In the last battle fought by the famous Earl of Warwicke for K. Henry 6th
against K. Edward the 4th, the day grew hopefull for Warwick by the valor
of the Earl of Oxford: Oxford's soldiery had his star, or rather mullet,
embroidered on their coats--K. Edward's men, saith Speed, the sun; but it
was indeed a little white rose, with the rayes of the sun-beams pointing
round about it. The day was overcast and foggy; Oxford had made such
impression upon the Yorkists, that many fled from the field at Barnet to
London, giving out the news that the day was Warwick's. Warwick, intending
to perfect the victory over that part of K. Edward's army, came up to
Oxford, when, the light being dull with mists, rendered Oxford's badge as
big as the king's, the difference in form and colours being but little; so
that Warwick's men by mistake let fly at those of Oxford. They seeing
Warwick's ragged staff and bear making havock at their backs, whilst they
were pressing forward on K. Edward's sun-beams, not knowing or guessing
the cause and Error, cryed out, "Treason! Treason! we are all betrayed."
Hereupon the Earl of Oxford, with 800 men fled the field, and the Yorkists
prevailed, with the death of the great Warwick and his brother the Marquis
of Montacute.
Other examples have been two; in Wyrley one, of the two Baliols--the
other of the French Lord of Chine, who laying up the Lord Courcy's banner,
the English of Sir Hugh Calvely's company, reputing them friends, were
thereby unfortunately slain, and the Lord Courcy had thereupon dishonour
spoken of him, though absent as far as Austrich.
"This Chine did raise Lord Courcy's fair Devise,
Which was 6 Bars of vairy and of red;
This way the same or difference small so nice
And slender that 'mongst them they error bred,
Which now were either taken slain or fled.
All men of younger house which banners bear
Should have their difference glist'ning large and fair."
_Capital de Bur_, p. 151.
These minute differences, as they were antiently dangerous and
insufficient, so in manner as they are now used they were then unknown;
neither is there art enough by any of our heralds' rules, though much
refined of late, to guide one so as to know which of the Crescent-bearers
was the uncle or which the nephew, and for Crescent upon Crescent, Mullet
upon Mullet, etc. in a pedigree of no great largeness, perspective-glasses
and spectacles cannot help you; but you must have Lyncean eyes, or his
that could write Homer's Iliads, and fold them into a nutshell.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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