Part 33 (1/2)

The ancient English war-cry--DIEU . ET . MON . DROIT!--”_G.o.d and my Right!_” a.s.sumed as a regular Motto by HENRY VI., has been retained in use since his time.

Queens ELIZABETH and ANNE also used--SEMPER . EADEM--”_Always the Same_.” JAMES I. used--BEATI . PACIFICI--”_Blessed are the Peace-makers_.”

Mottoes of Scotland: NEMO . ME . IMPUNE . LACESSIT--”_No man with impunity attacks me_:” and, above the Crest--IN . DEFENSE. The former is really the Motto of the Order of the Thistle.

THE CROWN

Till the time of HENRY IV., the Crown, the symbol of the Sovereignty of England, was a golden circlet richly jewelled, and heightened with conventional _strawberry-leaves_: fine examples are represented in the effigies of HENRY III., JOHN, and EDWARD II.

HENRY IV., as shown by his splendid effigy at Canterbury, introduced _fleurs de lys_, alternating with the leaves.

From the time of HENRY V., the circlet has been heightened by _crosses pattees_ and _fleurs de lys_ alternating, four of each, and without any leaves. HENRY V. also first _arched the circlet with jewelled bands_, which at their intersection he surmounted with a _mound and cross_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. 234.--Crown of H.M., The King.]

The arched Crown of HENRY V. has four half-arches,--that is, it is arched over twice: HENRY VI. and CHARLES I. arched their crown three times: all the other Sovereigns have had two complete arches only, and the Crown still retains these two arches intersecting at right angles, as in No. 234. At different periods, while the design of the Crown has remained unchanged, the contour of the arches, and the artistic treatment of the ornamentation have undergone various modifications.

The ROYAL BANNERS, or STANDARDS, are charged with the bearings of the Royal s.h.i.+eld of Arms for the time being.

The Armorial Insignia of H.R.H. the late PRINCE CONSORT. The s.h.i.+ELD was--_Quarterly_, 1 _and_ 4,--_The Royal Arms of the late Queen_, as in No. 416, but differenced with _a silver label of three points charged on the central point with a cross of St. George_: 2 _and_ 3,--_Saxony_, No.

225. This s.h.i.+eld was encircled with the Garter of the Order, and ensigned with the Prince's own Coronet, shown in No. 441.

The CREST was the _Royal Crest of England_, No. 431, the lion having the same _label_ that differences the s.h.i.+eld adjusted about his neck as a collar, and being crowned with the coronet, _vide_ No. 441, in place of the Imperial Crown.

The SUPPORTERS were those of the Royal Arms, _the golden lion and silver unicorn_, both of them differenced with the same _label_, and the lion crowned with the same coronet.

The Motto.--TREU . UND . FEST--”True and Faithful.” To the dexter of this Achievement, the complete Royal Achievement of QUEEN VICTORIA.

The Arms of KING EDWARD VII. were and those of KING GEORGE V. are practically the same as those of QUEEN VICTORIA. As PRINCES OF WALES, these Arms were differenced by a plain _label_ of three points argent, and an inescutcheon of SAXONY was superimposed. In each case upon accession to the throne, the inescutcheon of Saxony was removed, and consequently there has been no change whatsoever in the Royal Arms, those of KING EDWARD and KING GEORGE being the same as those of QUEEN VICTORIA, save, of course, the necessary change in the Royal Cyphers--the full blazon of the Royal Arms for the present reign being:--

ARMS.-- _Quarterly_, 1 _and_ 4, _gules, three lions pa.s.sant guardant in pale or_ (ENGLAND); 2, _or, a lion rampant within a double tressure flory and counterflory gules_ (SCOTLAND); 3, _azure, a harp or, stringed argent_ (IRELAND).

HELMET--_of gold, affronte and with grylles_.

MANTLING, _cloth of gold lined with ermine_.

CRESTS _upon the Imperial Crown, a lion statant guardant, crowned or_ (ENGLAND).

_Upon the Crown of Scotland, a lion sejant erect affronte gules; crowned or, holding in the dexter paw a sword, and in the sinister a sceptre, both proper_ (SCOTLAND).

On a Wreath, _or and azure, a tower triple-towered of the first, from the portal a hart springing argent, attired and unguled gold_ (IRELAND).

SUPPORTERS (dexter), _a lion guardant or, crowned as the crest_; (sinister), _a unicorn argent, armed, crined and unguled or, gorged with a coronet composed of crosses patee and fleurs de lis, a chain affixed thereto, pa.s.sing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back of the last_.

BADGES.--

1. _The Red and White Rose, united and crowned_ (ENGLAND).