146 LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN.

these be not falsified. Grimm accused Rousseau of beingin love with madame d’Epinay : he denies this ; and atleast, when he loved madame d’Houdetot, he no longercared for her sister-in-law. Was she piqued by his cold-ness, as Rousseau insinuates; or was it merely that sheyielded more and more to Grimm’s representations thathe was a dangerous person ? The final cause of herquarrel, as she relates, was his speaking of her detraet-ingly to Diderot , who refused to be acquainted with her.There seems some foundation for this accusation. Sheaccuses him of speaking falsely; and there are certainlytraces of his having spoken unreservedly. This was inex-cusable, admitted as he was familiarly, and covered withbenefits andkindness;—especiallyto one to whomshewasa stranger. Grimm pushed things to extremities: he keptmadame d'Epinay firm in her resentment; he embitteredDiderot ’s feelings. The latter acted with his usual ex-aggerated and absurd sentimentality. Madame d’Epinay was very ill, and resolved on going to Geneva to consultthe famous Tronchin. Diderot wrote a violent letter toRousseau , insisting on his accompanying her, and saying,that, if his health did not allow him to bear the motionof a carriage, he ought to take his staff and followher on foot. There is no trace that madame d’Epinay wished him to accompany her ; on the contrary, she wasdoing all she could to throw him off. Rousseau felthimself outraged by this letter—he fell into a transportof rage — he complained to every body, and took theresolution of quitting the Hermitage. When it came tothe point, winter setting in, he found this inconvenient;and wrote to madame d’Epinay, then at Geneva , tomention his intention of staying till spring. In heranswer, she very decidedly tells him that he ought notto delay his departure so long. Why this abrupt andrude dismissal ? Did it spring from Grimm’s advice ; ordid she really feel resentment arising from the knowledgethat he had either traduced her, or revealed her secretsto Diderot ? On careful examination, we own, we inclineto the latter opinion, and cannot exculpate Rousseau .