Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/860

* HERALDBY. 794 fer that ordinan-; thus we may have a shield party per pale, bend, fess, chevron, saltire, or cross, though quartered is a more usual term than party per cross. A shield divided into any number of parts by lines in the direction of a pale, bend, or bar, is said to be paly, bendy, harry, the number of pieces being specified, as barry of six. When the field is of a metal and color separated by any of the lines of partition, then the charge placed on it is said to be counter- elianged; this means that the part of the charge which is on the metal is of the color, and vice versa. The partition-line which bounds the field, or the boundary-line of an ordinary, is not always even. The commonest forms of irregular partition-lines in use are the engrailed, invected, loavy, nebiily, embattled, indented, and dancette. An ordinary engrailed has the points of the engrailed line turned outward, and an ordinary invected, in- ward. Dancette differs from the indented by having much larger spaces between the points. All of these terms, even wlien unmistakably French in origin, are pronounced as if they were English. HERALDBY. ENGRAILED INVECTED NEBUI.Y DANCETTE IZXTXZXZXZTZ EAGULY DOVETAILED ETiABATTLED POTENTED The subordinaries, or subordinate ordinaries, are generally enumerated as the following, though there is no very broad line of demarkation betiveen them and the common charges. The Gyron. — When a shield is at once quar- tered and party per saltire, the division is called gyronny of eight, and each of the triangles is a gyron (Fig. 66). Gyronny of six, ten, or twelve, also occasionally occur, so called according to the number of the triangles. The fret (Fig. 76) is a cognizance derived from the banding or ornamenting of the shield, and a shield covered with this latticework deco- ration is said to be fretty. The bordure, or border (Fig. 62), is a band encircling the shield. It is much used to distin- guish different branches of a family, and is often charged with small devices, on which account it has sometimes been reckoned an honorable ordinary (Fig. 63). The orte (Fig. 64) differs from a bordure in not touching the extremity of the shield and is narrower. The tressure, regarded as a diminutive of the orle. is generally borne double, and fleury counter- fleury, as in the arms of Scotland (Fig. 6.5). The pall (Fig. 77) is the archiepiscopal orna- ment of that name, sent from Rome to metropoli- tans, and resembling in form the letter Y. By some authorities this is classed as a common charge and not as a subordinary. The flanches (Fig. 67) are the dexter and sin- ister sides of the shield cut off bv a curved line. Flanches are always borne in pairs, and some- times charged. The lozenge (Fig. 68) is a figure of four equal sides, with the upper and lower angles acute, and the others obtuse. The fusil (Fig. 72) is longer and more acute than the lozenge. The mascle (Fig. 69) is a lozenge perforated, and showing a narrower border. Mascles may have been originally links of chain armor. A field is said to be lozengy, fusilly, or rnascal- ly when divided by diagonal lines in the direction of these subordinaries. A field divided by hori- zontal and perpendicular lines into squares of different tinctures is said to be cheeky; in the case of a fess cheeky there are three such rows of squares. The inescutcheon is a small shield charged upon the coat of arms. Tlie billet (Fig. 73) is a rectangle about twice as high as it is wide. When the shield is freely sprinlded with billets it is termed billety. Some think the billets represent bricks, stones, or billets of wood; others think they represent letters or billets. Among subordinaries are sometimes reckoned certain circular charges called roundles or round- lets (Fig. 74), distinguished in English heraldry by different names according to their tinctures. When of or, they are called bezants; of argent, plates; of gules, torteavx ; of azure, hurts; of purpure, golps; of sable, ogresses or pellets; and of green, pommes. Common Charges. The third class of figures occurring in armorial bearings are the comtnon charges. These are representations more or less conventional of familiar objects, which have no necessary relation to the shield, but are in some way emblematic as concerns family or individual history and character. We can enumerate only a few of the charges of most frequent occurrence. Among the animals borne in coats of arms the lion holds the most important place. As early as the twelfth century the king of beasts was assumed as an appropriate emblem by the sov- ereign of England. The kings of Scotland, Nor- way, and Denmark, the native princes of Wales, the counts of Flanders and Holland, and various other European rulers also chose the king of beasts. Lions occur in different positions. The earliest attitude of the heraldic lion is rampant, erect on his hind legs, and looking before him, the head being shown in profile, as he appears in the arms of Scotland, and originally did in those of England. This was the normal position of a lion; but as the royal animal came to be used by all who claimed kindred with royalty, and to be granted to favorite followers by way of augmentation, a diversity of attitude wan adopted for distinction's sake: Rampant gardant, erect on the hind legs, and affronte or full-faced; Rampant regardant, erect on the hind legs and looking backward; Passant, in walking position, with the head seen in profile; Passant regardant, walking and with the head looking behind; Sta- tant, with all the four legs on the ground; Salient, in the act of springing forward on his prey; Sejant, rising to prepare for action; Sejant affronte, rising and full-faced, as in the crest of Scotland; Couchant. lying down, but with his head erect, and his tail beneath him; Dormant, asleep, with his head resting on his fore paws. Some of these terms are used for the other ani-