Many legends account for the heraldic use of ermine, notably that relating how, when Conan Meriadic landed in Brittany, an ermine sought shelter from his pursuers under Conan's shield. Thereupon the Prince protected the small fugitive, and adopted an ermine as his arms. [Illustration: FIG. 13.--ERMINE.] From early days the wearing of ermine was a most honourable distinction, enjoyed only by certain privileged persons, and disallowed to them in cases of misdemeanour. Thus, when, in the thirteenth century, Pope Innocent III. absolved Henry of Falkenburg for his share in the murder of the Bishop of Wurtzburg, he imposed on him as a penance _never_ to appear in ermine, vair, or any other colour used in tournaments. And, according to Joinville, when St. Louis returned to France from Egypt, "he renounced the wearing of furs as a mark of humility, contenting himself with linings for his garments made of doeskins or legs of hares." As to vair, Mackenzie tells us that it was the skin of a beast whose back was blue-grey (it was actually meant for the boar, for which _verres_ was the Latin name), and that the figure used in heraldry to indicate vair represents the shape of the skin when the head and feet have been taken away (Fig. 14). "These skins," he says, "were used by ancient governors to line their pompous robes, sewing one skin to the other." Vair was first used as a distinctive badge by the Lord de Courcies when fighting in Hungary. Seeing that his soldiers were flying from the field, he tore the lining from his mantle and raised it aloft as an ensign. Thereupon, the soldiers rallied to the charge and overcame the enemy. [Illustration: FIG. 14.--VAIR.] Cinderella's glass slipper in the fairy-tale, which came originally from France, should really have been translated "fur," it being easy to understand how the old French word _vaire_ was supposed to be a form of _verre_, and was rendered accordingly. Much might still be said about "varied fields"--_i.e._, those which have either more than one colour or a metal _and_ a colour alternatively, or, again, which have patterns or devices represented upon them. We can, however, only mention that when the field shows small squares alternately of a metal and colour, it is described as _checky_, when it is strewn with small objects--such as _fleurs-de-lys_ or billets--it is described as "powdered" or "sown." A diapered field is also to be met with, but this, being merely an artistic detail, has no heraldic significance. Therefore, whereas in blazoning armorial bearings one must always state if the field is checky or powdered, the diaper is never mentioned.