| LOCATION | ZZ Edition |
| MANUSCRIPT | ZZ Edition, (1754 first) Scotland, Balfour's Practicks, 1754 |
| ITEM No. 1 | Ius proprium Scotiae - Practicks (general digest of law, systematic) |
Ius proprium Scotiae - Practicks (general digest of law, systematic)
Author(s):
Ius proprium Scotiae - Practicks (general digest of law, systematic) .
[{i}Title page:{/i}] Practicks: or, a System of the more ancient Law of Scotland, compiled by Sir James Balfour of Pettindreich, Lord President of the Court of Session. Carefully published from several manuscripts [{i}by W. Goodall{/i}]. Edinburgh: printed by Thomas and Walter Ruddimans for A. Kinkaid and A. Donaldson, 1754 [{i}the copy at the Advocates Library, Edinburgh, belonged to David Dalrymple (= Lord Hailes?){/i}].
Reprinted with an introduction by Peter G. B. McNeill, 2 vols. Edinburgh 1962-1963 (The Stair Society, vols. 22-23).
The printed text mentions statutes of 1592, 1594, 1597. It thus contains additions which were made after the author's death. On the other hand, the printed text is also heavily shortened: from title 21 onwards it converts Balfour's skilful abstracts of contents of statutes into mere references to printed texts of the pertinent statutes. Furthermore, it almost entirely skips Balfour's inventory of registers in the archives of the Kingdom of Scotland. The Stair Society's reprint of the edition of 1754 shortens the text even further by omitting its preface. In contrast, the best-readable handwritten text which I know, Edinburgh, NL Scotland, Adv.MS.24.l.10, only converts abstracts of statutes from title 57 onwards, and other MSS go even further in presenting Balfour's unshortened text
Author(s):
No. of pages: (item 1)