^nt>er a 2)ogwooJ> witb /IDontaiane 



as he sincerely boasted, unquestionably 

 his own invention. 



Clement Marot's edition of Villon, pub- 

 lished in 1533, was probably on one of Mon- 

 taigne's five circular shelves side by side 

 with the pretty " L'adolescence Clemen- 

 tine." At all events, there is a strong sug- 

 gestion of Villon's literary characteristics 

 in the"Essais." The "Testaments " of Vil- 

 lon should be studied while reading Mon- 

 taigne; their splendid jargon furnishes 

 many a glimpse deep into his spiritual 

 lair, and opens up riches lying between 

 his words. But there was really no per- 

 sonal resemblance between the rascally 

 poet and the highly honest and honorable 

 essayist. What seems to me to appear, 

 upon comparison, is a kinship based deep 

 in literary egotism. Certain it is that if 

 Montaigne had committed low crimes and 

 high crimes, no matter what their nature, 

 he would have promptly confessed and pa- 

 tiently described them in his " Essais," as 

 Villon had done a century before in his 

 poems regardinghis troubles connected with 

 burglaries, robberies, murder, and the like. 

 253 



