the essays of montaigne, v2-第8节

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do　me　wrong；　for　experience；　rather；　daily　shows　us；　on　the　contrary；
that　a　strong　memory　is　commonly　coupled　with　infirm　judgment。　　They　do；
me；　moreover　（who　am　so　perfect　in　nothing　as　in　friendship）；　a　great
wrong　in　this；　that　they　make　the　same　words　which　accuse　my　infirmity；
represent　me　for　an　ungrateful　person；　they　bring　my　affections　into
question　upon　the　account　of　my　memory；　and　from　a　natural　imperfection；
make　out　a　defect　of　conscience。　　〃He　has　forgot；〃　says　one；　〃this
request；　or　that　promise；　he　no　more　remembers　his　friends；　he　has　forgot
to　say　or　do；　or　conceal　such　and　such　a　thing；　for　my　sake。〃　　And；
truly；　I　am　apt　enough　to　forget　many　things；　but　to　neglect　anything　my
friend　has　given　me　in　charge；　I　never　do　it。　　And　it　should　be　enough；
methinks；　that　I　feel　the　misery　and　inconvenience　of　it；　without
branding　me　with　malice；　a　vice　so　contrary　to　my　humour。

However；　I　derive　these　comforts　from　my　infirmity：　first；　that　it　is　an
evil　from　which　principally　I　have　found　reason　to　correct　a　worse；　that
would　easily　enough　have　grown　upon　me；　namely；　ambition；　the　defect
being　intolerable　in　those　who　take　upon　them　public　affairs。　　That；　like
examples　in　the　progress　of　nature　demonstrate　to　us；　she　has　fortified
me　in　my　other　faculties　proportionably　as　she　has　left　me　unfurnished　in
this；　I　should　otherwise　have　been　apt　implicitly　to　have　reposed　my　mind
and　judgment　upon　the　bare　report　of　other　men；　without　ever　setting　them
to　work　upon　their　own　force；　had　the　inventions　and　opinions　of　others
been　ever　been　present　with　me　by　the　benefit　of　memory。　　That　by　this
means　I　am　not　so　talkative；　for　the　magazine　of　the　memory　is　ever
better　furnished　with　matter　than　that　of　the　invention。　　Had　mine　been
faithful　to　me；　I　had　ere　this　deafened　all　my　friends　with　my　babble；
the　subjects　themselves　arousing　and　stirring　up　the　little　faculty　I
have　of　handling　and　employing　them；　heating　and　distending　my　discourse；
which　were　a　pity：　as　I　have　observed　in　several　of　my　intimate　friends；
who；　as　their　memories　supply　them　with　an　entire　and　full　view　of
things；　begin　their　narrative　so　far　back；　and　crowd　it　with　so　many
impertinent　circumstances；　that　though　the　story　be　good　in　itself；　they
make　a　shift　to　spoil　it；　and　if　otherwise；　you　are　either　to　curse　the
strength　of　their　memory　or　the　weakness　of　their　judgment：　and　it　is　a
hard　thing　to　close　up　a　discourse；　and　to　cut　it　short；　when　you　have
once　started；　there　is　nothing　wherein　the　force　of　a　horse　is　so　much
seen　as　in　a　round　and　sudden　stop。　　I　see　even　those　who　are　pertinent
enough；　who　would；　but　cannot　stop　short　in　their　career；　for　whilst　they
are　seeking　out　a　handsome　period　to　conclude　with；　they　go　on　at　random；
straggling　about　upon　impertinent　trivialities；　as　men　staggering　upon
weak　legs。　　But；　above　all；　old　men　who　retain　the　memory　of　things　past；
and　forget　how　often　they　have　told　them；　are　dangerous　company；　and　I
have　known　stories　from　the　mouth　of　a　man　of　very　great　quality；
otherwise　very　pleasant　in　themselves；　become　very　wearisome　by　being
repeated　a　hundred　times　over　and　over　again　to　the　same　people。

Secondly；　that；　by　this　means；　I　the　less　remember　the　injuries　I　have
received；　insomuch　that；　as　the　ancient　said；＇Cicero；　Pro　Ligar。
c。　12。＇　I　should　have　a　register　of　injuries；　or　a　prompter；　as　Darius；
who；　that　he　might　not　forget　the　offence　he　had　received　from　those　of
Athens；　so　oft　as　he　sat　down　to　dinner；　ordered　one　of　his　pages　three
times　to　repeat　in　his　ear；　〃Sir；　remember　the　Athenians〃；＇Herod。；　v。
105。＇　and　then；　again；　the　places　which　I　revisit；　and　the　books　I　read
over　again；　still　smile　upon　me　with　a　fresh　novelty。

It　is　not　without　good　reason　said　〃that　he　who　has　not　a　good　memory
should　never　take　upon　him　the　trade　of　lying。〃　　I　know　very　well　that
the　grammarians　＇Nigidius；　Aulus　Gellius；　xi。　　ii；　Nonius；　v。　　80。＇
distinguish　betwixt　an　untruth　and　a　lie；　and　say　that　to　tell　an　untruth
is　to　tell　a　thing　that　is　false；　but　that　we　ourselves　believe　to　be
true；　and　that　the　definition　of　the　word　to　lie　in　Latin；　from　which　our
French　is　taken；　is　to　tell　a　thing　which　we　know　in　our　conscience　to　be
untrue；　and　it　is　of　this　last　sort　of　liars　only　that　I　now　speak。　　Now；
these　do　either　wholly　contrive　and　invent　the　untruths　they　utter；　or　so
alter　and　disguise　a　true　story　that　it　ends　in　a　lie。　　When　they
disguise　and　often　alter　the　same　story；　according　to　their　own　fancy；
'tis　very　hard　for　them；　at　one　time　or　another；　to　escape　being　trapped；
by　reason　that　the　real　truth　of　the　thing；　having　first　taken　possession
of　the　memory；　and　being　there　lodged　impressed　by　the　medium　of
knowledge　and　science；　it　will　be　difficult　that　it　should　not　represent
itself　to　the　imagination；　and　shoulder　out　falsehood；　which　cannot　there
have　so　sure　and　settled　footing　as　the　other；　and　the　circumstances　of
the　first　true　knowledge　evermore　running　in　their　minds；　will　be　apt　to
make　them　forget　those　that　are　illegitimate；　and　only；　forged　by　their
own　fancy。　　In　what　they；　wholly　invent；　forasmuch　as　there　is　no
contrary　impression　to　jostle　their　invention　there　seems　to　be　less
danger　of　tripping；　and　yet　even　this　by　reason　it　is　a　vain　body　and
without　any　hold；　is　very　apt　to　escape　the　memory；　if　it　be　not　well
assured。　　Of　which　I　had　very　pleasant　experience；　at　the　expense　of　such
as　profess　only　to　form　and　accommodate　their　speech　to　the　affair　they
have　in　hand；　or　to　humour　of　the　great　folks　to　whom　they　are　speaking；
for　the　circumstances　to　which　these　men　stick　not　to　enslave　their　faith
and　conscience　being　subject　to　several　changes；　their　language　must　vary
accordingly：　whence　it　happens　that　of　the　same　thing　they　tell　one　man
that　it　is　this；　and　another　that　it　is　that；　giving　it　several　colours；
which　men；　if　they　once　come　to　confer　notes；　and　find　out　the　cheat；
what　becomes　of　this　fine　art？　　To　which　may　be　added；　that　they　must　of
necessity　very　often　ridiculously　trap　themselves；　for　what　memory　can　be
sufficient　to　retain　so　many　different　shapes　as　they　have　forged　upon
one　and　the　same　subject？　　I　have　known　many　in　my　time　very　ambitious　of
the　repute　of　this　fine　wit；　but　they　do　not　see　that　if　they　have　the
reputation　of　it；　the　effect　can　no　longer　be。

In　plain　truth；　lying　is　an　accursed　vice。　　We　are　not　men；　nor　have
other　tie　upon　one　another；　but　by　our　word。　　If　we　did　but　discover　the
horror　and　gravity　of　it；　we　should　pursue　it　with　fire　and　sword；　and
more　justly　than　other　crimes。　　I　see　that　parents　commonly；　and　with
indiscretion　enough；　correct　their　children　for　little　innocent　faults；
and　torment　them　for　wanton　tricks；　that　have　neither　impression　nor
consequence；　whereas；　in　my　opinion；　lying　only；　and；　which　is　of
something　a　lower　form；　obstinacy；　are　the　faults　which　are　to　be
severely　whipped　out　of　them；　both　in　their　infancy　and　in　their
progress；　otherwise　they　grow　up　and　increase　with　them；　and　after　a
tongue　has　once　got　the　knack　of　lying；　'tis　not　to　be　imagined　how
impossible　it　is　to　reclaim　it　whence　it　comes　to　pass　that　we　see　some；
who　are　otherwise　very　honest　men；　so　subject　and　enslaved　to　this　vice。
I　have　an　honest　lad　to　my　tailor；　whom　I　never　knew　guilty　of　one　truth；
no；　not　when　it　had　been　to　his　advantage。　　If　falsehood　had；　like　truth；
but　one　face　only；　we　should　be　upon　better　terms；　for　we　should　then
take　for　certain　the　contrary　to　what　the　liar　says：　but　the　reverse　of
truth　has　a　hundred　thousand　forms；　and　a　field　indefinite；　without　bound
or　limit。　　The　Pythagoreans　make　good　to　be　certain　and　finite；　and　evil；
infinite　and　uncertain。　　There　are　a　thousand　ways　to　miss　the　white；
there　is　only　one　to　hit　it。　　For　my　own　part；　I　have　this　vice　in　so
great　horror；　that　I　am　not　sure　I　could　prevail　with　my　conscience　to
secure　myself　from　the　most　manifest　and　extreme　danger　by　an　impudent
and　solemn　lie。　　An　ancient　father　says　〃that　a　dog　we　know　is　better
company　than　a　man　whose　language　we　do　not　understand。〃


　　　　　　　　　　〃Ut　externus　alieno　pene　non　sit　hominis　vice。〃

　　　　　＇As　a　foreigner　cannot　be　said　to　supply　us　the　place　of　a　man。〃
　　　　　Pliny；　Nat。　Hist。　vii。　I＇

And　how　much　less　sociable　is　false　speaking　than　silence？

King　Francis　I。　vaunted　that　he　had　by　this　means　nonplussed　Francesco
Taverna；　ambassador　of　Francesco　Sforza；　Duke　of　Milan；　a　man　very　famous
for　his　science　in　talking　in　those　days。　　This　gentleman　had　been　sent
to　excuse　his　master　to　his　Majesty　about　a　thing　of　very　great
consequence；　which　was　this：　the　King；　still　to　maintain　some
intelligence　with　Italy；　out　of　which　he　had　lately　been　driven；　and
particularly　with　the　duchy　of　Milan；　had　thought　it　convenient　to　have　a
gentleman　on　his　behalf　to　be　with　that　Duke：　an　ambassador　in　effect；
but　in　outward　appearance　a　private　person　who　pretended　to　reside　there
upon　his　own　particular　affairs；　for　the　Duke；　much　more　depending　upon
the　Emperor；　especially　at　a　time　when　he　was　in　a　treaty　of　marriage
with　his　niece；　daughter　to　the　King　of　Denmark；　who　is　no