The Modern Justice: Containing the Business of a Justice of Peace..

1716. London, 1716. First edition. London, 1716. First edition. First Edition of Jacob's JP Manual Jacob, Giles [1686-1744]. The Modern Justice: Containing the Business of a Justice of Peace, In All its Parts. As an Abridgment of the Common Law, And of the Acts of Parliament Relating to Justices of Peace, Constables, And Other Parish Officers Under Them, Compleat Down to this Time, And Some Special Cases in Law to Illustrate the Same. With Great Variety of the Best Approved and Authentick Precedents of Precepts, Summons, Warrants, Examinations, Commitments, &c. Regularly Interspersed, Fitting all Occasions for Putting of the Laws in Force. To Which is Added, A Particular Account of the Constitution and Government of a Considerable Work-House for Employing and Maintaining of the Poor Within the City of Bristol, As Settled by Act of Parliament, With Precedents Relating to It. And an Alphabetical Table, Shewing What Acts of Parliament do Concern the Business of a Justice. With a Compleat Table to the Whole, And Particular Marginal Heads, &c. Throughout; In a More Informing Method Than in Any Other Book Extant on This Subject. London: Printed by the Assignee of Edward Sayer, Esq; for Bernard Lintott, 1716. [viii], 409, [39] pp. Octavo (7-1/2" x 4-1/2"). Contemporary paneled calf, raised bands, blind fillets and lettering piece to spine, blind tooling to board edges. Light rubbing and a few small scuffs, nicks, scratches and stains to boards, moderate rubbing to extremities, front joint just starting at ends, corners bumped, front hinge starting, early bookplate (of Sir Timothy Waldo) to front pastedown, recent pencil notes and early date (17th June 1719) in ink to front free endpaper. Moderate toning to interior, light foxing in a few places, small hole to title page with minor loss to text, residue from removed armorial bookplate to its verso. An appealing copy. $650. * First edition. One of the most interesting features of this important JP manual is its detailed five-page description of the workhouse at Bristol. It forms part of a full chapter devoted to the Poor Law (pp. 272-294). Subsequent editions appeared in 1718 and 1720. The first edition is scarce. OCLC locates 8 copies in North American law libraries. English Short-Title Catalogue T136996.