[THOU (Christophe de)]. Coustumes du comté et bailliage de Mante & Meullant, sieges particuliers dudit Mante, & anciens ressorts & enclaves d'iceluy, redigées & arestées au mois d'Octobre, l'an mil cinq cens cinquantesix, par ordonnance du Roy. Paris : Jean Dallier, 1558. - In-4, 213 x 163 : (4 ff.), 51 ff., (1 f.). Brown calf, ornate ribbed spine, red speckled edges (18th century binding).rare first edition of this coutumier. In an ordinance dated August 19, 1556, King Henri II ordered the reform of the customs of the provinces under the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Paris. Under the direction of Christophe de Thou, first president of the parliament, assisted by councillors Jacques Viole and Barthélemy Faye, the texts were rigorously drafted. The first session of the Custom of Mantes and Meulan was held on September 20, 1556 at the Château de Mantes, and the drafting was completed on October 19, 1556. It comprises 197 articles, covering such varied topics as fiefs, seigneurial rights, possession, servitudes, donations and inheritance. The edition opens with a preface in Latin, followed by three Latin poems, then the text of the customs with its 197 articles, and closes with the minutes of the drafting. A fine copy in 18th-century binding, very well preserved despite a tiny tear at the head cover. Antique label from a private library affixed to the top of the spine.