Title: The Lawes and Actes of Parliament, maid be King James the First, and his successours Kinges of Scotland: visied, collected and extracted furth of the Register; Bound With; De Verborum Significatione. The exposition of the termes and difficill wordes conteined in the foure buikes of Regiam Majestatem, 1597/1599. First Edition on Scottish Law and Legal Terms
Author: John Skene
Publisher: Edinburgh, Robert Waldegrave
Condition: Very Good
A first edition of the early legislative record of the Scots Parliament, starting with those Laws and Acts begun by James the First, and followed by his successors. Also included is a Second edition of Skene’s De Verborum Significatione, his work on ancient Scottish Legal terms, effectively acting as an early dictionary on Scottish Law. Of Skene himself, he was a noted prosecutor and judge.
ESTC suggests that one of the title pages is generally missing, which is the case of the lacking engraved additional title.
There is an armorial bookplate for Dowden Memorial Library, of St. Mary's Cathedral, in Edinburgh, and the front free endpaper has another plate for an individual simply entitled Airth.
The volume has been rebacked, with the board corners repaired.
The additional engraved title page is lacking, as are blank leaves e1 and 2D4, the folding plate, and the tables/index at the rear of the volume is lacking E6, G2 (a blank?), M2, M5, and T1-T4. The main text of the volume is otherwise complete.
Two works finely bound in folio, (4 of 5)+162; 178+(88 of 96) leaves
This volume is in very good shape, with some rubbing and wear to the binding. The title leaf is torn at the head, with a loss to the headpiece. There is damp mottling and consequent fraying to the upper inner corners of several leaves at the front of the volume, and some fraying to the leaves at the front and rear. There is some damp staining throughout, mostly marginal, but heavier to the last few quires.