Mediaeval and Modern Official Letters

In the State Papers of the 16th century, regarded as Royal Letters or official correspondence, the devolution of the mediaeval writ or letter missive can be clearly traced. Specimens of these diplomatic forms may still be found in a considerably later period, but for a long time past they have been giving place to an epistolary modification which has been evolved from the trilingual instruments in use during the greater part of the 15th century. At length, with the beginning of the 16th century, the bulk of the official correspondence hitherto associated with the practice of the royal Chancery has begun to assume a conventional and vernacular form.

An epistolary style was naturally employed in this country, as abroad, from a very early date. Its use, however, may be regarded in the light of a literary exercise rather than as a means of official communication, although we have seen that the composition of the vernacular writ was materially affected thereby, even before the Norman Conquest.

In one aspect, therefore, the private letter appears to furnish us with better examples of the epistolary style than the royal missive itself. On the other hand, we must remember that the existing series of mediaeval official letters is somewhat fragmentary and that there is no consistent use of epistolary forms until the general adoption of the vernacular style.

Whether the formulas of this vernacular letter can be derived directly from the French or Latin models of an earlier period is a somewhat obscure point.