“So we can indeed call those folk barbarians by the rules of reason but not in comparison with ourselves, who surpass them in every kind of barbarism.”(87)
This quote means that Europeans can call the Natives barbarians but when compared the Europeans are the real barbarians. I believe the part of the quote that states ” the rules of reason” is meant to signify a persons morals. This means that a person would know it is wrong to eat someone else without having to be told it is the wrong thing to do but rather by using their own reasoning to come to that conclusion. Michel De Montaigne believes that the real barbarians are the Europeans who “surpass them in every kind of barbarism.” the them in this quote being the Natives. Michel De Montaigne gives us many reasons as to why he would believe this, one of such is he believed it is more barbaric to have a human roasted little by little while having him beat up and bitten by pigs and dogs, which is one of the many tortures the Europeans did. This quote is important because it shows how Michel De Montaigne felt about the Natives. Michel De Montaigne thought that even if these Natives had cannibalistic customs they were still less barbaric then his own people. Thinking they were separated from the imperfections of treachery, lying, cheating, avarice, envy, or backbiting. Also believing that these were a pure people not needing more then what they required to live and only caring for two things bravery before their enemies and the love for their wives.