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318 MONTAIGNE'S ESSAYES
Nor doth any man run violently enough upon the
wicked, or his enemies, except he he throughly angrie;
and they are of opinion that an advocate or counsellor
at the barre, to have the cause goe on his side, and to
have justice at the judges hands, doth first endevor
to provoke him to anger. Longing-desires moved
Themistocles and urged Demosthenes, and have provoked
Philosophers to long travels, to tedious watchings,
and to lingring peregrinations; and leads us to honours,
to doctrine, and to health: all profitable respects.
And this demissenes of the soule in suffering molestation
and tediousness, serveth to no other purpose, but
to breed repentance and cause penitence in our consciences,
and for our punishment to feele the scourge of
God and the rod of politike correction. Compassion
serveth as a sting unto clemencie, and wisdome to preserve
and governe our selves, is by our owne feare
rouzed up; and how many noble actions by ambition,
how many by presumption ? To conclude, no eminent
or glorious vertue can be without some immoderate
and irregular agitation. May not this be one of the
reasons which moved the Epicureans to discharge God
of all care and thought of our affaires: forsomuch as
the very effects of his goodnesse cannot exercise themselves
towards us without disturbing his rest by meanes
of the passions which are as motives and solicitations
directing the soule to vertuous actions ? Or have they
thought otherwise, and take them as tempests which
shamefully lead astray the soule from her rest and
tranquillitie ? Vt maris tranquillitas intelligitur, nulla,
ne minima quidem, aurd fluctus] commovente: Sic animi
quietus et placatus status cemitur, quam perturbatio nulla,
est, qua moveri queat: 1 'As we conceive the seas
calmnesse, when not so much as the least pirling wind
doth stirre the waves, so is a peaceable reposed state of
the mind then seene when there is no perturbation
whereby it may be moved.' What differences of sense
and reason, what contrarietie of imaginations doth
the diversitie of our passions present unto us ? What
1 CIC. Tusc, Qu. 1. v.