraced you, that if you were not the best of men, you must be the basest. In reflecting on your secret conduct, you must say to yourself, sometimes, you are not the best of men; and I doubt, if, under that impression, you will ever be the happiest.

"I leave your friends and you to carry on your schemes as you please; and I give up to you, without regret, my reputation during life, certain that, one day, justice will be done to the reputation of both. As to your good offices in matters of interest, which your have made use of as a mark, I thank you for them, and shall dispense with profiting by them. I ought not to hold a correspondence with you any longer, or to accept of it, even to my advantage, in any affair in which you are to be the mediator. Adieu, sir, I wish you the truest happiness; but as we ought not to have any thing to say to each other for the future, this is the last letter you will receive from me."

To this letter Mr. Hume immediately sent the following reply:

June, 26, 1766.

"As I am conscious of having ever acted towards you the most friendly part, of having always given you the most tender and the most active proofs of sincere affection, you may judge of my extreme surprise on perusing your epistle. Such violent accusations, confined altogether to generalities, it is as impossible to answer, as it is impossible to comprehend them. But affairs cannot, must not remain on that footing. I shall charitably suppose, that some infamous calumniator has belied me to you. But, in that case, it is your duty, and, I am persuaded, it will be your inclination, to give me an opportunity of detecting him, and of justifying myself; which can only be done by your mentioning the particulars of which I am accused. You say, that I myself know that I have been false to you; but I say it loudly and will say it to the whole world, that I know the contrary; that I know my friendship towards you has been unbounded and uninterrupted; and that though I have given you instances of it, which have been universally remarked both in France and England, the public as yet are acquainted only with the smallest part of it. I demand, that you name to me the man who dares assert the contrary; and, above all, I demand, that

he shall mention any one particular in which I have been wanting to you. You owe this to me; you owe it to yourself; you owe it to truth, and honour, and justice, and to every thing deemed sacred among men. As an innocent man-for I will not say, as your friend; I will not say, as your benefactor; but I repeat it, as an innocent man, I claim the privilege of proving my innocence, and of refuting any scandalous falsehood which may have been invented against me. Mr. Davenport, to whom I have sent a copy of your letter, and who will read this before he delivers it, will, I am confident, second my demand, and tell you, that nothing can be more equitable. Happily I have preserv ed the letter you wrote me after your arrival at Wooton; and you there express, in the strogest terms, in terms indeed, too strong, your satisfaction in my poor endeavours to serve you. The little epistolary intercourse, which afterwards passed between us, has been all employed on my side to the most friendly purposes. Tell me, then, what has since given you offence. Tell me the man who accuses me. Even after you have fulfilled all these conditions to my satisfaction, and to that of Mr. Davenport, you will still have great difficulty to justify your employing such outrageous terms towards a man, with whom you have been so intimately connected, and who was entitled, on many accounts, to have been treated by you with more regard and decency. "Mr. Davenport knows the whole transaction about your pension, because I thought it necessary that the person who had undertaken your settlement, should be fully acquainted with your circumstances; lest he should be tempted to perform towards you concealed acts of generosity, which, if they accidentally came to your knowledge, might give you some grounds of offence.

"I am, sir."

In consequence of Mr. Davenport's interposition, Rousseau was prevailed on to write, three weeks afterwards, the following long epistle to Hume, which is the more interesting, as it contains Rousseau's statement of facts, and to which are subjoined the notes annexed by our historian, in his French pamphlet, already mentioned, and inserted in the appendix.

"SIR,

"Wooton, July 10, 1766.

"I am indisposed, and little in a condition to write; but you requirean explanation, and it must be given you. It was your own fault, that you had it not long since; but as you did not desire it, I was silent: at present you do, and I have sent it. It will be a long one: for this I am sorry; but I have much to say, and wish not to return hereafter to the subject.

"I live retired from the world, and am ignorant of what passes in it. I have no party, no associate, no intrigue. I am told nothing, and I know only what I feel, but that I well know, as care has been taken to make me severely feel. The first care of those who engage in bad designs is to secure themselves from legal proofs of detection; it would not be very adviseable to seek a remedy againt them at law.