IL est de ces subtilitez friuoles et vaines, par le moyen desquelles les hommes cerchent quelquefois de la recommandation: comme les poëtes, qui font des ouurages entiers de vers commençans par vne mesme lettre: nous voyons des œufs, des boules, des aisles, des haches façonnées anciennement par les Grecs, auec la mesure de leurs vers, en les alongeant ou accoursissant, en maniere qu’ils viennent à representer telle, ou telle figure. Telle estoit la science de celuy qui s’amusa à compter en combien de sortes se pouuoient renger les lettres de l’alphabet, et y en trouua ce nombre incroyable, qui se void dans Plutarque.
There are some frivolous and empty subtleties by means of which men sometimes seek recognition: like the poets who make whole works of lines beginning with the same letter. We see eggs, balls, wings and axes shaped long ago by the Greeks with the measure of their lines, lengthening or shortening them so that they come to represent this figure or that. Such was the science of the man who amused himself by counting in how many ways the letters of the alphabet could be arranged, and found that incredible number which you can see in Plutarch.
Ie trouue bonne l’opinion de celuy, à qui on presenta vn homme, apris à ietter de la main vn grain de mil, auec telle industrie, que sans faillir, il le passoit tousiours dans le trou d’vne esguille, et luy demanda lon apres quelque present pour loyer d’vne si rare suffisance: surquoy il ordonna bien plaisamment et iustement à mon aduis, qu’on fist donner à cet ouurier deux ou trois minots de mil, affin qu’vn si bel art ne demeurast sans exercice. C’est vn tesmoignage merueilleux de la foiblesse de nostre iugement, qu’il recommande les choses par la rareté ou nouuelleté, ou encore par la difficulté, si la bonté et vtilité n’y sont ioinctes.
I approve the view of the man to whom someone presented a man trained to throw a grain of millet with such skill that he would always pass it through the eye of a needle without missing; and afterwards he was asked for some present as a reward for so rare an ability. Whereupon he ordered, very amusingly and, in my opinion, justly, that this craftsman be given two or three bushels of millet, so that such a fine art should not go without practice. It is a marvelous testimony to the weakness of our judgment that it values things for their rarity or novelty, or even for their difficulty, if goodness and usefulness are not joined to them.
Nous venons presentement de nous iouër chez moy, à qui pourroit trouuer plus de choses qui se tinsent par les deux bouts extremes, comme, Sire, c’est vn tiltre qui se donne à la plus esleuée personne de nostre Estat, qui est le Roy, et se donne aussi au vulgaire, comme aux marchans, et ne touche point ceux d’entre deux. Les femmes de qualité, on les nomme Dames, les moyennes Damoiselles, et Dames encore celles de la plus basse marche. Les daiz qu’on estend sur les tables, ne sont permis qu’aux maisons des Princes et aux tauernes. Democritus disoit, que les Dieux et les bestes auoient les sentimens plus aiguz que les hommes, qui sont au moyen estage.
We have just been playing a game at my house: who could find the most things that meet at their two extreme ends. For example, “Sire” is a title given to the most exalted person in our state, the King, and also given to the common sort, such as merchants, but it does not touch those in between. Women of rank are called Dames, those of middling rank Damoiselles, and Dames again those of the lowest grade. Canopies spread over tables are permitted only in the houses of princes and in taverns. Democritus said that gods and beasts had keener senses than men, who are on the middle floor.
Les Romains portoient mesme accoutrement les iours de dueil et les iours de feste.
The Romans wore the same clothing on days of mourning and on feast days.
Il est certain que la peur extreme, et l’extreme ardeur de courage troublent également le ventre, et le laschent. Le saubriquet de Tremblant, duquel le XII. Roy de Nauarre Sancho fut surnommé, aprend que la hardiesse aussi bien que la peur engendrent du tremoussement aux membres. Ceux qui armoient ou luy ou quelque autre de pareille nature, à qui la peau frissonoit, essayerent à le rasseurer; appetissans le danger auquel il s’alloit ietter: Vous me cognoissez mal, leur dit-il: si ma chair sçauoit iusques où mon courage la portera tantost, elle se transiroit tout à plat. La foiblesse qui nous vient de froideur, et desgoutement aux exercices de Venus, elle nous vient aussi d’vn appetit trop vehement, et d’vne chaleur desreglée.
It is certain that extreme fear and extreme ardor of courage equally upset the bowels and loosen them. The nickname “the Trembler,” given to Sancho XII, King of Navarre, teaches us that boldness as well as fear produces trembling in the limbs. Those who were arming him, or some other man of the same nature whose skin was shivering, tried to reassure him by making light of the danger he was about to throw himself into. “You know me ill,” he told them. “If my flesh knew how far my courage will soon carry it, it would freeze stiff with fright.” The weakness that comes to us from coldness and distaste in the exercises of Venus comes to us also from too vehement an appetite and a disordered heat.
L’extreme froideur et l’extreme chaleur cuisent et rotissent. Aristote dit que les cueux de plomb se fondent, et coulent de froid, et de la rigueur de l’hyuer, comme d’vne chaleur vehemente. Le desir et la satieté remplissent de douleur les sieges au dessus et au dessous de la volupté.
Extreme cold and extreme heat both cook and roast. Aristotle says that ingots of lead melt and run from the cold and rigor of winter as they do from a fierce heat. Desire and satiety fill with pain the seats above and below pleasure.
La bestise et la sagesse se rencontrent en mesme poinct de sentiment et de resolution à la souffrance des accidens humains: les sages gourmandent et commandent le mal, et les autres l’ignorent: ceux-cy sont, par maniere de dire, au deçà des accidens, les autres au delà: lesquels apres en auoir bien poisé et consideré les qualitez, les auoir mesurez et iugez tels qu’ils sont, s’eslancent au dessus, par la force d’vn vigoureux courage.
Stupidity and wisdom meet at the same point of feeling and resolution in enduring human misfortunes: the wise rebuke misfortune and command it, and the others are unaware of it. These others are, so to speak, on this side of misfortunes; the wise are beyond them. After weighing and considering their qualities well, after measuring them and judging them for what they are, the wise leap above them by the force of a vigorous courage.
Ils les desdaignent et foulent aux pieds, ayans vne ame forte et solide, contre laquelle les traicts de la fortune venans à donner, il est force qu’ils reialissent et s’esmoussent, trouuans vn corps dans lequel ils ne peuuent faire impression: l’ordinaire et moyenne condition des hommes, loge entre ces deux extremitez: qui est de ceux qui apperçoiuent les maux, les sentent, et ne les peuuent supporter. L’enfance et la decrepitude se rencontrent en imbecillité de cerueau. L’auarice et la profusion en pareil desir d’attirer et d’acquerir.
They disdain them and trample them underfoot, having a strong and solid soul against which the arrows of Fortune, when they strike, must necessarily rebound and be blunted, meeting a body on which they can make no impression. The ordinary and middling condition of men lodges between these two extremes: it is that of people who perceive misfortunes, feel them, and cannot bear them. Childhood and decrepitude meet in feebleness of brain; avarice and prodigality in a like desire to draw in and acquire.
Il se peut dire auec apparence, qu’il y a ignorance abecedaire, qui va deuant la science: vne autre doctorale, qui vient apres la science: ignorance que la science fait et engendre, tout ainsi comme elle deffait et destruit la premiere. Des esprits simples, moins curieux et moins instruits, il s’en fait de bons Chrestiens, qui par reuerence et obeissance, croyent simplement, et se maintiennent sous les loix. En la moyenne vigueur des esprits, et moyenne capacité, s’engendre l’erreur des opinions: ils suiuent l’apparence du premier sens: et ont quelque tiltre d’interpreter à niaiserie et bestise que nous soyons arrestez en l’ancien train, regardans à nous, qui n’y sommes pas instruits par estude.
It can plausibly be said that there is an ABC ignorance that comes before knowledge, and another, doctoral ignorance that comes after knowledge: an ignorance that knowledge makes and engenders, just as it undoes and destroys the first. Out of simple minds, less curious and less instructed, good Christians are made, who out of reverence and obedience believe simply and keep themselves under the laws. In minds of middling vigor and middling capacity, erroneous opinions are engendered. They follow the appearance of the first sense, and they have some grounds for interpreting as simple-mindedness and stupidity the fact that we hold to the old ways, looking at those of us who are not instructed in these matters by study.
Les grands esprits plus rassis et clairuoyans, font vn autre genre de bien croyans: lesquels par longue et religieuse inuestigation, penetrent vne plus profonde et abstruse lumiere, és escritures, et sentent le mysterieux et diuin secret de nostre police ecclesiastique. Pourtant en voyons nous aucuns estre arriuez à ce dernier estage, par le second, auec merueilleux fruit, et confirmation: comme à l’extreme limite de la chrestienne intelligence: et iouyr de leur victoire auec consolation, action de graces, reformation de mœurs, et grande modestie.
Great minds, more settled and clear-sighted, make another kind of good believers: by long and religious investigation they penetrate a deeper and more abstruse light in the Scriptures, and sense the mysterious and divine secret of our Church’s order. And so we see some of them who have reached this last stage by way of the second, with marvelous fruit and confirmation, as at the farthest limit of Christian understanding, and who enjoy their victory with consolation, thanksgiving, reformation of conduct and great modesty.
Et en ce rang n’entens-ie pas loger ces autres, qui pour se purger du soupçon de leur erreur passé, et pour nous asseurer d’eux, se rendent extremes, indiscrets, et iniustes, à la conduicte de nostre cause, et la tachent d’infinis reproches de violence. Les païsants simples, sont honnestes gents: et honnestes gents les Philosophes: ou, selon que nostre temps les nomme, des natures fortes et claires, enrichies d’vne large instruction de sciences vtiles. Les mestis, qui ont dedaigné le premier siege de l’ignorance des lettres, et n’ont peu ioindre l’autre, le cul entre deux selles (desquels ie suis, et tant d’autres) sont dangereux, ineptes, importuns: ceux-cy troublent le monde.
And in this rank I do not mean to place those others who, to purge themselves of the suspicion of their past error and to reassure us about themselves, become extreme, immoderate and unjust in the conduct of our cause, and stain it with endless charges of violence. Simple peasants are decent people, and decent people are the philosophers—or, as our age calls them, strong and clear natures, enriched with a broad instruction in useful sciences. Those in between, who have disdained the first seat, ignorance of letters, and could not reach the other—their backside between two saddles, like me and so many others—are dangerous, inept and tiresome: these are the ones who trouble the world.
Pourtant de ma part, ie me recule tant que ie puis, dans le premier et naturel siege, d’où ie me suis pour neant essayé de partir.
That is why, for my part, I draw back as far as I can into the first and natural seat, which I tried in vain to leave.
La poësie populaire et purement naturelle, a des naïuetés et graces, par où elle se compare à la principale beauté de la poësie parfaitte selon l’art: comme il se void és villanelles de Gascongne et aux chansons, qu’on nous rapporte des nations qui n’ont cognoissance d’aucune science, ny mesme d’escriture. La poësie mediocre, qui s’arreste entre deux, est desdaignée, sans honneur, et sans prix.
Popular and purely natural poetry has a naturalness and graces by which it bears comparison with the principal beauty of poetry perfected according to art, as can be seen in the villanelles of Gascony and in the songs reported to us from nations that have no knowledge of any science, nor even of writing. Middling poetry, which stops between the two, is disdained, without honor and without value.
Mais par ce qu’apres que le pas a esté ouuert à l’esprit, i’ay trouué, comme il aduient ordinairement, que nous auions pris pour vn exercice malaisé et d’vn rare subiect, ce qui ne l’est aucunement, et qu’apres que nostre inuention a esté eschauffée, elle descouure vn nombre infiny de pareils exemples, ie n’en adiousteray que cettuy-cy: que si ces Essays estoient dignes, qu’on en iugeast, il en pourroit aduenir à mon aduis, qu’ils ne plairoient guere aux esprits communs et vulgaires, ny guere aux singuliers et excellens: ceux-là n’y entendroient pas assez, ceux-cy y entendroient trop: ils pourroient viuoter en la moyenne region.
But once the way was opened to my mind, I found, as usually happens, that we had taken for a difficult exercise and a rare subject something that is not so at all, and that once our inventiveness is warmed up it discovers an infinite number of similar examples. So I will add only this one: that if these Essays were worth judging, it might turn out, in my opinion, that they would hardly please common and ordinary minds, nor much please singular and excellent ones. The former would not understand enough in them, the latter would understand too much. They might scrape a living in the middle region.