Imprisonment for Debt Unconstitutional and Oppressive, Proved...
A Constitutional Argument Against Imprisonment for Debt Farley, Edward. Imprisonment for Debt Unconstitutional and Oppressive, Proved from the Fundamental Principles of the British Constitution, And the Rights of Nature. London: Printed for the Author and Sold by T. Hookham, 1788. [ii], 160 pp. Octavo (8" x 5-1/4"). Disbound stab-stitched pamphlet. Moderate toning, light soiling to exterior, light foxing to a few leaves, small library stamp to title page and p.99. $450. * First edition. Written at a time when many were beginning to call for reforms to the criminal justice system in Britain, this work presents a constitutional argument against the "great national evil" of imprisonment for debt, citing Magna Carta, Coke, Britton and Glanville, among others. It also criticizes the role of lawyers in this injustice, "who have done more harm to this country than the plague, the pestilence, or the sword of tyrants." A second edition was published in 1795. English Short-Title Catalogue T37076.
Price: $450.00
Book number 75974