ENCOR’ vn traict à la comparaison de ces couples. Il se tire des escrits de Cicero, et de ce Pline peu retirant, à mon aduis, aux humeurs de son oncle, infinis tesmoignages de nature outre mesure ambitieuse: entre autres qu’ils sollicitent au sceu de tout le monde, les historiens de leur temps, de ne les oublier en leurs registres: et la fortune comme par despit, a faict durer iusques à nous la vanité de ces requestes, et pieça faict perdre ces histoires.
ONE more stroke for the comparison of these pairs. From the writings of Cicero, and of that Pliny who, in my opinion, takes very little after his uncle’s temperament, one can draw countless testimonies of a nature ambitious beyond measure. Among others, they solicit the historians of their time, in full view of everyone, not to forget them in their records; and Fortune, as if out of spite, has made the vanity of these requests last down to us, and long ago caused those histories to be lost.
Mais cecy surpasse toute bassesse de cœur, en personnes de tel rang, d’auoir voulu tirer quelque principale gloire du cacquet, et de la parlerie, iusques à y employer les lettres priuées escriptes à leurs amis: en maniere, que aucunes ayans failly leur saison pour estre enuoyées, ils les font ce neantmoins publier auec cette digne excuse, qu’ils n’ont pas voulu perdre leur trauail et veillées. Sied-il pas bien à deux consuls Romains, souuerains magistrats de la chose publique emperiere du monde, d’employer leur loisir, à ordonner et fagotter gentiment vne belle missiue, pour en tirer la reputation, de bien entendre le langage de leur nourrisse? Que feroit pis vn simple maistre d’escole qui en gaignast sa vie?
But this surpasses all baseness of heart in persons of such rank: to have wanted to draw some chief glory from chatter and talk, to the point of using for it the private letters written to their friends; so much so that when some of these had missed the moment for being sent, they nevertheless had them published, with this worthy excuse, that they did not want to waste their labor and their late nights. Is it not fitting for two Roman consuls, sovereign magistrates of the commonwealth that was empress of the world, to spend their leisure arranging and neatly trussing up a fine missive, so as to win the reputation of understanding their nurse’s language well? What worse could a mere schoolmaster do, who earned his living by it?
Si les gestes de Xenophon et de Cæsar, n’eussent de bien loing surpassé leur eloquence, ie ne croy pas qu’ils les eussent iamais escrits. Ils ont cherché à recommander non leur dire, mais leur faire. Et si la perfection du bien parler pouuoit apporter quelque gloire sortable à vn grand personnage, certainement Scipion et Lælius n’eussent pas resigné l’honneur de leurs comedies, et toutes les mignardises et delices du langage Latin, à vn serf Afriquain. Car que cet ouurage soit leur, sa beauté et son excellence le maintient assez, et Terence l’aduoüe luy mesme: et me feroit on desplaisir de me desloger de cette creance.
If the deeds of Xenophon and Caesar had not far surpassed their eloquence, I do not believe they would ever have written them down. They sought to commend not their saying but their doing. And if perfection in speaking well could bring any glory suitable to a great personage, certainly Scipio and Laelius would not have resigned the honor of their comedies, and all the graces and delights of the Latin language, to an African slave. For that this work is theirs, its beauty and excellence sufficiently prove, and Terence admits it himself; and it would displease me to be dislodged from this belief.
C’est vne espece de mocquerie et d’iniure, de vouloir faire valoir vn homme, par des qualitez mes-aduenantes à son rang; quoy qu’elles soient autrement loüables; et par les qualitez aussi qui ne doiuent pas estre les siennes principales. Comme qui loüeroit vn Roy d’estre bon peintre, ou bon architecte, ou encore bon arquebuzier, ou bon coureur de bague. Ces loüanges ne font honneur, si elles ne sont presentées en foule, et à la suitte de celles qui luy sont propres: à sçauoir de la iustice, et de la science de conduire son peuple en paix et en guerre. De cette façon faict honneur à Cyrus l’agriculture, et à Charlemaigne l’eloquence, et cognoissance des bonnes lettres.
It is a kind of mockery and insult to try to make a man look good by qualities unbecoming to his rank, however praiseworthy they may be in other respects, and also by qualities that ought not to be his principal ones. As if one were to praise a king for being a good painter, or a good architect, or even a good shot with the arquebus, or good at running at the ring. Such praises bring no honor unless they are offered in a crowd, following those that are proper to him: namely justice, and the knowledge of how to lead his people in peace and in war. In this way agriculture does honor to Cyrus, and eloquence and knowledge of good letters to Charlemagne.
I’ay veu de mon temps, en plus forts termes, des personnages, qui tiroient d’escrire, et leurs tiltres, et leur vocation, desaduoüer leur apprentissage, corrompre leur plume, et affecter l’ignorance de qualité si vulgaire, et que nostre peuple tient, ne se rencontrer guere en mains sçauantes: et prendre souci, de se recommander par meilleures qualitez. Les compagnons de Demosthenes en l’ambassade vers Philippus, loüoyent ce Prince d’estre beau, eloquent, et bon beuueur: Demosthenes disoit que c’estoient louanges qui appartenoient mieux à vne femme, à vn Aduocat, à vne esponge, qu’à vn Roy.
In my time I have seen an even stronger case: persons who owed both their titles and their calling to writing disowning their training, spoiling their pen, and affecting ignorance of so common a skill, one that our people hold is rarely found in learned hands, and taking care to recommend themselves by better qualities. The companions of Demosthenes on the embassy to Philip praised that prince for being handsome, eloquent and a good drinker. Demosthenes said these were praises better suited to a woman, a lawyer and a sponge than to a king.
Imperet bellante prior, iacentem / Lenis in hostem. Ce n’est pas sa profession de sçauoir, ou bien chasser, ou bien dancer, Orabunt causas alij, cœlique mea us / Describent radio, et fulgentia, sidera dicent, / Hic regere imperio populos sciat.
Let him rule, superior to the foe in battle, / Lenient to the fallen enemy. It is not his profession to know how to hunt well or to dance well. Others will plead causes, will trace the motions of the heavens / With the rod, and tell of the shining stars; / Let this man know how to rule the peoples with his sway.
Plutarque dit d’auantage, que de paroistre si excellent en ces parties moins necessaires, c’est produire contre soy le tesmoignage d’auoir mal dispencé son loisir, et l’estude, qui deuoit estre employé à choses plus necessaires et vtiles. De façon que Philippus Roy de Macedoine, ayant ouy ce grand Alexandre son fils, chanter en vn festin, à l’enui des meilleurs musiciens; N’as-tu pas honte, luy dit-il, de chanter si bien? Et à ce mesme Philippus, vn musicien contre lequel il debattoit de son art; Ia à Dieu ne plaise Sire, dit-il, qu’il t’aduienne iamais tant de mal, que tu entendes ces choses là, mieux que moy.
Plutarch says further that to appear so excellent in these less necessary accomplishments is to bring forward evidence against oneself of having badly spent one’s leisure and the study that should have been devoted to more necessary and useful things. So when Philip, king of Macedon, heard his son, the great Alexander, sing at a feast in rivalry with the best musicians, he said to him: “Are you not ashamed to sing so well?” And to this same Philip, a musician with whom he was arguing about his art said: “God forbid, Sire, that so much harm should ever befall you that you understand these things better than I do.”
Vn Roy doit pouuoir respondre, comme Iphicrates respondit à l’orateur qui le pressoit en son inuectiue de cette maniere: Et bien qu’es-tu, pour faire tant le braue? es-tu homme d’armes, es-tu archer, es-tu piquier? Ie ne suis rien de tout cela, mais ie suis celuy qui sçait commander à tous ceux-là. Et Antisthenes print pour argument de peu de valeur en Ismenias, dequoy on le vantoit d’estre excellent ioüeur de flustes.
A king should be able to answer as Iphicrates answered the orator who pressed him in his invective in this way: “Well, what are you, to swagger so much? Are you a man-at-arms? Are you an archer? Are you a pikeman?” “I am none of those, but I am the one who knows how to command all of them.” And Antisthenes took it as proof of little worth in Ismenias that he was praised for being an excellent flute player.
Ie sçay bien, quand i’oy quelqu’vn, qui s’arreste au langage des Essais, que i’aimeroye mieux, qu’il s’en teust. Ce n’est pas tant esleuer les mots, comme deprimer le sens: d’autant plus picquamment, que plus obliquement. Si suis-ie trompé si guere d’autres donnent plus à prendre en la matiere: et comment que ce soit, mal ou bien, si nul escriuain l’a semée, ny guere plus materielle, ny au moins plus drue, en son papier. Pour en ranger d’auantage, ie n’en entasse que les testes. Que i’y attache leur suitte, ie multiplieray plusieurs fois ce volume. Et combien y ay-ie espandu d’histoires, qui ne disent mot, lesquelles qui voudra esplucher vn peu plus curieusement, en produira infinis Essais?
I know well, when I hear someone dwelling on the language of these Essays, that I would rather he kept quiet. It is not so much exalting the words as disparaging the sense, and all the more cuttingly for being more oblique. And yet I am much mistaken if many others give more to take hold of in their matter; and, be it bad or good, I am mistaken if any writer has sown his paper with matter much more substantial, or at any rate more thickly. To fit in more of it, I pile up only the heads. If I were to attach what follows from them, I would multiply this volume several times over. And how many stories have I scattered here that say not a word, but from which anyone who cares to pick them apart a little more carefully will produce countless essays?
Ny elles, ny mes allegations, ne seruent pas tousiours simplement d’exemple, d’authorité ou d’ornement. Ie ne les regarde pas seulement par l’vsage, que i’en tire. Elles portent souuent, hors de mon propos, la semence d’vne matiere plus riche et plus hardie: et souuent à gauche, vn ton plus delicat, et pour moy, qui n’en veux en ce lieu exprimer d’auantage, et pour ceux qui rencontreront mon air.
Neither they nor my quotations always serve simply as example, authority or ornament. I do not regard them only for the use I draw from them. They often carry, beyond my subject, the seed of a richer and bolder matter, and often, on the side, a subtler tone, both for myself, who do not wish to express more of it here, and for those who catch my drift.
Retournant à la vertu parliere, ie ne trouue pas grand choix, entre ne sçauoir dire que mal, ou ne sçauoir rien que bien dire. Non est ornamentum virile, concinnitas. Les Sages disent, que pour le regard du sçauoir, il n’est que la philosophie, et pour le regard des effects, que la vertu, qui generalement soit propre à tous degrez, et à tous ordres.
Returning to the talking virtue, I do not find much to choose between knowing how to say nothing but badly and knowing nothing but how to speak well. Elegance is no manly ornament. The sages say that in respect of knowledge there is only philosophy, and in respect of deeds only virtue, that is generally fitting for all ranks and all orders.
Il y a quelque chose de pareil en ces autres deux philosophes: car ils promettent aussi eternité aux lettres qu’ils escriuent à leurs amis. Mais c’est d’autre façon, et s’accommodans pour vne bonne fin, à la vanité d’autruy. Car ils leur mandent, que si le soing de se faire cognoistre aux siecles aduenir, et de la renommée les arreste encore au maniement des affaires, et leur fait craindre la solitude et la retraite, où ils les veulent appeller; qu’ils ne s’en donnent plus de peine: d’autant qu’ils ont assez de credit auec la posterité, pour leur respondre, que ne fust que par les lettres qu’ils leur escriuent, ils rendront leur nom aussi cogneu et fameux que pourroient faire leurs actions publiques.
There is something similar in those other two philosophers, for they too promise eternity to the letters they write to their friends. But it is in another manner, and they accommodate themselves to the vanity of others for a good end. For they write to them that if the concern to make themselves known to future ages, and the care for renown, still keeps them in the handling of affairs and makes them fear the solitude and retirement to which they want to call them, they should trouble themselves no further about it: they themselves have credit enough with posterity to promise that, were it only through the letters they write to them, they will make their friends’ names as well known and famous as their public actions could.
Et outre cette difference; encore ne sont-ce pas lettres vuides et descharnées, qui ne se soustiennent que par vn delicat chois de mots, entassez et rangez à vne iuste cadence; ains farcies et pleines de beaux discours de sapience, par lesquelles on se rend non plus eloquent, mais plus sage, et qui nous apprennent non à bien dire, mais à bien faire. Fy de l’eloquence qui nous laisse enuie de soy, non des choses. Si ce n’est qu’on die que celle de Cicero, estant en si extreme perfection, se donne corps elle mesme. I’adiousteray encore vn compte que nous lisons de luy, à ce propos, pour nous faire toucher au doigt son naturel.
And besides this difference, these are not empty, fleshless letters, held up only by a delicate choice of words piled up and arranged in an exact cadence, but letters stuffed full of fine reasonings of wisdom, by which one becomes not more eloquent but wiser, and which teach us not to speak well but to do well. Shame on eloquence that leaves us longing for itself and not for things! Unless one says that Cicero’s, being of such extreme perfection, gives itself a body of its own. I will add one more story we read about him on this subject, to let us put our finger on his nature.
Il auoit à orer en public, et estoit vn peu pressé du temps, pour se preparer à son aise: Eros, l’vn de ses serfs, le vint aduertir, que l’audience estoit remise au lendemain: il en fut si aise, qu’il luy donna liberté pour cette bonne nouuelle.
He was to speak in public and was a little short of time to prepare at his ease. Eros, one of his slaves, came to tell him that the hearing had been put off until the next day. He was so delighted that he set him free for this good news.
Sur ce subiect de lettres, ie veux dire ce mot; que c’est vn ouurage, auquel mes amis tiennent, que ie puis quelque chose. Et eusse prins plus volontiers cette forme à publier mes verues, si i’eusse eu à qui parler. Il me falloit, comme ie l’ay eu autrefois, vn certain commerce, qui m’attirast, qui me soustinst, et sousleuast. Car de negocier au vent, comme d’autres, ie ne sçauroy, que de songe: ny forger des vains noms à entretenir, en chose serieuse: ennemy iuré de toute espece de falsification. I’eusse esté plus attentif, et plus seur, ayant vne addresse forte et amie, que regardant les diuers visages d’vn peuple: et suis deçeu, s’il ne m’eust mieux succedé. I’ay naturellement vn stile comique et priué.
On this subject of letters, I want to say this: it is a kind of work in which my friends hold that I have some ability. And I would more willingly have chosen this form for publishing my whims, if I had had someone to talk to. I needed, as I once had, a certain relationship that would draw me on, sustain me and lift me up. For I could not negotiate with the wind, as others do, except in dreams; nor forge empty names to address in a serious matter, being the sworn enemy of every kind of falsification. I would have been more attentive and more confident with a strong and friendly addressee than I am looking at the various faces of a public; and I am mistaken if it would not have turned out better for me. I naturally have a comic and private style.
Mais c’est d’vne forme mienne, inepte aux negotiations publiques, comme en toutes façons est mon langage, trop serré, desordonné, couppé, particulier.
But it is a form of my own, unfit for public dealings, as my language is in every way: too compressed, disorderly, abrupt, idiosyncratic.
Et ne m’entens pas en lettres ceremonieuses, qui n’ont autre substance, que d’vne belle enfileure de paroles courtoises. Ie n’ay ny la faculté, ny le goust de ces longues offres d’affection et de seruice. Ie n’en crois pas tant; et me desplaist d’en dire guere, outre ce que i’en crois. C’est bien loing de l’vsage present: car il ne fut iamais si abiecte et seruile prostitution de presentations: la vie, l’ame, deuotion, adoration, serf, esclaue, tous ces mots y courent si vulgairement, que quand ils veulent faire sentir vne plus expresse volonté et plus respectueuse, ils n’ont plus de maniere pour l’exprimer.
And I have no skill in ceremonious letters that have no other substance than a fine stringing together of courteous words. I have neither the faculty nor the taste for those long offers of affection and service. I do not believe in them so much, and I dislike saying much beyond what I believe. This is far from present usage: for there was never so abject and servile a prostitution of self-offerings. Life, soul, devotion, adoration, serf, slave: all these words are bandied about so commonly that when people want to convey a more explicit and more respectful intention, they no longer have any way to express it.
Ie hay à mort de sentir au flateur. Qui faict que ie me iette naturellement à vn parler sec, rond et cru, qui tire à qui ne me cognoit d’ailleurs, vn peu vers le desdaigneux. I’honnore le plus ceux que i’honnore le moins: et où mon ame marche d’vne grande allegresse, i’oublie les pas de la contenance: et m’offre maigrement et fierement, à ceux à qui ie suis: et me presente moins, à qui ie me suis le plus donné. Il me semble qu’ils le doiuent lire en mon cœur, et que l’expression de mes paroles, fait tort à ma conception.
I hate like death to smack of the flatterer. This makes me fall naturally into a dry, plain and blunt way of talking that, to those who do not otherwise know me, verges a little on the disdainful. Those I honor most are the ones I show least honor to; and where my soul moves with great eagerness, I forget the steps of good form. I offer myself meagerly and proudly to those whose I am, and present myself least to those to whom I have given myself most. It seems to me that they should read it in my heart, and that the expression of my words wrongs my thought.
A bienuienner, à prendre congé, à remercier, à salüer, à presenter mon seruice, et tels compliments verbeux des loix ceremonieuses de nostre ciuilité, ie ne cognois personne si sottement sterile de langage que moy. Et n’ay iamais esté employé à faire des lettres de faueur et recommendation, que celuy pour qui c’estoit, n’aye trouuées seches et lasches. Ce sont grands imprimeurs de lettres, que les Italiens, i’en ay, ce crois-ie, cent diuers volumes. Celles de Annibale Caro me semblent les meilleures. Si tout le papier que i’ay autresfois barbouillé pour les dames, estoit en nature, lors que ma main estoit veritablement emportée par ma passion, il s’en trouueroit à l’aduenture quelque page digne d’estre communiquée à la ieunesse oysiue, embabouinée de cette fureur.
In welcoming, taking leave, thanking, greeting, offering my service, and such wordy compliments of the ceremonious laws of our civility, I know no one so stupidly barren of language as I am. And I have never been employed to write letters of favor and recommendation without the person they were for finding them dry and feeble. The Italians are great printers of letters; I have, I believe, a hundred different volumes of them. Those of Annibale Caro seem to me the best. If all the paper I once scribbled for the ladies, when my hand was truly carried away by my passion, still existed, there might perhaps be found some page worth showing to idle youth, besotted with that frenzy.
I’escrits mes lettres tousiours en poste, et si precipiteusement, que quoy que ie peigne insupportablement mal, i’ayme mieux escrire de ma main, que d’y en employer vn’ autre, car ie n’en trouue point qui me puisse suiure, et ne les transcrits iamais. I’ay accoustumé les grands, qui me cognoissent, à y supporter des litures et des trasseures, et vn papier sans plieure et sans marge. Celles qui me coustent le plus, sont celles qui valent le moins. Depuis que ie les traine, c’est signe que ie n’y suis pas. Ie commence volontiers sans proiect; le premier traict produit le second. Les lettres de ce temps, sont plus en bordures et prefaces, qu’en matiere.
I always write my letters post-haste, and so hurriedly that, although my handwriting is unbearably bad, I prefer to write with my own hand than to use another’s, for I find no one who can keep up with me; and I never copy them out. I have accustomed the great who know me to put up with crossings-out and overwritings in them, and with paper without folds or margins. The letters that cost me most are the ones worth least. As soon as I drag them out, it is a sign that I am not in them. I like to begin without a plan; the first stroke produces the second. The letters of our time consist more of borders and prefaces than of matter.
Comme i’ayme mieux composer deux lettres, que d’en clorre et plier vne; et resigne tousiours cette commission à quelque autre: de mesme quand la matiere est acheuée, ie donrois volontiers à quelqu’vn la charge d’y adiouster ces longues harangues, offres, et prieres, que nous logeons sur la fin, et desire que quelque nouuel vsage nous en descharge. Comme aussi de les inscrire d’vne legende de qualitez et tiltres, pour ausquels ne broncher, i’ay maintesfois laissé d’escrire, et notamment à gens de iustice et de finance. Tant d’innouations d’offices, vne si difficile dispensation et ordonnance de diuers noms d’honneur; lesquels estans si cherement achetez, ne peuuent estre eschangez, ou oubliez sans offence.
Just as I would rather compose two letters than close and fold one, and always hand that task over to someone else, so too, when the matter is finished, I would gladly give someone the job of adding those long harangues, offers and prayers that we lodge at the end, and I wish some new usage would relieve us of them. Likewise with addressing them with a legend of qualities and titles: for fear of stumbling over these, I have many times given up writing, especially to men of the law and of finance. So many newly created offices, so difficult an allotment and arrangement of different titles of honor, which, being so dearly bought, cannot be exchanged or forgotten without giving offense.
Ie trouue pareillement de mauuaise grace, d’en charger le front et inscription des liures, que nous faisons imprimer.
I likewise find it graceless to load the front and title page of the books we have printed with them.