CORRESPONDENCE WITH HIS MOTHER. 63 



family, surrounded by little marmots to love 

 and caress you. I hope, too, to enjoy this hap- 

 piness in time. ... But the man of letters 

 should seek repose only when he has deserved 

 it by his toil, for if once he anchor himself, 

 farewell to energy and liberty, by which alone 

 great minds are fostered. Therefore I have 

 said to myself, that I would remain unmarried 

 till my work should assure me a peaceful and 

 happy future. A young man has too much 

 vigor to bear confinement so soon ; he gives 

 up many pleasures which he might have had, 

 and does not appreciate at their just value 

 those which he has. As it is said that the 

 vaurien must precede the bon sujet, so I be- 

 lieve that for the full enjoyment of sedentary 

 life one must have played the vagabond for 

 a while. 



This brings me to the subject of my last 

 letter. It seems that you have misunderstood 

 me, for your answer grants me after all just 

 what I ask. You think that I wish to re- 

 nounce entirely the study of medicine ? On 

 the contrary, the idea has never occurred to 

 me, and, according to my promise, you shall 

 have one of these days a doctor of medicine 

 as a son. What repels me is the thought of 

 practicing medicine for a livelihood, and here 



