Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 10.pdf/278

 The Great Seal. golden stamp of the King's word was used once only, and the document to which the actual seal is attached, dated at London, September 18, 1527, is preserved in the Archives Nationales at Paris. The Treaty of which this document is the ratification is dated April 30, 1527, and is a treaty of perpetual peace between Henry VIII. and Francis I., the latter engaging to pay to the

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his short reign; and Mary used her brother's seal for some months until she had a new one made, and after her marriage the Great Seal was that of Philip and Mary (see No. 10). The legend on the obverse —-a less interesting seal than the reverse or counterseal, shown in No. 10 — is : " PHILIP . ET . MARIA . D . G . REX . ET . REGINA . ANGL . HISPANIAR . FRANC . VTRIVSQ' . SICIL1E . IERV-

Ho. rat The Seal of Philip and Mary.

Period of use, 1 554-1 558.

Diameter 5.6 inches.

Legend:

ARCHIDVCES. AVSTRIE. DVCES. BVROVS'DIK. MEDIOLANI. ET. HRAUANCIE. COMITES.

havsprgi. elANDrie. ET. tirolis.

Reverse.

former the annual sum of fifty thousand crown pieces of gold. The seal photo graphed in No. 9 is as clear as if cut yes terday, instead of nearly four hundred years ago; and this curious fact of a Great Seal being made for use on one occasion only is matched — so Wyon points out — by simi lar instances in the reigns of Richard II., Henry V., Edward IV, and Henry VII. Edward VI. used one Great Seal during

SALEM. ET. HIB. FIDEI. DEFENSOR.," and

then follows the rest of this somewhat in flated inscription printed beneath No. 10. The early death of Queen Mary fortunately cut the connection between this country and the Spanish Philip, whose unpleasing pic ture and string of titles are set out in this in teresting Great Seal, which so plainly re minds us of the dangers that threatened England at the time of its use.