The Security of English-men's Lives (1681)

<h1>The Security of English-men's Lives (1681)</h1>

<p>Somers, John. <em>The Security of English-men's Lives, or the Trust, Power, and Duty of the Grand Jurys of England Explained According to the Fundamentals of the English Government, and the declarations of the Same Made in Parliament by Many Statutes</em>. 1st ed. London: Printed by T. Mitchel, 1681.</p>

<p>Written early in the career of <strong>John Somers</strong> (1651–1716), this small treatise defends the use of grand juries as fundamental to the rights of Englishmen. In doing so, it stresses the preeminence of the common law over the authority of the crown. Somers, later Lord Chancellor under William and Mary and Anne, would be instrumental in creating the English Bill of Rights (1689).</p>

<h2>Usage Rights:</h2>

<p>Digital exhibit content is made available under CC BY-NC-SA.</p>

<h2>Files available for download:</h2>

<p><a href="https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/context/british-colonial-antecedents/article/1031/type/native/viewcontent">Title page, Security of English-men's Lives</a></p>