sorry, forgot to clean up: the term " nobility " does not possess the same significance in england as in other lands. it has nothing to do with a privileged title by virtue of which all the members of a family are forever differentiated outwardly, but merely represents membership in a social caste which is inwardly different from the rest of the people. [...] no one is concerned with the title  the whole question is one of caste. titles are frequently refused by the most aristocratic persons, and among the families most highly honoured are such who for centuries have persistently refused to accept all honours. the analogy of the ancien regime in france is not to the point, and would lead to confusion. it is true that the frankish, burgundian, and gothic nobility was, until the days of the revolution, plainly distinguishable from the rest of the people. today these fine physiognomies are but rarely seen in france. but in england different conditions prevailed from the very beginning, and they have consequently assumed a different meaning. the burgundians, franks, and goths invaded gaul in entire tribes. the greater part amalgamated themselves with the earlier inhabitants  the princes and nobles alone held them- selves aloof and were numerous enough to permit of inbreeding for a considerable period. on the other hand, the noble f amilies who accompanied the first norman king to england were relatively few in number  for which reason this strain, which merely assimilated a few saxon and danish families of noble birth, remained entirely segregated from the unmixed masses of the anglo-saxon people. from this circumstance evolved that ruling caste which is peculiar to england, and this caste has preserved its language or, more correctly, its pronunciation, to this very day. chamberlain, england
Germany