The Earl of Richmond defeated Richard III. at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, and the king was killed. Henry VII. was crowned king on the battlefield. He possessed a considerable number of manuscripts, and also a small library of printed books, which, as far as is known, were bound in velvet. Judging from the leather binding in Westminster Abbey Library, Henry also had some commoner books stamped with his coat-of-arms. Several bindings that were made for Henry VII. still exist; they are either at the Record Office, the Library of Westminster Abbey, or the British Museum, and are all bound in the same way. The binding is of red velvet, beautifully bossed with silver or other metal; the bosses are ornamented with the Royal coat-of-arms, with the red dragon of Cadwallader as a dexter supporter, and the white greyhound of the Nevills, or, when used by Henry VII., of the De Beauforts, as sinister supporter. But before using the dragon and greyhound Henry VII. had used two white lions. A white lion was the badge of the Earls of March, who were distantly connected with the King. The coat-of-arms used by Henry VII., _i.e._ France and England quarterly, was the same as had been used by all the English kings since Henry IV. in 1408, when the fleurs-de-lys semées, which had been hitherto used, were reduced to three, in accordance with the change made in the French coat by Charles VI., King of France. [Illustration] HENRY VIII., KING OF ENGLAND AND FRANCE, AND LORD OF IRELAND--AFTERWARDS KING OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, AND IRELAND. _Arms._--Quarterly. 1st and 4th; az., 3 fleurs-de-lys, 2 and 1, or. _France._ 2nd and 3rd; gu., 3 lions passant guardant, in pale or, langued and unguled az. _England._ _Crown._--Royal. _Supporters._--Dexter, a dragon gu. _Cadwallader._ Sinister, a greyhound arg., gorged or. _Nevill_ or _De Beaufort._ _Badges._--Dependent from the shield 2 portcullises or, nailed az., chained of the first. _De Beaufort._ At the top, a fleur-de-lys or, _France_; and a double rose gu. and arg., centred or, and leaved vert, _Tudor._ _Motto._--DIEV ET MON DROIT. _Legend._--REX HENRICVS VIII. [_Opus eximium de vera differentia regiae potestatis et ecclesiasticae._ London, 1534.] [Illustration] _Variety._--Arms as before. Panel stamp with 2 angels bearing scrolls. At the top a Tudor rose, and 2 portcullises dependent from the base of the shield, which is ensigned with a Royal crown, and supported by a dragon and a greyhound. [HOLKOT. _Opus revera insignissimum in librum Sapietie Salomonis editum._ Parisiis, 1518.] [Illustration]