KOUSSEAU. 193 



pleasing mixture, possibly a delightful companion. He 

 greatly underrates himself in this particular. It is true, 

 as he frequently says, that his shyness often made him 

 appear dull, often gave birth to absurd sayings, and 

 even grotesque conduct ; it is also possibly true that 

 he was not ready in repartee, which he expressed by 

 saying " Qu'il avait 1'esprit un quart d'heure apres 

 tout le monde." Yet we have a strong testimony to 

 the charms of his conversation in the words of a re- 

 spectable witness, M. Dussaulx, who, speaking of a 

 party he gave to Rousseau, among others, in 1771, ex- 

 claims " A quelque nuages pres, mon Dieu, qu'il fut 

 aimable ce jour la ! tantot enjoue, tantot sublime. 

 Avant le diner il nous donnait a quelquesuns les plus 

 innocentes anecdotes consignees dans les ' Confessions.' 

 Plusieurs d'entre nous les connaissaient deja ; mais il 

 sut leur donner une physiognomic nouvelle, et plus de 

 mouvement encore que dans son livre. J'ose dire qu'il ne 

 se connaissait pas lui-meme lorsqu'il pretendait que 

 la nature lui avait refuse le don de la parole. La soli- 

 tude sans doute avait concentre ce talent en lui-meme ; 

 mais dans ces moments d'abandon, et lorsque rien ne 

 I'offusquait, il debordait comme un torrent impetueux 

 que rien ne resiste."* 



It is never permitted to vindicate, or even to palli- 

 ate, crimes by citing the defects of physical tempera- 

 ment ; no course can be more dangerous to virtue ; and 

 where the reason is only undermined by indulgence, 



sounded, in ] 762, this was found to be a mistake : he was, however, 

 found to have a scirrhous prostate gland. 



* De mes Eapports avec J. J. Rousseau, p. 99. 



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