The Clergy-Man's Law: or, the Compleat Incumbent. Collected from...
Well-Regarded by Holdsworth Watson, William [1637?-1689]. The Clergy-Man's Law: Or, The Compleat Incumbent. Collected from the 39 Articles, Canons, Proclamations, Decrees in Chancery and Exchequer As Also from All the Acts of Parliament, And Common-Law Cases, Relating to the Church and Clergy of England: Digested Under Proper Heads for the Benefit of Patrons of Churches, And the Parochial Clergy. And Will be Useful to All Students, And Practitioners of the Law. With a Table of Contents of the Chapters, And Another of the Principal Matters Therein Contained. To Which is Added, The Names of the Present Bishops, And Other Chief Dignitaries of the Church of England. With Large Additions. [London]: Printed by John Nutt, 1712. Two volumes. [viii], 1143, [123] pp. Octavo (7-1/2" x 4-3/4"). Contemporary calf, blind rules to boards, blind fillets along joints, raised bands to spines, early hand-lettered titles to fore-edges. Some rubbing to extremities, a few minor scuffs and stains to boards, chipping to spine ends, joints and hinges starting, corners bumped and somewhat worn. Light toning to text, corners of a few leaves dog-eared, a few others dampstained. Early owner signatures to front free endpapers, interiors otherwise clean. $250. * Second edition. "[During the eighteenth century a] number of books aimed at setting out more or less a summary of those branches of law which would be useful to the clergy. The most elaborate of these books is [the present title], which was first published in 1701.... The author was a clergyman who held the deanery of Battel; but he had been educated with a view to becoming a practitioner in the ecclesiastical courts, and had taken his degree of doctor of laws. Because he had had a legal education he was, he tells us 'soon apply'd to by his neighbours, as a person able to advise them in the many doubts and difficulties that daily occurred to them.' (...) The book deals clearly and systematically in fifty-nine chapters with the law and practice on all topics which are useful to the clergy. It is a learned book; but, as the title page indicates, it is compiled almost entirely from the English cases, statutes and other authorities, to which the full references are given. Though the author is an LL.D. he is obviously more learned in English law than in the civil or canon law" (Holdsworth). The first.
Price: $250.00
Book number 57943