eave　it；　before　its　injurious　influence　begins　to　affect　your　faculties；　and　before　you　become　settled；　as　they　say；　in　the　ways　of　your　profession；　were　it　possible　that　such　a　thing　could　ever　happen；　which　I　flatly　deny。　　You　are　unhappy；　you　have　not　yet　entered　upon　the　path　which　Nature　has　marked　out　for　you。　　But；　faint…hearted　soul；　is　that　a　cause　for　despondency？　　Ought　you　to　feel　discouraged？　　Struggle；　morbleu；　struggle　persistently；　and　you　will　triumph。　　J。　J。　Rousseau　groped　about　for　forty　years　before　his　genius　was　revealed　to　him。　　You　are　not　J。　J　Rousseau；　but　listen：　I　know　not　whether　I　should　have　divined　the　author　of　〃Emile〃　when　he　was　twenty　years　of　age；　supposing　that　I　had　been　his　contemporary；　and　had　enjoyed　the　honor　of　his　acquaintance。　　But　I　have　known　you；　I　have　loved　you；　I　have　divined　your　future；　if　I　may　venture　to　say　so；　for　the　first　time　in　my　life；　I　am　going　to　risk　a　prophecy。　　Keep　this　letter；　read　it　again　fifteen　or　twenty　years　hence；　perhaps　twenty…five；　and　if　at　that　time　the　prediction　which　I　am　about　to　make　has　not　been　fulfilled；　burn　it　as　a　piece　of　folly　out　of　charity　and　respect　for　my　memory。　　This　is　my　prediction：　you　will　be；　Proudhon；　in　spite　of　yourself；　inevitably；　by　the　fact　of　your　destiny；　a　writer；　an　author；　you　will　be　a　philosopher；　you　will　be　one　of　the　lights　of　the　century；　and　your　name　will　occupy　a　place　in　the　annals　of　the　nineteenth　century；　like　those　of　Gassendi；　Descartes；　Malebranche；　and　Bacon　in　the　seventeenth；　and　those　of　Diderot；　Montesquieu；　Helvetius。　　Locke；　Hume；　and　Holbach　in　the　eighteenth。　　Such　will　be　your　lot！　　Do　now　what　you　will；　set　type　in　a　printing…office；　bring　up　children；　bury　yourself　in　deep　seclusion；　seek　obscure　and　lonely　villages；　it　is　all　one　to　me；　you　cannot　escape　your　destiny；　you　cannot　divest　yourself　of　your　noblest　feature；　that　active；　strong；　and　inquiring　mind；　with　which　you　are　endowed；　your　place　in　the　world　has　been　appointed；　and　it　cannot　remain　empty。　　Go　where　you　please；　I　expect　you　in　Paris；　talking　philosophy　and　the　doctrines　of　Plato；　you　will　have　to　come；　whether　you　want　to　or　not。　　I；　who　say　this　to　you；　must　feel　very　sure　of　it　in　order　to　be　willing　to　put　it　upon　paper；　since；　without　reward　for　my　prophetic　skill；to　which；　I　assure　you；　I　make　not　the　slightest　claim；I　run　the　risk　of　passing　for　a　hare…brained　fellow；　in　case　I　prove　to　be　mistaken：　he　plays　a　bold　game　who　risks　his　good　sense　upon　his　cards；　in　return　for　the　very　trifling　and　insignificant　merit　of　having　divined　a　young　man's　future。
  〃When　I　say　that　I　expect　you　in　Paris；　I　use　only　a　proverbial　phrase　which　you　must　not　allow　to　mislead　you　as　to　my　projects　and　plans。　　To　reside　in　Paris　is　disagreeable　to　me；　very　much　so；　and　when　this　fine…art　fever　which　possesses　me　has　left　me；　I　shall　abandon　the　place　without　regret　to　seek　a　more　peaceful　residence　in　a　provincial　town；　provided　always　the　town　shall　afford　me　the　means　of　living；　bread；　a　bed；　books；　rest；　and　solitude。　　How　I　miss；　my　good　Proudhon；　that　dark；　obscure；　smoky　chamber　in　which　I　dwelt　in　Besancon；　and　where　we　spent　so　many　pleasant　hours　in　the　discussion　of　philosophy！　　Do　you　remember　it？　　But　that　is　now　far　away。　　Will　that　happy　time　ever　return？　　Shall　we　one　day　meet　again？　　Here　my　life　is　restless；　uncertain；　precarious；　and；　what　is　worse；　indolent；　illiterate；　and　vagrant。　　I　do　no　work；　I　live　in　idleness；　I　ramble　about；　I　do　not　read；　I　no　longer　study；　my　books　are　forsaken；　now　and　then　I　glance　over　a　few　metaphysical　works；　and　after　a　days　walk　through　dirty；　filthy；　crowded　streets。　　I　lie　down　with　empty　head　and　tired　body；　to　repeat　the　performance　on　the　following　day。　　What　is　the　object　of　these　walks；　you　will　ask。　　I　make　visits；　my　friend；　I　hold　interviews　with　stupid　people。　　Then　a　fit　of　curiosity　seizes　me；　the　least　inquisitive　of　beings：　there　are　museums；　libraries；　assemblies；　churches；　palaces；　gardens；　and　theatres　to　visit。　　I　am　fond　of　pictures；　fond　of　music；　fond　of　sculpture；　all　these　are　beautiful　and　good；　but　they　cannot　appease　hunger；　nor　take　the　place　of　my　pleasant　readings　of　Bailly；　Hume；　and　Tennemann；　which　I　used　to　enjoy　by　my　fireside　when　I　was　able　to　read。
  〃But　enough　of　complaints。　　Do　not　allow　this　letter　to　affect　you　too　much；　and　do　not　think　that　I　give　way　to　dejection　or　despondency；　no；　I　am　a　fatalist；　and　I　believe　in　my　star。　　I　do　not　know　yet　what　my　calling　is；　nor　for　what　branch　of　polite　literature　I　am　best　fitted；　I　do　not　even　know　whether　I　am；　or　ever　shall　be；　fitted　for　any：　but　what　matters　it？　　I　suffer；　I　labor；　I　dream；　I　enjoy；　I　think；　and；　in　a　word；　when　my　last　hour　strikes；　I　shall　have　lived。
  〃Proudhon；　I　love　you；　I　esteem　you；　and；　believe　me；　these　are　not　mere　phrases。　　What　interest　could　I　have　in　flattering　and　praising　a　poor　printer？　　Are　you　rich；　that　you　may　pay　for　courtiers？　　Have　you　a　sumptuous　table；　a　dashing　wife；　and　gold　to　scatter；　in　order　to　attract　them　to　your　suite？　　Have　you　the　glory；　honors；　credit；　which　would　render　your　acquaintance　pleasing　to　their　vanity　and　pride？　　No；　you　are　poor；　obscure；　abandoned；　but；　poor；　obscure；　and　abandoned；　you　have　a　friend；　and　a　friend　who　knows　all　the　obligations　which　that　word　imposes　upon　honorable　people；　when　they　venture　to　assume　it。　　That　friend　is　myself：　put　me　to　the　test。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃GUSTAVE　FALLOT。〃
  It　appears　from　this　letter　that　if；　at　this　period；　Proudhon　had　already　exhibited　to　the　eyes　of　a　clairvoyant　friend　his　genius　for　research　and　investigation；　it　was　in　the　direction　of　philosophical；　rather　than　of　economical　and　social；　questions。
  Having　become　foreman　in　the　house　of　Gauthier　&　Co。；　who　carried　on　a　large　printing　establishment　at　Besancon；　he　corrected　the　proofs　of　ecclesiastical　writers；　the　Fathers　of　the　Church。　　As　they　were　printing　a　Bible；　a　Vulgate；　he　was　led　to　compare　the　Latin　with　the　original　Hebrew。
  〃In　this　way；〃　says　Sainte　Beuve；　〃he　learned　Hebrew　by　himself；　and；　as　everything　was　connected　in　his　mind；　he　was　led　to　the　study　of　comparative　philology。　　As　the　house　of　Gauthier　published　many　works　on　Church　history　and　theology；　he　came　also　to　acquire；　through　this　desire　of　his　to　investigate　everything；　an　extensive　knowledge　of　theology；　which　afterwards　caused　misinformed　persons　to　think　that　he　had　been　in　an　ecclesiastical　seminary。〃
  Towards　1836；　Proudhon　left　the　house　of　Gauthier；　and；　in　company　with　an　associate；　established　a　small　printing…office　in　Besancon。　　His　contribution　to　the　partnership　consisted；　not　so　much　in　capital；　as　in　his　knowledge　of　the　trade。　　His　partner　committing　suicide　in　1838；　Proudhon　was　obliged　to　wind　up　the　business；　an　operation　which　he　did　not　accomplish　as　quickly　and　as　easily　as　he　hoped。　　He　was　then　urged　by　his　friends　to　enter　the　ranks　of　the　competitors　for　the　Suard　pension。　　This　pension　consisted　of　an　income　of　fifteen　hundred　francs　bequeathed　to　the　Academy　of　Besancon　by　Madame　Suard；　the　widow　of　the　academician；　to　be　given　once　in　three　years　to　the　young　man　residing　in　the　department　of　Doubs；　a　bachelor　of　letters　or　of　science；　and　not　possessing　a　fortune；　whom　the　Academy　of　Besancon　SHOULD　DEEM　BEST　FITTED　FOR　A　LITERARY　OR　SCIENTIFIC　CAREER；　OR　FOR　THE　STUDY　OF　LAW　OR　OF　MEDICINE。　The　first　to　win　the　Suard　pension　was　Gustave　Fallot。　　Mauvais；　who　was　a　distinguished　astronomer　in　the　Academy　of　Sciences；　was　the　second。　　Proudhon　aspired　to　be　the　third。　　To　qualify　himself；　he　had　to　be　received　as　a　bachelor　of　letters；　and　was　obliged　to　write　a　letter　to　the　Academy　of　Besancon。　　In　a　phrase　of　this　letter；　the　terms　of　which　he　had　to　modify；　though　he　absolutely　refused　to　change　its　spirit；　Proudhon　expressed　his　firm　resolve　to　labor　for　the　amelioration　of　the　condition　of　his　brothers；　the　working…men。
  The　only　thing　which　he　had　then　published　was　an　〃Essay　on　General　Grammar；〃　which　appeared　without　the　author's　signature。　　While　reprinting；　at　Besancon；　the　〃Primitive　Elements　of　Languages；　Discovered　by　the　Comparison　of　Hebrew　roots　with　those　of　the　Latin　and　French；〃　by　the　Abbe　Bergier；　Proudhon　had　enlarged　the　edition　of　his　〃Essay　on　General　Grammar。〃
  The　date　of　the　edition；　1837；　proves　that　he　did　not　at　that　time　think　of　competing　for　the　Suard　pension。　　In　this　work；　which　continued　and　completed　that　of　the　Abbe　Bergier；　Proudhon　adopted　the　same　point　of　view；　that　of　Moses　and　of　Biblical　tradition。　　Two　years　later；　in　February；　1839；　being　already　in　possession　of　the　Suard　pension；　he　addressed　to　the　Institute；　as　a　competitor　for　the　Volney　prize；　a　memoir　entitled：　　〃Studies　in　Grammatical　Classification　and　the　Derivation　of　some　French　words。〃　　It　was　his　first　work；　revised　and　presented　in　another　form。　　Four　memoirs　only　were　sent　to　the　Institute；　none　of　which　gained　the　prize。　　Two　honorable　mentions　were　granted；　one　of　them　to　memoir　No。　4；　that　is；　to　P。　J。　Proudhon；　printer　at　Besancon。　　The　judges　were　MM。　Amedde　Jaubert；　Reinaud；　and　Burnouf。
  〃The　committee；〃　said　the　report　presented　at　the　annual　m