a statement by a plaintiff in a common law action that set forth the facts and the legal basis for his case. What the plaintiff needed to include in the declaration depended upon the form of action that he selected. However, the declaration had to include the name of the court, the term of the court, the names of the parties, the location of the alleged wrong, the relief that the plaintiff sought, and the facts supporting the plaintiff’s claim to relief. Some attorneys referred to a declaration as a narratio.