Theft & Thievery

Francofurti ad Viadrum [Frankfurt am Main]: [publisher not identified], [ca. 1675?]. In Latin. 4to. 195 x 156 mm (7.75 x 6.25 in.). 80 pp. Woodcut initial. Date of publication from VD17. Bound in modern Italian marbled paper. Treatise on theft, thieves, and related forms of delinquency that draws heavily on classical sources and cites many contemporary authorities, such as Benedikt Carpzov. The treatise is well-organized, with each of its four chapters preceded by a numbered summary of contents. Rhoden begins by defining the types of crime he is investigating and follows with a series of recommendations for prevention; this includes the need for city leaders to effectively manage idle (otios) and transient classes of people by surveilling them, claiming that earlier studies have shown that too much leisure and too much freedom of movement encourage crime. The final chapter is devoted to punitive measures to complement preventative ones; punishments include public service, whipping, flagellation, and (most severe of all) exile. Rhoden was among a school of jurists known by the phrase usus modernus pandectarum, which means ​“modern uses of the Digest.” This school of legal thought was named after a work by Samuel Stryk, who supervised Rhoden on this tract. This school asserted the continued relevance of ancient Roman law to the Holy Roman Empire, and in doing so helped preserve the study of law based on Roman texts (Corpus Iuris Civilis) and supported an antiquarian interest in ancient Roman society and customs. VD17 1:003086T