the essays of montaigne, v1-第3部分

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settled　course；　and　that　he　merely　proposed　to　himself　to　pay　visits　to
places　which　he　had　not　seen；　and　so　long　as　they　could　not　convict　him
of　traversing　the　same　path　twice；　or　revisiting　a　point　already　seen；　he
could　perceive　no　harm　in　his　plan。　　As　to　Rome；　he　cared　less　to　go
there；　inasmuch　as　everybody　went　there；　and　he　said　that　he　never　had　a
lacquey　who　could　not　tell　him　all　about　Florence　or　Ferrara。　　He　also
would　say　that　he　seemed　to　himself　like　those　who　are　reading　some
pleasant　story　or　some　fine　book；　of　which　they　fear　to　come　to　the　end：
he　felt　so　much　pleasure　in　travelling　that　he　dreaded　the　moment　of
arrival　at　the　place　where　they　were　to　stop　for　the　night。

We　see　that　Montaigne　travelled；　just　as　he　wrote；　completely　at　his
ease；　and　without　the　least　constraint；　turning；　just　as　he　fancied；　from
the　common　or　ordinary　roads　taken　by　tourists。　　The　good　inns；　the　soft
beds；　the　fine　views；　attracted　his　notice　at　every　point；　and　in　his
observations　on　men　and　things　he　confines　himself　chiefly　to　the
practical　side。　　The　consideration　of　his　health　was　constantly　before
him；　and　it　was　in　consequence　of　this　that；　while　at　Venice；　which
disappointed　him；　he　took　occasion　to　note；　for　the　benefit　of　readers；
that　he　had　an　attack　of　colic；　and　that　he　evacuated　two　large　stones
after　supper。　　On　quitting　Venice；　he　went　in　succession　to　Ferrara；
Rovigo；　Padua；　Bologna　（where　he　had　a　stomach…ache）；　Florence；　&c。；　and
everywhere；　before　alighting；　he　made　it　a　rule　to　send　some　of　his
servants　to　ascertain　where　the　best　accommodation　was　to　be　had。　　He
pronounced　the　Florentine　women　the　finest　in　the　world；　but　had　not　an
equally　good　opinion　of　the　food；　which　was　less　plentiful　than　in
Germany；　and　not　so　well　served。　　He　lets　us　understand　that　in　Italy
they　send　up　dishes　without　dressing；　but　in　Germany　they　were　much
better　seasoned；　and　served　with　a　variety　of　sauces　and　gravies。　　He
remarked　further；　that　the　glasses　were　singularly　small　and　the　wines
insipid。

After　dining　with　the　Grand…Duke　of　Florence；　Montaigne　passed　rapidly
over　the　intermediate　country；　which　had　no　fascination　for　him；　and
arrived　at　Rome　on　the　last　day　of　November；　entering　by　the　Porta　del
Popolo；　and　putting　up　at　Bear。　　But　he　afterwards　hired；　at　twenty
crowns　a　month；　fine　furnished　rooms　in　the　house　of　a　Spaniard；　who
included　in　these　terms　the　use　of　the　kitchen　fire。　　What　most　annoyed
him　in　the　Eternal　City　was　the　number　of　Frenchmen　he　met；　who　all
saluted　him　in　his　native　tongue；　but　otherwise　he　was　very　comfortable；
and　his　stay　extended　to　five　months。　　A　mind　like　his；　full　of　grand
classical　reflections；　could　not　fail　to　be　profoundly　impressed　in　the
presence　of　the　ruins　at　Rome；　and　he　has　enshrined　in　a　magnificent
passage　of　the　Journal　the　feelings　of　the　moment：　〃He　said；〃　writes　his
secretary；　〃that　at　Rome　one　saw　nothing　but　the　sky　under　which　she　had
been　built；　and　the　outline　of　her　site：　that　the　knowledge　we　had　of　her
was　abstract；　contemplative；　not　palpable　to　the　actual　senses：　that
those　who　said　they　beheld　at　least　the　ruins　of　Rome；　went　too　far；　for
the　ruins　of　so　gigantic　a　structure　must　have　commanded　greater
reverence…it　was　nothing　but　her　sepulchre。　　The　world；　jealous　of　her；
prolonged　empire；　had　in　the　first　place　broken　to　pieces　that　admirable
body；　and　then；　when　they　perceived　that　the　remains　attracted　worship
and　awe；　had　buried　the　very　wreck　itself。　　＇Compare　a　passage　in　one
of　Horace　Walpole's　letters　to　Richard　West；　22　March　1740　（Cunningham's
edit。　　i。　　41）；　where　Walpole；　speaking　of　Rome；　describes　her　very　ruins
as　ruined。＇　　As　to　those　small　fragments　which　were　still　to　be　seen　on
the　surface；　notwithstanding　the　assaults　of　time　and　all　other　attacks；
again　and　again　repeated；　they　had　been　favoured　by　fortune　to　be　some
slight　evidence　of　that　infinite　grandeur　which　nothing　could　entirely
extingish。　　But　it　was　likely　that　these　disfigured　remains　were　the
least　entitled　to　attention；　and　that　the　enemies　of　that　immortal
renown；　in　their　fury；　had　addressed　themselves　in　the　first　instance　to
the　destruction　of　what　was　most　beautiful　and　worthiest　of　preservation；
and　that　the　buildings　of　this　bastard　Rome；　raised　upon　the　ancient
productions；　although　they　might　excite　the　admiration　of　the　present
age；　reminded　him　of　the　crows'　and　sparrows'　nests　built　in　the　walls
and　arches　of　the　old　churches；　destroyed　by　the　Huguenots。　　Again；　he
was　apprehensive；　seeing　the　space　which　this　grave　occupied；　that　the
whole　might　not　have　been　recovered；　and　that　the　burial　itself　had　been
buried。　　And；　moreover；　to　see　a　wretched　heap　of　rubbish；　as　pieces　of
tile　and　pottery；　grow　（as　it　had　ages　since）　to　a　height　equal　to　that
of　Mount　Gurson；＇In　Perigord。＇and　thrice　the　width　of　it；　appeared　to
show　a　conspiracy　of　destiny　against　the　glory　and　pre…eminence　of　that
city；　affording　at　the　same　time　a　novel　and　extraordinary　proof　of　its
departed　greatness。　　He　（Montaigne）　observed　that　it　was　difficult　to
believe　considering　the　limited　area　taken　up　by　any　of　her　seven　hills
and　particularly　the　two　most　favoured　ones；　the　Capitoline　and　the
Palatine；　that　so　many　buildings　stood　on　the　site。　　Judging　only　from
what　is　left　of　the　Temple　of　Concord；　along　the　'Forum　Romanum'；　of
which　the　fall　seems　quite　recent；　like　that　of　some　huge　mountain　split
into　horrible　crags；　it　does　not　look　as　if　more　than　two　such　edifices
could　have　found　room　on　the　Capitoline；　on　which　there　were　at　one
period　from　five…and…twenty　to　thirty　temples；　besides　private　dwellings。
But；　in　point　of　fact；　there　is　scarcely　any　probability　of　the　views
which　we　take　of　the　city　being　correct；　its　plan　and　form　having　changed
infinitely；　for　instance；　the　'Velabrum'；　which　on　account　of　its
depressed　level；　received　the　sewage　of　the　city；　and　had　a　lake；　has
been　raised　by　artificial　accumulation　to　a　height　with　the　other　hills；
and　Mount　Savello　has；　in　truth；　grown　simply　out　of　the　ruins　of　the
theatre　of　Marcellus。　　He　believed　that　an　ancient　Roman　would　not
recognise　the　place　again。　　It　often　happened　that　in　digging　down　into
earth　the　workmen　came　upon　the　crown　of　some　lofty　column；　which；　though
thus　buried；　was　still　standing　upright。　　The　people　there　have　no
recourse　to　other　foundations　than　the　vaults　and　arches　of　the　old
houses；　upon　which；　as　on　slabs　of　rock；　they　raise　their　modern　palaces。
It　is　easy　to　see　that　several　of　the　ancient　streets　are　thirty　feet
below　those　at　present　in　use。〃

Sceptical　as　Montaigne　shows　himself　in　his　books；　yet　during　his　sojourn
at　Rome　he　manifested　a　great　regard　for　religion。　　He　solicited　the
honour　of　being　admitted　to　kiss　the　feet　of　the　Holy　Father；　Gregory
XIII。；　and　the　Pontiff　exhorted　him　always　to　continue　in　the　devotion
which　he　had　hitherto　exhibited　to　the　Church　and　the　service　of　the　Most
Christian　King。

〃After　this；　one　sees；〃　says　the　editor　of　the　Journal；　〃Montaigne
employing　all　his　time　in　making　excursions　bout　the　neighbourhood　on
horseback　or　on　foot；　in　visits；　in　observations　of　every　kind。　　The
churches；　the　stations；　the　processions　even；　the　sermons；　then　the
palaces；　the　vineyards；　the　gardens；　the　public　amusements；　as　the
Carnival；　&c。nothing　was　overlooked。　　He　saw　a　Jewish　child
circumcised；　and　wrote　down　a　most　minute　account　of　the　operation。　　He
met　at　San　Sisto　a　Muscovite　ambassador；　the　second　who　had　come　to　Rome
since　the　pontificate　of　Paul　III。　　This　minister　had　despatches　from　his
court　for　Venice；　addressed　to　the　'Grand　Governor　of　the　Signory'。　　The
court　of　Muscovy　had　at　that　time　such　limited　relations　with　the　other
powers　of　Europe；　and　it　was　so　imperfect　in　its　information；　that　it
thought　Venice　to　be　a　dependency　of　the　Holy　See。〃

Of　all　the　particulars　with　which　he　has　furnished　us　during　his　stay　at
Rome；　the　following　passage　in　reference　to　the　Essays　is　not　the　least
singular：　〃The　Master　of　the　Sacred　Palace　returned　him　his　Essays；
castigated　in　accordance　with　the　views　of　the　learned　monks。　　'He　had
only　been　able　to　form　a　judgment　of　them；'　said　he；　'through　a　certain
French　monk；　not　understanding　French　himself'〃we　leave　Montaigne
himself　to　tell　the　story〃and　he　received　so　complacently　my　excuses
and　explanations　on　each　of　the　passages　which　had　been　animadverted　upon
by　the　French　monk；　that　he　concluded　by　leaving　me　at　liberty　to　revise
the　text　agreeably　to　the　dictates　of　my　own　conscience。　　I　begged　him；
on　the　contrary；　to　abide　by　the　opinion　of　the　person　who　had　criticised
me；　confessing；　among　other　matters；　as；　for　example；　in　my　use　of　the
word　fortune；　in　quoting　historical　poets；　in　my　apology　for　Julian；　in
my　animadversion　on　the　theory　that　he　who　prayed　ought　to　be　exempt　from
vicious　inclinations　for　the　time　being；　item；　in　my　estimate　of　cruelty；
as　something　beyond　simple　death；　item；　in　my　view　that　a　child　ought　to
be　brought　up　to　do　everything；　and　so　on；　that　these　were　my　opinions；
which　I　did　not　think　wrong；　as　to　other　things；　I　said　that　the
corrector　understood　not　my　meaning。　　The　Master；　who　is　a　clever　man；
made　many　excuses　for　me；　and　gave　me　to　suppose　that　he　did　not　concur
in　the　suggested　improvements；　and　pleaded　very　ingeniously　for　me　in　my
presence　against　another　（also　an　Italian）　who　opposed　my　sentiments。〃

Such　is　what　passed　between　Montaigne　and　these　two　personages　at　that
time；　but　when　the　Essayist　was　leaving；　and　went　to　bid　them　farewell；
they　used　very　different　language　to　him。　　〃They　prayed　me；〃　says　he；
〃to　pay　no　attention　to　the　censure　passed　on　my　book；　in　which　other
French　persons　had　apprised　them　that　there　were　many　foolish　things；
adding；　that　they　honoured　my　affectionate　intention　towards　the　Church；
and　my　capacity；　and　had　so　high　an　opinion　of　my　candour　and
conscientiousness　that　they　should　leave　it　to　me　to　make　such
alterations　as　were　proper　in　the　book；　when　I　reprinted　it；　among　other
things；　the　word　fortune。　　To　excuse　themselves　for　what　they　had　said
against　my　book；　they　instanced　works　of　ou