Idea Eloquentiae Forensis Hodiernae: Una cum Actione Forensi ex..

1681. London, 1681. First ed Latin; pub in English. London, 1681. First ed Latin; pub in English. A Landmark Work on Advocacy by the Great Scottish Jurist Mackenzie, Sir George [1636-1691]. Idea Eloquentiae Forensis Hodiernae: Una cum Actione Forensi ex Unaquaque Juris Parte. Edinburgh: Excudebat Haeredes Andreae Anderson, 1681. [xii], 182 pp. Octavo (6-1/2" x 4"). Contemporary sheep, later calf lettering piece to spine. Moderate rubbing to extremities, some shallow nicks and scuffs to boards, front joint just starting at foot, corners and lightly worn, rear free endpaper neatly removed. Moderate toning and some crinkling to text, faint dampstaining to upper corners of preliminaries. An appealing copy of a scarce title. $1,500. * First edition. A landmark work, this was the first treatise on the subject of "forensic oratory" produced in the British Isles. MacKenzie "became notable for his resistance to the pretensions of the Crown, but in 1677, he was made Lord Advocate and in the next few years prosecuted and persecuted Covenanters with such zeal as to earn the title 'The Bloody Mackenzie.' In many cases he strained the law so as to obtain a conviction" (Walker). He is also well-known for having founded the Advocates Library, now the national law library for Scotland. OCLC locates 3 copies in North American law libraries (Harvard, Library of Congress, UC-Berkeley). English Short-Title Catalogue R11799.