_servant_, _butler_, _buttery_, _parlour_, _dinner_, _supper_, and _banquet_ all came over with William, besides the names of our titular ranks, such as _duke_, _marquis_, _viscount_, _baron_, and _countess_. The French word ‘comte’ was evidently considered to be equivalent to the one existing Anglo-Saxon title, _earl_, with the result that _count_ never became an English rank. But since it had not been the Saxon custom to give ladies titles corresponding to those of their lords, the word _countess_ was able to fill an important gap. That the Feudal System had an educative value and played its part in creating modern ideals of conduct is suggested by such words as _honest_, _kind_, and _gentle_, which meant at first simply ‘of good birth or position’ and only acquired during the Middle Ages their later and lovelier meanings. Not the least interesting of the words that must have come over from France about this time are such courtly flower-names as _dandelion_ and _pansy_, from ‘dent-de-lion’ (describing the ragged leaves) and the sentimental ‘pensée’—remembrance. Many of these early Norman words seem to have a distinctive character of their own, and even now, after nearly a thousand years, they will sometimes stand out from the printed page with peculiar appeal. Perhaps this is especially true of the military vocabulary. That sharp little brightness, as of a window-pane flashing just after sunset, which belongs to the ancient, technical language of heraldry, such as _argent_, _azure_, _gules_, ... sometimes seems to have spread to more common Norman words—_banner_, _hauberk_, _lance_, _pennon_, ... and—in the right mood—we can even catch a gleam of it in everyday terms like _arms_, _assault_, _battle_, _fortress_, _harness_, _siege_, _standard_, _tower_, and _war_. The Norman-French etymology of _curfew_ (couvre-feu) is too well known to require comment.