15 



review before Ruggiero, the principal warriors and nobles of 

 England, Ireland, and Scotland, each bearing a distinguishing 

 device upon his banner, which device, however, has in no case 

 any likeness or relation to the coat-armour of the family, as 

 recorded in the heralds' office. 



"In truth they are all the invention of the ' divine poet/ 

 who, besides many curious misnomers, has taken the liberty 

 of introducing into the time of Charlemagne the names 

 of Norman families, and the titles of British noblemen which 

 had no existence until many centuries after, and has largely 

 drawn upon Ins own imagination for new titles which were 

 never heard of within these realms at any time. Out of a 

 very long list one stanza must suffice— 



" ' Vedi in tre pezzi una spezzata Lancea; 

 Gli e il Gonfalon del Duca di Nortfozia. 

 La Fulgore e del buon Conte di Cantia; 

 II Grifone e del Conte di Pembrozia 

 II Duca di Suffolchia ha la Bilancia ; 

 Vedi quel Giogo, che due Serpi assozia 

 E del Conte d' Essenia, e la Ghirlandia 

 In campo Azuro ha quel di Norbelanda.' 



Canto x. 7i). 



" ' TRANSLATION BY WM. S. ROSE. 



Upon the Duke of Norfolk's gonfalon 

 You see a lance into three pieces broke ; 

 The thunder on the Earl of Kent's ; upon 

 Pembroke's a griffin — underneath a yoke; 

 In Essex's, conjoined two snakes are shewn ; 

 By yonder lifted balance is bespoke 

 The Duke of Suffolk ; and Northumbrian Earl 

 A garland does on azure field unfurl.' 



"All the inventors of Imprese, whether amatory or mili- 

 tary, seem to have been agreed that the figures should not 

 exceed one or two in number, and that the accompanying 

 mottoes should be as brief and terse as possible. 



" During the course of the sixteenth century several learned 

 men wrote long and elaborate treatises, wherein the Emblem, the 



