ROUSSEAU.
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become aware of the bad disposition of Therese, and tohave resolved to separate from her. It would appearthat at this time he was married to her ; but this actdid not satisfy her discontent. She deserves blamecertainly ; but he deserves more for having chosen, inthe first place, an ignorant woman, who had no qualitiesof heart to compensate for stupidity ; and, secondly, forhaving injured instead of improving her disposition bycausing her to abandon her children, and taking fromher the occupations and interests that attend maternity.Dragging about with him this companion, he residedfor some time in Dauphine. His time was chieflyspent in herborising. He seemed
“ The world forgetting, by the world forgot j”
but he was not satisfied. His restless dissatisfaction, andthe unfortunate notion that an universal conspiracy wasformed against him, caused him to renounce the pensionwhich the king of England had conferred. The samepassions engendered a thousand varying plans. Hecontemplated returning to Paris . As a first step, heremained for a short time at Lyons, and here satisfiedhis vanity as well as his better feelings by subscribingto the erection of a statue of Voltaire . The sub-scription, and the letter accompanying it, were ap-plauded, much to the mortification of the latter, whotried vainly to have his name erased. Soon after, herepaired to the capital. As a preliminary, he quittedthe Armenian dress which he had worn nearly ten years,being told officially that he would not be allowed toremain in Paris , if he attracted public attention by hissingular costume. The permission he received to in-habit that city was, indeed, only tacit, and burdenedwith the condition that he should not publish anywork,—a condition that displays in its most odious lightthe intolerance and tyranny of the old regime of France.
His arrival in Paris created a sensation ; he was 1770.welcomed with enthusiasm. Madame du Deffand , who-Etat.did not know him, and who dared not like him, since -S 8,si 2