lect05-第3节

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of　the　Chief；　they　are　plainly　growing；　not　merely　through　the






introduction　of　alien　principles　and　ideas；　but　from　natural






causes；　more　or　less　operative　all　over　Europe。　The　general






character　of　these　causes　is　very　much　the　same　as　in　the






Germanic　countries。　The　power　of　the　Chief　grows　first　through






the　process　which　is　called　elsewhere　'commendation；'　the　process






by　which　the　free　tribesman　becomes　'his　man；'　and　remains　in　a






state　of　dependence　having　various　degrees。　It　farther　grows　from






his　increasing　authority　over　the　waste…lands　of　the　tribal






territory　and　from　the　servile　or　semi…servile　colonies　he　plants






there；　and　lastly；　it　augments　from　the　material　strength　which






he　acquires　through　the　numbers　of　his　immediate　retainers　and






associates；　most　of　whom　stand　to　him　in　more　or　less　servile






relations。　But　the　Brehon　law　tells　us　much　that　is　novel　and






surprising　concerning　the　particular　course　of　these　changes　and






their　nature　in　detail。　It　furnishes　us　with　some　wholly　new






ideas　concerning　the　pas　sage　of　society　from　inchoate　to






complete　feudalism；　and　helps　us　to　complete　the　account　of　it






derived　from　Germanic　sources。　In　this；　as　it　seems　to　me；　the






greatest　part　of　its　interest　consists。






　　　　With　the　Chieftaincy　of　the　Tribe　the　early　history　of　modern






Aristocracy　and　modern　Kingship　begins。　These　two　great






institutions　had；　in　fact；　at　first　the　same　history；　and　the






Western　world　long　continued　to　bear　the　marks　of　their　original






identity。　The　Manor　with　its　Tenemental　lands　held　by　the　free






tenants　of　the　Lord；　and　with　its　Domain　which　was　in　immediate






dependence　on　him；　was　the　type　of　all　the　feudal　sovereignties






in　their　complete　form；　whether　the　ruler　acknowledged　a　superior






above　him　or　whether　he　at　most　admitted　one　in　the　Pope；　or　the






Emperor；　or　God　himself。　In　every　County；　or　Dukedom；　or　Kingdom






there　were　great　tenants　holding　directly　of　its　head　and　on　some






sort　of　parity　with　him；　and　there　was　a　Domain　under　his　more






immediate　government　and　at　his　immediate　disposal。　There　is　no






obscurer　and　more　difficult　subject　than　the　origin　of　the　class






whose　power　was　the　keystone　of　all　these　political　and






proprietary　constructions；　and　none　on　which　the　scantiest






contributions　to　our　knowledge　are　more　welcome。






　　　　There　is　one　view　of　the　original　condition　of　privileged






classes　which；　though　held　by　learned　men；　has　been　a　good　deal






weakened　of　late　by　German　research；　and　seems　to　me　still






farther　shaken　by　portions　of　the　Brehon　law。　This　is　the






impression　that　they　always　constituted；　as　they　practically　do






now；　a　distinct　class　or　section　of　the　community；　each　member　of






the　class　standing　in　a　closer　relation　to　the　other　members　than






to　the　rest　of　the　national　or　tribal　society　to　which　all






belong。　It　cannot　be　doubted　that　the　earliest　modern






aristocracies　have　as　a　fact；　when　they　are　first　discerned；　this






particular　aspect。　Mr　Freeman　（'Norman　Conquest；'　i。　88）　says






that　the　'difference　between　eorl　and　ceorl　is　a　primary　fact






from　which　we　start。'　Tacitus　plainly　distinguished　the　noble






from　the　non…noble　freeman　in　the　Germanic　societies　which　he






observed；　and　Caesar；　as　I　stated　in　another　Lecture；　divides　all






the　Continental　Celtic　tribes　into　the　Equites　and　the　Plebs。　We






can　understand　that　a　spectator　looking　at　a　set　of　tribal






communities　from　the　outside　would　naturally　class　together　all






men　visibly　exalted　above　the　rest；　but　nevertheless　this　is　not






quite　the　appearance　which　early　Germanic　society　wears　in　the






eyes　of　enquirers　who　follow　the　method　of　Von　Maurer　and　Landau。






Each　Chief　or　Lord　appears　to　them　to　have　been　noble　less　with






reference　to　other　noblemen　than　with　reference　to　the　other　free






tribesmen　comprised　in　the　same　group　with　himself。　Nobility　has






many　diverse　origins；　but　its　chief　source　seems　to　have　been　the






respect　of　co…villagers　or　assemblages　of　kinsmen　for　the　line　of






descent　in　which　the　purest　blood　of　each　little　society　was






believed　to　be　preserved。　Similarly；　the　Brehon　law　suggests　that






the　Irish　Chiefs　were　not　the　class　by　themselves　which　the






corresponding　order　among　the　Continental　Celts　appeared　to






Caesar　to　be；　but　were　necessarily　the　heads　of　separate　groups






composed　of　their　kindred　or　of　their　vassals。　'Every　chief；'






says　the　text　which　I　quoted　before；　'rules　over　his　land；






whether　it　be　great　or　whether　it　be　small。'　And　while　the　Irish






law　describes　the　way　（as　I　shall　point　out）　in　which　a　common






freeman　can　become　a　chief；　it　also　shows　that　the　position　to






which　he　attains　is　the　presidency　of　a　group　of　dependants。






Nevertheless　the　persons　thus　elevated　undoubtedly　tend　to






become；　from　various　causes；　a　class　by　themselves　and　a　special






section　of　the　general　community；　and　it　is　very　probable　that






the　tendency　was　at　work　from　the　earliest　times。　It　is　farther






to　be　remarked　that　some　aristocracies　were　really　a　section　of






the　community　from　the　very　first。　This　structure　of　society　is






produced　where　one　entire　tribal　group　conquers　or　imposes　its






supremacy　upon　other　tribal　groups　also　remaining　entire；　or






where　an　original　body　of　tribesmen；　villagers；　or　citizens；






gradually　gathers　round　itself　a　miscellaneous　assemblage　of






protected　dependants。　There　are　many　known　instances　of　both






processes；　and　the　particular　relation　of　tribal　groups　which　the






former　implies　was　certainly　not　unknown　to　the　Celtic　societies。






Among　the　Scottish　Highlanders　some　entire　septs　or　clans　are






stated　to　have　been　enslaved　to　others；　and　on　the　very　threshold






of　Irish　history　we　meet　with　a　distinction　between　free　and






rent…paying　tribes　which　may　possibly　imply　the　same　kind　of






superiority　and　subordination。






　　　　The　circumstance　of　greatest　novelty　in　the　position　of　the






Chief　which　the　Brehon　law　appears　to　me　to　bring　out　is　this：






Whatever　else　a　Chief　is；　he　is　before　all　things　a　rich　man；






not；　however；　rich；　as　popular　assoCiations　would　lead　us　to






anticipate；　in　land；　but　in　live　stock　　in　flocks　and　herds；　in






sheep；　and　before　all　things　in　oxen。　Here　let　me　interpose　the






remark；　that　the　opposition　commonly　set　up　between　birth　and






wealth；　and　particularly　wealth　other　than　landed　property；　is






entirely　modern。　In　French　literature；　so　far　as　my　knowledge






extends；　it　first　appears　when　the　riches　of　the　financial






officers　of　the　French　monarchy　　the　Superintendents　and






Farmers　General　　begin　to　attract　attention。　With　us　it　seems






to　be　exclusively　the　result　of　the　great　extension　and






productiveness　of　industrial　undertakings　on　the　largest　scale。






But　the　heroes　of　the　Homeric　poems　are　not　only　valiant　but






wealthy　（Odyss。　xiv。　96…106）；　the　warriors　of　the　Nibelungen…Lied






are　not　only　noble　but　rich。　In　the　later　Greek　literature　we






find　pride　of　birth　identified　with　pride　in　seven　wealthy






ancestors　in　succession；　epta　pappoi　plonsioi；　and　you　are　well






aware　how　rapidly　and　completely　the　aristocracy　of　wealth






assimilated　itself　in　the　Roman　State　to　the　aristocracy　of






blood。　Passing　to　the　Irish　Chief；　we　find　the　tract　called　the






'Cain…Aigillne'　laying　down　（p。　279）　that　'the　head　of　every






tribe　should　be　the　man　of　the　tribe　who　is　the　most　experienced；






the　most　noble；　the　most　wealthy；　the　most　learned；　the　most






truly　popular；　the　most　powerful　to　oppose；　the　most　steadfast　to






sue　for　profits　and　to　be　sued　for　losses。'　There　are　many　other






passages　to　the　same　effect；　and　on　closely　examining　the　system






（as　I　propose　to　do　presently）　we　can　perceive　that　personal






wealth　was　the　principal　condition　of　the　Chief's　maintaining　his






position　and　authority。






　　　　But　while　the　Brehon　laws　suggest　that　the　possession　of






personal　wealth　is　a　conditi