the essays of montaigne, v4-第9章

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undertaken；　whereas；　coming　to　discover　his　danger　nearer　hand；　and　his
nose　happening　to　bleed；　he　again　changed　that　demiss　and　fawning
countenance　he　had　at　first　put　on；　into　another　of　fear　and　amazement；
filling　his　voice　with　entreaties　and　his　eyes　with　tears；　and；
endeavouring　so　to　withdraw　and　secure　his　person；　that　carriage　more
inflamed　their　fury；　and　soon　brought　the　effects　of　it　upon　him。

It　was　upon　a　time　intended　that　there　should　be　a　general　muster　of
several　troops　in　arms　（and　that　is　the　most　proper　occasion　of　secret
revenges；　and　there　is　no　place　where　they　can　be　executed　with　greater
safety）；　and　there　were　public　and　manifest　appearances；　that　there　was
no　safe　coming　for　some；　whose　principal　and　necessary　office　it　was　to
review　them。　　Whereupon　a　consultation　was　held；　and　several　counsels
were　proposed；　as　in　a　case　that　was　very　nice　and　of　great　difficulty；
and　moreover　of　grave　consequence。　　Mine；　amongst　the　rest；　was；　that
they　should　by　all　means　avoid　giving　any　sign　of　suspicion；　but　that　the
officers　who　were　most　in　danger　should　boldly　go；　and　with　cheerful　and
erect　countenances　ride　boldly　and　confidently　through　the　ranks；　and
that　instead　of　sparing　fire　（which　the　counsels　of　the　major　part　tended
to）　they　should　entreat　the　captains　to　command　the　soldiers　to　give
round　and　full　volleys　in　honour　of　the　spectators；　and　not　to　spare
their　powder。　　This　was　accordingly　done；　and　served　so　good　use；　as　to
please　and　gratify　the　suspected　troops；　and　thenceforward　to　beget　a
mutual　and　wholesome　confidence　and　intelligence　amongst　them。

I　look　upon　Julius　Caesar's　way　of　winning　men　to　him　as　the　best　and
finest　that　can　be　put　in　practice。　　First；　he　tried　by　clemency　to　make
himself　beloved　even　by　his　very　enemies；　contenting　himself；　in　detected
conspiracies；　only　publicly　to　declare；　that　he　was　pre…acquainted　with
them；　which　being　done；　he　took　a　noble　resolution　to　await　without
solicitude　or　fear；　whatever　might　be　the　event；　wholly　resigning　himself
to　the　protection　of　the　gods　and　fortune：　for；　questionless；　in　this
state　he　was　at　the　time　when　he　was　killed。

A　stranger　having　publicly　said；　that　he　could　teach　Dionysius；　the
tyrant　of　Syracuse；　an　infallible　way　to　find　out　and　discover　all　the
conspiracies　his　subjects　could　contrive　against　him；　if　he　would　give
him　a　good　sum　of　money　for　his　pains；　Dionysius　hearing　of　it；　caused
the　man　to　be　brought　to　him；　that　he　might　learn　an　art　so　necessary　to
his　preservation。　　The　man　made　answer；　that　all　the　art　he　knew；　was；
that　he　should　give　him　a　talent；　and　afterwards　boast　that　he　had
obtained　a　singular　secret　from　him。　　Dionysius　liked　the　invention；　and
accordingly　caused　six　hundred　crowns　to　be　counted　out　to　him。
＇Plutarch；　Apothegms。＇　It　was　not　likely　he　should　give　so　great　a
sum　to　a　person　unknown；　but　upon　the　account　of　some　extraordinary
discovery；　and　the　belief　of　this　served　to　keep　his　enemies　in　awe。
Princes；　however；　do　wisely　to　publish　the　informations　they　receive　of
all　the　practices　against　their　lives；　to　possess　men　with　an　opinion
they　have　so　good　intelligence　that　nothing　can　be　plotted　against　them；
but　they　have　present　notice　of　it。　　The　Duke　of　Athens　did　a　great　many
foolish　things　in　the　establishment　of　his　new　tyranny　over　Florence：
but　this　especially　was　most　notable；　that　having　received　the　first
intimation　of　the　conspiracies　the　people　were　hatching　against　him；　from
Matteo　di　Morozzo；　one　of　the　conspirators；　he　presently　put　him　to
death；　to　suppress　that　rumour；　that　it　might　not　be　thought　any　of　the
city　disliked　his　government。

I　remember　I　have　formerly　read　a　story＇In　Appian's　Civil　Wars；　book
iv。。＇　of　some　Roman　of　great　quality　who；　flying　the　tyranny　of　the
Triumvirate；　had　a　thousand　times　by　the　subtlety　of　as　many　inventions
escaped　from　falling　into　the　hands　of　those　that　pursued　him。　　It
happened　one　day　that　a　troop　of　horse；　which　was　sent　out　to　take　him；
passed　close　by　a　brake　where　he　was　squat；　and　missed　very　narrowly　of
spying　him：　but　he　considering；　at　this　point；　the　pains　and　difficulties
wherein　he　had　so　long　continued　to　evade　the　strict　and　incessant
searches　that　were　every　day　made　for　him；　the　little　pleasure　he　could
hope　for　in　such　a　kind　of　life；　and　how　much　better　it　was　for　him　to
die　once　for　all；　than　to　be　perpetually　at　this　pass；　he　started　from
his　seat；　called　them　back；　showed　them　his　form；＇as　of　a　squatting
hare。＇　and　voluntarily　delivered　himself　up　to　their　cruelty；　by　that
means　to　free　both　himself　and　them　from　further　trouble。　　To　invite　a
man's　enemies　to　come　and　cut　his　throat；　seems　a　resolution　a　little
extravagant　and　odd；　and　yet　I　think　he　did　better　to　take　that　course；
than　to　live　in　continual　feverish　fear　of　an　accident　for　which　there
was　no　cure。　　But　seeing　all　the　remedies　a　man　can　apply　to　such　a
disease；　are　full　of　unquietness　and　uncertainty；　'tis　better　with　a
manly　courage　to　prepare　one's　self　for　the　worst　that　can　happen；　and　to
extract　some　consolation　from　this；　that　we　are　not　certain　the　thing　we
fear　will　ever　come　to　pass。




CHAPTER　XXIV

OF　PEDANTRY

I　was　often；　when　a　boy；　wonderfully　concerned　to　see；　in　the　Italian
farces；　a　pedant　always　brought　in　for　the　fool　of　the　play；　and　that　the
title　of　Magister　was　in　no　greater　reverence　amongst　us：　for　being
delivered　up　to　their　tuition；　what　could　I　do　less　than　be　jealous　of
their　honour　and　reputation？　　I　sought　indeed　to　excuse　them　by　the
natural　incompatibility　betwixt　the　vulgar　sort　and　men　of　a　finer
thread；　both　in　judgment　and　knowledge；　forasmuch　as　they　go　a　quite
contrary　way　to　one　another：　but　in　this；　the　thing　I　most　stumbled　at
was；　that　the　finest　gentlemen　were　those　who　most　despised　them；　witness
our　famous　poet　Du　Bellay

　　　　　　　　　　〃Mais　je　hay　par　sur　tout　un　scavoir　pedantesque。〃

　　　　　　　　　　＇Of　all　things　I　hate　pedantic　learning。〃Du　Bellay＇

And　'twas　so　in　former　times；　for　Plutarch　says　that　Greek　and　Scholar
were　terms　of　reproach　and　contempt　amongst　the　Romans。　　But　since；　with
the　better　experience　of　age；　I　find　they　had　very　great　reason　so　to　do；
and　that

　　　　　　　　　　〃Magis　magnos　clericos　non　sunt　magis　magnos　sapientes。〃＇

　　　　　＇〃The　greatest　clerks　are　not　the　wisest　men。〃　　A　proverb　given　in
　　　　　Rabelais'　Gargantua；　i。　39。＇

But　whence　it　should　come　to　pass；　that　a　mind　enriched　with　the
knowledge　of　so　many　things　should　not　become　more　quick　and　sprightly；
and　that　a　gross　and　vulgar　understanding　should　lodge　within　it；　without
correcting　and　improving　itself；　all　the　discourses　and　judgments　of　the
greatest　minds　the　world　ever　had；　I　am　yet　to　seek。　　To　admit　so　many
foreign　conceptions；　so　great；　and　so　high　fancies；　it　is　necessary　（as　a
young　lady；　one　of　the　greatest　princesses　of　the　kingdom；　said　to　me
once；　speaking　of　a　certain　person）　that　a　man's　own　brain　must　be
crowded　and　squeezed　together　into　a　less　compass；　to　make　room　for　the
others；　I　should　be　apt　to　conclude；　that　as　plants　are　suffocated　and
drowned　with　too　much　nourishment；　and　lamps　with　too　much　oil；　so　with
too　much　study　and　matter　is　the　active　part　of　the　understanding　which；
being　embarrassed；　and　confounded　with　a　great　diversity　of　things；　loses
the　force　and　power　to　disengage　itself；　and　by　the　pressure　of　this
weight；　is　bowed；　subjected；　and　doubled　up。　　But　it　is　quite　otherwise；
for　our　soul　stretches　and　dilates　itself　proportionably　as　it　fills；　and
in　the　examples　of　elder　times；　we　see；　quite　contrary；　men　very　proper
for　public　business；　great　captains；　and　great　statesmen　very　learned
withal。

And；　as　to　the　philosophers；　a　sort　of　men　remote　from　all　public
affairs；　they　have　been　sometimes　also　despised　by　the　comic　liberty　of
their　times；　their　opinions　and　manners　making　them　appear；　to　men　of
another　sort；　ridiculous。　　Would　you　make　them　judges　of　a　lawsuit；　of
the　actions　of　men？　they　are　ready　to　take　it　upon　them；　and　straight
begin　to　examine　if　there　be　life；　if　there　be　motion；　if　man　be　any
other　than　an　ox；　＇〃If　Montaigne　has　copied　al