"The so-called arms of the town of Guildford have nothing _heraldric_ about them," that is, they are not framed in accordance with the laws of blazon. To say that they are not _heraldic_, would be to say that they do not declare war, attend coronations, wear a tabard, or perform any of the functions of a herald--a gross absurdity. A literary friend, who objects to my reasoning, thinks that the _one word_, _heraldic_, answers every purpose for both applications. That it has done so, heretofore, is not certainly a reason why it should after the distinction has been pointed out. Besides, my doctrine is not unsupported by analogy. We have a case precisely parallel in the words _monarchal_ and _monarchical_; and he who would charge me with innovation must, to be consistent with himself, expunge _monarchical_ from his dictionary as a useless word. LEWES; DEC. 1844. Contents. CHAP. PAGE I. THE FABULOUS HISTORY OF HERALDRY 1 II. THE AUTHENTIC HISTORY OF HERALDRY 15 III. RATIONALE OF THE FIGURES EMPLOYED IN HERALDRY 49 IV. THE CHIMERICAL FIGURES OF HERALDRY 89 V. THE LANGUAGE OF ARMS 105 VI. ALLUSIVE ARMS--ARMES PARLANTES 119 VII. CRESTS, SUPPORTERS, BADGES, etc. 133 VIII. HERALDRIC MOTTOES 151 IX. HISTORICAL ARMS--AUGMENTATIONS 161 X. DISTINCTIONS OF RANK AND HONOUR 197 XI. HISTORICAL NOTICES OF THE COLLEGE OF ARMS 219 XII. BRIEF NOTICES OF DISTINGUISHED HERALDS AND HERALDRIC WRITERS, WITH QUOTATIONS FROM THEIR WORKS 245 XIII. GENEALOGY 281 Appendix. A. ON DIFFERENCES IN ARMS, NOW FIRST PRINTED FROM A MS. BY SIR EDWARD DERING, BART. 297 B. THE ANTIENT PRACTICE OF BORROWING ARMORIAL ENSIGNS ILLUSTRATED FROM THE ARMS OF CORNISH FAMILIES 309 C. ABATEMENTS 313 D. GRANT OF ARMS TEMP. EDW. III. 315 E. NOTICE OF AN ANTIENT STEELYARD WEIGHT DISCOVERED AT LEWES 317 ERRATA. Page 15, line 6, _for_ pays? _read_ pays! 20, -- 15, for _preterea_ read _præterea_. The distinction between the _supports_ and _tenans_ of French heraldry made at page 144 is erroneous. The true distinction is that human figures and angels, when employed to support the shield, are called _tenans_, while quadrupeds, fishes, or birds engaged in the same duty are styled _supports_. THE CURIOSITIES OF HERALDRY. CHAPTER I. Fabulous History of Heraldry. [Illustration]