ARMS OF A WIFE AND TWO HUSBANDS.

Of a wife and her two husbands: the arms of the first husband in chief; the arms of the second husband in base, impaled on the dexter side of her own. See Pl. XL., n. 13.*

ARMS OF A BACHELOR.

Whilst he remains such, he may quarter his paternal coat with other coats, if any right to him belongs; but may not impale it till he is married. Pl. xL., n. 1.

ARMS OF A MAID.

She is entitled to bear the coat of her father in a lozenge. See Pl. XL., n. 2. If her father bore any difference in his coat, the same ought to be continued ; for by that mark will be known what branch she descends from.

All co-heiresses convey also to their husbands a right of bearing their arms on an escutcheon of pretence, the same as an heiress.

If all the brothers die without issue, and leave sisters behind, as they are co-inheritors of the land and estate, so shall they be of the coat-armour also, without any distinction at all to either of them; because by them the name of the house cannot be preserved, being all reckoned but as one heir.

Anciently women of noble descent used to bear their fathers' arms on their mantles, to show their descent.

*This also is now discarded, as a widow marrying a second husband loses all title to the arms of the first as well as to his name.-EDITOR.

The ancient heralds tell us, when the arms are the same, both on the mantle and kirtle, they are then those of their fathers; and when there are arms on the mantle different from those on the under habit, the kirtle, she is then a wife: those on the mantle belong to her husband, who is a cloak to shroud the wife from all violence, and the other on the kirtle belonged to her father.

ARMS OF A BISHOP.

Such as have a function ecclesiastical, and are pre ferred to the honour of pastoral jurisdiction, are said to be knit in nuptial bands of love and care for the cathedral churches whereof they are superintendents; therefore their paternal coat is marshalled on the left side of the escutcheon, giving the pre-eminence of the right side to the arms of their see; as the example, Pl. XLI., n. 13. Deans of Cathedrals, Masters of Colleges and similar institutions, impale their arms in a like manner, with those of the Societies over which they preside.

ARMS OF A KNIGHT OF THE GARTER, AND HIS LADY. When married, the arms of his wife must be placed in a distinct shield, because his own is surrounded with the ensign of that order; for though the husband may give his equal half of the escutcheon and hereditary honour, yet he cannot share his temporary order of knighthood with her, except she be sovereign of the order. Pl. XLI., n. 14. This rule applies to all the orders of knighthood.

ARMS QUARTERLY,

Is when a shield is divided into many parts, then it shows the bearer's alliance to several families: and it

is to be observed, that in all marshalled arms, quarterly. with coats of alliance, the paternal coat is always placed in the first quarter; as Pl. xiii., n. 6.

When a coat is borne with four or more quarterings, and any one or more of those quarterings are again divided into two or more coats, then such a quarter is termed a grand quarter, and is said to be quarterly or counter-quartered. Pl. xix., n. 19.

Quartered arms were borne by Eleanor, queen of Edward I., and Isabella, queen of Edward II.; but the first English king who quartered arms was Edward III., who bore England and France in right of his mother Isabel, daughter and heir of Philip IV. of France, and heir also to her three brothers, successively kings of France, which the same king afterwards changed to France and England upon his laying claim to the said kingdom; and about the end of his reign his subjects began to imitate him, and quartered the arms of their maternal ancestors; the first of whom is said to be Hastings, Earl of Pembroke.

ARMS OF A BARONET.

The arms of Sir George Beaumont, of Stoughton, Leicestershire, baronet: azure, semée of fleurs-de-lis, a lion rampant or, in a canton argent, a sinister hand couped at the wrist and erect, gules; are given at Pl. XLI., n. 15.

The canton charged with the hand, is the arms of the province of Ulster in Ireland, and was given by King James the First as a badge or augmentation of honour to all baronets. It may be placed as in tho above example, or in an escutcheon, and is generally borne in the most convenient part of the shield, so as not to cover any principal charge.

ARMS OF A COMMONER AND LADY.

If a commoner marry a lady of quality, he is not to impale her arms with his own; they are to be set aside of one another in separate shields, as the lady still retains her title and rank: therefore her arms are placed as the example, Pl. XLI., n. 16.

MARSHALLING BORDERED COATS.

When a coat of arms, surrounded with a border, is marshalled pale-wise with another, then that part of the border which is next the coat impaled with it must be omitted. See Pl. xL., n. 14. But if a bordered coat be marshalled with other coats quarterly, then no part of the border must be omitted. See Pl. XL., n. 15.

Exterior Ornaments.

THE exterior ornaments of the escutcheon are the helmet, mantling, wreath, crest, badge, motto, supporters, crown, or coronet.

HELMETS.

The helmet being placed at the top of the escutcheon, claims our first attention. These pieces of armour for the head have varied in different ages and countries, both in form and the materials of which they were made, and in English Heraldry they vary according to the rank of the bearer. See Pl. XLII.

First, The full-faced helmet with six bars, all of gold, for the sovereign and princes of the blood.

Second, The full-faced helmet with five bars; the helmet steel, and the bars and breast part gold; for dukes and marquesses.

Third, A profile or side-faced helmet of steel; the bars, bailes, or grills, and ornaments gold; for earls, viscounts, and barons. Pl. XLII., n. 2.

Fourth, A full-faced helmet of steel, with its beaver or vizor open; for baronets and knights. Pl. XLII., n. 3. Fifth, A profile or side-faced helmet of steel, with the vizor shut; for an esquire. Pl. XLII., n. 4.

If two helmets are placed on one shield, they are usually set face to face, in imitation of the Germans, who sometimes place ten or more helmets on a shield, and in such case set the centre helmet affrontée, and those on each side looking towards that in the centre.

MANTLING.

The mantling was anciently fixed to the helmet, from which it depended behind with escalloped or jagged edges and tassels.

Mantlings are also used like cloaks to encompass the whole achievement, the ornaments flowing from the helmet being called lambrequins.

According to the modernized mode of bearing mantles, those of the sovereign are supposed to be of gold doubled with ermine; those of the peers, crimson velvet folded, and ermine inside; and those of knights and gentlemen, crimson velvet doubled with white satin.

Mr. Edmondson, in his Complete Body of Heraldry, says, in the year 1760 he proposed to several of the peers, to paint on their carriages their arms placed in mantles of crimson, with their edges thrown back so as to show their doublings and linings, which should