,,essays ,,of ,,michel ,,de ,,montaigne 
,translated by ,charles ,cotton ,edited 
by ,william ,carew ,hazilitt  #ahgg     
,,contents ,,of ,,volume #a4            
,preface      ,the ,life of ,montaigne  
,the ,letters of ,montaigne             
,,preface4  ,the present publication is 
intended to supply a recognised         
deficiency in our literature--a library 
edition of the ,essays of ,montaigne4   
,this great ,french writer deserves to  
be regarded as a classic1 not only in   
the land of his birth1 but in all       
countries and in all literatures4  ,his 
,essays1 which are at once the most     
celebrated and the most permanent of his
 productions1 form a magazine out of    
which such minds as those of ,bacon and 
,shakespeare did not disdain to help    
themselves2 and1 indeed1 as ,hallam     
observes1 the ,frenchman's literary     
importance largely results from the     
share which his mind had in influencing 
other minds1 coeval and subsequent4     
,but1 at the same time1 estimating the  

value and rank of the essayist1 we are  
not to leave out of the account the     
drawbacks and the circumstances of the  
period3 the imperfect state of          
education1 the comparative scarcity of  
books1 and the limited opportunities of 
intellectual intercourse4  ,montaigne   
freely borrowed of others1 and he has   
found men willing to borrow of him as   
freely4  ,we need not wonder at the     
reputation which he with seeming        
facility achieved4  ,he was1 without    
being aware of it1 the leader of a new  
school in letters and morals4  ,his book
 was different from all others which    
were at that date in the world4 ,it     
diverted the ancient currents of thought
 into new channels4  ,it told its       
readers1 with unexampled frankness1 what
 its writer's opinion was about men and 
things1 and threw what must have been a 
strange kind of new light on many       
matters but darkly understood4  ,above  
all1 the essayist uncased himself1 and  
made his intellectual and physical      

organism public property4  ,he took the 
world into his confidence on all        
subjects4  ,his essays were a sort of   
literary anatomy1 where we get a        
diagnosis of the writer's mind1 made by 
himself at different levels and under a 
large variety of operating influences4  
,of all egotists1 ,montaigne1 if not the
 greatest1 was the most fascinating1    
because1 perhaps1 he was the least      
affected and most truthful4  ,what he   
did1 and what he had professed to do1   
was to dissect his mind1 and show us1 as
 best he could1 how it was made1 and    
what relation it bore to external       
objects4  ,he investigated his mental   
structure as a schoolboy pulls his watch
 to pieces1 to examine the mechanism of 
the works2 and the result1 accompanied  
by illustrations abounding with         
originality and force1 he delivered to  
his fellow-men in a book4  ,eloquence1  
rhetorical effect1 poetry1 were alike   
remote from his design4 ,he did not     
write from necessity1 scarcely perhaps  

for fame4  ,but he desired to leave     
,france1 nay1 and the world1 something  
to be remembered by1 something which    
should tell what kind of a man he       
was--what he felt1 thought1             
suffered--and he succeeded immeasurably1
 ,i apprehend1 beyond his expectations4 
,it was reasonable enough that          
,montaigne should expect for his work a 
certain share of celebrity in ,gascony1 
and even1 as time went on1 throughout   
,france2 but it is scarcely probable    
that he foresaw how his renown was to   
become world-wide2 how he was to occupy 
an almost unique position as a man of   
letters and a moralist2 how the ,essays 
would be read1 in all the principal     
languages of ,europe1 by millions of    
intelligent human beings1 who never     
heard of ,perigord or the ,league1 and  
who are in doubt1 if they are           
questioned1 whether the author lived in 
the sixteenth or the eighteenth century4
  ,this is true fame4  ,a man of genius 
belongs to no period and no country4    

,he speaks the language of nature1 which
 is always everywhere the same4  ,the   
text of these volumes is taken from the 
first edition of ,cotton's version1     
printed in #c vols4  #hvo1 #afhe-f1 and 
republished in #afic1 #agjj1 #agaa1     
#agch1 and #agdc1 in the same number of 
volumes and the same size4 ,in the      
earliest impression the errors of the   
press are corrected merely as far as    
page #bdj of the first volume1 and all  
the editions follow one another4  ,that 
of #afhe-f was the only one which the   
translator lived to see4  ,he died in   
#afhg1 leaving behind him an interesting
 and little-known collection of poems1  
which appeared posthumously1 #hvo1      
#afhi4  ,it was considered imperative to
 correct ,cotton's translation by a     
careful collation with the 'variorum'   
edition of the original1 ,paris1 #ahed1 
#d vols4  #hvo or #abmo1 and parallel   
passages from ,florin's earlier         
undertaking have occasionally been      
inserted at the foot of the page4  ,a   

,life of the ,author and all his        
recovered ,letters1 sixteen in number1  
have also been given2 but1 as regards   
the correspondence1 it can scarcely be  
doubted that it is in a purely          
fragmentary state4  ,to do more than    
furnish a sketch of the leading         
incidents in ,montaigne's life seemed1  
in the presence of ,bayle ,st4 ,john's  
charming and able biography1 an attempt 
as difficult as it was useless4  ,the   
besetting sin of both ,montaigne's      
translators seems to have been a        
propensity for reducing his language and
 phraseology to the language and        
phraseology of the age and country to   
which they belonged1 and1 moreover1     
inserting paragraphs and words1 not here
 and there only1 but constantly and     
habitually1 from an evident desire and  
view to elucidate or strengthen their   
author's meaning4  ,the result has      
generally been unfortunate2 and ,i have1
 in the case of all these interpolations
 on ,cotton's part1 felt bound1 where ,i

 did not cancel them1 to throw them down
 into the notes1 not thinking it right  
that ,montaigne should be allowed any   
longer to stand sponsor for what he     
never wrote2 and reluctant1 on the other
 hand1 to suppress the intruding matter 
entirely1 where it appeared to possess a
 value of its own4  ,nor is redundancy  
or paraphrase the only form of          
transgression in ,cotton1 for there are 
places in his author which he thought   
proper to omit1 and it is hardly        
necessary to say that the restoration of
 all such matter to the text was        
considered essential to its integrity   
and completeness4  ,my warmest thanks   
are due to my father1 ,mr ,registrar    
,hazlitt1 the author of the well-known  
and excellent edition of ,montaigne     
published in #ahdb1 for the important   
assistance which he has rendered to me  
in verifying and retranslating the      
quotations1 which were in a most corrupt
 state1 and of which ,cotton's ,english 
versions were singularly loose and      

inexact1 and for the zeal with which he 
has co-operated with me in collating the
 ,english text1 line for line and word  
for word1 with the best ,french edition4
  ,by the favour of ,mr ,f4 ,w4 ,cosens1
 ,i have had by me1 while at work on    
this subject1 the copy of ,cotgrave's   
,dictionary1 folio1 #afej1 which        
belonged to ,cotton4  ,it has his       
autograph and copious ,,mss4  notes1 nor
 is it too much to presume that it is   
the very book employed by him in his    
translation4 ,w4  ,c4  ,h4 ,,kensington1
 ,november #ahgg4      ,,book ,,the     
,,first4  ,,chap4  ,i4      ,that men by
 various ways arrive at the same end4   
,,ii4     ,of ,sorrow4  ,,iii4    ,that 
our affections carry themselves beyond  
us4  ,,iv4     ,that the soul discharges
 her passions upon false objects1 where 
the true are wanting4  ,v4      ,whether
 the governor of a place besieged ought 
himself to go out         to parley4    
,,vi4     ,that the hour of parley is   
dangerous4  ,,vii4    ,that the         

intention is judge of our actions       
,,viii4   ,of idleness4  ,,ix4     ,of  
liars4  ,x4      ,of quick or slow      
speech4  ,,xi4     ,of prognostications4
  ,,xii4    ,of constancy4  ,,xiii4     
,the ceremony of the interview of       
princes4  ,,xiv4    ,that men are justly
 punished for being obstinate in the    
defence         of a fort that is not in
 reason to be defended4  ,,xv4     ,of  
the punishment of cowardice4  ,,xvi4    
,a proceeding of some ambassadors4      
,,xvii4   ,of fear4  ,,xviii4  ,that men
 are not to judge of our happiness till 
after death4  ,,xix4    ,that to study  
philosophy is to learn to die4  ,,xx4   
,of the force of imagination4  ,,xxi4   
,that the profit of one man is the      
damage of another4  ,,xxii4   ,of       
custom1 and that we should not easily   
change a law received4  ,,xxiii4        
,various events from the same counsel4  
,,xxiv4   ,of pedantry4  ,,xxv4    ,of  
the education of children4  ,,xxvi4     
,that it is folly to measure truth and  

error by our own capacity4  ,,xxvii4    
,of friendship4  ,,xxviii4              
,nine-and-twenty sonnets of ,estienne de
 la ,boetie4  ,,xxix4   ,of moderation4 
,,xxx4    ,of cannibals4  ,,xxxi4       
,that a man is soberly to judge of the  
divine ordinances4  ,,xxxii4  ,that we  
are to avoid pleasures1 even at the     
expense of         life4  ,,xxxiii4     
,that fortune is oftentimes observed to 
act by the rule of reason4  ,,xxxiv4    
,of one defect in our government4       
,,xxxv4   ,of the custom of wearing     
clothes4  ,,xxxvi4  ,of ,cato the       
,younger4  ,,xxxvii4 ,that we laugh and 
cry for the same thing4  ,,xxxviii4 ,of 
solitude4  ,,xxxix4  ,a consideration   
upon ,cicero4  ,,xl4     ,that the      
relish of good and evil depends in a    
great measure upon         the opinion  
we have of them4  ,,xli4    ,not to     
communicate a man's honour4  ,,xlii4    
,of the inequality amongst us4  ,,xliii4
  ,of sumptuary laws4  ,,xliv4   ,of    
sleep4  ,,xlv4    ,of the battle of     

,dreux4  ,,xlvi4   ,of names4  ,,xlvii4 
,of the uncertainty of our judgment4    
,,xlviii4 ,of war-horses1 or destriers4 
,,xlix4   ,of ancient customs4  ,l4     
,of ,democritus and ,heraclitus4  ,,li4 
,of the vanity of words4  ,,lii4    ,of 
the parsimony of the ,ancients4  ,,liii4
   ,of a saying of ,caesar4  ,,liv4     
,of vain subtleties4  ,,lv4     ,of     
smells4  ,,lvi4    ,of prayers4  ,,lvii4
   ,of age4                             
,,the ,,life ,,of ,,montaigne  ,this is 
translated freely from that prefixed to 
the 'variorum' ,paris edition1 #ahed1 #d
 vols4  #hvo4  ,this biography is the   
more desirable that it contains all     
really interesting and important matter 
in the journal of the ,tour in ,germany 
and ,italy1 which1 as it was merely     
written under ,montaigne's dictation1 is
 in the third person1 is scarcely worth 
publication1 as a whole1 in an ,english 
dress4   ,the author of the ,essays was 
born1 as he informs us himself1 between 
eleven and twelve o'clock in the day1   

the last of ,february #aecc1 at the     
chateau of ,st4 ,michel de ,montaigne4  
,his father1 ,pierre ,eyquem1 esquire1  
was successively first ,jurat of the    
town of ,bordeaux 7#aecj71 ,under-,mayor
 #aecf1 ,jurat for the second time in   
#aedj1 ,procureur in #aedf1 and at      
length ,mayor from #aeec to #aeef4  ,he 
was a man of austere probity1 who had a 
particular regard for honour and for    
propriety in his person and attire 4  4 
4   a mighty good faith in his speech1  
and a conscience and a religious feeling
 inclining to superstition1 rather than 
to the other extreme4,essays1 ii4 #b4   
,pierre ,eyquem bestowed great care on  
the education of his children1          
especially on the practical side of it4 
,to associate closely his son ,michel   
with the people1 and attach him to those
 who stand in need of assistance1 he    
caused him to be held at the font by    
persons of meanest position2            
subsequently he put him out to nurse    
with a poor villager1 and then1 at a    

later period1 made him accustom himself 
to the most common sort of living1      
taking care1 nevertheless1 to cultivate 
his mind1 and superintend its           
development without the exercise of     
undue rigour or constraint4  ,michel1   
who gives us the minutest account of his
 earliest years1 charmingly narrates how
 they used to awake him by the sound of 
some agreeable music1 and how he learned
 ,latin1 without suffering the rod or   
shedding a tear1 before beginning       
,french1 thanks to the ,german teacher  
whom his father had placed near him1 and
 who never addressed him except in the  
language of ,virgil and ,cicero4  ,the  
study of ,greek took precedence4  ,at   
six years of age young ,montaigne went  
to the ,college of ,guienne at          
,bordeaux1 where he had as preceptors   
the most eminent scholars of the        
sixteenth century1 ,nicolas ,grouchy1   
,guerente1 ,muret1 and ,buchanan4  ,at  
thirteen he had passed through all the  
classes1 and as he was destined for the 

law he left school to study that        
science4 ,he was then about fourteen1   
but these early years of his life are   
involved in obscurity4  ,the next       
information that we have is that in     
#aeed he received the appointment of    
councillor in the ,parliament of        
,bordeaux2 in #aeei he was at           
,bar-le-,duc with the court of ,francis 
,,ii1 and in the year following he was  
present at ,rouen to witness the        
declaration of the majority of ,charles 
,,ix4  ,we do not know in what manner he
 was engaged on these occasions4        
,between #aeef and #aefc an important   
incident occurred in the life of        
,montaigne1 in the commencement of his  
romantic friendship with ,etienne de la 
,boetie1 whom he had met1 as he tells   
us1 by pure chance at some festive      
celebration in the town4  ,from their   
very first interview the two found      
themselves drawn irresistibly close to  
one another1 and during six years this  
alliance was foremost in the heart of   

,montaigne1 as it was afterwards in his 
memory1 when death had severed it4      
,although he blames severely in his own 
book ,essays1 i4  #bg4 those who1       
contrary to the opinion of ,aristotle1  
marry before five-and-thirty1 ,montaigne
 did not wait for the period fixed by   
the philosopher of ,stagyra1 but in     
#aeff1 in his thirty-third year1 he     
espoused ,francoise de ,chassaigne1     
daughter of a councillor in the         
,parliament of ,bordeaux4  ,the history 
of his early married life vies in       
obscurity with that of his youth4  ,his 
biographers are not agreed among        
themselves2 and in the same degree that 
he lays open to our view all that       
concerns his secret thoughts1 the       
innermost mechanism of his mind1 he     
observes too much reticence in respect  
to his public functions and conduct1 and
 his social relations4  ,the title of   
,gentleman in ,ordinary to the ,king1   
which he assumes1 in a preface1 and     
which ,henry ,,ii4  gives him in a      

letter1 which we print a little farther 
on2 what he says as to the commotions of
 courts1 where he passed a portion of   
his life2 the ,instructions which he    
wrote under the dictation of ,catherine 
de ,medici for ,king ,charles ,,ix41 and
 his noble correspondence with ,henry   
,,iv41 leave no doubt1 however1 as to   
the part which he played in the         
transactions of those times1 and we find
 an unanswerable proof of the esteem in 
which he was held by the most exalted   
personages1 in a letter which was       
addressed to him by ,charles at the time
 he was admitted to the ,order of ,st4  
,michael1 which was1 as he informs us   
himself1 the highest honour of the      
,french noblesse4  ,according to        
,lacroix du ,maine1 ,montaigne1 upon the
 death of his eldest brother1 resigned  
his post of ,councillor1 in order to    
adopt the military profession1 while1 if
 we might credit the ,president         
,bouhier1 he never discharged any       
functions connected with arms4          

,however1 several passages in the       
,essays seem to indicate that he not    
only took service1 but that he was      
actually in numerous campaigns with the 
,catholic armies4  ,let us add1 that on 
his monument he is represented in a coat
 of mail1 with his casque and gauntlets 
on his right side1 and a lion at his    
feet1 all which signifies1 in the       
language of funeral emblems1 that the   
departed has been engaged in some       
important military transactions4        
,however it may be as to these          
conjectures1 our author1 having arrived 
at his thirty-eighth year1 resolved to  
dedicate to study and contemplation the 
remaining term of his life2 and on his  
birthday1 the last of ,february #aega1  
he caused a philosophical inscription1  
in ,latin1 to be placed upon one of the 
walls of his chateau1 where it is still 
to be seen1 and of which the translation
 is to this effect3--,in the year of    
,christ 4  4  4 in his thirty-eighth    
year1 on the eve of the ,calends of     

,march1 his birthday1 ,michel           
,montaigne1 already weary of court      
employments and public honours1 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 seclusion4  
,at the time to which we have come1     
,montaigne was unknown to the world of  
letters1 except as a translator and     
editor4  ,in #aefi he had published a   
translation of the ,natural ,theology of
 ,raymond de ,sebonde1 which he had     
solely undertaken to please his father4 
,in #aega he had caused to be printed at
 ,paris certain 'opuscucla' of ,etienne 
de la ,boetie2 and these two efforts1   
inspired in one case by filial duty1 and
 in the other by friendship1 prove that 
affectionate motives overruled with him 
mere personal ambition as a literary    
man4  ,we may suppose that he began to  
compose the ,essays at the very outset  
of his retirement from public           
engagements2 for as1 according to his   

own account1 observes the ,president    
,bouhier1 he cared neither for the      
chase1 nor building1 nor gardening1 nor 
agricultural pursuits1 and was          
exclusively occupied with reading and   
reflection1 he devoted himself with     
satisfaction to the task of setting down
 his thoughts just as they occurred to  
him4  ,those thoughts became a book1 and
 the first part of that book1 which was 
to confer immortality on the writer1    
appeared at ,bordeaux in #aehj4         
,montaigne was then fifty-seven2 he had 
suffered for some years past from renal 
colic and gravel2 and it was with the   
necessity of distraction from his pain1 
and the hope of deriving relief from the
 waters1 that he undertook at this time 
a great journey4  ,as the account which 
he has left of his travels in ,germany  
and ,italy comprises some highly        
interesting particulars of his life and 
personal history1 it seems worth while  
to furnish a sketch or analysis of it4  
,the ,journey1 of which we proceed to   

describe the course simply1 says the    
editor of the ,itinerary1 had1 from     
,beaumont-sur-,oise to ,plombieres1 in  
,lorraine1 nothing sufficiently         
interesting to detain us 4  4  4  we    
must go as far1 as ,basle1 of which we  
have a description1 acquainting us with 
its physical and political condition at 
that period1 as well as with the        
character of its baths4  ,the passage of
 ,montaigne through ,switzerland is not 
without interest1 as we see there how   
our philosophical traveller accommodated
 himself everywhere to the ways of the  
country4  ,the hotels1 the provisions1  
the ,swiss cookery1 everything1 was     
agreeable to him2 it appears1 indeed1 as
 if he preferred to the ,french manners 
and tastes those of the places he was   
visiting1 and of which the simplicity   
and freedom 7or frankness7 accorded more
 with his own mode of life and thinking4
  ,in the towns where he stayed1        
,montaigne took care to see the         
,protestant divines1 to make himself    

conversant with all their dogmas4  ,he  
even had disputations with them         
occasionally4  ,having left ,switzerland
 he went to ,isne1 an imperial then on  
to ,augsburg and ,munich4  ,he          
afterwards proceeded to the ,tyrol1     
where he was agreeably surprised1 after 
the warnings which he had received1 at  
the very slight inconveniences which he 
suffered1 which gave him occasion to    
remark that he had all his life         
distrusted the statements of others     
respecting foreign countries1 each      
person's tastes being according to the  
notions of his native place2 and that he
 had consequently set very little on    
what he was told beforehand4  ,upon his 
arrival at ,botzen1 ,montaigne wrote to 
,francois ,hottmann1 to say that he had 
been so pleased with his visit to       
,germany that he quitted it with great  
regret1 although it was to go into      
,italy4  ,he then passed through        
,brunsol1 ,trent1 where he put up at the
 ,rose2 thence going to ,rovera2 and    

here he first lamented the scarcity of  
crawfish1 but made up for the loss by   
partaking of truffles cooked in oil and 
vinegar2 oranges1 citrons1 and olives1  
in all of which he delighted4  ,after   
passing a restless night1 when he       
bethought himself in the morning that   
there was some new town or district to  
be seen1 he rose1 we are told1 with     
alacrity and pleasure4  ,his secretary1 
to whom he dictated his ,journal1       
assures us that he never saw him take so
 much interest in surrounding scenes and
 persons1 and believes that the complete
 change helped to mitigate his          
sufferings in concentrating his         
attention on other points4  ,when there 
was a complaint made that he had led his
 party out of the beaten route1 and then
 returned very near the spot from which 
they started1 his answer was that he had
 no settled course1 and that he merely  
proposed to himself to pay visits to    
places which he had not seen1 and so    
long as they could not convict him of   

traversing the same path twice1 or      
revisiting a point already seen1 he     
could perceive no harm in his plan4  ,as
 to ,rome1 he cared less to go there1   
inasmuch as everybody went there2 and he
 said that he never had a lacquey who   
could not tell him all about ,florence  
or ,ferrara4  ,he also would say that he
 seemed to himself like those who are   
reading some pleasant story or some fine
 book1 of which they fear to come to the
 end3 he felt so much pleasure in       
travelling that he dreaded the moment of
 arrival at the place where they were to
 stop for the night4  ,we see that      
,montaigne travelled1 just as he wrote1 
completely at his ease1 and without the 
least constraint1 turning1 just as he   
fancied1 from the common or ordinary    
roads taken by tourists4  ,the good     
inns1 the soft beds1 the fine views1    
attracted his notice at every point1 and
 in his observations on men and things  
he confines himself chiefly to the      
practical side4  ,the consideration of  

his health was constantly before him1   
and it was in consequence of this that1 
while at ,venice1 which disappointed    
him1 he took occasion to note1 for the  
benefit of readers1 that he had an      
attack of colic1 and that he evacuated  
two large stones after supper4  ,on     
quitting ,venice1 he went in succession 
to ,ferrara1 ,rovigo1 ,padua1 ,bologna  
7where he had a stomach-ache71          
,florence1 c42 and everywhere1 before   
alighting1 he made it a rule to send    
some of his servants to ascertain where 
the best accommodation was to be had4   
,he pronounced the ,florentine women the
 finest in the world1 but had not an    
equally good opinion of the food1 which 
was less plentiful than in ,germany1 and
 not so well served4  ,he lets us       
understand that in ,italy they send up  
dishes without dressing1 but in ,germany
 they were much better seasoned1 and    
served with a variety of sauces and     
gravies4  ,he remarked further1 that the
 glasses were singularly small and the  

wines insipid4  ,after dining with the  
,grand-,duke of ,florence1 ,montaigne   
passed rapidly over the intermediate    
country1 which had no fascination for   
him1 and arrived at ,rome on the last   
day of ,november1 entering by the ,porta
 del ,popolo1 and putting up at ,bear4  
,but he afterwards hired1 at twenty     
crowns a month1 fine furnished rooms in 
the house of a ,spaniard1 who included  
in these terms the use of the kitchen   
fire4  ,what most annoyed him in the    
,eternal ,city was the number of        
,frenchmen he met1 who all saluted him  
in his native tongue2 but otherwise he  
was very comfortable1 and his stay      
extended to five months4  ,a mind like  
his1 full of grand classical            
reflections1 could not fail to be       
profoundly impressed in the presence of 
the ruins at ,rome1 and he has enshrined
 in a magnificent passage of the        
,journal the feelings of the moment3 ,he
 said1 writes his secretary1 that at    
,rome one saw nothing but the sky under 

which she had been built1 and the       
outline of her site3 that the knowledge 
we had of her was abstract1             
contemplative1 not palpable to the      
actual senses3 that those who said they 
beheld at least the ruins of ,rome1 went
 too far1 for the ruins of so gigantic a
 structure must have commanded greater  
reverence-it was nothing but her        
sepulchre4  ,the world1 jealous of her1 
prolonged empire1 had in the first place
 broken to pieces that admirable body1  
and then1 when they perceived that the  
remains attracted worship and awe1 had  
buried the very wreck itself4--,compare 
a passage in one of ,horace ,walpole's  
letters to ,richard ,west1 #bb ,march   
#agdj 7,cunningham's edit4  i4  #da71   
where ,walpole1 speaking of ,rome1      
describes her very ruins as ruined4--,as
 to those small fragments which were    
still to be seen on the surface1        
notwithstanding the assaults of time and
 all other attacks1 again and again     
repeated1 they had been favoured by     

fortune to be some slight evidence of   
that infinite grandeur which nothing    
could entirely extingish4  ,but it was  
likely that these disfigured remains    
were the least entitled to attention1   
and that the enemies of that immortal   
renown1 in their fury1 had addressed    
themselves in the first instance to the 
destruction of what was most beautiful  
and worthiest of preservation2 and that 
the buildings of this bastard ,rome1    
raised upon the ancient productions1    
although they might excite the          
admiration of the present age1 reminded 
him of the crows' and sparrows' nests   
built in the walls and arches of the old
 churches1 destroyed by the ,huguenots4 
,again1 he was apprehensive1 seeing the 
space which this grave occupied1 that   
the whole might not have been recovered1
 and that the burial itself had been    
buried4  ,and1 moreover1 to see a       
wretched heap of rubbish1 as pieces of  
tile and pottery1 grow 7as it had ages  
since7 to a height equal to that of     

,mount ,gurson1--,in ,perigord4--and    
thrice the width of it1 appeared to show
 a conspiracy of destiny against the    
glory and pre-eminence of that city1    
affording at the same time a novel and  
extraordinary proof of its departed     
greatness4  ,he 7,montaigne7 observed   
that it was difficult to believe        
considering the limited area taken up by
 any of her seven hills and particularly
 the two most favoured ones1 the        
,capitoline and the ,palatine1 that so  
many buildings stood on the site4       
,judging only from what is left of the  
,temple of ,concord1 along the ',forum  
,romanum'1 of which the fall seems quite
 recent1 like that of some huge mountain
 split into horrible crags1 it does not 
look as if more than two such edifices  
could have found room on the            
,capitoline1 on which there were at one 
period from five-and-twenty to thirty   
temples1 besides private dwellings4     
,but1 in point of fact1 there is        
scarcely any probability of the views   

which we take of the city being correct1
 its plan and form having changed       
infinitely2 for instance1 the           
',velabrum'1 which on account of its    
depressed level1 received the sewage of 
the city1 and had a lake1 has been      
raised by artificial accumulation to a  
height with the other hills1 and ,mount 
,savello has1 in truth1 grown simply out
 of the ruins of the theatre of         
,marcellus4  ,he believed that an       
ancient ,roman would not recognise the  
place again4  ,it often happened that in
 digging down into earth the workmen    
came upon the crown of some lofty       
column1 which1 though thus buried1 was  
still standing upright4  ,the people    
there have no recourse to other         
foundations than the vaults and arches  
of the old houses1 upon which1 as on    
slabs of rock1 they raise their modern  
palaces4 ,it is easy to see that several
 of the ancient streets are thirty feet 
below those at present in use4          
,sceptical as ,montaigne shows himself  

in his books1 yet during his sojourn at 
,rome he manifested a great regard for  
religion4  ,he solicited the honour of  
being admitted to kiss the feet of the  
,holy ,father1 ,gregory ,,xiii42 and the
 ,pontiff exhorted him always to        
continue in the devotion which he had   
hitherto exhibited to the ,church and   
the service of the ,most ,christian     
,king4  ,after this1 one sees1 says the 
editor of the ,journal1 ,montaigne      
employing all his time in making        
excursions bout the neighbourhood on    
horseback or on foot1 in visits1 in     
observations of every kind4  ,the       
churches1 the stations1 the processions 
even1 the sermons2 then the palaces1 the
 vineyards1 the gardens1 the public     
amusements1 as the ,carnival1           
c4--nothing was overlooked4  ,he saw a  
,jewish child circumcised1 and wrote    
down a most minute account of the       
operation4  ,he met at ,san ,sisto a    
,muscovite ambassador1 the second who   
had come to ,rome since the pontificate 

of ,paul ,,iii4  ,this minister had     
despatches from his court for ,venice1  
addressed to the ',grand ,governor of   
the ,signory'4  ,the court of ,muscovy  
had at that time such limited relations 
with the other powers of ,europe1 and it
 was so imperfect in its information1   
that it thought ,venice to be a         
dependency of the ,holy ,see4  ,of all  
the particulars with which he has       
furnished us during his stay at ,rome1  
the following passage in reference to   
the ,essays is not the least singular3  
,the ,master of the ,sacred ,palace     
returned him his ,essays1 castigated in 
accordance with the views of the learned
 monks4  ',he had only been able to form
 a judgment of them1' said he1 'through 
a certain ,french monk1 not             
understanding ,french himself'--we leave
 ,montaigne himself to tell the         
story--and he received so complacently  
my excuses and explanations on each of  
the passages which had been animadverted
 upon by the ,french monk1 that he      

concluded by leaving me at liberty to   
revise the text agreeably to the        
dictates of my own conscience4  ,i      
begged him1 on the contrary1 to abide by
 the opinion of the person who had      
criticised me1 confessing1 among other  
matters1 as1 for example1 in my use of  
the word fortune1 in quoting historical 
poets1 in my apology for ,julian1 in my 
animadversion on the theory that he who 
prayed ought to be exempt from vicious  
inclinations for the time being2 item1  
in my estimate of cruelty1 as something 
beyond simple death2 item1 in my view   
that a child ought to be brought up to  
do everything1 and so on2 that these    
were my opinions1 which ,i did not think
 wrong2 as to other things1 ,i said that
 the corrector understood not my        
meaning4  ,the ,master1 who is a clever 
man1 made many excuses for me1 and gave 
me to suppose that he did not concur in 
the suggested improvements2 and pleaded 
very ingeniously for me in my presence  
against another 7also an ,italian7 who  

opposed my sentiments4  ,such is what   
passed between ,montaigne and these two 
personages at that time2 but when the   
,essayist was leaving1 and went to bid  
them farewell1 they used very different 
language to him4  ,they prayed me1 says 
he1 to pay no attention to the censure  
passed on my book1 in which other       
,french persons had apprised them that  
there were many foolish things2 adding1 
that they honoured my affectionate      
intention towards the ,church1 and my   
capacity2 and had so high an opinion of 
my candour and conscientiousness that   
they should leave it to me to make such 
alterations as were proper in the book1 
when ,i reprinted it2 among other       
things1 the word fortune4  ,to excuse   
themselves for what they had said       
against my book1 they instanced works of
 our time by cardinals and other divines
 of excellent repute which had been     
blamed for similar faults1 which in no  
way affected reputation of the author1  
or of the publication as a whole2 they  

requested me to lend the ,church the    
support of my eloquence 7this was their 
fair speech71 and to make longer stay in
 the place1 where ,i should be free from
 all further intrusion on their part4   
,it seemed to me that we parted very    
good friends4  ,before quitting ,rome1  
,montaigne received his diploma of      
citizenship1 by which he was greatly    
flattered2 and after a visit to ,tivoli 
he set out for ,loretto1 stopping at    
,ancona1 ,fano1 and ,urbino4  ,he       
arrived at the beginning of ,may #aeha1 
at ,bagno della ,villa1 where he        
established himself1 order to try the   
waters4  ,there1 we find in the         
,journal1 of his own accord the         
,essayist lived in the strictest        
conformity with the regime1 and         
henceforth we only hear of diet1 the    
effect which the waters had by degrees  
upon system1 of the manner in which he  
took them2 in a word1 he does not omit  
an item of the circumstances connected  
with his daily routine1 his habit of    

body1 his baths1 and the rest4  ,it was 
no longer the journal of a traveller    
which he kept1 but the diary of an      
invalid1--,i am reading ,montaigne's    
,travels1 which have lately been found2 
there is little in them but the baths   
and medicines he took1 and what he had  
everywhere for dinner4--,h4  ,walpole to
 ,sir ,horace ,mann1 ,june #h1          
#aggd4--;attentive to the minutest      
details of the cure which he was        
endeavouring to accomplish3 a sort of   
memorandum book1 in which he was noting 
down everything that he felt and did1   
for the benefit of his medical man at   
home1 who would have the care of his    
health on his return1 and the attendance
 on his subsequent infirmities4         
,montaigne gives it as his reason and   
justification for enlarging to this     
extent here1 that he had omitted1 to his
 regret1 to do so in his visits to other
 baths1 which might have saved him the  
trouble of writing at such great length 
now2 but it is perhaps a better reason  

in our eyes1 that what he wrote he wrote
 for his own use4  ,we find in these    
accounts1 however1 many touches which   
are valuable as illustrating the manners
 of the place4  ,the greater part of the
 entries in the ,journal1 giving the    
account of these waters1 and of the     
travels1 down to ,montaigne's arrival at
 the first ,french town on his homeward 
route1 are in ,italian1 because he      
wished to exercise himself in that      
language4  ,the minute and constant     
watchfulness of ,montaigne over his     
health and over himself might lead one  
to suspect that excessive fear of death 
which degenerates into cowardice4  ,but 
was it not rather the fear of the       
operation for the stone1 at that time   
really formidable8  ,or perhaps he was  
of the same way of thinking with the    
,greek poet1 of whom ,cicero reports    
this saying3 ,i do not desire to die2   
but the thought of being dead is        
indifferent to me4  ,let us hear1       
however1 what he says himself on this   

point very frankly3 ,it would be too    
weak and unmanly on my part if1 certain 
as ,i am of always finding myself in the
 position of having to succumb in that  
way1--,to the stone or gravel4--and     
death coming nearer and nearer to me1 ,i
 did not make some effort1 before the   
time came1 to bear the trial with       
fortitude4  ,for reason prescribes that 
we should joyfully accept what it may   
please ,god to send us4  ,therefore the 
only remedy1 the only rule1 and the sole
 doctrine for avoiding the evils by     
which mankind is surrounded1 whatever   
they are1 is to resolve to bear them so 
far as our nature permits1 or to put an 
end to them courageously and promptly4  
,he was still at the waters of ,la      
,villa1 when1 on the #gth ,september    
#aeha1 he learned by letter that he had 
been elected ,mayor of ,bordeaux on the 
#ast ,august preceding4  ,this          
intelligence made him hasten his        
departure2 and from ,lucca he proceeded 
to ,rome4  ,he again made some stay in  

that city1 and he there received the    
letter of the jurats of ,bordeaux1      
notifying to him officially his election
 to the ,mayoralty1 and inviting him to 
return as speedily as possible4  ,he    
left for ,france1 accompanied by young  
,d',estissac and several other          
gentlemen1 who escorted him a           
considerable distance2 but none went    
back to ,france with him1 not even his  
travelling companion4  ,he passed by    
,padua1 ,milan1 ,mont ,cenis1 and       
,chambery2 thence he went on to ,lyons1 
and lost no time in repairing to his    
chateau1 after an absence of seventeen  
months and eight days4  ,we have just   
seen that1 during his absence in ,italy1
 the author of the ,essays was elected  
mayor of ,bordeaux4  ,the gentlemen of  
,bordeaux1 says he1 elected me ,mayor of
 their town while ,i was at a distance  
from ,france1 and far from the thought  
of such a thing4  ,i excused myself2 but
 they gave to understand that ,i was    
wrong in so doing1 it being also the    

command of the king that ,i should      
stand4  ,this the letter which ,henry   
,,iii4 wrote to him on the occasion3    
,,monsieur1 ,,de ,,montaigne1--,inasmuch
 as ,i hold in great esteem your        
fidelity and zealous devotion to my     
service1 it has been a pleasure to me to
 learn that you have been chosen mayor  
of my town of ,bordeaux4  ,i have had   
the agreeable duty of confirming the    
selection1 and ,i did so the more       
willingly1 seeing that it was made      
during your distant absence2 wherefore  
it is my desire1 and ,i require and     
command you expressly that you proceed  
without delay to enter on the duties to 
which you have received so legitimate a 
call4  ,and so you will act in a manner 
very agreeable to me1 while the contrary
 will displease me greatly4  ,praying   
,god1 ,m4 de ,montaigne1 to have you in 
his holy keeping4  ,written at ,paris1  
the #beth day of ,november #aeha4       
,,henri4  ,a ,monsieur de ,,montaigne1  
,knight of my ,order1 ,gentleman in     

,ordinary of my ,chamber1 being at      
present in ,rome4  ,montaigne1 in his   
new employment1 the most important in   
the province1 obeyed the axiom1 that a  
man may not refuse a duty1 though it    
absorb his time and attention1 and even 
involve the sacrifice of his blood4     
,placed between two extreme parties1    
ever on the point of getting to blows1  
he showed himself in practice what he is
 in his book1 the friend of a middle and
 temperate policy4  ,tolerant by        
character and on principle1 he belonged1
 like all the great minds of the        
sixteenth century1 to that political    
sect which sought to improve1 without   
destroying1 institutions2 and we may say
 of him1 what he himself said of ,la    
,boetie1 that he had that maxim         
indelibly impressed on his mind1 to obey
 and submit himself religiously to the  
laws under which he was born4           
,affectionately attached to the repose  
of his country1 an enemy to changes and 
innovations1 he would have preferred to 

employ what means he had towards their  
discouragement and suppression1 than in 
promoting their success4  ,such was the 
platform of his administration4  ,he    
applied himself1 in an especial manner1 
to the maintenance of peace between the 
two religious factions which at that    
time divided the town of ,bordeaux2 and 
at the end of his two first years of    
office1 his grateful fellow-citizens    
conferred on him 7in #aehc7 the         
mayoralty for two years more1 a         
distinction which had been enjoyed1 as  
he tells us1 only twice before4  ,on the
 expiration of his official career1     
after four years' duration1 he could say
 fairly enough of himself that he left  
behind him neither hatred nor cause of  
offence4  ,in the midst of the cares of 
government1 ,montaigne found time to    
revise and enlarge his ,essays1 which1  
since their appearance in #aehj1 were   
continually receiving augmentation in   
the form of additional chapters or      
papers4  ,two more editions were printed

 in #aehb and #aehg2 and during this    
time the author1 while making           
alterations in the original text1 had   
composed part of the ,third ,book4  ,he 
went to ,paris to make arrangements for 
the publication of his enlarged labours1
 and a fourth impression in #aehh was   
the result4  ,he remained in the capital
 some time on this occasion1 and it was 
now that he met for the first time      
,mademoiselle de ,gournay4  ,gifted with
 an active and inquiring spirit1 and1   
above all1 possessing a sound and       
healthy tone of mind1 ,mademoiselle de  
,gournay had been carried from her      
childhood with that tide which set in   
with sixteenth century towards          
controversy1 learning1 and knowledge4   
,she learnt ,latin without a master2 and
 when1 the age of eighteen1 she         
accidentally became possessor of a copy 
of the ,essays1 she was transported with
 delight and admiration4  ,she quitted  
the chateau of ,gournay1 to come and see
 him4  ,we cannot do better1 in         

connection with this journey of         
sympathy1 than to repeat the words of   
,pasquier3 ,that young lady1 allied to  
several great and noble families of     
,paris1 proposed to herself no other    
marriage than with her honour1 enriched 
with the knowledge gained from good     
books1 and1 beyond all others1 from the 
essays of ,m4 de ,montaigne1 who making 
in the year #aehh a lengthened stay in  
the town of ,paris1 she went there for  
the purpose of forming his personal     
acquaintance2 and her mother1 ,madame de
 ,gournay1 and herself took him back    
with them to their chateau1 where1 at   
two or three different times1 he spent  
three months altogether1 most welcome of
 visitors4  ,it was from this moment    
that ,mademoiselle de ,gournay dated her
 adoption as ,montaigne's daughter1 a   
circumstance which has tended to confer 
immortality upon her in a far greater   
measure than her own literary           
productions4  ,montaigne1 on leaving    
,paris1 stayed a short time at ,blois1  

to attend the meeting of the            
,states-,general4  ,we do not know what 
part he took in that assembly3 but it is
 known that he was commissioned1 about  
this period1 to negotiate between ,henry
 of ,navarre 7afterwards ,henry ,,iv47  
and the ,duke of ,guise4  ,his political
 life is almost a blank2 but ,de ,thou  
assures us that ,montaigne enjoyed the  
confidence of the principal persons of  
his time4 ,de ,thou1 who calls him a    
frank man without constraint1 tells us  
that1 walking with him and ,pasquier in 
the court at the ,castle of ,blois1 he  
heard him pronounce some very remarkable
 opinions on contemporary events1 and he
 adds that ,montaigne had foreseen that 
the troubles in ,france could not end   
without witnessing the death of either  
the ,king of ,navarre or of the ,duke of
 ,guise4  ,he had made himself so       
completely master of the views of these 
two princes1 that he told ,de ,thou that
 the ,king of ,navarre would have been  
prepared to embrace ,catholicism1 if he 

had not been afraid of being abandoned  
by his party1 and that the ,duke of     
,guise1 on his part1 had no particular  
repugnance to the ,confession of        
,augsburg1 for which the ,cardinal of   
,lorraine1 his uncle1 had inspired him  
with a liking1 if it had not been for   
the peril involved in quitting the      
,romish communion4  ,it would have been 
easy for ,montaigne to play1 as we call 
it1 a great part in politics1 and create
 for himself a lofty position but his   
motto was1 ',otio et ,libertati'2 and he
 returned quietly home to compose a     
chapter for his next edition on         
inconveniences of ,greatness4  ,the     
author of the ,essays was now           
fifty-five4  ,the malady which tormented
 him grew only worse and worse with     
years2 and yet he occupied himself      
continually with reading1 meditating1   
and composition4  ,he employed the years
 #aehi1 #aeij1 and #aeia in making fresh
 additions to his book2 and even in the 
approaches of old age he might fairly   

anticipate many happy hours1 when he was
 attacked by quinsy1 depriving him of   
the power utterance4  ,pasquier1 who has
 left us some details  his last hours1  
narrates that he remained three days in 
full possession of his faculties1 but   
unable to speak1 so that1 in order to   
make known his desires1 he was obliged  
to resort to writing2 and as he felt his
 end drawing near1 he begged his wife to
 summon certain of the gentlemen who    
lived in the neighbourhood to bid them a
 last farewell4  ,when they had arrived1
 he caused mass to be celebrated in     
apartment2 and just as the priest was   
elevating the host1 ,montaigne fell     
forward with his arms extended in front 
of him1 on the bed1 and so expired4  ,he
 was in his sixtieth year4 ,it was the  
#acth ,september #aeib4  ,montaigne was 
buried near his own house2 but a few    
years after his decease1 his remains    
were removed to the church of a         
,commandery of ,st4 ,antoine at         
,bordeaux1 where they still continue4   

,his monument was restored in #ahjc by a
 descendant4  ,it was seen about #aheh  
by an ,english traveller 7,mr4 ,st4     
,john74'--,montaigne the ,essayist1 by  
,bayle ,st4 ,john1 #aheh1 #b vols4      
#hvo1 is one of most delightful books of
 the kind4-- and was then in good       
preservation4  ,in #aeie ,mademoiselle  
de ,gournay published a new edition of  
,montaigne's ,essays1 and the first with
 the latest emendations of the author1  
from a copy presented to her by his     
widow1 and which has not been recovered1
 although it is known to have been in   
existence some years after the date of  
the impression1 made on its authority4  
,coldly as ,montaigne's literary        
productions appear to have been received
 by the generation immediately          
succeeding his own age1 his genius grew 
into just appreciation in the           
seventeenth century1 when such great    
spirits arose as ,la ,bruyere1 ,moliere1
 ,la ,fontaine1 ,madame de ,sevigne4 ,o1
 exclaimed the ,chatelaine des ,rochers1

 what capital company he is1 the dear   
man6  he is my old friend2 and just for 
the reason that he is so1 he always     
seems new4  ,my ,god6  how full is that 
book of sense6 ,balzac said that he had 
carried human reason as far and as high 
as it could go1 both in politics and in 
morals4  ,on the other hand1            
,malebranche and the writers of ,port   
,royal were against him2 some           
reprehended the licentiousness of his   
writings2 others their impiety1         
materialism1 epicureanism4  ,even       
,pascal1 who had carefully read the     
,essays1 and gained no small profit by  
them1 did not spare his reproaches4     
,but ,montaigne has outlived detraction4
  ,as time has gone on1 his admirers and
 borrowers have increased in number1 and
 his ,jansenism1 which recommended him  
to the eighteenth century1 may not be   
his least recommendation in the         
nineteenth4  ,here we have certainly1 on
 the whole1 a first-class man1 and one  
proof of his masterly genius seems to   

be1 that his merits and his beauties are
 sufficient to induce us to leave out of
 consideration blemishes and faults     
which would have been fatal to an       
inferior writer4                        
,,the ,,letters ,,of ,,montaigne4   ,i4 
,to ,monsieur de ,,montaigne  ,this     
account of the death of ,la ,boetie     
begins imperfectly4  ,it first appeared 
in a little volume of ,miscellanies in  
#aega4  ,see ,hazlitt1 ubi sup4  p4     
#fcj4--;,as to his last words1          
doubtless1 if any man can give good     
account of them1 it is ,i1 both because1
 during the whole of his sickness he    
conversed as fully with me as with any  
one1 and also because1 in consequence of
 the singular and brotherly friendship  
which we had entertained for each other1
 ,i was perfectly acquainted with the   
intentions1 opinions1 and wishes which  
he had formed in the course of his life1
 as much so1 certainly1 as one man can  
possibly be with those of another man2  
and because ,i knew them to be elevated1

 virtuous1 full of steady resolution1   
and 7after all said7 admirable4  ,i well
 foresaw that1 if his illness permitted 
him to express himself1 he would allow  
nothing to fall from him1 in such an    
extremity1 that was not replete with    
good example4  ,i consequently took     
every care in my power to treasure what 
was said4  ,true it is1 ,monseigneur1 as
 my memory is not only in itself very   
short1 but in this case affected by the 
trouble which ,i have undergone1 through
 so heavy and important a loss1 that ,i 
have forgotten a number of things which 
,i should wish to have had known2 but   
those which ,i recollect shall be       
related to you as exactly as lies in my 
power4  ,for to represent in full       
measure his noble career suddenly       
arrested1 to paint to you his           
indomitable courage1 in a body worn out 
and prostrated by pain and the assaults 
of death1 ,i confess1 would demand a far
 better ability than mine3 because1     
although1 when in former years he       

discoursed on serious and important     
matters1 he handled them in such a      
manner that it was difficult to         
reproduce exactly what he said1 yet his 
ideas and his words at the last seemed  
to rival each other in serving him4     
,for ,i am sure that ,i never knew him  
give birth to such fine conceptions1 or 
display so much eloquence1 as in the    
time of his sickness4  ,if1             
,monseigneur1 you blame me for          
introducing his more ordinary           
observations1 please to know that ,i do 
so advisedly2 for since they proceeded  
from him at a season of such great      
trouble1 they indicate the perfect      
tranquillity of his mind and thoughts to
 the last4  ,on ,monday1 the #ith day of
 ,august #aefc1 on my return from the   
,court1 ,i sent an invitation to him to 
come and dine with me4  ,he returned    
word that he was obliged1 but1 being    
indisposed1 he would thank me to do him 
the pleasure of spending an hour with   
him before he started for ,medoc4       

,shortly after my dinner ,i went to him4
  ,he had laid himself down on the bed  
with his clothes on1 and he was already1
 ,i perceived1 much changed4 ,he        
complained of diarrhoea1 accompanied by 
the gripes1 and said that he had it     
about him ever since he played with ,m4 
d',escars with nothing but his doublet  
on1 and that with him a cold often      
brought on such attacks4 ,i advised him 
to go as he had proposed1 but to stay   
for the night at ,germignac1 which is   
only about two leagues from the town4   
,i gave him this advice1 because some   
houses1 near to that where he was ping1 
were visited by the plague1 about which 
he was nervous since his return from    
,perigord and the ,agenois1 here it had 
been raging2 and1 besides1 horse        
exercise was1 from my own experience1   
beneficial under similar circumstances4 
,he set out1 accordingly1 with his wife 
and ,m4 ,bouillhonnas1 his uncle4       
,early on the following morning1        
however1 ,i had intelligence from       

,madame de la ,boetie1 that in the night
 he had fresh and violent attack of     
dysentery4  ,she had called in physician
 and apothecary1 and prayed me to lose  
no time coming1 which 7after dinner7 ,i 
did4  ,he was delighted to see me2 and  
when ,i was going away1 under promise to
 turn the following day1 he begged me   
more importunately and affectionately   
than he was wont to do1 to give him as  
such of my company as possible4  ,i was 
a little affected2 yet was about to     
leave1 when ,madame de la ,boetie1 as if
 she foresaw something about to happen1 
implored me with tears to stay the      
night4  ,when ,i consented1 he seemed to
 grow more cheerful4  ,i returned home  
the next day1 and on the ,thursday ,i   
paid him another visit4  ,he had become 
worse2 and his loss of blood from the   
dysentery1 which reduced his strength   
very much1 was largely on the increase4 
,i quitted his side on ,friday1 but on  
,saturday ,i went to him1 and found him 
very weak4  ,he then gave me to         

understand that his complaint was       
infectious1 and1 moreover1 disagreeable 
and depressing2 and that he1 knowing    
thoroughly my constitution1 desired that
 ,i should content myself with coming to
 see him now and then4  ,on the         
contrary1 after that ,i never left his  
side4  ,it was only on the ,sunday that 
he began to converse with me on any     
subject beyond the immediate one of his 
illness1 and what the ancient doctors   
thought of it3 we had not touched on    
public affairs1 for ,i found at the very
 outset that he had a dislike to them4  
,but1 on the ,sunday1 he had a fainting 
fit2 and when he came to himself1 he    
told me that everything seemed to him   
confused1 as if in a mist and in        
disorder1 and that1 nevertheless1 this  
visitation was not unpleasing to him4   
,death1 ,i replied1 has no worse        
sensation1 my brother4  ,none so bad1   
was his answer4  ,he had had no regular 
sleep since the beginning of his        
illness2 and as he became worse and     

worse1 he began to turn his attention to
 questions which men commonly occupy    
themselves with in the last extremity1  
despairing now of getting better1 and   
intimating as much to me4  ,on that day1
 as he appeared in tolerably good       
spirits1 ,i took occasion to say to him 
that1 in consideration of the singular  
love ,i bore him1 it would become me to 
take care that his affairs1 which he had
 conducted with such rare prudence in   
his life1 should not be neglected at    
present2 and that ,i should regret it   
if1 from want of proper counsel1 he     
should leave anything unsettled1 not    
only on account of the loss to his      
family1 but also to his good name4  ,he 
thanked me for my kindness2 and after a 
little reflection1 as if he was         
resolving certain doubts in his own     
mind1 he desired me to summon his uncle 
and his wife by themselves1 in order    
that he might acquaint them with his    
testamentary dispositions4  ,i told him 
that this would shock them4  ,no1 no1 he

 answered1 ,i will cheer them by making 
out my case to be better than it is4    
,and then he inquired1 whether we were  
not all much taken by surprise at his   
having fainted8  ,i replied1 that it was
 of no importance1 being incidental to  
the complaint from which he suffered4   
,true1 my brother1 said he2 it would be 
unimportant1 even though it should lead 
to what you most dread4  ,for you1 ,i   
rejoined1 it might be a happy thing2 but
 ,i should be the loser1 who would      
thereby be deprived of so great1 so     
wise1 and so steadfast a friend1 a      
friend whose place ,i should never see  
supplied4  ,it is very likely you may   
not1 was his answer2 and be sure that   
one thing which makes me somewhat       
anxious to recover1 and to delay my     
journey to that place1 whither ,i am    
already half-way gone1 is the thought of
 the loss both you and that poor man and
 woman there 7referring to his uncle and
 wife7 must sustain2 for ,i love them   
with my whole heart1 and ,i feel certain

 that they will find it very hard to    
lose me4  ,i should also regret it on   
account of such as have1 in my lifetime1
 valued me1 and whose conversation ,i   
should like to have enjoyed a little    
longer2 and ,i beseech you1 my brother1 
if ,i leave the world1 to carry to them 
for me an assurance of the esteem ,i    
entertained for them to the last moment 
of my existence4  ,my birth was1        
moreover1 scarcely to so little purpose 
but that1 had ,i lived1 ,i might have   
done some service to the public2 but1   
however this may be1 ,i am prepared to  
submit to the will of ,god1 when it     
shall please ,him to call me1 being     
confident of enjoying the tranquillity  
which you have foretold for me4 ,as for 
you1 my friend1 ,i feel sure that you   
are so wise1 that you will control your 
emotions1 and submit to ,his divine     
ordinance regarding me2 and ,i beg of   
you to see that that good man and woman 
do not mourn for my departure           
unnecessarily4  ,he proceeded to inquire

 how they behaved at present4  ,very    
well1 said ,i1 considering the          
circumstances4  ,ah6  he replied1 that  
is1 so long as they do not abandon all  
hope of me2 but when that shall be the  
case1 you will have a hard task to      
support them4  ,it was owing to his     
strong regard for his wife and uncle    
that he studiously disguised from them  
his own conviction as to the certainty  
of his end1 and he prayed me to do the  
same4  ,when they were near him he      
assumed an appearance of gaiety1 and    
flattered them with hopes4  ,i then went
 to call them4  ,they came1 wearing as  
composed an air as possible2 and when we
 four were together1 he addressed us1   
with an untroubled countenance1 as      
follows3 ,uncle and wife1 rest assured  
that no new attack of my disease1 or    
fresh doubt that ,i have as to my       
recovery1 has led me to take this step  
of communicating to you my intentions1  
for1 thank ,god1 ,i feel very well and  
hopeful2 but taught by observation and  

experience the instability of all human 
things1 and even of the life to which we
 are so much attached1 and which is1    
nevertheless1 a mere bubble2 and        
knowing1 moreover1 that my state of     
health brings me more within the danger 
of death1 ,i have thought proper to     
settle my worldly affairs1 having the   
benefit of your advice4  ,then          
addressing himself more particularly to 
his uncle1 ,good uncle1 said he1 if ,i  
were to rehearse all the obligations    
under which ,i lie to you1 ,i am sure   
that ,i never should make an end4  ,let 
me only say that1 wherever ,i have been1
 and with whomsoever ,i have conversed1 
,i have represented you as doing for me 
all that a father could do for a son2   
both in the care with which you tended  
my education1 and in the zeal with which
 you pushed me forward into public life1
 so that my whole existence is a        
testimony of your good offices towards  
me4  ,in short1 ,i am indebted for all  
that ,i have to you1 who have been to me

 as a parent2 and therefore ,i have no  
right to part with anything1 unless it  
be with your approval4  ,there was a    
general silence hereupon1 and his uncle 
was prevented from replying by tears and
 sobs4  ,at last he said that whatever  
he thought for the best would be        
agreeable to him2 and as he intended to 
make him his heir1 he was at liberty to 
dispose of what would be his4  ,then he 
turned to his wife4  ,my image1 said he 
7for so he often called her1 there being
 some sort of relationship between      
them71 since ,i have been united to you 
by marriage1 which is one of the most   
weighty and sacred ties imposed on us by
 ,god1 for the purpose of maintaining   
human society1 ,i have continued to     
love1 cherish1 and value you2 and ,i    
know that you have returned my          
affection1 for which ,i have no         
sufficient acknowledgment4  ,i beg you  
to accept such portion of my estate as  
,i bequeath to you1 and be satisfied    
with it1 though it is very inadequate to

 your desert4  ,afterwards he turned to 
me4  ,my brother1 he began1 for whom ,i 
have so entire a love1 and whom ,i      
selected out of so large a number1      
thinking to revive with you that        
virtuous and sincere friendship which1  
owing to the degeneracy of the age1 has 
grown to be almost unknown to us1 and   
now exists only in certain vestiges of  
antiquity1 ,i beg of you1 as a mark of  
my affection to you1 to accept my       
library3 a slender offering1 but given  
with a cordial will1 and suitable to    
you1 seeing that you are fond of        
learning4  ,it will be a memorial of    
your old companion4  ,then he addressed 
all three of us4  ,he blessed ,god that 
in his extremity he had the happiness to
 be surrounded by those whom he held    
dearest in the world1 and he looked upon
 it as a fine spectacle1 where four     
persons were together1 so unanimous in  
their feelings1 and loving each other   
for each other's sake4  ,he commended us
 one to the other2 and proceeded thus3  

,my worldly matters being arranged1 ,i  
must now think of the welfare of my     
soul4  ,i am a ,christian2 ,i am a      
,catholic4  ,i have lived one1 and ,i   
shall die one4  ,send for a priest2 for 
,i wish to conform to this last         
,christian obligation4  ,he now         
concluded his discourse1 which he had   
conducted with such a firm face and with
 so distinct an utterance1 that whereas1
 when ,i first entered his room1 he was 
feeble1 inarticulate in his speech1 his 
pulse low and feverish1 and his features
 pallid1 now1 by a sort of miracle1 he  
appeared to have rallied1 and his pulse 
was so strong that for the sake of      
comparison1 ,i asked him to feel mine4  
,i felt my heart so oppressed at this   
moment1 that ,i had not the power to    
make him any answer2 but in the course  
of two or three hours1 solicitous to    
keep up his courage1 and1 likewise1 out 
of the tenderness which ,i had had all  
my life for his honour and fame1 wishing
 a larger number of witnesses to his    

admirable fortitude1 ,i said to him1 how
 much ,i was ashamed to think that ,i   
lacked courage to listen to what he1 so 
great a sufferer1 had the courage to    
deliver2 that down to the present time  
,i had scarcely conceived that ,god     
granted us such command over human      
infirmities1 and had found a difficulty 
in crediting the examples ,i had read in
 histories2 but that with such evidence 
of the thing before my eyes1 ,i gave    
praise to ,god that it had shown itself 
in one so excessively dear to me1 and   
who loved me so entirely1 and that his  
example would help me to act in a       
similar manner when my turn came4       
,interrupting me1 he begged that it     
might happen so1 and that the           
conversation which had passed between us
 might not be mere words1 but might be  
impressed deeply on our minds1 to be put
 in exercise at the first occasion2 and 
that this was the real object and aim of
 all philosophy4  ,he then took my hand1
 and continued3 ,brother1 friend1 there 

are many acts of my life1 ,i think1     
which have cost me as much difficulty as
 this one is likely to do2 and1 after   
all1 ,i have been long prepared for it1 
and have my lesson by heart4  ,have ,i  
not lived long enough8  ,i am just upon 
thirty-three4  ,by the grace of ,god1 my
 days so far have known nothing but     
health and happiness2 but in the        
ordinary course of our unstable human   
affairs1 this could not have lasted much
 longer2 it would have become time for  
me to enter on graver avocations1 and ,i
 should thus have involved myself in    
numberless vexations1 and1 among them1  
the troubles of old age1 from which ,i  
shall now be exempt4  ,moreover1 it is  
probable that hitherto my life has been 
spent more simply1 and with less of     
evil1 than if ,god had spared me1 and ,i
 had survived to feel the thirst for    
riches and worldly prosperity4  ,i am   
sure1 for my part1 that ,i now go to    
,god and the place of the blessed4  ,he 
seemed to detect in my expression some  

inquietude at his words2 and he         
exclaimed1 ,what1 my brother1 would you 
make me entertain apprehensions8  ,had  
,i any1 whom would it become so much as 
yourself to remove them8  ,the notary1  
who had been summoned to draw up his    
will1 came in the evening1 and when he  
had the documents prepared1 ,i inquired 
of ,la ,boetie if he would sign them4   
,sign them1 cried he2 ,i will do so with
 my own hand2 but ,i could desire more  
time1 for ,i feel exceedingly timid and 
weak1 and in a manner exhausted4  ,but  
when ,i was going to change the         
conversation1 he suddenly rallied1 said 
he had but a short time to live1 and    
asked if the notary wrote rapidly1 for  
he should dictate without making any    
pause4  ,the notary was called1 and he  
dictated his will there and then with   
such speed that the man could scarcely  
keep up with him2 and when he had done1 
he asked me to read it out1 saying to   
me1 ,what a good thing it is to look    
after what are called our riches4       

',sunt haec1 quoe hominibus vocantur    
bona'4  ,as soon as the will was signed1
 the chamber being full1 he asked me if 
it would hurt him to talk4  ,i answered1
 that it would not1 if he did not speak 
too loud4  ,he then summoned            
,mademoiselle de ,saint ,quentin1 his   
niece1 to him1 and addressed her thus3  
,dear niece1 since my earliest          
acquaintance with thee1 ,i have observed
 the marks of1 great natural goodness in
 thee2 but the services which thou      
rendered to me1 with so much            
affectionate diligence1 in my present   
and last necessity1 inspire me with high
 hopes of thee2 and ,i am under great   
obligations to thee1 and give thee most 
affectionate thanks4 ,let me relieve my 
conscience by counselling thee to be1 in
 the first place1 devout1 to ,god3 for  
this doubtless is our first duty1       
failing which all others can be of      
little advantage or grace1 but which1   
duly observed1 carries with it          
necessarily all other virtues4  ,after  

,god1 thou shouldest love thy father and
 mother--thy mother1 my sister1 whom ,i 
regard as one of the best and most      
intelligent of women1 and by whom ,i beg
 of thee to let thy own life be         
regulated4  ,allow not thyself to be led
 away by pleasures2 shun1 like the      
plague1 the foolish familiarities thou  
seest between some men and women2       
harmless enough at first1 but which by  
insidious degrees corrupt the heart1 and
 thence lead it to negligence1 and then 
into the vile slough of vice4  ,credit  
me1 the greatest safeguard to female    
chastity is sobriety of demeanour4  ,i  
beseech and direct that thou often call 
to mind the friendship which was betwixt
 us2 but ,i do not wish thee to mourn   
for me too much--an injunction which1 so
 far as it is in my power1 ,i lay on all
 my friends1 since it might seem that by
 doing so they felt a jealousy of that  
blessed condition in which ,i am about  
to be placed by death4  ,i assure thee1 
my dear1 that if ,i had the option now  

of continuing in life or of completing  
the voyage on which ,i have set out1 ,i 
should find it very hard to choose4     
,adieu1 dear niece4  ,mademoiselle      
d',arsat1 his stepdaughter1 was next    
called4  ,he said to her3 ,daughter1 you
 stand in no great need of advice from  
me1 insomuch as you have a mother1 whom 
,i have ever found most sagacious1 and  
entirely in conformity with my own      
opinions and wishes1 and whom ,i have   
never found faulty2 with such a         
preceptress1 you cannot fail to be      
properly instructed4  ,do not account it
 singular that ,i1 with no tie of blood 
to you1 am interested in you2 for1 being
 the child of one who is so closely     
allied to me1 ,i am necessarily         
concerned in what concerns you2 and     
consequently the affairs of your        
brother1 ,m4 d',arsat1 have ever been   
watched by me with as much care as my   
own2 nor perhaps will it be to your     
disadvantage that you were my           
step-daughter4  ,you enjoy sufficient   

store of wealth and beauty2 you are a   
lady of good family2 it only remains for
 you to add to these possessions the    
cultivation of your mind1 in which ,i   
exhort you not to fail4  ,i do not think
 necessary to warn you against vice1 a  
thing so odious in women1 for ,i would  
not even suppose that you could harbour 
any inclination for it--nay1 ,i believe 
that you hold the very name in          
abhorrence4  ,dear daughter1 farewell4  
,all in the room were weeping and       
lamenting2 but he held without          
interruption the thread of his          
discourse1 which was pretty long4  ,but 
when he had done1 he directed us all to 
leave the room1 except the women        
attendants1 whom he styled his garrison4
  ,but first1 calling to him my brother1
 ,m4 de ,beauregard1 he said to him3 ,m4
 de ,beauregard1 you have my best thanks
 for all the care you have taken of me4 
,i have now a thing which ,i am very    
anxious indeed to mention to you1 and   
with your permission ,i will do so4  ,as

 my brother gave him encouragement to   
proceed1 he added3 ,i assure you that ,i
 never knew any man who engaged in the  
reformation of our ,church with greater 
sincerity1 earnestness1 and             
single-heartedness than yourself4  ,i   
consider that you were led to it by     
observing the vicious character of our  
prelates1 which no doubt much requires  
setting in order1 and by imperfections  
which time has brought into our ,church4
  ,it is not my desire at present       
discourage you from this course1 for ,i 
would have no one act in opposition to  
his conscience2 but ,i wish1 having     
regard to the good repute acquired by   
your family from its enduring concord--a
 family than which none can be dearer to
 me2 a family1 thank ,god6  no member of
 which has ever been guilty of dishonour
 --in regard1 further1 to the will of   
your good father to whom you owe so     
much1 and of your1 uncle1 ,i wish you to
 avoid extreme means2 avoid harshness   
and violence3 be reconciled with your   

relatives2 do not act apart1 but unite4 
,you perceive what disasters our        
quarrels have brought upon this kingdom1
 and ,i anticipate still worse          
mischiefs2 and in your goodness and     
wisdom1 beware of involving your family 
in such broils2 let it continue to enjoy
 its former reputation and happiness4   
,m4 de ,beauregard1 take what ,i say in 
good part1 and as a proof of the        
friendship ,i feel for you4  ,i         
postponed till now any communication    
with you on the subject1 and perhaps the
 condition in which you see me address  
you1 may cause my advice and opinion to 
carry greater authority4  ,my brother   
expressed his thanks to him cordially4  
,on the ,monday morning he had become so
 ill that he quite despaired of himself2
 and he said to me very pitifully3      
,brother1 do not you feel pain for all  
the pain ,i am suffering8  ,do you not  
perceive now that the help you give me  
has no other effect than that of        
lengthening my suffering8  ,shortly     

afterwards he fainted1 and we all       
thought him gone2 but by the application
 of vinegar and wine he rallied4  ,but  
he soon sank1 and when he heard us in   
lamentation1 he murmured1 ,o ,god6  who 
is it that teases me so8  ,why did you  
break the agreeable repose ,i was       
enjoying8  ,i beg of you to leave me4   
,and then1 when he caught the sound of  
my voice1 he continued3 ,and art thou1  
my brother1 likewise unwilling to see me
 at peace8  ,o1 how thou robbest me of  
my repose6  ,after a while1 he seemed to
 gain more strength1 and called for     
wine1 which he relished1 and declared it
 to be the finest drink possible4  ,i1  
in order to change the current of his   
thoughts1 put in1 ,surely not2 water is 
the best4  ,ah1 yes1 he returned1       
doubtless so2--7,greek phrase7--4  ,he  
had now become1 icy-cold at his         
extremities1 even to his face2 a deathly
 perspiration was upon him1 and his     
pulse was scarcely perceptible4  ,this  
morning he confessed1 but the priest had

 omitted to bring with him the necessary
 apparatus for celebrating ,mass4  ,on  
the ,tuesday1 however1 ,m4 de la ,boetie
 summoned him to aid him1 as he said1 in
 discharging the last office of a       
,christian4   ,after the conclusion of  
,mass1 he took the sacrament2 when the  
priest was about to depart1 he said to  
him3 ,spiritual father1 ,i implore you  
humbly1 as well as those over whom you  
are set1 to pray to the ,almighty on my 
behalf2 that1 if it be decreed in heaven
 that ,i am now to end my life1 ,he will
 take compassion on my soul1 and pardon 
me my sins1 which are manifold1 it not  
being possible for so weak and poor a   
creature as ,i to obey completely the   
will of such a ,master2 or1 if ,he think
 fit to keep me longer here1 that it may
 please ,him to release my present      
extreme anguish1 and to direct my       
footsteps in the right path1 that ,i may
 become a better man than ,i have been4 
,he paused to recover breath a little2  
priest was about to go away1 he called  

him back and proceeded3 ,i desire to    
say1 besides1 in your hearing this3 ,i  
declare that ,i was christened and ,i   
have lived1 and that so ,i wish to die1 
in the faith which ,moses preached in   
,egypt2 which afterwards the ,patriarchs
 accepted and professed in ,judaea2 and 
which1 in the course of time1 has been  
transmitted to ,france and to us4  ,he  
seemed desirous of adding something     
more1 but he ended with a request to his
 uncle and me to send up prayers for    
him2 for those are1 he said1 the best   
duties that ,christians can fulfil one  
for another4  ,in the course of talking1
 his shoulder was uncovered1 and        
although a man-servant stood near him1  
he asked his uncle to re-adjust the     
clothes4  ,then1 turning his eyes       
towards me1 he said1 ,ingenui est1 cui  
multum debeas1 ei plurimum velle debere4
  ,m4 de ,belot called in the afternoon 
to see him1 and ,m4 de la ,boetie1      
taking his hand1 said to him3 ,i was on 
the point of discharging my debt1 but my

 kind creditor has given me a little    
further time4  ,a little while after1   
appearing to wake out of a sort of      
reverie1 he uttered words which he had  
employed once or twice before in the    
course of his sickness3 ,ah well1 ah    
well1 whenever the hour comes1 ,i await 
it with pleasure and fortitude4  ,and   
then1 as they were holding his mouth    
open by force to give him a draught1 he 
observed to ,m4 de ,belot3 ,an vivere   
tanti est8  ,as the evening approached1 
he began perceptibly to sink2 and while 
,i supped1 he sent for me to come1 being
 no more than the shadow of a man1 or1  
as he put it himself1 'non homo1 sed    
species hominis'2 and he said to me with
 the utmost difficulty3 ,my brother1 my 
friend1 please ,god ,i may realise the  
imaginations ,i have just enjoyed4      
,afterwards1 having waited for some time
 while he remained silent1 and by       
painful efforts was drawing long sighs  
7for his tongue at this point began to  
refuse its functions71 ,i said1 ,what   

are they8  ,grand1 grand6  he replied4  
,i have never yet failed1 returned ,i1  
to have the honour of hearing your      
conceptions and imaginations            
communicated to me2 will you not now    
still let me enjoy them8  ,i would      
indeed1 he answered2 but1 my brother1 ,i
 am not able to do so2 they are         
admirable1 infinite1 and unspeakable4   
,we stopped short there1 for he could   
not go on4  ,a little before1 indeed1 he
 had shown a desire to speak to his     
wife1 and had told her1 with as gay a   
countenance as he could contrive to     
assume1 that he had a story to tell her4
  ,and it seemed as if he was making an 
attempt to gain utterance2 but1 his     
strength failing him1 he begged a little
 wine to resuscitate it4 ,it was of no  
avail1 for he fainted away suddenly1 and
 was for some time insensible4  ,having 
become so near a neighbour to death1 and
 hearing the sobs of ,mademoiselle de la
 ,boetie1 he called her1 and said to her
 thus3 ,my own likeness1 you grieve     

yourself beforehand2 will you not have  
pity on me8  take courage4  ,assuredly1 
it costs me more than half the pain ,i  
endure1 to see you suffer2 and          
reasonably so1 because the evils which  
we ourselves feel we do not actually    
ourselves suffer1 but it certain        
sentient faculties which ,god plants in 
us1 that feel them3 whereas what we feel
 on account of others1 we feel by       
consequence of a certain reasoning      
process which goes on within our minds4 
,but ,i am going away --,that he said   
because his strength was failing him2   
and fearing that he had frightened his  
wife1 he resumed1 observing3 ,i am going
 to sleep4 ,good night1 my wife2 go thy 
way4  ,this was the last farewell he    
took of her4  ,after she had left1 ,my  
brother1 said he to me1 keep near me1 if
 you please2 and then feeling the       
advance of death more pressing and more 
acute1 or else the effect of some warm  
draught which they had made him swallow1
 his voice grew stronger and clearer1   

and he turned quite with violence in his
 bed1 so that all began again to        
entertain the hope which we had lost    
only upon witnessing his extreme        
prostration4  ,at this stage he         
proceeded1 among other things1 to pray  
me again and again1 in a most           
affectionate manner1 to give him a      
place2 so that ,i was apprehensive that 
his reason might be impaired1           
particularly when1 on my pointing out to
 him that he was doing himself harm1 and
 that these were not of the words of a  
rational man1 he did not yield at first1
 but redoubled his outcry1 saying1 ,my  
brother1 my brother6  dost thou then    
refuse me a place8  insomuch that he    
constrained me to demonstrate to him    
that1 as he breathed and spoke1 and had 
his physical being1 therefore he had his
 place4  ,yes1 yes1 he responded1 ,i    
have2 but it is not that which ,i need2 
and1 besides1 when all is said1 ,i have 
no longer any existence4  ,god1 ,i      
replied1 will grant you a better one    

soon4 ,would it were now1 my brother1   
was his answer4  ,it is now three days  
since ,i have been eager to take my     
departure4  ,being in this extremity1 he
 frequently called me1 merely to satisfy
 him that ,i was at his side4  ,at      
length1 he composed himself a little to 
rest1 which strengthened our hopes2 so  
much so1 indeed1 that ,i left the room1 
and went to rejoice thereupon with      
,mademoiselle de la ,boetie4  ,but1 an  
hour or so afterwards1 he called me by  
name once or twice1 and then with a long
 sigh expired at three o'clock on       
,wednesday morning1 the #ahth ,august   
#aefc1 having lived thirty-two years1   
nine months1 and seventeen days4        
,,ii4  ,to ,monseigneur1 ,monseigneur de
 ,,montaigne4  ,this letter is prefixed 
to ,montaigne's translation of the      
,natural ,theology of ,raymond de       
,sebonde1 printed at ,paris in #aefi4   
,in pursuance of the instructions which 
you gave me last year in your house at  
,montaigne1 ,monseigneur1 ,i have put   

into a ,french dress1 with my own hand1 
,raymond de ,sebonde1 that great        
,spanish theologian and philosopher2 and
 ,i have divested him1 so far as ,i     
could1 of that rough bearing and        
barbaric appearance which you saw him   
wear at first2 that1 in my opinion1 he  
is now qualified to present himself in  
the best company4 ,it is perfectly      
possible that some fastidious persons   
will detect in the book some trace of   
,gascon parentage2 but it will be so    
much the more to their discredit1 that  
they allowed the task to devolve on one 
who is quite a novice in these things4  
,it is only right1 ,monseigneur1 that   
the work should come before the world   
under your auspices1 since whatever     
emendations and polish it may have      
received1 are owing to you4  ,still ,i  
see well that1 if you think proper to   
balance accounts with the author1 you   
will find yourself much his debtor2 for 
against his excellent and religious     
discourses1 his lofty and1 so to speak1 

divine conceptions1 you will find that  
you will have to set nothing but words  
and phraseology2 a sort of merchandise  
so ordinary and commonplace1 that       
whoever has the most of it1 peradventure
 is the worst off4  ,monseigneur1 ,i    
pray ,god to grant you a very long and  
happy life4  ,from ,paris1 this #ahth of
 ,june #aefh4  ,your most humble and    
most obedient son1  ,,michel ,,de       
,,montaigne     ,,iii4  ,to ,monsieur1  
,monsieur de ,,lansac1--,this letter    
appears to belong to #aegj4--,knight of 
the ,king's ,order1 ,privy ,councillor1 
,sub-controller of his ,finance1 and    
,captain of the ,cent ,gardes of his    
,household4  ,,monsieur1--,i send you   
the ,o,economics of ,xenophon1 put into 
,french by the late ,m4 de la           
,boetie1--,printed at ,paris1 #hvo1     
#aega1 and reissued1 with the addition  
of some notes1 in #aegb1 with a fresh   
title-page4--a present which appears to 
me to be appropriate1 as well because it
 is the work of a gentleman of          

mark1--,meaning ,xenophon4--a man       
illustrious in war and peace1 as because
 it has taken its second shape from a   
personage whom ,i know to have been held
 by you in affectionate regard during   
his life4 ,this will be an inducement to
 you to continue to cherish towards his 
memory1 your good opinion and goodwill4 
,and to be bold with you1 ,monsieur1 do 
not fear to increase these sentiments   
somewhat2 for1 as you had knowledge of  
his high qualities only in his public   
capacity1 it rests with me to assure you
 how many endowments he possessed beyond
 your personal experience of him4  ,he  
did me the honour1 while he lived1 and  
,i count it amongst the most fortunate  
circumstances in my own career1 to have 
with me a friendship so close and so    
intricately knit1 that no movement1     
impulse1 thought1 of his mind was kept  
from me1 and if ,i have not formed a    
right judgment of him1 ,i must suppose  
it to be from my own want of scope4     
,indeed1 without exaggeration1 he was so

 nearly a prodigy1 that ,i am afraid of 
not being credited when ,i speak of him1
 even though ,i should keep much within 
the mark of my own actual knowledge4    
,and for this time1 ,monsieur1 ,i shall 
content myself with praying you1 for the
 honour and respect we owe to truth1 to 
testify and believe that our ,guienne   
never beheld his peer among the men of  
his vocation4  ,under the hope1         
therefore1 that you will pay him his    
just due1 and in order to refresh him in
 your memory1 ,i present you this book1 
which will answer for me that1 were it  
not for the insufficiency of my power1  
,i would offer you as willingly         
something of my own1 as an              
acknowledgment of the obligations ,i owe
 to you1 and of the ancient favour and  
friendship which you have borne towards 
the members of our house4  ,but1        
,monsieur1 in default of better coin1 ,i
 offer you in payment the assurance of  
my desire to do you humble service4     
,monsieur1 ,i pray ,god to have you in  

,his keeping4  ,your obedient servant1  
,,michel ,,de ,,montaigne4     ,,iv4    
,to ,monsieur1 ,monsieur de ,,mesmes1   
,lord of ,roissy and ,malassize1 ,privy 
,councillor to the ,king4               
,,monsieur1--,it is one of the most     
conspicuous follies committed by men1 to
 employ the strength of their           
understanding in overturning and        
destroying those opinions which are     
commonly received among us1 and which   
afford us satisfaction and content2 for 
while everything beneath heaven employs 
the ways and means placed at its        
disposal by nature for the advancement  
and commodity of its being1 these1 in   
order to appear of a more sprightly and 
enlightened wit1 not accepting anything 
which has not been tried and balanced a 
thousand times with the most subtle     
reasoning1 sacrifice their peace of mind
 to doubt1 uneasiness1 and feverish     
excitement4  ,it is not without reason  
that childhood and simplicity have been 
recommended by holy writ itself4  ,for  

my part1 ,i prefer to be quiet rather   
than clever3 give me content1 even if ,i
 am not to be so wide in my range4      
,this is the reason1 ,monsieur1 why1    
although persons of an ingenious turn   
laugh at our care as to what will happen
 after our own time1 for instance1 to   
our souls1 which1 lodged elsewhere1 will
 lose all consciousness of what goes on 
here below1 yet ,i consider it to be a  
great consolation for the frailty and   
brevity of life1 to reflect that we have
 the power of prolonging it by          
reputation and fame2 and ,i embrace very
 readily this pleasant and favourable   
notion original with our being1 without 
inquiring too critically how or why it  
is4  ,insomuch that having loved1 beyond
 everything1 the late ,m4 de la ,boetie1
 the greatest man1 in my judgment1 of   
our age1 ,i should think myself very    
negligent of my duty if ,i failed1 to   
the utmost of my power1 to prevent such 
a name as his1 and a memory so richly   
meriting remembrance1 from falling into 

oblivion2 and if ,i did not use my best 
endeavour to keep them fresh4  ,i       
believe that he feels something of what 
,i do on his behalf1 and that my        
services touch and rejoice him4  ,in    
fact1 he lives in my heart so vividly   
and so wholly1 that ,i am loath to      
believe him committed to the dull       
ground1 or altogether cast off from     
communication with us4  ,therefore1     
,monsieur1 since every new light ,i can 
shed on him and his name1 is so much    
added to his second period of existence1
 and1 moreover1 since his name is       
ennobled and honoured by the place which
 receives it1 it falls to me not only to
 extend it as widely as ,i can1 but to  
confide it to the keeping of persons of 
honour and virtue2 among whom you hold  
such a rank1 that1 to afford you the    
opportunity of receiving this new guest1
 and giving him good entertainment1 ,i  
decided on presenting to you this little
 work1 not for any profit you are likely
 to derive from it1 being well aware    

that you do not need to have ,plutarch  
and his companions interpreted to       
you--but it is possible that ,madame de 
,roissy1 reading in it the order of her 
household management and of your happy  
accord painted to the life1 will be     
pleased to see how her own natural      
inclination has not only reached but    
surpassed the theories of the wisest    
philosophers1 regarding the duties and  
laws of the wedded state4  ,and1 at all 
events1 it will be always an honour to  
me1 to be able to do anything which     
shall be for the pleasure of you and    
yours1 on account of the obligation     
under which ,i lie to serve you4        
,monsieur1 ,i pray ,god to grant you a  
long and happy life4  ,from ,montaigne1 
this #cjth ,april #aegj4  ,your humble  
servant1 ,,michel ,,de ,,montaigne4     
,v4  ,to ,monsieur1 ,monsieur de        
,l',,hospital1 ,chancellor of ,france   
,,monseigneur1--,i am of the opinion    
that persons such as you1 to whom       
fortune and reason have committed the   

charge of public affairs1 are not more  
inquisitive in any point than in        
ascertaining the character of those in  
office under you2 for no society is so  
poorly furnished1 but that1 if a proper 
distribution of authority be used1 it   
has persons sufficient for the discharge
 of all official duties2 and when this  
is the case1 nothing is wanting to make 
a ,state perfect in its constitution4   
,now1 in proportion as this is so much  
to be desired1 so it is the more        
difficult of accomplishment1 since you  
cannot have eyes to embrace a multitude 
so large and so widely extended1 nor to 
see to the bottom of hearts1 in order   
that you may discover intentions and    
consciences1 matters principally to be  
considered2 so that there has never been
 any commonwealth so well organised1 in 
which we might not detect often enough  
defect in such a department or such a   
choice2 and in those systems1 where     
ignorance and malice1 favouritism1      
intrigue1 and violence govern1 if any   

selection happens to be made on the     
ground of merit and regularity1 we may  
doubtless thank ,fortune1 which1 in its 
capricious movements1 has for once taken
 the path of reason4  ,this             
consideration1 ,monseigneur1 often      
consoled me1 when ,i beheld ,m4 ,etienne
 de la ,boetie1 one of the fittest men  
for high office in ,france1 pass his    
whole life without employment and       
notice1 by his domestic hearth1 to the  
singular detriment of the public2 for1  
so far as he was concerned1 ,i may      
assure you1 ,monseigneur1 that he was so
 rich in those treasures which defy     
fortune1 that never was man more        
satisfied or content4  ,i know1 indeed1 
that he was raised to the dignities     
connected with his                      
neighbourhood--dignities accounted      
considerable2 and ,i know also1 that no 
one ever acquitted himself better of    
them2 and when he died at the age of    
thirty-two1 he enjoyed a reputation in  
that way beyond all who had preceded    

him4  ,but for all that1 it is no reason
 that a man should be left a common     
soldier1 who deserves to become a       
captain2 nor to assign mean functions to
 those who are perfectly equal to the   
highest4  ,in truth1 his powers were    
badly economised and too sparingly      
employed2 insomuch that1 over and above 
his actual work1 there was abundant     
capacity lying idle which might have    
been called into service1 both to the   
public advantage and his own private    
glory4  ,therefore1 ,monseigneur1 since 
he was so indifferent to his own fame   
7for virtue and ambition1 unfortunately1
 seldom lodge together71 and since he   
lived in an age when others were too    
dull or too jealous to witness to his   
character1 ,i have it marvellously at   
heart that his memory1 at all events1 to
 which ,i owe the good offices of a     
friend1 should enjoy the recompense of  
his brave life2 and that it should      
survive in the good report of men of    
honour and virtue4  ,on this account1   

sir1 ,i have been desirous to bring to  
light1 and present to you1 such few     
,latin verses as he left behind4        
,different from the builder1 who places 
the most attractive1 portion of his     
house towards the street1 and to the    
draper1 who displays in his window his  
best goods1 that which was most precious
 in my friend1 the juice and marrow of  
his genius1 departed with him1 and there
 have remained to us but the bark and   
the leaves4  ,the exactly regulated     
movements of his mind1 his piety1 his   
virtue1 his justice1 his vivacity1 the  
solidity and soundness of his judgment1 
the loftiness of his ideas1 raised so   
far above the common level1 his         
learning1 the grace which accompanied   
his most ordinary actions1 the tender   
affection he had for his miserable      
country1 and his supreme and sworn      
detestation of all vice1 but principally
 of that villainous traffic which       
disguises itself under the honourable   
name of justice1 should certainly       

impress all well-disposed persons with a
 singular love towards him1 and an      
extraordinary regret for his loss4      
,but1 sir1 ,i am unable to do justice to
 all these qualities2 and of the fruit  
of his own studies it had not entered   
into his mind to leave any proof to     
posterity2 all that remains1 is the     
little which1 as a pastime1 he did at   
intervals4  ,however this may be1 ,i beg
 you1 sir1 to receive it kindly2 and as 
our judgment of great things is many    
times formed from lesser things1 and as 
even the recreations of illustrious men 
carry with them1 to intelligent         
observers1 some honourable traits of    
their origin1 ,i would have you form    
from this1 some knowledge of him1 and   
hence lovingly cherish his name and his 
memory4  ,in this1 sir1 you will only   
reciprocate the high opinion which he   
had of your virtue1 and realise what he 
infinitely desired in his lifetime2 for 
there was no one in the world in whose  
acquaintance and friendship he would    

have been so happy to see himself       
established1 as in your own4  ,but if   
any man is offended by the freedom which
 ,i use with the belongings of another1 
,i can tell him that nothing which has  
been written or been laid down1 even in 
the schools of philosophy1 respecting   
the sacred duties and rights of         
friendship1 could give an adequate idea 
of the relations which subsisted between
 this personage and myself4  ,moreover1 
sir1 this slender gift1 to make two     
throws of one stone at the same time1   
may likewise serve1 if you please1 to   
testify the honour and respect which ,i 
entertain for your ability and high     
qualities2 for as to those gifts which  
are adventitious and accidental1 it is  
not to my taste to take them into       
account4  ,sir1 ,i pray ,god to grant   
you a very happy and a very long life4  
,from ,montaigne1 this #cjth of ,april  
#aegj4--,your humble and obedient       
servant1  ,,michel ,,de ,,montaigne4    
,to ,monsieur1 ,monsieur de ,folx1      

,privy ,councillor1 and ,ambassador of  
,his ,majesty to the ,signory of        
,venice4-- ,printed before the ',vers   
,francois' of ,etienne de la ,boetie1   
#hvo1 ,paris1 #aegb4  ,,sir1--,being on 
the point of commending to you and to   
posterity the memory of the late        
,etienne de la ,boetie1 as well for his 
extreme virtue as for the singular      
affection which he bore to me1 it struck
 me as an indiscretion very serious in  
its results1 and meriting some coercion 
from our laws1 the practice which often 
prevails of robbing virtue of glory1 its
 faithful associate1 in order to confer 
it1 in accordance with our private      
interests and without discrimination1 on
 the first comer2 seeing that our two   
principal guiding reins are reward and  
punishment1 which only touch us         
properly1 and as men1 through the medium
 of honour and dishonour1 forasmuch as  
these penetrate the mind1 and come home 
to our most intimate feelings3 just     
where animals themselves are            

susceptible1 more or less1 to all other 
kinds of recompense and corporal        
chastisement4 ,moreover1 it is well to  
notice that the custom of praising      
virtue1 even in those who are no longer 
with us1 impalpable as it is to them1   
serves as a stimulant to the living to  
imitate their example2 just as capital  
sentences are carried out by the law1   
more for the sake of warning to others1 
than in relation to those who suffer4   
,now1 commendation and its opposite     
being analogous as regards effects1 we  
cannot easily deny the fact1 that       
although the law prohibits one man from 
slandering the reputation of another1 it
 does not prevent us from bestowing     
reputation without cause4  ,this        
pernicious licence in respect to the    
distribution of praise1 has formerly    
been confined in its area of operations2
 and it may be the reason why poetry    
once lost favour with the more          
judicious4 ,however this may be1 it     
cannot be concealed that the vice of    

falsehood is one very unbecoming in     
gentleman1 let it assume what guise it  
will4  ,as for that personage of whom ,i
 am speaking to you1 sir he leads me far
 away indeed from this kind of language2
 for the danger in his case is not1 lest
 ,i should lend him anything1 but that  
,i might take something from him2 and it
 is his ill-fortune that1 while he has  
supplied me1 so far as ever a man could1
 with just and obvious opportunities for
 commendation1 ,i find myself unable and
 unqualified to render it to him --,i1  
who am his debtor for so many vivid     
communications1 and who alone have it in
 my power to answer for a million of    
accomplishments1 perfections1 and       
virtues1 latent 7thanks to his unkind   
stars7 in so noble a soul4  ,for the    
nature of things having 7,i know not    
how7 permitted that truth1 fair and     
acceptable--as it may be of itself1 is  
only embraced where there are arts of   
persuasion1 to insinuate it into our    
minds1 ,i see myself so wanting1 both in

 authority to support my simple         
testimony1 and in the eloquence         
requisite for lending it value and      
weight1 that ,i was on the eve of       
relinquishing the task1 having nothing  
of his which would enable me to exhibit 
to the world a proof of his genius and  
knowledge4  ,in truth1 sir1 having been 
overtaken by his fate in the flower of  
his age1 and in the full enjoyment of   
the most vigorous health1 it had been   
his design to publish some day works    
which would have demonstrated to        
posterity what sort of a man he was2    
and1 peradventure1 he was indifferent   
enough to fame1 having formed such a    
plan in his head1 to proceed no further 
in it4  ,but ,i have come to the        
conclusion1 that it was far more        
excusable in him to bury with him all   
his rare endowments1 than it would be on
 my part to bury also with me the       
knowledge of them which ,i had acquired 
from him2 and1 therefore1 having        
collected with care all the remains     

which ,i found scattered here and there 
among his papers1 ,i intend to          
distribute them so as to recommend his  
memory to as many persons as possible1  
selecting the most suitable and worthy  
of my acquaintance1 and those whose     
testimony might do him greatest honour3 
such as you1 sir1 who may very possibly 
have had some knowledge of him during   
his life1 but assuredly too slight to   
discover the perfect extent of his      
worth4 ,posterity may credit me1 if it  
chooses1 when ,i swear upon my          
conscience1 that ,i knew and saw him to 
be such as1 all things considered1 ,i   
could neither desire nor imagine a      
genius surpassing his4  ,i beg you very 
humbly1 sir1 not only to take his name  
under your general protection1 but also 
these ten or twelve ,french stanzas1    
which lay themselves1 as of necessity1  
under shadow of your patronage4  ,for ,i
 will not disguise from you1 that their 
publication was deferred1 upon the      
appearance of his other writings1 under 

the pretext 7as it was alleged yonder at
 ,paris7 that they were too crude to    
come to light4  ,you will judge1 sir1   
how much truth there is in this2 and    
since it is thought that hereabout      
nothing can be produced in our own      
dialect but what is barbarous and       
unpolished1 it falls to you1 who1       
besides your rank as the first house in 
,guienne1 indeed down from your         
ancestors1 possess every other sort of  
qualification1 to establish1 not merely 
by your example1 but by your            
authoritative testimony1 that such is   
not always the case3 the more so that1  
though 'tis more natural with the       
,gascons to act than talk1 yet sometimes
 they employ the tongue more than the   
arm1 and wit in place of valour4  ,for  
my own part2 sir1 it is not in my way to
 judge of such matters2 but ,i have     
heard persons who are supposed to       
understand them1 say that these stanzas 
are not only worthy to be presented in  
the market-place1 but1 independently of 

that1 as regards beauty and wealth of   
invention1 they are full of marrow and  
matter as any compositions of the kind1 
which have appeared in our language4    
,naturally each workman feels himself   
more strong in some special part his    
art1 and those are to be regarded as    
most fortunate1 who lay hands on the    
noblest1 for all the parts essential to 
the construction of any whole are not   
equally precious4  ,we find elsewhere1  
perhaps1 greater delicacy phrase1       
greater softness and harmony of         
language2 but imaginative grace1 and in 
the store of pointed wit1 ,i do not     
think he has been surpassed2 and we     
should take the account that he made    
these things neither his occupation nor 
his study1 and that he scarcely took a  
pen in his hand more than once a year1  
as is shown by the very slender quantity
 of his remains4  ,for you see here1    
sir1 green wood and dry1 without any    
sort of selection1 all that has come    
into my possession2 insomuch that there 

are among the rest efforts even of his  
boyhood4  ,in point of fact1 he seems to
 have written them merely to show that  
he was capable of dealing with all      
subjects3 for otherwise1 thousands of   
times1 in the course of ordinary        
conversation1 ,i have heard things drop 
from him infinitely more worthy of being
 admired1 infinitely more worthy of     
being preserved4  ,such1 sir1 is what   
justice and affection1 forming in this  
instance a rare conjunction1 oblige me  
to say of this great and good man2 and  
if ,i have at all offended by the       
freedom which ,i have taken in          
addressing myself to you on such a      
subject at such a length1 be pleased to 
recollect that the principal result of  
greatness and eminence is to lay one    
open to importunate appeals on behalf of
 the rest of the world4  ,herewith1     
after desiring you to accept my         
affectionate devotion to your service1  
,i beseech ,god to vouchsafe you1 sir1 a
 fortunate and prolonged life4 ,from    

,montaigne1 this #ast of ,september     
#aegj4--,your obedient servant1         
,,michel ,,de ,,montaigne4      ,to     
,mademoiselle de ,,montaigne1 my        
,wife4--,printed as a preface to the    
,consolation of ,plutarch to his ,wife1 
published by ,montaigne1 with several   
other tracts by ,la ,boetie1 about      
#aega4  ,,my ,,wife1--,you understand   
well that it is not proper for a man of 
the world1 according to the rules of    
this our time1 to continue to court and 
caress you2 for they say that a sensible
 person may take a wife indeed1 but that
 to espouse her is to act like a fool4  
,let them talk2 ,i adhere for my part   
the custom of the good old days2 ,i also
 wear my hair as it used to be then2    
and1 in truth1 novelty costs this poor  
country up to the present moment so dear
 7and ,i do not know whether we have    
reached the highest pitch yet71 that    
everywhere and in everything ,i renounce
 the fashion4  ,let us live1 my wife1   
you and ,i1 in the old ,french method4  

,now1 you may recollect that the late   
,m4 de la ,boetie1 my brother and       
inseparable companion1 gave me1 on his  
death-bed1 all his books and papers1    
which have remained ever since the most 
precious part of my effects4  ,i do not 
wish to keep them niggardly to myself   
alone1 nor do ,i deserve to have the    
exclusive use of them2 so that ,i have  
resolved to communicate them to my      
friends2 and because ,i have none1 ,i   
believe1 more particularly intimate you1
 ,i send you the ,consolatory ,letter   
written by ,plutarch to his ,wife1      
translated by him into ,french2         
regretting much that fortune has made it
 so suitable a present you1 and that1   
having had but one child1 and that a    
daughter1 long looked for1 after four   
years of your married life it was your  
lot to lose her in the second year of   
her age4 ,but ,i leave to ,plutarch the 
duty of comforting you1 acquainting you 
with your duty herein1 begging you to   
put your faith in him for my sake2 for  

he will reveal to you my own ideas1 and 
will express the matter far better than 
,i should myself4  ,hereupon1 my wife1  
,i commend myself very heartily to your 
good will1 and pray ,god to have you in 
,his keeping4 ,from ,paris1 this #ajth  
,september #aegj4--,your good husband1  
,,michel ,,de ,,montaigne4     ,,viii4  
,to ,monsieur ,,dupuy1--,this is        
probably the ,claude ,dupuy1 born at    
,paris in #aede1 and one of the fourteen
 judges sent into ,guienne after the    
treaty of ,fleix in #aehj4  ,it was     
perhaps under these circumstances that  
,montaigne addressed to him the present 
letter4--the ,king's ,councillor in his 
,court and ,parliament of ,paris4       
,,monsieur1--,the business of the ,sieur
 de ,verres1 a prisoner1 who is         
extremely well known to me1 deserves1 in
 the arrival at a decision1 the exercise
 of the clemency natural to you1 if1 in 
the public interest1 you can fairly call
 it into play4  ,he has done a thing not
 only excusable1 according to the       

military laws of this age1 but necessary
 and 7as we are of opinion7 commendable4
  ,he committed the act1 without doubt1 
unwillingly and under pressure2 there is
 no other passage of his life which is  
open to reproach4  ,i beseech you1 sir1 
to lend the matter your attentive       
consideration2 you will find the        
character of it as ,i represent it to   
you4  ,he is persecuted on this crime1  
in a way which is far worse than the    
offence itself4  ,if it is likely to be 
of use to him1 ,i desire to inform you  
that he is a man brought up in my house1
 related to several respectable         
families1 and a person who1 having led  
an honourable life1 is my particular    
friend4  ,by saving him you lay me under
 an extreme obligation4  ,i beg you very
 humbly to regard him as recommended by 
me1 and1 after kissing your hands1 ,i   
pray ,god1 sir1 to grant you a long and 
happy life4  ,from ,castera1 this #bc;d 
of ,april #aehj4  ,your affectionate    
servant1 ,,montaigne4      ,,ix4  ,to   

the ,jurats of ,bordeaux4--,published   
from the original among the archives of 
the town of ,bordeaux1 ,m4 ,gustave     
,brunet in the ,bulletin du             
,bibliophile1 ,july #ahci4              
,,gentlemen1--,i trust that the journey 
of ,monsieur de ,cursol will be of      
advantage to the town4  ,having in hand 
a case so just and so favourable1 you   
did all in your power to put the        
business in good trim2 and matters being
 so well situated1 ,i beg you to excuse 
my absence for some little time longer1 
and ,i will abridge my stay so far as   
the pressure of my affairs permits4  ,i 
hope that the delay will be short2      
however1 you will keep me1 if you       
please1 in your good grace1 and will    
command me1 if the occasion shall arise1
 in employing me in the public service  
and in yours4 ,monsieur de ,cursol has  
also written to me and apprised me of   
his journey4 ,i humbly commend myself to
 you1 and pray ,god1 gentlemen1 to grant
 you long and happy life4  ,from        

,montaigne1 this #bast of ,may #aehb4   
,your humble brother and servant1       
,,montaigne4     ,x4  ,to the           
same4--,the original is among the       
archives of ,toulouse4  ,,gentlemen1--,i
 have taken my fair share of the        
satisfaction which you announce to me as
 feeling at the good despatch of your   
business1 as reported to you by your    
deputies1 and ,i regard it as a         
favourable sign that you have made such 
an auspicious commencement of the year4 
,i hope to join you at the earliest     
convenient opportunity4  ,i recommend   
myself very humbly to your gracious     
consideration1 and pray ,god to grant   
you1 gentlemen1 a happy and long life4  
,from ,montaigne1 this #hth ,february   
#aehe4  ,your humble brother and        
servant1 ,,montaigne4     ,,xi4  ,to the
 same4  ,,gentlemen1--,i have here      
received news of you from ,m4 le        
,marechal4  ,i will not spare either my 
life or anything else for your service1 
and will leave it to your judgment      

whether the assistance ,i might be able 
to render by my presence at the         
forthcoming election1 would be worth the
 risk ,i should run by going into the   
town1 seeing the bad state it is in1    
--,this refers to the plague then       
raging1 and which carried off #ad1jjj   
persons at ,bordeaux4--particularly for 
people coming away from so fine an air  
as this is where ,i am4  ,i will draw as
 near to you on ,wednesday as ,i can1   
that is1 to ,feuillas1 if the malady has
 not reached that place1 where1 as ,i   
write to ,m4 de la ,molte1 ,i shall be  
very pleased to have the honour of      
seeing one of you to take your          
directions1 and relieve myself of the   
credentials which ,m4 le ,marechal will 
give me for you all3 commending myself  
hereupon humbly to your good grace1 and 
praying ,god to grant you1 gentlemen1   
long and happy life4  ,at ,libourne1    
this #cjth of ,july #aehe4  ,your humble
 servant and brother1 ,,montaigne4      
,,xii4--,according to ,dr4 ,payen1 this 

letter belongs to #aehh4  ,its          
authenticity has been called in         
question2 but wrongly1 in our opinion4  
,see ',documents inedits'1 #ahdg1 p4    
#ab4--,note in ',essais'1 ed4  ,paris1  
#ahed1 iv4  #cha4  ,it does not appear  
to whom the letter was addressed4       
,,monseigneur1--,you have heard of our  
baggage being taken from us under our   
eyes in the forest of ,villebois3 then1 
after a good deal of discussion and     
delay1 of the capture being pronounced  
illegal by the ,prince4  ,we dared not1 
however1 proceed on our way1 from an    
uncertainty as to the safety of our     
persons1 which should have been clearly 
expressed on our passports4  ,the       
,league has done this1 ,m4 de ,barrant  
and ,m4 de la ,rochefocault2 the storm  
has burst on me1 who had my money in my 
box4  ,i have recovered none of it1 and 
most of my papers and cash--,the ,french
 word is hardes1 which ,st4 ,john       
renders things4  ,but compare           
,chambers's ,domestic ,annals of        

,scotland1 #b;d ed4  i4  #dh4--remain in
 their possession4  ,i have not seen the
 ,prince4  ,fifty were lost 4  4  4  as 
for the ,count of ,thorigny1 he lost    
some ver plate and a few articles of    
clothing4  ,he diverged from his route  
to pay a visit to the mourning ladies at
 ,montresor1 where are the remains of   
his two brothers and his grandmother1   
and came to us again in this town1      
whence we shall resume our journey      
shortly4  ,the journey to ,normandy is  
postponed4  ,the ,king has despatched   
,,mm4 ,de ,bellieure and de la ,guiche  
to ,m4 de ,guise to summon him to court2
 we shall be there on ,thursday4  ,from 
,orleans1 this #afth of ,february1 in   
the morning #aehh-i84--,your very humble
 servant1 ,,montaigne4      ,,xiii4  ,to
 ,mademoiselle ,,paulmier4--,this       
letter1 at the time of the publication  
of the variorum edition of #ahed1       
appears to have been in private hands4  
,see vol4  iv4  p4  #chb4               
,,mademoiselle1--,my friends know that1 

from the first moment of our            
acquaintance1 ,i have destined a copy of
 my book for you2 for ,i feel that you  
have done it much honour4  ,the courtesy
 of ,m4 ,paulmier would deprive me of   
the pleasure of giving it to you now1   
for he has obliged me since a great deal
 beyond the worth of my book4  ,you will
 accept it then1 if you please1 as      
having been yours before ,i owed it to  
you1 and will confer on me the favour of
 loving it1 whether for its own sake or 
for mine2 and ,i will keep my debt to   
,m4 ,paulmier undischarged1 that ,i may 
requite him1 if ,i have at some other   
time the means of serving him4          
,,xiv4  ,to the ,,king1 ,,henry         
,,iv4--,the original is in the ,french  
national library1 in the ,dupuy         
collection4  ,it was first discovered by
 ,m4 ,achille ,jubinal1 who printed it  
with a facsimile of the entire          
autograph1 in #ahej4  ,st4 ,john gives  
the date wrongly as the #ast ,january   
#aeij4  ,,sire1 ,it is to be above the  

weight and crowd of your great and      
important affairs1 to know1 as you do1  
how to lend yourself1 and attend to     
small matters in their turn1 according  
to the duty of your royal dignity1 which
 exposes you at all times to every      
description and degree of person and    
employment4  ,yet1 that your ,majesty   
should have deigned to consider my      
letter1 and direct a reply to be made to
 it1 ,i prefer to owe1 less to your     
strong understanding1 than to your      
kindness of heart4  ,i have always      
looked forward to your enjoyment of your
 present fortune1 and you may recollect 
that1 even when ,i had to make          
confession of itto my cure1 ,i viewed   
your successes with satisfaction3 now1  
with the greater propriety and freedom1 
,i embrace them affectionately4  ,they  
serve you where you are as positive     
matters of fact2 but they serve us here 
no less by the fame which they diffuse3 
the echo carries as much weight as the  
blow4  ,we should not be able to derive 

from the justice of your cause such     
powerful arguments for the maintenance  
and reduction of your subjects1 as we do
 from the reports of the success of your
 undertaking2 and then ,i have to assure
 your ,majesty1 that the recent changes 
to your advantage1 which you observe    
hereabouts1 the prosperous issue of your
 proceedings at ,dieppe1 have           
opportunely seconded the honest zeal and
 marvellous prudence of ,m4 the ,marshal
 de ,matignon1 from whom ,i flatter     
myself that you do not receive day by   
day accounts of such good and signal    
services without remembering my         
assurances and expectations4  ,i look to
 the next summer1 not only for fruits   
which we may eat1 but for those to grow 
out of our common tranquillity1 and that
 it will pass over our heads with the   
same even tenor of happiness1           
dissipating1 like its predecessors1 all 
the fine promises with which your       
adversaries sustain the spirits of their
 followers4  ,the popular inclinations  

resemble a tidal wave2 if the current   
once commences in your favour1 it will  
go on of its own force to the end4  ,i  
could have desired much that the private
 gain of the soldiers of your army1 and 
the necessity for satisfying them1 had  
not deprived you1 especially in this    
principal town1 of the glorious credit  
of treating your mutinous subjects1 in  
the midst of victory1 with greater      
clemency than their own protectors1 and 
that1 as distinguished from a passing   
and usurped repute1 you could have shown
 them to be really your own1 by the     
exercise of a protection truly paternal 
and royal4  ,in the conduct of such     
affairs as you have in hand1 men are    
obliged to have recourse to unusual     
expedients4  ,it is always seen that    
they are surmounted by their magnitude  
and difficulty2 it not being found easy 
to complete the conquest by arms and    
force1 the end has been accomplished by 
clemency and generosity1 excellent lures
 to draw men particularly towards the   

just and legitimate side4  ,if there is 
to be severity and punishment1 let it be
 deferred till success has been assured4
  ,a great conqueror of past times      
boasts that he gave his enemies as great
 an inducement to love him1 as his      
friends4  ,and here we feel already some
 effect of the favourable impression    
produced upon our rebellious towns by   
the contrast between their rude         
treatment1 and that of those which are  
loyal to you4  ,desiring your ,majesty a
 happiness more tangible and less       
hazardous1 and that you may be beloved  
rather than feared by your people1 and  
believing that your welfare and theirs  
are of necessity knit together1 ,i      
rejoice to think that the progress which
 you make is one towards more           
practicable conditions of peace1 as well
 as towards victory6  ,sire1 your letter
 of the last of ,november came to my    
hand only just now1 when the time which 
it pleased you to name for meeting you  
at ,tours had already passed4  ,i take  

it as a singular favour that you should 
have deigned to desire a visit from so  
useless a person1 but one who is wholly 
yours1 and more so even by affection    
than from duty4  ,you have acted very   
commendably in adapting yourself1 in the
 matter of external forms1 to your new  
fortunes2 but the preservation of your  
old affability and frankness in private 
intercourse is entitled to an equal     
share of praise4 ,you have condescended 
to take thought for my age1 no less than
 for the desire which ,i have to see    
you1 where you may be at rest from these
 laborious agitations4  ,will not that  
be soon at ,paris1 ,sire8  and may      
nothing prevent me from presenting      
myself there6--,your very humble and    
very obedient servant and subject1      
,,montaigne4  ,from ,montaigne1 this    
#ahth of ,january #aeij4     ,,xv4 ,to  
the same4-- ,this letter is also in the 
national collection1 among the ,dupuy   
papers4  ,it was first printed in the   
,journal de l',instruction ,publique1   

#dth ,november #ahdf4  ,,sire1--,the    
letter which it pleased your majesty to 
write to me on the #bjth of ,july1 was  
not delivered to me till this morning1  
and found me laid up with a very violent
 tertian ague1 a complaint very common  
in this part of the country during the  
last month4  ,sire1 ,i consider myself  
greatly honoured by the receipt of your 
commands1 and ,i have not omitted to    
communicate to ,m4 the ,marshal de      
,matignon three times most emphatically 
my intention and obligation to proceed  
to him1 and even so far as to indicate  
the route by which ,i proposed to join  
him secretly1 if he thought proper4     
,having received no answer1 ,i consider 
that he has weighed the difficulty and  
risk of the journey to me4  ,sire1 your 
,majesty dill do me the favour to       
believe1 if you please1 that ,i shall   
never complain of the expense on        
occasions where ,i should not hesitate  
to devote my life4  ,i have never       
derived any substantial benefit whatever

 from the bounty of kings1 which ,i have
 neither sought nor merited2 nor have ,i
 had any recompense for the services    
which ,i have performed for them3       
whereof your majesty is in part aware4  
,what ,i have done for your predecessors
 ,i shall do still more readily for you4
  ,i am as rich1 ,sire1 as ,i desire to 
be4  ,when ,i shall have exhausted my   
purse in attendance on your ,majesty at 
,paris1 ,i will take the liberty to tell
 you1 and then1 if you should regard me 
as worthy of being retained any longer  
in your suite1 you will find me more    
modest in my claims upon you than the   
humblest of your officers4  ,sire1 ,i   
pray ,god for your prosperity and       
health4  ,your very humble and very     
obedient servant and subject1           
,,montaigne4  ,from ,montaigne1 this    
#b;d of ,september #aeij4     ,,xvi4    
,to the ,governor of ,guienne4          
,,monseigneur1--,i have received this   
morning your letter1 which ,i have      
communicated to ,m4 de ,gourgues1 and we

 have dined together at the house of    
,m4the mayor of ,bourdeaux4  ,as to the 
inconvenience of transporting the money 
named in your memorandum1 you see how   
difficult a thing it is to provide for2 
but you may be sure that we shall keep  
as close a watch over it as possible4   
,i used every exertion to discover the  
man of whom you spoke4  ,he has not been
 here2 and ,m4 de ,bordeaux has shown me
 a letter in which he mentions that he  
could not come to see the ,director of  
,bordeaux1 as he intended1 having been  
informed that you mistrust him4 ,the    
letter is of the day before yesterday4  
,if ,i could have found him1 ,i might   
perhaps have pursued the gentler course1
 being uncertain of your views2 but ,i  
entreat you nevertheless to feel no     
manner of doubt that ,i refuse to carry 
out any wishes of yours1 and that1 where
 your commands are concerned1 ,i know no
 distinction of person or matter4  ,i   
hope that you have in ,guienne many as  
well affected to you as ,i am4  ,they   

report that the ,nantes galleys are     
advancing towards ,brouage4  ,m4 the    
,marshal de ,biron has not yet left4    
,those who were charged to convey the   
message to ,m4 d',usee say that they    
cannot find him2 and ,i believe that1 if
 he has been here1 he is so no longer4  
,we keep a vigilant eye on our gates and
 guards1 and we look after them a little
 more attentively in your absence1 which
 makes me apprehensive1 not merely on   
account of the preservation of the town1
 but likewise for your oven sake1       
knowing that the enemies of the king    
feel how necessary you are to his       
service1 and how ill we should prosper  
without you4  ,i am afraid that1 in the 
part where you are1 you will be         
overtaken by so many affairs requiring  
your attention on every side1 that it   
will take you a long time and involve   
great difficulty before you have        
disposed of everything4  ,if there is   
any important news1 ,i will despatch an 
express at once1 and you may conclude   

that nothing is stirring if you do not  
hear from me3 at the same time begging  
you to bear in mind that movements of   
this kind are wont to be so sudden and  
unexpected that1 if they occur1 they    
will grasp me by the throat1 before they
 say a word4  ,i will do what ,i can to 
collect news1 and for this purpose ,i   
will make a point of visiting and seeing
 men of every shade of opinion4  ,down  
to the present time nothing is stirring4
  ,m4 de ,londel has seen me this       
morning1 and we have been arranging for 
some advances for the place1 where ,i   
shall go to-morrow morning4  ,since ,i  
began this letter1 ,i have learnt from  
,chartreux that two gentlemen1          
describing themselves as in the service 
of ,m4 de ,guise1 and coming from ,agen1
 have passed near ,chartreux2 but ,i was
 not able to ascertain which road they  
have taken4  ,they are expecting you at 
,agen4  ,the ,sieur de ,mauvesin came as
 far as ,canteloup1 and thence returned1
 having got some intelligence4 ,i am in 

search of one ,captain ,rous1 to whom 4 
4  4  wrote1 trying to draw him into his
 cause by all sorts of promises4  ,the  
rumour of the two ,nantes galleys ready 
to descend on ,brouage is confirmed as  
certain2 they carry two companies of    
foot4  ,m4 de ,mercure is at ,nantes4   
,the ,sieur de la ,courbe said to ,m4   
the ,president ,nesmond that ,m4        
d',elbeuf is on this side of ,angiers1  
and lodges with his father4  ,he is     
drawing towards ,lower ,poictou with    
#djjj foot and #djj or #ejj horse1      
having been reinforced by the troops of 
,m4 de ,brissac and others1 and ,m4 de  
,mercure is to join him4 ,the report    
goes also that ,m4 du ,maine is about to
 take the command of all the forces they
 have collected in ,auvergne1 and that  
he will cross ,le ,foret to advance on  
,rouergue and us1 that is to say1 on the
 ,king of ,navarre1 against whom all    
this is being directed4  ,m4 de ,lansac 
is at ,bourg1 and has two war vessels1  
which remain in attendance on him4  ,his

 functions are naval4  ,i tell you what 
,i learn1 and mix up together the more  
or less probable hearsay of the town    
with actual matter of fact1 that you may
 be in possession of everything4  ,i beg
 you most humbly to return directly     
affairs may allow you to do so1 and     
assure you that1 meanwhile1 we shall not
 spare our labour1 or 7if that were     
necessary7 our life1 to maintain the    
king's authority throughout4            
,monseigneur1 ,i kiss your hands very   
respectfully1 and pray ,god to have you 
in ,his keeping4 ,from ,bordeaux1       
,wednesday night1 #bb;d ,may            
7#aeij-ia74--,your very humble servant1 
,,montaigne4  ,i have seen no one from  
the king of ,navarre2 they say that ,m4 
de ,biron has seen him4                 
,,the ,,author ,,to ,,the               
,,reader4--,omitted by ,cotton4         
,,reader1 thou hast here an honest book2
 it doth at the outset forewarn thee    
that1 in contriving the same1 ,i have   
proposed to myself no other than a      

domestic and private end3 ,i have had no
 consideration at all either to thy     
service or to my glory4  ,my powers are 
not capable of any such design4  ,i have
 dedicated it to the particular         
commodity of my kinsfolk and friends1 so
 that1 having lost me 7which they must  
do shortly71 they may therein recover   
some traits of my conditions and        
humours1 and by that means preserve more
 whole1 and more life-like1 the         
knowledge they had of me4  ,had my      
intention been to seek the world's      
favour1 ,i should surely have adorned   
myself with borrowed beauties3 ,i desire
 therein to be viewed as ,i appear in   
mine own genuine1 simple1 and ordinary  
manner1 without study and artifice3 for 
it is myself ,i paint4 ,my defects are  
therein to be read to the life1 and any 
imperfections and my natural form1 so   
far as public reverence hath permitted  
me4  ,if ,i had lived among those       
nations1 which 7they say7 yet dwell     
under the sweet liberty of nature's     

primitive laws1 ,i assure thee ,i would 
most willingly have painted myself quite
 fully and quite naked4  ,thus1 reader1 
myself am the matter of my book3 there's
 no reason thou shouldst employ thy     
leisure about so frivolous and vain a   
subject4   ,therefore farewell4  ,from  
,montaigne1 the #abth ,june #aehj--,so  
in the edition of #aeie2 the edition of 
#aehh has #abth ,june #aehh    ,from    
,montaigne1 the #ast ,march #aehj4      
--,see ,bonnefon1 ,montaigne1 #ahic1 p4 
#bed4  ,the book had been      licensed 
for the press on the #ith ,may previous4
  ,the edition of #aehh      has #abth  
,june #aehh2--          ,,etext         
,,editor',s ,,bookmarks3       ,arts of 
persuasion1 to insinuate it into our    
minds      ,help3 no other effect than  
that of lengthening my suffering        
,judgment of great things is many times 
formed from lesser thing      ,option   
now of continuing in life or of         
completing the voyage      ,two         
principal guiding reins are reward and  

punishment      ,virtue and ambition1   
unfortunately1 seldom lodge together