28 The Subjects Treated. 



his unfilial conduct, was made " ungentle." The addrefs of Noah to 

 his three fons is curious, and is thus fupplemented : 



" Of the offfpring of the gentleman Japhet came Abraham, Mofes 

 Aaron, and the prophets, and alfo the King of the right line of Mary, 

 of whom that gentleman Jefus was born, very God and man, after his 

 manhood King of the land of Judah and of Jews, a gentleman by his 

 mother Mary, and Prince of Coat Armour." 



Some fay that Coat Armour began at the fiege of Troy, but it 

 was of far greater antiquity than that, and was founded upon the nine 

 Orders of Angels, who were crowned each with a diadem of precious 

 ftones the Topaz (truth), Smaragdus (hardihood), Amethyft (chivalry), 

 Loys (powerful), Ruby (courageous), Sapphire (wifdom), Diamond, a 

 black ftone (durable), Carbuncle (doughty and glorious). Thefe 

 reprefent Gentleman, Squire, Knight, Baron, Lord, Earl, Marquis, 

 Duke, and Prince. Here we probably have the origin of the fhape 

 of various crowns and coronets. Everything is treated in nines, and 

 the nine virtues and nine vices of gentlenefs follow, with nine rejoic- 

 ings, nine articles that every knight mould keep, and nine manner of 

 gentlemen, in which we learn that the Evangelifts and Apoftles were 

 all gentlemen of the right line of that worthy conqueror, Judas 

 Machabeus, who in courfe of time had fallen to labour, and fo were 

 not called gentlemen. The four doctors of the Church St. Jerome 

 Ambrofe, Auguftine, and Gregory were alfo gentlemen of blood and 

 of Coat Armour. There are nine differences of Coat Armour and nine 

 quadrats, all of which are explained. The " Blafyng of Arms" comes 

 next, the preface to which is by the author, and not by the printer. 

 It begins with the varieties of the Crofs as borne in arms, each being 

 illuftrated by a rude woodcut printed in its proper colours, and the 

 blafon, or technical defcription of each is given in Latin, French, 

 and Englifh. All varieties of arms follow, with the myfteries of 

 bends, engrail, borders, chequers, balls, cakes, rings, &c., offering 

 but little which can be quoted, but forming an interefting and ufefuJ 

 book of reference. 



