In the year 1752, Rousseau began to write for the stage. 11c composed his Nareisse one l'.1mant de bi wine, and the musical piece of Le Devil, du Village, or the Village Conjuror, the last of which had a suc cessful run at Paris, and has been much admired for the simplicity and gaiety of its sentiment, the elegance of its diction, and the suitableness of the words to the music. His Lettre sere let Illasique Francaise, in which he attempted to show that the French never had, and inner could have, any thing like vocal music, in con sequence of the defects of their language, followed the above piece, and involved him in attacks and lampoons of every kind.
Having thus acquired great celebrity, he returned to his native city to claim the admiration of his fellow citizens. For this purpose lie abjured the Catholic faith. and was restored to the rights of a citizen of the republic. Here he composed his Discours sue les Causes de r parmi lea llomhics, et sue l'Origine des Societe's. which he dedicated to the republic of Ge neva. As he had already derived so much fame from the support of an ingenious paradox, lie seems to have confided too much in the good nature of the public, by continuing to do violence to the feelings of man kind, by opposing their common and best founded opinions. In the discourse now mentioned, he endea vours to show that mankind arc equal, that they arc born to live in a savage state, and that every social compact is a deviation from the arrangements of na ture. Sentiments like these, and rhapsodies however elegant, on the superiority of savage life, were not even fitted for the meridian of a republic, and could not fail to disgust the sober citizens of Geneva. Our author accordingly did not reside long in that city. From Paris, in which lie remained some time, lie retired to Montmorency. where he composed, in 1758, his Let ter to M. d'Alembert, respecting the design then agi tated of establishing a theatre at Geneva. This letter exhibits great knowledge of life and character; and though d'Alembert and Marmontel replied to it, lie succeeded in proving that a theatre was not necessary under the circumstances in which Geneva was then placed.* Voltaire is said to have been so enraged with the letter of Rousseau, that it laid the foundation of that mutual dislike which ever afterwards subsisted between them.
In the year 1760, Rousseau completed his Letires de deux ./Imants. or his .Iulie, one la Nouvelle Ileloisc, and published them in six. parts. This work may be cha racterized as a novel, of which the plot is ill-contrived and unskilfully brought out, and in which the charac ters arc ill drawn and ill kept up. It possesses no dramatic beauties, but owes its reputation to the force and vigour of its diction, to exaggerated but beautiful representations of impassioned feeling, and to seduc tive but elegant sentiments. Amid many lessons of virtue and of prudence are scattered baneful and dan gerous maxims; and it is scarcely possible for a youthful mind of ordinary equilibrium, to rise from the perusal of it without having its judgment unsettled, its principles reversed, and its hopes blighted. All the sacred and august opinions which the sagacity of ages has sanctioned, and rendered venerable, are here brought under the scourge of disputation; and the ex istence of God himself is arraigned at the bar of human wisdom.
Encouraged by the success of this work, Rousseau embarked in one of a more profound, though not less dangerous character. It was entitled, Du Contrat So cial, ou Principes du Droit Poliligue, and from its ar dent vindication of republican doctrines, is supposed, not without reason, to have led to the French revolu tion. Voltaire ridiculed it, by calling it the Universal
Compact. Some have praised it as the greatest effort of his genius, while others consider it as full of absur dities, contradictions, and errors, and as unworthy of the talents of its author. This work was prohibited in France and Switzerland, and laid the foundation of those quarrels, dissensions, and persecutions, which embittered the remainder of his life.
The next, and what may be regarded as the princi pal work of Rousseau, was his Emile, ou de l'Eduea lion. This moral romance, which appeared in 1762, treats chiefly of education. The plan of instruction which is here inculcated, is to allow the youthful mind to unfold itself without restraint, and rather to protect it against bad impressions, than to attempt to load it with positive instruction. The objects of nature are to be gradually presented to it. Necessity alone is to regulate and restrain it, till reason, unfettered by pre judice and previous habits, is able to weave the drapery in which it is afterwards to be swathed. The child of reason, thus thrown into a mass of human beings, ac tuated by different motives, guided by different princi ples, and pursuing different objects from itself, like a skilfully constructed bark without its rudder, and stripped of its canvass and cordage, can have no other fate than that of being dashed against the cliffs, or sunk beneath the waves. In discussing the subject of reli gious education, he exhibited the same inconsistency and absurd views. The French savants were displeas ed with his glowing sentiments of piety, with his im passioned admiration of the morality of the gospel, and of the character of its founder; while the friends of religion and social order were shocked with his attacks upon miracles and prophecy, with his insidious and open objections to Christianity, and with the applica tion of human reason to subjects beyond its sphere, and above its power. The French parliament not only condemned the Emile, but compelled Rousseau to re tire precipitately from France, by commencing a cri minal prosecution against him. From Paris he fled to Geneva; but his native city refused him admission; and his book was burned by the hands of the common hangman at Geneva as well as in Paris. In Switzer land, where he had taken shelter, he was kindly treat ed by Marshall Keith; and he established himself at Moutiers Travers, in the Val Travers, near Neucha tel, where his house is still shown, and the desk against the wall at which he wrote standing. In this retreat he composed his letter to the Archbishop of Paris, in reply to his Mandement for the burning of Emile, and also his Lettres de la Montagne, in which he attacked the republic of Geneva, and the clergy; and finally re nounced the privilege of citizenship which had been restored to him.f This attack upon the clergy excited a general hostility against the philosopher. The mi nister of the parish is said to have preached against him, and to have excited such an uproar among the people, that on the night of the 6th September, 1765, they broke his windows with stones4 and forced him to take up his abode in an island in the lake of Bienne. A recent traveller, M. Shnonde, remarks, that the rabbit island of which Rousseau speaks, has not tree, a bush, or a blade of grass; and that Rousseau's residence, which is the only house on the island, is a substantial, neat, and orderly farm-house, built round a court shaded by a huge walnut tree.