Heraldric Mottoes.
[Illustration]
"We ought to be meek-spirited till we are assured of the honesty of
our ancestors; for covetousness and circumvention make no good _motto_
for a coat."
_Collier._
A motto is a word, or short sentence, inserted in a scroll placed
generally under a coat of arms, and occasionally over the crest. The word
is Italian, and equivalent to _verbum_. As usual with things of long
standing, a variety of opinions exists as to the origin of these pithy and
interesting appendages to family ensigns. It would be erroneous to
suppose that mottoes belong exclusively to Heraldry, for they are of much
more antient date than the first outline of that system. Both sacred and
profane history furnish us with proofs of their very early use. The
declaration of the Almighty to Moses,[191] "I am that I am," may be
regarded as a motto expressive of the immutability of the Divine
perfections. Among mankind, mottoes must have been chosen to express the
predominant feelings of piety, love, moral virtue, military courage, and
family pride, as soon as those feelings manifested themselves, that is to
say, in the earliest stages of social existence. Without tarrying to enter
into the philosophy of this subject, it will be sufficient for us here to
inquire in what way these brief expressions of sentiment became the almost
indispensable adjunct to the armorial honours of individuals and of
families.
The origin of heraldric mottoes might probably be traced to two sources,
in themselves diametrically opposed to each other; I mean Religion and
War. "Extremes," we are told, "sometimes meet," and certainly these two
feelings did coalesce in the institutions of chivalry, if we may be
allowed to prostitute the holy name of religion by identifying it with the
frenzy which possessed the human mind in such enterprises as the Crusades.
It is uncertain whether we ought to deduce the origin of mottoes from
those devout ejaculations, such as ='Drede God!'--'Jesu mercy--Lady
helpe,'= which occur on antient tombs, or from the _word of onset_,
employed by generals on the battle-field to stimulate their soldiers to
great feats of prowess. The preponderance in point of number of religious
mottoes would incline us to the former supposition; but the general
opinion of our best authors favours a military origin. The war-cry, known
in Latin as the _Clamor militaris_, in French as the _Cri de guerre_, and
in the Scottish language as the _Slughorn_, or _Slogan_, is of very remote
antiquity. In early scripture history we have an example in "The sword of
the Lord and of Gideon," the word of onset employed by the Hebrews against
the Midianites in the valley of Jezreel.[192] Among barbarous nations at
the present day it has its representative in the war-whoop, or yell,
employed as well to animate the courage of their own party as to inspire
terror in the hearts of their enemies. From an early period the phrase '=a
boo!=' was employed by the Irish for these purposes. This expression, in
course of time, became the motto of many of the great families of that
island, with the adjunct of their surname or the name of their chief
fortress. Hence the '_Crom a boo_' of the Earls of Leinster; the '_Shanet
a boo_' of the Earls of Desmond; the '_Butler a boo_' of the Butlers; the
'_Galriagh a boo_' of the Bourkes, Lords Clanricarde, &c. &c. In England,
France, and other countries, an invocation of the patron saints, St.
George, St. Denis, &c. constituted the war-cry of the common cause; but in
intestine wars each party had their separate cry, and every commander
urged on his forces by the well-recognized shout of his own house. That
this practice prevailed in England so recently as the close of the
fifteenth century appears from an Act of Parliament, passed in the tenth
year of Henry VII, to abolish these cries as productive of rancour among
the nobles, who, with their retainers, were thenceforth enjoined to call
only upon St. George and the king.
The following are some of the antient _cris-de-guerre_:
The kings of France, 'Montjoye[193] St. Denis!'
The kings of England, 'Montjoye Notre Dame, St. George!'
Edward III (in a skirmish near Calais) 'Ha! St. Edward! Ha! St.
George!'
The dukes of Burgundy, 'Montjoye St. Andrew!'
The kings of Scotland, 'St. Andrew!'
The dukes of Normandy, 'Dieu aye!' (aide.)
The emperors of Germany, 'A dextre et a sinistre!'
The counts of Milan, 'Milan the Valiant!'
The counts of Hainault, 'Hainault the Noble!'
The use of mottoes became very fashionable in England from the example of
Edward III. The motto of the Garter, '=Honi soit qui mal y pense=,' with
the order itself, dates from this reign.[194] Edward made use of various
mottoes suited to different occasions and circumstances. Many of these are
now obscure, and appear destitute of point, such as 'It is as it is,'
embroidered upon a white linen doublet made for this king. Others are more
easily understood, as the daring and profane couplet wrought upon his
surcoat and shield, provided to be used at a tournament:
"=Hay, hay, the wythe Swan;
By Gode's soul I am thy man!="
Mottoes upon antient seals are extremely rare. Mr. Montagu says, "I have
examined many hundred early seals and engravings and drawings of seals
preserved in the British Museum, and I know but of about half a dozen....
One is of the year 1418, inscribed 'SIGILLUM JEAN DE JUCH,' and contains
the motto =Bien Sur=. Perhaps the very earliest instance of a motto
anywhere is afforded by the seal of Sir John de Byron, appended to a deed
dated 21{o} Edward I."[195] The motto here is CREDE BERONTI, surrounding
the arms.[196]
Many mottoes retain their original orthography, and stand in Old English
or Old French. The greater number are Latin or French, though we
occasionally see mottoes in Welsh, Irish, Cornish, Scottish, and Italian;
and I have even met with two or three in Greek.
Mottoes have been divided into three sorts: the enigmatical, the
sentimental, and the emblematical. A better classification might probably
suggest itself; but, in the absence of one, I shall make use of this in
the examples which follow.
The ENIGMATICAL are those whose origin is involved in mystery, as that of
the Duke of Bedford, "Che sara, sara," _What will be, will be_; and that
of the Duke of Bridgewater, "Sic donec," _Thus until----!_ A late
barrister used "Non Bos in Lingua," _I have no Bull upon my Tongue!_
alluding to the Grecian didrachm, a coin impressed with that animal, and
expressive, probably, of the bearer's determination not to accept a
bribe.[197] The motto of the Lords Gray was "_Anchor, fast anchor_," and
that of the Dakynses, of Derbyshire, "=Strike Dakyns; the Devil's in the
Hempe="--enigmatical enough, certainly!
SENTIMENTAL mottoes are very numerous. A multitude of them are of a
religious character, as "Spes mea in Deo," My hope is in God; "In Deo
salutem," In God I have salvation; "Sola virtus invicta," Virtue alone is
invincible; "Non mihi, sed Christo," Not to myself, but to Christ; "Sub
Cruce," Under the Cross. Many are loyal and patriotic, as "Vincit amor
patriae," Love of country conquers; "Non sibi sed patriae," Not for himself,
but for his country; "Patria cara, carior Libertas," My country is dear,
but my liberty is dearer. Others are philanthropic, as "Homo sum," I am a
man; "Non sibi solum," Not for himself alone. Treffry of Cornwall used
'=Whyle God wylle=,' and Cornwall of the same county, '=Whyle lyff
lasteth=.'
But the most curious class of mottoes are the EMBLEMATICAL, some of which
allude to the charges in the arms, and others to the surname, involving a
pun. Of those allusive to the arms or crest, the following are examples:
That of the Earl of Cholmondeley is "Cassis tutissima virtus," Virtue the
safest helmet; alluding to the helmets in his arms: and that of the
Egertons, "Leoni, non sagittis fido," I trust to the lion, not to my
arrows; the arms being a lion between three pheons or arrow-heads. The
crest of the Martins of Dorsetshire was an ape, and their motto, HE . WHO
. LOOKS . AT . MARTIN'S . APE, MARTIN'S . APE . SHALL . LOOK . AT . HIM!
Much wit, and, occasionally, much absurdity are found in punning mottoes.
That the soundness of a sentiment is not necessarily injured, however, by
the introduction of a pun, is proved by such mottoes as these:--
ADDERLEY of Staffordshire. _Addere Le_-gi Justitiam Decus. 'Tis a
support to the Law to add Justice to it.
FORTESCUE (E.) _Forte Scu_-tum salus ducum. A strong shield is the
safety of commanders.
PETYT. Qui s'estime _petyt_ deviendra grand. He who esteems himself
little shall become great.
JEFFERAY of Sussex. _Je feray_ ce que je diray. I shall keep my word.
Some mottoes are intentionally ambiguous, as--
HONE of Ireland. _Hone_sta Libertate, OR, _Hone_, sta Libertate. With
a just Liberty, or, Hone, support liberty!
VERNON. _Vernon_ semper viret, OR, _Ver non_ semper viret; Vernon ever
flourishes, OR, Spring does not always bloom.
By far the greater number, however, exhibit punning for its own sake; for
example--
BELLASISE. Bonne et _belle assez_. Good and handsome enough.
CAVE of Northamptonshire. _Cave!_ Beware!
D'OYLEY of Norfolk. ='Do' no 'yll,' quoth Doyle!=
DIXIE of Leicestershire. Quod _dixi dixi_. What I've said I have said.
ESTWICK. _Est hic._ Here he is.
FAIRFAX. Fare, fac! Speak, do! (A word and a blow!)
HART of Berks. Un coeur fidelle. A faithful _heart_.
ONSLOW. Festina lente. _On slow!_ OR, Hasten cautiously.
PIEREPONTE. _Pie repone te._ Repose piously.
SCUDAMORE. _Scutum amor_is divini. The shield of Divine Love.
COURTHOPE. _Court hope!_
Here is a _truism_:
VERE Earl of Oxford. _Vero_ nil _verius_. Nothing truer than truth.
And here a _Cockneyism_:
WRAY of Lincolnshire. Et juste et _vray_. Both just and true.
"_Set on!_" says SETON, Earl of Wintoun; "_Boutez en avant!_" Lead
forward! says Viscount Buttevant;
='Fight on,' quoth Fitton!
'Smite,' quoth Smith!=
Pugnacious fellows!
Many a gibe has found vent in a motto. A London tobacconist who had set up
his carriage, requiring a motto for his arms, was furnished with "QUID
_rides_?" Why do you laugh? and a great hop-planter found the following
chalked beneath the arms upon his chariot:
"Who'd 'a thought it,
_Hops_ had bought it?"
Dr. _Cox Macro_, the learned Cambridge divine, consulting a friend on the
choice of a motto, was pithily answered with "_Cocks may crow_!"
There are some 'lippes,' as Camden says, which like 'this kind of
lettuce.' For the behoof of such the following list is set down, without
regard to any classification:
CAVENDISH. _Cavendo_ tutus. Safe by caution.
CHARTERIS, Earl. (Crest, an arm brandishing a sword; over it) This
_is_ our _Charter_!
FANE, Earl of Westmoreland. _Ne vile_ FANO. Dishonour not the temple.
The first and second words allude to his descent from the family of
_Neville_.
GRAVES of Gloucestershire. _Graves_ disce mores. Learn serious
manners.
COLE. Deum _cole_, Regem serva. Fear God, serve the King.
JAMES. _J'aime jamais._ I love ever.
COLLINS. _Colens_ Deum et Regem. Reverencing God and the King.
MAJOR of Suffolk. (Arms, three Corinthian columns.) Deus _major_
columna. God is a greater support than pillars.
WAKE of Somersetshire. _Vigila_ et ora. _Watch_ and pray.
PUREFOY of Leicestershire. _Pure foy_ ma joye. Sincerity is my
delight.
RIVERS of Kent. Secus rivos aquarum. By the rivers of waters.
POLE of Devon. _Pollet_ virtus. Virtue bears sway.
TEY of Essex. _Tais_ en temps. Be silent in time.
WISEMAN of Essex. Sapit qui Deum sapit. He is _wise_ who is wise
towards God.
PAGITT of Surrey. _Pagit_ Deo. He covenants with God.
MAYNARD, Viscount. _Ma_nus justa _nard_us. A just hand is a precious
ointment.
MOSLEY of Northumberland. _Mos le_gem Regis. Agreeable to the King's
law.
ROCHE, Viscount de Rupe, &c. Mon Dieu est ma _Roche_. My God is my
Rock.
VINCENT. _Vincenti_ dabitur. It shall be given to the conqueror.
VYVYAN. Dum _vivimus viva_mus. While we live, let us live.
TEMPLE, Viscount Cobham. _Templa_ quam dilecta. How beloved are thy
_Temples_!
ALGOOD. Age omne bonum. Do _all good_.
Having _drawn_ thus largely upon the humour of motto-coiners, and,
perchance, upon the patience of those readers who can _draw_ no amusement
from such conceits, I now _draw_ this chapter to a close, by quoting the
motto of the antient company of the _wire-drawers_ of the city of London,
which is, Latine, "Amicitiam _trahit_ amor," and Anglice, Love _draws_
friendship!
[Illustration: (Conjectural origin of the Pile, p. 63)]