| His face was reasonably happy and his standard expression seemed to be one of aloof nobility, even though he knew he wasn't noble. |
| Even he could be persuaded that a man's conduct was so markedly honourable as to justify elevation to the nobility. |
| The nobility and the church fought back hard with all the power at their command. |
| Nor did this particular state-nobility compact always mean that the nobility were given carte blanche to extend their grip on rural society. |
| The basic premise of the story is that noble birth doesn't guarantee a noble person and nobility can be present in the most humble peasant. |
| In 1789 half of the cahiers of the nobility demanded the end to ennoblement through venal offices. |
