THE IRIS. 395 



appears to believe, as we have the authority of M. 

 Henri de Thilleville, " Re'fe'rendaire au Sceau de 

 France/'* for saying that, " Suivant la plupart des 

 heraldistes, cette devise fait allusion a la loi sa- 

 lique," though in what way the supposed allusion 

 is to be explained he does not say. It is usual 

 amongst historians to refer the adoption of this 

 flower as the royal arms of France to St. Louis, 

 the ninth king of that name, who began to reign in 

 the year 1226, but there is evidence to shew that 

 the device was borne by Louis VII., surnamed Le 

 Jeune, who began to reign in the year 1137, and 

 was, perhaps, the first to adopt it, as it is generally 

 stated that no shield, seal, or other article impressed 

 with it, as a real heraldic device, exists previous to 

 his reign, in which the scientific heraldry of France 

 first commenced ; and it is supposed that the first 

 assumption of the device by this monarch dates 

 during the second crusade, which commenced in the 

 year 1145. Nor was it before his time on the royal 

 standard of France. This was, till then, the cele- 

 brated oriflamme of St. Denis, with the painted 

 image of St. Martin, the right to bear which had 

 been acquired by Philippe I. between the } 7 ears 

 1060 and llOS.f Some of the French heralds 

 maintain that the kings of France, until the death 

 of St. Louis, bore the shield, azure irregularly 



* " Armorial Historique de la Noblesse de France." 

 t This oriflamme had been before borne in battle and cru- 

 sade by the kings of France, but Philippe I. having contracted 

 an obligation to protect the Abbey of St. Denis, in exchange 

 for the right of bearing its oriflamme in battle, legalised, as it 



