The Essayes - v. 2 Author:Michel de Montaigne Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: terme a fury or madnesse in them. And as Plato Chapter saith, that a setled and reposed man, doth in vaine '' knocke at Poesies gate. Aristotle likewise saith, t... more »hat Of Drunken- no excellent minde is freely exempted from some or nesse other entermixture of folly. And he hath reason, to call any starting or extraordinarie conceit (how commendable soever) and which exceedeth our judgement and discourse, folly. Forsomuch as wisdome, is an orderly and regular managing of the minde, and which she addresseth ndth measure, and conducteth with proportion; And take her owne word for it. Plato disputeth thus ; that the facultie of prophesying and divination is far above us, and that when wee treat it, we must be besides our selves : our wisdome must be darkened and over shadowed by sleepe, by sickenesse, or by drowzinesse; or by some celestiall fury, ravished from her owne seat. THE THIRD CHAPTER A custome of the lie of Cea Y. as some say, to philosophate be to doubt; with much more reason,to rave and fantastiquize, as I doe, must neces- sarily be to doubt: For, to enquire and debate/ belongeth to a scholler, and to resolve appertaines to a cathedrall master. Hut know, my cathedrall, it is the authoritie of God's divine will, that without any contradiction doth sway us, and hath her ranke beyond these humane and vaine contestations. Philip being with an armed hand entred the Countrie of Peloponnesus, some one told Damidus, the Lacedemonians were like to endure much, if they sought not to reobtaine his lost favour. Oh varlet as thou art (answered he.) And what can they suffer, who have no feare at all of Chapter death ? Agis being demanded, how a man might do II1 to live free, answered ; Despising and contemning to Acustomeof die. These and a thousand like propositions, whi...« less