London: Printed by William Stansby for Richard Whitakers [sic], and are to be sold at the Kings Armes in Pauls Churchyard, 1631. Second edition. Folio in 4s, pp. [xxxvi], 941, [i]. State three, of three: p.354 numbered correctly (misnumbered as 356 in states one and two); p.592 misnumbered 992 and lists items XXI-XXXIX. Title-page in red and black, large woodcut initials, illustrations in the text including coins, crowns and six full-page engravings of ceremonial dress, with final errata leaf. Occasional marks to margins, eg. lines, crosses. Some library inkstamps, small paper repairs to title-page fore-edge, small faint dampstains here and there towards edges, occasional faint spotting, a little toned. Recent heavily-grained brown morocco, raised bands, gilt title to spine, blind-tooled diaper pattern within frame to each board, endpapers and endbands renewed, edges red, very good. Birmingham Law Society round inkstamps, 2 to title-page, 2 to dedication leaf, 2 to p.1 and others scattered throughout (approximately 1 every 30 pages). Work on this second edition (the first having appeared in 1614) was done by Selden (1584–1654) during his imprisonment in the Tower of London from late June 1629 until the summer of 1630, and the period immediately afterwards when he regained access to his books and was allowed to move in and out of the Tower. 'A monument to the wide-ranging mastery of medieval continental and English sources and studies, the weighty second edition of Titles of Honor (1631) drew its evidence widely. As well as providing a model for a true history based upon many primary sources, this edition also sought to establish a solid foundation for a new philosophy of politics that would emulate the revolution in astronomy brought about by 'Copernicus, Tycho, Galileus, Kepler' (sig. ?2r), although Selden's political advice remained more than a little obscured by the details of his analytical narrative. Attempting to chart the origin and development of the titles of monarchy, nobility, and gentility in western Europe from the end of the Roman empire to the present, this new edition dissolved the unitary feudal law interpretation espoused in the first edition into various national, provincial, or local feudal laws. Selden portrayed these jurisdictions as a series of ancient constitutions, each having its own 'state' or 'frame of government' and its own feudal customs. Only the titles of emperor and king received a fully comparative treatment, with those of duke, count, baron, and knight unfolding country by country as rulers carried out their own adaptation of northern European customs to Roman offices. […]. Indeed, the second edition of Titles of Honor provided sophisticated historical support for Selden's interpretation of the mixed monarchy of England, not least by placing it in a plausible, equally well-supported context of European ancient constitutions. It portrayed the continual calling of parliaments as a necessary part of English governance.' (Christianson, ODNB) STC (2nd ed.) 22178
