Lit. 'honest, discreet men'. A rather vague term used to describe men deemed suitable to be councillors or men of local influence. They were necessarily free and successful, i.e. well off, having a business and possessing property. Today we might call them upright and middle-class. They were also known as *potentiores, or in French bons hommes. -
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.