Montaigne's Essays
CHAPTER XXI:
THE PROFIT OF ONE MAN IS THE DAMMAGE
OF ANOTHER
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Note on the e-text: this Renascence
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Wisconsin. It is in the public domain. "Florio's Translation of
Montaigne's
Essays was first published in 1603. In 'The World's Classics' the first
volume was published in 1904, and reprinted in 1910 and 1924. " Content
unique to this presentation is copyright © 1998 The University of
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CHAPTER XXI: THE PROFIT OF ONE
MAN IS
THE DAMMAGE OF ANOTHER
EMADES
the Athenian condemned a man of the Citie, whose trade was to sell such
necessaries as belonged to burials, under colour, hee asked too much
profit
for them: and that such profit could not come unto him without the
death
of many people. This judgement seemeth to be i ll taken, because no man
profiteth but by the losse of others: by which reason a man should
condemne
all manner of gaine. The Merchant thrives not but by the
licentiousnesse
of youth; the Hushandman by dearth of some; the Architect but by the
ruine
of houses; the Lawyer by suits and controversies betweene men: Honour
it
selfe, and practice of religious ministers, is drawne from our death
and
vices. 'No physitian delighteth in the health of his owne friend,'
saith
the ancient Greeke Comike: 'nor no Souldier is pleased with the peace
of
his citie, and so of the rest.' And which is worse, let every man sound
his owne conscience, hee shall finde that our inward desires are for
the
most part nourished and bred in us by the losse and hurt of others;
which
when I considered, I began to thinke how Nature doth not gainesay
herselfe
in this, concerning her generall policie: for Physitians hold that the
birth, increase, and augmentation of everything, is the alteration and
corruption of another.
Nam quodcunque suis
mutatum
finibus exit,
Continuo hoc mors est illius,
quod fuit ante. -- LUCRET. 1. i. 687, 813; 1. ii. 162; 1. iii. 536.
Whatever from it's bounds
doth changed
passe,
That strait is death of that
which
erst it was.
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