720 
Heraldry. right. This colour is, by the best writers, little ap- 
roved. Spelman talks of it as of new introduction in 
fis time ; and in Scotland it is entirely unknown, ex- 
cept among the new gentry, as Nisbet says. (Fig. 14.) 
Besides these, the English heralds mention two other 
colours. Ist, Tenny, or orange ; known, in engraving, 
by diagonal hatches from right to left, and ¢ contra from 
left to right. 2d, Sanguine, or dusky red, marked by 
diagonal lines from right to left, and horizontal ones.) 
These two colours are, by the English writers, appro- 
priated to abatements of honour, and so are called disho- 
nourable stained colours. _ 
When any object is represented not in any of these 
heraldic colours, but as it is in nature, as, for instanee, 
grapes, peacocks, &c, it is then blazoned proper, 
Some fanciful heralds, particularly in England, give 
out a rule, that gentlemen’s arms alone should be bla- 
zoned in the manner above mentioned, those of noble- 
- men by precious stones, and those of sovereign princes 
by planets ; thus, : . 
PLATE 
CCXCI. 
. Fig, 14 
Precious Stones. 
-Topaz. 
» Pearl. 
Sapphire. 
Ruby. 
Emerald. 
_Diamend. 
Amethyst. 
Tinctures, 
Or. 
_ Argent. 
Blue. 
Red, 
Green. 
Sable, 
Purpur: 
. Planets, 
Sol. 
_ Luna. 
. Jupiter. 
Mars. 
Venus. 
 Satarn. 
‘Mercury, &ec. 
“But these niceties seem to be entirely of a piece with 
‘ the imaginations of another herald, who insisted on bla- 
zoning hy flowers ; as rose, jonquil, &c. or-with the ac- 
curate definitions of virtues, &c. signified by particular 
tinctures, at one period so much in vogue: as or, faith ; 
argent, innocency ; blue, loyalty, &c. . [tis Sufficient to 
observe, that not only is all blazoning of arms of. diffe- 
rent degrees in different manners unknown to the he- 
ralds of France, Italy, and. Germany ; but that the 
practice would tend to confound colours with charges, 
and the things borne with the colours. Moreover, it 
would render useless the great rule of not putting ¢o- 
lour on colour,,or metal on metal ;* for this could not 
hold, were metals and colours no longer employed or 
named in certain armories, 
» Of Furs. 
23, The use of furs in armories is in all likelihood 
derived from the habits.and, garments of military men 
_ and:civil magistrates, according to the opinion of Sylves- 
ter De Petro Sancto, Nisbet, and others, though a diffe- 
rent account of the matter is given by Sir George Mac- 
Kenzie... The antiquity of their use is proved by the 
cireumstance,'that when Innocent III. commanded Con. 
rad Bishop of Wurtzburgh, by way of penance, to 
and fight against the Saracens, he particularly forbade 
him to appear in ermine, vair, or any colour employed 
in tournaments, 
These furs, Ermine and Varr, are the principal furs 
employed in the heraldry of any country, and the only 
ones known in France or Scotland., Ermine is suppo= 
Ermine. Vair. 
'The furs. 
Ermine. 
* The rule alluded to is thus traced to its origi 
c gin by Feron, in 
Adam. “ Telle couleur de rouge est attribuée a notre bon pere Ad 
HERA 
LDRY. 
sed to take itsname from an animal of the same name, 
the skin of which has long been considered as a royal 
and noble ornament. In Great Britain, the ‘different 
degrees of nobility are distinguished by the number 
of rows of ermine with which the mantle of the peer 
is trimmed; and Menestrier informs: us, that at the 
coronation of Henry Il: of France, for want of true er- 
mines to'line his robes, use was ‘made of cloth of silver 
spotted with patches of black velvet. This fur‘is re- 
presented in blazoning, by a white field powdered with: 
black spots, which spots have the point upward tipped 
with three ticks’ of bi cele. 15.) ° Contre-ermine is 
that in which the field is sable, and the spots argent. d 
(Fig. 16.) «As for the English furs,» erminois field or Fig:16. 
spots sable; pean: field sable. or ;.and. erminites # 
field. argent; spots sable, witha single. hair gules at each 
side-of the spot, these are unknown in any other coun- 
try: b¢ - - t t 3 —_ - “ : 
PuaTEe 
CcxCcL @ 
Fig.1& 
ine and its kinds have two tinctures. The spots 
are in place of figures; and it may therefore form a 
complete armory of itself, as is the case with the arms of 
the Duchy of Burgundy. ’ But ermine may also form a 
field: \whereon; every - , either of metal or cos: 
lour, may’ be: placed ; or! it may form itself the char=) 
ges, “ary be »placed without impropriety’ upon any’ 
shie i / wun i ; i ¢ : 
The spots of ermine are of an indefinite number, ir- 
regularly disposed on the shield: but any certain num- 
ber of these under ten may be borne after the position of 
any of the heraldic charges.» In this case, they are not. 
to be blazoned ermine. ‘The spots being in truth char~) 
ges, are called ‘by us ermine spots; by the French mu- 
shetours ; andin the blazon their number and disposi- 
tion must be expressed. The Latins call them macule 
muris armenie. 
‘Vair is the other principal fur in heraldry. From yair. 
what its:mame is derived seems perfectly uncertain. 
The‘ Latins .certainly blazon it, «‘ Arma variata,” &c. 
Its pieces are always argent and azure, disposed in the 
manner of rows of little figures, resembling shields or 
bells, so placed that the point of the bells in the second 
row is between the base of those of the first. (See 
Fig. 17.) The grand-vair of the French is that where-~ Fig. 17. 
in the rows of these figures are only three in number. 
In menu vair the rows are above four, and this is the 
common vair of our heraldry. For countre vair, see 
Fig. 18.0 Riek Fig, 18. 
The species phe oa in Fig. 19. which con- pig. 19. 
sists of pieces alternately _ of azure and argent 
resembling cups, goblets, &c. is variously named meirre, 
vairy cuppy, vairy tassy,.or potent contre potent azure et 
argent. Potent is derived See potence,a gallows, the top 
of which these figures are supposed te resemble. These 
furs may all be used in the manner as the er- 
mines. : L Dis JR Sate Ge Sih SR, ce 
Of the Points of the Shield.’ 
24. For the convenience of blazoning, the different 
ei of the shield have received particular names, ta- 
en from the parts of the human body; of these a 
scheme is given in Fig. 20. ABC represents the high- Fig 2@ 
that part of his work wherein he treats of the armorial bearings of 
; . am, qui porta r armes de gueulles seullement auquel commen- 
sa noblesse, et qui en langue ebraique signifie rouge. Aussi fut if Pi desuniie champ detecneaniae Les me wa armes il ne 
porta longuement transgressantlecommandement de Dieu; et lors furent chargées d’une pomme de sable demonstrant le vilain pe- 
ehé par lui commis contre le puissance divine en trangressant son commandement. Qui est le motif que nos predecesseurs ont tenu pour 
emaxime ceste reigle generale, que armoiries sont faulses ou coulew domine autre couleur, qui & este observée jusques a present.” 
Vide Not. in Uptonum, p. 39. 
a 
