For centuries, Montaigne's line about his friend Le Boétie--"because it was him, because it was me" ("par ce que c'etait luy, par ce que c'etait moy")--has stood as an ideal encapsulation of friendship. A close look at the ink used in the Bordeaux copy reveals that the line was penned at two different sittings, and that "because it was me" was actually written before "because it was him." The finding takes away none of the thought's power, but does shed light on Montaigne's working method. He was a man constantly striving to sharpen his text in order to express his innermost thoughts.