ROUSSEAU. 



Sangrcal, or Sangraal, which is probably a corrup- 

 tion of the Latin sanyuis reahs, or the Frcncli saint/ 

 real (true blood). According to this legend, Joseph 

 of Arimathea received into the cup from which 

 Jesus drank at the last supper the blood which 

 flowed from his side on the cross. By means of 

 this cup, called graal, Joseph performed the most 

 astonishing miracles, in different countries, particu- 

 larly in Britain a power which was also possessed 

 by his descendants, who inherited the cup. In the 

 course of time, however, it was lost ; and, for the 

 purpose of recovering it, Pendragon, father of Ar- 

 thur, founded the order of the round table, the 

 knights of which bound themselves to wander over 

 the whole world in search of the sangraal. This 

 legend was probably blended with the British tra- 

 ditions of king Arthur by the Trouveres, or An- 

 glo-Norman poets. Among the romances of the 

 round table, are Tristan de Leonnois, Lancelot du 

 Lac (see Lancelot), Perceforcst, Sangraal, &c. 



ROUSSEAU, JEAN BAPTISTE, an eminent French 

 lyric poet, born at Paris, in 1671, was the son of a 

 shoemaker, but received a good education, and, at 

 an early period, displayed a strong taste for poetry. 

 In 1688, he obtained a situation in the service of 

 the French ambassador at Copenhagen, and subse- 

 quently accompanied marshal Taliard to England, 

 as his secretary. He wrote several pieces for the 

 theatre, on the success of one of which, having, ac- 

 cording to the Parisian custom, appeared on the 

 stage to receive the congratulations of the audience, 

 ne is said to have had the ingratitude to dis- 

 own his father, when the old man, rejoicing at his 

 son's triumph, came forward to speak to him, be- 

 fore the friends who surrounded him. In 1701, he 

 was admitted into the academy of inscriptions and 

 belles-lettres, and his lyric compositions procured 

 him high reputation among the French literati ; but 

 his turn for satire, and his quarrelsome temper, at 

 length involved him in disgrace. Some abusive 

 and indecent verses were circulated at Paris, which 

 Rousseau was accused of having written, but which 

 he disclaimed, and professed to have discovered the 

 author in the person of his enemy, Saurin. To re- 

 lieve himself from the obloquy under which he 

 laboured, he commenced a prosecution of that aca- 

 demician, for composing the defamatory couplets in 

 question, and having failed in substantiating the al- 

 legation, he was exiled from France in 1712. He 

 went to Switzerland, and afterwards resided at 

 Vienna,' under the patronage of prince Eugene. 

 The latter part of his life was spent in the Nether- 

 lands, where he obtained a pension from the duke 

 of Aremberg, which he resigned on having forfeited 

 the favour of that nobleman. His death took place 

 at Brussels, in 1741. An edition of his works was 

 published under his own inspection, by Tonson 

 (London, 1723, 2 vols., 4to.); and since his death 

 they have been often printed, in various forms. 

 The best edition is that of Amar, with a commen- 

 tary and life of the author (5 vols. Paris, 1820). 

 The same editor has also published his (Euvres poc- 

 tiques, with a commentary (2 vols., 1824). Rous- 

 seau's works are 1. Four books of Odes, the first 

 book containing odes from the Psalms : purity and 

 elegance of expression are here combined with 

 beauty and dignity of versification ; but the lyric 

 enthusiasm is often wanting; 2. cantatas, of which 

 he was the creator, and in which he is very distin- 

 guished ; 3. epistles in verse, the least pleasing of 

 his works, but highly popular in their day, on ac- 

 rount of their satirical allusions; 4. allegories, 



forced and monotonous ; 5. epigrams, which, next 

 to his odes and cantatas, are the best of his works, 

 and, with some exceptions, are witty, finely turned, 

 and well expressed; 6. four comedies in verse, and 

 two in prose ; 7- his operas have no merit. 



ROUSSEAU, JEAN JACQUES, one of the most ce- 

 lebrated writers of the last century, whose works had 

 a great influence on the moral and political feelings 

 of the age, was the son of a watchmaker in Geneva, 

 where he was born in 1712. His mother died in 

 bringing him into the world, and he therefore calls 

 his birth his first misfortune. In his Confessions, he 

 tells us that at the age of seven he was very de- 

 vout ; that at this time he was a great reader of 

 romances ; and at the age of eight knew Plutarch's 

 Lives by heart. He also became acquainted with 

 Tacitus and Grotius, which lay about in his father's 

 shop, while quite a boy, and his musical taste was dis- 

 played at the same early age. In his tenth year, he 

 was placed with a clergyman in the country, and in 

 his fourteenth was articled to an engraver, whose 

 severity disgusted him with his situation. He 

 therefore ran away from his master, and, after wan- 

 dering about for some time in Savoy, became a con- 

 vert to the Catholic religion, to save himself from 

 starvation. Being placed in a monastery to receive 

 the necessary instructions, the young convert soon 

 made his escape, and, after a series of adventures, 

 was recommended by a clergyman, to the notice of 

 Madame de Warens, in Annecy, who caused him to 

 be instructed in science and music, and treated him 

 with the greatest affection. At the age of twenty. 

 Rousseau went to France, with the expectation of 

 being able to maintain himself by giving lessons in 

 music. In Besanfon, he sang at some concerts with 

 success, and received the promise of a place ; but 

 after teaching music some time at Chamberry, he 

 went, on account of ill health, to Montpellier. Here 

 finding the sea air not to agree with him, he returned 

 to his benefactress, and remained with her until 

 1742, when he received the place of secretary to 

 the French ambassador in Venice. After remaining 

 there a year and a half, he went to Paris, and re- 

 ceived his living by copying music, employing his 

 leisure hours in the study of natural science. In 

 1750, he gained the prize offered by the academy of 

 Dijon, on the question, whether the revival of 

 learning has contributed to the improvement of 

 morals, taking the negative side of the question, it 

 is said, at the suggestion of Diderot. He soon after 

 brought out his l)ivin du Village, a comic opera, ot 

 which he had himself composed the music. This 

 piece was received with general favour, and the au- 

 thor was almost worshipped by the French ; but 

 the appearance of his celebrated Letter on French 

 Music (1753), in which he pointed out its defects, 

 excited a general storm. Singers and connoisseurs 

 who could not wield the pen, contributed to spread 

 calumnies, pasquinades and caricatures, against the 

 author, who retired to Geneva. By his change of 

 religion, he had lost the rights of a citizen. He 

 now again embraced protestantism, and was formally 

 reinstated in the privileges of a free citizen of Ge- 

 neva. From Geneva Rousseau went to Chamberry, 

 where he wrote his essay Sur I'Ineyalite parmi lef 

 Homines. This work excited still more sensation 

 than his prize essay. In it he compares the wild 

 and civilized man, represents the former as the state 

 of nature and innocence, and treats the idea of pro- 

 perty, and the wealth and inequality of condition to 

 which it gives rise, as the source of misery and cor 

 ruption among men. He now returned to Paris 



