as it does not seem comprehensible to them that any thing is worthy to make head against them, they put every one to the sword wherever they meet with resistance, so long as their good fortune lasts; as we see by the forms of summons and defiance which the Eastern princes, and their successors who still remain, are accustomed to use — proud and haughty and full of an unmannerly tone of command. (c) And in the region where the Portuguese cut into the Indies, they found nations with this universal and inviolable law, that every enemy vanquished by the king in person, or by his lieutenant, is outside all terms of ransom or pardon.[1] (b) Thus every one who can, must especially beware of falling into the hands of a hostile, victorious, well-armed judge.
CHAPTER XVI
OF THE PUNISHMENT OF COWARDICE
Another exhibition of Montaigne’s familiarity in thought with military matters. And it was not in thought merely that he was familiar with them. How much of a soldier he himself had been is a matter of discussion, but it is quite certain that he had lived in camps and borne the fatigue of marches.
The first sentence gives the text of the Essay. But the most important passage is that where Montaigne refers to the “view of those who condemn capital punishment for heretics and unbelievers.” It was hardly safe to do more than to hint at such an opinion — to drop it as Montaigne does here into the middle of a page; but we shall see later how earnestly he himself held it.
I ONCE heard it maintained by a prince and very great captain that a soldier could not be condemned to death for faint-heartedness; and at table he told the story of the Seigneur de Vervins, who was sentenced to death for surrendering Boulogne.[2] In truth, it is reasonable to make a great distinction between the faults which come from our weakness and those which come from our evil intent; for in the one case we have knowingly set ourselves
