MONTAIGNE

FINALLY, a brief comparison is made of Emerson and Montaigne.

I

2

Montaigne is one of the few authors with whom Emerson identifies himself. "It seemed to me as if I had myself written the book, in some former life," is a familiar tribute. As his son has shown, Emerson admired Montaigne's wit and courage, and shared his love of truth and candor, of nature and retirement, of Plutarch and Plato. "For these [essays of mine] are my own particular opinions and fancies, and I deliver them for no other but only what I myself believe, and not what others are to believe, neither have I any other end in this writing but only to discover myself, who shall, peradventure, be another thing to-morrow, if I chance to meet any book or friend to convince me in the meantime." 3 Who says this - Montaigne, or Emerson? The letters and the extract

1IV, 162.

2 IV, 335-336.

3 Essays, 1, 25: Hazlitt's translation, p. 86.

from the Journal which Dr. Emerson quotes,' prove that his father appreciated the closeness to reality of the "Essais," while repelled by their "semi-savage indecency." The audacity of the Frenchman doubtless stimulated to plain speech the Puritan's refinement. But there came a time when Emerson reacted from his early admiration,2 and even named Montaigne among the books not to be read.3

4

In truth there is hardly greater contrast anywhere than between these two, the one a citizen of the world, at different times a practicing lawyer and the mayor of Bordeaux, a defender of custom except in literary composition, and in personal character — partaking of his age — on the level of sensual pleasures though not swamped by them; the other through life a "scholar," an apostle of intellectual independence, a Puritan of the Puritans. To Montaigne virtue is a struggle, though he recognizes that there are characters, like Socrates, who breathe virtue as native air.5 Emerson is one

of these characters.

I IV, 336.

2 IV, 337.

3 VIII, 295.

4 Essays, Book 1, ch. xxii.

5 Essays, II, II. Contrast Emerson, II, 133.

In their way of looking at life, and their approach to writing down their thoughts, there is a good deal of similarity. Montaigne's book is a perfect self-revelation, written to please the writer in the first place, with small thought of posterity. Both men try to preserve a balance, due to seeing a subject from more than one point of view. Both like the bold and unexpected phrase, and recognize the power of the hard speech of common men.1 Both use illustrations freely, though Montaigne's are so often drawn from the Latin and Greek authors that he may be said to carry classicism to an extreme. Both defend free borrowing of material.2 Both are desultory in style — the Frenchman again passing the other by several lengths. Montaigne says: "As things come into my head I heap them in. I let myself jog on at my own rate and ease." 3 There is indeed no telling from the title what the given essay has to

I "I love stout expressions among gallant men, and to have them speak as they think; we must fortify and harden our hearing against this tenderness as to ceremonious sound of words. I love a strong and manly familiarity and converse." Montaigne, Essays, III, 8. Cf. Emerson: "Blacksmiths and teamsters do not trip in their speech; it is a shower of bullets." IV, 168.

2

Essays, "On Books," II, 10: Hazlitt, p. 212. Cf. Emerson,

VIII, 191.

3 Hazlitt's Montaigne, p. 213: Book II, ch. x.

offer. Both are desultory readers, as well.' And both surrender themselves to truth, and are afraid they have missed it when men begin to praise them.

"I embrace and caress truth in what hand soever I find it, and cheerfully surrender myself, and extend to it my conquered arms . . . take a pleasure in being reproved, and accommodate myself to my accusers 't is a dull and hurtful pleasure to have to do with people who admire us, and approve of all we say.'

2 ܙܙ

It would be hard to show that Emerson has transferred many thoughts from Montaigne. Miss Grace Norton, in "The Spirit of Montaigne," 3 musters four examples, but only one of these is at all striking, and this, dealing as it does with the art of living well, may just as well have been suggested to Emerson by Thoreau. It would not be difficult to match this accidental parallelism. Emerson's poor opinion of travel is well known, Montaigne's less so: "On telling Socrates that

I 66

Twenty years since I have stuck to any one book an hour together." Essays, III, 8: Hazlitt, p. 461.

2 Montaigne, Essays, III, 8: Hazlitt, pp. 453, 454. Cf. Emerson, II, 118. Hazlitt's note shows that Montaigne's sentiment came from Plutarch, who quotes from Antisthenius.

3 Boston and New York, 1908.