The First Part of the Institutes of the Lawes of England, or, A Commentary upon Littleton, not the Name of the Author Only, but of the Law It Selfe
by Sir. Edward Coke
The First Part of the Institutes of the Laws of England | |
Title page from The First Part of the Institutes of the Laws of England, George Wythe Collection, Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary. | |
Author | Sir Edward Coke |
Published | London: Printed by William Rawlins, Samuel Roycroft, and H. Sawbridge, assigns of Richard Atkins and Edward Atkins, esquires. And are to be sold by Christopher Wilkinson, Richard Tonson, and Jacob Tonson |
Date | 1684 |
Language | French and English |
Pages | 14, 28 pages, 395 numbered leaves, [62] pages |
Desc. | Folio (32 cm.) |
Location | Shelf K-5 |
Coke began his studies in 1567 at Trinity College, Cambridge during the years of the Vestiarian controversy—puritan protests against the Church of England. In 1572 he moved on to study at the Inner Temple, where he was admitted to the bar on April 20, 1578. Coke quickly rose to prominence through his successful execution of several noteworthy cases, such as Shelley’s case. Coke's analytical efforts helped to refine the legal doctrines of English law, and his reputation won him a seat in Parliament. He would later become the Speaker of the House of Commons and eventually attorney general.[2] In 1606, after being created serjeant-at-law, Coke was appointed chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas. He was transferred, against his will, to chief justice of the Court of King's Bench in 1613; he also became a member of the privy council.[3]
The First Part of the Institutes of the Laws of England, published in 1628, was the only part of the four volume Institutes to be appear in print during Coke’s lifetime.[7] Unlike the other three volumes of wholly original writing, it took the form of a commentary on an earlier work, Sir Thomas Littleton’s Tenures. Littleton’s Tenures was “a brief treatise on the Laws of England in relation to land” first published in 1481.[8] Coke’s Commentary upon Littleton greatly expanded the original. It was organized into three columns of text: Littleton’s original Law French; Coke’s English translation; and Coke’s commentary.[9] Coke’s additions to the original text were extensive, and included observations on issues not touched upon by Littleton at all.[10] The First Part of the Institutes was “in fact a legal encyclopaedia arranged on no plan except that suggested by the words and sentences of Littleton.”[11]
Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library
Description of Wolf Law Library Copy
Bound in contemporary calf; hand-labeled on spine. Copy imperfect, lacks leaf 230. Includes the bookplate of "Domville Poole, Aul:trin:cant." and autographed "John L. Abbot, 1957-" in blue ballpoint on the front pastedown. Flyleaf has numerous annotations in brown/black ink. Volume annotated throughtout in brown/black ink.
View the record for this book in William & Mary's online catalog.
See also
References
- ↑ Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, s.v. "Sir Edward Coke," accessed October 3, 2013.
- ↑ Allen D. Boyer, "Coke, Sir Edward (1552-1634)" in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004- ), accessed September 18, 2013.
- ↑ Boyer, "Coke, Sir Edward."
- ↑ Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, s.v. "Sir Edward Coke."
- ↑ Bill of Rights Institute website, s.v. "Petition of Right (1628)," accessed October 3, 2013.
- ↑ Boyer, "Coke, Sir Edward."
- ↑ William Holdsworth, Some Makers of English Law: The Tagore Lectures 1937-38 (Cambridge: University Press, 1966), 123.
- ↑ J.H. Baker, "Littleton, Sir Thomas (d. 1481)" in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, accessed June 10, 2015.
- ↑ Hicks, 94.
- ↑ Holdsworth, 123.
- ↑ Ibid.