L O 
A tyrant ; an oppreffive ruler.—Now being affembled into 
one company, rather without a lord than at liberty to ac- 
complilh their mifery, they fall to divifion. Hayward. 
’Tis death to fight, but kingly to controul 
Lord- like at eafe, with arbitrary pow’r. 
To peel the chiefs, the people to devour. Drydett. 
A hulband: 
I oft in bitternefs of foul deplor’d 
My abfent daughter, and my dearer lord. Pope. 
One who is at the head of any bufinefs; an overfeer : 
Grant harveft-/arrZ more by a penny or two, 
To call on his fellows the better to do. Tujfer. 
A nobleman.—Thou art a lord, and nothing but a lord. 
Shakefpcare. —A general name for a peer of England.— 
Nor were the crimes objected againlt him fo clear, as 
to give convincing fatisfadlion to the major part of both 
houfes, efpecially that of the lords. King Charles. —A ba¬ 
ron, as diftinguillied from thofe of higher title. The 
title is by courtefy alfo given to all the fons of dukes 
and marquiles, and to the eldeft fons of earls; and 
it is alfo a title of honour bellowed on thofe who are ho¬ 
nourable by their employments ; as lord chamberlain, lord 
chancellor, lord chief-jujlice, lord-mayor, &c .—The word is 
Saxon, but abbreviated from two fyllables into one; for 
it was originally hlaford , which, by dropping the afpira- 
tion became laford, and afterwards, by contraction, lord. 
“ The etymology of the word (lays J. Coates) is well worth 
obferving; for it was compofed of hlaf, a loaf of bread, 
and ford , to give or afford ; fo that hlaford , now lord, im¬ 
plies “ a giver of bread becaufe, in thofe ages, fuch 
great men kept extraordinary houfes, and fed all the poor; 
for which reafon they were called givers if bread, a thing 
now much out of date, great men being fond of retaining 
the title, but few regarding the practice for which it was 
fir ft given. See Lady. 
The diftinCtion of ranks and honours is necelfary in 
every well-governed ftate; in order to reward fuch as are 
eminent for their lervices to the public, in a manner the 
mod definable to individuals, and yet without burden to 
the community ; exciting thereby an ambitious yet lau¬ 
dable ardour and generous emulation in others. And 
emulation, or virtuous ambition', is a fpring of aCtion 
which, however dangerous or invidious in a mere repub¬ 
lic or under a defpotic lway, will certainly be attended 
with good efteCts under a free monarchy; where, without 
deftroyingits exillence, its exceffes may be continually re- 
ftrained by that fuperior power from which all honour is 
derived. Such a fpirit, when nationally diffufed, gives life 
and vigour to the community; it fets all the wheels of go¬ 
vernment in motion, which, under a wife regulator, may 
be directed to any beneficial purpofe ; and thereby every 
individual may be made fubfervient to the public good, 
while he principally means to promote his own particular 
views. A body of nobility is alfo more particularly necefi- 
fary in our mixed and compounded conltitution, in order 
to fupport the rights of both the crown and the people, 
by forming a barrier to withftand the encroachments of 
both. It creates and preferves that gradual fcale of dig¬ 
nity which proceeds from the peafant to the prince ; rifing 
like a pyramid from a bread foundation, and diminifhing 
to a point as itrifes. It is this afeending and contracting 
proportion that adds liability to any government; for, when 
the departure is fudden from one extreme to another, 
we may pronounce that ftate to be precarious. The no¬ 
bility therefore are the pillars, which are reared from 
among the people, more immediately to fupport the throne ; 
and, if that falls, they muft alfo be buried under its ruins. 
Accordingly, when in the 17th century the commons had 
determined to extirpate monarchy, they alfo voted the 
houfe of lords to be ufelefs and dangerous. And, fince 
titles of nobility are thus expedient in the ftate, it is alfo 
expedient that their owners fhould form an independent 
. and feparate branch of the legiflature.. If they were con- 
Vql. XIII. No. 934, 
Tt D. f36'I 
founded with the mafs of the people, and like them had 
only a vote in electing reprefentatives, their privileges 
would foon be borne down and overwhelmed by the po¬ 
pular torrent, which would effectually level all diltinclipns. 
It is therefore highly necelfary that the body of nobles 
fhould have a diftinCt alfembly, diftinCt deliberations, and 
diftinCt powers, from the commons. See Nobility, Par¬ 
liament, and Peer. 
Lord is alfo a title fometimes given to an inferior per- 
fon who lias a fee, and confequently the homage of tenants 
within his manor. For by his tenants he is called lord , 
and in fome places, for diftinCtion fake, land-lord. It is 
in this laft fignification that the word lord is principally 
ufed in our law-books, where it is divided into lord para¬ 
mount, and lord mefne. Lord mefne is he that is owner 
of a manor, and by virtue thereof hath tenants holding of 
him in fee, and by copy of court-roll ; and yet holds him- 
felf of a fuperior lord called lord paramount. 
Lord of a Manor. See Copyhold. 
Lord in Gross, he who is lord, not by reafon of any 
manor, as the king in refpeCt of his crown, See. Very Lord, 
is he who is immediate lord to his tenant; and very tenant, 
he who holds immediately of that lord. So that, where 
there is lord paramount, lord mefne, and tenant ; the lord 
paramount is not very lord to the tenant. 
Lord High Admiral. See Admiral, vol. i. p. nj. 
Lord Chamberlain. See Chameerlain, vol. v. 
Lord Chancellor. See Chancellor, vol. v. 
Lord Lieutenant, the name of the chief governor, 
or viceroy, of Ireland. 
Lord Lieutenant of a County, an officer of great diftinClion, 
appointed by the king for the managing of the ftanding 
militia of the county, and all military matters therein. 
They are fuppofed to have been introduced about the 
reign of Henry VIII. for they are mentioned as known 
officers in the ftatute 4. and 5 Ph. Se M. c. 3. though 
they had not been then long in ufe; for Camden fpeaks 
of them, in the time of queen Elizabeth, as extraordinary 
magiftrates conftituted only in times of difficulty and dan¬ 
ger. They are generally of the principal nobility, and 
of the belt intereft in the county; they are to form the 
militia in cafe of a rebellion, See. and march at the head 
of them, as the king (hall direft. They have the power 
of commiffioning colonels, majors, captains, and fubaltern 
officers ; a«fo to prefent the king with the names of de¬ 
puty-lieutenants, who are to be felefted from the bell 
gentry in the county, and aft in the abfence of the lord- 
lieutenants. Subfervient to the lord-lieutenants and de¬ 
puty-lieutenants, are the juftices of peace; who, accord¬ 
ing to the order they receive from them, are to ifl'ue out 
warrants to the high and petty conltables, &c. for mili¬ 
tary fervice, Sec. 
Lords Marchers, thofe noblemen that lived on the 
marches of Wales or Scotland ; who in times pall had 
their laws, and power of life and death, like petty kings ; 
which are abolifhed by flat. 27 Hen. VIII, c. 26. and 
1 Ed. VI. c. 10. See farther under the article Wales. 
Lord Mayor of London. See p. 592 of this volume. 
Lord Privy Seal, before the 30th of Henry VIII. 
was generally an ecclefiaftic 5 fince which, the office has 
been ufually conferred on temporal peers, above the de¬ 
gree of barons. His office is by patent. The lord privy- 
leal, receiving a warrant from the fignet-office, iflues the 
privy-leal, which is an authority to the lord-chancellor ta 
pafs the great feal, where the nature of the grant requires 
the feal. But the privy-feals for money begin in the trea- 
fury, from whence the firlt warrant ilfues, counterfigned 
by the lord-treafurer. On the lord privy-feal are attendant 
clerks, who have two deputies to aft for them. 
Lord Steward of the King's Houfehold, is the principal 
officer for the civil government of the king’s fervants be- 
low-ftairs ; over the officers of which he has jurifdiftion. 
He is conftituted by the delivery of the white ltaff, which 
is eileemed his commiffion. By virtue of his office, with¬ 
out any other commiffion, he judges of all offences com- 
$ A milted 
