Montaigne 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: hold but with his owne armes. He shall raise We think himselfe up, if it please God extraordinarily to too much lend him his helping hand. He may elevate ,ou... more »r u- ir u c i j u- selves himselfe by forsaking and renouncing his owne meanes, and suffering himselfe to be elevated and raised by meere heavenly meanes. It is for our Christian faith, not for his Stoicke vertue to pretend or aspire to this divine Metamorphosis, or miraculous transmutation. Chap. XIII Of judging of others death we judge of others assurance or boldnesse in death, which without all per- adventure, is the most remarkeable action of humane life, great heed is to be taken of one thing, which is, that a man will hardly beleeve he is come to that point. Few men die with a resolution, that it is their last houre: And no wher doth hopes deceit ammuse us more. She never ceaseth to ring in our eares, that others have beene sicker, and yet have not died; the cause is not so desperate as it is taken ; and if the worst happen, God hath done greater wonders. The reason is, that we make too much account of our selves. It seemeth, that the generality of things doth in some sort suffer for our annullation, and takes compassion of our state. Forsomuch as our sight being altered, Days represents unto it selfe things alike; and we of old imagine, that things faile it, as it doth to them : Yf8 As they who travel! by Sea, to whom moun- com- . i .. . ' mended tames, fields, townes, heaven and earth, seeme to goe the same motion, and keepe the same course, they doe: Provehimtir portu, terrtcqut urbcsque recedunt. —Virg. B. ill. 71. We sayling launch from harbour, and Behinde our backes leave townes, leave land. Who ever saw old age, that commended not times past, and blamed not the present,...« less