Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol II).djvu/322

 306 illiterate nation, at their firt ettlement in France, ued the practice of ealing only, without writing their names: which cutom continued, when learning made it's way among them, though the reaon for doing it had ceaed; and hence the charter of Edward the confeor to Wetminter abbey, himelf being brought up in Normandy, was witneed only by his eal, and is generally thought to be the oldet ealed charter of any authenticity in England. At the conquet, the Norman lords brought over into this kingdom their own fahions; and introduced waxen eals only, intead of the Englih method of writing their names, and igning with the ign of the cros. The impreions of thee eals were ometimes a knight on horeback, ometimes other devies: but coats of arms were not introduced into eals, nor indeed into any other ue, till about the reign of Richard the firt, who brought them from the croiade in the holy land; where they were firt invented and painted on the hields of the knights, to ditinguih the variety of perons of every chritian nation who reorted thither, and who could not, when clad in complete teel, be otherwie known or acertained.

neglect of igning, and reting only upon the authenticity of eals, remained very long among us; for it was held in all our books that ealing alone was ufficient to authenticate a deed: and o the common form of atteting deeds, — "ealed and delivered," continues to this day; notwithtanding the tatute 29 Car. II. c. 3. before-mentioned revives the Saxon cutom, and exprely directs the igning, in all grants of lands, and many other pecies of deeds, in which therefore igning eems to be now as neceary as ealing, though it hath been ometimes held, that the one includes the other.

requiite to a good deed is that it be delivered, by the party himelf or his certain attorney: which therefore is Rh