Law Libraries in Colonial Virginia. we note " The Earle of Stafford's Tryal," and the "Mirror of Justices." We can see that the Virginia gentlemen could refer to works in the longwintereveningswhich would enable them to resist, with stubbornness and with reliance on English precedents, the de mands of their governors sent out from the mother country. Col. Richard Lee of Westmoreland County, who died in 1715, at the age of 67, had doubtless found his law books of value to him in the sessions of the Provincial Council, of which he was a member. Like the rest, his reports were limited to Croke and Coke, but his works on constitutional law and government were such as we have not hitherto seen. We find him owning "Governments and Obedience as they are directed by Scripture and Reason," Thomas Smith's " De República Anglorum," and "Titles of Honor." He also owned several works on mercantile law, such as a " Trea tise of Maritime Affairs," and "A Compleat Book of Sea Laws," while of more miscella neous character are " Practicle Part of the Law," " Trials per Pais," " Court Keeper's Guide," " Institutio Legalis," " Les Termes de Loy," " Law Dictionary," " Laws of Ec clesiastical Polity," Fitzherbert's " Natura Brevium," and a " Collection of Penal Laws." Another member of the Council, who died in 1718, leaving a small law library, was Ed mund Berkeley. His library contained, of course, "The Country Justice," "A Brief Treatise of Testaments," "The Young Clerk's Guide," " A Compleat Collection of all the Laws of Virginia," and "An Abridgement of All the Statutes in Force." He also owned "A Guide to Constables," and " A Perfect Guide for a Studious Young Lawyer." The library is a typical one and shows us the gentleman engaged in acting as justice of the peace, consulting the statutes of Eng land and the colony, settling estates, and drawing up legal documents of all sorts. A similar library was among the effects of Capt. Charles Colston of Richmond County,
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who died in 1724. The "Jurisdiction of Court Leet," and Beverly's " Abridgement of Virginia Laws," are the only books he owned which we have not found in most of the other libraries. Such cannot be said of the large collection of law books left by Richard Hickman, resi dent of the city of Williamsburg, and clerk of the Council, who died in 1732. He owned somewhat over a hundred law books, and in his ample collection were to be found text books, reports, form books and statutes in considerable number. Our old friends are here and with them many more, for exam ple, in reports, Mr. Hickman possessed Hubbard, Modern, Saunders," Levizes," Coke, Latch, Winch, Vaughan, Keylin, Brownloe and Muldsborough, Ventris, " The Second Year Book of Henry VI," etc. In text books his inventory mentions " Coke upon Littleton," Plowden's " Commentaris," Pow ell's " Interpretation," Puffendorf's " Law of Nature and Nations," Wingate's " Maxims," "The Orphan's Legacy," "The Law of Tres pass," Wellwood's "Sea Laws," "Instructor Clericalis," in seven volumes, Hawkin's "Pleas of the Crown," " The Law of Obliga tions," Hale's " Pleas of the Crown," and others. His form books were numerous, among them being Cleft's " Entry," " Mod ern Conveyancer," Lilly's " Conveyancer," and Lilly's " Entrys." The statutes of Eng land, Maryland and Virginia, law dictiona ries, etc., complete this noteworthy collec tion of books. As clerk of the Council, Hickman needed to be a practiced lawyer, and, in his well-stored shelves, he had every opportunity for complete knowledge of his profession. As the years passed by, other books came into the inventories. Capt. Samuel Peachy of Richmond County died in 1750 and left a number of law books. Fitzherbert's "Natura Brevium," and Croke's "Reports," were among them, but we also find the unfamiliar names of Webb's "Virginia Justices," "London Cases Abridged," Boyer's "Doc
