HERALDRY. We shall commence this article with some account of the great and important services of the heralds in former times, how ancient heraldry hath been their employments in war and peace, and in proclaiming and publishing weighty affairs.
As for their antiquity, they were in re quest among the ancient Greeks. Homer, in his second book, speaks of nine he ralds in the Grecian army : and with the Romans they were in such esteem, that Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, instituted a society of heralds, and Ancus Martins, his grandson, and fourth king of Rome, erected a college for them. Their business was to determine peace and war, leagues, agreements, wrongs of fered or taken by them or their enemies, and to execute martial messages, &c. and as the Romans strove chiefly to obtain honour, so the heralds distributed orna ments and rewards to all who performed worthy actions at home and abroad.
The Roman law strictly prohibited any to take up arms against an enemy, with out the consent and approbation of these heralds, and one above the rest, being call ed Pater Petratus, was crowned with ver vain, from whence he became their chief, or king, either in denouncing war, or con cluding peace, as is now practised in Eng land.
In the time of Edward I. Thomas Earl of Lancaster, Leicester, and Derby, and constable of England, ordained, that no parson, curate, churchwarden, &c. should pull down any hatchment, coat of arms, or pennon, or eraze any tomb out of churches or churchyards; and also, that no goldsmith, coppersmith, glazier, paint er, or warbler, have to do with arms, without the consent of the King of Arms of that province, and that they should not set a merchant's mark within an es cutcheon; which order was revived in 1707, by Henry Howard, earl of Bindon, deputy earl-marshal of England, with these additions, viz. that no engraver, chacer, carver, stone-cutter, coach-maker, funeral undertaker, and others in the pre mises, should design and appoint, to or for any persons, any arms, or ensigns ar morial, &c. as they would answer the con tempt thereof at their peril.
The said Thomas Earl of Lancaster al so ordained, that (for the better observ ing of the aforesaid order) all the Kings of Arms should keep their chapters once every quarter of the year, at least, and that they should make their visitations in their provinces, or their marshals for them, every seventh year. And he like wise ordained, that the heralds, at the in terment of every gentleman, (where they were called to that service) should take the pedigree, with diligent examination of old folks, and record the same.
The heralds, in former times, frequent ly attended their sovereigns in their wars abroad • and in their progress were often despatched to other princes, with messa ges of war, as defiances, &c. and if they received any violence or affront from those princes to whom they were sent, it was highly resented by him whom they served.
In the reign of King Edward HI. Henry King of Castile sent an herald to the Black Prince, to know why he invaded his king dom ; and in 1415, King Henry V. of Eng land, sending Antelope Pursuivant at Arms from Southampton to the French King, to demand rest;tution of what he had detained wrongfully from him ; the said King of France sent Montjoy King of Arms, from Roan, to assure King Hen ry he would give him battle.
The Emperor's herald defied Francis I. King of France ; and giving his master all his titles, of Castile, Leon, Arragon, Na ples, &c. in a long roll, King Francis com manded his heralds to receive the chal lenge, and to repeat Francis as many times as the other had kingdoms and pet ty titles.
At the baptism of Madame Isabelle de France, to whom King Henry VIII. of England was godfather, the infant's name was proclaimed by the kings and heralds of arms, both of France and England, having their coats of arms adorned with the arms of both kings.
In the year 1635, a French herald was .sent from Paris to Flanders, where, by sound of trumpet, he denounced and pro claimed war against the King of Spain, and all his dominions, and fixed up and left the defiance in all the towns that he passed.