The Great Books

Essays

by Michel de Montaigne · 1580-1595

Charles Cotton's translation, 1685, in the 1877 revision. 120 parts, about 500,879 words, 38 hours of reading. Source edition.

The reading guide →

Contents

  1. Preface1,148 words
  2. The Life of Montaigne6,099 words
  3. I.: : To Monsieur de MONTAIGNE5,294 words
  4. II.: : To Monseigneur, Monseigneur de MONTAIGNE272 words
  5. III.: : To Monsieur, Monsieur de LANSAC,438 words
  6. IV.: : To Monsieur, Monsieur de MESMES, Lord of Roissy and Malassize, Privy613 words
  7. V.: : To Monsieur, Monsieur de L’HOSPITAL, Chancellor of France1,011 words
  8. : [ Printed before the ‘Vers Francois’ of Etienne de la Boetie, 8vo, Paris, 1572.]1,317 words
  9. VII.: : To Mademoiselle de MONTAIGNE, my Wife378 words
  10. VIII.: : To Monsieur DUPUY,761 words
  11. XII442 words
  12. XIV.: : To the KING, HENRY IV845 words
  13. XV.: : To the same333 words
  14. XVI.: : To the Governor of Guienne1,148 words
  15. Chapter I: : That Men by Various Ways Arrive at the Same End1,799 words
  16. Chapter II: : of Sorrow1,505 words
  17. Chapter III: : That Our Affections Carry Themselves Beyond Us3,154 words
  18. Chapter IV: : That the Soul Expends Its Passions Upon False Objects, Where the True Are Wanting932 words
  19. Chapter V: : Whether the Governor of a Place Besieged Ought Himself to Go Out to Parley1,104 words
  20. Chapter VI: : That the Hour of Parley Dangerous1,007 words
  21. Chapter VII: : That the Intention Is Judge of Our Actions587 words
  22. Chapter VIII: : of Idleness447 words
  23. Chapter IX: : of Liars2,366 words
  24. Chapter X: : of Quick or Slow Speech984 words
  25. Chapter XI: : of Prognostications1,833 words
  26. Chapter XII: : of Constancy1,043 words
  27. Chapter XIII: : the Ceremony of the Interview of Princes615 words
  28. Chapter XIV: : That Men Are Justly Punished for Being Obstinate in the Defence of a Fort That Is Not in Reason to Be Defended522 words
  29. Chapter XV: : of the Punishment of Cowardice588 words
  30. Chapter XVI: : a Proceeding of Some Ambassadors1,446 words
  31. Chapter XVII: : of Fear1,131 words
  32. Chapter XVIII: : That Men Are Not to Judge of Our Happiness Till After Death1,150 words
  33. Chapter XIX: : That to Study Philosopy Is to Learn to Die7,226 words
  34. Chapter XX: : of the Force of Imagination5,127 words
  35. Chapter XXI: : That the Profit of One Man Is the Damage of Another283 words
  36. Chapter XXII: : of Custom, and That We Should Not Easily Change a Law Received7,660 words
  37. Chapter XXIII: : Various Events from the Same Counsel4,454 words
  38. Chapter XXIV: : of Pedantry5,636 words
  39. TO MADAME DIANE DE FOIX, Comtesse de Gurson16,673 words
  40. Chapter XXVI: : That It Is Folly to Measure Truth and Error by Our Own Capacity1,673 words
  41. Chapter XXVII: : of Friendship6,087 words
  42. Chapter XXIX: : of Moderation2,725 words
  43. Chapter XXX: : of Cannibals6,009 words
  44. Chapter XXXI: : That a Man Is Soberly to Judge of the Divine Ordinances897 words
  45. Chapter XXXII: : That We Are to Avoid Pleasures, Even at the Expense of Life672 words
  46. The inconstancy and various motions of Fortune1,304 words
  47. Chapter XXXIV: : of One Defect in Our Government518 words
  48. Chapter XXXV: : of the Custom of Wearing Clothes1,435 words
  49. Chapter XXXVI: : of Cato the Younger1,668 words
  50. Chapter XXXVII: : That We Laugh and Cry for the Same Thing1,313 words
  51. Chapter XXXVIII: : of Solitude4,896 words
  52. Chapter XXXIX: : a Consideration Upon Cicero2,339 words
  53. Chapter XL: : That the Relish for Good and Evil Depends in Great Measure Upon the Opinion We Have of Them8,870 words
  54. Chapter XLI: : Not to Communicate a Man’s Honour1,062 words
  55. Chapter XLII: : of the Inequality Amoungst Us4,123 words
  56. Chapter XLIII: : of Sumptuary Laws850 words
  57. Chapter XLIV: : of Sleep965 words
  58. Chapter XLV: : of the Battle of Dreux564 words
  59. Chapter XLVI: : of Names2,152 words
  60. Well says this verse:2,711 words
  61. Chapter XLVIII: : of War Horses, or Destriers3,686 words
  62. Chapter XLIX: : of Ancient Customs1,807 words
  63. Chapter L: : of Democritus and Heraclitus1,441 words
  64. Chapter LI: : of the Vanity of Words1,375 words
  65. Chapter LII: : of the Parsimony of the Ancients294 words
  66. Chapter LIII: : of a Saying of Caesar507 words
  67. Chapter LIV: : of Vain Subtleties1,395 words
  68. Chapter LV: : of Smells796 words
  69. Chapter LVI: : of Prayers3,916 words
  70. Chapter LVII: : of Age1,195 words
  71. Chapter I: : of the Inconstancy of Our Actions2,930 words
  72. Chapter II: : of Drunkenness3,848 words
  73. Chapter III: : a Custom of the Isle of Cea6,083 words
  74. Chapter IV: : To-morrow’s a New Day900 words
  75. Chapter V: : of Conscience1,552 words
  76. Chapter VI: : Use Makes Perfect4,741 words
  77. Chapter VII: : of Recompenses of Honour1,498 words
  78. To Madame D’Estissac8,831 words
  79. Chapter IX: : of the Arms of the Parthians1,271 words
  80. Chapter X: : of Books5,985 words
  81. Chapter XI: : of Cruelty6,514 words
  82. Chapter Xii.: Apology for Raimond Sebond75,237 words
  83. Chapter XIII: : of Judging of the Death of Another2,640 words
  84. Chapter XIV: : That Our Mind Hinders Itself333 words
  85. Chapter XV: : That Our Desires Are Augmented by Difficulty2,356 words
  86. Chapter XVI: : of Glory5,743 words
  87. Chapter XVII: : of Presumption13,827 words
  88. Chapter XVIII: : of Giving the Lie1,899 words
  89. Chapter XIX: : of Liberty of Conscience1,809 words
  90. Chapter XX: : That We Taste Nothing Pure1,237 words
  91. Chapter XXI: : Against Idleness1,789 words
  92. Chapter XXII: : of Posting514 words
  93. Chapter XXIII: : of ILL Means Employed to a Good End1,398 words
  94. Chapter XXIV: : of the Roman Grandeur661 words
  95. Chapter XXV: : Not to Counterfeit Being Sick913 words
  96. Chapter XXVI: : of Thumbs346 words
  97. Chapter XXVII: : Cowardice the Mother of Cruelty4,111 words
  98. Chapter XXVIII: : All Things Have Their Season852 words
  99. Chapter XXIX: : of Virtue3,357 words
  100. Chapter XXX: : of a Monstrous Child651 words
  101. Chapter XXXI: : of Anger3,102 words
  102. Chapter XXXII: : Defence of Seneca and Plutarch2,850 words
  103. Chapter XXXIII: : the Story of Spurina3,096 words
  104. Chapter XXXIV: : Observation on the Means to Carry on a War According to Julius Caesar3,575 words
  105. Chapter XXXV: : of Three Good Women3,405 words
  106. Chapter XXXVI: : of the Most Excellent Men2,724 words
  107. Chapter XXXVII: : of the Resemblance of Children to Their Fathers12,985 words
  108. Chapter I: : of Profit and Honesty6,696 words
  109. Chapter II: : of Repentance6,357 words
  110. Chapter III: : of Three Commerces5,384 words
  111. Chapter IV: : of Diversion4,373 words
  112. Chapter V: : Upon Some Verses of Virgil25,084 words
  113. Chapter VI: : of Coaches8,299 words
  114. Chapter VII: : of the Inconvenience of Greatness2,185 words
  115. Chapter VIII: : of the Art of Conference10,281 words
  116. Chapter IX: : of Vanity25,622 words
  117. Chapter X: : of Managing the Will10,071 words
  118. Chapter XI: : of Cripples4,831 words
  119. Chapter XII: : of Physiognomy12,563 words
  120. Chapter XIII: : of Experience1 passage · 24,954 words