For a long time I saw but little of Du Perou, because I did not go to
Neuchatel, and he came but once a year to the mountain of Colonel Pury.
Why did I not go to Neuchatel? This proceeded from a childishness upon
which I must not be silent.

Although protected by the King of Prussia and the lord marshal, while I
avoided persecution in my asylum, I did not avoid the murmurs of the
public, of municipal magistrates and ministers. After what had happened
in France it became fashionable to insult me; these people would have
been afraid to seem to disapprove of what my persecutors had done by not
imitating them. The 'classe' of Neuchatel, that is, the ministers of
that city, gave the impulse, by endeavoring to move the council of state
against me. This attempt not having succeeded, the ministers addressed
themselves to the municipal magistrate, who immediately prohibited my
book, treating me on all occasions with but little civility, and saying,
that had I wished to reside in the city I should not have been suffered
to do it. They filled their Mercury with absurdities and the most stupid
hypocrisy, which, although, it makes every man of sense laugh, animated
the people against me. This, however, did not prevent them from setting
forth that I ought to be very grateful for their permitting me to live at
Motiers, where they had no authority; they would willingly have measured
me the air by the pint, provided I had paid for it a dear price. They
would have it that I was obliged to them for the protection the king
granted me in spite of the efforts they incessantly made to deprive me of
it. Finally, failing of success, after having done me all the injury
they could, and defamed me to the utmost of their power, they made a
merit of their impotence, by boasting of their goodness in suffering me
to stay in their country. I ought to have laughed at their vain efforts,
but I was foolish enough to be vexed at them, and had the weakness to be
unwilling to go to Neuchatel, to which I yielded for almost two years,