this our royal letter to our servant, that he may be
made high from being low, aud be placed in our
confidence by being raised to the rank of a noble.
Moreover, we empower him to wear and use such
dress, decoi’ations, and insignia, as belong to a high
noble, giving for his subsistence of our royal property
within a certain district, the quantity of land
laboured by one thousand families.” This, in a
few words, points out the absolute dependence of
the nobility upon the will of the sovereign. The
noble once nominated may be looked upon as a
kind of emanation of his master, and receives from
all his dependants, in their several gradations, a
portion, and a large one, of the honours due to
the sovereign, of whom he is the representative.
The inferior -chiefs are addressed by their dependants
on their bare knees. This patriarchal subordination
extends through every class of society,
and is not confined to political dépendance, but
pervades the domestic economy of the people.
The genius and the idiom of the language has
taken the impression in proportion as the refinements
of absolute power have been extended, a
subject which has been already treated at length in
considering the Javanese language, the dialect of
that tribe which has the most despotic government.
Though there be no hereditary nobility among
the Indian islanders, and every man’s title dies with
himself, no people are fonder of titles, or pride
DISTRIBUTION OF THE PEOPLE. 33
themselves more upon the possession of them.
The refinement established on this point in the
ranks of nobility which exist in Java deserves a
particular description. According to the customs
of that country, there are two distinct classes of no-
bdity, a higher and a lower, which may be explained
by comparing them respectively to our barons
and knights, or, perhaps, more appropriately, to
the nobles and noblesse of old monarchical France.
The first are distinguished by the general appellation
of Bopati, and the second, by the Hindu name
of Mantri. The first class of nobility consists of
two orders, the Adipati and the Tumangung ; the
second of three, the Ingabai, the Ronggo, and
the Damang. The nobility of either class, and all
orders, are again subdivided into three grades, by
prefixing to their titles the epithets Mas, Kyayi,
and Raden, words which may be considered to
import, though they do not literally mean, Distinguished,
Honourable, and Illustrious. By custom
or courtesy all who are descended from the sovereign,
in the third or fourth degree, or who have
the honour to receive one of the royal daughters
in marriage, are entitled to the most distinguished
epithet, or illustrious.
From the first class of nobility are chosen the
governors of provinces, the ministers of state, and
other high functionaries 5 and from the second the
VOL. III. c