Blackstone’s Commentariesbecame the most important legal treatise in the English language largely because of the clarity of their expression and the author’s desire to educate the English gentry into an understanding of the legal system on which English liberties rested. Indeed, Blackstone’s fervent political (Whig) conviction that England had been blessed to evolve over time the very best system of law in history, granting appropriate balance, respect and liberties, runs throughout the four volumes.
The Commentaries went through eight editions under Blackstone’s hand, and through innumerable editions and abridgements thereafter. It therefore determined the law for at least a century after its first …
510 words
Citation: Clark, Robert. "Commentaries on the Laws of England". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 September 2007 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5881, accessed 23 November 2024.]
