In the twenty-seventh essay of his first book, Michel de Montaigne inserted twenty-nine sonnets by his deceased friend Étienne de La Boétie. At first glance, the chapter appears to be little more than a collection of poems. But on closer inspection, it reveals a profound meditation on human connection — one that speaks directly to the heart of Freemasonry. For those familiar with Masonic values, this essay opens a window onto the very essence of brotherhood: not as a matter of formal membership, but as a transformative bond between kindred souls.
Two Perspectives on Connection
An outsider might see Montaigne’s gesture as a nostalgic tribute to a lost friend. La Boétie’s sonnets, written in the tradition of Renaissance poetry, explore themes of love, longing, and the search for meaning. For the uninitiated reader, this is a literary monument — nothing more, nothing less.
A Freemason, however, recognizes something deeper. In the decision to weave another person’s words into the fabric of your own life’s work, there lies an act of profound symbolic significance. It is the acknowledgment that wisdom is never the possession of a single individual but is always shared within a chain of connection. Just as the Past Master passes the light to the newly initiated, Montaigne passes on his friend’s words to future generations.
Friendship as Ritual
Elsewhere in his Essays, Montaigne describes how his friendship with La Boétie began as a sudden recognition — an almost mystical experience of two souls finding each other. “Because it was he, because it was I,” he later wrote by way of explanation. These words echo an experience many Freemasons will recognize: the moment when brotherhood ceases to be an abstract concept and becomes a lived reality.
In the Masonic tradition, ritual creates the space in which such connections can arise. The shared experience of symbolic actions forges a bond that transcends the everyday. Montaigne had no lodge at his disposal, but in his Essays he created a comparable sacred space — a place where minds could meet unhindered by time or distance.
What the Outsider Misses
For those who reduce friendship to social utility or pleasant company, the depth of Montaigne’s gesture remains hidden. The twenty-nine sonnets are not decoration. They are a testament to what two people can achieve when they truly see each other — when the masks fall and the true self is revealed.
True brotherhood is not about sharing a membership — it is about sharing a quest for truth and meaning.
La Boétie died young, only a few years after their first meeting. Yet this brief friendship shaped Montaigne’s entire philosophical project. The loss forced him into deep self-reflection, compelling him to ask what endures when the beloved is gone. In this sense, the friendship functioned as an initiation — a passage into deeper self-understanding.
Shared Values: Inner Growth Through Connection
Both Montaigne and the Masonic tradition recognize that human beings do not flourish in isolation. Virtue develops in relation to others. The search for truth is a collective endeavor. The light kindled in the lodge is passed from hand to hand, from generation to generation.
Montaigne’s decision to include La Boétie’s sonnets is precisely such an act of passing on. He does not merely preserve his friend’s words — he gives them new life by placing them in a fresh context. The reader of the Essays thus becomes part of a chain reaching back to the sixteenth century and stretching forward into the future.
Where Both Perspectives Meet
Despite their different starting points, outsider and initiate share a fundamental intuition: human connection holds a value that words can never fully capture. The outsider might call it sentiment or loyalty. The Freemason speaks of brotherhood and the invisible bond between those who share the search for light.
Consider the key themes that emerge from Montaigne’s example. Self-reflection: he used friendship as a mirror for his own soul. Virtue: his relationship with La Boétie made him, by his own account, a better person. Brotherhood: built not on formal ties, but on spiritual kinship. Inner growth: loss as a catalyst for philosophical depth.
The Lesson for Today
In an age when connections are often superficial and fleeting, Montaigne’s gesture reminds us of another possibility. Friendship as a spiritual exercise. Friendship as a path to self-knowledge. Friendship as a sacred space where two people can meet beyond the masks of daily life.
The Freemason reading this essay may recognize the brother beside whom he sits in silence during the ritual work. The outsider may think of the friend with whom conversations always go deeper than expected. Both experiences point to the same truth: we become who we are through those we meet.
The twenty-nine sonnets Montaigne preserved are more than a literary legacy. They are a testimony to what friendship can become when it is practiced as a spiritual discipline. For the Freemason, this essay offers a surprising mirror: here is a sixteenth-century thinker speaking about brotherhood in terms that resonate with the deepest values of the lodge. Montaigne shows us that true connection requires no membership — only the willingness to truly meet another in the shared search for meaning and truth.
Copyright text & image: devrijmetselaar.nl
Texts are based on the ideas and content of the author of devrijmetselaar.nl, reviewed, corrected, and supplemented with the assistance of OpenAI. Images are created based on the ideas of the author of devrijmetselaar.nl using OpenAI/DALL-E.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the connection between Montaigne's essay on La Boétie and Freemasonry?
Montaigne's essay reveals a profound meditation on human connection and brotherhood that speaks to Masonic values. By weaving La Boétie's sonnets into his own work, Montaigne demonstrates the Masonic principle that wisdom is never possessed by a single individual but is always shared within a chain of connection, much like how a Past Master passes the light to the newly initiated.
How does Montaigne describe the beginning of his friendship with La Boétie?
Montaigne describes their friendship as beginning with a sudden recognition—an almost mystical experience of two souls finding each other. He explained it with the famous phrase 'Because it was he, because it was I,' which reflects an experience many Freemasons recognize: the moment when brotherhood becomes a lived reality rather than an abstract concept.
Why are the twenty-nine sonnets included in Montaigne's essay significant?
The sonnets are not mere decoration but a testament to what two people can achieve when they truly see each other and the masks fall away. They represent the depth of true brotherhood—a transformative bond between kindred souls that goes far beyond social utility or pleasant company, embodying the essence of authentic human connection that Freemasonry values.
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