Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/330

 270 Sloan's Architectural Review and Builders' Journal. [October, according to proportion, this purple color is raised. It has its denomination of a certain shell-fish, called in Latin, purpura, which was formerly chiefly found near the famous city of Tyre, in Phoenicia. From this fish the Tyrians drew a liquor, with which they dyed purple, and therefore this was called Tyrius color. This was in those days when they knew no other way of dyeing this color ; and therefore, it was exces- sive dear, and only fit for the greatest persons. Afterwards, the scarlet berries were found upon the scarlet oak, which exceeded the beauty of the former color ; and since then the West India cockinille has put down both." The French admit Purpure to be a color in Heraldry, although Favin and some others, of that nation, take it for tarnished silver, which appears purple to the eye — Coates. Sir George Mackenzy observes, that this color has been particularly privi- leged, he having seen it used, both as a metal, and as a color, which he conjec- tures, in one place, is because it is a royal color. But, " I rather believe, " says Guillim, " that in such coats it may be silver tarnished, and so in time taken for purpure;" and this Mackenzy himself, in another place, seems rather inclined to receive. Notwithstanding the opinions of these famous men, it seems very improbable that purpure should be only tarnished silver, because, if the field had been orig- inally silver, the change on it must, of necessity, have been of some color, and not a metal, as being false heraldry. Besides that, silver upon silver could never have appeared ; and yet many in- stances might be brought of purple fields with the beai'ings of metal. But one — which I find in Sylvanus Morgan, p. 20, — may serve for all ; and that is " Purpure, three bezants," the, arms of the family of Pace. Now bezants are well known to be always gold, "so that they could not be charged upon silver ; and hence I think it follows, that pur- pure, or purple, must be a color and not tarnished silver. — James Coates. Garibay, in his Treatise of Arms, does not allow of Purple in heraldry ; nor, indeed, of any colors, besides Gules, Azure, Vert and Sable, but it is plain that he was not very knowing in this science of heraldry ; besides that, per- haps in Spain the purple might not be admitted, though it was in other countries. Spelman, in his Aspilocjia, allows Pur- ple the preference, before all the other colors, as having been an ensign of roy- alty for many ages ; yet, he says, it seems to be excluded by ancient heralds as being an imperfect color. It is indeed an uncommon color, yet there are to be found sufficient examples of the use of it ; and, therefore, as both French and English heralds have given it a place among the tinctures, it seems unreason- able to attempt its exclusion. — Coates. Kent observes, " Purple is a princely color, yet appropriated to the planet Mercury, that is, by the poets, said to be servitor to the rest. Its stone is the Amethyst. We term it, in blazon, Purpure, which is derived of the Latin, purpura, the name of a sort of shell- fish, of whose blood this color was first made. It shows jurisdiction and justice." T E N N E, — k RANGE, — expressed by engraver- armorists in perpendicular lines, crossed by diagonal ones from the dex- ter chief point to the sinister base ; is also given, by some authors, as I vertical lines, crossed by oblique ones from the sinis- ter chief point to the dexter base ; al- though there can be no uncertainty or ambiguity here, because this is the only tincture represented by perpendicular lines crossed by oblique ones, no matter from which side ; and is denoted, in Trick-