3zc. are introduced into coats of a pus, they frequently retain theirnatural colours, which is exposed in this science by the wordproper. Besides the colours aboveinentioued, the English writerson heraldry admit two others, viz.
Ol'ai'ge, > termed £ Tenn X
Blood-colour, $ ( Sanguine.
But these two are rarelv to be found in British bearings. Thesetinctures are represented in engravings and drawings (the inventionof the ingenious Silvester Petra Sancta , an Italian author of thelast century) bv dots and lines, as in Plate LXXXVI. Or is ex-pressed by dots. Argent needs no mark, and is therefore plain.Azure , by horizontal lines. Gules, by perpendicular lines.Vert, by diagonal lines from the dexter chief to the sinister basepoints, Purpure, by diagonal lines from the sinister chief to thedexter base points. Sable , by perpendicular and horizontal linescrossing each other. Tenny, by diagonal lines from the sinisterchief to the dexter base points, traversed by horizontal lines.Sanguine, by lines crossing each other diagonally from dexter tosinister, and from sinister to dexter. The English heralds give dif-ferent names to the roundlet, according to its colour. Thus, if itbe Or, it is called a Bezant; Argent, a Plate; Azure , a Hurt;Gules, aTorteaux ; Vert, a Pomey; Purpure. a Golpe; Sable , aPellet ; Tenny, an Orange ; and Sanguine, Guze.
Of Furs.
Furs represent the hairy skin of certain beasts, prepared for thedoublings or linings of robes and garments of state; and as shieldswere anciently covered with furred skins; they are therefore usedin heraldry, and are,
1. Ermine; which is a field-argent, powdered with black spots,their tails terminating in three hairs.
2. Ermines; or Counter-ermine , where the field is sable, andthe powdering white.
3. Erminois ; the field Or, the powdering Sable.
4. Fair, which is expressed by blue and white skins, cut intothe forms of little bells, ranged in rows opposite to each other, thebase of the white ones being always next to that of the blue ones.Vair is usually of six rows; if there be more or fewer, the numberought to be expressed ; and if the colours are different from thoseabove mentioned, they must likewise be expressed.
5. Penn; the field is Sable , the powdering Or.
6. Potent, anciently called Fairy -cuppy, as when the field isfilled with crutches or potents counter-placed. Vair and Potentmay be any two colours. See Plate LXXXVI.
Of the Lines used in the Parting of Fields.
Escutcheons are either of one tincture, or more than one. Thosethat are of one only, that is, when some metal, colour, or fur, isspread all over the surface or field, such a tincture is said to beredominant: hut in such as have on them more than one, as mostave, the field is divided by lines; which according to their diversforms, receive various names. Lines may be either straight orcrooked. Straight lines are carried evenly through the escutcheon:and are of four different kinds; viz. a perpendicular line j ; ahorizontal, —; a diagonal dexter, /; a diagonal sinister,Crooked lines are those which are carried unevenly through theescutcheon with rising and falling, the figures and names of whichare as in Plate LXXXVI. viz. I. The engrailed. 2. The invect-ed. 3. The wavy. 4. The nebule. 5. The embattled or cre-nelle. 6. The ragulv. 7. The indented. 8. The dancette. 9.The dove-tail. The principal reason why lines are thus used inheraldry, is to difference bearings which would be otherwise thesame; for an escutcheon charged with a chief engrailed differsfrom one charged with a chief wavy, as much as if the one boreacross and the other a saltier. As the forementioned lines serve todivide the field, if the division consists of two equal parts made bythe perpendicular line, it is called parted per pale; by the liori-vontal line, parted per fess; by the diagonal dexter, parted perbend ; by the diagonal siniser, parted per bend sinister; examplesof which will be given in the sequel of this treatise. If a field he di-vided into four equal parts by any of these lines, it is said to hequartered; which may be done two ways, viz. Quartered orparted per cross; which is made by a perpendicular and horizontalline, which, crossing each other at tlie centre of the field, divide it
into four equal parts called quarters. Quartered or parted persaltier; which is made by two diagonat lines, dexter and sinister,that cross one another in the centre of the field, and likewise di-vide it into four equal parts. The escutcheon is sometimes di-vided into a greater number of parts, in order to place in it thearms of the several families to which one is allied; and in this caseit is called a genealogical achievement. These divisions may con-sist of six, eight, 12, and 16, quarters, [as the royal arms,] andeven sometimes of 20, 32, 64, and upwards; there being examplesof such divisions frequently exhibited at pompous funerals. But.Sir William Dugdale very justly objects to so many arms beingclustered together in one shield or banner, on account of the dif-ficulty of discerning and knowing asunder one coat of arms fromanother.
Of the Differences of Coats of Arms .
Armorists have invented many differences or characteristics!marks, whereby bearers of the same coat of arms are distinguishedeach from others, and their nearness to the principal bearer demon-strated. According to J. Guillim, these differences are to be con -sidered either as ancient or modern. Those he calls ancient dif-ferences consist in bordures; which is a bearing that goes allround,and parallel to the boundary of the escutcheon. Bordures wereused in ancient times for the distinguishing not only of one nationor tribe from another, but also to note a diversity between par-ticular persons descended of one family and from the same parents.The bordure is generally one-sixth part of the breadth of the shield,and is ingrailed, indented, charged, componed, and countered.If the inner line of the bordure is straight and the latter plain, thecolour of the bordure alone is named in blazoning; if it is chargedwith parts of plants or flowers, it is described as verdoy ot tretoils.If it consists of ermines, Vair or vairy, or any of the furs, theheralds say purflew of ermines. When charged with martlets,charged with an enaluron of martlets. There are bordures of dif-ferent forms and tinctures, as in the examples, in Plate LXXXVIBordures are generally used as a difference between families of thesame name, and also as marks of illegitimacy. The modern dif-ferences, which the English have adopted, not only for the distinguishing of sons issued out of one family, but also to denote thedifference and subordinate degrees in each house from the originalancestors, arc nine, viz. For the heir or first son, the Label. Se-cond son, the Crescent. Third son, the mullet. Fourth son, themartlet. Fifth son the Annulet. Sixth son, the Flower-de-lis.Seventh son, the Rose. Eighth son, the Cross-moline. Ninthson, the Double Quarter foil. See Plate LXXXVI. But of allthese marks of distinction, none but the label is affixed on thecoats of arms belonging to any of the royal family. As to the dis-tinction to be made in the arms of the offspring belonging to eachof the above-mentioned brothers, it is expressed by figures on thetable of houses, given in Plate LXXXVI. For instance, Theheir or first son of the second house, bears a crescent charged witha label during his father’s life only. The second son of the secondhouse, a crescent charged with another crescent. The third son ofthe second house, a crescent charged with a mullet. The fourthson of the second house, a crescent charged with a martlet. Thefifth son of the second house, a crescent charged with an annulet.The sixth son of the second house, a crescent charged with a fleur-de-lis; and so on of the other sons, taking care to have them of adifferent tincture. In like manner the seventh son of the eighthhouse, a rose charged with a cross moline; this is easily understood,though the table does not extend so far. 'l'he daughters of fami-lies are permitted to bear their fathers arms, with the same dis-tinctions used by them. An abatement is a casual mark annexedto coat-armour, which announces some dishonourable act of thebearer. Abatements consist of diminution and reversing, the firstis the blemishing of some particular point of the escutcheon bysanguine and tenne, which are stains; were the metals used theywould be considered additions of honour. See Plate LXXXV I-Augmentations are additional charges borne on an escutcheon, acanton, or chief, and given as particular marks of honour. SeePlate LXXXVI.
Of the Charges.
Whatsoever is contained in the field, whether it occupy thewhole or only a part thereof, is called a charge. All charges arc
distinguished