I wrote this answer so secretly, that at a meeting I had at Thonon,with the chiefs of the malcontents to talk of their affairs, and wherethey showed me a sketch of their answer, I said not a word of mine,which was quite ready, fearing obstacles might arise relative to theimpression of it, should the magistrate or my enemies hear of what Ihad done.This work was, however, known in France before thepublication; but government chose rather to let it appear, than tosuffer me to guess at the means by which my secret had beendiscovered.Concerning this I will state what I know, which is buttrifling: what I have conjectured shall remain with myself.
* Letters written from the Mountain.
I received, at Motiers, almost as many visits as at the Hermitageand Montmorency; but these, for the most part, were a differentkind.They who had formerly come to see me were people who, havingtaste, talents, and principles, something similar to mine, allegedthem as the causes of their visits, and introduced subjects on which Icould converse.At Motiers the case was different, especially with thevisitors who came from France.They were officers, or other personswho had no taste for literature, nor had many of them read my works,although, according to their own accounts, they had traveled thirty,forty, sixty, and even a hundred leagues to come and see me, andadmire the illustrious man, the very celebrated, the great man, etc.
For from the time of my settling at Motiers, I received the mostimpudent flattery, from which the esteem of those with whom Iassociated had formerly sheltered me.As but few of my new visitorsdeigned to tell me who or what they were, and as they had neither readnor cast their eye over my works, nor had their researches and minebeen directed to the same objects, I knew not what to speak to themupon: I waited for what they had to say, because it was for them toknow and tell me the purpose of their visit.It will naturally beimagined this did not produce conversations very interesting to me,although they, perhaps, were so to my visitors, according to theinformation they might wish to acquire; for as I was withoutsuspicion, I answered, without reserve, to every question they thoughtproper to ask me, and they commonly went away as well informed asmyself of the particulars of my situation.
I was, for example, visited in this manner by M.de Feins, equerryto the queen, and captain of cavalry, who had the patience to passseveral days at Motiers, and to follow me on foot even to La Ferriere,leading his horse by the bridle, without having with me any point ofunion, except our acquaintance with Mademoiselle Fel, and that we bothplayed at bilboquet.*
* A kind of cup and ball.
Before this I had received another visit much more extraordinary.
Two men arrived on foot, each leading a mule loaded with his littlebaggage, lodging at the inn, taking care of their mules and askingto see me.By the equipage of these muleteers they were taken forsmugglers, and the news that smugglers were come to see me wasinstantly spread.Their manner of addressing me sufficiently showedthey were persons of another description; but without beingsmugglers they might be adventurers, and this doubt kept me for sometime on my guard.They soon removed my apprehensions.One was M.deMontauban, who had the title of Comte de la Tour-du-Pin, gentlemanto the dauphin; the other, M.Dastier de Carpentras, an old officer,who had his cross of St.Louis in his pocket, because he could notdisplay it.These gentlemen, both very amiable, were men of sense, andtheir manner of traveling, so much to my own taste, and but littlelike that of French gentlemen, in some measure, gained them myattachment, which an intercourse with them served to improve.Ouracquaintance did not end with the visit; it is still kept up, and theyhave since been several times to see me, not on foot, that was verywell for the first time; but the more I have seen of these gentlementhe less similarity have I found between their taste and mine; Ihave not discovered their maxims to be such as I have ever observed,that my writings are familiar to them, or that there is any realsympathy between them and myself.What, therefore, did they wantwith me? Why came they to see me with, such an equipage? Why repeattheir visit? Why were they so desirous of having me for their host?
I did not at the time propose to myself these questions; but they havesometimes occurred to me since.
Won by their advances, my heart abandoned itself without reserve,especially to M.Dastier, with whose open countenance I was moreparticularly pleased.I even corresponded with him, and when Idetermined to print the Letters from the Mountain, I thought ofaddressing myself to him, to deceive those by whom my packet waswaited for upon the road to Holland.He had spoken to me a gooddeal, and perhaps purposely, upon the liberty of the press at Avignon;he offered me his services should I have anything to print there: Itook advantage of the offer and sent him successively by the post myfirst sheets.After having kept these for some time, he sent them backto me, "Because," said he, "no bookseller dared to undertake them;"and I was obliged to have recourse to Rey, taking care to send mypapers, one after the other, and not to part with those whichsucceeded until I had advice of the reception of those already sent.
Before the work was published, I found it had been seen in theoffice of the ministers, and D'Escherny, of Neuchatel, spoke to meof a book, entitled, De l'Homme de la Montagne,* which D'Holbach hadtold him was by me.I assured him, and it was true, that I never hadwritten a book which bore that tide.When the letters appeared hebecame furious, and accused me of falsehood, although I had told himtruth.By this means I was certain my manuscript had been read; as Icould not doubt the fidelity of Rey, the most rational conjectureseemed to be, that my packets had been opened at the post-house.
* Of the Man of the Mountain.