Matteo Gribaldi Moffa (Matthaeus Gribaldus Mopha) - Matthaei Gribaldi Mophae iurisconsulti Cheriani, in celebri Valentinorum gymnasio iura civilia - 1541

Beautiful copy.
Rare original edition from 1541 of this important treatise by Matteo Gribaldi Moffa, jurist and professor of law in the 16th century.
De methodo ac ratione studendi libri tres is a work devoted to the method of study, teaching, and interpretation of Roman civil law. Gribaldi develops a methodological approach to jurisprudence that fits within the legal humanism movement of the Renaissance. The work is particularly important in the history of legal thought in the 16th century.
This original edition, published in Lyon by Antoine Vincent in 1541, predates the Lyon editions of 1543–1544.

364pp + 2 leaves.

A revolutionary manual for students: Written while Gribaldi taught civil law at the University of Valencia (France), this book is an innovative methodological guide aimed at guiding students through the dense learning of law. It enjoyed resounding success across Europe and was reissued many times during the 16th century. The famous didactic formula: it is in this work (or its augmented reissues) that the famous method of analyzing legal texts by the professors of the time (the Postglossators’ style) is summarized via a well-known mnemonic distich for historians of law: Praemitto, scindo, summo, casumque figuro, perlego, do causas, connoto, obiicio. (I present, I divide, I summarize, I illustrate with a case, I read in full, I give the reasons, I note the key points, I object).

An old copy bound in full contemporary leather, with a richly decorated spine with gilded tools. The binding shows a fine patina of age and remains particularly interesting for a 16th-century work, but it bears significant signs of wear: rubbing, wear to edges and corners, as well as numerous marks and stains on the boards.

The pages are printed in 16th-century type and include several initials and wood-engraved vignettes, including the remarkable typographic emblem on the title page.

A particularly interesting copy for collectors of old books, legal history, jurisprudence, and legal humanism.
Complete with the 2 leaves at the end.