Why did Jean-Jacques Rousseau come to Britain with David Hume?
Jean-Jacques Rousseau came to Britain with the Scottish philosopher David Hume in 1766 to find a safe refuge from persecution.12
Following the publication of his works Émile; or, On Education and The Social Contract, Rousseau faced intense hostility from authorities in both France and his native Geneva, leading to his status as a fugitive. After he was banished from the Swiss canton of Bern, Hume—who was then serving as secretary to the British embassy in Paris—offered to help him. Hume successfully brought Rousseau to England and secured the offer of a pension for him from King George III, eventually settling him in a country house in Wootton, Staffordshire.12
However, the arrangement ended poorly; Rousseau soon became convinced that British intellectuals were mocking him and suspected Hume of participating in a plot against him, which prompted his sudden, secret return to France.12