HERALDRY. 
424 
chair, (cathedra,) holding a fword fefleways in his 
mouth, and in the adi of giving his blefling, has excited 
* the ingenuity of etymologies, heralds, and antiquarians, 
for a long time. Some will have him a king of AbylTi- 
nia, others a Neftorian pried; thofe fpell the name 
Preftiiter John, and thefe Prefter John ; we however 
are authorized to take it for the Evangeli/t St. John; 
the Gofpel, the word of God, being reprefented in 
Holy Scripture by a Sword* and the name Prejbiter,- 
(old, ancient,) well applied to the oldeft and lad of the 
apoftles, who died one hundred years after the birth of 
his divine Matter. 
Pride. Peacocks are faid to be in their pride, when in 
heraldic bearings they extend their tails into a circle, 
and drop their wings. 
Profer, any animal, vegetable, or other thing, borne 
in coats of arms of i ts nathral colour. 
Purfle, or Purflew, a term ufed by fome herald- 
ids to exprefs the embroidery of a border of fur. 
- Purpure, the colour fo called, whichjignifies purple^ 
is in heraldic engraving reprefented by diagonal lines 
drawn from the fiaider to the dexter fide of the /hield. 
Quater-foil, a four-leaved grafs or flower, refem- 
bling a primrofe. This charge has obtained a place in 
coats of arms, though not fo frequently as the trefoil; 
the double quaterfoil is the difference for the ninth foil. 
luAt.quatcrfolium-, Yx.quatreftuille. See Heraldry Plate VII. 
Quartered, is laid of a field divided into four 
equal parts. Lat . quadripartitus; Fr. efcartele. 
Quarterings, fignify the partitions or feparate 
.areas of one Ihield, containingdivers coats of arms ; alfo 
thofe arms as borne by right of inheritance. , 
Quarterly, is ufed in the blazon of an efcutcheon, 
or one of the ordinaries, divided into four equal parts. 
Quarterly quartered\s fu\(S. of a faltier quartered in its 
centre, and the four branches of. which are each parted 
by two different tindlures alternately depicted. 
Queue, the tail of an animal. Lat. cauda ; Fr. queue. 
It is fometimes borne double, or fourchy, i. e. forked. 
Lat. cauda bifida ; Fr. queuefourchue. 
Radiant, is ufed in blazoning, to denote any charge 
reprefented with rays, or beams of light. Lat. radians ; 
Fr. rayonnant. 
Ragule', is faid of a bearing which is uneven or 
ragged like the trunk or limb of a tree lopped of its 
branches, of which the (lumps only are feen. 
Rampant, a lion, (landing upright on its hind legs, 
and in the attitude of climbing ; this word is feldom, if 
'ever, applied to any other animal. Lat. repens; Fr. 
rampant. 
Ray, a dream of light iffuing from any luminous 
body. Lat. radius-, Fr. rayon. 
Rayonnant, or Rayonne'e, a charge that has rays 
of glory behind it, darting from the centre to all parts 
of the efcutcheon. 
Rebatement. See Difference. 
Rebus, in heraldry, means fuc’h a coat of arms as by 
its figures alludes to the name of the bearer; as three, 
cafiles, for the name of Cajlleton ; a bear, for Bernard; three 
falmons, for Salmon, See. The French call them, armes 
parlantes, as if they were fpeaking to the beholder non 
verbis fed rebus; hence the etymology of the name 
rebus. 
Recer.cele'e, is faid of a crofs that circles or curls 
at the ends, fomewhat refembling a ram’s, horn. 
Recrossed, a term implying the fame as that of a 
crofs- crojlet. 
Regalia, enfigns of royalty. 
Regardant, the polition of an animal looking be¬ 
hind, i. e. having his face turned towards his tail. Lat. 
retrojpiciens; Fr. regardant. 
Respecting, is faid of any beaft or filh, whether 
rampant, faliant, See. when reprefented face to face. 
Lat. rejpiciens ; Fr .affronte. 
Rest, a figure uled in coats of arms, which fome 
take to be a reff for a horfemaids lance ; and others for 
a nuifual inftrument called clarion or claricord. 
Riband, or Ribband, one of the diminutives of the 
bend.. 
Ros e „ This flower is much uff-d in coats of arms ; 
and is affigned as.a difference for the feventh foil. 
Roundel, or Roundlet, a fniall round figure ufed 
in heraldry, of which there are ten forts, each of which 
has a particular name according to its colour. Thofe 
of metal are reprefented flat; thofe of colour, glo¬ 
bular. 
Ruby, is fometimes ufed inftead of gules, for blazo¬ 
ning the coats of arms of. the Englifli nobility. Lat. 
rubious; Fr. rubis. 
Rust re, a fi°ure refembling the nut of a ferew. See 
Plate III. fig. 83. 
Sable, the heraldic term for black; and is in heral¬ 
dry-engraving exprefled by horizontal and perpendicular 
lines eroding each other. 
Saliant, or Salhant, the pofture of a bead of 
prey that is fpringing forward, or leaping in bend. Lat. 
/aliens; Fr. faliant. 
Saltier, one of the honorable ordinaries, in the form 
of St. Andrew’s crofs. See Heraldry Plate II. fig. 38. 
SALTiERWiSE.'difpofed in the form of a faltier. See 
Heraldry Plate II. fig. 42. 
Sanguine, fignifies the murrey colour, and is exprefled 
in heraldry-engraving by lines eroding each other dia¬ 
gonally, from the dexter to the finiffer-fide, and from 
the finifter to the dexter-fide. See Heraldry Plate I. 
third row of Ihields. 
Sapphire, the name is ufed to exprefs the colour 
azure, in blazoning the arms of the nobility. 
Sardonyx, ufed inflead of/anguine, in blazoning the 
arms of the nobility. 
Saturn, denotes the colouryJzWe, ufed to blazon the 
arms of fovereigns and princes, inftead of metals and 
colours. 
Scarpe, the fame as fcarf; and is one.of the diminu. 
tives of the bend-finifter. 
Segreant, an epithet applied to a griffin eredt, and 
difplaying its wings, as if going to fly. Lat. eredtus ; 
Fr. fegreant. 
Sejant, is faid of any animal reprefented fitting. 
Lut./edens; Yx. fejant ox ajfis. 
Seme e, a term whichdignifies Jlrewed or feeded. Lat. 
fparfus; Fr. feme. 
Shield, the figure or field on which coats of arms 
are depidted. See p. 426. 
Sinister, in heraldry fignifies the left fide. 
Springing, is ufed to denote the fame pofture of 
beads of chafe, as faliant is for thofe of prey. 
Sol, the fun, ufed to exprefs gold, in blazoning the 
arms of fovereigns. 
Splendor. The fun in fplendor is when it is repre¬ 
fented with the lineaments of a human face, and envi¬ 
roned with rays. 
Star. This charge is often confounded with a mullet, 
which is the rowel of a fpur, as noticed above. This a 
knight of fome orders wears, not to be diltingui(hed by 
the people, but from the people. 
Statant, an animal (landing on hi-s feet, both the 
fore and hind legs being in a diredt line. Lat .flans; 
Fr. en pied .See Plate VI. fig. 89. 
Stones. The tints of precious ftones have been intro¬ 
duced in heraldry, inftead of the names- of metals and 
colours, in blazoning the coats of arms of the nobility. 
Sun, the luminary that makes the day ; which, when 
ufed in heraldry with the lineaments of a human face, 
environed with rays, is called a fun in its glory, ox fplendor, 
and proper. ~L.ut.fol; Yx.foleil. 
Super-charge, is a figure borne on another bearing. 
Supporters, animals, birds, or other figures, de¬ 
pidted on each fide of the (hield, and feeming to fup- 
port it. 
Surmounted 
