*TITLES.*
Society was divided in the twelfth century into four ranksonly,--nobles, clergy, bourgeoisie, and villeins. Two of these,--noblesand villeins--were kept as distinct as caste ever kept classes in India,though of course with some differences of detail. All titled persons,knights, and landed proprietors, belonged to the nobility. The clergywere recruited from nobility and bourgeoisie--rarely from the villeinclass. The bourgeoisie were free men, without land, and usually withsome trade or profession; and were despised by the nobles, as men whohad lifted themselves above their station, and presumed to vie withtheir betters. The villeins were always serfs, saleable with the landon which they lived, bound to the service of its owner, disposable athis pleasure, and esteemed by him very little superior to cattle.Education was restricted to clergy and noble women, with a fewexceptions among the male nobility; but as a rule, a lay gentleman whocould read a book, or write anything beyond his signature, was rarely tobe seen.
No kind of title was bestowed in addressing any but nobles and clergy.The bourgeois was merely Richard Haberdasher, John the Clerk, or Williamby the Brook--(whence come Clark and Brook as surnames)--the villein wasbarely Hodge or Robin, without any further designation unless necessary,when the master's name was added. Such a term as Ralph Walter-Servant(namely, Ralph, servant of Walter) is not uncommon on mediaeval rolls.
The clergy, as is still the case in Romish countries, were addressed asFather; and those who had not graduated at the Universities were termedSir, with the surname--"Sir Green," or "Sir Dickson." It is doubtful,however, whether this last item stretches so far back as the twelfthcentury. "Dan," the epithet of Chaucer, certainly does not.
The names bestowed on the nobles consisted of three for the men, and twofor the women. (French, it must be remembered, was the language ofEngland as well as of France at this time. Only villeins spokeEnglish.) The lowest epithet was "Sieur" (gentleman), which was appliedto untitled landed proprietors. The next, "Sire" or "Messire" (Sir) wasthe title of the knights; and the King was addressed as Sire onlybecause he was the chief knight in the realm. The highest, "Seigneur"(Lord) was applied to royalty, peers, and all nobles in authority,especially those possessing territorial power. The ladies, married andsingle, were addressed as "Dame" and "Damoiselle." The English versionof the last title, damsel, was used of the young nobility of both sexes.
Among themselves, nobles addressed their relatives by the title ofrelationship, with the epithet "bel" prefixed--which, when English beganto be spoken by the higher classes, was translated "fair." "FairFather," "Fair Brother," sound very odd to modern ears: but forcenturies they were the usual appellations in a noble family, both inEngland and in France. They were not, however, used between husband andwife, who always ceremoniously termed each other Monseigneur and Madame.
It was only natural--and is what we ourselves do to this day--that ourancestors should address God in prayer by those terms which in theireyes were the highest titles of honour. In this light, though "Majesty"is peculiar to Spain, yet "Seigneur," "Messire," and "Bel Pere,"obtained currency in most civilised countries. The first we haveretained: and though we have degraded "Lord" into the title of ourlesser nobility, we still use it as the special epithet of Deity. It isonly custom which has made the other names sound strange to our ears.We no longer prefix "fair" to "Father" when we address the humanrelative; and it has also become unusual to transfer it to the divineFather. "Sir God" would shock us. But in our ancestors' eyes it wasthe most reverent and honourable of all titles, which was the reason whythey chose it. Even so late as the fifteenth century, the Maid ofOrleans never spoke of God by any other term than "Messire."
THE END
* * * * * * * *
*Stories of English Life.*
*BY EMILY S. HOLT.*
A.D. 597
I. Imogen: A TALE OF THE EARLY BRITISH CHURCH.
A.D. 1066
II. Behind the Veil: A STORY OF THE NORMAN CONQUEST.
A.D. 1159
III. One Snowy Night; OR, LONG AGO AT OXFORD.
A.D. 1189
IV. Lady Sybil's Choice: A TALE OF THE CRUSADES.
A.D. 1214
V. Earl Hubert's Daughter; OR, THE POLISHING OF THE PEARL.
A.D. 1325
VI. In all Time of our Tribulation: THE STORY OF PIERS GAVESTONE.
A.D. 1350
VII. The White Lady of Hazelwood: THE WARRIOR COUNTESS OF MONTFORT.
A.D. 1352
VIII. Countess Maud; OR, THE CHANGES OF THE WORLD.
A.D. 1360
IX. In Convent Walls: THE STORY OF THE DESPENSERS.
A.D. 1377
X. John De Wycliffe, AND WHAT HE DID FOR ENGLAND.
A.D. 1384
XI. The Lord Mayor: A TALK OF LONDON IN 1384.
A.D. 1390
XII. Under One Sceptre: THE STORY OF THE LORD OF THE MARCHES
A.D. 1400
XIII. The White Rose of Langley; OR, THE STORY OF CONSTANCE LE DESPENSER.
A.D. 1400
XIV. Mistress Margery: A TALE OF THE LOLLARDS.
A.D. 1400
XV. Margery's Son; OR, UNTIL HE FIND IT.
A.D. 1470
XVI. Red and White; OR, THE WARS OF THE ROSES.
A.D. 1480
XVII. The Tangled Web: A TALE OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.
A.D. 1515
XVIII. The Harvest of Yesterday: A TALE OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
A.D. 1530
XIX. Lettice Eden; OR, THE LAMPS OF EARTH AND THE LIGHTS OF HEAVEN.
A.D. 1535
XX. Isoult Barry of Wynscote: A TALE OF TUDOR TIMES.
A.D. 1544
XXI. Through the Storm; OR, THE LORD'S PRISONERS.
XXII. Robin Tremayne: A TALE OF THE MARIAN PERSECUTION.
A.D. 1556
XXIII. All's Well; OR, ALICE'S VICTORY.
A.D. 1556
XXIV. The King's Daughters. HOW TWO GIRLS KEPT THE FAITH.
A.D. 1569
XXV. Sister Rose; OR, THE EVE OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW.
A.D. 1579
XXVI. Joyce Morrell's Harvest: A STORY OF THE REIGN OF ELIZABETH.
A.D. 1588
XXVII. Clare Avery: A STORY OF THE SPANISH ARMADA.
A.D. 1605
XXVIII. It Might Have Been: THE STORY OF GUNPOWDER PLOT.
A.D. 1635
XXIX. Minster Lovel: A STORY OF THE DAYS OF LAUD.
A.D. 1662
XXX. Wearyholme; A STORY OF THE RESTORATION.
A.D. 1712
XXXI. The Maiden's Lodge; OR, THE DAYS OF QUEEN ANNE.
A.D. 1745
XXXII. Out in the Forty-five; OR, DUNCAN KEITH'S VOW.
A.D. 1750
XXXIII. Ashcliffe Hall: A TALE OF THE LAST CENTURY.
XXXIV. A.D. 1556
For the Master's Sake; OR, THE DAYS OF QUEEN MARY.
A.D. 1345
The Well in the Desert. AN OLD LEGEND.
XXXV. A.D. 1559
All for the Best; OR, BERNARD GILPIN'S MOTTO.
A.D. 1560
At the Grene Griffin: A TALE OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
XXXVI. A.D. 1270
Our Little Lady; OR, SIX HUNDRED YEARS AGO
A.D. 1652
Gold that Glitters; OR, THE MISTAKES OF JENNY LAVENDER.
XXXVII. A.D. 1290
A Forgotten Hero: THE STORY OF ROGER DE MORTIMER.
A.D. 1266
Princess Adelaide: A STORY OF THE SIEGE OF KENILWORTH.
XXXVIII. 1ST CENTURY.
The Slave Girl of Pompeii.
2ND CENTURY.
The Way of the Cross. TALES OF THE EARLY CHURCH
A.D. 870 to 1580
XXXIX. Lights in the Darkness: BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
A.D. 1873
XL. Verena. SAFE PATHS AND SLIPPERY BYE-WAYS. A Story of To-day.
LONDON: JOHN F. SHAW AND CO.,
48 PATERNOSTER ROW.