the essays of montaigne, v19-第17章

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part；　to　view　itself　in　this　prosperous　state；　to　weigh　and　appreciate
its　happiness　and　to　amplify　it。　　It　reckons　how　much　it　stands　indebted
to　God　that　its　conscience　and　the　intestine　passions　are　in　repose；　that
it　has　the　body　in　its　natural　disposition；　orderly　and　competently
enjoying　the　soft　and　soothing　functions　by　which　He；　of　His　grace　is
pleased　to　compensate　the　sufferings　wherewith　His　justice　at　His　good
pleasure　chastises　us。　　It　reflects　how　great　a　benefit　it　is　to　be　so
protected；　that　which　way　soever　it　turns　its　eye　the　heavens　are　calm
around　it。　　No　desire；　no　fear；　no　doubt；　troubles　the　air；　no
difficulty；　past；　present；　or　to；　come；　that　its　imagination　may　not　pass
over　without　offence。　　This　consideration　takes　great　lustre　from　the
comparison　of　different　conditions。　　So　it　is　that　I　present　to　my
thought；　in　a　thousand　aspects；　those　whom　fortune　or　their　own　error
carries　away　and　torments。　　And；　again；　those　who；　more　like　to　me；　so
negligently　and　incuriously　receive　their　good　fortune。　　Those　are　folks
who　spend　their　time　indeed；　they　pass　over　the　present　and　that　which
they　possess；　to　wait　on　hope；　and　for　shadows　and　vain　images　which
fancy　puts　before　them：

　　　　　　　　　〃Morte　obita　quales　fama　est　volitare　figuras；
　　　　　　　　　　Aut　quae　sopitos　deludunt　somnia　sensus：〃

　　　　　＇〃Such　forms　as　those　which　after　death　are　reputed　to　hover　about；
　　　　　or　dreams　which　delude　the　senses　in　sleep。〃AEneid；　x。　641。＇

which　hasten　and　prolong　their　flight；　according　as　they　are　pursued。
The　fruit　and　end　of　their　pursuit　is　to　pursue；　as　Alexander　said；　that
the　end　of　his　labour　was　to　labour：

　　　　　　　　　　〃Nil　actum　credens；　cum　quid　superesset　agendum。〃

　　　　　＇〃Thinking　nothing　done；　if　anything　remained　to　be　done。
　　　　　〃Lucan；　ii。　657。＇

For　my　part　then；　I　love　life　and　cultivate　it；　such　as　it　has　pleased
God　to　bestow　it　upon　us。　　I　do　not　desire　it　should　be　without　the
necessity　of　eating　and　drinking；　and　I　should　think　it　a　not　less
excusable　failing　to　wish　it　had　been　twice　as　long；

　　　　　〃Sapiens　divitiarum　naturalium　quaesitor　acerrimus：〃

　　　　　＇〃A　wise　man　is　the　keenest　seeker　for　natural　riches。〃
　　　　　Seneca；　Ep。；　119。＇

nor　that　we　should　support　ourselves　by　putting　only　a　little　of　that
drug　into　our　mouths；　by　which　Epimenides　took　away　his　appetite　and　kept
himself　alive；　nor　that　we　should　stupidly　beget　children　with　our
fingers　or　heels；　but　rather；　with　reverence　be　it　spoken；　that　we　might
voluptuously　beget　them　with　our　fingers　and　heels；　nor　that　the　body
should　be　without　desire　and　without　titillation。　　These　are　ungrateful
and　wicked　complaints。　　I　accept　kindly；　and　with　gratitude；　what　nature
has　done　for　me；　am　well　pleased　with　it；　and　proud　of　it。　　A　man　does
wrong　to　that　great　and　omnipotent　giver　to　refuse；　annul；　or　disfigure
his　gift：　all　goodness　himself；　he　has　made　everything　good：

　　　　　〃Omnia　quae　secundum　naturam　sunt；　aestimatione　digna　sunt。〃

　　　　　＇〃All　things　that　are　according　to　nature　are　worthy　of　esteem。〃
　　　　　Cicero；　De　Fin。；　iii。　6。＇

Of　philosophical　opinions；　I　preferably　embrace　those　that　are　most
solid；　that　is　to　say；　the　most　human　and　most　our　own：　my　discourse　is；
suitable　to　my　manners；　low　and　humble：　philosophy　plays　the　child；　to　my
thinking；　when　it　puts　itself　upon　its　Ergos　to　preach　to　us　that　'tis　a
barbarous　alliance　to　marry　the　divine　with　the　earthly；　the　reasonable
with　the　unreasonable；　the　severe　with　the　indulgent；　the　honest　with　the
dishonest。　　That　pleasure　is　a　brutish　quality；　unworthy　to　be　tasted　by
a　wise　man；　that　the　sole　pleasure　he　extracts　from　the　enjoyment　of　a
fair　young　wife　is　a　pleasure　of　his　conscience　to　perform　an　action
according　to　order；　as　to　put　on　his　boots　for　a　profitable　journey。
Oh；　that　its　followers　had　no　more　right；　nor　nerves；　nor　vigour　in
getting　their　wives'　maidenheads　than　in　its　lesson。

This　is　not　what　Socrates　says；　who　is　its　master　and　ours：　he　values；　as
he　ought；　bodily　pleasure；　but　he　prefers　that　of　the　mind　as　having　more
force；　constancy；　facility；　variety；　and　dignity。　　This；　according　to
him；　goes　by　no　means　alonehe　is　not　so　fantasticbut　only　it　goes
first；　temperance　with　him　is　the　moderatrix；　not　the　adversary　of
pleasure。　　Nature　is　a　gentle　guide；　but　not　more　sweet　and　gentle　than
prudent　and　just。

　　　　　　　　　　〃Intrandum　est　in　rerum　naturam；　et　penitus；
　　　　　　　　　　quid　ea　postulet；　pervidendum。〃

　　　　　＇〃A　man　must　search　into　the　nature　of　things；　and　fully　examine
　　　　　what　she　requires。〃Cicero；　De　Fin。；　V。　16。＇

I　hunt　after　her　foot　throughout：　we　have　confounded　it　with　artificial
traces；　and　that　academic　and　peripatetic　good；　which　is　〃to　live
according　to　it；〃　becomes　on　this　account　hard　to　limit　and　explain；　and
that　of　the　Stoics；　neighbour　to　it；　which　is　〃to　consent　to　nature。〃
Is　it　not　an　error　to　esteem　any　actions　less　worthy；　because　they　are
necessary？　　And　yet　they　will　not　take　it　out　of　my　head；　that　it　is　not
a　very　convenient　marriage　of　pleasure　with　necessity；　with　which；　says
an　ancient；　the　gods　always　conspire。　　To　what　end　do　we　dismember　by
divorce　a　building　united　by　so　close　and　brotherly　a　correspondence？
Let　us；　on　the　contrary；　confirm　it　by　mutual　offices；　let　the　mind　rouse
and　quicken　the　heaviness　of　the　body；　and　the　body　stay　and　fix　the
levity　of　the　soul：

　　　　　〃Qui；　velut　summum　bonum；　laudat　animac　naturam；　et；　tanquam　malum；
　　　　　naturam　carnis　accusat；　profectd　et　animam　carnatiter　appetit；　et
　　　　　carnem　carnaliter　fugit；　quoniam　id　vanitate　sentit　humans；　non
　　　　　veritate　divina。〃

　　　　　＇He　who　commends　the　nature　of　the　soul　as　the　supreme　good；　and
　　　　　condemns　the　nature　of　the　flesh　as　evil；　at　once　both　carnally
　　　　　desires　the　soul；　and　carnally　flies　the　flesh；　because　he　feels
　　　　　thus　from　human　vanity；　not　from　divine　truth。〃
　　　　　St。　Augustin；　De　Civit。　　Dei；　xiv。　　5。＇

In　this　present　that　God　has　made　us；　there　is　nothing　unworthy　our　care；
we　stand　accountable　for　it　even　to　a　hair；　and　is　it　not　a　commission　to
man；　to　conduct　man　according　to　his　condition；　'tis　express；　plain；　and
the　very　principal　one；　and　the　Creator　has　seriously　and　strictly
prescribed　it　to　us。　　Authority　has　power　only　to　work　in　regard　to
matters　of　common　judgment；　and　is　of　more　weight　in　a　foreign　language；
therefore　let　us　again　charge　at　it　in　this　place：

　　　　　〃Stultitiae　proprium　quis　non　dixerit；　ignave　et　contumaciter
　　　　　facere；　quae　facienda　sunt；　et　alio　corpus　impellere；　alio　animum；
　　　　　distrahique　inter　diversissimos　motus？〃

　　　　　＇〃Who　will　not　say；　that　it　is　the　property　of　folly；　slothfully　and
　　　　　contumaciously　to　perform　what　is　to　be　done；　and　to　bend　the　body
　　　　　one　way　and　the　mind　another；　and　to　be　distracted　betwixt　wholly
　　　　　different　motions？〃Seneca；　Ep。；　74。＇

To　make　this　apparent；　ask　any　one；　some　day；　to　tell　you　what　whimsies
and　imaginations　he　put　into　his　pate；　upon　the　account　of　which　he
diverted　his　thoughts　from　a　good　meal；　and　regrets　the　time　he　spends　in
eating；　you　will　find　there　is　nothing　so　insipid　in　all　the　dishes　at
your　table　as　this　wise　meditation　of　his　（for　the　most　part　we　had
better　sleep　than　wake　to　the　purpose　we　wake）；　and　that　his　discourses
and　notions　are　not　worth　the　worst　mess　there。　　Though　they　were　the
ecstasies　of　Archimedes　himself；　what　then？　　I　do　not　here　speak　of；　nor
mix　with　the　rabble　of　us　ordinary　men；　and　the　vanity　of　the　thoughts
and　desires　that　divert　us；　those　venerable　souls；　elevated　by　the　ardour
of　devotion　and　religion；　to　a　constant　and　conscientious　meditation　of
divine　things；　who；　by　the　energy　of　vivid　and　vehement　hope；
prepossessing　the　use　of　the　eternal　nourishment；　the　final　aim　and　last
step　of　Christian　desires；　the　sole　constant；　and　incorruptible　pleasure；
disdain　to　apply　themselves　to　our　necessitous；　fluid；　and　ambiguous
conveniences；　and　easily　resign　to　the　body　the　care　and　use　of　sensual
and　temporal　pasture；　'tis　a　privileged　study。　　Between　ourselves；　I　have
ever　observed　supercelestial　opinions　and　subterranean　manners　to　be　of
singular　accord。