第 5 节
作者:上访不如上网      更新:2022-05-01 22:41      字数:9322
  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