VVorkes of armorie deuyded into three bookes, entituled, the concordes of armorie, the armorie of honor, and of coates and creastes, collected and gathered by Iohn Bossewell Gentleman.

Armes Barrie.

[illustration]

As armes Palee are borne, so may they bee borne barrye, and of hym that beareth suche Armes, it is thus to bee sayde. He beareth barrie of vi. peces d'Argent and Azure.

William the cōquerour,* 1.1 what tyme hee entred thys Realme, hee did beare thys Coate Ar∣moure, but after hys conquest, he tooke to hym other Armes, videlicet two Leopards of gold in a field Gules. For as I rea∣de, Henry the seconde was the firste kynge that dyd beare three Lyons.

Also, it is to be knowne, that armes may in diuerse wise be Barred, and the firste maner is playne and streyghte, as is next before exemplefied. Yet in the blazon of them, ye shall not saye, hee beareth playne armes barred, But yf they bee otherwise borne, ye than must nedes declare the blazon of them, how they differ frō playne armes barrie, for some are borne Barrie vndee, barrye verrye, or enuec¦ked, barrye dauncye, or Bendye &c. Others also be barred

with a Lyon rampaunte, a greyhounde, or other Beaste. And some bee barred otherwise, as hereafter partely shal∣be shewed by sondrye examples folowing, videlicet.

[illustration]

1. D. Beareth barrie vndee, of 4. sable and Or.

2. E. Beareth Ermyne iij. barre ways verrye d'Or and Guyles.

3. F. Beareth Sable, twoo barres Daunsetye, d'Ar∣gente: And of a cote Armoure barry bendee. Reade in M. Gerarde Leighe hys Accidence, wher he en∣treateth of cotes commixt with two of the honorable Or∣dinaries.

4. Beareth barree of viij. pecis, argente, and verte, an Orle of Marlettes, Sable.

And note that these cotes barriez, are moste commonly borne of 6. and 8. pieces, but neuer aboue, as Upton wit∣nesseth: Yet when you se anye armes, hauing mo pieces, blaze them on thys wise.

[illustration]

Hee beareth on x. barrulet∣tes, Argent, and Gules••, a Lion rampant, Sable, armed, langued, and accolle d'Or, brise d'vne Croix de mesme en l'espaule.

The Frenche Heraultes bla∣ze thys cote, Face de dix pieces, and whether there be two Bar¦res, three or mo, they terme them all, Facee.

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Moreouer our Barre is ve∣rye often placed in Armes, e∣uen from the middest of the Dexter parte, to the Sinister of the Escocheon, so that the fielde muste containe twise so muche aboue the Barre, and as muche beneath, as y^e Barre is of it selfe. And therefore it conteineth but the fift parte of the fielde. As in example: B. beareth Argente, a Barre Gules.

Here note, that a Barre maie be borne with twoo Bar∣rulettes, one aboue, and the other beneath the Barre. And Barre, as I saide before, containeth but the first part of the fielde: and the Barrulet is a Diminutiue thereof,

and is but the fourth parte of the Barre. And these Bar∣rulettes are often founde Florie, or Flored, for that they be made after the maner of Floure de Luces, issuinge out of them as diuerse otherwise, whereof take these nexte for examples.

[illustration]

The firste beareth Uert, a Barre and twoo Barrulet∣tes, Or.

The seconde beareth Argent, a Barre, with two Bar∣rulettes Floritie, Sable.

The thirde beareth Gules, a Barre betwene two Clos∣settes, d'Or. The Closset is the halfe of the Barre. And

these two halfes thus deuided, haue y^e force of two Barres in the fielde, for moe, by the name of Barres, it maie not containe, and keepe equall diuisions.

The fourth beareth Argent, three Barres Gemewes, Sable.

[illustration]

He beareth Gules two Bar∣res D'or, ouer all a Cheuron, Sable. Gallicè sic: Portoit de Gueulles a deux faces D'or, au Cheuron de Sable sur le tout. I place this Cote here in the end thus charged, that the gentle Reader maye more plainelye vnderstande the same to be e∣qually deuided into fiue par∣tes, accordinge to the Rule a∣foresaide.

Notes

• * 1.1

  William Con¦querour.