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them with the royal military habit, or surcoat of the sove-reign arms, agreeably to the practice of other princes, andcommanded them to wear such surcoats, &c. as ensigns oftheir oflice, when they were in execution of any branch oftheir duty. With the before-mentioned immunities, theyalso enjoyed a safe conduct on belligerent ground,until they arrived in the dominions of the King their master.At the time of their creation by the earl-marshal, they takethe oath of an herald upon the sword, are invested with atabard of the royal arms, embroidered on sulin, not so richas that of the king’s, but better than the pursuivants, and asilver collar of SS. Also among the nobility, we find heralds intheir funeral rites, celebration of marriages, christenings, andother public festivities, exercising the same forms and sus-taining the same grandeur as those of the royal family.The management of public shows, triumphs, &c. was com-mitted by the sovereign to the care and conduct of heralds;being thus qualified, they were usually engaged to form,regulate, and superintend such festivities, &c. as the nobilitydetermined to have performed on any family occasion, whichthey apprehended would redound to their honour or aggran-dizement. On family arms becoming the distinguishingcriterion between a gentleman and a peasant, it was neces-sary, in any feat of arms, that persons should prove, tothe satisfaction of the heralds, that they were gentlemen ofcoat armour.
Gentlemen took care to have their arms embroidered upontheir common wearing surcoats, and would not suffer inferiorpersons, although masters of acquired wealth, to use tokensof gentilitial distinction. So jealous were they of any in-fringement of the armorial rights to which they were entitled,that whenever the arms which themselves or families hadborne, happened to be claimed by any other gentleman, theyvindicated their rights by duel. Hence, therefore, the ne-cessity for the heralds to draw out with accuracy the authen-tic genealogies of noble and gentilitial families; to continue,from time to time, and preserve their pedigrees in directand collateral lines; and to have a perfect knowledge of allhereditary arms, ensigns, armorial badges of honour, andother external marks; as well of personal honours as offamily rank and distinction.
These heraldic regulations have been subservient to seve-ral very important purposes, besides those for which theywere originally intended. Genealogical tables and authenticpedigrees regularly deduced, contain memorials of pasttransactions and events, and from them historians and chro-