14 
Among the books which Rousseau read when young were 
some which had a life-long effect on his mind, viz., Plutarch’s 
lives and some histories of Greece and Rome. Rousseau 
became deeply interested in the examples of republican 
feeling and love of liberty of which he read in these books, 
and from these studies he says he acquired a “ haughty and 
invincible turn of mind which rendered him impatient of 
restraint or servitude.” This, it is to be feared, is but one 
of the frequent occasions on which Rousseau found very fine 
reasons for gratifying his inclinations. His impatience of 
restraint was due to causes far less noble than patriotic love 
of liberty. 
A second lifelong effect of Rousseau’s early reading was 
that the absence of the reasonable and regular restraint 
which his emotional and impulsive nature required left him 
without moral stamina, always impatient of restraint and 
unable to undertake any unpleasant duties. Consequently 
he was unable to endure office routine, lost several situations 
and found himself at sixteen outside the walls of Geneva 
determined never to return. 
The history of the next thirteen years must be read in 
the “ Confessions ” to be appreciated as it deserves. 
A lady of Annecy received him into her house. She had 
a small pension which kept her in independence. Rousseau 
lived with and lived on this lady till he was nearly thirty. 
She found him situation after situation which he left for 
no good reason, often for a mere whim. In one place he 
stole a valuable riband and to save himself accused a fellow 
servant. In another place he disgraced himself by pilfering 
wine. His attempts to act as tutor failed owing to his lack 
of control over himself and his pupils. He excuses his lapses 
by placing the blame for his calamities on his circumstances. 
Had his circumstance been other than they were, Rousseau 
is convinced that he might have been an example of con- 
spicious integrity. At thirty he threw himself, with no 
qualifications for making a living, on the world of Paris. 
Rousseau’s connection with an ignorant waiting maid 
named Therese, must be mentioned. After a few days’ 
acquaintance he formed a connection with her which lasted 
from 1744 to his death in 1778. As Therese was hopelessly 
ignorant, the union was the more inexplicable, as Rousseau 
tells us he “ had an aversion to low-born girls.” Probably 
however, he got the only woman in the world who would 
not have been goaded to madness by his fits of passion and 
