Writer, philosopher and teacher Michel de Montaigne lived in an era when the Renaissance was already ending and the Reformation had begun. He was born in February 1533, in the Dordogne area (France). Both the life and works of the thinker are a kind of reflection of this "middle" period, between times. And some views of this amazing person bring him closer to the modern era. It is not for nothing that historians of philosophy argue about whether it is worth at all to attribute to the New Age such an original as Michel de Montaigne.
Biography
Initially, the family of the future philosopher was a merchant. His father, a German who did not even speak French, was called Pierre Aykem. Mother, Antoinette de Lopez, was from a family of refugees from the Spanish province of Aragon - they left these places during the persecution of Jews. But Michel's father made an excellent career, and even became the mayor of Bordeaux. This city later played a huge role in the life of the philosopher. For outstanding services to Bordeaux, Pierre Eykem was introduced to the nobility, and since he owned the land of Montaigne and the castle, an appropriate prefix was made to his surname. Michel himself was born in the castle. The father managed to give his son the best home education that was possible at that time. Even in the family, he spoke with Michel only in Latin, so that the boy would not relax.
Career
So, the future philosopher went to college in Bordeaux, and then became a lawyer. From a young age, his impressionable imagination was struck by the atrocities that people were capable of for the sake of religion. Perhaps that is why, during the Huguenot wars in France, he tried to mediate between the fighting parties. At least his sincerity paid off and he was heard by leaders of both Catholics and Protestants. One could also say about him in verses: "And I stand alone between them ...". He was also known as a practicing judge trying to negotiate settlements. But in 1565 he married, and the bride brought him a large dowry. And three years later his father died, leaving his son a family estate. Now Michel de Montaigne had enough money to pursue his hobbies and not work. So he did, profitably selling his judicial position as well.
Philosophy
Having retired at the age of 38, Michel finally gave himself to his beloved work. In the estate, he wrote his most famous book - "Experiments". After the publication of the first two volumes of the work in 1580, the philosopher traveled and visited several European countries - Italy, Germany, Switzerland. Like his father, he was twice elected mayor of Bordeaux. The city was pleased with the rule of Montaigne, although the philosopher at that time was away from France. He also wrote diaries and travel notes. He lived modestly and died at the age of fifty-nine, in 1592, right in the church, while serving in his native castle. The philosopher wrote his works not only in French and Latin, but also in Italian and Occitan.
Work of a lifetime
Montaigne's main work is an essay. In fact, this genre itself appeared thanks to the philosopher. After all, the translation of the word "essay" from French means "experience." His book is not like those that were popular during the Renaissance. This is not a strict scientific or philosophical treatise. It has no plan, no structure. These are reflections and impressions about life, a collection of quotes, a storehouse of lively speech. We can say that Michel de Montaigne simply sincerely expressed his thoughts and observations, as God puts on the soul. But these notes were destined to survive the centuries.
"Experiences". Summary
Montaigne's essay is somewhere between reflection and confession. There is a lot of personal in the book, which he admits to others. At the same time, analyzing himself, Michel de Montaigne tries to understand the nature of the human spirit as such. He exposes himself to understand others. Montaigne is a kind of skeptic, disappointed in humanity and its ideas, as well as in the possibilities of knowledge. He tries to justify reasonable selfishness and the pursuit of happiness, relying on the Stoics. At the same time, the philosopher criticizes both contemporary Catholic scholasticism and skepticism, which questions all virtues.
Are there real ideals?
Philosophers all over the world are subject to authorities, argues Montaigne. They rely on Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, Aristotle and so on. But these authorities can also be wrong. The same can be said about our own opinion. In some ways it is true, but it cannot serve as an authority for others. It's just that we must always realize that our knowledge is limited. The philosopher Michel de Montaigne swung not only at the authorities of the past, but also at the ideals of the present. He critically examines the question of virtues, altruism and moral principles in general. Montaigne believes that all these are slogans that are used by those in power to manipulate people. A person should live freely and with dignity, as he wants, to enjoy. Then he will love others. Then he will show his courage, incompatible with anger, fear and humiliation.
God and Philosophy
Montaigne clearly identified himself as an agnostic. “I can’t say anything about God, I don’t have such experience,” he told his readers. And if so, then in life, first of all, you should be guided by your mind. Those who say that their opinion is the best, and even try to force others to obey themselves, do not deserve respect.Therefore, it is better to avoid fanaticism and equalize the rights of all religions.Philosophy should push a person to lead a good life and follow good customs, and not be a set of dead and incomprehensible rules to most.Then a person will learn to live in reality. Misfortunes should be treated "philosophically" if you cannot change the situation. And in order to suffer less, you need to come to a state of mind when pleasure is felt stronger and pain is weaker. Every state must be respected not because it is ideal, but because, that any change of power will inevitably lead to even greater problems."
Montaigne also devoted much thought to the education of the new generation. In this area, he followed all the ideals - he should not be a narrow specialist, but a versatile person, and by no means a fanatic. Michel de Montaigne was absolutely unshakable in this. Pedagogy, from his point of view, is the art of developing a strong will and a strong character in a child, which allows him to endure the vicissitudes of fate and get maximum pleasure. Montaigne's ideas not only appealed to contemporaries, but inspired subsequent generations. Thinkers and writers such as Pascal, Descartes, Voltaire, Rousseau, Bossuet, Pushkin and Tolstoy use his ideas, argue with him or agree with him. Until now, Montaigne's reasoning has not lost popularity.
S. V. Perevezentsev
The famous French thinker Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was born in the south-west of France in the castle of Montaigne, owned by his father. From the age of two, the training of little Michel began - his father hired Latin teachers for him. Moreover, everyone in the family - father, mother, and servants - spoke to him only in Latin, so from childhood Montaigne mastered Latin as his native language. Michel's father generally sought to instill in him a love for the sciences, and therefore, as soon as Michel was six years old, he sent him to a college in the city of Bordeaux.
At twenty-one, Michel de Montaigne became an adviser to the Accounts Chamber in Perigueux, and soon an adviser to the parliament of the city of Bordeaux. He held this position until 1570, after which he retired and took up literary activity, living in his family castle. As Montaigne wrote, he, "long tired of being a slave at court and public duties ... decided to hide in the arms of the muses, the patrons of wisdom." As a result, in 1580 the first two books of his "Experiments" were published - a work that brought Montaigne wide fame during his lifetime, and subsequently worldwide fame.
However, Montaigne's desire to spend his life in seclusion until the end of his days was not destined to come true. In 1581, he was elected mayor of the city of Bordeaux and, at the behest of the King of France, took this position. France, torn apart at that time by religious wars between Catholics and Huguenots, was going through hard times. And Montaigne, who occupied such a significant post, more than once had to participate in resolving many controversial issues. He himself was entirely on the side of the king and did not support the Huguenot claims. But in his political activities, Montaigne nevertheless tried to solve most of the problems peacefully.
In 1586–1587 Montaigne, already freed from the duties of mayor, continued his literary studies and wrote the third book of "Experiments". Later, he again had to take part in political battles, and for his commitment to the king, he even ended up briefly imprisoned in the Bastille (1588).
Michel de Montaigne died on September 13, 1592 from an exacerbation of a stone disease that had long tormented him.
If we talk about the philosophical views of Montaigne, it should be noted that in his spiritual development he experienced a passion for various philosophical teachings. So, from the first book of "Experiments" it is clear that philosophical preferences are given by Montaigne to stoicism. Then Epicureanism had a significant influence on his worldview. And yet the main line of reasoning of the French thinker lies in line with another teaching, known since antiquity - skepticism.
Doubt - in the forces of the human mind, in the possibility of a person observing moral principles, in the fulfillment of certain ideals common to all people - this is what permeates the entire content of the "Experiments". No wonder the main question that is posed in this essay is as follows - "What do I know?".
The answer to this question given by Montaigne is, in principle, disappointing - a person knows too little, and, what is even more disappointing, cannot even know much. The reason for this state of affairs lies in the nature of man himself: "An amazingly vain, truly fickle and ever-fluctuating creature is a man. It is not easy to form a stable and uniform idea of \u200b\u200bhim."
The vanity, impermanence and imperfection of human nature were discussed long before Montaigne. But he turned out to be the first who suddenly discovered that all the beauty of human existence is hidden in this imperfection. Montaigne, as it were, calls on his readers - admit your imperfection, agree with your own mediocrity, do not strive to rise above your inferiority. And then it will become easier for you to live, because the meaning of life will be revealed in the very routine and everyday life, and not at all in serving some ideals divorced from reality. "Life is my occupation and my art," says Montaigne.
And then it turns out that true wisdom is expressed not in omniscience or undivided faith, but in a completely different way: "A distinctive sign of wisdom is an invariably joyful perception of life ..."
Montaigne argues that one should not indulge in suffering or, on the contrary, strive in every possible way for pleasures - both of them only hide the joy of everyday life from a person. So, Montaigne is surprised at the desire of people to accomplish "great deeds" and the fact that people are tormented by their own mediocrity, exclaiming - "I did nothing today!" “How! Haven’t you lived?” the French thinker asks and continues: “Just living is not only the most important, but also the most significant of your affairs ... Have you managed to think over your daily life and use it properly? If yes, you have already done the greatest deed."
As you can see, recognizing the imperfection of the human mind, Montaigne calls for just such a mind and be guided in life, because we are still not given another: “Our best creation is to live according to reason. Everything else is to reign, accumulate wealth, build - all this, the most more, additions and additions".
And Montaigne comes to the conclusion that you need to live as your mind tells you, without pretending to anything more: "You must not compose smart books, but behave reasonably in everyday life, you must not win battles and conquer lands, but put things in order and establish world in ordinary life circumstances.
In fact, in his "Experiences" Michel de Montaigne, as it were, completes the ethical search for the thinkers of the Renaissance. Separate human consciousness, personal I, free from the search for answers to "eternal", "damned" questions about the meaning of life - this is what the whole human society rests on. Humanist slogan "A great miracle is man!" finds its logical conclusion and practical application in Montaigne's reasoning. For all the wisdom of the ages consists in only one thing - to recognize the imperfection of man, to calm down and enjoy life. “We strive to be something else, not wanting to delve into our being, and we go beyond our natural boundaries, not knowing what we are really capable of,” writes Montaigne. move with our feet, and even on the highest of earthly thrones we sit on our backs."
Proceeding from such a worldview, Montaigne also solves in a new way the problem that has worried many thinkers since the emergence of Christianity - the problem of the relationship between faith and reason, religion and science. The French philosopher simply separates the spheres of action of these forms of human consciousness: religion should deal with questions of faith, and science with the knowledge of natural laws.
At the same time, only faith is able to give a person at least some kind of inviolability in this vain and fickle world: "The bonds that should bind our mind and our will and which should strengthen our soul and connect it with the Creator, such bonds should not rest on human judgments, arguments and passions, but on a Divine and supernatural basis; they must rest on the authority of God and His Grace: this is their only form, their only appearance, their only light.
And since faith guides and controls a person, it forces all other human abilities to serve itself. Science, as a product of an imperfect mind, can only help a person a little in mastering religious truth, but can never replace it: "Our faith should be supported with all the powers of our mind, but always remembering that it does not depend on us and that our efforts and reasoning cannot lead us to this supernatural and divine knowledge." Moreover, science without faith leads the human mind to atheism - "a monstrous and unnatural doctrine," according to Montaigne's definition.
Michel de Montaigne's teachings on the wisdom of everyday life became extremely popular in the 16th-17th centuries, and his "Experiments" became one of the most widely read books. This was due to the fact that the works of Montaigne turned out to be completely in tune with the new socio-political and spiritual reality in which Western Europe began to live in the 16th-17th centuries. The increasingly gaining strength of the bourgeois way of life gradually led Western European civilization to the triumph of the principles of individualism.
Montaigne was one of the first to speak frankly about the needs and desires of the "personal self" in the new historical era. And it is not for nothing that many thinkers of subsequent times so often turned to the wisdom of the "Experiments" of the French philosopher. Summing up the peculiar result of the development of humanistic teachings, Montaigne's ideas were turned to the future. Therefore, even today, "Experiments" are among the books in which modern man discovers the delights of everyday life.
Michel Montaigne's biography briefly and interesting facts from the life of the French writer and philosopher are set out in this article.
Michel Montaigne biography briefly
The future humanist Michel Montaigne was born in 1533 near Baudot in the Montaigne castle in a noble family. His parents were descended from the Gascon bourgeois. He was given an excellent education. At the age of 21, he graduated from the University of Toulouse and became a judge. In the period 1580 - 1588 he wrote a fundamental work in three books - "Experiments". The last one was autobiographical. His works are written in the literary and philosophical genre, in which the author reflects on various historical facts of the present and past, observations on the customs and life of people of all states and ages.
Michel Montaigne was interested in politics in his youth and wanted to connect his life with it. Therefore, his father bought for him a position of councilor in the Parlement de Bordeaux, and he was twice elected mayor of the city.
In 1565 he married, and his wife's substantial dowry strengthened Montaigne's financial position. After 3 years, his father died, and Michel inherited the family castle. In 1571, the thinker sells his judicial position, resigning. But he did not intend to rest and just enjoy life, the philosopher writes an essay, paying attention to issues of state administration, human behavior, travel and wars.
In 1588, Montaigne met a young girl named Marie de Gournay, his passionate admirer. She brightened up his life by becoming an adopted daughter. In recent years, Michel Montaigne's health has been increasingly worrying. The philosopher felt like an old man, despite the fact that he led an active lifestyle. On September 13, 1592, he died at his family estate. After his death, his adopted daughter Marie de Gournay published his edition of the Essays posthumously.
Michel Montaigne interesting facts
Michel was brought up without prohibitions. Michel's home tutor was a German physician named Gorstanus, who taught him the humanities and spoke to him exclusively in Latin, which at the time was the compulsory second language of all educated European elites. The rule of talking to Michel in Latin was unshakable and obligatory for both parents and servants.
Montaigne had a reputation as a scientist, an educated person, and a large number of statesmen, thinkers of that time made friends with him.
His best friend was Étienne de la Boesie, philosopher and author of Discourses on Voluntary Slavery.
Loved to travel. Visited Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy. He reflected all his impressions in his diary, which was published in 1774.
King Henry of Navarre, was favorable to Michel Montaigne.
He belonged to the last generation of humanists.
The thinker had a huge influence on the formation of the worldview of Merimee and Renan, Goethe and Nietzsche, Byron and Emerson.
He was the first to use the word "essay" to describe their writings. Today we can say that Montaigne was the first blogger. His brilliantly written essays are admired for their light blend of serious intellectual thought and humorous anecdotes.
Against his will and under pressure from his family, Montaigne married Françoise de la Cassan. They had six children, but only one girl survived.
“The ability to adequately express oneself in one’s natural essence is a sign of perfection and an almost divine quality. We strive to be something else, not wanting to delve into our being, and we go beyond our natural boundaries, not knowing what we are truly capable of. There is no need for us to stand on stilts, because even on stilts we must move with the help of our legs.
Michel de Montaigne - French writer and philosopher of the Renaissance, author of the book "Experiments", was born on February 28, 1533 in a family castle in the city of Saint-Michel-de-Montaigne (Dordogne) near Perigueux and Bordeaux. His father, a participant in the Italian wars, Pierre Eykem (who received the aristocratic title "de Montaigne") was at one time the mayor of Bordeaux; died in 1568. Mother - Antoinette de Lopez, from a family of wealthy Aragonese Jews.
In early childhood, Michel was brought up according to the liberal-humanistic pedagogical methodology of his father - his teacher, a German, did not speak French at all and spoke with Michel exclusively in Latin. He received an excellent education at home, then graduated from college and became a lawyer.
In his youth, Michel Montaigne was keenly interested in political activity, he attached ambitious hopes to it. His father purchased for him the post of adviser to the Bordeaux Parliament, in the 80s he was twice elected mayor of Bordeaux. Montaigne happened to live in the era of religious wars, and his position at that time tended to be compromise, although he was on the side of the Catholics; in his immediate circle there were a large number of Huguenots. Subsequently, he was of the opinion that certain parts of the Catholic doctrine could not be discarded due to the integrity of the church teaching.
Montaigne enjoyed the reputation of an educated, learned person, many statesmen, thinkers of that time were his good friends. The excellent knowledge of ancient authors was combined in his intellectual baggage with awareness of new books, ideas, trends.
No one voluntarily distributes his property, but everyone shares his time with his neighbor without hesitation. We throw away nothing more readily than our own time, although it is only in relation to the latter that thrift would be useful and worthy of praise.
In 1565 Michel Montaigne became a family man; his wife's large dowry strengthened his financial position. When his father died in 1568, Michel became the heir to the family estate. He sold his judicial position, retired and settled there in 1571. 38-year-old Montaigne in 1572 begins work on the main work in his creative biography - the philosophical and literary "Experiments", in which he expressed his thoughts on the historical events of the past and present, shared his observations on a variety of people. For many centuries, this book will be one of the favorites of the reading public, who appreciated its humanistic orientation, sincerity, subtle French humor and other virtues.
During the Huguenot Wars Montaigneoften acted as an intermediary between the warring parties, he was equally respected by the Catholic king Henry III and the Protestant Henry of Navarre.
In 1580-1581 the writer traveled through Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy. The impressions of this journey are reflected in a diary published only in 1774.
The three-volume edition of the outstanding French writer and humanist philosopher of the 16th century Michel Eikem de Montaigne under the general title "Experiments" includes works with eloquently self-explanatory titles: "On Sorrow", "On Friendship", "On Solitude". The work on the cycle lasted more than twelve years and its result was a kind of self-confession of the author, arising from observations and reflections on the nature of the human spirit.
The word "experience" in FrenchNtsuzski "essay", owes its origin to Montaigne.
Until his last days, Montaigne continued to work on the "Experiments", making additions and corrections to the copy of the 1588 edition.
The writer died in the castle of Montaigne on September 13, 1592 during mass.
Michel de Montaigne castle
After Montaigne's death, his "named daughter", Marie de Gournay, came to the writer's homeland and took care of the posthumous publication of his writings. Through the efforts of Mademoiselle de Gournay and other friends of Montaigne, this edition, which took into account the changes made by the author in recent years, was published in 1595.
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1533-1592) French lawyer, politician and philosopher who dealt with the problems of morality, a brilliant writer and essayist, a pronounced skeptic in his worldview. In his main work "Experiments" (1580-1588) he opposes scholasticism and dogmatism, considers a person as the greatest value. Michel Montaigne was born on February 28, 1533 in the castle of Montaigne, in Périgord, an area in southwestern France. On the paternal side, Montaigne came from a wealthy merchant family of Eikems, who received the nobility at the end of the 15th century and added the surname Montaigne to their surname, after the name of the land acquired by their great-grandfather (in 1477). Montaigne's father, Pierre Eykem, was an outstanding man. He loved books, read a lot, wrote poetry and prose in Latin. According to the custom of wealthy French families, Montaigne's mother did not feed him herself. Pierre Eykem decided to send him to a poor peasant family (in the village of Padesyu, near the castle of Montaigne), so that, as Montaigne later wrote, to accustom him "to the simplest and poorest way of life." When the child was about two years old, Pierre Eykem took him home and, wanting to teach Latin, gave him to the care of a German teacher who did not know a word of French, but who was fluent in Latin. An inviolable rule was observed in the house, according to which everyone - both father and mother, and servants trained in some Latin phrases, addressed the child only in Latin. Thanks to this, little Montaigne learned Latin as his native language. Michel was taught Greek in a different way, using games and exercises, but this method did not give much success. Montaigne forever remained a rather weak Hellenist and preferred to use the Greek classics in Latin or French translations. At the age of six, Michel was sent to college in Bordeaux. But this school, although a number of prominent humanists taught there and was considered the best in France, did little for Montaigne. Thanks to his excellent knowledge of Latin, Montaigne was able to finish his studies earlier than usual. “Having left the school,” says Montaigne, “at the age of thirteen, and having thus completed the course of science (as it is called in their language), I, to tell the truth, did not take out anything from there that now represents for me at least some or the price." Little information has been preserved about the next few years of Montaigne's life. It is only known for certain that he studied law, as his father was preparing him for a master's degree. When Montaigne was twenty-one years old, Pierre Eykem bought one of the positions created by Henry II (in search of new sources of income) - the position of adviser to the Accounts Chamber in Perigueux, but then, being elected mayor of the city of Bordeaux, he abandoned the acquired position in favor of his son. In 1557, the Accounts Chamber in Perigueux was liquidated, and its staff became part of the Bordeaux parliament. Thus, at the age of twenty-five, Montaigne became an adviser to the Bordeaux parliament. As a member of the magistracy, Montaigne faithfully performed his duties. He was sometimes given important assignments, during which Montaigne had to visit the royal court several times during the reigns of Henry II, Francis II and Charles IX. However, the judicial environment in which Montaigne found himself began to weigh him down early, as did the routine service itself, which did not correspond to his inclinations. From the very beginning, Montaigne was struck by the abundance and lack of coherence of French laws. “We have more laws in France,” he later wrote in “Experiments”, than in the rest of the world. The most suitable for us - and the most rare - are the most simple and general. And even then I think that it is better to do without laws at all than to have them in such abundance as we do. But incomparably more, Montaigne was struck by the venality, caste spirit and arbitrariness that reigned in the analysis of cases in which his colleagues were engaged. Montaigne was sharply condemned by such methods of "justice" as preliminary torture during interrogation and torture as an additional punishment by sentence. He was also against the scourge of the time - witch trials, denying the existence of witchcraft in general. The civil wars that broke out in France in the 1960s made the service even more painful for Montaigne. And in 1570, two years after the death of his father, Montaigne resigned his position as an adviser to the Bordeaux parliament. But at the same time, the years of work in the Bordeaux parliament greatly expanded his worldly experience, gave him the opportunity to encounter many people of different social conditions and different convictions. Staying in the Bordeaux parliament was marked for Montaigne by such a major event in his life as a meeting with a talented humanist-publicist Etienne La Boesi. Montaigne made the acquaintance of La Boesy, who was also a councilor of the Bordeaux parlement, apparently around 1558. Their acquaintance soon developed into a close friendship. Montaigne and La Boesie began to call each other brothers. In one of the chapters of his "Experiments" - "On Friendship" - Montaigne a few years later erected a monument to this friendship, the like of which, according to him, occurs only once in three centuries. La Boesy wrote Latin and French poetry, dedicating some of it to Montaigne. But the main creation of La Boesi, which immortalized his name for posterity, was the famous treatise "Discourse on voluntary slavery", which is an angry denunciation of any autocracy and is permeated with a passionate defense of the rights of enslaved peoples. Friendship with La Boesie had a huge impact on the spiritual development of Montaigne, but she was not destined to last long. In 1563, La Boessy fell seriously ill and died a few days later at the age of 33. During the illness of La Boesie, Montaigne was relentlessly with him and described in a letter to his father the last days of his friend, the stoic courage with which he awaited the end, and his sublime conversations with loved ones. La Boesie left Montaigne his most valuable possession, all his books and manuscripts. During 1570 and 1571, Montaigne published a friend's Latin and French poems, as well as La Boesie's translations of some of the works of ancient authors. After leaving the service, Montaigne settled in the castle inherited from his father. Montaigne gave the following explanation for his departure from public affairs in a Latin inscription engraved on the vaults of his library: “In the year of R. X. 1571, in the 38th year of his life, on his birthday, on the eve of the March calends [on the last day of February] , Michel Montaigne, long tired of being a slave at court and public duties, and being in the prime of life, decided to hide in the arms of the muses, patronesses of wisdom; here, in peace and security, he decided to spend the rest of his life, most of which had already passed - and if fate wanted, he would complete this dwelling, this ancestral refuge, dear to the heart, which he dedicated to freedom, peace and leisure. So, Montaigne decided, in his words, to give the rest of his life "to the service of the Muses." The fruit of this service, the fruit of his deep reflections in rural solitude, reflections, supported by intense reading of many different books, became the first two books of the "Experiments" published in 1580 in Bordeaux. In the same year, 1580, Montaigne undertook a great journey through Europe, visiting Germany, Switzerland and Italy, in particular Rome, where he spent several months. During Montaigne's stay in Rome, his "Experiments" were censored by the Roman curia, but the matter ended happily for Montaigne, because the papal censor, who had little understanding of the "Experiments", limited himself to a proposal to delete some reprehensible passages from the subsequent edition, such as, for example, the use of the word "fate" instead of "providence", the mention of "heretical" writers, the assertion that any punishment additional to the death penalty is cruelty, skeptical statements about "miracles". In 1582, Montaigne published the second edition of the "Experiments", in which he placed a declaration of his alleged submission to the requirements of the Roman censors, but in reality did not change anything in his book on the merits. Montaigne's travel notes, written partly in the hand of his secretary, partly in the hand of the author himself, now in French, now in Italian, made up a special diary, published only in 1774. Montaigne entered into it everything that he had seen and observed in a foreign land, notes on the customs, customs, way of life and institutions of the countries he visited. Much of this was later transferred to the pages of the "Experiments". During his journey, in 1581, Montaigne received a royal notice of his election as mayor of the city of Bordeaux and an order to immediately take up new duties. Interrupting the journey, Montaigne returned to his homeland. Thus, ten years after Montaigne made a plan for himself to end his life away from practical affairs, circumstances again forced him to enter the field of public activity. Montaigne was sure that he owed his election to a large extent to the memory of his father, who had once shown great energy and ability in this post, and did not consider it possible to refuse. The position of mayor, for which no remuneration was due, was honorary, but very troublesome, because in the tense atmosphere of the civil war, it included such functions as maintaining the city in obedience to the king, watching to prevent any entry into the city military unit hostile to Henry III, in order to prevent the Huguenots from opposing themselves in any way to the legitimate authorities. Forced to act among the warring parties, Montaigne invariably stood guard over the law, but tried to use his influence not to kindle hostility between the warring parties, but to soften it in every possible way. Montaigne's tolerance more than once put him in a very difficult position. The matter was further complicated by the fact that Montaigne maintained friendly relations with the leader of the Huguenots, Henry of Bourbon, whom he highly appreciated and whom in the winter of 1584 he received together with his retinue in his castle. Henry of Navarre tried more than once to win over Montaigne to his side. But Montaigne's position did not satisfy either side: both Huguenots and Catholics were suspicious of him. And yet, after Montaigne's first two-year tenure as mayor, which coincided precisely with a two-year truce in the civil war and passed without any special events, Montaigne was elected for a second term, which was an expression of great confidence. Montaigne's second two-year tenure as mayor proceeded in a more turbulent and disturbing atmosphere than the first. Leaguers attempted to capture the city's stronghold and hand it over to Giza. Montaigne managed to stop their actions in time, while showing resourcefulness and courage. And in other difficult and dangerous circumstances, Montaigne more than once showed the same valuable qualities. Six weeks before the expiration of Montaigne's second term, a plague broke out in and around Bordeaux. Almost all members of Parliament and most of the townspeople left the city. Montaigne, who was at that time outside Bordeaux, did not dare to return to the plague-ridden city and kept in touch with the city authorities through letters. Having waited for the end of his term of office, Montaigne resigned his title of mayor and was able to say with relief that he did not leave behind any resentment or hatred. Soon the plague reached the castle of Montaigne, and its inhabitants had to wander for six months, moving from place to place, in search of a haven not affected by the epidemic. When Montaigne, after all these wanderings, finally returned home, a picture of the ruin and devastation caused by the civil war appeared before his eyes. Having settled in his castle, Montaigne again devoted himself to literary work. During the years 1586–1587 he made many additions to the previously published parts of the Essays and wrote a third book. Montaigne traveled to Paris to oversee the publication of this new, revised and greatly expanded edition of his Essays. This journey and stay in Paris were accompanied by events unusual for Montaigne. On the way to Paris, near Orléans, Montaigne was robbed by a gang of Lygues. In Paris itself, Montaigne found the same turmoil that reigned in the provinces. The "Day of the Barricades", May 12, 1588, ended with the flight of the royal court, led by Henry III, from the capital. Three weeks after these events Montaigne's "Experiments" were published. It was the fourth edition in eight years, an undoubted success for a work of this kind, and Montaigne was right to note in the preface "the favorable reception accorded by the public" to his book. Montaigne himself, after the "day of the barricades," for a short time followed the royal court to Chartres and Rouen, and on his return to Paris was arrested by the Leaguers and imprisoned in the Bastille. At the request of Queen Mother Catherine de Medici, who was in Paris and negotiated with the legists, Montaigne was almost immediately released from prison on July 10, 1588. Montaigne noted on his calendar the memorable date of release from the Bastille. During the same stay in Paris, Montaigne first met an enthusiastic admirer of his work, Mademoiselle Marie de Gournay, who was destined to become his "spiritual daughter", and later - the publisher of "Experiments". From Paris (having first visited Picardy), Montaigne went to Blois to attend the Estates-General of 1588 convened there. In the Blois states, Montaigne met and had lengthy conversations about the political fate of France with his famous contemporaries, the future historian de Thou and the prominent lawyer and writer Etienne Paquier (their memoirs contain valuable information about Montaigne). Here, in Blois, at the behest of Henry III, both brothers of Giza were killed, and shortly after that, the murder of Henry III himself by Jacques Clement took place. Montaigne at this time had already returned to his home and from here he welcomed Henry of Navarre as the only legitimate claimant to the French crown. Henry of Navarre, apparently, did not leave the thought of attracting Montaigne, highly valued by him, into his inner circle and offered him a generous reward. In this respect, two of Montaigne's letters are of particular interest. In one of them, dated January 18, 1590, Montaigne, welcoming the successes of Henry of Navarre, advised him, especially when entering the capital, to try to attract rebellious subjects to his side, treating them softer than their patrons, and revealing in relation to them truly paternal care. Upon accession to the throne, Henry of Navarre, in an effort to win the favor of his subjects, undoubtedly took into account the advice of Montaigne. In another letter, dated September 2, 1590, Montaigne revealed his disinterestedness; he with dignity rejected the offer of a generous reward made to him by Henry of Navarre and explained that he could not come to the indicated place due to ill health and would arrive in Paris as soon as Henry of Navarre was there . In conclusion, Montaigne wrote: “I beg you, sir, not to think that I would spare money where I am ready to give my life. I never availed myself of any king's generosity, I never asked for it, nor did I deserve it, I never received any payment for any step that I took in the royal service, of which you, Your Majesty, are partially aware. What I did for your predecessors, I will do for you even more readily. I, sir, am as rich as I wish. And when I exhaust my funds near you in Paris, I will take the liberty of telling you about it, and if you deem it necessary to keep me longer in your environment, then I will cost you less than the smallest of your servants. But Montaigne failed to fulfill his desire and come to Paris for the accession of Henry IV. The health of Montaigne, who had suffered from stone disease since the age of forty, was continuously deteriorating. However, he continued to correct and supplement the "Experiments" - his main and, in essence, the only book, except for the "Diary of a Journey to Italy", a book - for a new edition, which he was not destined to see. September 13, 1592 Montaigne died before reaching the age of sixty. In his youth, Montaigne, according to his confession, was possessed by the fear of death, and the thought of death always occupied him. But Montaigne accepted the impending death as courageously as his friend La Boesi. Until his last days, Montaigne continued to work on the "Experiments", making additions and amendments to the copy of the 1588 edition. After Montaigne's death, his "named daughter", Marie de Gournay, came to the writer's homeland and took care of the posthumous publication of his writings. Through the efforts of Mademoiselle de Gournay and other friends of Montaigne, this edition, which took into account the changes made by the author in recent years, was published in 1595.
