[745] Many of the bishops in our authorʼs time were continually dangling about the court, and not residing in their dioceses. See page [340], note 628.
[746] Our author added in a note of the first four editions, “secretaries of the king.” Those offices were bought, and ennobled their holders, hence the nickname of savonnettes à vilain, literally, “soap balls for serfs.” Other offices also gave a title to the persons who filled them, and this is probably the reason of the suppression of this note.
[747] La Bruyèreʼs own note says “veterans,” a name given to the conseillers (see page [181], note 381), who, after having practised for twenty years, sold their post, but retained all the privileges attached to it.
[748] Here our author gives the same note as above.
[749] Commoners were ennobled by the grant of letters of nobility, whilst nobles whose ancestors had derogated were rehabilitated. However, commoners who had become wealthy often asked and obtained letters of rehabilitation, and, therefore, pretended to be of noble origin. “Rehabilitation,” according to Thomas Blountʼs Law Dictionary, 1717, was in England: “one of those exactions ... claimed by the Pope ... and seems to signify a Bull or Breve for re-enabling a spiritual person to exercise his function, who was formerly disabled; or a restoring to former ability.”
[750] The “war-cry” is a great proof of the nobility being ancient. The heaume, head-piece, is the same as the casque, helmet, which latter word was generally used in French heraldic language. According to certain rules which soon ceased to be practised, the vizard was open or shut, and showed more or less bars, whilst the helmet was in front or profile, according as the owner of the coat of arms was of ancient or modern nobility. The “Keys” refer to the Le Camus and Bezons families, as having taken the pictorial emblems of their fatherʼs signboards for their family arms. See also Molièreʼs École des Femmes, Act i. Scene 1.
[751] The DʼHoziers were a family of genealogists, flourishing from 1592 till 1830. La Bruyère speaks most probably of Louis Roger and his brother Charles-René dʼHozier, who were of middle age when the “Characters” were published.
[752] It is said this is a hit at Monsieur, the brother of Louis XIV., who, in imitation of the kingʼs son and grandsons, did no longer wish to be addressed as “Royal Highness,” but simply as “you;” an example followed by all other French princes.
[753] A maître dʼhôtel of Louis XIV., Delrieux, is said to have called himself De Rieux, and there had been a marshal of that name. Syris is the name of a slave in Plautusʼ and Terenceʼs comedies; Cyrus, a celebrated king of Persia, was killed in battle against the Massagetæ, 529 B.C.
[754] Such men were a M. Sonnin, the son of a receveur-général, who called himself M. de Sonningen, and M. Nicolai, Marquis de Goussainville, descended from a M. Nicolas.