432 HERA] 
paly offix, or and fable per fefs counter changed. Fig. 14, paly 
bendy argent and gules. Fig, 15, azure, three falmons in pale 
or. Thefe words “ in pale,” are ufed in blazoning arms 
when the charges are difpofed in a line one above ano¬ 
ther. The word “paleways,” lias the fame fignification. 
The FES S'. 
The fefs is produced by two parallel or equi-diftant 
horizontal lines drawn acrofs the centre“of the field, the 
intermediate fpace being tin&ured in oppofition to the 
colour or metal of the field ; and has been borne on 
coats of arms from the earlieft times of heraldry. It 
feems to owe its origin to a fcarf of honour laid hori¬ 
zontally on the buckler after fome great achievement. 
Ancient armorifts made it defignate moderation and tempe¬ 
rance ; but this fort of allegory is of fuch a nature, that 
fevery one may in this manner indulge his fancy without 
end ; for there is nothing determinate on the fubjedt. 
The name of the fefs is derived from the Latin fafcia, a 
band or roller, which the ancients made an article of 
drefs, the men applying it round their thighs and legs, 
the women round theirbreafts and body ; which may be 
underftood from this line of the epigrammatift Martial: 
Fafcia crefcentes dominae compefce papillas. 
The French call and fpell it fafce, from which, allow, 
ing for the difference of pronouncing the letters, we 
have the word fefs. 
The fefs is of the fame breadth with the pale ; that 
is generally, a third part of the field, and has likewife 
its diminutives; for it is without reafon that feveral 
armorifts have made a diftindt ordinary of the bar , which 
is nothing more than a compreffion of the two lines that 
conftitute the fefs; and therefore ought to be ranked 
among the fubordinate ordinaries. The barrulet and 
the clofet are alfo the offsprings of this ordinary, the 
fir ft beinc; a fourth of the bar: fee Plate III. fig. 80, 
per pale gules and azure , three bars gemelles argent. Thefe 
gemelles are barrulets , whofe breadth is half of the clofet ; 
the word is French, and- means female twins. Their 
undoubted affinity with the fefs induced us to bring 
them under the fame head ; for they are lab-ordinaries: 
Fig. 16, Plate II. gules, a fefs or. Fig. 17, per pale argent 
and fable, a fefs wavy counterchanged. Fig. 18, or, a pale 
fablefurmounted by a fefs, gules, fig. 19, purpure a fefs be¬ 
tween two clofets argent, or purpure a fefs cotifed argent. Fig. 
20, or, two bars fable. Fig.- 21, barry offix, argent and gules. 
Fig. 22, barry of fix, argent and gules, per bend counterchanged. 
Fig. 23, fable, a,fefs huniette or. This charge, being the 
fefs couped at both ends, finds a place here becaufe of 
the analogy ft bears to the' ordinary from which it is 
derived ; but its due rank is among common charges. 
When an objedt, that has fome length in itfdf, as a 
fword, a lance, an axe, &c. is placed horizontally on the 
fhield, and when feveral charges, as efcallops, erodes, 
bezants, &c. are fo difpofed, their pofition is deferibed 
by the words “ in fefs,” or 11 feffways.” See Plate II. 
fig. ay, gules, a battle-axe, in fefs proper. Fig. 25, fable, 
three efcallops, feffways argent. 
The CROSS. 
This bearing cotififts of two perpendicular lines meet- 
ng two horizontal ones in the fefs-point, fo as to make 
four eight angles ; obferving, however,' that the lines 
are not drawn throughout, but difeontinued the breadth 
of the ordinary, which takes commonly the fifth part of 
the fhield, if plain, and more if charged : it may be dif¬ 
ferenced, as the pale and fefs are, by its outlines being 
charaderized according to the variations reprefented on 
both fides of Plate I. under the title “ lines of divifion 
and confequently may be blazoned, engrailed, invecled, 
wavy, See. When plain, it is fimply termed a crofs ;—• 
as fig. 26, Plate II. ermine, a crofs gules-, and fig 28, 
quarterly argent and gules, a crofs engrailed counterchanged. 
The crofs has no diminutive, unlefs we admit as fuch 
1, D R Y. 
the crofs voided, as in fig. 27 ; or a crofs voided fable. But 
many common charges draw their origin from this ordi¬ 
nary, as will be abundantly exemplified in the corre-. 
fpondent Engravings. See fig. 28, Plate II. Quarterly 
argent and gules, a crofs ingrailed counterchanged. , 
When charges are difpofed in the fhape of a 'crofs in 
the efcutcheon, we ufe the word “ crojfways,” to fignify 
tjieir pofition. See fig. 29, gules five bezants crojfways. 
Armorifts ufe indifferently feffways, bendways, and in 
fefs, in bend, but they feldom fay in crofs-, and it would be 
difficult to explain why. Ufage and cuflora, in this as 
in many other inftances, have pronounced their folemn 
and irrefiftible Jic volo, fic jubeo ; leaving no room to con¬ 
jecture on what ground their fiat is eftablifhed. 
The BEND. 
Two diagonal equi-diftant lines, drawn from the 
dexter chief of the fhield to the finifter bale, containing 
the fifth, or third, part of the field, according to the 
circum fiance of being or not being charged, conftitute 
this ordinary. 
The bend has feveral diminutives, viz. the bendlet, 
the garter, the coft, or cotice, and the ribband. An- 
thors difagree fo materially on the fubject of thefe 
fub-ordinaries, that it is next to impoflible not to contra¬ 
dict fome of them in advancing any particular opinion ; 
-w'e fhall therefore content ourfelves with explaining 
clearly the figures of our plates, and by obferving that 
the bendlet, the ribband, and the garter, are fmaller 
than the bend ; and the cotice flill fmaller than any of 
them ; tiffs laft may not receive any charges. 
Fig- 30, erminois a bend azure. Fig. 31, azure, a bend 
engrailedor, cotifed argent. Fig. 32, gules a fefs or, furmounted 
by a bend argent. Fig. 33, per pale argent and fable , a 
bend engrailedcounter-changed. Fig. 34, or, two bend- 
lets, gules Fig. 35, bendy of fix, argent and azure. Fig. 36, 
fable, three crofs crofets bendways, argent. 
In lome heraldic writers the bend finifter; is reckoned 
a feparate ordinary, entirely diftinCl from the bend; 
but as it is of the fame form and breadth, and differs 
only by its pofition in the field, we place it under the 
fame head. It is fubdivided intcy a fcarpe, from the 
French echarpe, a fcarf, which is half, and a baton, which 
is thefourth part, 1 of the bend ; but, as this laft does not 
extend itfelf to the fides of the fhield, we fhall mention 
it ampng the common charges. 
We have obfei ved before, that to thefe bearings, and 
to the baton in particular, devolve in many circum- 
ftanees, among Englifh armories, the fatal necelfity of 
ftamping the mark of illegitimacy on their owners. See 
Plate II. fig. 37. * 
The SALTIRE. 
The meeting or the dexter and finifter bends in the 
centre point of the efcutcheon, produces the faltire, or 
faltier ; as at fig. 38, Plate II. gules, a faltire argent. 
Its name is evidently derived from the French Jaultoir 
or J'avtoir-, which word traces its origin from fauter 
or Jauiter, faltare, to jump over ; as if to exprefs that 
one of thefe bends jumps over the other, as the belts 
of a foldier crofs each other om his bread. .Fig. 39, 
per pale, or and fable, a faltire engrailed, counter-changed. 
Fig. 40, per faltire, argent and gules, a Jaldre counter- 
changed. 
A faltire is called kumette, when the ends, being lopped 
off, give to the figure the appearance of ftanding ifo- 
lated on the ground, from the Latin humus, i\ fee fig. 41. 
azure.a faltire humette or. This is a common charge, and 
does not claim a place here, but by right of analogjr 
with the ordjnary of the fame nature. 
When certain charges are difpofed from one corner of 
the fhield to the oppofite bafe diagonally, crofling each 
other in the centre of the efcutcheon, they are called, 
■in the blazoning of arms, “ in faltire,” or ‘■‘■Jaltireways 
as at fig. 42, gules , two tilting fpears Jaltireways proper. 
