the essays of montaigne, v10-第9部分

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brisk　touches　and　sallies；　Plutarch　with　things　that　warm　and　move　you
more；　this　contents　and　pays　you　better：　he　guides　us；　the　other　pushes
us　on。

As　to　Cicero；　his　works　that　are　most　useful　to　my　design　are　they　that
treat　of　manners　and　rules　of　our　life。　　But　boldly　to　confess　the　truth
（for　since　one　has　passed　the　barriers　of　impudence；　there　is　no　bridle）；
his　way　of　writing　appears　to　me　negligent　and　uninviting：　for　his
prefaces；　definitions；　divisions；　and　etymologies　take　up　the　greatest
part　of　his　work：　whatever　there　is　of　life　and　marrow　is　smothered　and
lost　in　the　long　preparation。　　When　I　have　spent　an　hour　in　reading　him；
which　is　a　great　deal　for　me；　and　try　to　recollect　what　I　have　thence
extracted　of　juice　and　substance；　for　the　most　part　I　find　nothing　but
wind；　for　he　is　not　yet　come　to　the　arguments　that　serve　to　his　purpose；
and　to　the　reasons　that　properly　help　to　form　the　knot　I　seek。　　For　me；
who　only　desire　to　become　more　wise；　not　more　learned　or　eloquent；　these
logical　and　Aristotelian　dispositions　of　parts　are　of　no　use。　　I　would
have　a　man　begin　with　the　main　proposition。　　I　know　well　enough　what
death　and　pleasure　are；　let　no　man　give　himself　the　trouble　to　anatomise
them　to　me。　　I　look　for　good　and　solid　reasons；　at　the　first　dash；　to
instruct　me　how　to　stand　their　shock；　for　which　purpose　neither
grammatical　subtleties　nor　the　quaint　contexture　of　words　and
argumentations　are　of　any　use　at　all。　　I　am　for　discourses　that　give　the
first　charge　into　the　heart　of　the　redoubt；　his　languish　about　the
subject；　they　are　proper　for　the　schools；　for　the　bar；　and　for　the
pulpit；　where　we　have　leisure　to　nod；　and　may　awake；　a　quarter　of　an　hour
after；　time　enough　to　find　again　the　thread　of　the　discourse。　　It　is
necessary　to　speak　after　this　manner　to　judges；　whom　a　man　has　a　design
to　gain　over；　right　or　wrong；　to　children　and　common　people；　to　whom　a
man　must　say　all；　and　see　what　will　come　of　it。　　I　would　not　have　an
author　make　it　his　business　to　render　me　attentive：　or　that　he　should　cry
out　fifty　times　Oyez！　　as　the　heralds　do。　　The　Romans；　in　their　religious
exercises；　began　with　'Hoc　age'　as　we　in　ours　do　with　'Sursum　corda'；
these　are　so　many　words　lost　to　me：　I　come　already　fully　prepared　from　my
chamber。　　I　need　no　allurement；　no　invitation；　no　sauce；　I　eat　the　meat
raw；　so　that；　instead　of　whetting　my　appetite　by　these　preparatives；　they
tire　and　pall　it。　　Will　the　licence　of　the　time　excuse　my　sacrilegious
boldness　if　I　censure　the　dialogism　of　Plato　himself　as　also　dull　and
heavy；　too　much　stifling　the　matter；　and　lament　so　much　time　lost　by　a
man；　who　had　so　many　better　things　to　say；　in　so　many　long　and　needless
preliminary　interlocutions？　　My　ignorance　will　better　excuse　me　in　that
I　understand　not　Greek　so　well　as　to　discern　the　beauty　of　his　language。
I　generally　choose　books　that　use　sciences；　not　such　as　only　lead　to
them。　　The　two　first；　and　Pliny；　and　their　like；　have　nothing　of　this　Hoc
age；　they　will　have　to　do　with　men　already　instructed；　or　if　they　have；
'tis　a　substantial　Hoc　age；　and　that　has　a　body　by　itself。　　I　also
delight　in　reading　the　Epistles　to　Atticus；　not　only　because　they　contain
a　great　deal　of　the　history　and　affairs　of　his　time；　but　much　more
because　I　therein　discover　much　of　his　own　private　humours；　for　I　have　a
singular　curiosity；　as　I　have　said　elsewhere；　to　pry　into　the　souls　and
the　natural　and　true　opinions　of　the　authors；　with　whom　I　converse。　　A
man　may　indeed　judge　of　their　parts；　but　not　of　their　manners　nor　of
themselves；　by　the　writings　they　exhibit　upon　the　theatre　of　the　world。
I　have　a　thousand　times　lamented　the　loss　of　the　treatise　Brutus　wrote
upon　Virtue；　for　it　is　well　to　learn　the　theory　from　those　who　best　know
the　practice。

But　seeing　the　matter　preached　and　the　preacher　are　different　things；
I　would　as　willingly　see　Brutus　in　Plutarch；　as　in　a　book　of　his　own。
I　would　rather　choose　to　be　certainly　informed　of　the　conference　he　had
in　his　tent　with　some　particular　friends　of　his　the　night　before　a
battle；　than　of　the　harangue　he　made　the　next　day　to　his　army；　and　of
what　he　did　in　his　closet　and　his　chamber；　than　what　he　did　in　the　public
square　and　in　the　senate。　　As　to　Cicero；　I　am　of　the　common　opinion　that；
learning　excepted；　he　had　no　great　natural　excellence。　　He　was　a　good
citizen；　of　an　affable　nature；　as　all　fat；　heavy　men；　such　as　he　was；
usually　are；　but　given　to　ease；　and　had；　in　truth；　a　mighty　share　of
vanity　and　ambition。　　Neither　do　I　know　how　to　excuse　him　for　thinking
his　poetry　fit　to　be　published；　'tis　no　great　imperfection　to　make　ill
verses；　but　it　is　an　imperfection　not　to　be　able　to　judge　how　unworthy
his　verses　were　of　the　glory　of　his　name。　　For　what　concerns　his
eloquence；　that　is　totally　out　of　all　comparison；　and　I　believe　it　will
never　be　equalled。　　The　younger　Cicero；　who　resembled　his　father　in
nothing　but　in　name；　whilst　commanding　in　Asia；　had　several　strangers　one
day　at　his　table；　and；　amongst　the　rest；　Cestius　seated　at　the　lower　end；
as　men　often　intrude　to　the　open　tables　of　the　great。　　Cicero　asked　one
of　his　people　who　that　man　was；　who　presently　told　him　his　name；　but　he；
as　one　who　had　his　thoughts　taken　up　with　something　else；　and　who　had
forgotten　the　answer　made　him；　asking　three　or　four　times；　over　and　over
again；　the　same　question；　the　fellow；　to　deliver　himself　from　so　many
answers　and　to　make　him　know　him　by　some　particular　circumstance；　〃'tis
that　Cestius；〃　said　he；　〃of　whom　it　was　told　you；　that　he　makes　no　great
account　of　your　father's　eloquence　in　comparison　of　his　own。〃　　At　which
Cicero；　being　suddenly　nettled；　commanded　poor　Cestius　presently　to　be
seized；　and　caused　him　to　be　very　well　whipped　in　his　own　presence；　a
very　discourteous　entertainer！　　Yet　even　amongst　those；　who；　all　things
considered；　have　reputed　his；　eloquence　incomparable；　there　have　been
some；　who　have　not　stuck　to　observe　some　faults　in　it：　as　that　great
Brutus　his　friend；　for　example；　who　said　'twas　a　broken　and　feeble
eloquence；　'fyactam　et　elumbem'。　　The　orators　also；　nearest　to　the　age
wherein　he　lived；　reprehended　in　him　the　care　he　had　of　a　certain　long
cadence　in　his　periods；　and　particularly　took　notice　of　these　words；
'esse　videatur'；　which　he　there　so　often　makes　use　of。　　For　my　part；　I
more　approve　of　a　shorter　style；　and　that　comes　more　roundly　off。　　He
does；　though；　sometimes　shuffle　his　parts　more　briskly　together；　but　'tis
very　seldom。　　I　have　myself　taken　notice　of　this　one　passage：

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃Ego　vero　me　minus　diu　senem　mallem；
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　quam　esse　senem；　antequam　essem。〃

　　　　　＇〃I　had　rather　be　old　a　brief　time；　than　be　old　before　old　age。
　　　　　〃Cicero；　De　Senect。；　c。　10。＇

The　historians　are　my　right　ball；　for　they　are　pleasant　and　easy；　and
where　man；　in　general；　the　knowledge　of　whom　I　hunt　after；　appears　more
vividly　and　entire　than　anywhere　else：

　　　　　＇The　easiest　of　my　amusements；　the　right　ball　at　tennis　being　that
　　　　　which　coming　to　the　player　from　the　right　hand；　is　much　easier
　　　　　played　with。Coste。＇

the　variety　and　truth　of　his　internal　qualities；　in　gross　and　piecemeal；
the　diversity　of　means　by　which　he　is　united　and　knit；　and　the　accidents
that　threaten　him。　　Now　those　that　write　lives；　by　reason　they　insist
more　upon　counsels　than　events；　more　upon　what　sallies　from　within；　than
upon　what　happens　without；　are　the　most　proper　for　my　reading；　and；
therefore；　above　all　others；　Plutarch　is　the　man　for　me。　　I　am　very　sorry
we　have　not　a　dozen　Laertii；＇Diogenes　Laertius；　who　wrote　the　Lives　of
the　Philosophers＇　or　that　he　was　not　further　extended；　for　I　am　equally
curious　to　know　the　lives　and　fortunes　of　these　great　instructors　of　the
world；　as　to　know　the　diversities　of　their　doctrines　and　opinions。　　In
this　kind　of　study　of　histories；　a　man　must　tumble　over；　without
distinction；　all　sorts　of　authors；　old　and　new；　French　or　foreign；　there
to　know　the　things　of　which　they　variously　treat。　　But　Caesar；　in　my
opinion；　particularly　deserves　to　be　studied；　not　for　the　knowledge　of
the　history　only；　but　for　himself；　so　great　an　excellence　and　perfection
he　has　above　all　the　rest；　though　Sallust　be　one　of　the　number。　　In
earnest；　I　read　this　author　with　more　reverence　and　respect　than　is
usually　allowed　to　human　writings；　one　while　considering　him　in　his
person；　by　his　actions　and　miraculous　greatness；　and　another　in　the
purity　and　inimitable　polish　of　his　language；　wherein　he　not　only　excels
all　other　historians；　as　Cicero　confesses；　　but；　peradventure；　even
Cicero　himself；　speaking　of　his　enemies　with　so　much　sincerity　in　his
judgment；　that；　the　false　colours　with　which　he　strives　to　palliate　his
evil　cause；　and　the　ordure　of　his　pestilent　ambition　excepted；　I　think
there　is　no　fault　to　be　objected　against　him；　saving　this；　that　he　speaks
too　sparingly　of　himself；　seeing　so　many　great　things　could　not　have　been
performed　under　his　conduct；　but　that　his　own　personal　acts　must
necessarily　have　had　a　greater　share　in　them　than　he　attributes　to　them。

I　love　historians；　whether　of　the　simple　sort；　or　of　the　higher　order。
The　simple；　who　have　nothing　of　their　own　to　mix　with　it；　and　who　only
make　it　their　business　to　collect　all　that　comes　to　their　knowledge；　and
faithfully　to　record　all　things；　without　choice　or　discrimination；　leave
to　us　the　entire　judgment　of　discerning　the　truth。　　Such；　for　example；
amongst　others；　is　honest　Froissart；　who　has　proceeded　in　his　undertaking
with　so　frank　a　plainness　that；　having　committed　an　error；　he　is　not
ashamed　to　confess　and　correct　it　in　the　place　where　the　finger　has　been
laid；　and　who　represents　to　us　even　the　variety　of　rumours　that　were　then
spread　abroad；　and　the　different　reports　that　were　made　to　him；　'tis　the
naked　and　inform　matter　of　history；　and　of　which　every　one　may　make　his
profit；　according　to　his　understanding。　　The　more　excellent　sort　of
historians　have　judgment　to　pick　out　what　is　most　worthy　to　be　known；
and；　of　two　reports；　to　examine　which　is　the　most　likely　to　be　true：　from
the　condition　of　princes　and　their　humours；　they　conclude　their　counsels；
and　attribute　to　them　word