The Essays of Montaigne — Volume 03
99 pages
English

The Essays of Montaigne — Volume 03

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99 pages
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Project Gutenberg's The Essays of Montaigne, Volume 3, by Michel de MontaigneThis eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it,give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online atwww.gutenberg.netTitle: The Essays of Montaigne, Volume 3Author: Michel de MontaigneRelease Date: September 17, 2006 [EBook #3583]Language: English*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ESSAYS OF MONTAIGNE, VOLUME 3 ***Produced by David WidgerESSAYS OF MICHEL DE MONTAIGNETranslated by Charles CottonEdited by William Carew Hazilitt1877CONTENTS OF VOLUME 3.XIII. The ceremony of the interview of princes.XIV. That men are justly punished for being obstinate in the defence of a fort that is not in reason to be defendedXV. Of the punishment of cowardice.XVI. A proceeding of some ambassadors.XVII. Of fear.XVIII. That men are not to judge of our happiness till after death.XIX. That to study philosophy is to learn to die.XX. Of the force of imagination.XXI. That the profit of one man is the damage of another.CHAPTER XIIITHE CEREMONY OF THE INTERVIEW OF PRINCESThere is no subject so frivolous that does not merit a place in this rhapsody. According to our common rule of civility,it would be a notable affront to an equal, and much more to a superior, to fail being at home when he has given younotice he will come to visit you. Nay, Queen ...

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Project Gutenberg's The Essays of Montaigne,Volume 3, by Michel de MontaigneThis eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere atno cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever.You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under theterms of the Project Gutenberg License includedwith this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.netTitle: The Essays of Montaigne, Volume 3Author: Michel de MontaigneRelease Date: September 17, 2006 [EBook #3583]Language: English*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERGEBOOK THE ESSAYS OF MONTAIGNE,VOLUME 3 ***Produced by David Widger
ESSAYS OF MICHELDE MONTAIGNETranslated by Charles CottonEdited by William Carew Hazilitt1877CONTENTS OF VOLUME 3.XIII. The ceremony of the interview of princes.XIV. That men are justly punished for beingobstinate in the defence          of a fort that is not in reason to be defendedXV. Of the punishment of cowardice.XVI. A proceeding of some ambassadors.XVII. Of fear.XVIII. That men are not to judge of our happinesstill after death.XIX. That to study philosophy is to learn to die.XX. Of the force of imagination.XXI. That the profit of one man is the damage ofanother.
CHAPTER XIIITHE CEREMONY OF THE INTERVIEW OFPRINCESThere is no subject so frivolous that does not merita place in this rhapsody. According to our commonrule of civility, it would be a notable affront to anequal, and much more to a superior, to fail being athome when he has given you notice he will cometo visit you. Nay, Queen Margaret of Navarre—[Marguerite de Valois, authoress of the'Heptameron']—further adds, that it would be arudeness in a gentleman to go out, as we so oftendo, to meet any that is coming to see him, let himbe of what high condition soever; and that it ismore respectful and more civil to stay at home toreceive him, if only upon the account of missinghim by the way, and that it is enough to receivehim at the door, and to wait upon him. For my part,who as much as I can endeavour to reduce theceremonies of my house, I very often forget boththe one and the other of these vain offices. If,peradventure, some one may take offence at this, Ican't help it; it is much better to offend him oncethan myself every day, for it would be a perpetualslavery. To what end do we avoid the servileattendance of courts, if we bring the same troublehome to our own private houses? It is also acommon rule in all assemblies, that those of lessquality are to be first upon the place, by reason
that it is more due to the better sort to make otherswait and expect them.Nevertheless, at the interview betwixt PopeClement and King Francis at Marseilles,—[in 1533.]—the King, after he had taken order for thenecessary preparations for his reception andentertainment, withdrew out of the town, and gavethe Pope two or three days' respite for his entry,and to repose and refresh himself, before he cameto him. And in like manner, at the assignation ofthe Pope and the Emperor,—[Charles V. in 1532.]at Bologna, the Emperor gave the Popeopportunity to come thither first, and came himselfafter; for which the reason given was this, that atall the interviews of such princes, the greater oughtto be first at the appointed place, especially beforethe other in whose territories the interview isappointed to be, intimating thereby a kind ofdeference to the other, it appearing proper for theless to seek out and to apply themselves to thegreater, and not the greater to them.Not every country only, but every city and everysociety has its particular forms of civility. Therewas care enough to this taken in my education,and I have lived in good company enough to knowthe formalities of our own nation, and am able togive lessons in it. I love to follow them, but not tobe so servilely tied to their observation that mywhole life should be enslaved to ceremonies, ofwhich there are some so troublesome that,provided a man omits them out of discretion, andnot for want of breeding, it will be every whit as
handsome. I have seen some people rude, bybeing overcivil and troublesome in their courtesy.Still, these excesses excepted, the knowledge ofcourtesy and good manners is a very necessarystudy. It is, like grace and beauty, that whichbegets liking and an inclination to love one anotherat the first sight, and in the very beginning ofacquaintance; and, consequently, that which firstopens the door and intromits us to instructourselves by the example of others, and to giveexamples ourselves, if we have any worth takingnotice of and communicating.
CHAPTER XIVTHAT MEN ARE JUSTLY PUNISHED FOR BEINGOBSTINATE IN THE DEFENCE OF A FORT THATIS NOT IN REASON TO BE DEFENDEDValour has its bounds as well as other virtues,which, once transgressed, the next step is into theterritories of vice; so that by having too large aproportion of this heroic virtue, unless a man bevery perfect in its limits, which upon the confinesare very hard to discern, he may very easilyunawares run into temerity, obstinacy, and folly.From this consideration it is that we have derivedthe custom, in times of war, to punish, even withdeath, those who are obstinate to defend a placethat by the rules of war is not tenable; otherwisemen would be so confident upon the hope ofimpunity, that not a henroost but would resist andseek to stop an army.The Constable Monsieur de Montmorenci, havingat the siege of Pavia been ordered to pass theTicino, and to take up his quarters in the FaubourgSt. Antonio, being hindered by a tower at the endof the bridge, which was so obstinate as to endurea battery, hanged every man he found within it fortheir labour. And again, accompanying the Dauphinin his expedition beyond the Alps, and taking theCastle of Villano by assault, and all within it beingput to the sword by the fury of the soldiers, the
governor and his ensign only excepted, he causedthem both to be trussed up for the same reason;as also did the Captain Martin du Bellay, thengovernor of Turin, with the governor of San Buono,in the same country, all his people having been cutto pieces at the taking of the place.But forasmuch as the strength or weakness of afortress is always measured by the estimate andcounterpoise of the forces that attack it —for aman might reasonably enough despise twoculverins, that would be a madman to abide abattery of thirty pieces of cannon—where also thegreatness of the prince who is master of the field,his reputation, and the respect that is due untohim, are also put into the balance, there is dangerthat the balance be pressed too much in thatdirection. And it may happen that a man ispossessed with so great an opinion of himself andhis power, that thinking it unreasonable any placeshould dare to shut its gates against him, he putsall to the sword where he meets with anyopposition, whilst his fortune continues; as is plainin the fierce and arrogant forms of summoningtowns and denouncing war, savouring so much ofbarbarian pride and insolence, in use amongst theOriental princes, and which their successors to thisday do yet retain and practise. And in that part ofthe world where the Portuguese subdued theIndians, they found some states where it was auniversal and inviolable law amongst them thatevery enemy overcome by the king in person, orby his lieutenant, was out of composition.
So above all both of ransom and mercy a manshould take heed, if he can, of falling into thehands of a judge who is an enemy and victorious.
CHAPTER XVOF THE PUNISHMENT OF COWARDICEI once heard of a prince, and a great captain,having a narration given him as he sat at table ofthe proceeding against Monsieur de Vervins, whowas sentenced to death for having surrenderedBoulogne to the English, —[To Henry VIII. in 1544]—openly maintaining that a soldier could not justlybe put to death for want of courage. And, in truth,'tis reason that a man should make a greatdifference betwixt faults that merely proceed frominfirmity, and those that are visibly the effects oftreachery and malice: for, in the last, we actagainst the rules of reason that nature hasimprinted in us; whereas, in the former, it seemsas if we might produce the same nature, who leftus in such a state of imperfection and weakness ofcourage, for our justification. Insomuch that manyhave thought we are not fairly questionable foranything but what we commit against ourconscience; and it is partly upon this rule that thoseground their opinion who disapprove of capital orsanguinary punishments inflicted upon heretics andmisbelievers; and theirs also who advocate or ajudge is not accountable for having from mereignorance failed in his administration.But as to cowardice, it is certain that the mostusual way of chastising it is by ignominy and and it
is supposed that this practice brought into use bythe legislator Charondas; and that, before his time,the laws of Greece punished those with death whofled from a battle; whereas he ordained only thatthey be for three days exposed in the publicdressed in woman's attire, hoping yet for someservice from them, having awakened their courageby this open shame:"Suffundere malis homims sanguinem, quameffundere."["Rather bring the blood into a man's cheekthan let it out of his body." Tertullian in hisApologetics.]It appears also that the Roman laws did ancientlypunish those with death who had run away; forAmmianus Marcellinus says that the EmperorJulian commanded ten of his soldiers, who hadturned their backs in an encounter against theParthians, to be first degraded, and afterward putto death, according, says he, to the ancient laws,—[Ammianus Marcellinus, xxiv. 4; xxv. i.]—and yetelsewhere for the like offence he only condemnedothers to remain amongst the prisoners under thebaggage ensign. The severe punishment thepeople of Rome inflicted upon those who fled fromthe battle of Cannae, and those who ran away withAeneius Fulvius at his defeat, did not extend todeath. And yet, methinks, 'tis to be feared, lestdisgrace should make such delinquents desperate,and not only faint friends, but enemies.
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