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Fielding's Famous Grand Jury Charge, "A Masterly and Assured Model of its Kind" Fielding, Henry [1707-1754]. A Charge Delivered to the Grand Jury, At the Sessions of the Peace Held for the City and Liberty of Westminster, &c. On Thursday the 29th of June, 1749. By Henry Fielding, Esq; Chairman of the Said Sessions. Published by Order of the Court, And at the Unanimous Request of the Gentlemen of the Grand Jury. London: Printed for A. Millar, 1749. [iii], 8-64 pp. Complete. Octavo (7-3/4" x 4-3/4"). Stab-stitched pamphlet bound in recent three-quarter calf over marbled boards, blind rules to calf edges, gilt fillets and title to spine. Light toning to interior, light foxing and soiling in a few places, light browning to first leaf, small dampstain to text block of first two leaves without loss to legibility, small holes to bottom margin of last two leaves not affecting text. $750. * Only London edition. Grand jury charges, long considered a duty for justices of the peace, could be a useful vehicle for the speaker's social, moral and political vision for society. Fielding's charge, considered "a masterly and assured model of its kind," discusses the history and importance of grand juries in the English system along with their role in addressing the nation's legal and social problems (Zirker). "[C]onfident and dignified in tone, precise in application, rich in legal allusion, and thoroughly at ease with the perspective of judicial tradition," the charge cites Coke, Bracton, Hale and Hawkins, among others. An important writer, magistrate and social reformer, Fielding served as London's Chief Metropolitan Police Magistrate from 1748 until his death and was nominated chairman of the Quarter Sessions in 1749. OCLC locates 1 copy of this imprint in a North American law library (San Francisco Law Library). The ESTC adds a copy at Harvard Law School. Zirker, ed., Henry Fielding: An Enquiry into the Causes of the Late Increase of Robbers and Related Writings xxviii. English Short-Title Catalogue (ESTC) T90231. Seller Inventory # 74183
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