Produced by David Widger
THE CONFESSIONS OF JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU
(In 12 books)
Privately Printed for the Members of the Aldus Society
London, 1903
At the end of the preceding book a pause was necessary. With this beginsthe long chain of my misfortunes deduced from their origin.
Having lived in the two most splendid houses in Paris, I had,notwithstanding my candor and modesty, made some acquaintance. Amongothers at Dupin's, that of the young hereditary prince of Saxe-Gotha, andof the Baron de Thun, his governor; at the house of M. de la Popliniere,that of M. Seguy, friend to the Baron de Thun, and known in the literaryworld by his beautiful edition of Rousseau. The baron invited M. Seguyand myself to go and pass a day or two at Fontenai sous bois, where theprince had a house. As I passed Vincennes, at the sight of the dungeon,my feelings were acute; the effect of which the baron perceived on mycountenance. At supper the prince mentioned the confinement of Diderot.The baron, to hear what I had to say, accused the prisoner of imprudence;and I showed not a little of the same in the impetuous manner in which Idefended him. This excess of zeal, inspired by the misfortune which hadbefallen my friend, was pardoned, and the conversation immediatelychanged. There were present two Germans in the service of the prince.M. Klupssel, a man of great wit, his chaplain, and who afterwards, havingsupplanted the baron, became his governor. The other was a young mannamed M. Grimm, who served him as a reader until he could obtain someplace, and whose indifferent appearance sufficiently proved the pressingnecessity he was under of immediately finding one. From this veryevening Klupssel and I began an acquaintance which soon led tofriendship. That with the Sieur Grimm did not make quite so rapid aprogress; he made but few advances, and was far from having that haughtypresumption which prosperity afterwards gave him. The next day atdinner, the conversation turned upon music; he spoke well on the subject.I was transported with joy when I learned from him he could play anaccompaniment on the harpsichord. After dinner was over music wasintroduced, and we amused ourselves the rest of the afternoon on theharpischord of the prince. Thus began that friendship which, at first,was so agreeable to me, afterwards so fatal, and of which I shallhereafter have so much to say.
At my return to Paris, I learned the agreeable news that Diderot wasreleased from the dungeon, and that he had on his parole the castle andpark of Vincennes for a prison, with permission to see his friends. Howpainful was it to me not to be able instantly to fly to him! But I wasdetained two or three days at Madam Dupin's by indispensable business.After ages of impatience, I flew to the arms of my friend. He was notalone: D' Alembert and the treasurer of the Sainte Chapelle were withhim. As I entered I saw nobody but himself, I made but one step, onecry; I riveted my face to his: I pressed him in my arms, without speakingto him, except by tears and sighs: I stifled him with my affection andjoy. The first thing he did, after quitting my arms, was to turn himselftowards the ecclesiastic, and say: "You see, sir, how much I am belovedby my friends." My emotion was so great, that it was then impossible forme to reflect upon this manner of turning it to advantage; but I havesince thought that, had I been in the place of Diderot, the idea hemanifested would not have been the first that would have occurred to me.
I found him much affected by his imprisonment. The dungeon had made aterrible impre