Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/691

 HERALDKY 673 cover the entire field. When the field is divi- ded into an even number of partitions palewise, it is said to be paly, the number being always specified, as paly of six/paly of eight, &c. When divided bendwise it is called bendy, and when barwise barry. If there are more than eight bars, it is said to be barruly. Paly -bendy is when the field is divided by lines in the direction of the pale and bend ; barry-bendy, in the direc- tion of the bar and bend. Gyronny, lozengy, fusilly, and chequy indicate that the field is divided by lines in the direction of the sides of these several figures. The pales, gyrons, checks, &c., thus formed, are varied with different tinc- tures. A shield is said to be fretty when the field is covered with narrow bars in the direction of the bend and bend sinister, and interlaced. Common charges are every device on a shield other than the ordinaries and subordinaries. These include beasts, birds, fishes, shells, rep- tiles, insects, the human figure, imaginary be- ings, celestial bodies, trees, plants, and flowers, and miscellaneous inanimate objects. The principal beasts in heraldry are the lion, bear, tiger, leopard, bull, boar, wolf, antelope, stag, goat, fox, badger, talbot or hound, horse, bea- ver, and squirrel. The lion is one of the most noble and most frequent of charges, and pre- vious to the 13th century constituted almost the sole armorial device. He is represented in many attitudes, as sejant, passant, rampant, &c., and may be of a metal, fur, or color. He is said to be guardant when his head is affronte" or full-faced, and reguarclant when his head is turned toward the sinister side. All charges must be represented as moving toward the dexter side of the field, unless otherwise speci- fied ; if moving toward the sinister side, they must be described as contourne. Beasts of prey are said to be armed of a tincture when their teeth, talons, or claws are of that tinc- ture. When the tongue is shown, they are said to be langued of that tincture; animals with hoofs tinctured are unguled of that tincture, and stags and other docile animals, whose horns are colored, are attired of that tincture. When the heads or other parts of are borne as charges, if cut off smooth sy are said to be couped ; if with a jagged ge, erased. The principal birds used as larges are the eagle, falcon, swan, game- cock, chough, pelican, heron, popinjay or par- rot, crow, goose, sheldrake, ostrich, raven, owl, love, peacock, and bat. The eagle, as the no- )lest of birds, is one of the most honorable of jharges. It is generally represented as dis- played, but sometimes as rising or close. The iouble-headed eagle, adopted by the Russian, German, and Austrian emperors as the succes- sors of the Roman emperors, is supposed to have symbolized the union of the eastern and western empires. A pelican sitting on her nest feeding her young is called "in her pie- ty," and a peacock with tail displayed "in his pride." Of fish, the dolphin is the most com- mon charge ; in France its use was formerly restricted to the dauphin. Other fish used are the lucie or pike, roach, salmon, sturgeon, eel, trout, and herring. Of shells, only the escal- lop and whelk are found among charges; the former dates from the crusades. The reptiles and insects most commonly used are the ser- pent, tortoise, scorpion, bee, butterfly, and grasshopper. The human figure often occurs in charges, either whole or in parts, naked or vested. The parts used are heads, arms, legs, &c., and these may be either couped or erased. Of imaginary beings, the griffin, dra- gon, unicorn, cockatrice, wyvern, triton, and mermaid are common. The celestial bodies, trees, plants, and flowers of many kinds, and many miscellaneous objects, such as helmets, swords, arrows, horseshoes, and buckles, are also used as charges. The numerous varia- tions of the Greek cross are usually ranked as common charges. According to Guillim, there are 39 varieties, to Leigh 46, to Edmondson 109, to Robson 222, and to Berry 385. For some of the principal ones see the plate. Charges are blazoned either on the field or on an ordinary or other charge. When on the latter, they are said to be in fess, in pale, in cross, in orle, &c. Sometimes an ordinary is placed over a charge, when the latter is said to be debruised by the former. When repre- sented of its natural color, a charge is called proper. It is considered false heraldry to put metal on metal or color on color ; but this rule does not hold when a field consists of two tinctures, as of metal and color. In such a case a charge placed on it is sometimes coun- tercharged, which implies that the field and the charge are of the same tinctures, but re- versed, so that metal may be on color and color on metal. A charge is said to be over all when it is placed on top of all other charges. A series of nine emblems called differences or marks of cadency are used to distinguish the several sons in a family and the subor- dinate branches of each house. The eldest son bears in his arms the label, the second the crescent, the third the mullet, the fourth the martlet, the fifth the annulet, the sixth the fleur-de-lys, the seventh the rose, the eighth the cross moline, the ninth the double quatre- foil. In England none but the label is used to distinguish younger sons of the royal family, it being varied by additional pendants and by charges. When marks of cadency are used to distinguish subordinate branches of each house, they are charged with the same. For instance, the first son of the second house bears a cres- cent charged with a label, the second son of the second house a crescent charged with a crescent, &c. Marshalling of arms is the or- derly arrangement of a number of coats of arms within one shield, by impaling or quar- tering. A married man has the right to im- pale his wife's paternal arms, by placing them on the sinister side of his own shield. The joining of one half of his own coat with one half of his wife's in the same shield is called