128 
SHI 
rived from the Latin name for a shield, scutum. The French 
escu, and escussion, and the English word, escutcheon, or, 
as we commonly speak it, scutcheon, is evidently from this 
origin; and the Italian scudo signifies both the shield of 
arms, and that used in war. 
The Latin name clypeus, for the same thing, seems also 
to be derived from the Greek word y\v<peiv, to engrave; and 
it had this name from the several figures engraved on it, as 
marks of distinction of the person who wore it. 
The shield in war, among the Greeks and Romans, was 
not only useful in the defence of the body, but it was also a 
token or badge of honour to the wearer, and he who re¬ 
turned from battle without it, was always treated with in¬ 
famy afterwards. 
The form of the shield has not only been found different 
in various nations, but even people of the same nation, 
at different times, have varied its form extremely; and 
among several people there have been shields of several 
forms and sizes in use, at the same period of time, and 
suited to different occasions. 
The most ancient and universal form of shields, in the 
earlier ages, seems to have been the triangular, vulgarly 
called the heater shield, from its resemblance to that instru¬ 
ment of housewifery. This we see instances of in all the 
monuments and gems of antiquity: our own most early mo¬ 
numents shew it to have been the most antique shape also 
with us, and the heralds have found it the most convenient 
for their purposes, when they had any odd number of 
figures to represent; as if three, then two in the broad 
bottom part, and one in the narrow upper end, it held them 
very well or if five, they stood as conveniently, as three 
below, and two above. Most of the monumental figures of 
cross-legged knights are armed with triangular shields, which 
are generally a little convex, or curved in their breadth; 
their upper extremity terminated by a line parallel to the 
horizon, and their sides formed by the intersection of the 
segments of two circles. Such are generally represented on 
ancient seals and windows: sometimes, though not often, 
their surfaces are flat. On the inside of the Norman shields 
were two or more loops of leather, or wooden handles, 
through which the arm and hand were passed, when the 
shield was brased, and prepared for use; at other times it 
was carried by a leathern thong worn round the neck. The 
other form of a shield, now universally used, is square, 
rounded, and pointed at the bottom: this is taken from the 
figure of the Samnitic shield used by the Romans, and 
since copied very generally by the English, French, and 
Germans. 
The shield, though it was not entirely relinquished'so long 
as the use of the long and cross bows continued, seems to 
have undergone some alteration in its form; the triangu¬ 
lar, or heater shield, gradually giving place to those of a 
circular or rectangular figure. Shields were first left off by 
the cavalry; they were, however, used in the army of king 
Edward L, at the siege of Karlaverok, in the year 1300. 
A sort of shields was worn by the Scots at the battle of 
Musselborough, in the first year of Edward VI. Shields or 
bucklers seem to have been used in affrays and private quar¬ 
rels, by persons in the civil line, as late as the reigns of Eli¬ 
zabeth and king James I. The common appellation for a 
quarrelsome or fighting fellow about that period was a swash¬ 
buckler, that is, a breaker or dasher of bucklers. Maurice, 
prince of Orange, was a great advocate for the shield, and 
even attempted to revive the use of it. His company of 
Dutch guards was armed with targets and roundels, and he 
formed a regular plan of exercise for them. The target and 
broad sword were the favourite arms of the Scotch High¬ 
landers as late as the year 1746, and even after. Swords and 
bucklers were anciently borne before great military officers, 
as insignia of their dignity: those carried before king Ed¬ 
ward III. in France, are shewn in Westminster Abbey. The 
shield borne before the commander of the forces on board 
the Spanish Armada, is preserved in the Tower, and a sword 
was borne before the bishop of Norwich, as commander of 
S H I 
the troops with which he iutended to serve king Richard IT. 
Most of the ornamented metal shields, and many of the very 
large swords, were designed for this use. 
The Spaniards and Portuguese have the like general form 
of shields, but they are round at the bottom, without the 
point; and the Germans, beside the Samnite shield, have 
two others pretty much in use; these are, 1. The bulging 
shield, distinguished by its swelling or bulging out at the 
flanks; and, 2. The indented shield, or shield chancree, 
which has a number of notches and indentings all round its 
sides. The use of the ancient shield of this form was, that 
the notches served to rest the lance upon, that it might be 
firm while it gave the thrust; but this form being less pro¬ 
per for the receiving armorial figures, the two former have 
been much more used in the heraldry of that nation. 
Another form of shield derived its name roundel, or 
rondacha, from its circular figure; it was made of osiers,, 
boards of light wood, sinews or ropes, covered with lea¬ 
ther, plates of metal, or stuck full of nails, in concentric cir¬ 
cles, or other figures. The shields and roundels of metal, 
particularly those richly engraved or embossed, seem rather 
to have been insignia of dignity, anciently borne before ge¬ 
nerals or great officers, than calculated for war; most of them 
being either too heavy for convenient use, or too slight to 
resist the violence of a stroke either from a sword or battle- 
axe. Although most roundels are convex, we meet with 
many that are concave; but these have commonly an umbo. 
The handles are placed as in the shield and target. The 
roundel seems, in many instances, to resemble the Roman 
parma. 
To SHIELD, v. a. [pcylban, Sax.] To cover with a 
shield.—To defend ; to protect; to secure. 
Shouls of applause ran ringing through the field, 
To see the son the vanquish'd father shield. Dryden. 
To keep off; to defend against; prevent.—Out of their 
cold caves and frozen habitations, into the sweet soil of 
Europe, they brought with them their usual weeds, fit 
shield the cold, to which they had been inured. Spenser. 
My lord, I must intreat the time alone. 
—God shield I should disturb devotion. Shahspeare 
SHIELD, Cap;?, a low point on the coast of New 
Holland, in the gulf of Carpentaria, which projects six miles 
from the body of the land. Lat. 13. 19£. S. long. 136 
23. E. 
SHIELDS, North, a market town and sea-port of 
England, in the county of Northumberland, situated nea. 
the entrance of the river Tyne, on its northern bank. It has 
of late years increased greatly in size and population, and 
improvements have been carried on upon an extensive scale 
in its streets, buildings, &c. It now contains many hand¬ 
some streets, and two elegant squares, besides the market¬ 
place, which may rival that of any provincial town in the 
kingdom. On one side is a spacious quay, with a crane for 
the delivery of goods, where ships of 300 tons may load 
and unload with perfect safety; and another side is adorned 
with a noble stone building, which is now used as an inn 
and is surmounted with the Percy arms. The parish church 
is that of Tynemouth; and the town contains places of 
worship for almost every class of dissenters. An elegan 
Catholic chapel has been built near the north entrance of 
Shields; and a spacious Scotch church; and a large 
building which now belongs to the Independents. The 
remaining buildings and establishments are a large school- 
house, on the Lancasterian system, erected in commemoration 
of the royal jubilee; a theatre, a dispensary, a subscription 
library, which contains an extensive collection of valuable 
books; an asylum for sick and friendless seamen, a lying-in 
hospital, and many well conducted and flourishing benefit 
societies. The harbour of North Shields is calculated to 
accommodate 2000 sail of ships; and in spring tides, 
vessels of 500 tons burden can pass the bar in safety. The 
want of an independent custom-house is considered as the 
great desideratum of this port; all vessels being on thi§ 
account 
