Lex Parliamentaria: Or A Treatise of the Law and Custom of Parliaments by Petyt, George - 1701

1701. London, [1701]. 2d ed.. London, [1701]. 2d ed. Enlarged Edition of an Important Work That Advanced Whig Ideology [Petyt, William (1636-1707), Attributed]. Lex Parliamentaria, Or, A Treatise of the Law and Custom of Parliaments. Shewing Their Antiquity, Names, Kinds, And Qualities. Of the Three Estates; And of the Dignity and Excellency of Parliaments, Their Power and Authority. Of the Election of Members of the House of Commons in General, Their Privilege, Qualifications, And Duties. Of the Electors; And Their Rights, Duties; And Manner of Elections. Of the Returns to Parliament; The Sheriff's and Other Officers Duty Therein. Of the Manner of Election of the Speaker; And of His Business and Duty. Of the Manner of Passing Bills, And the Orders to be Observed in the House of Commons. Of Sessions of Parliament; As Also of Prorogations and Adjournments: Together with the Proper Laws and Customs of Parliaments. With an Appendix of a Case in Parliament Between Sir Francis Goodwyn and Sir John Fortescue, For the Knights Place for the County of Bucks, 1 Jac. I. With Large Additions. London: Printed for J. Stagg, [c.1701]. [x], 434, [1] pp. Includes two one- page publisher advertisements. Octavo (7-1/2" x 4-3/4"). Contemporary calf, blind rules and fillets to spine, raised bands, later lettering piece to spine, unobtrusive later repairs to upper portions of joints. Light rubbing, minor chipping to head of spine, corners bumped and lightly worn, hinges just starting at ends. Light foxing and finger smudges to title page and a few other leaves, interior otherwise fresh. $1,250. * Second edition, with "Large Additions." Formerly attributed to George Petyt, Lex Parliamentaria is an early handbook on parliamentary procedure. It is notable for its strongly Whiggish ideology. Published shortly after the end of the Glorious Revolution--a period that witnessed the deposition of King James II, the passage of the Bill of Rights and the accession of his daughter and her husband as queen and king-it asserts Parliamentary supremacy and the inferiority of monarchs. It was highly regarded by the American Founding Fathers. Jefferson, for example, owned a copy of this edition and often recommended it to others. Sowerby, The Library of Thomas Jefferson 2893 (1690 1st Ed.). English Short-Title Catalogue R8206.