Thread by @edwardW2

Cf Les Termes De La Ley, where the French text is printed in Roman type (i.e a romance language) whereas the English is printed in blackletter (for a germanic language)
books.google.com/books?id=JLxkA…

https://twitter.com/gcseabourne/status/1353634760762011648

Although, strangely enough, Coke on Littleton does the reverse: the French Littleton is in blackletter (middle col), the English (R col) is in Roman type. However, in Coke's commentary on Littleton, (L col) the English text is again in blackletter, & latin bits in Roman...

I recall reading that German schools in the 19thc. taught their children to write Germanic words with a kind of script descended from fraktur or blackletter (comparable to our Secretary hand), but words derived from Romance languages, a roman-derived script should be used ...

I also recall that in the Early modern period,in English-speaking countries, there was a divide between the "gothic" derived secretary hand, and the "italic" derived hands, but it was by gender: Men wrote in Secretary hand, women wrote in the italic hand...

However, even when the Italic hands (which are the basis of modern cursive) won out over secretary hand, two varieties were developed: a long, slender one (called italic), and a wider broader one (roundhand);
books.google.com/books?id=lHQdZ…

this was reflected in the sort of txts that copybooks used to illustrate the hands, which were obviously gendered
books.google.com/books?id=nvsbJ…

Since we have strayed too far off the topic, i leave you with court hand, as interpreted by [Joseph] Champion
books.google.com/books?id=lHQdZ…

Interesting advice:
"Lawsuits avoid with as much studious care,
as you would dens, where hungry lions are,
And rather put up injuries, than be
a plague tho him, who'd be a plague to thee,
Value your quiet at a price too great,
For revenge to give so dear a rate"

This is a very different attitude towards litigation and indeed, the rule of law, than in modern times: There is an explicit preference for forbearance, rather than the formal justice system, which is seen as wasteful, and a threat to order...

Cf: this description of the Chinese Legal system, found in david friedman's "Legal systems very different from ours"
<the chapter on Imperial Chinese law; downoladable as a word document here daviddfriedman.com/Legal%20System…>