Zouch, Richard

, an eminent civilian, descended from an ancient and noble family of that name, was born at Ansley in Wiltshire about 15^0. He was

| educated, on the foundation, at Winchester school, whence in 1607 he was elected to New college, Oxford, and chosen fellow in 1609. Having studied the civil law, he took his bachelor’s degree in that faculty, in June 1614, and in Jan. 1618 was admitted at Doctors’ Commons, where he became an eminent advocate. In April 1619, he commenced LL. D. and upon the death of Dr. John Budden in June 1620, was appointed regius professor of law at Oxford. At the latter end of king James’s reign, he was chosen more than once member of parliament for Hythe in Kent by the interest of Edward lord Zouche, warden of the cinque ports, to whom he was nearly related. In 1625 he was appointed principal of St. Alban’s hall, being then chancellor of the diocese of Oxford, and afterwards made judge of the high court of admiralty by king Charles I. He had a considerable hand in drawing up the reasons of the university of Oxford against the solemn league and covenant and negative oath in 1647, having contributed the law part. Yet he chose to submit to the parliamentary visitors the following year, and therefore held his principal and professorship during the usurpation. In 1653, he was appointed by Cromwell to be one of the delegates in the famous cause of Don Pantaleon Sa, brother to the Portuguese ambassador, who in November of that year, had killed a gentleman in the New Exchange within the liberties of Westminster, for which he was afterwards executed. On this occasion Dr. Zouche wrote his celebrated piece, entitled “Solutio quaestionis de legati delinquents judice competente,” 1657, 8vo. In this he maintained, with Grotius, the general impunity of ambassadors, but denied the application of that rule to the case of Don Pantaleon.

On the death of Dr. Gerard Langbaine, he offered himself as a candidate against Dr. Wallis for the place of custos archivorum to the university, but was unsuccessful. (See Wallis.) On the restoration he was reinstated in his post of judge of the admiralty, and was made one of the commissioners for regulating the university, but did not survive that year, dying at his apartments in Doctors’ Commons, March 1, 1660. He was interred at Fulham church, Middlesex, near the grave of his eldest daughter, sometime the wife of William Powell, alias Huison, esq. Wood says, “He was an exact artist, a subtle logician, expert historian, and for the knowledge in the practice of the civil law, the chief person of his time, as his works, much | esteemed beyond, the seas (where several of them are reprinted) partly testify. He was so well versed in the statutes of the university, and controversies between the members thereof and the city, that none after (Bryan) Twine’s death went beyond him. As his birth was noble, so was his behaviour and discourse; and as he was personable and handsome, so he was naturally sweet, pleasing, and affable.”

His works were, 1. “The Dove, or certain passages of Cosmography,” Lond. 1613, 8vo, a poem composed in his youth but he was no great favourite of the muses. 2. “Elementa jurisprudent, definitionibus, regulis, et sententiisselectioribus juris civilis illustrata,” Oxon. 1629, 8vo, 1636, 4to, and reprinted both at Leyden and Amsterdam. 3. “Descriptio juris et judicii feudalis, secundum consuetudines Mediolanae et Normanniae, pro introductione ad jurisprudentiam Anglicanam,” Oxon. 1634, 1636, 8vo. 4. 4t Descriptio juris et judicii temporalis, secundum consuetudines feudales et Normannicos,“ibid. 1636, 4to. 5.” Descriptio juris et judicii ecclesiastici, secundum canones et consuetudines Anglicanas,“ibid. 1636, 4to. These two last were reprinted with Dr. Mockefs tract” De Politia Ecclesise Anglican*,“Lond. 1683, 8vo. 6.” Descriptiones juris et judicii sacri juris et judicii militaris, et juris et judicii maritimi,“Oxon* 1640, 4to, reprinted at Leyden and Amsterdam. 7.” Juris et judicii fecialis, sive juris inter gentes, &c. explicatio,“Oxon. 1650, 4to. 8.” Cases and questions resolved in civil law,“ibid. 1652, 8vo. 9.” Solutio questionis, &c.“already mentioned, Oxon. 1657, and Lond. 1717, 8vo. 10.” Eruditionis ingenuae specimina, scilicet artium, logicoe dialecticae,“&c. Oxon. 1657. 11.” Questionum juris civilis centuria, in decem classes distributa,“Oxon. 1660, 8vo, Lond. 1682, the third edition. After his death, Dr. Timothy Baldwin, fellow of All Souls, Oxford, published a posthumous work by Dr.Zouch, entitled” The Jurisdiction of the Admiralty asserted against sir Edward Coke’s Articuli Admiralitatis, in the 22d chapter of his jurisdiction of Courts,“Lond. 1663, 8vo. This went through several editions. There is also ascribed to Dr. Zouch an anonymous piece, entitled '” Specimen questionum juris civilis, cum designationeauthorum," Oxon. 1653, 4to. ¹

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