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280 MONTAIGNE'S ESSAYES
resembling parts of Anaxagoras, or the discord and
concord of Empedocles, or the fire of Heraclitus, or
any other opinion (of this infinit confusion of opinions
and sentences which this goodly humane reason, by
her certainty and clear-sighted vigilancie brings forth
in whatsoever it medleth withal) as I should of Aristotle's
conceit, touching this subject of the principles of
natural! things, which he frameth of three parts ; that
is to say, matter, forme, and privation. And what
greater vanitie can there be than to make inanitie it
selfe the cause of the production of things ? Privation
is a negative : with what humour could he make it the
cause and beginning of things that are ? Yet durst no
man move that but for an exercise of logike : wherein
nothing is disputed to put it in doubt, but to defend
the author of the schoole from strange objections. His
authoritie is the marke beyond which it is not lawfull
to enquire. It is easie to frame what one list;upon
allowed foundations : for, according to the law and
ordinance of this positive beginning, the other parts of
the frame are easily directed without crack or danger.
By which way we hnde our reason well grounded, and
we discourse without rub or let in the way: For our
masters preoccupate and gaine afore-hand as much
place in our beleefe as they need to conclude afterward
what they please, as geometricians doe by their graunted
questions : the consent and approbation which we lend
them, giving them wherewith to draw us, either on the
right or left hand, and at their pleasure to winde and
turne us. Whosoever is beleeved in his presuppositions,
he is our master, and our God. He will lay the plot
of his foundations so ample and easie, that, if he list,
he will carrie us up, even unto the clouds. In this
practice or negotiation of learning, we have taken the
saying of Pythagoras for currant payment; which is,
that every expert man ought to be believed in his owne
trade. The logitian referreth himselfe to the grammarian
for the signification of words. The rhetoritian
borroweth the places of arguments from the logitian;
the poet his measures from the musician; the geo-