Synopsis or, An Exact Abridgement of The Lord Cokes Commentaries upon

Provenance: "R.J. Goodenough / Jan[ua]ry 1760". Davenport's Synopsis of Coke on Littleton From the Library of an Eighteenth-century Playwright and Middle Templar Coke, Sir Edward [1552-1634]. Davenport, Sir Humphrey [1566-1645]. Synopsis or, An Exact Abridgement of The Lord Cokes Commentaries upon Littleton: Being A Briefe Explanation of the Grounds of the Common Law. Composed by that Famous and Learned Lawyer, Sir Humphrey Davenport Knight, Heretofore Reader of that Honourable Society of Graye's Inne, And Afterwards Lord Chiefe Barron of the Honourable Court of Exchequer, at Westminster. With a Perfect Table Poynting out the Most Remarkeable Things Therein Contained. London: Printed by E.G. for Matthew Walbancke at Grayes Inne Gate, 1652. [vi], 32, 53-68, 79-238, 243-450, 457-465, [31] pp. Text continuous despite pagination. Copperplate portraits of Coke, facing title page, and Littleton, facing p. 1. Complete. Octavo (5-3/4" x 3-1/2"). Later speckled calf with recent rebacking, blind frames to boards, raised bands and gilt title (reading Davenport's Synopsis) to spine, endpapers renewed, early hand-lettered title to edges of text block. A few minor nicks to boards, corners lightly bumped, recent owner bookplate to front pastedown. Light toning to text, slightly heavier in places, some leaves have faint dampstaining, endleaves have early annotations, signatures and doodles, a few marks and tiny inkstain to frontispiece, another early signature to head of title page, brief annotation to head of p. 1. A nice copy in a handsome binding. $500. * Second edition. Coke on Littleton, or First Institutes, is one of the cornerstones of the common law and a primary legal text for generations. Several abridgements of this work were produced. Davenport's Synopsis is one of the best. First published in 1651 as An Abridgement of Lord Coke's Commentary on Littleton, its final edition, the third, was published in 1685. Lurking beneath some squiggly lines on an endleaf there is an inscription "R.J. Goodenough / Jan[ua]ry 1760", indicating the ownership of the eighteenth-century playwright and poet Richard Jocelyn Goodenough (1741-1781), who was a member of the Middle Temple. His middle name is frequently spelled "Josceline", but records of the Middle Temple give it as "Jocelyn", showing he was admitted on June 20, 1768 (Register of Admissi.…