ABSTRACT
The text of this decree made during the Revolution by the National Assembly may be compared with that of the Strasbourg Oaths (text 1). Like the Oaths, it is conservative in its usage, particularly as regards morphology, formulaic (e.g. ainsi qu'il appartiendra, 1. 18, atitre onereux, 1. 20) and repetitious, for example in the reiteration of the verbs abolir and supprimer. In short, the authors are concerned not with stylistic niceties but with the clear and unambiguous expression in well-tried formulae of a decree with legal and binding status.
