Essayes Author:Michel de Montaigne Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE ESSAYES OF MICHAEL LORD OF MONTAIGNE. Cbc jfiret JBoofce. THE FIRST CHAPTER. By diverse meanes men come unto a like end. rPHE most usuall waie to... more » appease those J. minds we have offended (when revenge lies in their hands, and that we stand at their mercie) is, by submission to move them to commiseration and pitty : Never- thelesse, courage, constancie, and resolution (meanes altogether opposite) have sometimes wrought the same effc'Ct. Edward the black Prince of Wales (who so long governed our Country of Guii-nne, a man whose conditions and fortune were accompanied with many notable parts of worth and magnanimitie) VOL. I. A having beene grievously offended by the Limosins, though ho by maine force tooke and entered their Citie, could by no meanes be appeased, nor by the wailefull out-cries of all sorts of people (as of men, women, and children) be moved to any pitty, they prostrating themselves to the common slaughter, crying for mercy, and humbly submitting themselves at his feet, untill such time as in triumphant manner passing thorow their Citie, he perceived three French Gentlemen, who alone, with an incredible and undaunted boldnesse, gainstood the enraged violence, aud made head against the furie of his victorious armie. The consideration and respect of so notable a vertue, did first abate the dint of his wrath, and from those three began to relent, and shew mercy to all the other inhabitants of the said towne. Scanderbeg, Prince of Epirus, following one of his souldiers, with purpose to kill him, who by all means of humilitie, and submisse entreatie, had first offered to pacific him, in such an unavoidable ex- tremitie, resolved at last, resolutely toencounter liini with his sword in his hand. This resolution did immediately stay his Captain's fury, wh...« less