The journal of Montaigne's travels in Italy by way of Switzerland and Germany in 1580 and 1581, Volume 1 (of 3)Montaigne, Michel de
Philosophy
The journal of Montaigne's travels in Italy by way of Switzerland and Germany in 1580 and 1581, Volume 1 (of 3)
Montaigne, Michel de
Germany -- Description and travel; Italy -- Description and travel; Switzerland -- Description and travel
Montaigne refers to this matter again in the “Essays,” i. 20: “Passant
à Vitry le François je pûs voir un homme que l’Évesque de Soissons
avoit nommé Germain,” a manifest lapse of memory, as in the text above
he expressly states that he was not able to see Germain. His memory was
evidently treacherous. “Ma librairie est assise à un coin de ma maison:
s’il me tombe en fantaisie chose que j’y vueille aller chercher ou
escrire, de peur qu’elle ne m’eschappe en traversant seulement ma cour,
il faut que je la donne en garde à quelqu’autre. Si je m’enhardis en
parlant, à me détourner tant soit peu de mon fil, je ne faux jamais de
le perdre: qui fait que je me tiens en mes discours, contraint, sec, et
reserré. Les gens qui me servent, il faut que je les appelle par le nom
de leurs charges ou de leur païs: car il m’est tres-malaisé de retenir
des noms. Je diray bien qu’il a trois syllabes, que le son en est rude,
qu’il commence ou termine par telle lettre: et si je durois à vivre
longtemps, je ne crois pas que je n’oubliasse mon nom propre, comme ont
fait d’autres.”--_Essais_, ii. 17.
[17] Bar-le-Duc.
[18] Son of a certain Pierre de Trèves. The college he founded was
directed by the Jesuits up to the outbreak of the Revolution; the
chapel alluded to was added to the collegiate church of St Mark. He
became dean of the college, and died in 1582; and his portrait now
hangs in the museum at Bar-le-Duc.
[19] Manois.
[20] Charles VII.
[21] “Cy git tel qui fut mors lors que li milliaires courroit per mil
deux cens.” Querlon in his note in the edition of 1774 adds: “Entre
autres plusieurs tombeaux de Seigneurs de la Maison du Châtelet il est
rapporté dans les observations de l’Abbé Desfontaines (_Lettre 467_)
qu’un du Châtelet voulut y être enterré tout debout dans le creux d’un
pillier, disant que ‘jamais vilain ne passeroit par dessus son ventre.’”
[22] Épinal.
[23] Plombières.
[24] Jean d’Andelot, who fought on the Imperial side at Pavia. He was
of the family of Andelot of Montague.
[25] Bagnères de Bigorre.
[26] The Duke of Lorraine.
[27] Bussang, a well-known medicinal spring near the source of the
Moselle.
[28] Thann.
[29] Mülhausen. It was not incorporated with France till 1798.
[30] The host’s story is somewhat contradictory. He says that for
twenty years past he had been the pensioner of the King of France, and
in the same breath talks of having marched with John Casimir, the son
of Frederic III., Elector Palatine, to fight against this same king in
1567. Perhaps his pension may have been in arrear.
[31] La Fère had fallen on August 31st.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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