12mo. (VIII),384 p. Vellum. 14 cm (Details: 5 thongs laced through the joints. Woodcut printer's mark on the title, depicting Pallas Athena under an apple tree, motto: 'Et flore et fructu') (Condition: Vellum soiled and spotted. Fading manuscript title on the back. Front flyleaf removed) (Note: The Dutchman Paulus Voet, latinized as Paulus Voetus, or Voetius, 1619-1667, was a jurist, classical scholar and philosopher. In 1640 he took his Magister's degree, and was appointed a year later professor extraordinarius of Metaphysics at the University of Utrecht. There he showed himself an opponent of the philosophy of René Descartes. In the meantime he studied law, and got his law degree in 1645. A professorship of Logic and of Greek was offered to him in 1648. In 1645 he had already published his 'In Herodiani Marcum et Commodum Notae'. From 1652 he lectured also on law. He was a member of the Chamber of Justice in the nearby city of Vianen. As a professor of law he has laid with his publications the foundations of international private law, as he dealt with the question why a sovereign state should apply foreign law on its territory. In 1646 Voet published the first edition of his work on duels 'De duellis licitis et illicitis, liber singularis', in which he examined the phenomenon insult and duel. In 1658 he published a second revised and augmented edition. Voet furiously opposed duelling. Duellist were in his opinion rather meticulosi than audaces, men full of fear instead of audacia, courage and intrepidity. It would be better if unworthy revilers, who insulted men of honour, would not be given the opportunity to duel, but would be punished with infamia, disgrace. If this was done 'non adeo audacter & licentiose conviciatores, qui responso digni non sunt, in virorum bonorum famam grassarentur'. (p. 310) In chapter 35, the last chapter, which is on slander, he reveals his own involvement. Voet tells how his father and he were once the victim of slander. (p. 311/13) He reminds there how the Dukes of Brabant, in order to prevent duelling, proclaimed 'se offenso honoris reparationem curaturos', that they would secure the honour of those insulted. (p. 319) If someone had dealt another soldier a box on the ear (alapa, colaphus), he would receive a box on the ear or a kick in front of his batallion (in presentia cohortis), would be disarmed, and then be sacked) (Provenance: On the front pastedown: 'Delfosse, 1769) (Collation: *4, A-P12, Q8, R4) (Photographs on request)