This enormously influential work by Swiss diplomat and jurist Emmerich de Vattel (1714 76) was first published in 1758, and is credited with shaping modern international law by applying natural law to international relations. Its argument for liberty and equality proved influential upon the American Declaration of Independence, with Benjamin Franklin commenting on its usefulness to the drafters. The book was translated into English in 1760, 1787, and 1797: the latter version was revised by Joseph Chitty the elder (1775 1841), a barrister and one of the most prolific legal writers of his day,...