ments twice, without venturing to take the dreadful leap, the Baron reproached him with his want of courage in a very infulting manner. "Why "now, Sir," replied the Prifoner, "bold as you 46 are, I would give you three times before you "took the leap." This pleasantry faved the life of the poor fellow. This minifter of cruelty being one day afked by D'Aubigné, why he made his foldiers exercife fuch horrid acts of cruelty, in a manner by no means confonant to his very great courage! replied, "that when foldiers make "war in a refpectful manner, they carry both "their heads and their hearts too low; that it was impoffible to teach them to put properly "at the fame time their hands to their fwords and "to their hats;--and that, in taking from them all "hopes of mercy, they were under the neceffity of looking for no afylum but under the shadow of their standards, and of not expecting to live unless they were victorious." PIERRE PIERRE DE CAYET THIS author of the celebrated and very rare Memoirs relative to Henry the Fourth of France which bear his name, was at firft a Proteftant Minister at the Court of the King of Navarre, and was much preffed by the Count of Soiffons to marry him to one of the Princefles of the Houfe of Navarre. He refused; as not thinking it honourable to be concerned in giving the fanction of religion to a marriage which he knew to be difagreeable to the Royal Family of Navarre, and to which he was fure they would never give their confent. The Count of Soiffons ftill infiftedCayet refifted with great intrepidity. On the Count's threatening to stab him if he perfifted in his refufal, he very fpiritedly replied, "Well, "then, your Highness may kill me, if you please; "I prefer dying by the hand of a great Prince to dying by that of the hangman." LE LE PRESIDENT DE THOU THE illuftrious Thuanus faid, that on his mentioning one day to his Father, Chriftopher de Thou, First Prefident of the Parliament of Paris, fomething relating to the infamous and cruel maffacre of St. Bartholomew, he stopped him fhortly, exclaiming from Statius, "Excidat illa dies avo, nec poftera credant "O may that day, the fcandal of the age, "And hide, in mercy, from all future times MONTAGNE, WHEN Montagne's Travels were found in MS. a few years ago, in a cheft at his chateau in the province of Perigord, much was expected from them. They have been lately published, and con tain nothing but the hiftory of his disorders, and of the effects of the feveral mineral waters he tried upon them. One paffage in them, however, when he comes to speak of Rome, is very fublime. His obfervations, in general, he dictated to his Secretary, who makes his master speak in the third perfon. They were together at Rome in the year 1580: « On ne voit rien de Rome que "le Ciel, fans lequel elle avoit été affife, & la "plant de fon gîte; que cette fcience qu'on en avoit "étoit une fcience abftraite & de contemplation, "de laquelle il n'avoit rien qui tombât fous les "fens. Ceux qui difoient qu'on y voyoit les "ruines de Rome en difoient trop, car les ruines "d'une fi epouvantable machine rapporteroient "plus d'honneur & de reverence à fa memoire ; "ce n'étoit rien que fon fepulture. Le monde "ennemi de fa longue domination avoit premiere"ment brifé & fracaffé toutes les pieces de ce corps admirable; & parcequ'encore tout mort, "renverfé & defiguré, il lui faifoit horreur, il en "avoit enfeveli la ruine même." Montagne has been falfely accufed of want of religion, On finding himself in the agonies of death, he sent to fome of his neighbours to pray with him, and to attend the ceremony of mafs in his chamber. At the inftant of the elevation of the hoft, he with a tranfport of devotion raifed himfelf himfelf out of his bed upon his knees, and died in the act of adoring that facred mystery of the Catholic church. Montagne appears to have poffeffed a mind highly fufceptible of the power of friendship. His letter giving an account of the death of his learned friend Etienne de la Boetie, is a very pathetic narrative. Montagne, at the defire of his father, tranflated from the Latin Sebonde's Natural Theology. He dedicates his translation' to his father, and, with a filial refpect not very common, calls him every-where in the dedication Monfeigneur. Cardinal de Perron used to call Montagne's Eflays "Le Breviaire des Honnêtes Gens." The feverer Huet entitles them "Le Breviaire "des Parelleux." The peevish Scaliger cries out, "What is it to the world in general, "whether Montagne loves red or white wine beft ?" Yet in spite of this farcafm of that great fcholar, whatever Montagne relates about himself, comes home to the breast and bosom of every lover of nature and obferver of the human character. his Effays may be applied from Horace, "Ille velut fidis arcana fodalibus olim "Votivá pateat veluti defcripta tabellå To "Vita Jenis Montagne, |