Fleury François Richard, Montaigne Visiting Torquato Tasso in Prison

Virtue refuses facility for her companion ... the easy, gentle, and sloping path that guides the footsteps of a good natural disposition is not the path of true virtue. It demands a rough and thorny road.

After a brief holiday in the sun, we return to our scholarly towers and pick up, once again, The Essays of Montaigne. Although usually bound as one volume, his 107 total essays were published as three books, which we are reading one at a time, with breaks in between. This month, we are only reading the second book. If you didn't attend our June meeting for Book One, don't worry, you really can begin at any point. So pick a translation and get started on Book Two; it's the longest of the three so plan accordingly!