ROUSSEAU JEAN-JACQUES: (1712-1778) French philosopher,

ROUSSEAU JEAN-JACQUES: (1712-1778) French philosopher, writer and composer who influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe. Autograph manuscript, unsigned, two pages (the second page with just three lines of text), n.p., n.d. (c.1745-51), in French. As was Rousseau's practice, the working manuscript is penned to the right half of the page, the left half intentionally kept blank for the insertion of appropriate annotations or observations, and is taken from the unpublished work Traite sur les femmes which Rousseau was preparing whilst in the employment of Madame Dupin, the text headed with the reference 'Dupuy p.172' and stating, in full, 'Les principales Dames de Pavie, au siege qu'en fit Fr:[ancois] p.[remi]er sous la conduitte et a l'exemple de la Comtesse Hyppolite de Malespine, leur Generale, se mirent a porter la hotte, a remuer la terre, a reparer la breche a l'envoi des soldats. Lorsque la ville de St Riquier fut assiegee par un Gentilhomme Flamand avec cent hommes d'armes et 2000 h[ommes] de pied, la ville etoit prette a se rendre, n'y ayant que cent h[ommes] pour la deffendre, ne fut que les Dames de la ville se presenterent a la muraille avec des armes, de l'eau et de l'huile bouillante, et des pierres, et ne pousserent bravement les Ennemis. Deux de ces Dames enleverent deux Etendars' (Translation: 'The principal Ladies of Pavia, at the siege made of it by Fr:[ancois] p.[remi]er under the guidance and the example of the Countess Hyppolite of Malespine, their General, began to carry the basket, to move the earth, to repair the breach by sending soldiers. When the town of St Riquier was besieged by a Flemish Gentleman with a hundred men-at-arms and 2000 men on foot, the town was ready to surrender, having only a hundred men there to defend it, it was only that the Ladies of the city presented themselves at the wall with arms, boiling water and oil, and stones, and bravely pushed back the Enemies. Two of these Ladies carried off two Standards'). Some very light, minimal age wear, VG Louise-Marie-Madeleine Fontaine (1706-1799) Madame Dupin. French saloniste, famed for her spirit and beauty who hosted a famous literary salon in Paris from 1733-82 and owned the Chateau de Chenonceau, known as the centre of the most famous French philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. Dupin employed Rousseau as her secretary and tutor of her son from 1745-51.