Nomothetas: The Interpreter Containing the Genuine Signification...
Cowel[l], John [1554-1611]. [Manley, Tho(mas)]. NOMOTHETAS: The Interpreter, Containing the Genuine Signification of Such Obscure Words and Terms Used Either in the Common or Statute Laws of this Realm... The Second Edition [of the Manley Revision]. London: Printed by the Assigns of Richard Atkins... 1684. [Clark, NJ]: The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., 2005. Folio (12" x 9"). Unpaginated [294 pp]. Printed in double columns. ISBN-13: 9781584774068. Cloth hardcover. New. $84.95 Facsimile reprint of the 1684 edition, historically considered the fifth overall edition of Cowell's work and the second expanded version by Thomas Manley [1628-1690]. * First published in 1607, The Interpreter is the most important English law dictionary prior to Giles Jacob's 1729 A New Law-Dictionary. However, its early publication ignited a volatile constitutional crisis, transforming a scholarly reference book into a banned text.Writing during a fierce power struggle between Parliament and the Crown, John Cowell utilized entries like "King," "Parliament," "Prerogative," and "Subsidies" to argue that the Monarch ruled by Divine Right and held the authority to levy taxes without parliamentary consent. This absolutism alarmed the House of Commons and infuriated Sir Edward Coke, the champion of English Common Law, who eagerly helped orchestrate Cowell's prosecution.The resulting political furor threatened to stall the affairs of government. To pacify Parliament and protect his royal subsidies, King James I intervened, ordered Cowell's brief imprisonment, and commanded all copies of the book be publicly burned by the hangman on March 10, 1610.Despite this censorship, the work proved too legally valuable to remain suppressed. It remained an indispensable reference through the Interregnum and Restoration. This 1684 edition represents the text at its peak evolution, containing Thomas Manley's late-17th-century updates alongside Cowell's original entries, and remains an invaluable tool for modern scholars translating early English deeds, charters, and court records.
Price: $84.95
Book number 38181