136 LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC HEN.

men of letters, frequenting the highest society, often livein the most frugal manner, and need only the where-withal to buy their daily bread. Rousseau determinedto reduce himself to this situation, to limit his expensesto bare necessities, and to guard the independence hecoveted, by decreasing his wants. His friends heardof his resolution with incredulity, surprise, and subse-quent disapprobation. The family of Therese le Vasseur were dependent on him, and he thus condemned themalso to indigence. Rousseau was not to be moved.His new reputation as an author caused him to besought by the most chosen societies of Paris ; his ideaof adapting his manners and life to his theories gavepiquance to his appearance and society. “ I avow,”he says, in his second letter to M. de Malesherbes,“ that the name I acquired by my writings greatly faci-litated the plan I adopted. It was necessary that Ishould be thought a good author, to become with impu-nity a had copyist, and to find work notwithstanding;without the first title, I might have been disregardedin the other; and though I can easily brave ridicule, Ishould have supported contempt with difficulty.” As itwas, all he did seemed to increase his reputation. Hewas considered eccentric, — hut he was sought as aman of genius.

1750 . Another circumstance concurred to raise him to theJEtat. pinacle of fashion. This was the success of the “ DivinS8 - du Village.” He had before composed an opera; but theenvy of Rameau had robbed him of the fame: the “ Di-vin du Village ” was all his own. It was representedat Versailles before the king and assembled court, andreceived with enthusiasm. It became the topic of con-versation in Faris; he ivas invited to he presented toLouis XV. ; and it was supposed that a pension wouldbe conferred on him. Independence, pride, falseshame, all concurred to make him renounce the in-tended honour and emolument: his friends reprovedhim severely, but he W'as not to be shaken. Still hemade a few hundred louis by the piece, and was thus,