"THE BEST DEFENSE OF THE POLITICAL BALANCE OF THREE POWERS THAT WAS EVER WRITTEN" (JOHN ADAMS): 1790 CORRECTED EDITION OF DE LOLME'S CONSTITUTION OF ENGLAND
DE LOLME, Jean Louis. The Constitution of England; Or, an Account of the English Government… A New Edition, Corrected. London: G.G.J. and J. Robinson, and J. Murray, 1790. Octavo, contemporary full brown tree calf gilt, elaborately gilt-decorated spine, black morocco spine label. $550.
1790 edition in English of De Lolme's important constitutional work, a "new edition, corrected" including his final revisions, a key influence on The Federalist Papers and intensely followed by John Adams in authoring his own Defense of the Constitutions—his papers containing "closely copied verbatim notes from the 1784 edition" (Appleby), handsomely bound.
The Swiss-born De Lolme, who wrote The Constitution of England while exiled in England, argued the British constitution offered "the practical means by which freedom could be reconciled with political stability" (ODNB). This is considered the first "clear, concise and accurate treatise upon the constitutional law of England," offering an emphasis on separation of powers and executive authority that was especially admired by Founding Fathers John Adams and Alexander Hamilton (Marvin, 263). "It would be difficult to overemphasize the extent to which the key ideas of The Federalist were already present in De Lolme… His most important argument is that in modern political systems it is the power of the legislature, not the executive, that is the greatest threat to the liberty and security of individuals… The states had provided plenty of evidence of the danger of over powerful legislatures in the years following the Revolution; but it was De Lolme who had first formulated a constitutional solution to the problem" (Wootton, Essential Federalist, xxxiii-iv). This 1790 edition incorporates De Lolme's extensive revisions of 1784; Adams' own "papers contain 24 closely copied verbatim notes from the 1784 edition… 'Who can think of writing upon this subject after De Lolme, whose book is the best defense of the political balance of three powers that was ever written,' he wrote in the Defense" (Appleby). Initially issued in French in 1771; first issued in English in 1775. Frontispiece portrait of De Lolme engraved by James Heath. ESTC N3555. Sweet & Maxwell I:100. Front flyleaf with institutional bookplate, stamp and annotations. Inked owner's name dated 1793.
Lightly rubbed; back joint starting at head. A handsome copy of this influential work.