De Laudibus Legum Angliae, By Sir John Fortescue, Lord Chief

Book Description

1775. Fortescue, John [?1394-?1476]. [Gregor, Francis, Translator]. [Selden, John (1584-1654), Annotator]. De Laudibus Legum Angliae. By Sir John Fortescue, Lord Chief Justice, And Afterwards Lord Chancellor to King Henry VI. Translated into English, (With the Original Latin.) Illustrated with the Notes of Mr. Selden, And Great Variety of Remarks, Relative to the Antiquities, History, And Laws of England. With a Large Historical Preface by Francis Gregor, Esq. Also Testimonies of Bale, Pits, and Du Fresne; the Summs of Sir Ralph de Hengham, Lord Chief Justice to King Edward I. Commonly Called Hengham Magna and Hengham Parva, With Mr. Selden's Notes, And a Copious Index. A New Edition. London: Printed for T. Evans, 1775. [iv], lxxi, 208, [8]; iv, 48; [2], ii, [49]-102, [2] pp. Three works in one, each with title page. Octavo (8-3/4" x 5-1/2"). Contemporary calf with nineteenth-century rebacking, raised bands, blind ornaments and lettering piece to spine, endpapers renewed. Light rubbing to extremities, a few shallow scuffs to boards, corners bumped, small later bookseller stamp to front pastedown, upper corner clipped from front free endpaper. Light toning to text, internally clean. A handsome copy. * Third edition of Gregor's translation (with Selden's notes in Latin). The second work contains Fortescue's Latin text. The third work contains Hengham's Summs. Each work has a preface and index. Taking the form of a dialogue between Henry VI and Fortesque, De Laudibus Legum Angliae argues the superiority of the common law over civil law and the notion of a limited monarchy. It was commended by such commentators as Sir Walter Raleigh and St. Germain. "Fortescue was a favorite author among the old lawyers, and will be read with profit in modern times by those who are interested in the origin and progress of the common law.": Marvin, Legal Bibliography (1847) 321. Sweet & Maxwell, A Legal Bibliography of the British Commonwealth 1:22-23 (16).

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