Spirit of the Laws

The Spirit of the Laws is a treatise on political theory, as well as a pioneering work in comparative law, published in 1748 by Montesquieu. Originally published anonymously, partly because Montesquieu''s works were subject to censorship, its influence outside France was aided by its rapid translation into other languages. In 1751 the Roman Catholic Church added De l''esprit des lois to its Index ...