Essays of Michael Seigneur de Montaigne
by Michel de Montaigne
| Essays of Michael Seigneur de Montaigne | |
 Title page from Essays of Michael Seigneur de Montaigne, volume two, George Wythe Collection, Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary. | |
| Author | Michel de Montaigne |
| Translator | Charles Cotton |
| Published | London: Daniel Brown [etc.] |
| Date | 1711 |
| Edition | Fourth |
| Language | English |
| Volumes | 3 volume set |
Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) is an incredibly influential philosopher and essayist with revolutionary values derivative of humanism, skepticism, relativism, and empirical knowledge.[1]
He came from a wealthy family of recent nobility, and with his father’s insistence, Montaigne was educated in the classics and Latin before he was sent to school at the age of six. Montaigne worked as a lawyer until he retired in 1571, when he received multiple honorifics. After his retirement from Parliament, he remained active in the political sphere, where he advocated following custom and ancient societal laws.[2]
In 1580, Montaigne published his famous Essays, with two more books published in 1588 and 1595. In these books Montaigne is credited with inventing the essay as we know it. Montaigne puts forth his humanist ideas about the importance of asserting “natural judgment,” the importance of recognizing humans as fallible and connected to the physical world, and the empirical nature of knowledge. One of his most famous essays in these works is “On Cannibals,” which compares the behavior of European colonialists to the “savages” of Brazil.[3] Other essays explore the doctrine of relativism, namely the concept of law and customs in the context of the horrors of war, arguing that laws can be evil or unjust, but one should follow ancient laws that order society.[4] The Essays are pervaded by Montaigne’s skepticism, learned from reading the Stoics, which “insist[s] that it is the self that is in constant flux and in need of a stable political environment.”[5] He lived by a strict morality and believed that one must act in a way he believes is just while living in this uncertain world.
Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library
Listed in the Jefferson Inventory of Wythe's Library as Montaigne. Eng. 2.v. 8vo. and given by Thomas Jefferson to his son-in-law, Thomas Mann Randolph. We do not have enough information to conclusively identify which edition Wythe owned. George Wythe's Library[6] on LibraryThing indicates this without choosing a specific edition. The Brown Bibliography[7] lists the 1759 edition published in London but notes that "which English edition Wythe owned is undetermined." The Wolf Law Library purchased the fourth edition, published in London in 1711.
Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy
Bound in 3/4 mottled calf leather with marbled boards, top edge gilt and marbled flyleaves and pastedowns. Contains copper engraving frontispiece portrait of Montaigne, gilt extras and letteringpieces to the spine and marginal notes and quotations. Purchased from Hirschfeld Galleries.
View this book in William & Mary's online catalog.
External Links
Volume 1:Google Books
Volume 2:Google Books
Volume 3:Google Books
References
- ↑ Marc Foglia, “Michel de Montaigne”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2013), accessed on October 24, 2013. All biographical information is from this source unless otherwise noted.
- ↑ John Christian Laursen, “Michel de Montaigne and the Politics of Skepticism,” Historical Reflections, 16, No. 1 (Berghahn Books, Spring 1989), pp. 131-32.
- ↑ Norris Brock Johnson, “Cannibals and Culture: The Anthropology of Michel de Montaigne,” Dialectical Anthropology, 18, No. 2 (Springer, 1993), pp. 154-55.
- ↑ Laursen, pp. 122-23.
- ↑ Laursen, p. 103.
- ↑ LibraryThing, s. v. "Member: George Wythe," accessed on November 13, 2013, http://www.librarything.com/profile/GeorgeWythe
- ↑ Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433
