Preview
Identifier
KD 600 .F6713 1567 / 1616
Creation Date
1567
Description
Fortescue, John. A Learned Commendation of the Politique Lawes of Englande. London: Rychard Tottill, 1567.
Fortescue, John. De Laudibus Legum Angliae. London: For the Companie of Stationers, 1616.
Sir John Fortescue (c.1397–1479) composed this treatise around 1471 in the form of a dialogue between the author and the Prince of Wales. Written in Latin from a decidedly pro-English point of view, the work compares common law with civil law and touts the advantages of a constitutional over an absolute monarchy. As a didactic work, it avoids technical details, presenting a view of the law not seen in other contemporary treatises. The 1567 edition was the first English translation and the 1616 edition, edited by jurist John Selden (1584–1654), the first to bear its weightier title.
View the 1567 edition's record in the library catalog.
View the 1616 edition's record in the library catalog.
Rights
Digital exhibit content is made available under CC BY-NC-SA.