I’m just a human like everyone else. I’m a descendant of the first person who was created out of earth. My flesh was molded into shape during the time that I was in my mother’s womb. Over the course of ten months, I took shape from her blood, built up out of a man’s seed and a night of pleasure. When I was born, I gulped in the same air as everyone else. I dropped out onto the same earth that all people share. I let out my first cry that was just like the sound anyone else makes. I was nurtured by snug clothes and good care. No king has ever begun life any differently. There’s only one way into life for everyone, and only one way out as well.
[Εἰμὶ μὲν κἀγὼ θνητὸς ἄνθρωπος ἴσος ἅπασιν
καὶ γηγενοῦς ἀπόγονος πρωτοπλάστου·
καὶ ἐν κοιλίᾳ μητρὸς ἐγλύφην σὰρξ
δεκαμηνιαίῳ χρόνῳ παγεὶς ἐν αἵματι
ἐκ σπέρματος ἀνδρὸς καὶ ἡδονῆς ὕπνῳ συνελθούσης.
καὶ ἐγὼ δὲ γενόμενος ἔσπασα τὸν κοινὸν ἀέρα
καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ὁμοιοπαθῆ κατέπεσον γῆν
πρώτην φωνὴν τὴν ὁμοίαν πᾶσιν ἴσα κλαίων·
ἐν σπαργάνοις ἀνετράφην καὶ φροντίσιν.
οὐδεὶς γὰρ βασιλέων ἑτέραν ἔσχεν γενέσεως ἀρχήν,
μία δὲ πάντων εἴσοδος εἰς τὸν βίον ἔξοδός τε ἴση.]The Bible (The Old Testament) (14th - 2nd C BC) Judeo-Christian sacred scripture [Tanakh, Hebrew Bible], incl. the Apocrypha (Deuterocanonicals)
Book 22a. Wisdom (Wisdom of Solomon) 7: 1ff (Wis 7:1–6) [tr. CEB (2011)]
(Source)
The reference to human pregnancy is given in lunar months, thus ten.
Wisdom (also known as "Wisdom of Solomon) is one of the Apocrypha, not included in many Protestant Bibles or in the Tanakh (though in the Septuagint). See here for more information on the origin and acceptance of this book.
(Source (Greek)). Other translations:I myself also am a mortal man, like to all, and the offspring of him that was first made of the earth,
And in my mother's womb was fashioned to be flesh in the time of ten months, being compacted in blood, of the seed of man, and the pleasure that came with sleep.
And when I was born, I drew in the common air, and fell upon the earth, which is of like nature, and the first voice which I uttered was crying, as all others do.
I was nursed in swaddling clothes, and that with cares.
For there is no king that had any other beginning of birth.
For all men have one entrance into life, and the like going out.
[tr. KJV (1611)]I myself also am a mortal man, like all others, and of the race of him, that was first made of the earth, and in the womb of my mother I was fashioned to be flesh.
In the time of ten months I was compacted in blood, of the seed of man, and the pleasure of sleep concurring.
And being born I drew in the common air, and fell upon the earth, that is made alike, and the first voice which I uttered was crying, as all others do.
I was nursed in swaddling clothes, and with great cares.
For none of the kings had any other beginning of birth.
For all men have one entrance into life, and the like going out.
[tr. DRA (1899)]Like all the others, I too am a mortal man,
descendant of the first being fashioned from the earth,
I was modelled in flesh within my mother's womb,
for ten months taking shape in her blood by means of virile seed and pleasure, sleep's companion.
I too, when I was born, drew in the common air,
I fell on the same ground that bears us all,
a wail my first sound, as for all the rest.
I was nurtured in swaddling clothes, with every care.
No king has known any other beginning of existence;
for all there is one way only into life, as out of it.
[tr. JB (1966)]I too am mortal like everyone else,
a descendant of the first man formed from the earth.
I was modelled in flesh inside a mother's womb,
where, for ten months, in blood I acquired substance -- the result of virile seed and pleasure, sleep's companion.
I too, when I was born, drew in the common air,
I fell on the same ground that bears us all,
and crying was the first sound I made, like everyone else.
I was nurtured in swaddling clothes, with every care.
No king has known any other beginning of existence;
for there is only one way into life, and one way out of it.
[tr. NJB (1985)]Like every human being, I am mortal. I am a descendant of that first man, who was made from the soil. I was conceived from the sperm of a man, in the pleasure of intercourse. For nine months my flesh took shape in the blood of my mother's womb. When I was born, I came into the world like anyone else. I began to breathe the same air we all breathe; and like everyone else, the first sound I made was a cry. I was wrapped in cloths and cared for. No king ever began life differently. For all of us, there is one way into life, and there is one way out.
[tr. GNT (1992 ed.)]I also am mortal like everyone else,
a descendant of the first-formed child of earth,
and in the womb of a mother I was molded into flesh,
within the period of ten months, compacted with blood,
from the seed of a man and the pleasure of marriage.
And when I was born, I began to breathe the common air
and fell upon the kindred earth;
my first sound was a cry, as is true of all.
I was nursed with care in swaddling cloths.
For no king has had a different beginning of existence;
there is for all one entrance into life and one way out.
[tr. NRSV (2021 ed.)]
Quotations about:
kings
Note not all quotations have been tagged, so Search may find additional quotes on this topic.
The question as to whether there is such a thing as divine right of kings is not settled in this book. It was found too difficult. That the executive head of a nation should be a person of lofty character and extraordinary ability, was manifest and indisputable; that none but the Deity could select that head unerringly, was also manifest and indisputable; that the Deity ought to make that selection, then, was likewise manifest and indisputable; consequently, that He does make it, as claimed, was an unavoidable deduction. I mean, until the author of this book encountered the Pompadour, and Lady Castlemaine, and some other executive heads of that kind; these were found so difficult to work into the scheme, that it was judged better to take the other tack in this book (which must be issued this fall), and then go into training and settle the question in another book. It is, of course, a thing which ought to be settled, and I am not going to have anything particular to do next winter anyway.
Mark Twain (1835–1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
Novel (1889), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Preface
(Source)
For, to make deserts, God, who rules mankind,
Begins with kings, and ends the work by wind.[Car pour faire un désert, Dieu, maître des vivants,
Commence par les rois et finit par les vents.]Victor Hugo (1802–1885) French writer, journalist, human rights activist, politician
Poem (1876), “The Vanished City [La Ville Disparue],” Legend of the Ages: New Series [La Légende des siècles: La Nouvelle Série], No. 4 (1877) [tr. Carrington (1885)]
(Source)
KING RICHARD: For God’s sake, let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings —
How some have been deposed, some slain in war,
Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed,
Some poisoned by their wives, some sleeping killed,
All murdered.William Shakespeare (1564–1616) English dramatist and poet
Richard II, Act 3, sc. 2, l. 160ff (3.2.160-165) (1595)
(Source)
KING RICHARD: Not all the water in the rough rude sea
Can wash the balm off from an anointed king.
The breath of worldly men cannot depose
The deputy elected by the Lord.
For every man that Bolingbroke hath pressed
To lift shrewd steel against our golden crown,
God for His Richard hath in heavenly pay
A glorious angel. Then, if angels fight,
Weak men must fall, for heaven still guards the right.William Shakespeare (1564–1616) English dramatist and poet
Richard II, Act 3, sc. 2, l. 55ff (3.2.55) (1595)
(Source)
Richard makes his case for the Divine Right of Kings. He is then immediately informed that the non-angelic armies he was counting on to fight Bolingbroke aren't coming.
CREON: Prophecies? All your tribe wants is to make money.
TIRESIAS: And what about tyrants? Filthy lucre is all you want![Κρέων: τὸ μαντικὸν γὰρ πᾶν φιλάργυρον γένος.
Τειρεσίας: τὸ δ᾽ ἐκ τυράννων αἰσχροκέρδειαν φιλεῖ.]Sophocles (496–406 BC) Greek tragic playwright
Antigone, l. 1055ff (441 BC) [tr. Woodruff (2001)]
(Source)
Argument between Creon, the king, and Teiresias, his seer. Original Greek. Other translations:KREON: The race of seers is wholly given to pelf.
TEIRESIAS: The tyrant-race is given to filthy lucre.
[tr. Donaldson (1848)]CREON: Prophets are all a money-getting tribe.
TEIRESIAS: And kings are all a lucre-loving race.
[tr. Campbell (1873)]CREON: Desire of money is the prophet's plague.
TIRESIAS: And ill-sought lucre is the curse of kings.
[tr. Storr (1859)]CREON: Yes, for the prophet-clan was ever fond of money.
TEIRESIAS: And the race sprung from tyrants loves shameful gain.
[tr. Jebb (1891)]CREON: Your prophetic race are lovers all of gold.
TIRESIAS: Tyrants are so, howe'er illgotten.
[tr. Werner (1892)]CREON: Well, the prophet-tribe was ever fond of money.
TEIRESIAS: And the race bred of tyrants loves base gain.
[tr. Jebb (1917)]CREON: The generation of prophets has always loved gold.
TEIRESIAS: The generation of kings has always loved brass.
[tr. Fitts/Fitzgerald (1939)]CREON: I say all prophets seek their own advantage.
TEIRESIAS: All kings, I say, seek gain unrighteously.
[tr. Watling (1947)]CREON: Well, the whole crew of seers are money-mad.
TEIRESIAS: And the whole tribe of tyrants grab at gain.
[tr. Wyckoff (1954)]CREON: Prophets have always been too fond of gold.
TEIRESIAS: And tyrants, of the shameful use of power.
[tr. Kitto (1962)]CREON: You and the whole breed of seers are mad for money!
TIRESIAS: And the whole race of tyrants lusts for filthy gain.
[tr. Fagles (1982), l. 1171ff]CREON: Yes, for the whole family of prophets is philos to silver.
TIRESIAS: And the family of absolute rulers holds disgraceful profits as philoi.
[tr. Tyrell/Bennett (2002)]CREON: The whole race of prophets loves money.
TEIRESIAS: And the kings love their shameful profits.
[tr. Theodoridis (2004)]CREON: The tribe of prophets --
all of them -- are fond of money.
TEIRESIAS: And kings?
Their tribe loves to benefit dishonestly.
[tr. Johnston (2005), l. 1180ff]TEIRESIAS: The race of tyrants loves shameful profit.
[tr. @senstantiq (2018)]





