La Boétie, Étienne de

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Étienne de La Boétie (ātyĕn´ də lä bôāsē´), 1530–63, French judge and writer. He served with Montaigne in the Bordeaux parlement and is immortalized in Montaigne's essay on friendship. La Boétie's writings include a few sonnets, translations from the classics, and an essay attacking absolute monarchy, Discours sur la servitude volontaire; ou Contr'un (tr. 1735, 1942).