The szzrcoat is a loose thin taffety gown, used formerly over armour, upon which the arms of the bearer were commonly painted or embroidered, that they might be dis tinguished in time of battle ; a memorable instance of the use of which we have preserved in the history of the Che valier Bayard. These surcoats were much like those now worn by heralds.
The third is the ENSIGN, under which general name are comprehended the varieties of STANDARD, BANNER, PEN NON, GIDEON, and GONFANON.
The first two are of a square form, bearing the whole achievement of such as have a right to them ; which none bath under the degree of a knight banneret.
The penzzon and gideon are of an oblong form, with a sharp point, and early a part only of the owner's arms ; as his device, crest, and motto.
The go (anon is a banner of the church, square, but having three labels, or fanons, and the bearer thereof is called the gonfaloniere.
Arms have also been represented anciently on the fur niture of horses, as in the seals of Alexander II. of Scot land, Edward I. of England, the two De Quinceys, Earls of Winchester, in Spelman, &c. See Plate CCXC1. Fig. 2.
Women place their arms on a lozenge, (See Fig. 7.) which is a square figure with one of its angles upper most ; or on a fusil, which is a figure of the same nature, but longer than it is broad. The old writers, particularly Sylvanus Morgan, in his Nobility native, or Adam's coat, are pleased to derive the common form of the man's escutcheon from the spade of Adam, and of the woman's lozenge from Eve's spindle ; but, as Nisbet observes, these things are mere fancies." Neither is he more pleas ed with the sentiments of Sylvester De Petro Sancto, who derived' the lozenge from the cushion used in sewing, &c. pulvillum in quo exercent mulieres lizzearia opificia.
Of the Blazoning of Arms.
22. Blazon, or the art of blazoning of arms, consists in the knowledge of those colours, or metals, which are used in the art of heraldry, and of the several lines of partition, ordinaries, and changes, whereof the coat is compesed.
Of Tinctures.
23. The colours and metals thus used are most com monly blazoned by tinctures, which have their proper and fixed terms taken from the French ; which tongue has in deed, in consequence of the great excellence of the French heraldic writers, become, in some sort, the common lan guage of heraldry among all the nations of Europe. The terms of these tinctures are these : Or, that is . . . Yellow.
Argent, White.
Azure, Blue. Gules, Red.
Sable, Black.
Vert or Sinople, G"een.
Purpur, Purple.
1. Or. This metal is allowed to be the most honourable of all the tinctures. In Latin blazonry it is called, aureus color, aurum, luteunz, croceunz, Galbinum. It is known in engravings by small points or ticks. Fig. 8.
2. Argent. In Latin, argenteus color, albus, and argentum. To mark this colour in engraving the field is left blank. Fig. 9.
3. Azure. This is derived from the oriental lazurd, which signifies the heaven, or its colour. The Latins say, caruleus, cesium, glaucum, cyaneus. It is represented by horizontal lines. Fig. 10.
4. G :de s, evidently derived from the eastern gul, or shut, which signifies a rose, red, &c. In Latin, color roseus, rubor, rubeus, sanguineus, coccineus ; marked in tallycluce by perpendicular lines. Fig. II.
5. Sable, comes also from the oriental word which ex presses the same idea, zibel zebel, still retained in the French, as maitre zebeline, maitre noire ; marked by cross hatches, perpendicular and horizontal. Fig. 12.
6. Vert, the common French word for green. The French themselves commonly use sinople, a term, the origin of which has occasioned no small difficulty. Some think it is derived from the city of Sinope, in Asia, as if the earth there were green ; others esteem it derived from the Greek ffeac-00: emrAcc, green arms. This also seems to us to be of Oriental origin, tsin, herb, verdure ; bla, blade: the young blade of grass, which is always of the most beautiful green. Indeed, our own word green expresses no other idea but that of grrsaing. The latin writers say, viridis or prasinus. It is marked by diagonal lines from right to left. (Fig. 13.) 7. Purpur, is marked by diagonal lines from left to right. This colour is, by the best writers, little ap proved. Spelman talks of it as of new introduction in his time ; and in Scotland it is entirely unknown, except among the new gentry, as Nisbet says. (Fig. 14.) Besides these, the English heralds mention two other colours. 1st, Tenny, or orange ; known, in engraving, by diagonal hatches from right to left, and e contra from left to right. 2d, Sanguine, or dusky red, marked by diago nal lines from right to left, and horizontal ones. These two colours are, by the English writers, appropriated to abatements of honour, and so are called dishonourable stained colours.