The Essays Chapter 46

(1, p. 115-117v).Michel de MontaigneC146 Des nomsMontaigne - Essais, Éd de Bordeaux, 1.djvuMontaigne - Essais, Éd de Bordeaux, 1.djvu/1115-117v
Chapitre 46 :
Des Noms

QVelqve diversité d’herbes qu’il y ait, tout s’enveloppe
sous le nom de salade. De mesme, sous la consideration des noms, je
m’en voy faire icy une galimafrée de divers articles. Chaque nation
a
quelques noms qui se prennent, je ne sçay comment, en mauvaise part :
et
à nous Jehan, Guillaume, Benoit. Item, il semble y avoir en la
genealogie des Princes certains noms fatalement affectez : comme des
Ptolomées à ceux d’Aegypte, de Henris en Angleterre, Charles en
France, Baudoins en Flandres, et en nostre ancienne Aquitaine des
Guillaumes, d’où l’on dict que le nom de Guienne est venu : par un
froid
rencontre, s’il n’en y avoit d’aussi cruds dans Platon mesme. Item,
c’est une chose legiere, mais toutefois digne de memoire pour son
estrangeté et escripte par tesmoing oculaire, que Henry, Duc de
Normandie, fils de Henry second, Roy d’Angleterre, faisant un
festin en France, l’assemblée de la noblesse y fut si grande que,
pour
passetemps, s’estant divisée en bandes par la ressemblance des
noms : en la premiere troupe, qui fut des Guillaumes, il se trouva
cent dix Chevaliers assis à table portans ce nom, sans mettre en
conte
les
simples gentils-hommes et serviteurs.

Item, il se dict qu’il faict bon avoir bon nom, c’est à dire credit
et reputation ; mais encore, à la verité, est-il commode d’avoir un
nom beau et qui aisément se puisse prononcer et retenir, car les Roys
et les
grands nous en connoissent plus aisément et oublient plus mal
volontiers ; et, de ceux mesme qui nous servent, nous commandons plus
ordinairement et employons ceux desquels les noms se presentent le plus
facilement à la langue. J’ay veu le Roy Henry second ne pouvoir
jamais nommer à droit un gentil-homme de ce quartier de Gascongne ;
et,
à une fille de la Royne, il fut luy mesme d’advis de donner le nom
general de la race, parce que celuy de la maison paternelle luy
sembla
trop revers.

Item, on dit que la fondation de nostre Dame la grand à Poitiers
prit origine de ce que un jeune homme débauché, logé en cet endroit,
ayant recouvré une garce et luy ayant d’arrivée demandé son nom,
qui
estoit Marie, se sentit si vivement espris de religion et de respect,
de ce nom Sacrosainct de la Vierge mere de nostre Sauveur, que non
seulement il la chassa soudain, mais en amanda tout le reste de sa
vie ;
et qu’en consideration de ce miracle il fut basti, en la place où
estoit la maison de ce jeune homme, une chapelle au nom de
nostre Dame,
et, depuis, l’Église que nous y voyons.

Item, dira pas la posterité que nostre reformation
d’aujourd’huy ait
esté delicate et exacte, de n’avoir pas seulement combatu les erreurs
et les vices, et rempli le monde de devotion, d’humilité,
d’obeissance, de paix et de toute espece de vertu, mais d’avoir passé
jusque à combatre ces anciens noms de nos baptesmes, Charles, Loys,
François, pour peupler le monde de Mathusalem, Ezechiel, Malachie,
beaucoup mieux sentans de la foy ? Un gentil’homme mien voisin,
estimant les commoditez du vieux temps au pris du nostre, n’oublioit
pas de mettre en conte la fierté et magnificence des noms de la
noblesse de ce temps, Don Grumedan, Quedragan, Agesilan, et qu’à
les ouïr seulement sonner, il se sentoit qu’ils avoyent esté bien
autres gens que Pierre, Guillot et Michel. Item, je sçay bon gré
à Jacques Amiot d’avoir laissé, dans le cours d’un’ oraison
Françoise, les noms Latins tous entiers, sans les bigarrer et
changer pour leur donner une cadence Françoise. Cela sembloit un
peu
rude au commencement, mais des-jà l’usage, par le credit de son
Plutarque, nous en a osté toute l’estrangeté. J’ay souhaité
souvent
que ceux qui escrivent les histoires en Latin, nous laissassent nos
noms tous tels qu’ils sont : car, en faisant de Vaudemont,
Vallemontanus, et les metamorphosant pour les garber à la Grecque
ou
à la Romaine, nous ne sçavons où nous en sommes et en perdons la
connoissance. Pour clorre nostre conte, c’est un vilain usage, et de
tres-mauvaise consequence en nostre France, d’appeller chacun par le
nom de sa terre et Seigneurie, et la chose du monde qui faict plus
mesler et mesconnoistre les races. Un cabdet de bonne maison, ayant eu
pour son appanage une terre sous le nom de laquelle il a esté connu et
honoré, ne peut honnestement l’abandonner ; dix ans apres sa mort, la
terre s’en va à un estrangier qui en faict de mesmes : devinez où
nous
sommes de la connoissance de ces hommes. Il ne faut pas aller querir
d’autres exemples que de nostre maison Royalle, où autant de
partages,
autant de surnoms : cependant l’originel de la tige nous est eschappé.

Mais cette consideration me tire par force à un autre champ. Sondons
un peu de pres, et, pour Dieu, regardons à quel fondement nous
attachons cette gloire et reputation pour laquelle se bouleverse le
monde. Où asseons nous cette renommée que nous allons questant avec
si grand peine ? C’est en somme Pierre ou Guillaume qui la porte,
prend en garde, et à qui elle touche.

Et ce Pierre ou Guillaume, qu’est ce, qu’une voix pour tous
potages ?
ou trois ou quatre traicts de plume, premierement si aisez à varier,
que je demanderois volontiers à qui touche l’honneur de tant de
victoires, à Guesquin, à Glesquin ou à Gueaquin ? Il y auroit
bien
plus d’apparence icy qu’en Lucien, que
Σ.
mit
Τ.
en procez, car

non levia aut ludicra petuntur

Praemia,
il y va de bon : il est question
laquelle
de ces lettres doit estre payée de tant de sieges, batailles,
blessures, prisons et services faits à la couronne de France par ce
sien fameux connestable. Nicolas Denisot n’a eu soing que des
lettres
de son nom, et en a changé toute la contexture, pour en bastir le
Conte d’Alsinois qu’il a estrené de la gloire de sa poesie et
peinture. Et l’Historien Suetone n’a aymé que le sens du sien, et,
en ayant privé Lénis, qui estoit le surnom de son pere, a laissé
Tranquillus successeur de la reputation de ses escrits. Qui croiroit
que le Capitaine Bayard n’eut honneur que celuy qu’il a emprunté
des
faicts de Pierre Terrail ? et qu’Antoine Escalin se laisse voler
à
sa veue tant de navigations et charges par mer et par terre au
Capitaine Poulin et au Baron de la Garde ? Secondement, ce sont
traicts de plumes communs à mill’hommes. Combien y a il, en toutes
les races, de personnes de mesme nom et surnom ?

Qui empesche mon palefrenier de s’appeller Pompée le grand ? Mais,
apres tout, quels moyens, quels ressors y a il, qui attachent à mon
palefrenier trespassé, ou à cet autre homme qui eut la teste
tranchée en Aegypte, et qui joignent à eux cette voix glorifiée et
ces
traicts de plume ainsin honorez, affin qu’ils s’en adventagent ?

Id cinerem et manes credis curare sepultos ?

Toutesfois,

ad haec se
Romanus, Graiusque, et Barbarus Induperator
Erexit, causas discriminis atque laboris
Inde habuit, tanto major famae sitis est quam
Virtutis.

Chapter XLVI. Of names.

What variety of herbs soever are shufed together in the dish, yet the

whole mass is swallowed up under one name of a sallet. In like manner,

under the consideration of names, I will make a hodge-podge of divers

articles.

Every nation has certain names, that, I know not why, are taken in no

good sense, as with us, John, William, Benedict. In the genealogy of

princes, also, there seem to be certain names fatally affected, as the

Ptolemies of Egypt, the Henries in England, the Charleses in France, the

Baldwins in Flanders, and the Williams of our ancient Aquitaine, from

whence, 'tis said, the name of Guyenne has its derivation; which would

seem far fetched were there not as crude derivations in Plato himself.

Item, 'tis a frivolous thing in itself, but nevertheless worthy to be

recorded for the strangeness of it, that is written by an eyewitness,

that Henry, Duke of Normandy, son of Henry II., king of England, making a

great feast in France, the concourse of nobility and gentry was so great,

that being, for sport's sake, divided into troops, according to their

names, in the first troop, which consisted of Williams, there were found

an hundred and ten knights sitting at the table of that name, without

reckoning the ordinary gentlemen and servants.

It is as pleasant to distinguish the tables by the names of the guests as

it was in the Emperor Geta to distinguish the several courses of his meat

by the first letters of the meats themselves; so that those that began

with B were served up together, as brawn, beef, bream, bustards,

becca-ficos; and so of the others. Item, there is a saying that it is a

good thing to have a good name, that is to say, credit and a good repute;

but besides this, it is really convenient to have a well-sounding name,

such as is easy of pronunciation and easy to be remembered, by reason

that kings and other great persons do by that means the more easily know

and the more hardly forget us; and indeed of our own servants we more

frequently call and employ those whose names are most ready upon the

tongue. I myself have seen Henry II., when he could not for his heart

hit of a gentleman's name of our country of Gascony, and moreover was

fain to call one of the queen's maids of honour by the general name of

her race, her own family name being so difficult to pronounce or

remember; and Socrates thinks it worthy a father's care to give fine

names to his children.

Item,'tis said that the foundation of Notre Dame la Grande at Poitiers

took its original from hence that a debauched young fellow formerly

living in that place, having got to him a wench, and, at her first coming

in, asking her name, and being answered that it was Mary, he felt himself

so suddenly pierced through with the awe of religion and the reverence to

that sacred name of the Blessed Virgin, that he not only immediately sent

the girl away, but became a reformed man and so continued the remainder

of his life; and that, in consideration of this miracle, there was

erected upon the place where this young man's house stood, first a chapel

dedicated to our Lady and afterwards the church that we now see standing

there. This vocal and auricular reproof wrought upon the conscience, and

that right into the soul; this that follows, insinuated itself merely by

the senses. Pythagoras being in company with some wild young fellows,

and perceiving that, heated with the feast, they comploted to go violate

an honest house, commanded the singing wench to alter her wanton airs;

and by a solemn, grave, and spondaic music, gently enchanted and laid

asleep their ardour.

Item, will not posterity say that our modern reformation has been

wonderfully delicate and exact, in having not only combated errors and

vices, and filled the world with devotion, humility, obedience, peace,

and all sorts of virtue; but in having proceeded so far as to quarrel

with our ancient baptismal names of Charles, Louis, Francis, to fill the

world with Methuselahs, Ezekiels, and Malachis, names of a more spiritual

sound? A gentleman, a neighbour of mine, a great admirer of antiquity,

and who was always extolling the excellences of former times in

comparison with this present age of ours, did not, amongst the rest,

forget to dwell upon the lofty and magnificent sound of the gentleman's

names of those days, Don Grumedan, Quedregan, Agesilan, which, but to

hear named he conceived to denote other kind of men than Pierre, Guillot,

and Michel.

Item, I am mightily pleased with Jacques Amyot for leaving, throughout a

whole French oration, the Latin names entire, without varying and

garbling them to give them a French cadence. It seemed a little harsh

and rough at first; but already custom, by the authority of his Plutarch,

has overcome that novelty. I have often wished that such as write

histories in Latin would leave our names as they find them and as they

are; for in making Vaudemont into Vallemontanus, and metamorphosing names

to make them suit better with the Greek or Latin, we know not where we

are, and with the persons of the men lose the benefit of the story.

To conclude, 'tis a scurvy custom and of very ill consequence that we

have in our kingdom of France to call every one by the name of his manor

or seigneury; 'tis the thing in the world that the most prejudices and

confounds families and descents. A younger brother of a good family,

having a manor left him by his father, by the name of which he has been

known and honoured, cannot handsomely leave it; ten years after his

decease it falls into the hand of a stranger, who does the same: do but

judge whereabouts we shall be concerning the knowledge of these men. We

need look no further for examples than our own royal family, where every

partition creates a new surname, whilst, in the meantime, the original of

the family is totally lost. There is so great liberty taken in these

mutations, that I have not in my time seen any one advanced by fortune to

any extraordinary condition who has not presently had genealogical titles

added to him, new and unknown to his father, and who has not been

inoculated into some illustrious stem by good luck; and the obscurest

families are the most apt for falsification. How many gentlemen have we

in France who by their own account are of royal extraction? more, I

think, than who will confess they are not. Was it not a pleasant passage

of a friend of mine? There were, several gentlemen assembled together

about the dispute of one seigneur with another; which other had, in

truth, some preeminence of titles and alliances above the ordinary

gentry. Upon the debate of this prerogative, every one, to make himself

equal to him, alleged, this one extraction, that another; this, the near

resemblance of name, that, of arms; another, an old worm-eaten patent;

the very least of them was great-grandchild to some foreign king. When

they came to sit down, to dinner, my friend, instead of taking his place

amongst them, retiring with most profound conges, entreated the company

to excuse him for having hitherto lived with them at the saucy rate of a

companion; but being now better informed of their quality, he would begin

to pay them the respect due to their birth and grandeur, and that it

would ill become him to sit down among so many princes - ending this farce

with a thousand reproaches: "Let us, in God's name, satisfy ourselves

with what our fathers were contented with, with what we are. We are

great enough, if we rightly understand how to maintain it. Let us not

disown the fortune and condition of our ancestors, and let us lay aside

these ridiculous pretences, that can never be wanting to any one that has

the impudence to allege them."

Arms have no more security than surnames. I bear azure powdered with

trefoils or, with a lion's paw of the same armed gules in fesse. What

privilege has this to continue particularly in my house? A son-in-law

will transport it into another family, or some paltry purchaser will make

them his first arms. There is nothing wherein there is more change and

confusion.

But this consideration leads me, perforce, into another subject. Let us

pry a little narrowly into, and, in God's name, examine upon what

foundation we erect this glory and reputation for which the world is

turned topsy-turvy: wherein do we place this renown that we hunt after

with so much pains? It is, in the end, Peter or William that carries it,

takes it into his possession, and whom it only concerns. O what a

valiant faculty is hope, that in a mortal subject, and in a moment, makes

nothing of usurping infinity, immensity, eternity, and of supplying its

master's indigence, at its pleasure, with all things he can imagine or

desire! Nature has given us this passion for a pretty toy to play

withal. And this Peter or William, what is it but a sound, when all is

done? or three or four dashes with a pen, so easy to be varied that I

would fain know to whom is to be attributed the glory of so many

victories, to Guesquin, to Glesquin, or to Gueaquin? and yet there would

be something of greater moment in the case than in Lucian, that Sigma

should serve Tau with a process; for

"Non levia aut ludicra petuntur

Praemia;"

the chase is there in very good earnest: the question is, which of these

letters is to be rewarded for so many sieges, battles, wounds,

imprisonments, and services done to the crown of France by this famous

constable? Nicholas Denisot

never concerned himself further than the letters of his name, of which he

has altered the whole contexture to build up by anagram the Count

d'Alsinois, whom he has handsomely endowed with the glory of his poetry

and painting. The historian Suetonius was satisfied with only the

meaning of his name, which made him cashier his father's surname, Lenis,

to leave Tranquillus successor to the reputation of his writings. Who

would believe that Captain Bayard should have no honour but what he

derives from the deeds of Peter Terrail; and that Antonio Iscalin should

suffer himself to his face to be robbed of the honour of so many

navigations and commands at sea and land by Captain Paulin and the Baron

de la Garde? Secondly, these are dashes of the pen common to a thousand

people. How many are there, in every family, of the same name and

surname? and how many more in several families, ages, and countries?

History tells us of three of the name of Socrates, of five Platos, of

eight Aristotles, of seven Xenophons, of twenty Demetrii, and of twenty

Theodores; and how many more she was not acquainted with we may imagine.

Who hinders my groom from calling himself Pompey the Great? But after

all, what virtue, what authority, or what secret springs are there that

fix upon my deceased groom, or the other Pompey, who had his head cut off

in Egypt, this glorious renown, and these so much honoured flourishes of

the pen, so as to be of any advantage to them?

"Id cinerem et manes credis curare sepultos?"

What sense have the two companions in greatest esteem amongst me,

Epaminondas, of this fine verse that has been so many ages current in his

praise,

"Consiliis nostris laus est attrita Laconum;"

or Africanus, of this other,

"A sole exoriente supra Maeotis Paludes

Nemo est qui factis me aequiparare queat."

Survivors indeed tickle themselves with these fine phrases, and by them

incited to jealousy and desire, inconsiderately and according to their

own fancy, attribute to the dead this their own feeling, vainly

flattering themselves that they shall one day in turn be capable of the

same character. However:

"Ad haec se

Romanus Graiusque, et Barbaras induperator

Erexit; caucus discriminis atque laboris

Inde habuit: tanto major famae sitis est, quam

Virtutis."