The English translation available online on various libertarian websites (like that of the Ludwig von Mieses institute) is beyond attrocious. They seem to believe the comedian dramatist Terence was a historian and his braggart soldier character was a historical figure that he had something to report about. It's only natural they barely sourced any of the claims made by la Boétie. However I also have two scholarly translations (not into English) in which this particular claim is not sourced either. In English this whole passage goes like this:

The kings of the Assyrians and even after them those of the Medes showed themselves in public as seldom as possible in order to set up a doubt in the minds of the rabble as to whether they were not in some way more than man, and thereby to encourage people to use their imagination for those things which they cannot judge by sight. Thus a great many nations who for a long time dwelt under the control of the Assyrians became accustomed, with all this mystery, to their own subjection, and submitted the more readily for not knowing what sort of master they had, or scarcely even if they had one, all of them fearing by report someone they had never seen. The earliest kings of Egypt rarely showed themselves without carrying a cat, or sometimes a branch, or appearing with fire on their heads, masking themselves with these objects and parading like workers of magic. By doing this they inspired their subjects with reverence and admiration, whereas with people neither too stupid nor too slavish they would merely have aroused, it seems to me, amusement and laughter.

Does anybody know which of the ancient historians or his contemporary writers de la Boëtie is drawing on here? Is it an invention of his own?

I've read quite a bit about Charlemagne legacy, but I've had a hard time finding more detailed information about his rise. Are there any sources (besides Einhard) that would help me learn more about Charlemagne, his family, his military campaigns (against the Lombards and the Saxons, among others), and the political struggles in the region before he largely stabilized it?

Thanks!

Thanks for your help.

Any leads will be helpful. Wether they be mainstream researchers or fringe/controversial

I'm getting ready to read Dan Edelstein's The Terror of Natural Right, but before I sit down to it, I was browsing over the table of contents and--seeing that there will be some discussion of "states of nature" and the nature of humans--I realized that I have NO idea what ideas of race existed in 18th century France. Edelstein's book will no doubt touch on these somewhat, but can anyone shed some light on these, and/or the historiography of race in early modern France?

Hello. I am desperately seeking help on finding primary sources from the British Mandate written from an Islamic perspective. So far, I have only been able to locate sources written by British or Arab Christian authors. If anyone knows a good place to look or has suggestions, I would be very greatful.

I am wondering about the lineage, since I am assuming early European civilization descended from Mesopotamia, if eastern Asian civilization does too?

Did the early immigrants, particularly those from English-speaking countries, maintain their dialect? At what point did the "native" American-English accent develop or begin to be adopted? What about regional (such as Boston, New York, etc)?

It seems that the technology is fairly simple and would offer a huge advantage in battle.

I was doing some light reading on the Consulate and it struck me as odd that Lucien, who by all accounts seemed to be opposed to Napolean's imperial ambitions, returned to support his brother during the Hundred Days. Especially since he now knew what his brother actually thought of "Liberté, égalité, fraternité." Any help would be great. Thanks in advance, and apologies if I made some mistake.

Is this all a product of contemporary historical nomenclature, did people at the time use it in reference to one another or did the states themselves label them as such?

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