exemplars of their logic. The inclusion of case law was important, because it was the first time this had occurred in English legal writing. Lawyers for two centuries (thirteenth and fourteenth centuries) were introduced to the concept of case law and legal logic by Bracton's book. A new and modern course was set. Later manuals, based on Bracton's example contained actual case law, with the captions removed. The ability to read actual cases and decisions, as well as the logic behind them was revolutionary in Bracton's time. The rolls from the court records would not have been available for inspection to anyone. His treatise changed this, forever. The ability to read cases, even if they were more than twenty years old, proved popular, leading directly to publication of the Year Books The first Year Book (compilations of court cases for the year) extant was published the year that Bracton died, 1268. Translations The modern edition of Bracton's work was published in 1968 by the Selden Society in translation by Samuel E. Thorne from a recompilation by George E. Woodbine. Bracton's Note Book was published in 1887 at Cambridge, as edited and translated by Frederic William Maitland. In 1866, Carl Güterbock published Bracton and his Relation to the Roman Law. Bracton on church and state Common law and ecclesiastic courts During Bracton's time the common law was separate from the canon law of the Church. The former had come to mean all that was not exceptional or special. It was distinguished from Church law, as well as peculiar local customs and royal decrees, and represented the general law of the land. There were some legislative acts, such as the Statute of Merton (1236) and the Statute of Marlborough (1267), however the mass of new law introduced during the reign of Henry III of England, was by novel creative writs and new forms of action invented in the Court of Chancery and sanctioned by the common law courts. Bracton knew many writs that were unknown to Ranulf de Glanvill. It was generally perceived that there had to be a limitation on the number of new writs coming out of chancery, or the king would become an uncontrollable law-maker. Chancery was under the control of the Church and ecclesiastic lawyers. Writs for calling religious clergy to royal courts Since the time of the Norman Conquest, the relation between church and state was always