70 English and Continental Backgrounds
variety of services or payments as a condition of their
bookland, many of which seem quite private with respect
to their lords, economic in character, and look like rent.
But when, especially in connection with the king's thegns,
we hear of equipping a warship, of guarding the king, or
keeping watch on the coast, or perhaps responsibility
for appearance in the militia of the accustomed quota
from their district, we glimpse a substantial class of
lower nobility, not notable for its privileges and exemp-
tions, but for its public obligations.x
But with the higher nobility things were different.
Economic forces were bringing control of the land into
fewer hands. As the kingdom grew larger and the de-
mands upon the government greater, kings were con-
strained to make grants of immunity and semi-jurisdic-
tional authority and use the strength of private individuals
for public purposes. The higher nobility was coming
into the possession of a dangerously large power. The
old official class of ealdormen was affected by these
changes. The almost inevitable medieval transforma-
tion was taking place—the local official was becoming the
local potentate. This was helped on by the king whose
reign is often taken as marking the highest point reached
by the Anglo-Saxon central government. Edgar was
confident of his own ability to control any element in the
realm; and, seeing inefficiency of executive authority
everywhere and having, for his time, high ideals of govern-
ment, he sought by increasing the number of earls and by
placing more power in their hands, to obtain his end by
the easy but dangerous method of utilising private ambi-
tion and local family pride. He sowed the wind and his
successors reaped the whirlwind. Under the weak
1 Of western Europe in general, Vinogradoff says, (Cambridge Medieval
History, 11.^651): "The medieval view of government admitted, and
indeed required, that wealth and social influence should be accompan-
ied by political power and public functions." It is interesting to notice
throughout English history how slightly these prerogatives of the nobil-
ity looked in^the direction of immunity or special privilege and how mark-
edly in the direction of public duty and responsibility.