Some questions about this Essay
• What is barbaric / barbarism for Montaigne?
• Why ? What are some of his arguments?
• What does he reference in his own world / era?“⋯ what kind of barbarians
⋯”
“When King Pyrrhus
...
Some questions about this Essay
• What is barbaric / barbarism for Montaigne?
• Why ? What are some of his arguments?
• What does he reference in his own world / era?“⋯ what kind of barbarians
⋯”
“When King Pyrrhus invaded Italy, having viewed and
considered the order of the army the Romans sent out to meet
him; "I know not," said he, "what kind of barbarians" (for so the
Greeks called all other nations) "these may be; but the
disposition of this army that I see has nothing of barbarism in it.
"—[Plutarch, Life of Pyrrhus, c. 8.]—As much said the Greeks of
that which Flaminius brought into their country; and Philip,
beholding from an eminence the order and distribution of the
Roman camp formed in his kingdom by Publius Sulpicius Galba,
spoke to the same effect. By which it appears how cautious
men ought to be of taking things upon trust from vulgar
opinion, and that we are to judge by the eye of reason, and not
from common report.”“ ⋯ more curiosity than capacity”
“I long had a man in my house that lived ten or twelve years in
the New World, discovered in these latter days, and in that part
of it where Villegaignon landed,—[At Brazil, in 1557.]—which
he called Antarctic France. This discovery of so vast a country
seems to be of very great consideration. I cannot be sure, that
hereafter there may not be another, so many wiser men than
we having been deceived in this. I am afraid our eyes are bigger
than our bellies, and that we have more curiosity than capacity;
for we grasp at all, but catch nothing but wind.”
[Show More]