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204 MONTAIGNE'S ESSAYES
into their closets before they are fully readie and
throughly painted, to come abroad ana shew themselves:
Nec veneres nostra* hoc fallit, quo magis ipsoe
Omnia summopere has vitas post scenia celant,
Quos retinere volunt adstrictoque esse in amore. 1
Oar Mistresses know this, which makes them not disclose
Parts to be plaid within, especially from those
Whom they would servants hold, and in their love-bands close:
Whereas, in other creatures there is nothing but we
love and pleaseth our senses: so that even from their
excrements and ordure we draw not only dainties to
cat, but our richest ornaments and perfumes. This
discourse of beautie toucheth only our common order,
and is not so sacrilegious as it intendeth or dareth to
comprehend those divine, supernaturall, and extraordinarie
beauties winch sometimes are seen to shine
amongst us, even as stars under a corposall and terrestrial!
veile. Moreover, that part of natures favours
which we impart unto beasts, is by our owne confession
much more advantageous unto them. We assume unto
our selves imaginarie and fantasticall goods, future
and absent goods, which humane capacitie can no way
warrant unto her selfe; or some other, which by the
overweening of our owne opinion we falsely ascribe
unto our selves; as reason, honour, and knowledge;
and to them as their proper share we leave the essentiall,
the manageable, and palpable goods, as peace,
rest, securitie, innocencie, and health: Health I say,
which is the goodliest and richest present nature can
impart unto us. So that even Stoike Philosophie
dareth to affirme, that if Heraclitus and Pherecydes
could have changed their wisdome with health, and
by that xneanes the one to have rid himselfe of the
dropsie and the other of the lowsie-evill, which so sore
tormented them, they would surely have done it:
whereby they also yeeld so much more honor unto
wisdome, by comparing and counterpeizing the same
¹ LUCR. 1. iv. 1176.