Large quarto contemporary sheepskin, spine on 6 cords (original covers bare at tips and foot of spine but underlaid with small matching leather repairs), [48]pp (inc. frontis & facing page of verses "Neptune to the Common-wealth of England", Titlepage in red & black, Dedication to "The Supreme Autoritie of The Nation, The Parliament of the Common-wealth of England" signed by Marchamont Nedham, November 19, 1652, Author's Preface dated 4 November 1635 and Contents) +176pp, 179-274, 279-472, [471-2 & 477-8 repeated in place of 473-6 omitted in binding], 477-500 + [2] blank + [10]pp (inc. Title in red & black to DOMINIUM MARIS .. Translated out of Italian with Commonwealth Arms dated 1652) + 37pp and [1]p blank. Collated complete except for binder's mistake of two repeat leaves in place of pp472-6 in section Ooo. Ownership inscription on page before frontis "John Ashe his booke given him at the doore Decemb. 1652" (probably John Ashe 1597–1658 MP for Westbury in Long Parliament from 1640). Two brown marks, on back of frontis and foot of Title, some worm-holes in margins not affecting text, top corners towards end lightly browned by former damp, pages else clean and crisp with no MS notes or other significant marks (referenced by Wing S2432, ESTC R15125). *Famous legal work establishing British naval power, original Latin 1635 version dedicated to Charles I. Samuel Pepys (Secretary to Navy) notes in his Diary 17 April 1663: "After dinner my father and I walked into the city a little, and parted and to Paul’s Church Yard, to cause the title of my English 'Mare Clausum' to be changed, and the new title, dedicated to the King, to be put to it, because I am ashamed to have the other seen dedicated to the Commonwealth".