I consider the French essayist Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) one of the most underrated philosophers in history. He is not on the same level as Aristotle, Plato and Socrates, but when it comes to personal development, he is one of the best. Montaigne was born in southern France within a family that belonged to the lower aristocracy. His father had made a small fortune as a wholesaler and purchased a countryside castle and the surrounding land. His father had a deep interest in classical ideals, and hired a tutor to teach Michel at home how to speak and read Latin. As soon as he learned the first words, he was asked to speak only Latin at home. As a result, Michel became fluent in Latin at an early age. His tutor introduced him to the works of Cicero (106-43 BC) and Seneca (4 BC-65 AD), which he read many times. They would later give shape to his personal philosophy and his literary style. His early biographers tell us that Michel de Montaigne was once sent by his father to live for a year with nearby peasants, so that he would acquire simple tastes and learn humility, but I give little credence to the story. I find difficult to believe that his father was willing to hire a tutor to accelerate Michel de Montaigne’s learning and, at the same time, he was willing to send him for a year to live in an environment of total cultural deprivation. If Michel de Montaigne was sent at all to live with nearby peasants, the experience must have been fairly short, so that it would not interfere with his Latin education. Montaigne learned to read and write at home, but did not go to school until fairly late. When he turned six, his father sent him to the College de Guyenne in the closest city, Bordeaux. The education program of the College de Guyenne revolved around the Latin language and the study of Latin authors. They also taught ancient Greek, but with a lower emphasis. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaignes-biography-his-early-years/

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