FULBECKE, William

by William Fulbecke

£3,750 · Offered by Sokol Books

Fulbecke (1560-1616), dramatist, lawyer, legal writer and historian was educated at Oxford and then Grays Inn where he practised. His legal writings have long been highly regarded but he has been attracting renewed interest as the author of Shakespeare sourcebooks. It is likely that Fulbecke and Shakespeare were acquainted through one of the Inns of Court plays, masques or revels, in which it is believed both were involved and there is evidence that Shakespeare was acquainted with at least two of Fulbecke's works; an acquaintance discernible particularly in King Lear. That apart, Fulbecke was one of the first pioneers in the field of comparative and international law, especially the first English writer to deal with them in English. Most previous works on those topics, from wherever, had been written in Latin, indeed even on the common law which until Fulbecke's influential comparative work had remained sturdily impervious to the influence of other legal systems. But the most significant text here is the 'Pandectes', the earliest substantive original contribution in English to the law of nations, now more commonly known as 'public international law'. "What Fulbecke appeared to be doing in his introduction of these controversial issues was suggesting a need for compromise. No doubt he realized the issue of authority was a critical problem that would probably escalate further upon the death of the Queen. His arguments were an idealistic attempt to please the various groups conc

• Binding: Hardcover

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