Ancient funerall monuments within the vnited monarchie of Great Britaine, Ireland, and the islands adiacent with the dissolued monasteries therein contained: their founders, and what eminent persons haue beene in the same interred. As also the death and buriall of certaine of the bloud royall; the nobilitie and gentrie of these kingdomes entombed in forraine nations. A worke reuiuing the dead memory of the royall progenie, the nobilitie, gentrie, and communaltie, of these his Maiesties dominions. Intermixed and illustrated with variety of historicall obseruations, annotations, and briefe notes, extracted out of approued authors ... Whereunto is prefixed a discourse of funerall monuments ... Composed by the studie and trauels of Iohn Weeuer.

In the raigne of our Soueraigne Lord and King now liuing, these.

Thomas Preston, Portcullis. Who in the yeare 1630. vpon the birth of the right excellent Prince Charles, was by his Maiestie imployed to the Lords Iustices of the kingdome of Ireland with his Maiesties most gracious letters (according to the ancient custome) signifying to that Realme that most happy newes. Vpon whose arriuall, the State there made great and large expressions of their ioyfull hearts for such welcome tidings, worthily receiuing and bountifully rewarding the said Officer of Armes.

George Owen, Rougecroix.

William Ryley, Rouge-Rose, extr. Created 31. Iulij 1630.

Noblemen and Peeres of this Land, in ancient time had their Heralds peculiar vnto themselues, saith Milles. For Chester the Herauld, and Falco the Pursuiuant, liued at the command of the Prince of Wales, and serued him: Humfrey Duke of Glocester, and Earle of Penbroke, had the Herald Penbrooke, his domesticall Seruant. Richard also Duke of Glocester, hauing now obtained the kingdome, would needs haue his Herauld Glocester to be called King of Armes for all Wales. Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolke, retained Suffolke Herauld, and Marleon Pursuiuant. The Marquesse of Dor∣cester, kept Groby Herauld. The Earle of Northumberland, Northumber∣land Herauld, and Esperance Pursuiuant. Arthur Plantaginet Viscount Lisle, tooke vnto himselfe Lisle Pursuiuant, and Baron Hastings, Hasting Pursuiuant. But the condition of the Seruant is made better by the dignitie of his Lord and Master, so these forenamed Heraulds liued not with like authoritie or priuiledges with the Kings.

And here now giue me leaue to speake a little more of the Aetymologie, Antiquitie, and dignitie of Heraulds in generall.

Herald,* 1.1 Herold, or Herault, dicitur quasi Herus altus, a high Maister: For this Officer was of great authoritie amongst the Romanes, who plural∣ly called them Feciales, a faciendo, quod belli pacisque faciendae penes cos ius erat, or Fediales a faedere faciendo. And so with vs the word signifieth an Officer at Armes, whose function is to denounce warre, to proclaime peace, or otherwise to be employed by the King, in martiall messages, or other businesse; and so they are called Internuncij vel pacis, vel belli ferendi. Mes∣sengers to carrie and offer either warre or peace.

Heralt, saith Verstegan, in the Title of Honours and Offices, is meerely a Teutonic or Duytch word, and in that tongue and no other, the true Ae∣tymologie thereof is onely to be found.

To begin then with the first syllable thereof, which is Here, though in composition abridged to Her, it is the true and ancient Teutonic word for an Armie, the same that Exercitus is in Latine; and in that sence it is yet

vsed in Germany. And whereas the Germanes doe now vse Here also for Lord, yet anciently they so vsed it not. And although the Teutonic be more mixed with other strange languages; yet this word Here, as they vse it for Lord or master, hath crept into their language from Herus in Latine, after that the Latine tongue became knowne vnto them.

A Healt in the Teutonick, is a most couragious person, a champion, or an especiall challenger to a fight or combat, of the weapon that such some∣time most vsed, called a Healtbard, because it was borne by a Healt, we yet, though corruptly, retaine the name of Holbard, and the Netherlands make it Heilbard.

Here-healt by abbreuiation Heralt, as also Herald, doth rightly signifie, the Champion of the armie. And (growing to be a name of Office) he that hath in the armie the especiall charge to challenge vnto battell or combat: in which sense our name of Herald doth nearest approach vnto Fecialis in Latine, as I haue touched before.

* 1.2The Feciales amongst the Romanes, saith one, were Priests. For Numa Pompilius (who flourished circa ann. mundi 3283.) the second King of the Romanes, diuided the institution of diuine honour into eight parts, and so instituted and ordained eight seuerall orders of Priests; and endowed the Colledge of these Feciales or Heralds with the seuenth part of this his sa∣cred constitution. Their Colledge at Rome was composed of twenty He∣raulds, chosen out of ancient and eminent families, the chiefe whereof (for excellence) was called Pater Patratus, because by being chiefe of that com∣panie, he ought to haue children, and his owne Father yet liuing. Their chiefe office was, To take care that the Romanes did not commence, and make vniust warre against any confederate Citie, and that if any such a city had committed any thing against the conditions of the confederacie, truce, and entercourse, then they were to go as Embassadours, first to challenge their right in milde words; which if denyed, then to proclaime warre, Ne∣que iustum aliquod bellum fore censebatur, nisi id per Feciales esset indictum: Neither was any warre thought to be iust and lawfull, but that which was denounced by these Feciales, or Heralds.

* 1.3In France (saith Andrew Favine) Heralds haue euer beene in high esteeme, and not onely the King of Armes, Mont-ioy, S. Denis, but also the other Heralds, and Pursuiuants, were of noble extraction: and Mont-ioy could not be admitted without making proofe of his Noblenesse by three races, as well of his Fathers stocke, as by his mothers side. There was two thousand pounds of rents in Lands and free tenure, allowed for the said Mont-ioy particularly, and a thousand pounds of annuall pension, besides other rights. As for the other Heralds, they haue a thousand pounds in pen∣sion, with other rights and priuiledges.

Now for such rights and priuiledges as were granted to kings of Armes and Heralds, some doe ascribe them to the King and Emperour Charle∣maigne: others to Alexander the Great of Macedon, and others to the Emperour of Germany, Charles king of Bohemia, fourth of that name, nou∣rished from his youth in the Court of the Father of Cheualrie, Philip de Valoys, king of France, sixth and last of that name, as here followeth the tenure in these words.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Aetymolo∣gie, Antiquity, and Dignity of Heralds.
• * 1.2

  Heralds Priests Rosinus Ant. Rom. li. 3. c. 21.
• * 1.3

  Heralds of France of no∣ble descent.