things　that　in　themselves　are　laudable　and　good：　we　may　grasp　virtue　so
  that　it　becomes　vicious；　if　we　embrace　it　too　stringently　and　with　too
  violent　a　desire。　　Those　who　say；　there　is　never　any　excess　in　virtue；
  forasmuch　as　it　is　not　virtue　when　it　once　becomes　excess；　only　play　upon
  words：
  〃Insani　sapiens　nomen　ferat；　aequus　iniqui；
  Ultra　quam　satis　est；　virtutem　si　petat　ipsam。〃
  ＇〃Let　the　wise　man　bear　the　name　of　a　madman；　the　just　one　of　an
  unjust；　if　he　seek　wisdom　more　than　is　sufficient。〃
  Horace；　Ep。；　i。　6；　15。＇
  ＇〃The　wise　man　is　no　longer　wise；　the　just　man　no　longer　just；　if　he
  seek　to　carry　his　love　for　wisdom　or　virtue　beyond　that　which　is
  necessary。＇
  This　is　a　subtle　consideration　of　philosophy。　　A　man　may　both　be　too　much
  in　love　with　virtue；　and　be　excessive　in　a　just　action。　　Holy　Writ　agrees
  with　this；　Be　not　wiser　than　you　should；　but　be　soberly　wise。＇St。
  Paul；　Epistle　to　the　Romans；　xii。　3。＇　I　have　known　a　great　man；
  ＇〃It　is　likely　that　Montaigne　meant　Henry　III。；　king　of　France。
  The　Cardinal　d'Ossat；　writing　to　Louise；　the　queen…dowager；　told
  her；　in　his　frank　manner；　that　he　had　lived　as　much　or　more　like　a
  monk　than　a　monarch　（Letter　XXIII。）　And　Pope　Sextus　V。；　speaking　of
  that　prince　one　day　to　the　Cardinal　de　Joyeuse；　protector　of　the
  affairs　of　France；　said　to　him　pleasantly；　'There　is　nothing　that
  your　king　hath　not　done；　and　does　not　do　so　still；　to　be　a　monk；　nor
  anything　that　I　have　not　done；　not　to　be　a　monk。'〃Coste。
  prejudice　the　opinion　men　had　of　his　devotion；　by　pretending　to　be　devout
  beyond　all　examples　of　others　of　his　condition。　　I　love　temperate　and
  moderate　natures。　　An　immoderate　zeal；　even　to　that　which　is　good；　even
  though　it　does　not　offend；　astonishes　me；　and　puts　me　to　study　what　name
  to　give　it。　　Neither　the　mother　of　Pausanias；
  ＇〃Montaigne　would　here　give　us　to　understand；　upon　the　authority　of
  Diodorus　Siculus；　that　Pausanias'　mother　gave　the　first　hint　of　the
  punishment　that　was　to　be　inflicted　on　her　son。　　'Pausanias；'　says
  this　historian；　'perceiving　that　the　ephori；　and　some　other
  Lacedoemonians；　aimed　at　apprehending　him；　got　the　start　of　them；
  and　went　and　took　sanctuary　m　Minerva's　temple：　and　the
  Lacedaemonians；　being　doubtful　whether　they　ought　to　take　him　from
  thence　in　violation　of　the　franchise　there；　it　is　said　that　his　own
  mother　came　herself　to　the　temple　but　spoke　nothing　nor　did　anything
  more　than　lay　a　piece　of　brick；　which　she　brought　with　her；　on　the
  threshold　of　the　temple；　which；　when　she　had　done；　she　returned
  home。　　The　Lacedaemonians；　taking　the　hint　from　the　mother；　caused
  the　gate　of　the　temple　to　be　walled　up；　and　by　this　means　starved
  Pausanias；　so　that　he　died　with　hunger；　&c。　（lib。　xi。　cap。　10。；　of
  Amyot's　translation）。　　The　name　of　Pausanias'　mother　was　Alcithea；
  as　we　are　informed　by　Thucydides'　scholiast；　who　only　says　that　it
  was　reported；　that　when　they　set　about　walling　up　the　gates　of　the
  chapel　in　which　Pausanias　had　taken　refuge；　his　mother　Alcithea　laid
  the　first　stone。〃Coste。＇
  who　was　the　first　instructor　of　her　son's　process；　and　threw　the　first
  stone　towards　his　death；　nor　Posthumius　the　dictator；　who　put　his　son　to
  death；　whom　the　ardour　of　youth　had　successfully　pushed　upon　the　enemy　a
  little　more　advanced　than　the　rest　of　his　squadron；　do　appear　to　me　so
  much　just　as　strange；　and　I　should　neither　advise　nor　like　to　follow　so
  savage　a　virtue；　and　that　costs　so　dear。
  ＇〃Opinions　differ　as　to　the　truth　of　this　fact。　　Livy　thinks　he
  has　good　authority　for　rejecting　it　because　it　does　not　appear　in
  history　that　Posthumious　was　branded　with　it；　as　Titus　Manlius　was；
  about　100　years　after　his　time；　for　Manlius；　having　put　his　son　to
  death　for　the　like　cause；　obtained　the　odious　name　of　Imperiosus；
  and　since　that　time　Manliana　imperia　has　been　used　as　a　term　to
  signify　orders　that　are　too　severe；　Manliana　Imperia；　says　Livy；
  were　not　only　horrible　for　the　time　present；　but　of　a　bad　example　to
  posterity。　　And　this　historian　makes　no　doubt　but　such　commands
  would　have　been　actually　styled　Posthumiana　Imperia；　if　Posthumius
  had　been　the　first　who　set　so　barbarous　an　example　（Livy；　lib。　iv。
  cap。　29；　and　lib。　viii。　cap。　7）。　　But；　however；　Montaigne　has　Valer。
  Maximus　on　his　side；　who　says　expressly；　that　Posthumius　caused　his
  son　to　be　put　to　death；　and　Diodorus　of　Sicily　（lib。　　xii。　　cap。
  19）。〃Coste。＇
  The　archer　that　shoots　over；　misses　as　much　as　he　that　falls　short；　and
  'tis　equally　troublesome　to　my　sight；　to　look　up　at　a　great　light；　and
  to　look　down　into　a　dark　abyss。　　Callicles　in　Plato　says；　that　the
  extremity　of　philosophy　is　hurtful；　and　advises　not　to　dive　into　it
  beyond　the　limits　of　profit；　that；　taken　moderately；　it　is　pleasant　and
  useful；　but　that　in　the　end　it　renders　a　man　brutish　and　vicious；　a
  contemner　of　religion　and　the　common　laws；　an　enemy　to　civil
  conversation；　and　all　human　pleasures；　incapable　of　all　public
  administration；　unfit　either　to　assist　others　or　to　relieve　himself；　and
  a　fit　object　for　all　sorts　of　injuries　and　affronts。　　He　says　true；　for
  in　its　excess；　it　enslaves　our　natural　freedom；　and　by　an　impertinent
  subtlety；　leads　us　out　of　the　fair　and　beaten　way　that　nature　has　traced
  for　us。
  The　love　we　bear　to　our　wives　is　very　lawful；　and　yet　theology　thinks　fit
  to　curb　and　restrain　it。　　As　I　remember；　I　have　read　in　one　place　of　St。
  Thomas　Aquinas；＇Secunda　Secundx；　Quaest。　154；　art。　9。＇　where　he
  condemns　marriages　within　any　of　the　forbidden　degrees；　for　this　reason；
  amongst　others；　that　there　is　some　danger；　lest　the　friendship　a　man
  bears　to　such　a　woman；　should　be　immoderate；　for　if　the　conjugal
  affection　be　full　and　perfect　betwixt　them；　as　it　ought　to　be；　and　that
  it　be　over　and　above　surcharged　with　that　of　kindred　too；　there　is　no
  doubt；　but　such　an　addition　will　carry　the　husband　beyond　the　bounds　of
  reason。
  Those　sciences　that　regulate　the　manners　of　men；　divinity　and　philosophy；
  will　have　their　say　in　everything；　there　is　no　action　so　private　and
  secret　that　can　escape　their　inspection　and　jurisdiction。　　They　are　best
  taught　who　are　best　able　to　control　and　curb　their　own　liberty；　women
  expose　their　nudities　as　much　as　you　will　upon　the　account　of　pleasure；
  though　in　the　necessities　of　physic　they　are　altogether　as　shy。　　I　will；
  therefore；　in　their　behalf：
  ＇Coste　translates　this：　〃on　the　part　of　philosophy　and　theology；〃
  observing　that　but　few　wives　would　think　themselves　obliged　to
  Montaigne　for　any　such　lesson　to　their　husbands。＇
  teach　the　husbands；　that　is；　such　as　are　too　vehement　in　the　exercise　of
  the　matrimonial　dutyif　such　there　still　bethis　lesson；　that　the　very
  pleasures　they　enjoy　in　the　society　of　their　wives　are　reproachable　if
  immoderate；　and　that　a　licentious　and　riotous　abuse　of　them　is　a　fault　as
  reprovable　here　as　in　illicit　connections。　　Those　immodest　and　debauched
  tricks　and　postures；　that　the　first　ardour　suggests　to　us　in　this　affair；
  are　not　only　indecently　but　detrimentally　practised　upon　our　wives。　　Let
  them　at　least　learn　impudence　from　another　hand；　they　are　ever　ready
  enough　for　our　business；　and　I　for　my　part　always　went　the　plain　way　to
  work。
  Marriage　is　a　solemn　and　religious　tie；　and　therefore　the　pleasure　we
  extract　from　it　should　be　a　sober　and　serious　delight；　and　mixed　with　a
  certain　kind　of　gravity；　it　should　be　a　sort　of　discreet　and
  conscientious　pleasure。　　And　seeing　that　the　chief　end　of　it　is
  generation；　some　make　a　question；　whether　when　men　are　out　of　hopes　as
  when　they　are　superannuated　or　already　with　child；　it　be　lawful　to
  embrace　our　wives。　　'Tis　homicide；　according　to　Plato。　＇Laws；　8。＇
  Certain　nations　（the　Mohammedan；　amongst　others　abominate　all　conjunction
  with　women　with　child；　others　also；　with　those　who　are　in　their　courses。
  Zenobia　would　never　admit　her　husband　for　more　than　one　encounter；　after
  which　she　left　him　to　his　own　swing　for　the　whole　time　of　her　conception；
  and　not　till　after　that　would　again　receive　him：　＇Trebellius　Pollio；
  Triginta　Tyran。；　c。　30。＇　a　brave　and　generous　example　of　conjugal
  continence。　　It　was　doubtless　from　some　lascivious　poet；＇The　lascivious
  poet　is　Homer；　see　his　Iliad；　xiv。　　294。＇　and　one　that　himself　was　in
  great　distress　for　a　little　of　this　sport；　that　Plato　borrowed　this
  story；　that　Jupiter　was　one　day　so　hot　upon　his　wife；　that　not　having　so
  much　patience　as　till　she　could　get　to　the　couch；　he　threw　her　upon　the
  floor；　where　the　vehemence　of　pleasure　made　him　forget　the　great　and
  important　resolutions　he　had　but　newly　taken　with　the　rest　of　the　gods　in
  his　celestial　council；　and　to　brag　that　he　had　had　as　good　a　bout；　as
  when　he　got　her　maidenhead；　unknown　to　their　parents。
  The　kings　of　Persia　were　wont　to　invite　their　wives　to　the　beginning　of
  their　festivals；　but　when　the　wine　began　to　work　in　good　earnest；　and
  that　they　were　to　give　the　reins　to　pleasure；　they　sent　them　ba