NOBILITY, NOBLE. The term no bility is from the Latin Nobilitas, which was used to signify both the rank of a Noble and the whole body of Nobles. We also have the word Nobility in both senses. The original aristocracy of Rome were the Patricians. When the Plebeian body became eligible to the high offices of the state, which occurred in B.c. 366, in which year the first ple beian consul was elected, a new class or order of men arose. Those persons who obtained the consulship became Nobilea, which simply signifies Notables, men distinguished from those who had never enjoyed that honour themselves, or never bad an ancestor who had enjoyed it. A person who had not become Nobilis, either in himself or by his ancestors, was called a Novas homo, or new man, a term which was applicable to Cicero before he be came consul : after Cicero became consul he was Nobilis. The title which an an cestor thus acquired was transmitted to his descendants, who thus belonged to the order of Nobiles. It follows from what has been stated, that a Nobilis might still be a Plebeian ; and that a Patrician, if there was one whose ances tors had never held the consulship, -night not be Nobilis, in this new sense. But probably there was no instance of a Patrician family not having produced a consul. In the later Republic the Patri cian families had much diminished, and though the name of Patrician was still a great distinction at Rome, the order which formed the most powerful political body in the State was the order of the Nobi lity, by which term a certain class of men, as already defined, was contrasted with the Equites, who were also called an order, and with the Plebeians, who were not called an order. The Roman Nobiles had the right to have family busts or figures (imagines), which were kept with care ; and they were 4very careful in preserving their genealogies. Under the later empire a great number of new offices were created, both for the purposes of administration, and in the imperial household. The term No bilis, under the Republic, did not neces sarily imply direct political power ; for all the members of a family that had be come ennobled were Nobiles, simply by virtue of their ancestors' distinction : but the Nobiles as a class possessed political power, for they mainly formed the Senate, which was the great administrative .coun cil, and they laboured to secure the elec tion of their own members to the high offices in the State and to exclude New men. Nor did the possession of any title or office under the empire give politi cal power, for it was a Monarchy. Most of the titles of nobility now in use are derived from the titles of officers under the lower empire, as Duke, and Count ; or they are derived from officers that existed under the early Germanic Em pire, as Marquis. [COUNT; DUKE; MAR QUI 9.] The modern notion of Nobility is that of a title which is hereditary. There are orders of nobility both in Monarchi cal Governments, as in Russia, and under Republican Governments, as Great Bri tain. The term Nobility is not co-ex
tensive with the term Aristocracy in any proper sense [ ARISTOCRACY ] ; though the two terms are often confounded. In Great Britain and Ireland the nobility consists of Dukes, Marquises, Earls, Viscounts, and Barons : but it is only the head of the family for the time who has a proper title, though in common lan guage all the members of his family are called noble. Those nobles who are also peers of England or peers of the United Kingdom hate a seat in the House of Lords, which political status is trans mitted by hereditary descent. Peers of Ireland and peers of Scotland who are not also peers of England, may sit in the Houseof Lords by election. [LORDS,HOUSE OF ; PEERS.] Thus there is in the British empire a class of nobles who have politi cal power by virtue of their nobility, and a class who have not political power by virtue of their nobility, but are on the same footing as other commoners. Also the children of peers of England are on the same footing as other persons so long as the head of the family lives; upon whose death the next heir alone succeeds to the title and the political privileges. The junior members of noble families receive by courtesy certain titles and distinctions of name, and wives of peers have some privileges. [ PEERS.] In the British empire nobility is conferred by the king or queen regnant, though in fact the ministry for the time determine who shall receive this mark of royal favour. The present mode of conferring a title of nobility is by letters patent, which also declare the course in which the title shall descend. [PEERs.] The peerage of England is constantly re ceiving new accessions, without which the body would, in the course of time, be much diminished, for most of the titles descend only to the heirs male of the body of the person ennobled. The honour may be conferred on any person, but the class of persons who have been hitherto ennobled as peers of England may be reduced to the following : peers of Scotland and Ireland ; members of fami lies already ennobled ; persons of large landed property ; distinguished lawyers, military and naval commanders, and persons who take an active part in poli tical life; and some few who have ac quired great wealth in commerce, and been active members of the House of Commons. Men distinguished as iu ventors, and in science and literature, are rewarded by the crown will' baronet cies, which do not confer nobility, though the title is hereditary ; or with knight hood, of which there are various kinds. The title conferred by a baronetcy or knighthood consists in a " Sir " prefixed to the name of the person, and his wife is distinguished by the title of Lady. There is, we believe, no instance of nobility being conferred by the crown for any scientific or literary eminence.