The influential French legal scholars and commentators of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries are well-represented in the collection. The earliest French jurisconsult of note was Charles Du Moulin (1500-1566). Famous for his commentaries on the coutumes, especially the Coutume de Paris, Du Moulin is represented abundantly by works which include the early Traicté de l'Origine, Progres et Excellence du Royaume & Monarchie des François (1561); Le grand coustumier général (1567); and La Coustume de Paris (1666). Works of Jean Domat (1625-1696), whose writings significantly influenced Pothier in the 18th century, include several editions of Les Loix Civiles Dans Leur Ordre Naturel (1735, 1756, 1767 and 1777), noted as a source for several articles of the Code Civil. The eminent legal writer Robert Joseph Pothier (1699-1772), whose contributions to French law particularly influenced the Code Civil, is also represented significantly in the collection by many editions of his works. Best known for his Traité des Obligations (1768), the French Collection also includes copies of Coutumes d'Orleans (1776), and an important later 10-volume edition of his work, Bugnet's Oeuvres de Pothier (1845) which is annotated to the Code Civil.
