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pedantic, austere, puritanic tone of society at Geneva:he considered the drama as an admirable means of en-lightening and refining a people ; and, in concert withhim, D’Alembert , in his article on “ Geneva,” wrote infavour of the establishment of a theatre in that city,where hitherto it had been forbidden. Rousseau , inhis dreams of primitive innocence, considered thisas an innovation on the simple manners of his country-people ; and he took up his pen in opposition. Hewrote with fervour and eloquence: he detailed the mise-ries resulting from a sophisticated state of society; andargued that the drama, by treating concerning, nou-rished the passions, and weakened the principles of mo-rality. In the state in which society was in Paris , hehad many arguments in his favour; and he might wellconsider the introduction of libertinism and luxury aspernicious, contrasted even with the narrow, bigoted spiritreigning at Geneva. The eloquence of his letter gaveit vogue. In a note appended, he announced his rupturewith Diderot , — accusing him at the same time of be-traying him. This was fairly regarded as an unwar-rantable attack, though he imagined it to be an act ofheroism. It was an error, to make the public a con-fidant in their quarrel; and the doing so arose from thebelief that all the world was occupied with him : but itwas worse publicly to accuse a former friend.

Rousseau does his best, in the “ Confessions,” to showhow contented and happy he was in his new abode —the number of friends he still retained — and his delightat being still at a distance from Paris . He, with properpride, boasts of his contempt for party spirit, and theformation of cabals in literature, in which Paris , wasrife. Nothing debases literary men more than owningdependence, for praise or blame, on aught but the publicat large.

Not far from his abode of Mont Louis was thechateau of Montmorenci, where the marshal duke deLuxembourg , with his family, usually passed the summer.On their first visit after his arrival, they sent courteousl 3