“[T]he making of the count, in Latin the narratio, was the very centre of the legal process. We do not know how it came about that the litigant was allowed to speak through the mouth of another, though it has been suggested that it was not to prevent mistakes being made but to prevent them being fatal. Certainly the litigant could disavow what was said on his behalf; and perhaps it was only ‘said’ by him when he formally adopted it. If this is right, our modern barrister began as one who could harmlessly blunder.” S.F.C. Milsom, Historical Foundations of the Common Law 28 (1969).
narratio
narratio (n[schwa]-ray-shee-oh), n. [Latin “narrative”] Hist. A declaration, complaint, or petition in which the plaintiff sets out the facts of a case; an oral narrative by the plaintiff of the facts and legal arguments on which the claim is based. • The term has also been called the “conte” or “tale.” — Abbr. narr.
