William Forbes manuscript rediscovered

Prof Ernest Metzger of the School of Law has announced the rediscovery of an 18th century manuscript by William Forbes (ca. 1688 - 1745), the first Professor of Civil Law in the University. The Chair was founded in 1713 and Forbes was appointed to give lectures in Roman law and Scots law. Though he wrote and published widely on Scots law, almost nothing of his Roman law writings had survived. Early in the last century there was rumour he had left behind a commentary on Justinian's Institutes, a famous text-book of Roman law. But in recent times, when the latest scholar on Forbes undertook a search, the trail went cold, the scholar concluding the rumour was mistaken and there was no such manuscript. We now have in hand the rumoured manuscript, formerly authorless in the University's manuscript collection, identified only as "17th century". The find is particularly timely: the School of Law is celebrating the Tercentenary of Forbes's Chair — the very beginning of the School of Law itself.