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<h1>The Faithful Councellor (1651)</h1>

<p>Sheppard, William. <em>The Faithful Councellor: or the Marrow of the Law in English</em>. 1st ed. London: Printed by R.W. for E. Dod, N. Ekins, T. Brewster, and G. Moule, 1651.</p>

<p>The author's first attempt at a legal encyclopedia, <em>The Faithful Councellor</em> divides the law into fifty-eight chapters which describe legal concepts in clear, concise English, illustrated by appropriate cases. In addition to typical common law themes, <strong>William Sheppard</strong> (bap. 1595, d.1674) made the innovative decision to include a chapter on the chancery court. While suffering from poor organization, <em>The Faithful Councellor</em> signaled a new genre of legal publication and became the basis for several subsequent, more fully–developed works.</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/1046/type/native/viewcontent">Title page, The Faithful Councellor</a></p>