Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-10-01
M1RROrR OF JUSTICES.

OF Bracton by De Thornton, above re
ferred to.
MlREOUR OF JUSTICES.
After the works already noticed one of
the most remarkable books on early law
was written or compiled by Andrew
Horne. He was chamberlain of London
IN the time Of Edward the Second. There
merit of this book. Lord Coke says, I'm
1t, you may perfectly discern the whole
body of the common law OF England
1t is valuable work and one Of the ear
liest sources of the legal history of Eng
land, and is plainly founded on memoir
ials OF the Saxon age. The names APP
pear TO be Saxon. The precedents,
given are assigned to the Saxon
age and from the tone of the work was
probably written by Il Saxon. AS an illus
tration of our legal history, there is no
book OF greater use and value, especially
of the change from the time of the Saxon,
to that of the Norman, and of the century
subsequent to King Alfred. There is
much difference Of opinion concerning the
date OF the book, and consequently as to
It's authorship. Lord Coke pronounces it
Older than the conquest, which if true il
could not have been written by Horne.
Coke probably meant that it treated of
the law prior to the conquest. 1t was no
doubt composed by Horne from an old
work which existed before his time called
Spectrum Justtidriorum. There is a
reference in the work to the statute of
Gloucester, passed in the 10th year Of Ed
ward the First, 1888 There Is no later
statute commented on which would tend
to fix the date Of the book as soon after
the latter year, but there is an allusion to
the statute, Dc PrcrOgptjru Regis II Ed
ward II, 1924, but it has been suggested
that the allusion may have been interpo-
lated, as II is an isolated one: if not in
bA nil in
or soon after. Such is my belief, as all
we know of the author is that he was an
official IN the reign of Edward ii. 1t was
first published in 1912, and was translated
into English by William Hughes in l16S
The last edition Of it is that of 1870 pub
lished in Manchester, England. Soon
after 1860 appeared Il treatise in common
dation of the laws of England, by Sir
John FOrtesque who had been sometime
chief justice Of the Kings Bench, was
one of the most illustrious persons who
ever filled the place, and forever TO be
had in remembrance for his judicial in
tegrty. Sir Thomas Littleton, who died
in l4Sl, the most distinguished lawyer of
his time, composed his work of tenures,
which WAS printed in Lettou and Mach
lima, who were successors OF taNton, IN
l4Sl. 1t was printed in England before
the year l52S. The value of the book can
be seen from the fact that before 1879 not
less than "A French editions had been pub
lished, with several in English, while
since that time the work has gone through
several more.
The first book of English law known to
have been printed, was an Arrangement OF
the ancient law in Norman French, by
Nicholas Statham, Baron of the EXcheq
uer in li6S. 1t was printed as is supposed
between the years 1870 and 1890. As Is
usual with those early books, there Is no
date, no title page, and no paging and
the authors name does not anywhere APP
pear. 1t contains many original authorl-
ties which are not eXtant in the Year
Books of those days.
In the century after the year 1900, there
We're many law treatises published
among them the abridgment of FItzher
bert, his Natura Breyium, The Doctor
and Student" by st. German, Terms
De La Ley, by Rastele, The Boke for
Justyce of Peace" "The manner Of
kepynge Court Baron and a lete. ~ and
the Carta Feodi a book of presidents OF
feotimeuts. During the same century
there were several volumes OF the year
Books printed, and the reports of Plow
den, Brooke, Believe and Dyer.
The united number of printed volumes
of decisions of the English Courts IN 1913
can he seen from the comments of the
Legal photography upon the paper read
by Senator lioar, before the American
Antiquarian Society, IN which he states
there We're but IA. In commenting upon
This statement it is shown that there
were Is volumes of reports then in eNis-
tcuce But to make this number, each
part of Cokes reports must be treated rs
a separate volume. Happy year 1850,
when two volumes contained all the law
that was known. Happy 1913, when all
the law reports might be packed in a small
travelling trunk Soules reference man
ual, published in 1883, gives nearly seven
thousand volumes of reports of cases of
English law, Africa and the islands of the
distant seas furnishing their contingent,