INTRODUCTION. 
II 
Sadi the Persian poet, when a slave, pre¬ 
sented a rose to his lord with this pathetic 
accompaniment: “do good to thy servant 
whilst thou hast the power, for the season of 
power is often as transient as the duration of 
this beautiful flower.” The heart could not 
resist what was so forcibly communicated by 
the ear and the eye, and Sadi consequently 
obtained his freedom. 
The Eastern nations not only used emblems 
in writing, but they also expressed them¬ 
selves by figurative language in conversation. 
Thus we find in Scripture that the “ harvest” 
or “ the reaping of the earth,” was symbolical 
of the gathering in of the Jewish people, and 
the “ vintage” the symbol of judgment. 
Heraldry is nothing more than a pictorial 
style of writing the achievements of men, 
which was better adapted to the age in which 
it originated than a more mysterious style, 
since even the most illiterate could conceive 
