Manuscripta juridica

Ordo iudiciorum curiae Admiralatus Scotiae: book 4 of 'Rolment of courtis' .

Bisset lifted again many items from Balfour's Practicks, and from William Welwood's treatise '{i}An Abridgement of all Sea Laws{/i}', second edition printed in 1613. Bisset's book 4 also comprises translations of the Rôles d'Oléron, and of the Sea laws of Visby/Gotland. Furthermore, Sir Philip Hamilton Grierson informs us in his edition (vol. 2, p. 241) that the section 'Heir begynnis the procesis of judgementis and decreitis' reproduces an ancient translation of the judgments which had first been printed in 1537, and in addition (vol. 2 p. 258) that the section 'Anent the men of wearis dewity ...' (ordinances of pillage = Balfour's Practicks p. 640) is also contained in Alexander King's treatise on sea laws, for instance in Edinburgh, NL Scotland, Adv.MS.28.4.7, title 4 § 14

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Author(s):

• Habakkuk Bisset

No. of pages: Fol. 184r-213v (second series = old numbering in ink):

Rubric: [{i}Book 4:{/i}] Of sea lawis

Incipit:

• [{i}Book 4:{/i}] The fourte buik. Of admirall and sea lawes. Quho rewled first on the sea and maid schippis. Strabo writtis that Minos, king of Creit, had the first reule on the sea