144 LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN.

course was broken off. Rousseau , with a heart wornby passion, and bursting with the struggles that tor-mented it, was thrown back on himself, to find hisfriends alienated, his home disquieted, and sympathynowhere.

Many other circumstances contributed to his un-happiness ; circumstances which would scarcely enterinto the history of any other man as eminent as Rous-seau ; apparently trifling, butrendered important throughhis sensitive and umbrageous disposition. He had twointimate male friends : Diderot , whom he had knownmany years, and to whom he was sincerely attached; andGrimm. Diderot was a singular man , and enjoyedduring life more reputation than has afterwards fallento his lot. He had great talents, joined to a sensi-bility, which was real in him, but which produced astyle in France , that may be termed the ejaculatory, themost affected and tiresome in the world. His opinionsbecame feelings; these feelings engrossed him ; he wasin a perpetual state of exaltation and enthusiasm abouttrifles. As an instance, we are told, that at one timehe could not sleep at nights, because Virgil had notpraised Lucretius , till at length he found a verse in theGeorgies—

“ Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causasand interpreting it into an encomium on the greatmetaphysical poet of antiquity, he regained his tran-quillity. He had a tender heart, but though he possessedsome genius, he had not understanding enough to serveas an equilibrium. Rousseau was in very bad hands asregarded the gouverneuses, as he called them. Themother of Theresa was a grasping, artful, gossiping,selfish old woman. Rousseau was poor; she complainedto his friends, and Diderot and Griinm thought it rightto make her a small allowance. They did this unknownto their friend, and were certainly wrong; for there isnothing more improper than to interfere secretly withthe household of others. Giving this money, theythought they had a right to interfere further. The