THE LIFE OF MONTAIGNE French, thanks to the German teacher whom

his father had placed near him, and who

[This is translated freely from that prefixed never addressed him except in the language
to the 'variorum' Paris edition, 1854, 4 vols. of Virgil and Cicero. The study of Greek
8vo. This biography is the more desirable took precedence. At six years of age young
that it contains all really interesting and Montaigne went to the College of Guienne
important matter in the journal of the Tour at Bordeaux, where he had as preceptors the
in Germany and Italy, which, as it was most eminent scholars of the sixteenth
merely written under Montaigne's dictation, century, Nicolas Grouchy, Guerente, Muret,
is in the third person, is scarcely worth and Buchanan. At thirteen he had passed
publication, as a whole, in an English dress.] through all the classes, and as he was
destined for the law he left school to study
The author of the Essays was born, as he that science. He was then about fourteen, but
informs us himself, between eleven and these early years of his life are involved in
twelve o'clock in the day, the last of obscurity. The next information that we
February 1533, at the chateau of St. Michel have is that in 1554 he received the
de Montaigne. His father, Pierre Eyquem, appointment of councillor in the Parliament
esquire, was successively first Jurat of the of Bordeaux; in 1559 he was at Bar-le-Duc
town of Bordeaux (1530), Under-Mayor with the court of Francis II, and in the year
1536, Jurat for the second time in 1540, following he was present at Rouen to
Procureur in 1546, and at length Mayor from witness the declaration of the majority of
1553 to 1556. He was a man of austere Charles IX. We do not know in what manner
probity, who had "a particular regard for he was engaged on these occasions.
honour and for propriety in his person and
attire . . . a mighty good faith in his speech, Between 1556 and 1563 an important
and a conscience and a religious feeling incident occurred in the life of Montaigne, in
inclining to superstition, rather than to the the commencement of his romantic
other extreme."[Essays, ii. 2.] Pierre friendship with Etienne de la Boetie, whom
Eyquem bestowed great care on the he had met, as he tells us, by pure chance at
education of his children, especially on the some festive celebration in the town. From
practical side of it. To associate closely his their very first interview the two found
son Michel with the people, and attach him themselves drawn irresistibly close to one
to those who stand in need of assistance, he another, and during six years this alliance
caused him to be held at the font by persons was foremost in the heart of Montaigne, as it
of meanest position; subsequently he put was afterwards in his memory, when death
him out to nurse with a poor villager, and had severed it.
then, at a later period, made him accustom
Although he blames severely in his own
himself to the most common sort of living,
book [Essays, i. 27.] those who, contrary to
taking care, nevertheless, to cultivate his
the opinion of Aristotle, marry before five-
mind, and superintend its development
and-thirty, Montaigne did not wait for the
without the exercise of undue rigour or
period fixed by the philosopher of Stagyra,
constraint. Michel, who gives us the
but in 1566, in his thirty-third year, he
minutest account of his earliest years,
espoused Francoise de Chassaigne, daughter
charmingly narrates how they used to awake
of a councillor in the Parliament of
him by the sound of some agreeable music,
Bordeaux. The history of his early married
and how he learned Latin, without suffering
life vies in obscurity with that of his youth.
the rod or shedding a tear, before beginning
His biographers are not agreed among and contemplation the remaining term of his
themselves; and in the same degree that he life; and on his birthday, the last of February
lays open to our view all that concerns his 1571, he caused a philosophical inscription,
secret thoughts, the innermost mechanism of in Latin, to be placed upon one of the walls
his mind, he observes too much reticence in of his chateau, where it is still to be seen,
respect to his public functions and conduct, and of which the translation is to this
and his social relations. The title of effect:—"In the year of Christ . . . in his
Gentleman in Ordinary to the King, which thirty-eighth year, on the eve of the Calends
he assumes, in a preface, and which Henry of March, his birthday, Michel Montaigne,
II. gives him in a letter, which we print a already weary of court employments and
little farther on; what he says as to the public honours, withdrew himself entirely
commotions of courts, where he passed a into the converse of the learned virgins
portion of his life; the Instructions which he where he intends to spend the remaining
wrote under the dictation of Catherine de moiety of the to allotted to him in tranquil
Medici for King Charles IX., and his noble seclusion."
correspondence with Henry IV., leave no
doubt, however, as to the part which he At the time to which we have come,
played in the transactions of those times, and Montaigne was unknown to the world of
we find an unanswerable proof of the esteem letters, except as a translator and editor. In
in which he was held by the most exalted 1569 he had published a translation of the
personages, in a letter which was addressed "Natural Theology" of Raymond de
to him by Charles at the time he was Sebonde, which he had solely undertaken to
admitted to the Order of St. Michael, which please his father. In 1571 he had caused to
was, as he informs us himself, the highest be printed at Paris certain 'opuscucla' of
honour of the French noblesse. Etienne de la Boetie; and these two efforts,
inspired in one case by filial duty, and in the
According to Lacroix du Maine, Montaigne, other by friendship, prove that affectionate
upon the death of his eldest brother, resigned motives overruled with him mere personal
his post of Councillor, in order to adopt the ambition as a literary man. We may suppose
military profession, while, if we might credit that he began to compose the Essays at the
the President Bouhier, he never discharged very outset of his retirement from public
any functions connected with arms. engagements; for as, according to his own
However, several passages in the Essays account, observes the President Bouhier, he
seem to indicate that he not only took cared neither for the chase, nor building, nor
service, but that he was actually in numerous gardening, nor agricultural pursuits, and was
campaigns with the Catholic armies. Let us exclusively occupied with reading and
add, that on his monument he is represented reflection, he devoted himself with
in a coat of mail, with his casque and satisfaction to the task of setting down his
gauntlets on his right side, and a lion at his thoughts just as they occurred to him. Those
feet, all which signifies, in the language of thoughts became a book, and the first part of
funeral emblems, that the departed has been that book, which was to confer immortality
engaged in some important military on the writer, appeared at Bordeaux in 1580.
transactions. Montaigne was then fifty-seven; he had
suffered for some years past from renal colic
However it may be as to these conjectures, and gravel; and it was with the necessity of
our author, having arrived at his thirty- distraction from his pain, and the hope of
eighth year, resolved to dedicate to study deriving relief from the waters, that he
undertook at this time a great journey. As "Upon his arrival at Botzen, Montaigne
the account which he has left of his travels wrote to Francois Hottmann, to say that he
in Germany and Italy comprises some highly had been so pleased with his visit to
interesting particulars of his life and Germany that he quitted it with great regret,
personal history, it seems worth while to although it was to go into Italy. He then
furnish a sketch or analysis of it. passed through Brunsol, Trent, where he put
up at the Rose; thence going to Rovera; and
"The Journey, of which we proceed to here he first lamented the scarcity of
describe the course simply," says the editor crawfish, but made up for the loss by
of the Itinerary, "had, from Beaumont-sur- partaking of truffles cooked in oil and
Oise to Plombieres, in Lorraine, nothing vinegar; oranges, citrons, and olives, in all
sufficiently interesting to detain us . . . we of which he delighted."
must go as far, as Basle, of which we have a
description, acquainting us with its physical After passing a restless night, when he
and political condition at that period, as well bethought himself in the morning that there
as with the character of its baths. The was some new town or district to be seen, he
passage of Montaigne through Switzerland rose, we are told, with alacrity and pleasure.
is not without interest, as we see there how
our philosophical traveller accommodated His secretary, to whom he dictated his
himself everywhere to the ways of the Journal, assures us that he never saw him
country. The hotels, the provisions, the take so much interest in surrounding scenes
Swiss cookery, everything, was agreeable to and persons, and believes that the complete
him; it appears, indeed, as if he preferred to change helped to mitigate his sufferings in
the French manners and tastes those of the concentrating his attention on other points.
places he was visiting, and of which the When there was a complaint made that he
simplicity and freedom (or frankness) had led his party out of the beaten route, and
accorded more with his own mode of life then returned very near the spot from which
and thinking. In the towns where he stayed, they started, his answer was that he had no
Montaigne took care to see the Protestant settled course, and that he merely proposed
divines, to make himself conversant with all to himself to pay visits to places which he
their dogmas. He even had disputations with had not seen, and so long as they could not
them occasionally. convict him of traversing the same path
twice, or revisiting a point already seen, he
"Having left Switzerland he went to Isne, an could perceive no harm in his plan. As to
imperial then on to Augsburg and Munich. Rome, he cared less to go there, inasmuch as
He afterwards proceeded to the Tyrol, where everybody went there; and he said that he
he was agreeably surprised, after the never had a lacquey who could not tell him
warnings which he had received, at the very all about Florence or Ferrara. He also would
slight inconveniences which he suffered, say that he seemed to himself like those who
which gave him occasion to remark that he are reading some pleasant story or some fine
had all his life distrusted the statements of book, of which they fear to come to the end:
others respecting foreign countries, each he felt so much pleasure in travelling that he
person's tastes being according to the dreaded the moment of arrival at the place
notions of his native place; and that he had where they were to stop for the night.
consequently set very little on what he was
told beforehand. We see that Montaigne travelled, just as he
wrote, completely at his ease, and without
the least constraint, turning, just as he
fancied, from the common or ordinary roads ruins at Rome, and he has enshrined in a
taken by tourists. The good inns, the soft magnificent passage of the Journal the
beds, the fine views, attracted his notice at feelings of the moment: "He said," writes his
every point, and in his observations on men secretary, "that at Rome one saw nothing but
and things he confines himself chiefly to the the sky under which she had been built, and
practical side. The consideration of his the outline of her site: that the knowledge
health was constantly before him, and it was we had of her was abstract, contemplative,
in consequence of this that, while at Venice, not palpable to the actual senses: that those
which disappointed him, he took occasion to who said they beheld at least the ruins of
note, for the benefit of readers, that he had Rome, went too far, for the ruins of so
an attack of colic, and that he evacuated two gigantic a structure must have commanded
large stones after supper. On quitting greater reverence-it was nothing but her
Venice, he went in succession to Ferrara, sepulchre. The world, jealous of her,
Rovigo, Padua, Bologna (where he had a prolonged empire, had in the first place
stomach-ache), Florence, &c.; and broken to pieces that admirable body, and
everywhere, before alighting, he made it a then, when they perceived that the remains
rule to send some of his servants to ascertain attracted worship and awe, had buried the
where the best accommodation was to be very wreck itself.—[Compare a passage in
had. He pronounced the Florentine women one of Horace Walpole's letters to Richard
the finest in the world, but had not an West, 22 March 1740 (Cunningham's edit. i.
equally good opinion of the food, which was 41), where Walpole, speaking of Rome,
less plentiful than in Germany, and not so describes her very ruins as ruined.]—As to
well served. He lets us understand that in those small fragments which were still to be
Italy they send up dishes without dressing, seen on the surface, notwithstanding the
but in Germany they were much better assaults of time and all other attacks, again
seasoned, and served with a variety of and again repeated, they had been favoured
sauces and gravies. He remarked further, by fortune to be some slight evidence of that
that the glasses were singularly small and infinite grandeur which nothing could
the wines insipid. entirely extingish. But it was likely that
these disfigured remains were the least
After dining with the Grand-Duke of entitled to attention, and that the enemies of
Florence, Montaigne passed rapidly over the that immortal renown, in their fury, had
intermediate country, which had no addressed themselves in the first instance to
fascination for him, and arrived at Rome on the destruction of what was most beautiful
the last day of November, entering by the and worthiest of preservation; and that the
Porta del Popolo, and putting up at Bear. But buildings of this bastard Rome, raised upon
he afterwards hired, at twenty crowns a the ancient productions, although they might
month, fine furnished rooms in the house of excite the admiration of the present age,
a Spaniard, who included in these terms the reminded him of the crows' and sparrows'
use of the kitchen fire. What most annoyed nests built in the walls and arches of the old
him in the Eternal City was the number of churches, destroyed by the Huguenots.
Frenchmen he met, who all saluted him in Again, he was apprehensive, seeing the
his native tongue; but otherwise he was very space which this grave occupied, that the
comfortable, and his stay extended to five whole might not have been recovered, and
months. A mind like his, full of grand that the burial itself had been buried. And,
classical reflections, could not fail to be moreover, to see a wretched heap of rubbish,
profoundly impressed in the presence of the
as pieces of tile and pottery, grow (as it had manifested a great regard for religion. He
ages since) to a height equal to that of solicited the honour of being admitted to
Mount Gurson,—[In Perigord.]—and thrice kiss the feet of the Holy Father, Gregory
the width of it, appeared to show a XIII.; and the Pontiff exhorted him always
conspiracy of destiny against the glory and to continue in the devotion which he had
pre-eminence of that city, affording at the hitherto exhibited to the Church and the
same time a novel and extraordinary proof service of the Most Christian King.
of its departed greatness. He (Montaigne)
observed that it was difficult to believe "After this, one sees," says the editor of the
considering the limited area taken up by any Journal, "Montaigne employing all his time
of her seven hills and particularly the two in making excursions bout the
most favoured ones, the Capitoline and the neighbourhood on horseback or on foot, in
Palatine, that so many buildings stood on the visits, in observations of every kind. The
site. Judging only from what is left of the churches, the stations, the processions even,
Temple of Concord, along the 'Forum the sermons; then the palaces, the vineyards,
Romanum', of which the fall seems quite the gardens, the public amusements, as the
recent, like that of some huge mountain split Carnival, &c.—nothing was overlooked. He
into horrible crags, it does not look as if saw a Jewish child circumcised, and wrote
more than two such edifices could have down a most minute account of the
found room on the Capitoline, on which operation. He met at San Sisto a Muscovite
there were at one period from five-and- ambassador, the second who had come to
twenty to thirty temples, besides private Rome since the pontificate of Paul III. This
dwellings. But, in point of fact, there is minister had despatches from his court for
scarcely any probability of the views which Venice, addressed to the 'Grand Governor of
we take of the city being correct, its plan and the Signory'. The court of Muscovy had at
form having changed infinitely; for instance, that time such limited relations with the
the 'Velabrum', which on account of its other powers of Europe, and it was so
depressed level, received the sewage of the imperfect in its information, that it thought
city, and had a lake, has been raised by Venice to be a dependency of the Holy See."
artificial accumulation to a height with the Of all the particulars with which he has
other hills, and Mount Savello has, in truth, furnished us during his stay at Rome, the
grown simply out of the ruins of the theatre following passage in reference to the Essays
of Marcellus. He believed that an ancient is not the least singular: "The Master of the
Roman would not recognise the place again. Sacred Palace returned him his Essays,
It often happened that in digging down into castigated in accordance with the views of
earth the workmen came upon the crown of the learned monks. 'He had only been able to
some lofty column, which, though thus form a judgment of them,' said he, 'through a
buried, was still standing upright. The certain French monk, not understanding
people there have no recourse to other French himself'"—we leave Montaigne
foundations than the vaults and arches of the himself to tell the story—"and he received
old houses, upon which, as on slabs of rock, so complacently my excuses and
they raise their modern palaces. It is easy to explanations on each of the passages which
see that several of the ancient streets are had been animadverted upon by the French
thirty feet below those at present in use." monk, that he concluded by leaving me at
Sceptical as Montaigne shows himself in his liberty to revise the text agreeably to the
books, yet during his sojourn at Rome he dictates of my own conscience. I begged
him, on the contrary, to abide by the opinion should be free from all further intrusion on
of the person who had criticised me, their part. It seemed to me that we parted
confessing, among other matters, as, for very good friends."
example, in my use of the word fortune, in
quoting historical poets, in my apology for Before quitting Rome, Montaigne received
Julian, in my animadversion on the theory his diploma of citizenship, by which he was
that he who prayed ought to be exempt from greatly flattered; and after a visit to Tivoli he
vicious inclinations for the time being; item, set out for Loretto, stopping at Ancona,
in my estimate of cruelty, as something Fano, and Urbino. He arrived at the
beyond simple death; item, in my view that beginning of May 1581, at Bagno della
a child ought to be brought up to do Villa, where he established himself, order to
everything, and so on; that these were my try the waters. There, we find in the Journal,
opinions, which I did not think wrong; as to of his own accord the Essayist lived in the
other things, I said that the corrector strictest conformity with the regime, and
understood not my meaning. The Master, henceforth we only hear of diet, the effect
who is a clever man, made many excuses for which the waters had by degrees upon
me, and gave me to suppose that he did not system, of the manner in which he took
concur in the suggested improvements; and them; in a word, he does not omit an item of
pleaded very ingeniously for me in my the circumstances connected with his daily
presence against another (also an Italian) routine, his habit of body, his baths, and the
who opposed my sentiments." rest. It was no longer the journal of a
traveller which he kept, but the diary of an
Such is what passed between Montaigne and invalid,—["I am reading Montaigne's
these two personages at that time; but when Travels, which have lately been found; there
the Essayist was leaving, and went to bid is little in them but the baths and medicines
them farewell, they used very different he took, and what he had everywhere for
language to him. "They prayed me," says he, dinner."—H. Walpole to Sir Horace Mann,
"to pay no attention to the censure passed on June 8, 1774.]—attentive to the minutest
my book, in which other French persons had details of the cure which he was
apprised them that there were many foolish endeavouring to accomplish: a sort of
things; adding, that they honoured my memorandum book, in which he was noting
affectionate intention towards the Church, down everything that he felt and did, for the
and my capacity; and had so high an opinion benefit of his medical man at home, who
of my candour and conscientiousness that would have the care of his health on his
they should leave it to me to make such return, and the attendance on his subsequent
alterations as were proper in the book, when infirmities. Montaigne gives it as his reason
I reprinted it; among other things, the word and justification for enlarging to this extent
fortune. To excuse themselves for what they here, that he had omitted, to his regret, to do
had said against my book, they instanced so in his visits to other baths, which might
works of our time by cardinals and other have saved him the trouble of writing at
divines of excellent repute which had been such great length now; but it is perhaps a
blamed for similar faults, which in no way better reason in our eyes, that what he wrote
affected reputation of the author, or of the he wrote for his own use.
publication as a whole; they requested me to
lend the Church the support of my We find in these accounts, however, many
eloquence (this was their fair speech), and to touches which are valuable as illustrating the
make longer stay in the place, where I manners of the place. The greater part of the
entries in the Journal, giving the account of France, accompanied by young D'Estissac
these waters, and of the travels, down to and several other gentlemen, who escorted
Montaigne's arrival at the first French town him a considerable distance; but none went
on his homeward route, are in Italian, back to France with him, not even his
because he wished to exercise himself in travelling companion. He passed by Padua,
that language. Milan, Mont Cenis, and Chambery; thence
he went on to Lyons, and lost no time in
The minute and constant watchfulness of repairing to his chateau, after an absence of
Montaigne over his health and over himself seventeen months and eight days.
might lead one to suspect that excessive fear
of death which degenerates into cowardice. We have just seen that, during his absence in
But was it not rather the fear of the Italy, the author of the Essays was elected
operation for the stone, at that time really mayor of Bordeaux. "The gentlemen of
formidable? Or perhaps he was of the same Bordeaux," says he, "elected me Mayor of
way of thinking with the Greek poet, of their town while I was at a distance from
whom Cicero reports this saying: "I do not France, and far from the thought of such a
desire to die; but the thought of being dead thing. I excused myself; but they gave to
is indifferent to me." Let us hear, however, understand that I was wrong in so doing, it
what he says himself on this point very being also the command of the king that I
frankly: "It would be too weak and unmanly should stand." This the letter which Henry
on my part if, certain as I am of always III. wrote to him on the occasion:
finding myself in the position of having to
succumb in that way,—[To the stone or MONSIEUR, DE MONTAIGNE,—
gravel.]—and death coming nearer and Inasmuch as I hold in great esteem your
nearer to me, I did not make some effort, fidelity and zealous devotion to my service,
before the time came, to bear the trial with it has been a pleasure to me to learn that you
fortitude. For reason prescribes that we have been chosen mayor of my town of
should joyfully accept what it may please Bordeaux. I have had the agreeable duty of
God to send us. Therefore the only remedy, confirming the selection, and I did so the
the only rule, and the sole doctrine for more willingly, seeing that it was made
avoiding the evils by which mankind is during your distant absence; wherefore it is
surrounded, whatever they are, is to resolve my desire, and I require and command you
to bear them so far as our nature permits, or expressly that you proceed without delay to
to put an end to them courageously and enter on the duties to which you have
promptly." received so legitimate a call. And so you
will act in a manner very agreeable to me,
He was still at the waters of La Villa, when, while the contrary will displease me greatly.
on the 7th September 1581, he learned by Praying God, M. de Montaigne, to have you
letter that he had been elected Mayor of in his holy keeping.
Bordeaux on the 1st August preceding. This
intelligence made him hasten his departure; "Written at Paris, the 25th day of November
and from Lucca he proceeded to Rome. He 1581.
again made some stay in that city, and he "HENRI.
there received the letter of the jurats of
Bordeaux, notifying to him officially his "A Monsieur de MONTAIGNE, Knight of
election to the Mayoralty, and inviting him my Order, Gentleman in Ordinary of my
to return as speedily as possible. He left for Chamber, being at present in Rome."
Montaigne, in his new employment, the time the author, while making alterations in
most important in the province, obeyed the the original text, had composed part of the
axiom, that a man may not refuse a duty, Third Book. He went to Paris to make
though it absorb his time and attention, and arrangements for the publication of his
even involve the sacrifice of his blood. enlarged labours, and a fourth impression in
Placed between two extreme parties, ever on 1588 was the result. He remained in the
the point of getting to blows, he showed capital some time on this occasion, and it
himself in practice what he is in his book, was now that he met for the first time
the friend of a middle and temperate policy. Mademoiselle de Gournay. Gifted with an
Tolerant by character and on principle, he active and inquiring spirit, and, above all,
belonged, like all the great minds of the possessing a sound and healthy tone of
sixteenth century, to that political sect which mind, Mademoiselle de Gournay had been
sought to improve, without destroying, carried from her childhood with that tide
institutions; and we may say of him, what he which set in with sixteenth century towards
himself said of La Boetie, "that he had that controversy, learning, and knowledge. She
maxim indelibly impressed on his mind, to learnt Latin without a master; and when, the
obey and submit himself religiously to the age of eighteen, she accidentally became
laws under which he was born. possessor of a copy of the Essays, she was
Affectionately attached to the repose of his transported with delight and admiration.
country, an enemy to changes and
innovations, he would have preferred to She quitted the chateau of Gournay, to come
employ what means he had towards their and see him. We cannot do better, in
discouragement and suppression, than in connection with this journey of sympathy,
promoting their success." Such was the than to repeat the words of Pasquier: "That
platform of his administration. young lady, allied to several great and noble
families of Paris, proposed to herself no
He applied himself, in an especial manner, other marriage than with her honour,
to the maintenance of peace between the two enriched with the knowledge gained from
religious factions which at that time divided good books, and, beyond all others, from the
the town of Bordeaux; and at the end of his essays of M. de Montaigne, who making in
two first years of office, his grateful fellow- the year 1588 a lengthened stay in the town
citizens conferred on him (in 1583) the of Paris, she went there for the purpose of
mayoralty for two years more, a distinction forming his personal acquaintance; and her
which had been enjoyed, as he tells us, only mother, Madame de Gournay, and herself
twice before. On the expiration of his took him back with them to their chateau,
official career, after four years' duration, he where, at two or three different times, he
could say fairly enough of himself that he spent three months altogether, most
left behind him neither hatred nor cause of welcome of visitors." It was from this
offence. moment that Mademoiselle de Gournay
dated her adoption as Montaigne's daughter,
In the midst of the cares of government, a circumstance which has tended to confer
Montaigne found time to revise and enlarge immortality upon her in a far greater
his Essays, which, since their appearance in measure than her own literary productions.
1580, were continually receiving
augmentation in the form of additional Montaigne, on leaving Paris, stayed a short
chapters or papers. Two more editions were time at Blois, to attend the meeting of the
printed in 1582 and 1587; and during this States-General. We do not know what part
he took in that assembly: but it is known that some details his last hours, narrates that he
he was commissioned, about this period, to remained three days in full possession of his
negotiate between Henry of Navarre faculties, but unable to speak, so that, in
(afterwards Henry IV.) and the Duke of order to make known his desires, he was
Guise. His political life is almost a blank; obliged to resort to writing; and as he felt his
but De Thou assures us that Montaigne end drawing near, he begged his wife to
enjoyed the confidence of the principal summon certain of the gentlemen who lived
persons of his time. De Thou, who calls him in the neighbourhood to bid them a last
a frank man without constraint, tells us that, farewell. When they had arrived, he caused
walking with him and Pasquier in the court mass to be celebrated in apartment; and just
at the Castle of Blois, he heard him as the priest was elevating the host,
pronounce some very remarkable opinions Montaigne fell forward with his arms
on contemporary events, and he adds that extended in front of him, on the bed, and so
Montaigne had foreseen that the troubles in expired. He was in his sixtieth year. It was
France could not end without witnessing the the 13th September 1592.
death of either the King of Navarre or of the
Duke of Guise. He had made himself so Montaigne was buried near his own house;
completely master of the views of these two but a few years after his decease, his
princes, that he told De Thou that the King remains were removed to the church of a
of Navarre would have been prepared to Commandery of St. Antoine at Bordeaux,
embrace Catholicism, if he had not been where they still continue. His monument
afraid of being abandoned by his party, and was restored in 1803 by a descendant. It was
that the Duke of Guise, on his part, had no seen about 1858 by an English traveller (Mr.
particular repugnance to the Confession of St. John).'—["Montaigne the Essayist," by
Augsburg, for which the Cardinal of Bayle St. John, 1858, 2 vols. 8vo, is one of
Lorraine, his uncle, had inspired him with a most delightful books of the kind.]— and
liking, if it had not been for the peril was then in good preservation.
involved in quitting the Romish communion. In 1595 Mademoiselle de Gournay
It would have been easy for Montaigne to published a new edition of Montaigne's
play, as we call it, a great part in politics, Essays, and the first with the latest
and create for himself a lofty position but his emendations of the author, from a copy
motto was, 'Otio et Libertati'; and he presented to her by his widow, and which
returned quietly home to compose a chapter has not been recovered, although it is known
for his next edition on inconveniences of to have been in existence some years after
Greatness. the date of the impression, made on its
The author of the Essays was now fifty-five. authority.
The malady which tormented him grew only Coldly as Montaigne's literary productions
worse and worse with years; and yet he appear to have been received by the
occupied himself continually with reading, generation immediately succeeding his own
meditating, and composition. He employed age, his genius grew into just appreciation in
the years 1589, 1590, and 1591 in making the seventeenth century, when such great
fresh additions to his book; and even in the spirits arose as La Bruyere, Moliere, La
approaches of old age he might fairly Fontaine, Madame de Sevigne. "O,"
anticipate many happy hours, when he was exclaimed the Chatelaine des Rochers,
attacked by quinsy, depriving him of the "what capital company he is, the dear man!
power utterance. Pasquier, who has left us he is my old friend; and just for the reason
that he is so, he always seems new. My
God! how full is that book of sense!" Balzac
said that he had carried human reason as far
and as high as it could go, both in politics
and in morals. On the other hand,
Malebranche and the writers of Port Royal
were against him; some reprehended the
licentiousness of his writings; others their
impiety, materialism, epicureanism. Even
Pascal, who had carefully read the Essays,
and gained no small profit by them, did not
spare his reproaches. But Montaigne has
outlived detraction. As time has gone on, his
admirers and borrowers have increased in
number, and his Jansenism, which
recommended him to the eighteenth century,
may not be his least recommendation in the
nineteenth. Here we have certainly, on the
whole, a first-class man, and one proof of
his masterly genius seems to be, 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 writer.