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• List of Illustrations
• Essays of Montaigne
• Of Experience
• Sketch of the Life of Montaigne
• Letters of Montaigne
• I: To Messire Antoine Du Prat, Provost of Paris.
• II: To Monseigneur, Monseigneur De Montaigne (his Father). (1563.)
• III: To the Same.
• IV: To Monsieur, Monsieur De Lansac, Knight of the King’s Order, Privy Councillor, Subcontroller of His Finance, and Captain of the Cent Gardes of His Household.
• V: To Monsieur, Monsieur De Mesmes, Seigneur De Roissy and Malassize, Privy Councillor to the King.
• VI: To Monsieur, Monsieur De L’hospital, Chancellor of France.
• VII: To Monsieur, Monsieur De Foix, Privy Councillor, and Ambassador of His Majesty to the Signory of Venice.
• VIII: To Mademoiselle, Mademoiselle De Montaigne, My Wife.
• IX: To Madame De Grammont, Comtesse De Guissen.
• X: To the Jurats of Bordeaux.
• XI: To Monseigneur, Monseigneur De Nantouillet, Councillor to the King.
• XII: To Henry III.
• XIII: Memorial of Montaigne, Mayor of Bordeaux, and of His Jurats, Addressed to the King of Navarre, On Different Subjects Interesting That Same Town.
• XIV: To the Marechal De Matignon.
• XV: To the Same.
• XVI: To Monsieur, Monsieur Dupuy, the King’s Councillor In His Court and Parliament of Paris, At Xaintes.
• XVII: To Mm, the Jurats of the Town of Bordeaux.
• XVIII: To the Marechal De Matignon.
• XIX: To the Same.
• XX: To the Same.
• XXI: To the Jurats of Bordeaux.
• XXII: To the Marechal De Matignon.
• XXIII: To the Same.
• XXIV: To the Same.
• XXV: To the Same.
• XXVI: To the Same.
• XXVII: To the Same.
• XXVIII: To the Jurats of Bordeaux.
• XXIX: To the Same.
• XXX: To the Marechal De Matignon.
• XXXI: To the Same.
• XXXII: To Mademoiselle Paulmier.
• XXXIII: To Henry IV.
• XXXIV: To — —
• XXXV: To Henry IV.
• Notes
• Volume I
• Volume Ii
• Volume Iii
• Volume Iv
• Volume V
• Volume Vi
• Volume Vii
• Volume Viii
• Volume Ix
• Volume X

XXII

To the Marechal de Matignon.

Monseigneur,—I hope that the stone which troubled you when last you wrote has passed, as has another which I evacuated at the same time.

If the Jurats arrived on the day on which they were expected at Bordeaux, and came to the place of attendance, they will have been able to bring you fresh news from the Court. They are circulating here a rumor that Ferrand has been taken, at three leagues from Nerac, on his way to the Court, and brought back to Pau; also, that the Huguenots nearly surprised Taillebourg and Tallemont at the same time, and some other plans for Dax and Bayonne. On Tuesday, a troop of bohemians, which has been prowling hereabout a long time, having purchased the favor and aid of a gentleman of the country named Le Borgue la Siguinie to assist them in getting redress from another troop beyond the water in the territory of Gensac, which belongs to the King of Navarre: the said La Siguinie having assembled twenty or thirty of his friends, under pretence of going duck-shooting with arquebuses, with two or three of the said bohemians on this side the river, charged those on the other side, and killed one of them. The authorities of Gensac, advised hereof, raised an armed force, and attacked the assailants, and took four, one gentleman and three others, killed one, and wounded three or four others. The rest retired to this side, and of those of Gensac there are two or three mortally wounded. The skirmish lasted a long time, and was very hot. The matter is open to settlement, as both sides are to blame. If the Sieur de la Rocque, who is very much one of my friends, must fight with Cabanac du Puch, I wish and advise him to do so at a distance from you. Whereupon I very humbly kiss your hands, and supplicate God to grant you, Monseigneur, long and happy life. From Montaigne, this 9th of February 1585. Your very humble servant,

MONTAIGNE.

(Postscriptum.)—Monseigneur, my letter was closed when I received yours of the 6th and that of M. Villeroy, which you have been pleased to send me (by a man whom the Corps of the town has sent), of the fortunate expedition of their deputies. Le Sieur de la Motte sends to me to say that he has things to tell me which he cannot write, and I send word to him that, if need be, he shall come in search of me here, to which I have no reply. But as to the command which you are so good as to give, that I shall come to you, I very humbly beg you to believe that there is nothing which I face more willingly, and that I will never throw myself back into solitude, or withdraw so much from public affairs, but that there remains a singular devotion to your service and an affection of being where you are. At this moment, I am booted to go to Fleix, where the good President Ferrier and Le Sieur de la Marseliere are to be to-morrow, with the intention of coming here the day after to-morrow or Tuesday. I hope to go and kiss your hands one day next week, or to let you know if there is a reasonable ground for preventing me. I have received no news from Bearne; but Poiferre, who has been at Bordeaux, wrote to me, and according to what I am told, gave the letter to a man, from whom I have not yet received it. I am vexed about it.