Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1847-07-22
Definition.

"
Definition.
Heraary is the science Of coaveatioaal
distinctions Impressed on Shields banners,
and other military accoa,rsmeats--or i, is
the art Of armesy ana blazoniags or the
knowledge of What relates TO the bearing o'
arms, aud the laws and regulations aPper'a.
ming ,hsret>. Arms in heraldry are ersigns
arnorial OF marks Of honor borne upon
shields, banners, and coats Of mail, in order
to distinction. The science Of Heraldry
consists particularly ia the appropriation
of fgurative representations, dssigned BY
suitable emblems, to exhibit the achieve.
nents Of yalor, the descent of hereditary
honors, and the distinctions appertaiRiug e
nobility. ...
The degrees of Honor existing IN England
in 1897, were aine-of which Eve were mo-
bic, as Gentleman, Esquire, Knight Baron,
and Lord-and four were excellent, as Earl
Marques, Duke, and Prince. The Degree,
of Honor existing in the British nation in
l647 are eleven--uamely, Gentleman, Es-
quire, knight, Baron, Baronet, Lord, Wis.,
count, Earl, Marques, Dnks, and Prince.
origin and History.
Arms may belong to individuals, to fami-
lies, OF to countries. Badges and emblens
on shields and helms occurred in the earli-
est times. In Numbers, (ehop l; Sc the
children of Israel are enjoined to pitch their
tents, EVERY man by his own camp and
every man by his own standard" with the
ensigns of his fathers house. The Greek
and Roman poets speak Of paintings and de-
vices ON shields had helmets. These SYM
bols were, moreover, hereditary. Thus
Xenophon relates that the kings Of the Medes
bore 4 golden eagle on their shields. Sue
tonius asserts that Domitain had a golden
beard for his coat Of arms /; and Tacitus
says of The ancient Germans, that they mar
ked their shields with brillihnt colors, and
that certain standards were borne before
them in battle. Notwithstanding these tra>
ces of armorial bearings in the ancient
world, our heraldry 10 no older than the
tournaments. That the armory first became
common and regulated by certain ruiss At
these solemn festivals, is coTroboTatsd BY the
following reasons. In the first place we ind /
no tomb monument with escuscneons, Older
than the eleventh century. The most an-
cient Monument Of this kind is said ITO BE
the behring's Of certain varmond, count Of
Vasserburg, in the church Of ST. Zimmerman
at Ratsibon. The shield is coupe Of argent
and sable over il is lion, with the words
" Ammo Domoni NIX" On most Of the
other tomDs, even Of the eleventh century, no
arms are fouAd; and the use of them seems
to have first become commonly the twelfth
century. The FIRST pope who can be proved
to have had coat Of arms. 10 Beniface
VIII, who filed the papal see from 1894 to
1903. All the earliest papal arms are the
fanciful inventions of later batteries. On
coins, also, no armorial ensigns are found
till the thirteenth century. A second PROOF
of our assumed origin of coats Of arms is the
word blasors which denotes the science of
heraldry in French, English, Italian, and
Spanish. This wori has most probably its
origin in the German word 6lasen, 10 blow
the horn y for whenever new knight ap
peared at tournament, the herald had 70
sound the trumpet, and because all appeared
with close visors, to proclaim and explain
the bearing Of the shield or coat Of arms be-
longing TO each. Because this was perfo.
mea by the herald, this knowledge was calls
ed heraldry and because, in doing so, he
blew the trumpet, it was called blGzoning The
arms. Tha, this was prevailing practice
a, tournaments, may be proved from the
poetry OF the Troubadous Of the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries. Thence ii came, that
those knights, whose right 10 appear a,
tournaments had already been ANNOUNCED by
blazoning their arms, bore two numpets on
their crest. From the Germans, this cus>
tom was transmitted to the French for there
is no doubt, that the tournaments were usual
in Germany much earlier than in France
Blu, the French carried to far greater perfec>
aon the tournament, and the blazon or her.
aldry connected with it. as they did the whole
ystem of chivalry. Since. moreover, the
French language prevailed at the court oil
tn Norman kings ia England, pare French
expressions have been preserved in British
heraldsy. Thus the green tinc,urs, (color,
in 9 coat Of arms is termed vsri. Though /.
French sinopls, which originally denoted ,
reddish bro,on j bright red is termed gueule.
probably with az allusion to the bloody re
venge Of wild animals, which play so con