Of the Office of the Iustices of Peace, in Two Bookes: Gathered. 1579. and Now Reuised, and First Published, in the 24 yeere of the Peaceable Reigne of Our Gratious Queene Elizabeth.

William Lambarde .London: Imprinted by Ra: Newbery, and H. Bynneman, by the ass. of R. Tot. & Chr. Bar., 1582



Eirenarchia was the first comprehensive treatise on the system of local government under justices of the peace in England, and in it the author brought together the results of his assiduous study of previous commentaries, common law, and acts and statutes.  It was the standard work for decades and was frequently reprinted.  It offers an amazingly full picture of ordinary life in the sixteenth century, revealing the ordinary through its discussions of the way things can go wrong.  Relations between the sexes, within the family, and between members of different classes are all explored through conflict and crime.


The binding of this volume is badly worn and in some places has fallen apart.  Some of the bands are damaged and the front cover is nearly detached.  Conservation will repair the sewing, consolidate or replace the fragile covering of the spine, reattach the covers, and remove some of the accumulated dirt from the edges of the pages.

 

  

 

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