XIII 



THE FLEUR-DE-LYS 



Among the symbolical flowers of art, the golden 

 fleurs-de-lys of France hold a high position. 

 They were the arms of the King of France, 

 ' the eldest son of the Church ' ; they were 

 borne by Saint Louis, the royal saint, and are 

 typical of Christian royalty. Till the reign of 

 Henry VIII they appeared upon the royal 

 banner of England. Their origin, however, in 

 spite of latter-day legends, was non-Christian, 

 nor are they distinctively lilies. The learned 

 M. de Beaumont, who has made a special study 

 of the origins of the fleur-de-lys, or fleur-de-lis, 

 as he prefers to spell it, has thus summed up 

 his researches: 



1. Armorial bearings did not commence in 

 France till after the first Crusade. 



2. It was in imitation of the Arabs and 



Persians that chivalry, tourneys and coats of 



arms were adopted in Europe and France. 



14S 



