Defensio Legis, Or, The Whole State of England Inquisited and...
"Idle Belches Against the Common Law" [Great Britain]. A Person of Honour. Defensio Legis, Or, The Whole State of England Inquisited and Defended for General Satisfaction. By a Person of Honour. London: Printed for and are to be sold by George Savile, 1674. [iv], 313, [4] pp. Octavo (6-1/2" x 3-3/4"). Later morocco, gilt title and date to spine, endpapers renewed. Light rubbing to joints, which are just starting at head, front hinge cracked, library bookplate and small circular sticker to front pastedown. Light toning to interior, light foxing and soiling in a few places, small tear to bottom edge of leaf A8 affecting text without loss to legibility, circular ink library stamp to title page and a few other leaves not affecting legibility. $1,500. * Only edition, one of two 1674 imprints. A spirited and often comic defense of the laws of England written in the early years of the Restoration. The work covers a wide range of topics, including legal procedure, equity, women and family law, legislation to make English the official language of court proceedings, Catholicism and the relationship between church and state. OCLC locates 4 copies of our imprint in North American law libraries (Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Saint Louis University, Library of Congress). English Short-Title Catalogue R30292.
Price: $1,500.00
Book number 74482