The Isle of Man Or, The Legall Proceeding in Man-shire against Sinne. Whereso, by way of a continued Allegorie, the chiefe Malefactours disturbing both Church and CommonWealth are Detected and Attached; with their Arraignement and Iudiciall triall, according to the Lawes of England... The ninth edition.

Bookseller Notes

Richard Bernard, alumnus of Christ's College, Cambridge, was a moderate Calvinist Puritan and champion of the poor, the imprisoned and the Jewish community, particularly through his much admired handbook for ministers 'The Faithfull Shepheard and His Practice', 1697. 'The Isle of Man', his most successful book, issued 16 times by 1683, takes the form of a spiritual allegory, in which the reader's conscience is examined 'legally, according to the lawes of thie Realme.' The allegory is maintained through each step of the criminal process from testimony and arrest to trial and sentencing, encouraging the reader to turn the structures of judicial law inward 'to help arraign the soul'. It has long been held that Bunyan was influenced by this work, particularly in his trial scene in The Pilgrim's Progress' Vanity Fair. (Intro by Stuart Sim to Wordworth Editions 'The Pilgrim's Progress', 1996; 'The Legal Epic: 'Paradise Lost' and the Early Modern Law', Chapman, 2017)All early editions are scarce, according to ESTC.