The Law and Lawyers Laid Open, in Twelve Visions: To Which is Added..

1737. London: T. Woodman and J. Chrichley, 1737. London: T. Woodman and J. Chrichley, 1737. "No Greater Nusance" Than a Lawyer [Purves, J.A.]. The Law and Lawyers Laid Open, In Twelve Visions. To Which Is Added, Plain Truth, In Three Dialogues, Between Truman, Skinall, Dryboots, Three Attornies, and Season a Bencher. London: Printed for T. Woodman and J. Chrichley, 1737. xlviii, 269, [3] pp. Publisher catalogue to last 3 pp. 12mo. (6-1/2" x 3-1/2"). Contemporary speckled calf, gilt rules and central gilt armorial stamp (of Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey) to boards, gilt-edged raised bands and lettering piece to spine, blind tooling to board edges, edges rouged. Light rubbing to boards, moderate rubbing to extremities, front board separated but secured by cords, rear joint nearly cracked, chip to head of spine, corners lightly bumped and worn, rear hinge cracked, faint offsetting to endpapers, small ink notation (shelfmark?) to front pastedown. Woodcut head and tail-pieces. Moderate toning to interior, negligible light foxing in a few places, lower corner of leaf E2 (pp. 75-76) torn away and replaced, horizontal creases to a few leaves, legibility not affected. An attractive copy. $1,500. * Second edition. First published in 1736 as Law-Visions: Or, Pills for Posterity, this satirical allegory takes aim at the excesses and abuses of the legal profession. Episodes in the twelve visions include "The Trial of Peter Puzzle Cause," "A Comical Trial of a Piece of a Lawyer," "The Leather Strap Lawyer; His Plea and Sentence," "On Benevolence," "The Executioners or Sworn Appraisers" and "An Offer at a Reason Why Impressions in Sleep are Stronger Than Those Waking." Taken together, these vignettes show why there is "no greater nusance" than a lawyer, and nothing more difficult than finding one who is honest. English Short-Title Catalogue T107789.