is expected to be accepted uncritically. Montaigne's essay "On the Education of Children" is dedicated to Diana of Foix. He opposed European colonization of the Americas, deploring the suffering it brought upon the natives. Chronology Montaigne heavily edited the Essays at various points in his life. Sometimes he would insert just one word, while at other times he would insert whole passages. Many editions mark this with letters as follows: A: passages written 1571–1580, published 1580 B: passages written 1580–1588, published 1588 C: passages written 1588–1592, published 1595 (posthumously) A copy of the fifth edition of the Essais with Montaigne's own "C" additions in his own hand exists, preserved at the Municipal Library of Bordeaux (known to editors as the Bordeaux Copy). This edition gives modern editors a text dramatically indicative of Montaigne's final intentions (as opposed to the multitude of Renaissance works for which no autograph exists). Analyzing the differences and additions between editions show how Montaigne's thoughts evolved over time. Remarkably, he does not seem to remove previous writings, even when they conflict with his newer views. Influence The remarkable modernity of thought apparent in Montaigne's essays, coupled with their sustained popularity, made them arguably the most prominent work in French philosophy until the Enlightenment. Their influence over French education and culture is still strong. The official portrait of former French president François Mitterrand pictured him facing the camera, holding an open copy of the Essays in his hands. English journalist and politician J. M. Robertson argued that Montaigne's essays had a profound influence on the plays of William Shakespeare, citing their similarities in language, themes and structures. The Essays Book 1 "That Men by Various Ways Arrive at the Same End" "Of Sadness or Sorrow" "That Our Affections Carry Themselves Beyond Us" "That the Soul Expends Its Passions Upon False Objects" "Whether the Governor Himself Go Out to Parley" "That the Hour of Parley Is Dangerous" "That the Intention is Judge of Our Actions" "Of Idleness" "Of Liars" "Of Quick or Slow Speech" "Of Prognostications" "Of Constancy" "The Ceremony of the Interview of Princes" "That Men are Justly Punished for Being Obstinate" "Of the Punishment of Cowardice" "A Proceeding of Some Ambassadors" "Of Fear" "Not To Judge of Our Happiness Till After Death" "That To Study Philosophy is to Learn to Die" "Of Imagination" "That the Profit of One Man is the Damage of Another" "Of Custom;