Reprint of the third edition. It was common during the eighteenth century to promote the study of Roman and comparative law for its liberalizing effect on the student of the common law. Wood's New Institute was the best attempt to promote this goal. It went through four editions in 1704, 1712, 1721 and 1730 and was the standard Anglo-American treatise of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and a well-thumbed reference for jurists who wished to add an element of civilian learning to their work, such as Joseph Story. Wood also considers its role as an auxiliary to English law. As the title suggests, it is not only a summary of Roman law adapted to the needs of students of English law, but also a pioneering essay in comparative law. Wood pays some attention as well to Roman law's influence on the historical development of English law. Indeed, he observes that "Fleta and Bracton would look very naked if every Roman lawyer should pluck away his [sic] feathers" (ix).