APPENDIX TO THE ESSAYS.

PART I.

A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE

OF THE

EDITIONS OF MONTAIGNE'S ESSAYS.

COMPILED FROM DR. PAYEN, AND OTHER AUTHORITIES.

1580.

1. LES ESSAIS DE MESSIRE MICHEL, SEIGNEUR DE MONTAIGNE, chevalier de l'ordre du roy, et gentilhomme ordinaire de sa chambre. Livre premier et second. A Bourdeaus, par S. Millanges, imprimeur ordinaire du roy. M.D.LXXX. 2 vols. 8vo.

This edition contains only the first two books, each of which occupies a volume, and has a separate title-page and table of contents. The first volume, which is printed in a larger type than the other, has 496 pages; the pagination of the second volume is exceedingly defective; the last page is numbered 650. At the commencement of the Essays is a preface, opening thus: C'est ici un lure de bonne foi, lecteur; and bearing date 1st of March,

1580.

This edition has no epigraph.

The first book contains fifty-seven chapters, and the second thirty-seven, being so far conformable to all the subsequent editions. In the 29th chapter of the First Book are twenty-nine sonnets by Etienne de la Boëtie.

In comparing this and the next two editions with those published after the death of the author, it is observable that they contain very few quotations, and that the chapters are much shorter.

Mons. J. B. Bastide, who paid much attention to the subject of Montaigne (see under 1822), and who proposed to publish an edition of the Essays, upon which, according to M. Beuchot, he had been engaged forty years, announced in 1807, in the Revue Philosophique (deuxieme trimestre), upon the authority of M. de

Cayla, that there was another edition of the Essays published at Paris this same year (1580), in folio, chez Michel Blageart, differing from the one which this bookseller published in 1640; and Mons. Leclerq names this supposed edition, without entering into any discussion on the subject. M. Payen, however, writes: "I never believed in the existence of this edition; the most conclusive reason that induced me to reject it was derived from the name of the alleged printer; for it is clear, from the catalogue of Lottin, that there existed no printer of the name of Blageart at Paris in 1580, and that Michel did not commence business until 1631. It occurred to me that this was an incomplete or altered copy of the edition of 1640, which, by some mistake, had been assigned to the earlier date; but, having received an extract from the Catalogue of the Library of Bordeaux, in which was mentioned a copy of the Essays à Paris, 1580,' I communicated my doubts on the subject to M. Jouannet, the librarian of that establishment, and this learned gentleman at once recognized the accuracy of my supposition, and informed me that the copy in his library is, in point of fact, a copy of the edition of 1640; and that the mistake, which is of old date, arose from the real date having got torn from the title-page, the compiler of the catalogue inserted that which appeared on the preface. I have entered into these details," adds M. Payen, "because it has been placed on record that such an edition exists; and because several literary men, who have a good deal occupied themselves upon the subject of Montaigne and his works, wishing to make up four editions previous to that of 1588, and relying upon the authority of M. de Cayla, M. de Bastide, and the Catalogue of the Library of Bordeaux, have shared in this error, which has now had general credit for nearly thirty years."

1582.

2. The same.-PAR MESSIRE MICHEL, SEIGNEUR DE MONTAIGNE, chevalier de l'ordre du roy et gentilhomme de sa chambre, mayre et gouverneur de Bourdeaus.-Edition seconde, reveue et augmentée. A Bourdeaus, par S. Millanges, imprimeur ordinaire du roy, M.D.LXXXII. 8vo.

This edition, a much handsomer one than the first, is in one volume. It contains only the first two books, and has no epigraph. The pagination continues from the one book on to the other, and there is no title-page for Book II. There are 806 pages in the volume. La Boëtie's Sonnets are inserted, as in the first edition.

This edition, it is seen, is announced as revue et augmentée; and, in fact, each of the editions which immediately followed the first, presents corrections and augmentations; and it is particularly observable in the edition of Bordeaux, 1588, that Montaigne, notwithstanding his statement, " I add, but never correct," did correct very often, even as to light turns of expression.

1587.

3. The same.-Par MESSIRE MICHEL, SEIGNEUR DE MONTAIGNE, chevalier de l'ordre du roi et gentilhomme ordinaire de sa chambre, mayre et gouverneur de Bourdeaus, reveues et augmentées. A Paris, chez Jean Richer, rue St.-Jean-de-Latran, a l'arbre verdoyant, M.D.LXXXVII. 12mo.

The date of the preface is the same as in the preceding editions; and the Sonnets of Boëtie are inserted as before. Coste, and the edition of 1725, are therefore altogether mistaken in stating, after Niceron, that Boëtie's Sonnets were not printed with the Essays till the edition of 1588.

1588.

4. The same.-Essais de MICHEL, SEIGNEUR DE MONTAIGNE. Cinquiesme edition, augmentée d' un troisiesme livre, et de six cens additions aux deux premiers. A Paris, chez Abel L'Angelier, au premier pilier de la grand salle du Palais. Avec privilege du roy. 1580. 4to. 1 volume.

An engraved title-page. The date is not on the title-page, but it is in the license to print, which bears date 4th June, 1588, and is signed Duduit.

The name of Montaigne, it is seen, is not followed here by the array of his titles; and it is a curious coincidence, that among the numerous additions made to this edition is the passage (Book i. chap. 39,) expressing his objection to the superscribing his letters with a long ribblerow of qualities and titles; and the other passage which deprecates the "loading the fronts and title-pages of the books we commit to the press with such a clutter of titles."

This edition is only paged on the recto, the last page being numbered 396. The preface is dated 12th June, 1588, but it is in other respects the same as in the preceding editions. The Sonnets of Boëtie are also inserted as before. The third book, which now appeared for the first time, consists of thirteen chapters.

This edition, the last published during Montaigne's life, is of very inferior execution. The title-page announces it as the fifth edition, and as it came out under the superintendence of Montaigne himself, who was then in Paris, it would seem that four editions had, in point of fact, preceded it, yet we have no knowledge of any other editions, up to this time, than those just mentioned. When the supposed edition in folio, "Paris, 1580," was admitted, the number was complete, but it has been shown that no such edition exists. Niceron says that the first edition was followed by three others previous to that of 1588, but he does not give us the dates, and, indeed, would seem merely to make the statement upon the authority of the title-page of the present edition. If this be, indeed, the fifth edition, it is quite clear that one of the pre

ceding editions has altogether escaped the research of bibliogra phers.

It was from a copy of this edition, corrected and augmented by Montaigne himself, that Naigeon published the edition of 1802. M. Bernadau, advocate at Bordeaux, and author of the Antiquites Bordelaises, made known this copy to the public in a letter addressed to the Journal General de France (Nov. 1789). This copy remained some time in the family of Montaigne, and then, according to M. Bernadau, "was given to the Feuillans of Bordeaux by Madame de Montaigne, by order of her husband, who was greatly attached to that society, and had selected their church as his place of sepulture. The author of the Nouveau Dictionnaire Historique is therefore wrong, when he says there is to be seen, in the library of that convent, a manuscript supplement to the Essays. This precious relic, at the time of the Revolution, was transferred to the public library of Bordeaux, where it still remains.

This copy is covered with corrections and additions, marginal and interlineary, in the handwriting of Montaigne. On the engraved title-page, he has written sixieme edition, in reference to the one he then contemplated, and this, indeed, puts it beyond a doubt that the edition now under notice is the fifth, and that we have altogether lost sight of one of the preceding impressions. Among other manuscript additions which Montaigne made to the copy in question, there is a page of directions to the printer, occupying the back of the title-page.

He also added, on the title-page, this epigraph, which has since become that of his book: Viresque acquirit eundo. At the top of the title-page is an escutcheon, in which he has written his name.

1593.

5. LIVRE DES ESSAIS DE MICHEL, SEIGNEUR De Montaigne, divisé en deux parties. Derniere edition, augmentée de deux tables tres amples des choses plus memorables conteneues en icelle à Lyon, pour Gabriel Lagrange, libraire d'Avignon.

M.D.XCIII. 8vo.

Conformably to the title, this edition is divided into two parts. The first comprises the first two books, in 830 pages, and is preceded by the above title; the second, which contains the third book, is preceded by a separate title: LIVRE DES ESSAIS DE MICHEL, SEIGNEUR DE MONTAIGNE, deuxieme partie, à Lyon, &c. Each part has a table of chapters, and an analytical table of contents. The running title is "Essais de Monta." (sic.) This edition, which is a very fair one, is printed from that of 1588. M. Payen says he has seen two copies of it; one in the public library of Chaumont en Bassigny, the other in that of M. Lamennais; in the first, which no doubt had belonged to some convent, the

whole chapter, "On some Verses of Virgil" is taken out, a mu tilation which is found in a great many copies of these old edi tions.

1595.

6. The same.-Edition nouvelle, trouvée apres le décèds de l'autheur; reveue et augmentée par lui d'un tiers plus qu'aux precedentes impressions. Paris, Abel l'Angelier, 1595. Folio. Some copies have: "Paris, Michel Sonnius, Rue St. Jacques, a l'Ecu de Basle." The license, at the back of the title-page, is dated 15th October, 1594.

There is no epigraph, and the preface, by Montaigne, is omitted. The chapter, "That the Relish of Good and Evil," &c., which hitherto had formed the fourteenth of the First Book, is here, as in all the subsequent editions, except the following, the fortieth of the same book.

This edition was printed, under the care of Mademoiselle de Gournay, from a copy, revised by Montaigne, and given to Mademoiselle de Gournay by his widow. This was probably a copy of the edition of 1588, corrected and augmented in the same way with the copy already described; for Mademoiselle de Gournay says, on this subject: "Madame de Montaigne sent them to me to have published, enriched with his latest improvements." Another copy remained in the house of Montaigne, as Mademoiselle de Gournay informs us, and this was the copy afterwards given to the Feuillans of Bordeaux. Mons. de Bernadau, therefore, in the letter above quoted, is mistaken in describing the copy in the library at Bordeaux as that from which Mademoiselle de Gournay printed her edition. It is not known what became of this latter copy, which differed materially from that used by M. Naigeon; it is probable that, after the work had gone through the press, the copy was not preserved.

This, and the impression of Anvers (no date), are the only editions which do not contain Montaigne's preface; in the edition next mentioned, indeed, Mademoiselle de Gournay says, that the preface was mislaid when they were printing the edition now under notice. The Editor has preceded the Essays with a long and able apologetic preface, reprinted in the present edition. Mademoiselle de Gournay herself revised all the proofs of this edition, which is executed with such correctness, that she is well entitled to call it, as she did in the edition of 1635, le vieil et bon exemplaire. It remains to this day the principal edition, as regards authenticity of text, and one of the handsomest in a typographical point of view.

1595.

7. LES ESSAIS DE MICHEL, SEIGNEUR DE MONTAGNE, (sic.) divisez en trois livres contenants un riche et rare thrésor de plu