court

English translation: monarchy / kingdom / government

15:28 Aug 5, 2017

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Government / Politics / Politics

English term or phrase: court

Could anyone explain to me the meaning of the word "court" in the following context:

"In spite of the professions of sincerest friendship found in the official correspondence of the English government with that of France, its conduct gives the lie to all its declarations, and shows us clearly that it is not a court to be trusted, but an insane court, plunging in all the quarrels and intrigues of Europe, in quest of a war to satisfy its folly and countenance its extravagance."

This paragraph is extracted from the book "The Rights of Man" by Thomas Paine. It was written in 1791 so maybe the language is different from the modern English. I guess the word has other meaning, which has nothing to do with legal field.

Please help me. Thank you in advance.

Hoang Yen KudoZ activity Questions: 47 (4 open) (4 closed without grading) Answers: 12 Vietnam
Local time: 07:14

Selected answer:monarchy / kingdom / government

Explanation:
As far as I can see, "court" here is simply synonymous with "monarchy" or "kingdom" - or, more fundamentally - *government*.

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Note added at 4 mins (2017-08-05 15:32:52 GMT)
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Specifically, "court" in these kinds of contexts refers to the king or queen, the royal family, and their entire entourage of advisors.

Selected response from:

Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 20:14

Grading comment

Thank you very much!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

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monarchy / kingdom / government

Robert Forstag

Discussion entries: 1

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3 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +9

monarchy / kingdom / government

Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 20:14
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 24

Grading comment

Thank you very much!

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