Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/508

 414 Sloans Architectural Review and Builders' Journal. [Dec., found in the Eng- lish authorities, although the for- mer is equally expressive, if we first suppose Po- tent, as just given — is, in the form and arrangement of the figures, exactly like Potent, and composed of White and Blue, unless otherwise speci- fied ; but the tinctures to the figures are assigned to the crutchlets exactly as in Counter- Vair. Yatry-Cuppy, Vairy-Tassy, or Meirre — ■ [Potent-in-Point] — has the crutchlets, shaped as in Potent and Counter- Potent, and tinctured alter- nately White and Blue, but ar- ranged as to color, exactly as are the shieldlets in Vair-in- Point; and, analogical- ly it would be much better, to call this Fur, Po- tent-in-Point. According to the majority of the pub- lished figures, the French call this Fur Contre-Potence, which, however, is ana- logically better applied to Counter-Po- tent, as given just aboA'e. In English Heraldry, Leigh and others have be- stowed on it the names, Vairy- Cuppe, Vairy-Tassy, and Meirre, all of them words without any very appropriate sig- nificance. Leigh seems to have thought that the crutch-heads resembled cups, therefore his Vairy-Cuppy and Vairy- Tassy are equivalent to the French Vaire-Coupi and Vaire-Tasse, both meaning in English Vair, cuppy, or cup- like Vair. As for Meirre, it seems fairly amenable to Coates' adverse criti- cism, in all probability never having been known at all before the days of Leigh, as it certainly has been but little since. It occurs to us, however, that, by holding the shield off some distance, so as to get the general effect of the tinc- tures, the markings are arranged in rudely-shaped VVVs, conjoined, the same as in Vair-in-Point, so that, pro- ceeding from the chief towards base, the reentering angles of these VWs might be thought to resemble cups. This much in possible justification of two of Leigh's terms. Uredus renders Counter- Potent, in Latin, Patibulatum, as, Ex hoc et Mo colore patibulatum, and Baron, in his ArtHeraldique has Contra-patibulatum ; both which are proper and significant terms. Potent-in-Pale — here, and now, for the first time, heard of — would seem to be a necessary de- duction from the Furs previously given and de- scribed, as ana- logically comple- ting the series. It must be re- membered, that we do not treat Heraldry as a set, obsolete, or obsolescent science; but as something with plent}^ of life still remaining, though hereafter, and for the United States, it will be chiefly cultivated with very different views, from those which led to its European rise and sway. Potent-in-Pale is outlined the same as Potenl-in- Point or Vairy-Cuppy, but its cruchlets are tinctured the same as the escutcheonlets of Vair-in-Palc. Note.— Tlie Compos, te Tinctures are: — Cheeky, lozjngy, fusily, paly-pily,*b.irry-pily, gyroany, oliappe, quarterly — or per cross — per saltire, paly, barry, bendy, bendy-sinister, per fess, per pale, per bend, per beud sinister, per chev- ron, and tierce— or divided in the direction of any simple ordinary each as the pale, or the fess.