the essays of montaigne, v1-第2节

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XLI。　　　　Not　to　communicate　a　man's　honour。

XLII。　　　Of　the　inequality　amongst　us。

XLIII。　　Of　sumptuary　laws。

XLIV。　　　Of　sleep。

XLV。　　　　Of　the　battle　of　Dreux。

XLVI。　　　Of　names。

XLVII。　　Of　the　uncertainty　of　our　judgment。

XLVIII。　Of　war…horses；　or　destriers。

XLIX。　　　Of　ancient　customs。

L。　　　　　　Of　Democritus　and　Heraclitus。

LI。　　　　　Of　the　vanity　of　words。

LII。　　　　Of　the　parsimony　of　the　Ancients。

LIII。　　　Of　a　saying　of　Caesar。

LIV。　　　　Of　vain　subtleties。

LV。　　　　　Of　smells。

LVI。　　　　Of　prayers。

LVII。　　　Of　age。






　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　LIFE　OF　MONTAIGNE

＇This　is　translated　freely　from　that　prefixed　to　the　'variorum'　Paris
edition；　1854；　4　vols。　　8vo。　　This　biography　is　the　more　desirable　that
it　contains　all　really　interesting　and　important　matter　in　the　journal　of
the　Tour　in　Germany　and　Italy；　which；　as　it　was　merely　written　under
Montaigne's　dictation；　is　in　the　third　person；　is　scarcely　worth
publication；　as　a　whole；　in　an　English　dress。＇


The　author　of　the　Essays　was　born；　as　he　informs　us　himself；　between
eleven　and　twelve　o'clock　in　the　day；　the　last　of　February　1533；　at　the
chateau　of　St。　　Michel　de　Montaigne。　　His　father；　Pierre　Eyquem；　esquire；
was　successively　first　Jurat　of　the　town　of　Bordeaux　（1530）；　Under…Mayor
1536）；　Jurat　for　the　second　time　in　1540；　Procureur　in　1546；　and　at
length　Mayor　from　1553　to　1556。　　He　was　w　man　of　austere　probity；　who　had
〃a　particular　regard　for　honour　and　for　propriety　in　his　person　and
attire　。　　。　　。　　　a　mighty　good　faith　in　his　speech；　and　a　conscience　and
a　religious　feeling　inclining　to　superstition；　rather　than　to　the　other
extreme。〃＇Essays；　ii。　　2。＇　　Pierre　Eyquem　bestowed　great　care　on　the
education　of　his　children；　especially　on　the　practical　side　of　it。　　To
associate　closely　his　son　Michel　with　the　people；　and　attach　him　to　those
who　stand　in　need　of　assistance；　he　caused　him　to　be　held　at　the　font　by
persons　of　meanest　position；　subsequently　he　put　him　out　to　nurse　with　a
poor　villager；　and　then；　at　a　later　period；　made　him　accustom　himself　to
the　most　common　sort　of　living；　taking　care；　nevertheless；　to　cultivate
his　mind；　and　superintend　its　development　without　the　exercise　of　undue
rigour　or　constraint。　　Michel；　who　gives　us　the　minutest　account　of　his
earliest　years；　charmingly　narrates　how　they　used　to　awake　him　by　the
sound　of　some　agreeable　music；　and　how　he　learned　Latin；　without
suffering　the　rod　or　shedding　a　tear；　before　beginning　French；　thanks　to
the　German　teacher　whom　his　father　had　placed　near　him；　and　who　never
addressed　him　except　in　the　language　of　Virgil　and　Cicero。　　The　study　of
Greek　took　precedence。　　At　six　years　of　age　young　Montaigne　went　to　the
College　of　Guienne　at　Bordeaux；　where　he　had　as　preceptors　the　most
eminent　scholars　of　the　sixteenth　century；　Nicolas　Grouchy；　Guerente；
Muret；　and　Buchanan。　　At　thirteen　he　had　passed　through　all　the　classes；
and　as　he　was　destined　for　the　law　he　left　school　to　study　that　science。
He　was　then　about　fourteen；　but　these　early　years　of　his　life　are
involved　in　obscurity。　　The　next　information　that　we　have　is　that　in　1554
he　received　the　appointment　of　councillor　in　the　Parliament　of　Bordeaux；
in　1559　he　was　at　Bar…le…Duc　with　the　court　of　Francis　II；　and　in　the
year　following　he　was　present　at　Rouen　to　witness　the　declaration　of　the
majority　of　Charles　IX。　　We　do　not　know　in　what　manner　he　was　engaged　on
these　occasions。

Between　1556　and　1563　an　important　incident　occurred　in　the　life　of
Montaigne；　in　the　commencement　of　his　romantic　friendship　with　Etienne　de
la　Boetie；　whom　he　had　met；　as　he　tells　us；　by　pure　chance　at　some
festive　celebration　in　the　town。　　From　their　very　first　interview　the　two
found　themselves　drawn　irresistibly　close　to　one　another；　and　during　six
years　this　alliance　was　foremost　in　the　heart　of　Montaigne；　as　it　was
afterwards　in　his　memory；　when　death　had　severed　it。

Although　he　blames　severely　in　his　own　book　＇Essays；　i。　　27。＇　those　who；
contrary　to　the　opinion　of　Aristotle；　marry　before　five…and…thirty；
Montaigne　did　not　wait　for　the　period　fixed　by　the　philosopher　of
Stagyra；　but　in　1566；　in　his　thirty…third　year；　he　espoused　Francoise　de
Chassaigne；　daughter　of　a　councillor　in　the　Parliament　of　Bordeaux。　　The
history　of　his　early　married　life　vies　in　obscurity　with　that　of　his
youth。　　His　biographers　are　not　agreed　among　themselves；　and　in　the
same　degree　that　he　lays　open　to　our　view　all　that　concerns　his　secret
thoughts；　the　innermost　mechanism　of　his　mind；　he　observes　too　much
reticence　in　respect　to　his　public　functions　and　conduct；　and　his　social
relations。　　The　title　of　Gentleman　in　Ordinary　to　the　King；　which　he
assumes；　in　a　preface；　and　which　Henry　II。　　gives　him　in　a　letter；　which
we　print　a　little　farther　on；　what　he　says　as　to　the　commotions　of
courts；　where　he　passed　a　portion　of　his　life；　the　Instructions　which　he
wrote　under　the　dictation　of　Catherine　de　Medici　for　King　Charles　IX。；
and　his　noble　correspondence　with　Henry　IV。；　leave　no　doubt；　however；　as
to　the　part　which　he　played　in　the　transactions　of　those　times；　and　we
find　an　unanswerable　proof　of　the　esteem　in　which　he　was　held　by　the　most
exalted　personages；　in　a　letter　which　was　addressed　to　him　by　Charles　at
the　time　he　was　admitted　to　the　Order　of　St。　Michael；　which　was；　as　he
informs　us　himself；　the　highest　honour　of　the　French　noblesse。

According　to　Lacroix　du　Maine；　Montaigne；　upon　the　death　of　his　eldest
brother；　resigned　his　post　of　Councillor；　in　order　to　adopt　the　military
profession；　while；　if　we　might　credit　the　President　Bouhier；　he　never
discharged　any　functions　connected　with　arms。　　However；　several　passages
in　the　Essays　seem　to　indicate　that　he　not　only　took　service；　but　that　he
was　actually　in　numerous　campaigns　with　the　Catholic　armies。　　Let　us　add；
that　on　his　monument　he　is　represented　in　a　coat　of　mail；　with　his　casque
and　gauntlets　on　his　right　side；　and　a　lion　at　his　feet；　all　which
signifies；　in　the　language　of　funeral　emblems；　that　the　departed　has　been
engaged　in　some　important　military　transactions。

However　it　may　be　as　to　these　conjectures；　our　author；　having　arrived　at
his　thirty…eighth　year；　resolved　to　dedicate　to　study　and　contemplation
the　remaining　term　of　his　life；　and　on　his　birthday；　the　last　of　February
1571；　he　caused　a　philosophical　inscription；　in　Latin；　to　be　placed　upon
one　of　the　walls　of　his　chateau；　where　it　is　still　to　be　seen；　and　of
which　the　translation　is　to　this　effect：〃In　the　year　of　Christ　。　　。　　。
in　his　thirty…eighth　year；　on　the　eve　of　the　Calends　of　March；　his
birthday；　Michel　Montaigne；　already　weary　of　court　employments　and　public
honours；　withdrew　himself　entirely　into　the　converse　of　the　learned
virgins　where　he　intends　to　spend　the　remaining　moiety　of　the　to　allotted
to　him　in　tranquil　seclusion。〃

At　the　time　to　which　we　have　come；　Montaigne　was　unknown　to　the　world　of
letters；　except　as　a　translator　and　editor。　　In　1569　he　had　published　a
translation　of　the　〃Natural　Theology〃　of　Raymond　de　Sebonde；　which　he　had
solely　undertaken　to　please　his　father。　　In　1571　he　had　caused　to　be
printed　at　Paris　certain　'opuscucla'　of　Etienne　de　la　Boetie　；　and　these
two　efforts；　inspired　in　one　case　by　filial　duty；　and　in　the　other　by
friendship；　prove　that　affectionate　motives　overruled　with　him　mere
personal　ambition　as　a　literary　man。　　We　may　suppose　that　he　began　to
compose　the　Essays　at　the　very　outset　of　his　retirement　from　public
engagements；　for　as；　according　to　his　own　account；　observes　the　President
Bouhier；　he　cared　neither　for　the　chase；　nor　building；　nor　gardening；　nor
agricultural　pursuits；　and　was　exclusively　occupied　with　reading　and
reflection；　he　devoted　himself　with　satisfaction　to　the　task　of　setting
down　his　thoughts　just　as　they　occurred　to　him。　　Those　thoughts　became　a
book；　and　the　first　part　of　that　book；　which　was　to　confer　immortality　on
the　writer；　appeared　at　Bordeaux　in　1580。　　Montaigne　was　then　fifty…
seven；　he　had　suffered　for　some　years　past　from　renal　colic　and　gravel；
and　it　was　with　the　necessity　of　distraction　from　his　pain；　and　the　hope
of　deriving　relief　from　the　waters；　that　he　undertook　at　this　time　a
great　journey。　　As　the　account　which　he　has　left　of　his　travels　in
Germany　and　Italy　comprises　some　highly　interesting　particulars　of　his
life　and　personal　history；　it　seems　worth　while　to　furnish　a　sketch　or
analysis　of　it。

〃The　Journey；　of　which　we　proceed　to　describe　the　course　simply；〃　says
the　editor　of　the　Itinerary；　〃had；　from　Beaumont…sur…Oise　to　Plombieres；
in　Lorraine；　nothing　sufficiently　interesting　to　detain　us　。　　。　　。　　we
must　go　as　far；　as　Basle；　of　which　we　have　a　description；　acquainting　us
with　its　physical　and　political　condition　at　that　period；　as　well　as　with
the　character　of　its　baths。　　The　passage　of　Montaigne　through　Switzerland
is　not　without　interest；　as　we　see　there　how　our　philosophical　traveller
accommodated　himself　everywhere　to　the　ways　of　the　country。　　The　hotels；
the　provisions；　the　Swiss　cookery；　everything；　was　agreeable　to　him；　it
appears；　indeed；　as　if　he　preferred　to　the　French　manners　and　tastes
th