§7. An _aristocracy_ is a form of government in which the power is
exercised by a privileged order of men, distinguished for their rank and
wealth. The word _aristocracy_ is from the Greek word _aristos_, best,
and _kratos_, power, or _krateo_, to govern; and means a government of
the best. It is also used for the nobility of a country under a
monarchical government. _Nobles_ are persons of rank above the common
people, and bear some title of honor. The titles of the English nobility
are those of duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron. These titles are
hereditary, being derived from birth. In some cases they are conferred
upon persons by the king.

§8. A _democracy_ is a government of the people; the word democracy
being from the Greek _demos_, the people, and _krateo_, to govern. In a
government purely democratic, the great body of freemen meet in one
assembly to make and execute the laws. There were some such governments
in ancient Greece; but they necessarily comprised small territories,
scarcely more than a single town. The freemen of a state could not all
meet in a single assembly.

§9. The government of this country, though a government of the people,
is not one of the kind just described; it is a republic. A _republic_ is
a government in which the power to enact and execute the laws is
exercised by representatives, who are persons elected by the people to
act for them. Yet, as not only the election of representatives, but the
adoption of the constitution or form of government itself is the act of
the people; and as, therefore, all power comes from the people, the
government is also democratic; and is properly called a _democratic
republic_, or a _representative democracy_.