A Vade Mecum, Or, Table, Containing the Substance of Such Statutes.

Includes a Digest of Staunford's Pleas of the Crown - From the Library of the Notable 17th century British attorney Daniel Dickinson (1637-1699) of Cumbria, England. Yonge, Walter [1581?-1649]. [Staunford, Sir William (1509-1558)]. A Vade Mecum, Or, Table, Containing the Substance of Such Statutes; Wherein Any One, Or More Justices of the Peace are Inabled to Act, As Well in the Sessions, As Out of the Sessions of Peace. Together with an Epitome of Mr. Stamford's Pleas of the Crown. Corrected, And Amended. London: Printed for John Streater, 1663. [xxiv], 186, [2] pp. First leaf blank. Two parts with continuous pagination. Second part preceded by title page reading (in part) A Vade Mecum, And Cornu Copia. An Epitome of Master Stamfords Pleas of the Crown. 12mo. (5-1/2" x 2-3/4"; 14 x 7 cm). Recent paneled calf, blind fillets to spine, endpapers renewed. Light rubbing and a few small scratches, light fading to spine. Light toning to interior, light foxing and soiling in a few places, early ownership signatures of Daniel Dickinson (1637-1699), to front endleaf and title page, later pencil annotation to title page, early manuscript sample instructions to a jury foreman to second front endleaf. $750. * Seventh (stated) edition. As suggested by its title, this is a manual for justices of the peace. The first part is arranged in tabular form. Each entry lists an offense, conditions for an action, the number of justices required to hear the case, the appropriate punishment and references to authorities. The second part is a condensed version of Staunford's Plees del Coron (1st. ed. 1557), a standard treatise on criminal law in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Published as the seventh edition, it is actually the fourth. The first, second and third were published in 1643, 1650 and 1661. Sweet & Maxwell list a 1620 edition titled Justices, Their Vade Mecum and Cornucopia, but it appears to be a ghost. Daniel Dickinson [1637-1699], the former owner of this copy, was a Cumberland attorney who held a number of important local positions including seneschal (steward) of the Cockermouth manorial court and high constable of Allerdale. All editions are scarce. OCLC locates 3 copies of the 1663 edition in law libraries (Harvard, York University, Library of Congress). Another copy located at Columbia Law School. …