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by him in his boyhood, by way of practice only, as a familiar subject which had been travelled over a thousand times in books. I make no doubt that he believed what he wrote, for he was conscientious enough not to deceive, even carelessly; and I know furthermore that, if he had had his choice, he would have liked better to be born at Venice than at Sarlac, and with good reason. But he had another maxim, supremely imprinted on his mind — to obey, and submit most scrupulously to, the laws under which he was born. There was never a better citizen, or one more devoted to the repose of his country or more hostile to the commotions and innovations of his time: he would much rather have employed his ability in quieting them than in supplying the wherewithal to rouse them more. His mind was modelled on the pattern of other ages than this.

Now, in exchange for this serious work, I will substitute another, produced at the same period of his life, but more vivacious and blithe.^[1]

We have here only a paragraph of introduction of his friend’s verses, addressed by Montaigne to Madame de Grammont. This dedication, which appeared in 1580, was probably written in 1576.

Madame de Grammont was known as la belle Corisande d’Andouins. She was by birth Diane, vicomtesse de Louvigny; she married in 1567 Philibert, comte de Grammont et de Guiche. He was killed at the siege of La Fère in 1580. Montaigne noted in his Ephemerides “6 août, l’an 1580 mourût au siege de la fere, môsr de gramôt qui m’étoit fort amy; qui avoit été frapé d’un coup de piece 4 jours auparaûnt, moi etât au d’siege.” In the Essay “Of Diversion” (Book III, chapter 4), he says: “I went with several other of his friends to conduct to Soissons the body of monsieur de Gramont from the siege of la Fere, where he was killed.”