第44章

Theyhaveathirdwayofsavingtheirowncredit，ofriddingtheirhandsofusandsecuringthemselvesfromthereproacheswemightcastintheirteethofourlittleamendment，whentheyhavehadussolongintheirhandsthattheyhavenotonemoreinventionleftwherewithtoamuseus，whichistosendustothebetterairofsomeothercountry。This，Madame，isenough;Ihopeyouwillgivemeleavetoreturntomydiscourse，fromwhichIhavesofardigressed，thebettertodivertyou。"

Itwas，Ithink，Pericles，whobeingaskedhowhedid:"Youmayjudge，"

sayshe，"bythese，"showingsomelittlescrollsofparchmenthehadtiedabouthisneckandarms。Bywhichhewouldinferthathemustneedsbeverysickwhenhewasreducedtoanecessityofhavingrecoursetosuchidleandvainfopperies，andofsufferinghimselftobesoequipped。

IdarenotpromisebutthatImayonedaybesomuchafoolastocommitmylifeanddeathtothemercyandgovernmentofphysicians;Imayfallintosuchafrenzy;Idarenotberesponsibleformyfutureconstancy:

butthen，ifanyoneaskmehowIdo，Imayalsoanswer，asPericlesdid，"Youmayjudgebythis，"shewingmyhandclutchingsixdrachmsofopium。

Itwillbeaveryevidentsignofaviolentsickness:myjudgmentwillbeverymuchoutoforder;ifoncefearandimpatiencegetsuchanadvantageoverme，itmayverywellbeconcludedthatthereisadreadfulfeverinmymind。

Ihavetakenthepainstopleadthiscause，whichIunderstandindifferently，alittletobackandsupportthenaturalaversiontodrugsandthepracticeofphysicIhavederivedfrommyancestors，totheenditmaynotbeamerestupidandinconsiderateaversion，buthavealittlemoreform;andalso，thattheywhoshallseemesoobstinateinmyresolutionagainstallexhortationsandmenacesthatshallbegivenme，whenmyinfirmityshallpresshardestuponme，maynotthink’tismereobstinacyinme;oranyonesoill—naturedastojudgeittobeanymotiveofglory:foritwouldbeastrangeambitiontoseektogainhonourbyanactionmygardenerormygroomcanperformaswellasI。

Certainly，Ihavenotaheartsotumorousandwindy，thatIshouldexchangesosolidapleasureashealthforanairyandimaginarypleasure:glory，eventhatoftheFourSonsofAymon，istoodearboughtbyamanofmyhumour，ifitcosthimthreeswingingfitsofthestone。

Givemehealth，inGod’sname！Suchaslovephysic，mayalsohavegood，great，andconvincingconsiderations;Idonothateopinionscontrarytomyown:Iamso，farfrombeingangrytoseeadiscrepancybetwixtmineandothermen’sjudgments，andfromrenderingmyselfunfitforthesocietyofmen，frombeingofanothersenseandpartythanmine，thatonthecontrary（themostgeneralwaythatnaturehasfollowedbeingvariety，andmoreinsoulsthanbodies，forasmuchastheyareofamoresupplesubstance，andmoresusceptibleofforms）Ifinditmuchmoreraretoseeourhumoursanddesignsjumpandagree。Andthereneverwere，intheworld，twoopinionsalike，nomorethantwohairs，ortwograins:

theirmostuniversalqualityisdiversity。

EndTheEssaysofMontaigne，V14

byMicheldeMontaigneTranslatedbyCharlesCottonEditedbyWilliamCarewHazilitt1877

CONTENTSOFVOLUME14。

I。OfProfitandHonesty。

II。OfRepentance。

III。OfThreeCommerces。

IV。OfDiversion。

ESSAYSOFMONTAIGNE

BOOKTHETHIRD

CHAPTERI

OFPROFITANDHONESTY

Nomanisfreefromspeakingfoolishthings;buttheworston’tis，whenamanlabourstoplaythefool:

"Naeistemagnoconatumagnasnugasdixerit。"

["Trulyhe，withagreateffortwillshortlysayamightytrifle。"

———Terence，Heaut。，actiii。，s。4。]

Thisdoesnotconcernme;mineslipfrommewithaslittlecareastheyareoflittlevalue，and’tisthebetterforthem。Iwouldpresentlypartwiththemforwhattheyareworth，andneitherbuynorsellthem，butastheyweigh。Ispeakonpaper，asIdotothefirstpersonImeet;

andthatthisistrue，observewhatfollows。

Towhomoughtnottreacherytobehateful，whenTiberiusrefuseditinathingofsogreatimportancetohim？HehadwordsenthimfromGermanythatifhethoughtfit，theywouldridhimofArminiusbypoison:thiswasthemostpotentenemytheRomanshad，whohaddefeatedthemsoignominiouslyunderVarus，andwhoalonepreventedtheiraggrandisementinthoseparts。

Hereturnedanswer，"thatthepeopleofRomewerewonttorevengethemselvesoftheirenemiesbyopenways，andwiththeirswordsintheirhands，andnotclandestinelyandbyfraud":whereinhequittedtheprofitableforthehonest。Youwilltellmethathewasabraggadocio;I

believesotoo:and’tisnogreatmiracleinmenofhisprofession。Buttheacknowledgmentofvirtueisnotlessvalidinthemouthofhimwhohatesit，forasmuchastruthforcesitfromhim，andifhewillnotinwardlyreceiveit，heatleastputsitonforadecoration。

Ouroutwardandinwardstructureisfullofimperfection;butthereisnothinguselessinnature，noteveninutilityitself;nothinghasinsinuateditselfintothisuniversethathasnotthereinsomefitandproperplace。Ourbeingiscementedwithsicklyqualities:ambition，jealousy，envy，revenge，superstition，anddespairhavesonaturalapossessioninus，thatitsimageisdiscernedinbeasts;nay，andcruelty，sounnaturalavice;foreveninthemidstofcompassionwefeelwithin，Iknownotwhattart—sweettitillationofill—naturedpleasureinseeingotherssuffer;andthechildrenfeelit:

"Suavemarimagno，turbantibusaequoraventis，Eterramagnumalteriusspectarelaborem:"

[Itissweet，whenthewindsdisturbthewatersofthevastsea，towitnessfromlandtheperilofotherpersons。"——Lucretius，ii。I。]

oftheseedsofwhichqualities，whoevershoulddivestman，woulddestroythefundamentalconditionsofhumanlife。Likewise，inallgovernmentstherearenecessaryoffices，notonlyabject，butviciousalso。Vicestherehelptomakeuptheseaminourpiecing，aspoisonsareusefulfortheconservationofhealth。Iftheybecomeexcusablebecausetheyareofusetous，andthatthecommonnecessitycoverstheirtruequalities，wearetoresignthisparttothestrongestandboldestcitizens，whosacrificetheirhonourandconscience，asothersofoldsacrificedtheirlives，forthegoodoftheircountry:we，whoareweaker，takeuponuspartsboththataremoreeasyandlesshazardous。Thepublicwealrequiresthatmenshouldbetray，andlie，andmassacre;letusleavethiscommissiontomenwhoaremoreobedientandmoresupple。

Inearnest，Ihaveoftenbeentroubledtoseejudges，byfraudandfalsehopesoffavourorpardon，allureacriminaltoconfesshisfact，andthereintomakeuseofcozenageandimpudence。Itwouldbecomejustice，andPlatohimself，whocountenancesthismannerofproceeding，tofurnishmewithothermeansmoresuitabletomyownliking:thisisamaliciouskindofjustice，andIlookuponitasnolesswoundedbyitselfthanbyothers。Isaidnotlongsincetosomecompanyindiscourse，thatI

shouldhardlybedrawntobetraymyprinceforaparticularman，whoshouldbemuchashamedtobetrayanyparticularmanformyprince;andI

donotonlyhatedeceivingmyself，butthatanyoneshoulddeceivethroughme;Iwillneitheraffordmatternoroccasiontoanysuchthing。

InthelittleIhavehadtomediatebetwixtourprinces——[BetweentheKingofNavarre，afterwardsHenryIV。，andtheDucdeGuise。SeeDeThou，DeVitaSua，iii。9。]——inthedivisionsandsubdivisionsbywhichweareatthistimetorntopieces，Ihavebeenverycarefulthattheyshouldneitherbedeceivedinmenordeceiveothersbyme。Peopleofthatkindoftradingareveryreserved，andpretendtobethemostmoderateimaginableandnearesttotheopinionsofthosewithwhomtheyhavetodo;Iexposemyselfinmystiffopinion，andafteramethodthemostmyown;atendernegotiator，anovice，whohadratherfailintheaffairthanbewantingtomyself。Andyetithasbeenhithertowithsogoodluck（forfortunehasdoubtlessthebestshareinit），thatfewthingshavepassedfromhandtohandwithlesssuspicionormorefavourandprivacy。IhaveafreeandopenwaythateasilyinsinuatesitselfandobtainsbeliefwiththosewithwhomIamtodealatthefirstmeeting。Sincerityandpuretruth，inwhatagesoever，passforcurrent;

andbesides，thelibertyandfreedomofamanwhotreatswithoutanyinterestofhisownisneverhatefulorsuspected，andhemayverywellmakeuseoftheanswerofHyperidestotheAthenians，whocomplainedofhisbluntwayofspeaking:"Messieurs，donotconsiderwhetherornoIamfree，butwhetherIamsowithoutabribe，orwithoutanyadvantagetomyownaffairs。"Mylibertyofspeakinghasalsoeasilyclearedmefromallsuspicionofdissemblingbyitsvehemency，leavingnothingunsaid，howhomeandbittersoever（sothatIcouldhavesaidnoworsebehindtheirbacks），andinthatitcarriedalongwithitamanifestshowofsimplicityandindifference。Ipretendtonootherfruitbyactingthantoact，andaddtoitnolongargumentsorpropositions;everyactionplaysitsowngame，winifitcan。

Astotherest，Iamnotswayedbyanypassion，eitherofloveorhatred，towardsthegreat，norhasmywillcaptivatedeitherbyparticularinjuryorobligation。Ilookuponourkingswithanaffectionsimplyloyalandrespectful，neitherpromptednorrestrainedbyanyprivateinterest，andIlovemyselfforit。Nordoesthegeneralandjustcauseattractmeotherwisethanwithmoderation，andwithoutheat。Iamnotsubjecttothosepenetratingandclosecompactsandengagements。Angerandhatredarebeyondthedutyofjustice;andarepassionsonlyusefultothosewhodonotkeepthemselvesstrictlytotheirdutybysimplereason:

"Utaturmotuanimi，quiutirationenonpotest。"

["Hemayemployhispassion，whocanmakenouseofhisreason。"

——Cicero，Tusc。Quaes。，iv。25。]

Alllegitimateintentionsaretemperateandequableofthemselves;ifotherwise，theydegenerateintoseditiousandunlawful。Thisisitwhichmakesmewalkeverywherewithmyheaderect，myfaceandmyheartopen。

Intruth，andIamnotafraidtoconfessit，Ishouldeasily，incaseofneed，holduponecandletoSt。Michaelandanothertohisdragon，liketheoldwoman;Iwillfollowtherightsideeventothefire，butexclusively，ifIcan。LetMontaignebeoverwhelmedinthepublicruinifneedbe;butiftherebenoneed，Ishouldthinkmyselfobligedtofortunetosaveme，andIwillmakeuseofallthelengthoflinemydutyallowsforhispreservation。WasitnotAtticuswho，beingofthejustbutlosingside，preservedhimselfbyhismoderationinthatuniversalshipwreckoftheworld，amongstsomanymutationsanddiversities？Forprivateman，ashewas，itismoreeasy;andinsuchkindofwork，I

thinkamanmayjustlynotbeambitioustoofferandinsinuatehimself。

Foraman，indeed，tobewaveringandirresolute，tokeephisaffectionunmovedandwithoutinclinationinthetroublesofhiscountryandpublicdivisions，Ineitherthinkithandsomenorhonest:

"Eanonmedia，sednullaviaest，veluteventumexspectantium，quofortunaeconsiliasuaapplicent。"

["Thatisnotamiddleway，butnoway，toawaitevents，bywhichtheyrefertheirresolutionstofortune。"——Livy，xxxii。21。]

Thismaybeallowedinourneighbours’affairs;andthusGelo，thetyrantofSyracuse，suspendedhisinclinationinthewarbetwixttheGreeksandbarbarians，keepingaresidentambassadorwithpresentsatDelphos，towatchandseewhichwayfortunewouldincline，andthentakefitoccasiontofallinwiththevictors。Itwouldbeakindoftreasontoproceedafterthismannerinourowndomesticaffairs，whereinamanmustofnecessitybeoftheonesideortheother;thoughforamanwhohasnoofficeorexpresscommandtocallhimout，tositstillIholditmoreexcusable（andyetIdonotexcusemyselfupontheseterms）thaninforeignexpeditions，towhich，however，accordingtoourlaws，nomanispressedagainsthiswill。Andyeteventhosewhowhollyengagethemselvesinsuchawarmaybehavethemselveswithsuchtemperandmoderation，thatthestormmayflyovertheirheadswithoutdoingthemanyharm。HadwenotreasontohopesuchanissueinthepersonofthelateBishopofOrleans，theSieurdeMorvilliers？

[Anablenegotiator，who，thoughprotectedbytheGuises，andstronglysupportingthem，wasyetveryfarfrompersecutingtheReformists。Hedied1577。]

AndIknow，amongstthosewhobehavethemselvesmostbravelyinthepresentwar，somewhosemannersaresogentle，obliging，andjust，thattheywillcertainlystandfirm，whatevereventHeavenispreparingforus。Iamofopinionthatitproperlybelongstokingsonlytoquarrelwithkings;andIlaughatthosespiritswho，outoflightnessofheart，lendthemselvestosodisproportioneddisputes;foramanhasneverthemoreparticularquarrelwithaprince，bymarchingopenlyandboldlyagainsthimforhisownhonourandaccordingtohisduty;ifhedoesnotlovesuchaperson，hedoesbetter，heesteemshim。Andnotablythecauseofthelawsandoftheancientgovernmentofakingdom，hasthisalwaysannexedtoit，thateventhosewho，fortheirownprivateinterest，invadethem，excuse，iftheydonothonour，thedefenders。

Butwearenot，aswenowadaysdo，tocallpeevishnessandinwarddiscontent，thatspringfromprivateinterestandpassion，duty，noratreac