excuse my self in two things before I enter into the Exemplifying of them The one that there is no cause that any man should expect at my hands an expresse demonstration of each particular species of them And that I should run through and display their manifold and almost innumerable kinds for that would be a tedious travell and besides an infinite and unnecessary charge and cost and withall far wide from the project of my prefixed purpose The other thing and the same more pertinent to that I do intend is That in handling of vegetables and Sensitives I purpose onely to distribute their severall ranks of Distribution according to their Order to them prescribed by Nature which to expresse is my chiefest drift and the principall scope that I do aime at Of the perfect sort of Creatures there are many kinds whereof some are of more perfection and more worthy than others according to their more excellent kind of life or worthinesse of soul Of these the lesse perfect sort of bodies were first created and then such as were of more perfection Plants are more worthy than Metals and Animals of more reckoning than Plants therefore were these first created and those afterwards Of Animals wherewith God did adorne the Aire the Waters and the Earth there are divers kinds whereof some were more worthy than others in the Creation of these did God observe the same order Between the Creation of Plants and Animals it pleased God in his unsearchable wisedome to interpose the Creation of the Stars wherewith he beautified the Heavens he did it to this end to give us to understand that albeit the Sun with his light and motion together with the Stars do concur in the generation of Plants and Animals neverthelesse their generation is not to be attributed simply to the influence and power of these Celestiall bodies but onely to the Omnipotency of God inasmuch as by his powerfull Word he commanded the Earth to produce all sorts of Plants and their fruits before the Stars were created From the most fertile and pleasant Garden of Eden unto the most barren and desolate Wildernesse may we see and behold the great and wonderfull Works of God and take occasion to extoll his Omnipotency Wisdome and Mercy As we may observe Esay 41.19 I will set in the Wildernesse the Cedar the Shittah tree and the Myrre tree and the Pine tree and I will set in the Wildernesse the Firre tree the Elme and the Box together Therefore let them see and know and let them consider and understand together that the hand of the Lord hath done this and that the Holy one of Israel hath created it Verse 20. Hence we may gather that there is no object so mean that presenteth it self to our view but will minister some just occasion to glorifie God Men are accustomed to attribute the propagation of these either to the influence of nature or to the travell and industry of man but these were produced before any other of like kind could be found upon the face of the Earth whereof it might be imagined they might receive being for as yet there had never fallen any raine to fructifie the Earth whereby it might produce green herbs nor as yet was Man created that might manure and till the ground for that purpose therefore neither were they produced naturally or of their own accord nor yet by the Art Skill or industry of Man but by the immediate Word and commandment of God The reason that moved Moses to give an instance of Plants and Herbs how that they were produced by the vertue and power of Gods word onely and not naturally or by the skill and industry of man neither yet of Animals nor of any other of the infinite number of things created Genesis 1.11 was this because the generation of Plants and Herbs might be much more doubted of than the originall of other things Of the first springing of Trees in the Creation Moses saith Et germinare fecerat Jehova Elohim è terra omnem arborem concupiscibilem id est visu bonam ad escam which words do comprehend all the desireable qualities of fruit trees for in them we expect that their fruits should be either delightfull to the Eye or that they should be fit for food and wholesome and that they be also fragrant and sweet smelling For the fruits of Trees the better they be the more odoriferous they are That the Trees wherewith Paradise was planted had all these qualities it is manifest by the words of Moses in that he saith Concupiscibilem ad visum bonam ad escam whereby we gather that the sight is delighted with things beautifull and glorious the smell with sweet and pleasant savours and the palate with things of sweet and pleasant taste And none of these are in themselves evill for such was the constitution of Adam before he transgressed that he might have delighted himself in them all without offence and to that end did God create them that he should use them with thanksgiving Moses describeth unto us two principall qualities of the Garden of Paradise whereby he layeth before us the pleasantnesse of the scituation thereof and also the beauty and fertility of the soil The first of these qualities was that it was replenished with all sorts of Trees not onely most pleasant and delightfull to the Eye but also most pleasant to the taste for that they produced the best and sweetest fruits The other quality was that the whole circumference of the Garden of Paradise was surrounded and invironed with a River being distributed into four heads which did highly beautifie the same and made it most pleasant to the view In this description Moses maketh mention of two Trees of speciall qualities that were planted in the middest of Paradise The one named the Tree of Life the other the Tree of Knowledge of good and evill The first of these had a vivificant power in it self the fruit whereof was ordained to this end That being eaten it would enable a Man never to feel sicknesse feeblenesse old Age or Death but should evermore continue in the same state of strength and agility of body This was the efficacy and power that was given to this Tree whereof it was never yet deprived Therefore was this quality after a sort naturall thereunto For this cause was there a Cherub set at the entrance of Paradise to keep out such as would enter the same and eate of the fruit of the Tree of Life that he should not alwayes live that kind of life How behovefull the knowledge of the vertues and operations of Trees Plants Herbs and other vegetables are for the extolling and manifesting the Omnipotency Wisdome Mercy loving favour and fatherly providence of our most gracious God towards sinfull Man is in that he hath created for the behoof and use of man as well touching his necessary food and rayment as for recreation and delight we may evidently perceive by Solomons
hew of Armes Tincture and is common as well to Differences of Armes as to the Armes themselves And the same is distributed into Colours and Furres Colour may be said to be an externall die Colours wherewith any thing is coloured or stained or else it may be said to be the glosse of a body beautified with light And the colour here mentioned is both Generall and Speciall By generall Colour Colour generall I understand the proper and naturall colour of each particular thing whether the same be Naturall or Artificiall of what kind soever that are depicted and set forth in their externall and proper beauty In this respect all colours whatsoever without exception may seem to pertain to this Art for so much as there is nothing in this world subjected to the sight of man but either is or aptly may be borne in Armes so spacious and generall is the scope of Armory In blazoning of things borne in their naturall or proper colour Blazon of things proper you shall onely term them to be borne proper which is a blazon sufficient for things of that kind and well fitting their property or nature for there are no terms of blazon allowed to things borne after that sort By speciall colours I mean such colours Speciall colours as by a certain peculiar propriety as it were doe belong to this Art of Armory These are both Simple and Mixt. Simple colours are those Simple colours what whose existence is of such absolute perfection in their kind as that they need not the participation of any other colour to make them absolute but doe communicate their naturall qualities to all other colours to make them perfect in which respect they are called elementa coloris as shall be shewed hereafter And those are White and Black Elements of colours To these in right belongeth the first place amongst colours because in the order of nature they were before all other colours Priora enim sunt compositis incomposita and are of Aâ—istâ—â—lâ— called Elementa colorum saying Albus niger sunt elementa colorum mediorum Onely White and Black are accounted simple colours bâ—cause all other colours whatsoever are raised either of an equall or unequall mixture or composition of these two which are as I may term them their common parents These are said to be the common parents of all other colours in respect they have their originall being from these either in an equall or disproportionable mixture Therefore I will begin with them and so proceed to the rest that we call colores Medii in respect of their participation of both Now forasmuch as practise is the scope of Doctrines to the end those things that are or shall be delivered may be the better conceived or borne in memory I have thought good to manifest them by particular examples of ocular demonstration in the plainest manner that I can devise Quia quaâ—is est rerum demonstratio talis futura est hominum scientia Examples and demonstrations are of great power and efficacie to illustrate and bring things to light wherein brevity the prop and aide of memory and sweet companion of facility is higly commended as Farnesius noteth saying Nihil est ad res illuminandas illustrius exemplis in quibus brevitas adjutrix memoriae facilitatis socia semper est commendata Resemblance of white The colour White is resembled to the light and the dignity thereof reckoned more worthy than the black by how much the light and the day is of more esteem than darknesse and the night whereunto black is likened Furthermore white is accounted more worthy than black Dignity in respect of the more worthy use thereof For men in ancient time were accustomed to note things well and laudably performed and esteemed worthy to be kept in memory with white and contrariwise whatsoever was holden reproachfull or dishonorable was noted with black as the Poet noteth saying Quae laudanda sorent quae culpanda vicissim Illa prius creta mox haec carbone notasti Moreover white challengeth the precedency of black according to Vpton in respect of the priority of time for that it was in nature before black which is a deprivation thereof Precedency Like as darknesse whereunto black is resembled is an exemption of light Omnis enim privatio praesupponit habitum Finally Vpton preferreth white before black in regard that white is more easily discerned and furthest seen in the Field This colour is most commonly taken in Blazon for the metall Silver and is termed Argent wheresoever the same is found either in Field or Charge This Metall representeth Water which next to the Aire is the noblest of all the Elements and in Armory it is termed Argent for that it approacheth neer to the Luminary Bodies To this Metall is given the second place next to Gold in regard that the Armory cannot be good that hath not in it either Gold or Silver It also for another cause bare the resemblance of Water which scowreth clenseth and putteth away all filth and uncleanness For in Blazon it betokeneth innoceney cleannesse of life and chastity amongst complexions it is likened to fleame as for the esteem of this Metal Silver we may observe in all Ages that Emperours Kings and Princes had and yet have their vessels of chief use of Silver As for the abundance of this Metall you may read 2 Chron. 9. How every man brought unto Salomon presents being vessels of Silver and vessels of Gold and Raiment and Armour and sweet Odors Horses and Mules from year to year And the King gave Silver in Jerusalem as stones c. Such was the plentifull abundance of this Metall in the dayes of Salomon In composition of Armes it is accounted a fault worthy blame to blazon this otherwise than Argent but in doubling of Mantles it is not so taken for therein it is not understood to be a Metall but the Skin or Furre of a little beast called a Lituit so named as I conceive Lithuania now called Luten a part of Sarmatia confining upon Polonia this Furre hath been heretofore much used by the ancient Matrons of the honorable Citie of London even by those that were of the chiefest account who ware the same in a kind of Bonnet called corruptly a Lettice cap. Now as touching Colores medii or mixed colours Colores medii it is to be understood that they are raised by the contemperation or mixture of the two Simples formerly handled as may appear by the Definition of Scribonius who saith Mixtus color est qui ex Simplicium contemperatione producitur All mixt or midling Colours that we call Colores medii are reckoned more Noble or Ignoble by participation that is to say as they doe partake more or lesse of the nobility of white which is resembled to light or of black which hath a resemblance of darknesse or deprivation of light Of these according to Scribonius some
be forced out of the Forrest so far that it is unlike that he will of himself return thitherto again and then the King or Queen giveth him over either for that he is weary or because he cannot recover him for that such a Hart hath shewed the King pastime for his delight and is also as Budeus noteth Eximius Cervus a goodly Hart and for that the King would have him return to the Forrest again he causeth open proclamation to be made in all Towns and Villages near to the place where the same Hart so remaineth That no manner of person or persons shall kill hurt Hart Royall proclaimed hunt or chase him but that he may safely return to the Forrest again from whence he came And then ever after such a Hart is called a Hart Royall proclaymed So that there are three sorts of Harts viz. Hart. Harts of three sorts Hart Royall and Hart Royall proclaimed A Hinde hath these degrees First Second Third year is called a Calfe Brockets sister Hynde Good Forresters have observed that when a Hart hath past his sixth year he is generally to be called a Hart of Tenne And afterwards according to the increase of this head Whether he be Crochod Palmed or Crowned When he breaketh heard and draweth to the Thickets or Coverts The Forresters or Woodmen do say he taketh his hold Forasmuch as it may oftentimes fall out as well in Coat-armours as in Badges that the Attires of Deer both Red and Fallow may be borne bendy barry or otherwise Counter-coloured I have thought it for the more apt blazon of them to annex such propriety of termes as the skilfullest Forresters or Woodmen do attribute unto their severall kinds so there may be a fit correspondence of Artificiall termes as well Woodman-like as Armoriall Adding withall their formes and shapes of their severall attires for the better and reddier conceiving of their particular parts and fit application of each particular terme to his proper part by the help of the Alphabeticall letters that I have for that purpose annexed to each part Skilfull Woodmen describing the head of a Hart do call the a Round Rolle next the Head b Main horn c Lowest Antlier d Next above thereunto e Next above that f Upper part of all The Bur. Beam Browanteliers Bezanteliers Royall Surroyall Top. And in a Bucks head they say Bur. c Beam b Braunch d Advancers e Palme a Spellers And though every Gentleman is not an Armorist or a skilfull Woodman yet it is not well beseeming men of a generous race to have a superficiall skill in either of these professions forasmuch as they both especially the former do well beseem the dignity of a Gentleman the one tending to the delight and recreation of the mind and the other to the health solace and exercise of the body That so in their mutuall converse they may be able to deliver their minds in fit termes in either kind and not in speeches either vulgar or obsolete For which cause I here set down the termes appropried by skilfull Forresters and Woodmen to beasts of Chase according to their severall names seasons degrees and ages like as I have formerly done of beasts of Venery as in example Of Beasts of Chase the Buck is the first And is termed the First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth year a Fawne Pricket Sorel Sore Buck of the first head Buck or great Buck. Next to the Buck is the Doe being accounted the second beast of Chase And is termed the First Second Third year a Fawne Prickets sister Doe ¶ The third Beast of Chase is a Fox which albeit he be said to be Politick and of much subtilty yet is the variety of terms of a Fox very scarce For in the First year Second he is called a Cub Fox Afterwards an old Fox or the like The Martern or Marton as some old Forresters or Woodmen do terme them being the fourth Beast of Chase hath these termes He is called the First Second year a Martern Cub Martern ¶ The fifth and last Beast of Chase is the Roe whose proper terms pertaining to chase are these He is said to be the First Second Third Fourth Fifth year a Kydde Gyrle Hein use Roe Buck of the first head Farre Roe Buck. These Beasts of Chase do make their abode all the day time in the Fields Fallow Deere more fearfull than hurtfull and upon the Hills and high Mountains where they may see round about them afar off for preventing their danger for these are more timerous of their own safety than dangerous and harmfull to men And in the night time when men be at rest and all things quiet then do they make their repaire to the Corn fields and Meadowes for food and relief for which respect they are called Campesties because they do haunt the Field and Champion grounds more than the Woods and thick coverts or thickets as we do most usually observe them Dente timetur Aper defendunt cornua Cervum Imbelles Damae quid nisi praeda sumus Martiall The Boares Tusks him protect the Hart trusts to his Horne We harmelesse armelesse Hindes for prey are left forlorne Forresters and Hunters do call this yearly mewing of their heads the beauty of their wildnesse and not the mewing of their Horns as the Latinists do term it These having mewed their heads do betake themselves to the thick brakes and coverts to hide them as well knowing they are disarmed of their naturall weapons And therefore do never willingly shew themselves abroad in the day times untill the Spring that they begin to bud and burgeon toward their renovation of force Hornes do betoken strength and fortitude inasmuch as God hath bestowed them upon beasts to be unto them Instruments or Weapons as well offensive as defensive As we may probably gather by that which is spoken by the Prophet David Psal 75.12 Psal 75.12 All the hornes of the ungodly will I break but the hornes of the righteous shall be exalted The bearing of the Boare in Armes betokeneth a man of a bold spirit skilfull politick in Warlike feats and one of that high resolution that he will rather die valorously in the Field than he will secure himself by ignominious flight He is called in Latine Aper according to Farnesius ab asperitate because he is so sharp and fierce in conflict with his foe And this is a speciall property in a Souldier that he be fierce in the encountring his Enemy and he bear the shock or burnt of the conflict with a noble and magnanimious Courage Miles enim dura aspera perfringit animi virium robore SECT III. CHAP. XV. Beasts having many Clawes HItherto of such beasts as we call Animalia biscula which have their feet parted onely into two clawes the next part of our distribution containeth those which are called Multifida which have many clawes of which sort are not onely Lyons Beares Wolves and others of fierce and ravenous
the Sun than by copulation and if by this latter whether they come of Egs or come forth living SECT III. CHAP. XVI NOw touching such Creatures as we termed Gliding Gliding Animals those may properly be said to be such which having no Feet at all do yet move and as it were slide from place to place some more slowly but other some with a certain Volubility and flexible Agitation of the Body do make their speedy way upon the Earth with many pliant Bowings and of these also some have for coverture their Skin onely some both Skin and Shell also of the Former sort are those now following with their like To the four-footed Egge-breeding Animals do the Serpents come very nigh as also other Reptiles For all Serpents have blood flesh sinewes and other like parts as four-footed Animals have although not in that perfection that they have them They are indowed also with head nostrils eyes tongue teeth and with lights and spleen and other inward parts and bowels of the body but much discrepant from the members and bowels of all others Notwithstanding that Serpents are farre unequall to four-footed Animals both in shape and strength yet will they not give place to many of them for sharpnesse of wit It is a creature full of subtilty as Moses testifieth Gen. 3. And the Serpent was more subtill then any beast of the field for besides his exterior senses he is crafty and and subtill in preserving his life in making choice of his lurking dens in acquiring his food in hatching up his brood in expelling from him and putting off his old slowgh So that for good cause did our Saviour exhort us in goodnesse to imitate the wisdome of the Serpent Animals as have both skin and shell These few examples may serve instead of many which might be brought of Serpents of sundry other names and natures which all are hitherto to be referred Now let us see one example of such Gliding or Sliding Animals as are more slow-paced and have both Skin and Shell to cover them of which number is the Snaile reckoned of all other that are borne in Coat-Armour the slowest and no marvell sith it carrieth on her back no lesse a burden than her whole house for which cause she is called Tardigrada Domiporta the slow-going House-bearer SECT III. CHAP. XIX Animals living above the earth A Second general member of our division of living Creatures concerning such as live above the Earth in the Aire as are the Fowles and Birds of all sorts and as we distinguished the former by their Feet so the same Method we will follow in these Their Feet therefore are in some whole or conjoyned in others divided the whole-footed do in a sort resemble the Palme of a mans hand and are therefore in Latine called Palmipedes such as the Swan Whole-footed what Goose Duck and for the most part all River Fowles as partly shall appear hereafter by Examples But here I hold it necessary entring into this Discourse to set down some general Rules or Notes concerning the Bearing of Birds or Fowles Fowles more worthy than Fishes that the Reader may know whither to resort for a resolution of such doubts as may arise touching their bearing Fowles or Birds are of more worthy Bearing in Coat-Armour than Fishes because they do more participate of Aire and Fire the two noblest and highest Elements than of Water or Earth All Fowles of whatsoever kind must be borne in Coat-armour as is best fitting the propriety of their naturall actions of going sitting standing stying c. Rule generall Otherwise such Armorie shall be said to be false because Ars imitatur naturam in quantum potest Art as much as possible it can doth imitate nature All Birds are mustered under the name of Fowles as under their Genus or Generall and so may seem after a sort to be one Neverthelesse in their Species Different qualities of Fowles or severall kinds they differ much touching their particular qualities for some of them are simple some others subtill some solitarie some sociable some melodious some articulate some docible some doltish and indocible some of long continuance and some onely of a few months lasting Leigh saith that Birds in an Escocheon shall be numbred unto Tenne and if they exceed that number Numbring of Fowles in Armes then they shall be said to be sans number and shall be so Blazoned but Chassaneus saith that they shall be numbred unto sixteen and of such Bearing and Blazoning he giveth instances of Monsieur Montmorancie and of the Lord Lovale Concerning the Beaks or Bills and Feet of Birds most Armorists finding them to be of a different colour from the rest of the body do term them all generally membred But under reformation of the skill I hold that as there is a difference in the Nobility of Birds so ought they to have distinct terms of blazon so that all those that either are whole-footed or have their feet divided and yet have no Tallons should be termed membred But the Cock and also all Birds of prey should be termed in Blazon Armed for as much as nature hath assigned the Cock being a Bird much addicted to battle spurs and to the birds of prey sharp and hooked Beaks and Tallons The Cock and Fowles of prey termed Armed not onely for encounter and defence but also to seize upon gripe and rend their prey and are to them as teeth and clawes unto Lyons Tigers and other fierce beasts Similium enim similis est ratio Where the things are like the reason is like It is generally observed that amongst Fowles of Prey The Female of fowles of prey hardiest the Female is the noblest and most hardie which Nature did so provide because besides her own sustenance the care of feeding her young doth especially lye on the Female and therefore if she should be timorous or cowardly she should not be able to provide food for her self and them Such Fowles saith Vpton as either in respect of their uniformity do never change colour naturally or by nature are diversly coloured shall be onely named in Blazon and no mention at all made of their Colours but shall be termed Proper unlesse they either in part or in whole be borne of some other Colour than is Naturall to them In the Blazoning of Fowles much exercised in flight if their Wings be not displaied they shall be said to be borne close as he Beareth an Eagle Falcon Swallow c. Close As in other fore-mentioned Creatures so in Fowles also besides the whole bearing the Parts or Members are also usually borne in Coat-armour as the Heads Wings Feathers and Legs and both Couping and Erasing are as incident unto the parts of Fowles as of those Terrestrials as by Examples following shall appear wherein I will first begin with River Fowles which for the most part are Whole-footed using neither Curiousnesse in their form of Placing or