"sacred honour", "office of honour"

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Tue Apr 9 13:02:02 UTC 2013


So there does appear to be a distinction.  I am
interested in the definitions of each office --
honor, trust, profit -- that show these
differences.  Not in whether or not the phrase
"offices of honor, trust, and profit" was intended to be all-encompassing.

P.S.  I'm sure the Founders were thinking about
offices where the office-holder was entitled to a
part of the revenues -- offices such as customs
agent or surveyor of the woods -- or, we might
remember, the "Stamp Man".  Such officers were
appointed by the Crown, and were a constant
source of contention with the colonists.  And
were consumers of tar and feathers.  Whether or
not "office of profit" meant any office with pay,
or only such "farmed" offices, I don't know.

But there was this sense of "profit" -- 3. A
material benefit derived from a property, *position*, etc.; income, revenue.
   1661   in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh
Glasgow (1881) II. 461   To Charles M'Clean,
jylour [£20]..for his extraordinarie paines in
attending the tolbuith..having got no profeit therby.
   1710   E. Freke Diary 8 Sept. in Jrnl. Cork
Hist. & Archaeol. Soc. (1912) 18 94   The tithes
& prophitts belong to the Church and Rectory.
   1788  Astræa 76   The Sheriff was the King's
Farmer, and was to account for the issues and
profits of his bailiwick at Easter and Michaelmas.

Joel

At 4/8/2013 10:35 PM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:
>The Constitution says: "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United
>States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them,
>shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present,
>Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince,
>or foreign State."
>
>Seems to me the Founders were thinking about such things.
>
>DanG

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