Definitions
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- noun French history A
lit de justice .
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Gammerstang commented on the word bed of justice
(noun) - This expression (from French, lit de justice) literally denoted the seat or throne upon which the King of France was accustomed to sit when personally present in Parliament, and from this original meaning the expression came, in course of time, to signify the Parliament itself. Under the ancient monarchy of France, a bed of justice denoted a solemn session of the king in Parliament. According to the principle of the old French constitution the authority of the Parliament, being derived entirely from the crown, ceased when the king was present. Consequently, all ordinances enrolled at a bed of justice were acts of the royal will, and of more authority than decisions of Parliament. --William Walsh's Handy-Book of Literary Curiosities, 1900
February 7, 2018