SKU: 70335692251

RAVENSCROFT, Edward The English Lawyer; a Comedy: Acted at the Royal Theatre.

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RAVENSCROFT, Edward The English Lawyer; a Comedy: Acted at the Royal Theatre.Ravenscroft's Ruggle RAVENSCROFT, Edward The English Lawyer; a Comedy: Acted at the Royal Theatre. London: Printed by J. M. for James Vade at the Cock and Sugar loaf near St. Dunstans Church in Fleet street. 1678. Small 4to. Twentieth century brown morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe for Phillip C. Broughton (initials P. C. B. gilt to upper board), turn ins ruled in gilt, two raised bands, spine lettered directly in gilt, edges stained red; pp. [iv], 67,

Ravenscroft's Ruggle

RAVENSCROFT, Edward The English Lawyer; a Comedy: Acted at the Royal Theatre. London: Printed by J. M. for James Vade at the Cock and Sugar-loaf near St. Dunstan’s Church in Fleet-street. 1678.

Small 4to. Twentieth-century brown morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe for Phillip C. Broughton (initials P.C.B. gilt to upper board), turn-ins ruled in gilt, two raised bands, spine lettered directly in gilt, edges stained red; pp. [iv], 67, [3], bound without final blank K4; inner margin of title subtly reinforced, not affecting printed area, uniform toning, slightly foxed throughout; overall very good; twentieth-century Sotheran’s stamp, Sackville Street, to front pastedown.

Very scarce first edition of Ravenscroft’s adaptation of George Ruggle’s celebrated Latin comedy Ignoramus, first printed in 1630.
Edward Ravenscroft (fl. 1659–1697), playwright, was admitted to the Inner Temple in 1659 and to the Middle Temple in 1667, though there is no evidence that he was called to the bar, and he appears to have devoted his attention mainly to literature. By the early 1670s he had turned to the theatre, becoming one of the period’s more active refashioners of earlier plays for the Restoration stage.

The English Lawyer is Ravenscroft’s English adaptation of Ruggle’s Latin comedy, first printed in 1630. Ravenscroft brings the celebrated university comedy to the public theatre, retaining the biting satirisation of loquacious and avaricious lawyers, but reducing the original five-hour performance to less than three hours. In addition to Ruggle’s original, Ravenscroft’s sources likely include earlier English translations by Fernando Parkhurst in 1660 and Robert Codrington in 1662, both of which represent faithful translations rather than attempts to adapt the play to the commercial stage. The result is a notable revival of one of the most famous academic plays of the Jacobean period, here recast for performance at the Royal Theatre in 1677.

Ravenscroft’s deftly crafted farce of mistaken identity follows the convoluted and ultimately unsuccessful attempts of the English lawyer Ignoramus to marry the Moroccan ward of a Portuguese merchant living in Smyrna, while offering a sharp critique of the jargon of common law. Ignoramus’ fondness for delivering pompous legal maxims in Latin self-consciously evokes the habits and speech of ‘the archetypal English lawyer of the early modern period’, Sir Edward Coke. Although the former Chief Justice had died in 1634, his writings remained the subject of debate throughout the seventeenth century. In the epilogue to The English Lawyer, Ignoramus exactly reproduces phrases drawn from Coke’s Institutes of the Laws of England: ‘Criticks are all free Subjects, and to be debar’d of their Liberty is directly against Magna Charta, the very fundamental Laws of the Realm’ (Raffield, p. 385).

Ravenscroft’s own legal associations give the choice of subject particular interest. His connection with the Inns of Court appears to have been somewhat unsettled: four years prior to the staging of The English Lawyer, on 30 May 1673, Ravenscroft’s chamber was seized for arrears in rent. More broadly, Ravenscroft is remembered as the first critic to posit that Titus Andronicus was not originally the work of Shakespeare, a position now known as the ‘Ravenscroft tradition’.

This copy is the only example of any edition to have appeared at auction since 1993.

ESTC R7262; Wing R2211. See Raffield, ‘A Discredited Priesthood’ (2005).

SKU: 2125024

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SKU: 70335692251

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Cargyll
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
Great addition to my collection
Format: Hardcover, Format: Hardcover
Came great as I hoped and looking forward to the Vol. 4 reprint in November (the Green Arrow nearby was another purchase i made that got packed together)
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Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2026
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@nancis_reads
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
A true Meghan Quinn masterpiece!! 😂✨
Format: Audiobook
🎧 Rules for the Summer by Meghan Quinn Narrated by Stella Hunter, Shane East, Cassandra Medcalf & Gary Furlong A true Meghan Quinn masterpiece!! 😂✨ I laughed my a** off from beginning to end, and the narration honestly could not have been more perfect. Every narrator absolutely nailed their character and brought all the chaotic, hilarious, emotional, and spicy moments to life so well that I never wanted this audiobook to end. And the accents?! Absolute chef’s kiss 🤌🔥 They made the listening experience even more fun and immersive. Theo and Henley were such a fun couple to follow. The banter, chemistry, tension, and absolute ridiculousness between them had me smiling nonstop. And Aunt Kitty and Rupert? ICONIC. Honestly, they stole so many scenes for me and added even more humor and heart to the story. This book had me laughing out loud one minute and fanning myself the next 🥵😂 The spice was definitely A LOT… but honestly, are we even surprised when it comes to a Meghan Quinn book? She always delivers the perfect mix of humor, romance, chaos, and steam. The audiobook production was phenomenal. Stella Hunter, Shane East, Cassandra Medcalf, and Gary Furlong made this story feel so immersive and entertaining. Their performances elevated an already fantastic story into one of those audiobooks you just never want to stop listening to. Absolutely loved this story and highly recommend the audiobook version! Happy Reading/Listening 🎧📚
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Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2026
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Michele V (mama_bookshark)
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 4
Perfectly hilarious summer romcom
Format: Paperback
Rules For The Summer by Meghan Quinn is a romcom you’ll want to pack in your bag to read by the pool or beach this summer. You also can’t go wrong with the audiobook narrated in duet by Stella Hunter and Shane East with Melissa Metcalf and Gary Furlong as the side characters. They were perfectly cast and had me laughing out loud as the characters found themselves in even more ridiculous situations. The dynamic between Theo and Renley was so entertaining. I loved their game of Truth or Dare. Once they started falling for the other, they did not hold back on their spicy times. Not only do we get the delicious tension and chemistry between Theo and Renley, but we also get a front row seat to Theo and Rupert’s friendship and their amazing banter as well as the amusing dynamic between Rupert and Renley’s aunt. * Mix up Meet Cute * Small Town Romance * Neighbors * Forced Proximity * A list of rules * Opposites Attract * He Falls First Pick this one up if you are looking for a fun, light-hearted romcom with plenty of spice.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2026
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Reda Hicks
Boise, US
★★★★★ 3
Cute story, over-the-top narration (in a bad way)
Format: Audiobook
3.5/5 This was a fun, light weekend read with some great buddy humor, a worlds-collide storyline, and the whimsical side characters that Quinn does so well. The pacing felt a little uneven at times, and I was disappointed to see the story was light on comeuppance in the end. One thing I really struggled with about the heroine was how frequently this ostensibly strong, gritty character just quit when things got difficult. If she quit everything hard until a man was there to push her not to, how can she be surprised no one took her seriously?? The thing I struggled with the most, however, was in the audio version of this book. I really love Shane East and was glad to see him narrating another Quinn book. He's so good at the "over the top" joyous man-child character, and he did this one justice. HOWEVER, how he did the intimate scenes in this book was way way way way way too over-the-top. It gave seventies porn vibes-level cheese to me, and I wound up skipping most of them.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2026
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Dominique Costa
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Audiobook
Rules for the Summer by Meghan Quinn was the perfect mix of hilarious, emotional, and ridiculously swoony. Meghan Quinn never misses when it comes to romantic comedy, and this book had me smiling from beginning to end. The banter between the characters was absolute perfection — witty, flirty, and laugh-out-loud funny. But underneath all the humor was a genuinely heartfelt story filled with chemistry, tension, vulnerability, and so much charm. The slow burn was done so well, and every interaction made me fall harder for the characters. What I loved most was how effortlessly Meghan Quinn balanced comedy with emotional depth. One minute I was laughing out loud, and the next my heart was aching for them. The romance felt authentic, addictive, and completely unforgettable. If you love summer romance, amazing chemistry, hilarious dialogue, and characters you can’t stop thinking about, Rules for the Summer is an absolute must-read. Another Meghan Quinn favorite for
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Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2026

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