_Lions passant dimidiated._--A curious survival of the ancient but now {182} obsolete practice of dimidiation is found in the arms of several English seaport towns. Doubtless all can be traced to the "so-called" arms of the "Cinque Ports," which show three lions passant guardant dimidiated with the hulks of three ships. There can be no doubt whatever that this originally came from the dimidiation of two separate coats, viz. the Royal Arms of England (the three lions passant guardant), and the other "azure, three ships argent," typical of the Cinque Ports, referring perhaps to the protection of the coasts for which they were liable, or possibly merely to their seaboard position. Whilst Sandwich[13] uses the two separate coats simply dimidiated upon one shield, the arms of Hastings[14] vary slightly, being: "Party per pale gules and azure, a lion passant guardant or, between in chief and in base a lion passant guardant of the last dimidiated with the hulk of a ship argent." From long usage we have grown accustomed to consider these two conjoined and dimidiated figures as one figure (Fig. 299), and in the recent grant of arms to Ramsgate[15] a figure of this kind was granted as a simple charge. [Illustration: FIG. 295.--Two lions rampant combatant.] [Illustration: FIG. 296.--Lion passant.] [Illustration: FIG. 297.--Lion passant guardant.] The arms of Yarmouth[16] afford another instance of a resulting figure of this class, the three lions passant guardant of England being here dimidiated with as many herrings naiant. _Lion statant._--The distinction between a lion passant and a lion statant is that the lion statant has all four paws resting upon the {183} ground. The two forepaws are usually placed together (Fig. 300). Whilst but seldom met with as a charge upon a shield, the lion statant is by no means rare as a crest. _Lion statant tail extended._--This term is a curious and, seemingly, a purposeless refinement, resulting from the perpetuation in certain cases of one particular method of depicting the crest--originally when a crest a lion was always so drawn--but it cannot be overlooked, because in the crests of both Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and Percy, Duke of Northumberland, the crest is now stereotyped as a lion in this form (Fig. 301) upon a chapeau. [Illustration: FIG. 298.--Lion passant regardant.] [Illustration: FIG. 299.--Lion passant guard. dimidiated with the hulk of a ship.] [Illustration: FIG. 300.--Lion statant.] [Illustration: FIG. 301.--Lion statant tail extended.] [Illustration: FIG. 302.--Lion statant guardant.] [Illustration: FIG. 303.--Lion salient.] _Lion statant guardant_ (Fig. 302).--This (crowned) is of course the Royal crest of England, and examples of it will be found in the arms of the Sovereign and other descendants, legitimate and illegitimate, of Sovereigns of this country. An exceptionally fine rendering of it occurs in the Windsor Castle Bookplates executed by Mr. G. W. Eve.