Sycophantic closings in letters

[nq:1]A letter to the editor appearing in today's Times (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,59-1369014,00.html) includes the following closing message: I have the honour to ... very odd. Was this once a routine way to end a letterto a person considered an equal? Thanks, -Jon J.[/nq]
Ye

[nq:2]A letter to the editor appearing in today's Times (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,59-1369014,00.html) ... odd. Was this once a routine way to end aletter[/nq]
[nq:1]to[/nq]
[nq:2]a person considered an equal? Thanks, -Jon J.[/nq]
[nq:1]Yes, it was common in the 18th a

[nq:1]A letter to the editor appearing in today's Times (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,59-1369014,00.html) includes the following closing message: I have the honour to ... me as very odd. Was this once a routine way to end a letter to a person considered an equal?[/nq]
Yes. Absolu

[nq:1]the letter[/nq]
[nq:2]to Yes, it was common in the 18th and 19th ... CiVil War military officers usually ended their messages with it.[/nq]
[nq:1]Does that include business letters addressed to someone other than one's boss or customer, and military letters addressed to someone other than a superior officer? Thanks, -Jon J.[/nq]
Yes it does.It was a courtesy and not a mark of sub

}
}>A letter to the editor appearing in today's Times }>(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,59-1369014,00.html) includes the }>following closing message:
}>
}> I have the honour to be, Sir,
}> Your obedient servant,
}> MARTIN GARROD
}>

[nq:2]Yes, it was common in the 18th and 19th centuries, ... CiVil War military officers usually ended their messages with it.[/nq]
[nq:1]Does that include business letters addressed to someone other than one's boss or customer, and military letters addressed to someone other than a superior officer?[/nq]
If you're writing to your elected representative you should close:

"You are,

(re)
[nq:2]Yes, it was common in the 18th and 19th centuries, ... CiVil War military officers usually ended their messages with it.[/nq]
[nq:1]Does that include business letters addressed to someone other than one's boss or customer, and military letters addressed to someone other than a superior officer?[/nq]
Well, wait a minute, for "military" I think you're going to have to look fur

[nq:1]Business letters I've gotten from France in recent years have all had a similar formula at the end of a letter. I may have offended them by not using one myself, but they deposit my checks without delay.[/nq]
These formulas are still widely used in France (I beg you, my dear friend and colleague, to agree to the expression of my most profound respect, etc.), but the frequency has decline

[nq:1]Re: Sycophantic closings in letters[/nq]
I believe the sycophantic salutation dates way back. The Romans greeted each other with "Servus", i.e. approx. "your slave".

[nq:2]Re: Sycophantic closings in letters[/nq]
[nq:1]I believe the sycophantic salutation dates way back. The Romans greeted each other with "Servus", i.e. approx. "your slave".The Greek version was retro, meaning back[/nq]
onto this.