Harley 2253 and the Languages of the Law

This article examines the use of vernacular legal terminology in works copied, and some possibly composed, by the Harley scribe in Harley 2253, Harley 273, and Royal 12.C.xii. As French was the principal language of record and the statutes of English law beginning in 1275 through the period of the scribe's activity, most of the terms discussed here are in French, although there is briefer analysis of legal language in English. The pervasive nature of legal language in the scribe's three manuscripts suggests both legal training and knowledge of the legal profession. His interest in the law is shown to have conditioned in part his choice of texts. The conclusion looks at some connections between Harley 2253 and the scribe's other two books, and includes commentary on La Plainte d'Amour from Harley 273, a poem that has received no critical attention since its publication in 1903–1905.