Excerpt from The Essayes of Michael, Lord of Montaigne, Vol. 3 To the right Honorable and all-vertue-accomplished Ladies, Ladie Elizabeth Grey, wife to the right Noble Maister Henrie Grey; daughter to the right Honorable Earle of Shrewsburie. And, Ladie Marie Nevill, daughter to the right Honorable Lord high Treasurer of England; wife to Sir Henrie Nevill of Abergevenny. Your Honorable Ladieships excelling in Musike, as in all other admirable qualities, can tell me of a French branle (us I take it) wherein one man, like Mercurie betweene the radiant orbes of Venus and the Moone, leadeth a daunce to two women. In resemblance whereof; though much I want the eloquence of Mercurie to move you, much more his abilitie to guide you, most of all his nobilitie to comfort you, yet, as for your exercise, or more perfection, sometime you practise with meaner than a teacher, or a teacher much meaner then your selves: vouchsafe me your un-worthie, but herein happy teacher, joyntly to usher you to this French motion. French hath long time beene termed the language of Ladies: So doth it grace your tongues; so doe your tongues grace it; as if written by men it may have a good garbe, spoken by you it hath a double grace: for so have I heard some of you speake it, as no man, few women, could come-neare their sweete-relisht ayre of it. That as Tullie averred of his Roman Ladies for Latine, so not onely for our mother-tongue, but also for the principall, Italian and French, not onely our princely Mother of Majestie, Magnificence, omnisufficiencie, but (for instance) I avowe, you my five honored Schollers (whom as ever in heart, so would I honor now by these my laboures) are the purest, finest, and clearest speakers. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.