There are several ways in which arms may bear a rela tion to names. 1st, By the simple cypher or initial letter of the name ; as is the case in the arms of many towns on the continent, and of the families of Montenegro in Spain, who bear all M crowned, and Awensberg it Germany, who bear an A, &c. 2d, By the representation of objects, either natural or artificial, which express the sound of the name : as the ancient sovereigns of Dauphiny and Auvergne bore a dolphin on their shield ; the city of Lyons a lion ; that of Berne a bear, &c. 3tt, By things which have some like ness to the name : as the Chevriers, who bear a cheveron ; the Gouviers, who early a wolf's head, &c. 4th, By things v Lich have some relation to the signification of the name : as Archer, who carries three arrows ; Falconer, falcons : Diane, a crescent ; RionELL, ears of rye. The family of Law in Scotland have a cock in their arms, in allusion to the common method of expressing the cry of that bird among the Scotch, " Cocky-leery-Lkw." 5th, There are arins which express the name by way of rebus: as Rich armes, three casques crested with crescents or ; Gantelmi at Naples, a glove and a helmet, &c.
Many of these allusions are very far-fetched and absurd; perhaps none more exquisitely so than that of the Para vasini in the country of the Grisons, who bear a goose, be cause, says Al enestrier, that bird has " some resemblance to a swan par avig Cycno." It is worthy of remark, that long before tne science of heraldry existed, the ancients, in their marks and devices, affected this sort of resem blance of figures to names. Thus the reverse of a medal of L. Aquilius Florus bears a flower ; the Rhodians had a rose on their coins ; and the Delphians a dolphin. On the medals of Voconius Vitulus we see a calf; on those of L. Thorius Balbus a bull; and a man's foot on those of L. Tu rius Crassipes.
18. To commemorate any events of a marvellous and un expected nature, is another very common object of armo rial bearings. There is no point, however, connected with heraldic pursuits, in the investigation of which we must ad vance with greater caution than here. The absurd vanity of particular families has been the foundation of so many idle inventions, that it is difficult to avoid classing with these matters of a very different nature. As an instance of the species of arms to which I now allude, it is sufficient to mention the three birds of Lorraine, which are said to take their rise from the circumstance of Godfrey de Bouil lon's stringing three birds on one arrow. Important dis coveries and illustrious actions have been in all times cele brated in the same manner. Thus, after Columbus had re
turned to Spain from the discovery of the new world, he was allowed by Ferdinand and Isabella to bear under a chappe of the arms of Castille and Leon, in a sea of Argent and Azure five isles or with the motto, "A Castilla y a Leon, Mundo nucvo dio Colon ;" which bearings still re main with his descendants of the houses of Veragua and Xamayca.
The Maid of Orleans, when she took arms against the English, carried on her banner a sword surmounted by a crown. This, with the addition of a fleur-de-lys, the king of France afterwards assigned as arms to her brothers, who were ennobled, by letters patent, in the year and took the name of du Lys. The house of Colonna, in Italy, have around their shield the standards taken from the Turks in the famous battle of Lepanto by Marco Antonio Colonna, General of the forces of the Pope. The Douglasses of Scotland hear a bloody heart crowned with a royal crown, in memory of the good Sir James Douglas, who died on his way to the Holy Land, whither he was conveying the heart of King Robert the Bruce. A badge of the same species was assumed by the Earl of Surry, in the year 1515. "A silver lion (the old cognisance of his family) tearing in pieces a lion prostrate gules.
lf Scotland's coat no mark of fame can lend, That Lion placed in our bright silver bend— Which as a trophy beautifies our altield Since Scottish blood discoloured Flodden-ficld, When the dark Cheviot our proud ensign bare, As a rich Jewel in a lady's hair, &e." Nicolas Upton mentions an English gentleman who as sumed Argent, three ox heads sable, " pro co quod ipse erat in Bello Vernolii cum lancia per membra genitalia to tanter transfixus, sic quod arnplius generare non potuit." (De Milit Officio, p. 154.)* The influence of the spirit of faction has also given rise to innumerable bearings. In Italy, during the contests of the Guelphs and Gibelins, things came to such a pass that almost every family was obliged to adopt some method of expressing by their arms to which party they adhered. The Guelphs carried Coupe, the Gibelins party. The Guelphs bore the lily of Florence gules on argent ; the Gibelins ar gent on gules. The fleur-de-lys-in-chief (after the Guelph party had embraced the cause of Charles of Anjou), be came a Guelph mark,---and three stars in chief denoted a Gibelin. In France, in like manner, when the kingdom was split into two factions from the year 1409 till 1449, those who espoused the cause of Orleans and Berry, car ried a white bend, and were called " bendes," while the ad herents of the Duke of Burgundy were known by the cross of St Andrew.