Page:The Grammar of Heraldry, Cussans, 1866.djvu/75

Rh a wreath, as a crest. The badge of Percy, Earl of Northumberland, was a crescent, or half-moon.

The Motto is an expressive word, or short pithy sentence, accompanying a crest or coat of arms. Mottoes were probably the war-cries or slogans used by the followers of a noble, when engaged in battle. To such an extent did these war-cries foster the spirit of partisanship, than on the termination of the wars between the rival houses of York and Lancaster, an act of parliament was passed, by which it was declared penal for any noble or villein to use any cry except ‘The King’ or ‘St. George for England.’

When the motto bears an allusion to the crest, it is usually placed above it; thus the Roche family (Baron Fermoy) have for a crest, a sea-eagle standing on a rock (roche), holding in its claw a roach, with the motto, ‘Mon Dieu est ma roche.’ In this case, the motto would be appropriately place over the crest: mottoes, however, are commonly inscribed on a scroll beneath the shield. There are many families who possess no motto.

Mottoes, though generally transmitted with the arms, are not strictly hereditary. An individual is at liberty to affix to his escutcheon whatever motto his fancy may dictate. (For illustrations of mottoes, see Armes Parlantes, page 64.)

Are figures of men, beasts, birds, or imaginary creatures, which, standing on the crest-scroll, seem to support the shield placed between them. The use