BOISSEL, Francois.

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Le Code Civique de la France, First edition of this proposed civil code, published by a revolutionary pamphleteer and an active member of the Jacobin club. This copy is particularly well-preserved in its original printed wrappers.The ancien régime held together many competing and often contradictory jurisdictions, including Roman, Germanic, and canon law. Francois Boissel (1728-1807) worked for many years as a lawyer in these conditions. The revolution proved to be his true calling, however, and his writings exerted a considerable influence on fellow reformers. By imposing a unified national state, the revolution afforded a prime opportunity to reconsider ideas of codification.The Code Civique features a short essay on the ineptitude and corruption of previous laws and the constitution Boissel proposed to replace them. His code contains eight chapters: on personal rights, government, elections, national defence, policing, law reform, taxation, and education. Like many other revolutionaries in 1790, Boissel did not yet envisage abolishing the monarchy. Although chapter I, article I states that "Il n'y aura désormais en France qu'un seul ordre de personnes, sous le titre unique de citoyen" ("there shall be only one order of persons in France, under the title of citizen"), chapter II, article II qualifies this by stating that "Le Gouvernement François étant monarchique, tout ce qui intéressa la nation s'ordonnera par les représentans de la nation, & s'éxécutera sous le nom ou l'

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