Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 13.djvu/829

MONTAIGNE. 745 MONTALEMBEBT. Castello. 1880). He was elected (1581) and re- elected -Mavor of Bordeaux. His last years were brightened by the Platonic allection of an adopted daughter. Mile, de Gournay, a Parisian, who at nineteen had Ijcen attracted by his essays, of wliidi she hittr prepared a valuable edition (ij'JT). Montaigne sullered niucli toward llie close of his life from gravel and stone. In lo!)2 he died of quinsy, receiving devoutly the last ollices of the Church, though his mottoes Que sais-jc' (What do 1 know?) and Qu'importet (What matters it?) are those of an easy-going skeptic. The essays, of which the first were written in 1.572. beginning in self-analysis, finally came to take for their field the knowledge of man in gen- iTal. Wholly unsystematic though they are, they -Ijow an insatiable curio-ity, which seeks rather its own stimulation than the satisfaction of a definite conclusion. Montaigne drew the ma- terial for his reflections not so much from his own surroundings as from Seneca, Lucretius, and the historians, from Plutarch, Xenophon, and the anthologTi' of Stobieus, and from the biogra- |ihies of Diogenes Laertius, as well as from Ital- ian letter-writers and historians. Behind their thought he often sheltered his own. preferring rather to suggest that others had douljted than that he himself was other than a royalist and a Catliolie. Suspended judgment, contented de- tachment, and a practical epicureanism are the teachings of Montaigne, who observes that "men are tormented by what they think about things, not by the things themselves." "However six-cious novelty may be," says he, "I change not easily, for I fear to lose by the change. ... So I have, by God's grace, kept without worry and turmoil of conscience the old beliefs of our reli- gion through all the sects and divisions that our icntury has brought forth." His attitude was lint lieroic, but it proved contagious; for the anti- Christian or simply non-Christian current which fan be noted in the seventeenth century, passing through JloliJre or through Descartes and finally reaching Voltaire, seems to have its source in Alontaigne. Rationalism. Epicurean or Cartesian, is already by implication in the essays. In his iiwn day Montaigne stood almost alone among men who were hasty in thought and quick to act. Few French works have exercised so great and lasting an influence on the writing and thought iif the world as the essays of Montaigne. He stands alone and secure among the world's writ- irs. Through Florio (q.v.), who pulilished his admirable translation in 1003, Montaigne was known to Shakespeare, and he verj' slightly in- fluenced Francis Bacon, ten of whose essays ap- jieared in 1.597. He has fascinated great men in every civilized country- and in every generation — never, perhaps, more than now. Bibliography. Editions of the essays ap- [leared in 1.580, 1.582, and 1.5S8. each containing 1 lianges as well as new material. In 1505 his family, aided by illle. de Gournay and Pierre de Brach, published what they called "a new- edition found after the author's death and aug- mented by him by a third more than was in pre- ceding impressions." The text of 1505 forms the base of Courbet and Boyer's edition (Paris, 1872- 01). which has also ilontaigne's letters. There is in the municipal library of Bordeaux a copy of the edition of 15S8. with many autograph notes by Montaigne, difTering, often considerably, from the changes in the editions of 1595. These notes were "Used in tlie not very accurate editions of Naigeon (Paris, 1802), of Desoer de I'Aul- naye (ib., 1818), and of Aniaury-Duval (ib., 1820). Convenient for general use is the edition of Leclerc ( ib., 1805). Montaigne's Essays were translated by Florio in time to be used by Shakespeare, and, as it seems, by Ben Jonson also. Florio's rendering was reedited by C. Cotton and revised by Haz- litt (London, 1893). Consult: Griin, La vie jHibliiiuc de Montaigne (Paris, 1855) ; JIalvezin, M. de Montaifine, son oriyine, sa fumille (ib., 1875) ; Bonnefon, Montaiyne, I'homme el I'wuvre ( ib., 1803 1 . reprinted in the same author's Les amis lie Montaiyne (ili., 1898); Sta])fer, .1/on- taigne (ib., 1894), and La familte el les amis de Montaiyne ( ib., 1890); also Payen, Docu- ments inedits (ib., 1847-50) ; Xcrlet, Etudes lit- t^raires fib., 1882) ; Champion, Introditetion aux essais de Montaiyne (ib., 1899). Works in Eng- lish are the Lives of Montaigne by Saint .John (London, 1858) and Lowndes (ib., 1898) ; Emer- son, "Montaigne," in Kepresentative Men (Bos- ton, 1850) ; Church, in Miseellaneous Essays (London, 1888); and Pattison, in Essays (ib., 1889). A specially luminous treatment of the man and his attitude toward life is in Pater, tlaston de Latour (London, 1890). There is a good bibliography appended to Bonnefou, "ilon- taigne," in Petit de Julleville, Histoire de la lanyue et de la lilteruture fran^aise, vol. iii. (Paris. 1897). MONTALEMBERT, mOx'ta'IaX'bar', Charles Fobbes de Tbyon, Count (1810-70). A French historian and publicist. He was born in London, May 29, 1810, of an ancient noble family, his father, who had been driven out by the Revolution, having entered the English service. His mother was of the Scottish family of Forbes, to which circumstance may be as- cribed Montalembert's knowledge of, and strong admiration for. English social and political in- stitutions. He began his studies at Fulham, near London, and finally, after some time spent in Stockholm with his father, who was Ambassa- dor to Sweden, completed them in Paris. At twenty, already an ardent champion of Catholi- cism and of popular freedom, he joined Lamen- nais (q.v.) on the staff of the Avenir. and co- operated with him in the establishment of free schools. He accompanied Lanicnnais on his un- happy journey to Rome, and then to Munich, and remained in close sympatliy with his views, even after his master had gone further away from orthodoxy in Paroles d'un croyant (1834). At the end of that year, however, lie broke with Lamennais and definitely submitted to the Papal decisions. He still maintained his ardent desire to demonstrate the close relations of his faith and popular liberty, and took great delight in the study of medi.Tval history, the first fruit of which was his Histoire de Sainte Elisabeth d'flonyr^e (1830). Three years later appeared a collection of his studies in mediipval art. which be vigorously exalted over corrupt modern stand- ards under the title Du vandnlisme et du eatho- lirisme. In 1835. having now attained the re- quired age. he took his seat in the House of Pe^rs, where, young as he was, he stood out at once as a champion of religion. After the Revo- lution of 1848 he was elected a member of the Constituent Assemblv, and took his seat on the