The First Question was — Who is the most free, of
all men? Some^ answered, that it was a king who
has an absolute dominion^ over his subjects, and
was victorious over* all his enemies. Others main-
tained^, that it was a rich man, who could gratify^
all his desires. Others said, that it was a man who
was not married, and was travelling during his whole
life through divers countries^, without ever being
subject^ to the laws of any^ nation. Others imagined,
that it was a Barbarian, who, subsisting by hunt-
ing in^ the midst of the woods, was independent of

* DANS LE i.ivRE DE SES ; — ^ vieillards ; — ^ grand livre ;— ^ qu'on
tenir ordinairement ; — •» qu' apres ; — * rien ne doit ^tre ; — k des-
tinies a ; — * ^tre charges de ; — ™ pour gouverner les hommes ;
— n se laisser gouverner par les loix eux-mSmes ; — ^ pr6sider ; —
1 qui devoir 6tre decid^es j-^-Q Les uns ; — ' qui avait un empire
absolu ; — • victorieux de j — ^ D'autres soutenir ; — "^ pouvait con-
tenter ; — tt en divers pays ; — ^ sans §tre jamais assujetti ; —
1 d'aucune ; — « de sa cnasse a ;



THE BOOK OF VBRSIONS. 80

all govemment, and free fr<nn every wani\ Others
believed, that it was a man lately made free\ 6c-
cause, by passing^ from the rigours of slavery, he
enjoyed, more than any body else^, the sweets of
liberty. And lastly*, others bethought themselves
to say^, that it was a dying man, because death freed
him^ from every thing, and that all mankind united
had no longer any power over him.
