The several ways whereby the quarterings to whieri family may be collected and marshalled in one achievement, after the English method, are explained in the annexed scheme, to which the reader is referred.
No. I. Suppose the heir of the WILLOUGHBYS to have married the heiress of LATIMER, NEVTL, and BEAUCHAMP, which throe coats the heir of Willoughby has an undoubt ed t ight to quarter with his own paternal coat.
No. II. Shews how Wir.LouGunv, in consequence of this marriage, may inherit the blood, and become entitled to quarter the arms of no less than fifty-six families : thin. as Wri.Louo lint by this marriage hath a right to quarter LATIMER, SO LATIMER had before a right to quarter Blyke, who quartered Brocton and Filylode; ?stley, who quartered Fynes and Thynne ; Darrel and Cheney, who quartered Boyle and Wilmot. Secondly, TWENCE, who quartered be fore Butner, who quartered Mallet and Beke ; and Brims, who quartered Fitchet and Dean.
The like as to NEvrr, and BEAUCHAMP, and the quarter ings by them brought in.
No. III. Supposes TrromAs PYE to be the son and heir of Thomas Pye, and Elizabeth his wife, heiress of John Abbot, whereby he becomes entitled to quarter the arms of sixteen houses ; eight by the father's side, and as many by the mother's.
No. IV. is formed upon a plan more extensive than tither of the former, and spews how a person may in five descents be heir to thirteen families; so that we can no longer wonder at seeing two hundred coats borne in one achievement.
The most approved method of marshalling arms in an achievement of this species is the following : " Begin with the aunts of the first heiress who married into the family, and next to them place the several coats which she brought in ; then proceed to the second heiress, and those which she hvouvht, in ; and so on to the rest, without any regard to the rank or station of any of these heiresses before their marriage." Nevertheless, when the royal arms are brought in by any match, it is usual to give that match the second quarter, next to the bearer's paternal coat. Nay, some place it in the first, and the paternal coat in the second quarter. The achievement composed in this way is most properly termed by Edmonstone, " genealogical pennon."
Of the External Ornaments of the Shield.
35. In the first part of this article, wherein we have at tempted to trace the origin of armorial bearings to the tour naments of the middle ages, a passage is quoted from the treatise of King Rene of Anjou, in which the knights who propose to tilt at any tournament, are required to make dis play of their coats of arms some days before the lists are opened, with their helmets, crests, and other marks of their condition or dignity. In the MS. treatise of John Caxton, preserved in the Advocates' Library of Edinburgh, it is said, that " no man shall wear his cognisaunce on a close basset, except he has carried arms within the lists and bar riers of military exercises." From these passages, and many others of a like nature in the old authors, it seems reasonable to conclude, that after the bearing of shields had begun to be common in Europe, the great nobility and gentry, entitled by their descent to partake in the court ly tournaments of the times, were willing to adopt some method of distinguishing themselves from the herd of those who bore coat-armour, and for this purpose introduced the practice of adorning their shields on seals, &c. with a re presentation of those helmets, crests, and other articles of apparel, which they were themselves accustomed to wear upon those solemn occasions, and to which those of hum bler birth could, it was believed, make no pretension. In process of time, the example of these military nobles was imitated by others, who thought themselves entitled to equal respect, although for different causes. Civil rulers adorn ed their shields with coronets, consular capes, batons, and such like signs of dignity ; and the churchmen were not slow to make the same parade of the symbols of their of fice. The papal tiara, the cardinal's hat, the patriarch's cross, the mitre, the crosier, and the keys of St Peter, were associated in strange union with the family emblems of worldly honour and advantage, such as a free feu, a feat of chivalry, or a wealthy marriage.