BACHELOR. (OF. bachelcr, Fr.
boche/ier, It. bacerllierr, baeeelliero. Portug. bgc citor, all from Med. Lat. buccalnrix, laieralanus, a holder of a small farm or estate called in Low Lat. barealaria. The latter was probably derived from Low Lat. Lacey fur Lat. rUCCO. cow, and thus meant 'grazing land*). The meanings which the word has borne at different times are five. The term was applied to ( I) tenants of certain portions of Churell land-, called 7/era/aria, a fee of an inferior kind: (2) monks who had not yet taken the full vows of monastieism: (3) person, in the probationary stage of knighthood—not esquires simply, hut knights who, for lack of means or from nonage, had not yet raised their banner in the field bannii're): (4) students who had completed the first grade of their uni versity career: (.1) unmarried men who, because of their solitary condition, were regarded as can didates or probationers for marriage. It is the last meaning that the term bachelor, at present, Most often. bears. Regarded as a class in the community, bachelors have formed the subject of legislation from the earliest times. Upon the principle that every citizen is bound to rear up legitimate children to the State. penalties have often been imposed upon male celibates in various countries. In proportion as the interests of the State were regarded above those of the in dividual, the enforcement of marriage was more severe. In ancient Sparta, it was considered a
punishable crime not to marry. or to marry too late in life: and at Athens celibacy, though not severely punished, was discouraged in early times. At Rome marriage was fostered by posi tive penalties imposed on unmarried men, and sometimes even on women, as well as by dis crimination in favor of heads of families. In the allotment of the Campanian lands by Julius •rsar, portions were granted only to the fathers of three or more children. Under Angustus, a law was enacted prohibiting unmarried per sons below the age of 60 in men. and 50 in women, from taking possession of a legacy: and this was applied even to widows, who, in order to secure their part of the deceased husband's estate, were forced to marry again within a pe riod of two years. There are numerous instances in great. Britain of special taxes being imposed upon bachelors and widows, with a view, how ever. more to the increase of revenue. than for ally other object. In France, where the problem of depopulation has been of such serious moment as to threaten the very position of the State among the great Powers of Europe, frequent at tempts have been made to impose taxes upon bachelors, but with very little success. See BACHELOR'S DEGREE.