by some from the Marcomanni, an ancient people, who inhabited the marches of Brandenburg. Marquisses were anciently governors of frontier cities, or provinces, called marches. Marquis is originally a French title. Richard II. first introduced the dignity of marquiss into England. The coronet of a marquiss has strawberry leaves and pearls placed alternately. Monseigneur, in the plural monseigneurs, a title of honour and respect formerly used by the French in writing to persons of superior rank, or quality, is a compound of mon, my, and seigneur, lord. Dukes, peers, archbishops, and bishops, were complimented with the title monseigneur. In the petitions presented to the sovereign courts, they use the term nos seigneurs. Monseigneur, absolutely used, was a title afterwards restrained to the Dauphin of France. Monsieur, in the plural messieurs, a term used by the French in speaking of their equals; answers to Mr. or Sir, in English. The word is a compound of mon, my, and sieur, sir. The The Italians say signor, and the Spaniards senor, in the same sense, and from the same origin. The superscription of all letters began, à monsieur, Monsieur such a one. word monsieur, formerly extensive, was applied to persons who had been dead for ages, monsieur St. Augustine, monsieur St. Paul, &c. &c. A Motto, is some word or sentence indicative of the quality of the bearer; or it conveys some peculiar and important truth. They are chosen at the fancy of the owner; sometimes they consist of a religious or moral sentiment, as "Murus areus conscientia sana ;” A good conscience is a wall of brass! Sometimes an effusion of loyalty; sometimes a love of liberty, as the carl of Radnor's is, "Patria cara curior libertas ;”—My country is dear, but liberty is dearer. As "Miseris succurrere disco," I learn to succour the distressed; "Solanobilitat virtus ;” Virtue alone ennobles us. Nobility. The peerage of England is of five degrees, viz. that of duke, marquis, earl or count, viscount, and baron. The term of nobility is, in England, restrained to degrees of dignity above knighthood. Some refer the origin of nobility to the Goths, who, after they had seized a part of Europe, rewarded their captains with titles of honour, and called them nobles, (nobiles) to distinguish them from the common people. In England, nobility is only conferred by the king, and that by patent. In other countries there are other ways of acquiring it. The privileges of the English nobility are very considerable; they are esteemed as the king's hereditary counsellors, and are privileged from arrests, unless from treason, felony, and breach of the peace. criminal cases they are only to be tried by a jury of peers, who are not put to their oaths. They give their verdict upon their honour. In their absence, they are allowed a proxy to vote for them. In Norroy king of arms, marshals the funerals of all the inferior nobility, as baronets, knights, esquires, and gentlemen, on the north side of the Trent. A Prince, is a person invested with the command of a state or country, independent of any superior. It is used for one sovereign of his own territory, who yet acknowledges some other as his superior, and pays homage to him. Thus, all the princes of Germany are feudátories of the emperor: though as absolute in their respective principali. ties as the emperor himself, yet are they bound to him in certain services. Prince is a title given to the issue of princes, or those of the royal family; in which sense those of France were called princes of the blood. In England, the eldest son is created prince of Wales; the younger, dukes or earls, with what title the king pleases. To all the king's children belongs the title of royal highness. All subjects are to kneel when admitted to kiss their hand and at table, out of the king's presence, they are served on the knee. The youngest sons and daughters of the king have precedence of all peers and public officers, ecclesiastical and temporal. The prince of Wales is born duke of Cornwall and Rothsay, and immediately entitled to all the rights, revenues, &c. belonging thereto. He is afterwards created prince of Wales, and earl of Chester, &c. Pursuivant, the lowest order of officers at arms. They are, properly, attendants on the heralds, when they marshal public ceremonies. Of those, in England, there were formerly many; but at present only four, viz. blue-mantle, rouge-cross, rouge-dragon, and port cullice. In Scotland, there is only one king-at-armsstyled Lyon, who has under him no less than six heralds, as many pursuivants, and a great number of messengers-at arms. Quartering, is the proper disposition of the coatarmour of distinct families within one escocheon; as on account of marriage, when the arms of man and wife are conjoined together paleways. This is called impaling baron and femme. An When children are born, the baron bears the arms of the femme, she being an inheritrix, in an inescocheon. The heir may bear his mother's arms quartered with his own. augmentation of honour and arms is frequently acquired by adoption. By the gift or munificence of the sovereign, a person bears his own coat, together with the new ensigns of honour. Sire, a title in France given to the king, as a mark of sovereignty, was anciently used in the same sense with sieur and seigneur, and applied to barons, gentlemen, and citizens. Sieur having been a title of honour among the French, the lawyers would say, I plead for the sieur marquis, the sieur abbot, &c. for sieur often expressed seignory or lordship. Stadtholder was a title formerly given to the go vernor or lieutenant of a province in the United Netherlands; particularly that of Holland, where the word has been chiefly used. It is derived from the word stadt, state, and houlder, holding, which is, lieutenant of the states. This title is now absorbed in that of king; the prince of Orange being now king of the Netherlands. Sultan, a title given to the emperor of the Turks, had its rise under Mahmoud. The word is Turkish, and signifies king of kings, and was first given to the Turkish princes about the year 1055. The title has ever since been used by all mahommedan princes. The highest officer, among the Turks, next to the sultan, is the grand vizier, who has the care of the whole empire. He lives in the utmost splendour, having more than two thousand officers and domestics in his palace, Supporters are figures by the side of a shield, appearing as if they actually held it erect. They use chiefly figures of beasts: figures of human creatures for the like purpose, are called tenants. In England, none under the degree of banneret are allowed supporters, which are restrained to those called the high nobility. Since the accession of king James the First, the supporters of the arms of Great Britain are placed on the dexter side, a lion rampant gardant, crowned or; and on the sinister side, a unicorn argent, crowned, armed, unguled, maned and gorged, with an antique crown, to which a chain is affixed, all or. A lion is said to be rampant when he stands erect on his hind legs, and rampant gardant, when in that position his head is turned sideways; passant, and passant-gardant when he is walking; couchant when he is lying down, &c. A stag, when briskly walking, is said to be tripping; when runing, courant; when standing still, at gaze, &c. A creature is said to be armed when its horns, beak, talons, &c. are of a different tincture from the rest of the body; thus the horn of the unicorn is or, while his body is argent. Thane, a dignity among the English, or AngloSaxons, is referred to king Canute, who taking the chief of the Danish nobility, to the number of 3000, for his guard called them thing-lethe, from two Danish words, theing or thein, both of nobility, and lith, order of battle. In old English authors, thane signifies a nobleman; sometimes a freeman, and sometimes a magistrate. Viscount, a term used for a degree of nobility next below a count or earl, and above a baron; is supposed to have been brought hither by the Normans. The coronet of a viscount is surrounded with pearls only. Wreath, a roll of silk, of two colours, blazoned on the shield, and laid on the helmet, as a support to the crest. SECTION III. . DEGREES OF PRECEDENCY, AND DIFFERENT KINDS OF ARMS. rons. Knights Banneret, if made in the field of battle. Master in Chancery. Viscounts' younger sons. Knights Banneret. Tradesmen. Artificers. The ladies, except those of archbishops, bishops, and judges, take place according to the quality of their husbands, and unmarried ladies take place according to that of their fathers. 314. The different kinds of arms are distinguished by different names, to denote the causes of their bear |