Sentence:  An <WSD>attentat</WSD>, in the language of the civil and canon laws, is anything, whatsoever, wrongfully innovated or attempted in the suit by the judge à quo, pending an appeal....In "Chichester v. Donegal" (3) it was intimated by Sir John Nicholl that “The regular course for procuring the revocation of <WSD>attentats</WSD> was by a separate proceeding, civil or criminal, as against a judge "à quo", and that it was not by charging the supposed <WSD>attentats</WSD>, accumulatively, in a mere ordinary libel of appeal.” 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Anything whatsoever, as a ruling, by the judge of a lower court in a matter pending an appeal.