For England, the tressure really implies, though not in heraldry, more than for Scotland. For the Saxon seven kingdoms had fallen into quite murderous anarchy in Charlemagne's time, and especially the most religious of them, Northumberland; which then included all the country between the Frith of Forth and the Cheviots commanded by the fortress of Edwin's Burg, (fortress now always standing in a rampant manner on its hind-legs, as the Modern Athens). But the pious Edwin's spirit had long left his burg, and the state of the whole district from which the Saxon angels--(non Angli)--had gone forth to win the pity of Rome, was so distracted and hopeless that Charlemagne called them "worse than heathens," and had like to have set his hand to exterminate them altogether; but the Third Fors ruled it otherwise, for luckily, a West Saxon Prince, Egbert, being driven to Charles's court, in exile, Charles determined to make a man of him, and trained him to such true knighthood, that, recovering the throne of the West Saxons, the French-bred youth conquered the Heptarchy, and became the first King of "England" (all England);--and the Grandfather of Alfred. Such belt of lilies did the French chivalry bind us with; the "tressure" of Charlemagne. Of the fourth shield, bearing the Irish Harp, and the harmonious psalmody of which that instrument is significant, I have no time to speak to-day; nor of the vegetable heraldry between the shields;--but before you lay the florin down I must advise you that the very practical motto or war-cry which it now bears--"one tenth of a pound," was not anciently the motto round the arms of England, that is to say, of English kings, (for republican England has no shield); but a quite different one--to wit--"Accursed (or evil-spoken of, maledictus, opposed to well-spoken of, or benedictus,) be He who thinks Evil;" and that this motto ought to be written on another Tressure or band than Charlemagne's, surrounding the entire shield--namely, on a lady's garter; specifically the garter of the most beautiful and virtuous English lady, Alice of Salisbury, (of whom soon); and that without this tressure and motto, the mere shield of Lions is but a poor defence. For this is a very great and lordly motto; marking the utmost point and acme of honour, which is not merely in doing no evil, but in thinking none; and teaching that the first--as indeed the last--nobility of Education is in the rule over our Thoughts, on which matter, I must digress for a minute or two. Among the letters just received by me, as I told you, is one from a working man of considerable experience, which laments that, in his part of the country, "literary institutes are a failure."