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ideal, nor to reduce it to a unity in 

 thought." In a word, Hke most critics 

 who have tried to make more or less of 

 Montaigne than what he made of himself, 

 she has failed outright beyond the success 

 of mere theorizing. But she has not failed 

 in the main aim of her book. Her study of 

 Montaigne's atmosphere and surroundings 

 is masterly. She shows us the historical 

 entourage of the " Essais " as no other single 

 writer has done, and opens up with ad- 

 mirable brevity of diction the local mines 

 of influence which made the innate ephectic 

 temper of Montaigne so effective in deal- 

 ing with the incongruous materials that 

 he molded into amorphous yet immortal 

 creation, high perched in his circular 

 tower-room the while. True lovers of 

 the old Perigord sage will be grateful for 

 this book, glad to discuss it with all good 

 library-worms who hold to the doctrine 

 that " il ne fault pas attacher le s9avoir 

 a Tame, il I'y fault incorporer ; il Ten fault 

 pas arrouser, il Ten fault teindre " (" know- 

 ledge must not be tacked upon the mind, 

 it must be blended in its substance; it 

 247 



