Semi-weekly Bourbon news., 1883-12-07
ssLadY."

Lady,"
Our old English Hlaford, as express
ing rank or relation rather than
strictly an office, has, unlike the King
and the Earl, a feminine. Without
raising any minute pathological ques-
tions, Hlefdidge is practically the femi-
mime of Hlaford. And it abides so still;
the softened form of lady is still, in
grammar at least if not in usage, the
feminine of Lord and of Lord only. But
the practical use of the name has been
very shifting In early times the Lady
had rather a tendency to soar higher
than the Lord; in later times she has
rather had q tendency to sink beneath
him. When queen-ship, so to speak,
was abolished among the West Saxons,
the Kings wife became the lady. The
title was therefore lower than that OF
Queen, but it was so high that, with the
single exception of Ethelti@d Lady OF
the Mercians, it was never given to any
but the wives of Kings. The wife Of
the reigning King is 1.-THE Lady," she
whom we should now call Queen
Dowager was then known by the home
lier style of 1.-The Old Lady" So, as
has been already noticed, lady was
down into the eighteenth century the
true English style for the younger
daughters and the nieces of a King. In
the peerage Lord and Lady exactly an
swer to one a mother. If in one case
they do not seem to do so, if the daugh-
ters of an Earl are called Lady while
their Younger brothers are not called
Lord, it is because all daughters rank
with their elder brother and not with
their younger. Lady, like Lord, is used
vaguely for all ranks of the peerage
Under Duke, and in special way for its
lower rank. 1t is when we get below
the peerage that the laxer use of the
word begins. AS Dominus parted off
into English Lord and French Sir, so
Domino parted off into English Lady
and French Dame. Lord and Lady, Sir
and Dame, should in strictness 60
together. And so in formal style
thew do: the wife of Sir John is
properly Dame Mary. 1t is doubtless
by a bit of mans homage to woman
that she is in common speech raised to
the style of Lady, while her husband is
never raised to the style Of Lord. And
those who report court ceremonies, who
surely ought to "know their own fool
ish business" tumble together under
the common head of Ladies, the wives
of KNIGHTS, the wives of Barons, and
the daughters of Dukes, Marquesses,
and Earls. Dame Mary has no place in
such exalted company, and the other
two classes of Ladies may teach us a
lesson in the difference between mere
precedence and substantial privilege
Lady Mary A., the Duke or Earl's
daughter, goes before Lady B., the
Baron's wife. But let them be charged
with treason or felony, and the Baron's
wife can claim to be tried by the House
of Lords, while the EarE's daughter
must be tried by a jury like any
other woman. Lady, then, even as a
title, has come down, in common use at
least, step lower than Lord.
And, when not used strictly as title, it
/ has sunk lower again. 1t has, perhaps,
not sunk quite so low as some words
which in strictness translate it, certainly
not so low as Italian donna, perhaps
not quite so low as French dame. Still,
! to most minds Lady is the feminine, not
of Lord, but of Gentleman. The gem
tleman's rightful companion, the gentle
woman, seems to have vanished alto
gether. And some people seem, even
on very formal occasions, to forget that
the Lady is the rightful companion only
of the Lord. When men were debating
as to the proposal to confer the title oa
Empress on our present sovereign q
public meeting was held in great
English city for the discussion ot
the question. Sonre proposed 'NSover-
eign Lady of India as more becom
| ing title. To this one speaker objected
He was a barrfster by calling, anC
| in ecclesiastical matters ZealOu:
churchman. He might therefore be ex
pected to know both his law-books anC
his prayer-book. Yet he opposed The
style of Sovereign Lady on the grOunt
that, when there was a King he wOulC
have to be called Sovereign Gentle
man." His hearers, wiser than himself
shouted Sovereign Lord" But tn,
man of law remained unconvinced
Sovereign Gentleman was the on
masculine of Sovereign Lady" ant
Sovereign Gentleman of India" was
title that would never dO.-E. Il. Free
man, IN LOmgnuara's Magazine.