[clx. 250]

1822 July 4

Constitut. Code

Securities for I. Moral Aptitude

Factitious dignity excluded

?.2. Expository matter

?.2. Expository matter.

??.1 Its general nature and principal modifications

/By/ Factitious honor is /understand/ honor which at the hands of the public at large is /tokens of respect are/ procured or endeavoured to be procured in favor of a particular individual at the hands of the public at large, by means of some token or tokens, giving an intimation to them to that effect by the functionary by whom the honor is said to be conferred. On this occasion a word in some sort synonymous to /for the most part interconvertible with/ honor is dignity. (a)

For the giving /conveying/ of this intimation signs of various sorts are in use. One sort of sign is of the purely visible sort: of this sort are ensigns of honor: another sort being verbal are as such at once audible as well as visible. Of this sort are the signs called titles of honor

Titles may be and are unaccompanied with ensigns: ensigns scarcely can exist without correspondent titles.

Howsoever designated they may stand singly, or in a climax of any length /be seen standing in some cases singly, in others in a climax of various lengths/ - a climax of /as occupy/ any number of degrees rising one above another in a scale.

A factitous honor is seen sometimes in conjunction with a lot of power being conferred at the same time /received constantly/ with it, as in the case of a Member of the English House of Lords: sometimes without power as in the case of a Spanish Grandee: sometimes without power but with privilege, as in the case of the titled Noblesse of France: sometimes without power or privilege and /as/ in most Christian Nations in the case of the Orders of Knighthood that are designated by ensigns worn about the person: and in the simple Knighthood of England distinguished by an appellative but without any ensign worn about the person: when conferred with power in some cases elevation in the climax of honor carries with it elevation in the climax of power - as in the case of Bishopricks and Archbishopricks in the English House of Lords: in some cases the honors rise in a climax the power remaining unvaried, as in the case of the Lay Lords in the English House of Lords: the power being annext in an entire to the lowest degree in the climax of honor termed a Barony, while above that rise other degrees in a climax, namely a Viscountcy, an Earldom, a Marquesate and a Dukedom.

Note (a)

But /The idea conveyed/ by the word honor is however that of a fictitious entity extraneous to the individual in question; the idea conveyed by the word dignity, a fictitious entity, a quality, the seat of which is within him.