Preface

ROUSSEAU

BY

JOHN MORLEY

VOLUMES I. and II.

London MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1905

_All rights reserved_

_First printed in this form 1886_ _Reprinted 1888, 1891, 1896, 1900, 1905_

VOL. I.

NOTE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

This work differs from its companion volume in offering something more like a continuous personal history than was necessary in the case of such a man as Voltaire, the story of whose life may be found in more than one English book of repute. Of Rousseau there is, I believe, no full biographical account in our literature, and even France has nothing more complete under this head than Musset-Pathay's _Histoire de la Vie et des Ouvrages de J.J. Rousseau_ (1821). This, though a meritorious piece of labour, is extremely crude and formless in composition and arrangement, and the interpreting portions are devoid of interest.

The edition of Rousseau's works to which the references have been made is that by M. Auguis, in twenty-seven volumes, published in 1825 by Dalibon. In 1865 M. Streckeisen-Moultou published from the originals, which had been deposited in the library of Neuchâtel by Du Peyrou, the letters addressed to Rousseau by various correspondents. These two interesting volumes, which are entitled _Rousseau, ses Amis et ses Ennemis_, are mostly referred to under the name of their editor.

_February_, 1873.

* * * * *

The second edition in 1878 was revised; some portions were considerably shortened, and a few additional footnotes inserted. No further changes have been made in the present edition.

_January_, 1886.

CONTENTS OF VOL. I.