[LOUIS XIV]. Ordinance of Louis XIV, King of France and Navarre, given at Saint Germain en Laye in the month of August 1670, for criminal matters. Paris : Associez choisis par ordre de sa Majesté pour l'impression de ses nouvelles Ordonnances, 1670 - In-4, 241 x 175 : (4 ff.), 165 pp, (23 ff.). Red morocco, gilt decoration in the style of Du Seuil and royal arms gilt in the center of the boards, spine decorated with fleur-de-lis, gilt border inside, gilt edges (period binding). First edition of one of the most important ordinances in the history of France, wanted by Colbert and Louis XIV, registered by the Parliament of Paris on August 26, 1670 and effective on January 1, 1671. this ordinance is indeed a milestone as it constitutes the first general law of French criminal justice and the most important criminal code of the old regime; it will be in force until the French Revolution, undergoing however several reforms over the years . A CONTEMPORARY MOROCCO COPY BEARING THE ARMS OF LOUIS XIV. It is enriched with a small in-4 printed plate of the 18th century on the gabelles (tears and curls). Small lack at the head cap, rubbing of use on the edges of the plates, on the headpieces and on the corners, golds of the spine and the first plate tarnished. Scattered foxing. Provenance: J. Davesme, with autograph signature of the time at the bottom of page 1 - Fréchencourt Library, with bookplate - Jean Petit, with bookplate -