His entertainer offered him nothing more restoring than coarse barley bread and skimmed milk.

Presently, after seeing what manner of guest he had, the worthy man descended by a small trap into his cellar, and brought up some good brown bread, some meat, and a bottle of wine, and an omelette was added afterwards.

Then he explained to the wondering Rousseau, who was a Swiss, and knew none of the mysteries of the French fisc, that he hid away his wine on account of the duties, and his bread on account of the _taille_, and declared that he would be a ruined man if they suspected that he was not dying of hunger.

All this made an impression on Rousseau which he never forgot.

"Here," he says, "was the germ of the inextinguishable hatred which afterwards grew up in my heart against the vexations that harass the common people, and against all their oppressors.