the essays of montaigne, v19-第1章

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The　Essays　of　Montaigne；　V19

by　Michel　de　Montaigne

Translated　by　Charles　Cotton

Edited　by　William　Carew　Hazilitt

1877






CONTENTS　OF　VOLUME　19。

XIII。　　Of　Experience。



CHAPTER　XIII

OF　EXPERIENCE

There　is　no　desire　more　natural　than　that　of　knowledge。　　We　try　all　ways
that　can　lead　us　to　it；　where　reason　is　wanting；　we　therein　employ
experience；

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃Per　varios　usus　artem　experientia　fecit；
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Exemplo　monstrante　viam；〃

　　　　　＇〃By　various　trials　experience　created　art；　example　shewing　the
　　　　　way。〃Manilius；　i。　59。＇

which　is　a　means　much　more　weak　and　cheap；　but　truth　is　so　great　a　thing
that　we　ought　not　to　disdain　any　mediation　that　will　guide　us　to　it。
Reason　has　so　many　forms　that　we　know　not　to　which　to　take；　experience
has　no　fewer；　the　consequence　we　would　draw　from　the　comparison　of　events
is　unsure；　by　reason　they　are　always　unlike。　　There　is　no　quality　so
universal　in　this　image　of　things　as　diversity　and　variety。　　Both　the
Greeks　and　the　Latins　and　we；　for　the　most　express　example　of　similitude；
employ　that　of　eggs；　and　yet　there　have　been　men；　particularly　one　at
Delphos；　who　could　distinguish　marks　of　difference　amongst　eggs　so　well
that　he　never　mistook　one　for　another；　and　having　many　hens；　could　tell
which　had　laid　it。

Dissimilitude　intrudes　itself　of　itself　in　our　works；　no　art　can　arrive
at　perfect　similitude：　neither　Perrozet　nor　any　other　can　so　carefully
polish　and　blanch　the　backs　of　his　cards　that　some　gamesters　will　not
distinguish　them　by　seeing　them　only　shuffled　by　another。　　Resemblance
does　not　so　much　make　one　as　difference　makes　another。　　Nature　has
obliged　herself　to　make　nothing　other　that　was　not　unlike。

And　yet　I　am　not　much　pleased　with　his　opinion；　who　thought　by　the
multitude　of　laws　to　curb　the　authority　of　judges　in　cutting　out　for　them
their　several　parcels；　he　was　not　aware　that　there　is　as　much　liberty　and
latitude　in　the　interpretation　of　laws　as　in　their　form；　and　they　but
fool　themselves；　who　think　to　lessen　and　stop　our　disputes　by　recalling
us　to　the　express　words　of　the　Bible：　forasmuch　as　our　mind　does　not　find
the　field　less　spacious　wherein　to　controvert　the　sense　of　another　than
to　deliver　his　own；　and　as　if　there　were　less　animosity　and　tartness　in
commentary　than　in　invention。　　We　see　how　much　he　was　mistaken；　for　we
have　more　laws　in　France　than　all　the　rest　of　the　world　put　together；　and
more　than　would　be　necessary　for　the　government　of　all　the　worlds　of
Epicurus：

　　　　　　　　　　〃Ut　olim　flagitiis；　sic　nunc　legibus；　laboramus。〃

　　　　　＇〃As　we　were　formerly　by　crimes；　so　we　are　now　overburdened　by
　　　　　laws。〃Tacitus；　Annal。；　iii。　25。＇

and　yet　we　have　left　so　much　to　the　opinions　and　decisions　of　our　judges
that　there　never　was　so　full　a　liberty　or　so　full　a　license。　　What　have
our　legislators　gained　by　culling　out　a　hundred　thousand　particular
cases；　and　by　applying　to　these　a　hundred　thousand　laws？　　This　number
holds　no　manner　of　proportion　with　the　infinite　diversity　of　human
actions；　the　multiplication　of　our　inventions　will　never　arrive　at　the
variety　of　examples；　add　to　these　a　hundred　times　as　many　more；　it　will
still　not　happen　that；　of　events　to　come；　there　shall　one　be　found　that；
in　this　vast　number　of　millions　of　events　so　chosen　and　recorded；　shall
so　tally　with　any　other　one；　and　be　so　exactly　coupled　and　matched　with
it　that　there　will　not　remain　some　circumstance　and　diversity　which　will
require　a　diverse　judgment。　　There　is　little　relation　betwixt　our
actions；　which　are　in　perpetual　mutation；　and　fixed　and　immutable　laws；
the　most　to　be　desired　are　those　that　are　the　most　rare；　the　most　simple
and　general；　and　I　am　even　of　opinion　that　we　had　better　have　none　at　all
than　to　have　them　in　so　prodigious　a　number　as　we　have。

Nature　always　gives　them　better　and　happier　than　those　we　make　ourselves；
witness　the　picture　of　the　Golden　Age　of　the　Poets　and　the　state　wherein
we　see　nations　live　who　have　no　other。　　Some　there　are；　who　for　their
only　judge　take　the　first　passer…by　that　travels　along　their　mountains；
to　determine　their　cause；　and　others　who；　on　their　market　day；　choose　out
some　one　amongst　them　upon　the　spot　to　decide　their　controversies。　　What
danger　would　there　be　that　the　wisest　amongst　us　should　so　determine
ours；　according　to　occurrences　and　at　sight；　without　obligation　of
example　and　consequence？　　For　every　foot　its　own　shoe。　　King　Ferdinand；
sending　colonies　to　the　Indies；　wisely　provided　that　they　should　not
carry　along　with　them　any　students　of　jurisprudence；　for　fear　lest　suits
should　get　footing　in　that　new　world；　as　being　a　science　in　its　own
nature；　breeder　of　altercation　and　division；　judging　with　Plato；　〃that
lawyers　and　physicians　are　bad　institutions　of　a　country。〃

Whence　does　it　come　to　pass　that　our　common　language；　so　easy　for　all
other　uses；　becomes　obscure　and　unintelligible　in　wills　and　contracts？
and　that　he　who　so　clearly　expresses　himself　in　whatever　else　he　speaks
or　writes；　cannot　find　in　these　any　way　of　declaring　himself　that　does
not　fall　into　doubt　and　contradiction？　if　it　be　not　that　the　princes　of
that　art；　applying　themselves　with　a　peculiar　attention　to　cull　out
portentous　words　and　to　contrive　artificial　sentences；　have　so　weighed
every　syllable；　and　so　thoroughly　sifted　every　sort　of　quirking
connection　that　they　are　now　confounded　and　entangled　in　the　infinity　of
figures　and　minute　divisions；　and　can　no　more　fall　within　any　rule　or
prescription；　nor　any　certain　intelligence：

　　　　　　　　　　〃Confusum　est；　quidquid　usque　in　pulverem　sectum　est。〃

　　　　　＇〃Whatever　is　beaten　into　powder　is　undistinguishable　（confused）。〃
　　　　　Seneca；　Ep。；　89。＇

As　you　see　children　trying　to　bring　a　mass　of　quicksilver　to　a　certain
number　of　parts；　the　more　they　press　and　work　it　and　endeavour　to　reduce
it　to　their　own　will；　the　more　they　irritate　the　liberty　of　this　generous
metal；　it　evades　their　endeavour　and　sprinkles　itself　into　so　many
separate　bodies　as　frustrate　all　reckoning；　so　is　it　here；　for　in
subdividing　these　subtilties　we　teach　men　to　increase　their　doubts；　they
put　us　into　a　way　of　extending　and　diversifying　difficulties；　and
lengthen　and　disperse　them。　　In　sowing　and　retailing　questions　they　make
the　world　fructify　and　increase　in　uncertainties　and　disputes；　as　the
earth　is　made　fertile　by　being　crumbled　and　dug　deep。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃Difficultatem　facit　doctrina。〃

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　＇〃Learning　（Doctrine）　begets　difficulty。〃
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Quintilian；　Insat。　Orat。；　x。　3。＇

We　doubted　of　Ulpian；　and　are　still　now　more　perplexed　with　Bartolus　and
Baldus。　　We　should　efface　the　trace　of　this　innumerable　diversity　of
opinions；　not　adorn　ourselves　with　it；　and　fill　posterity　with　crotchets。
I　know　not　what　to　say　to　it；　but　experience　makes　it　manifest；　that　so
many　interpretations　dissipate　truth　and　break　it。　　Aristotle　wrote　to　be
understood；　if　he　could　not　do　this；　much　less　will　another　that　is　not
so　good　at　it；　and　a　third　than　he；　who　expressed　his　own　thoughts。　　We
open　the　matter；　and　spill　it　in　pouring　out：　of　one　subject　we　make　a
thousand；　and　in　multiplying　and　subdividing　them；　fall　again　into　the
infinity　of　atoms　of　Epicurus。　　Never　did　two　men　make　the　same　judgment
of　the　same　thing；　and　'tis　impossible　to　find　two　opinions　exactly
alike；　not　only　in　several　men；　but　in　the　same　man；　at　diverse　hours。
I　often　find　matter　of　doubt　in　things　of　which　the　commentary　has
disdained　to　take　notice；　I　am　most　apt　to　stumble　in　an　even　country；
like　some　horses　that　I　have　known；　that　make　most　trips　in　the　smoothest
way。

Who　will　not　say　that　glosses　augment　doubts　and　ignorance；　since　there's
no　book　to　be　found；　either　human　or　divine；　which　the　world　busies
itself　about；　whereof　the　difficulties　are　cleared　by　interpretation。
The　hundredth　commentator　passes　it　on　to　the　next；　still　more　knotty　and
perplexed　than　he　found　it。　　When　were　we　ever　agreed　amongst　ourselves：
〃This　book　has　enough；　there　is　now　no　more　to　be　said　about　it〃？　　This
is　most　apparent　in　the　law；　we　give　the　authority　of　law　to　infinite
doctors；