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Secondary sourceBook1680

Magna Charta with Sir Edward Coke's Observations, Translated by Edward Cooke (1680)

Edward Cooke · 1680

The title page of a 1680 English translation of Magna Charta, made from the Latin, with short observations from Lord Chief Justice Coke's commentary.

A later English translation of Magna Charta with commentary, showing how the charter was made available to English readers who did not know Latin.

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Title page of a 1680 book, printed in London. Large capitals read 'MAGNA CHARTA, Made in the Ninth Year of King Henry the Third, And Confirmed by K. Edward the first, in the Twenty Eighth Year of his Reign', followed by observations from Coke's comments and a translation credit to Edw. Cooke.
Edward Cooke, translator, Magna Charta with observations from Coke's comments, London, 1680. Title page.

About this source

What it is

This is the title page of a 1680 London book, Magna Charta, translated into English by Edward Cooke of the Middle Temple. The translation was made for readers who did not understand Latin. It includes short observations taken from the comments of Lord Chief Justice Coke. The book was printed for Thomas Simmons at the Prince's Arms in Ludgate Street.

Why it matters

The charter was first issued in Latin in 1215, when King John agreed to its terms with the nobility. By 1680 English readers needed a translation to understand it. Cooke's book shows that the charter was still studied for legal ideas centuries after it was made, and that Coke's commentary shaped how it was read.

Look closer

  • Why did the translator say the book was made for people who did not understand Latin?
  • What does the large title tell you about which part of the charter the book wants readers to remember?
  • Whose voice is heard in the observations, and whose voice is missing?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Magna Carta on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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