John Selden

John Selden (1584 - 1654) was an English lawyer, parliamentarian, official, and writer. He was born at Salvington, Sussex. He adopted law as a profession, and was trained at Clifford's Inn and the Inner Temple, London. Though successful as a lawyer, he yet found time for scholarly pursuits, and acquired a great reputation by the publication of various erudite works bearing on old English jurisprudence and antiquities generally.

A "History of Tithes" (1618), in which he combats the idea that "tithes" are divinely instituted, got him into trouble with the Church. He was imprisoned in 1621 for encouraging Parliament to repudiate James's absolutist claims. From his entrance into Parliament in 1623 continued to play an important part throughout the troublous reign of Charles. Sincerely attached to the Parliamentary side, he was one of the framers of the Petition of Right, and suffered imprisonment with Holies and the others. He sat in the Long Parliament, but, all through out of sympathy with the extremists, disapproved of the execution of Charles.

Selden held various offices, e. g. Keeper of the Rolls and Records in the Tower. However, he continued to write learned and voluminous works on biblical and historical subjects, but is best remembered for his charming 'Table-talk', a book of which Coleridge remarked, "There is more weighty bullion sense in this book than I can find in the same number of pages of any uninspired writer".

Wisdom & Quotes

• Ignorance of the law excuses no man: not that all men know the law, but because ‘tis an excuse every man will plead, and no man can tell how to refuse him.

- Judgments in Table Talk

• Marriage is a desperate thing.

- Marriage

• Wise men say nothing in dangerous times.

- Table Talk

Duc de Richelieu