A Scotch Copy of a Poem on Heraldry

The text (simplified)

FIrst as the erth incresith populus, 
        So convalit varianceand vicis, 
Amang men materis maliciouse, 

    So that few mycht laubour for discrepancis, 
    quhill nobilnes in armes, lordly pusancis, 
        and of heraldis the werschipful ordour, 
        Of quham I think to tret, set weyis sure. 

In werris of thebes, athenis, and troyis tounis, 
    with otheris mo of gret antiquiteis, 
Banneris, standeris, gittovnis, pensalis, penonis, 
    borne by princis, nobillis, and commyniteis, 

    In ferre of werre, pes, or ony degreis, 
        I find thai war most merkis, as merchandis 
        Beris toknis or signetis on ther handis. 



Quhill efter euer the langest leving men 
    heris, speris, and lernis more felle and wit, 
Diuerse folkis ingenyouse fyndene thene
    In well degest myndis considerit, 
    Be celestial inspiring part tuk it, 
        To set armes in metallis and colouris, 
        ffor seir causis bering sertyn figouris, 

Sum sonne, sum monne, sum sternis, sum elementis, 
    Sum best, sum bird, sum fische, sum frut, sum flouris, 
and mony mo siclik; Sum with defferentis, 
    Sum alterit, als sum in ther awin nature; 
    Sum, not the hole, bot part in raschit figouris, 
        As my simplest consate sal suin mak clere, 
        With correctiouñ, and now quha likis heir. 

The eldest, gret, most populus, mortal were, 
    wes at thebes, quhiche at linth I did write, 
Quhare palamonne and arsite, woundit there, 
    Be ther cotis of armes knawin parfite, 
    Be heraldis war, sum sais, bot that I nyte, 
        ffor in thai dais heraldis war not create, 
        Nor that armes set in propir estate. 

Bot eftir that troy, quhar so mony kingis war 
    Seging without, and other within the toune, 
So mony princis, knychtis, and peple there, 
    as this my buk the most sentence did soune, 
    all thocht spedful in o conclusioune, 
        That nobillis bere merkis, to mak be knawin, 
        ther douchtynes in dedis of armes schawin:



The fader the hole, the eldast son deffer[e]nt, 
    quhiche a labelle; a cressent the secound; 
third a molet; the fourt a merl to tent; 
    fift anne aglot; the vj a flour had fond, 
    Clepit delice. than fader or we the suld grond 
        Armes to mo, gif thai be with difference 
        As plesit him: thus armes begoñ fro{m~}[small letter m with macron] thens. 

Than troy distroyit, the werris endit, the lordis 
    I seir landis removit; and so brutus 
(his lif and dait my buk efter recordis,) 
    Come in brutane with folkis populus,
    And brocht with him this werly merkis thus, 
        quhiche succedis in armes to this date; 
        Bot lang efter troy, heraldis war nocht creat. 

Mony haldis that gret Iulius cesar 
    ffand, and did mast be wit and discreciouñ, 
how in metallis and colouris armes ar 
    Now propir set with hie perfectiouñ 
    In braid feldis to bere and to blasouñ. 
        On principal I traist wes his pradens, 
        With otheris mo preceding him and sence.

Gold and siluer, ij preciouse metallis pure, 
    ffour colouris bene propir, and the[r]-with mixt, 

Sable, goulis, asur, vert: perpure 
    the[r]-with wnproper, as proportis the text; 
    In it apperis diuerse colouris befixt, 
        therfor it is not o propir colour, 
        Bot sufferit so in armes of honour. 

To blasoune therin vertuys stanis, gold Is 
    more precius than oucht that ma be set. 
In it bot stonne goldy, as thopasis; 
    Siluer is perl; sable, diamont of det; 
    Goulis, ruby; asur, the saphir set; 
        Vert, emeraut; pu[r]pour, the amathis. 
        Tovny colour, sum haldis cassidone Is. 

Sum seis siluer and sable ar the richest, 
    ffor in tho two most cristin and hethin kingis 
makis and brekis ther lawis As thai lust best; 
    and quhen thai tak honour othir or sic thingis, 
    thai sit in sable and siluer that euery bringis; 
        and of brutane the duk, bering the sammyñ, 
        Richast armes is, as I lernit am. 

All writ in warld most be as siluer and sable; 
    quhite leiff, blak Ink, that al kingis, for most part, 
Cristin and hethin, beris gold and siluer able
    thing of riches riolest to aduert, 
    and most noble, for no colouris astert 
        So preciouse as gold to set in it,
        ffor siluer [than] peril more riche to wit ;

Goullis, ruby; asur, saphire excedis; 
    Vert, emerautis; and amatist, purpur; 
therof gold is moche rich in werely wedis. 
    ffowr thingis in armes brekis thaim in ther natur: 
    Bendis, sic, cheveroune, and barris sure; 
        Thaim blason first, gif therin the feld be ; 
        quhat euer he bere, and be it quarterlie. 

Than to begin at colour in the rycht sid : 
    and it is said, non armes may be cald 
propirly set, bot therin be to-gid 
    Gold or siluer in the sammyn to behold. 
    And for repreve to blase, men wise be schuld. 
        ffour thingis in armes bot onys suld namyt be, 
        Onis of, onis in, onys withe, and onys to see ; 

Quhiche, gif he may forbere, it is the bet. 
and als in armis ar sertene rondis, as ball, 

Metalis, colouris forsaid figourit and set, 
    Gold, besentis; siluer, plateis to call; 
    Sable, poletis; goulis, tortes at al; 
        Asur, hurtis; verte, pomme; wyndows, purpur. 
        ȝhit four thingis longis to annis in colour, 

That is, pales, bendis, feces, cheveronis. 
    perpale, evin douñ extendis throuch the myd feild; 
perfess, ourthwert from sid to sid it gonne Is; 
    perbend, from rycht corner to left it held; 
    per cheveroune, part devid wnto iij the feild; 
        Onne bastone is contrary to a bend: 
        The tonne frome left, the tother frome rycht sid tend. 

Not bot gentillis suld cotis of armes were, 
    Cummyn of stok noble, or maid be kingis; 
ȝit fold wil say of men hernest in gere, 
    “llo men of armis!” that is wntrew seyng, 
    bot al be gentil; therfor see suthfast thing, 
        “llo armit men!” ȝit to knaw neidful is 
        xv maneris of lionys in armys, 

ffirst, a lionne [statant]; on-vthir, lyone rampand; 
    Third, saliant; the fourt, passand I-wis; 
the v. seand; vj mordand; vij cuchand; 
    the viij dormand ; the ix regardand is; 
    The x endorsit; xj copray schawis; 
        The xij copy conter changit aduert; 
        xiij in nomer [morné]; xiiij, liouñ cowert; 

And the xv cambatand, als to see. 
    xv maner of crocis armis bere: 

The first, hole croce; the tother, engrelit be; 
    The third, awndi; the iiij, paty in feir; 
    the v. a crois; vj, crois flarait cleir; 
        vij botand; viij crosolat; ix batone; 
        x fovrmie; xj crois fichye; 

xij sarsile fere; demolyn xiij; 
    xiiij regle; xv sucylye, sey. 
quhat maner of best or bird goith rond to sene, 
    About the feld blase it heroune verray. 
    Twa thingis in armis sal end in schewis a[l]wey; 
        Gif ther be mo off thaim than ij that schewis, 
        As lionne-sewys, to sey, and heronne-sewis ;

Bot onne or ij call lioñ or herouñ. 
    Armis vmdois, ij strakis myd feld devid, 
ffet ar in armis, and ij thingis compone 
    lik to vther, barr and fete brode to-gid. 
        Als certane thingis plurar in armis go, 
        As floris to blase, and pellettis with thoo 

Not be to namyt, gif he beire mo than ij, 
    Bot thus flowris florate to blase rycht. 
thre thingis in armes ȝit be lik vtheris evin, 
    Tortes, tortell pellettis, pellett hecht, 
    Fussewis, masklewis, and losingis thus plicht. 
        Be ther mony fussewis, masklewis thaim call, 
        And losengis ȝit in armys with-all. 

Ale maner of best to blase, sey ‘be armit,’ 
    and al birdis, sey ‘membrit’ saufly: 
Girphinne, baith bird and best, we suld call it 

    To blase, ‘membrit and armyt’ boith Iustly. 
    ȝit in armes, pictes and delphes espy. 
        Billettis, hewmatis, and ij indenturis be, 
        Perpale cheveroune, perpale glondes to se. 

Thire be also raschit, as lege or heid, 
    wiche gerondy verry and belly told: [?] 
In quhat metallis or colouris that thai sted, 
    quhat thingis thai be, ful attently behold: 
    ffigour, forme, flour, or quhat mater on mold, 
        In armes set, and so blase discretly; 
        And quho siche beris, study well, and espy. 

ȝhit sum haldis in armis ij certane thingis, 
    Nothir metallis nor colouris to blasoune, 
Ermyne and werr, callit panis, bestly furring, 
    And haldin so without other discripcioune. 
    All attentik armys of hie renoune 
        Of al estatis, and general of al manis, 
        Bene set in this metallis, colouris, and panys. 

Quhiche honorable in al armis forsaid, 
    war first fundyn eftir the preciouse stanys, 
In nombyr few, and so costly araid, 
    That al noblay may not gudly at anys 
    Actene therto: than law of armys disponys 
        ffor theme be sett and portrait with pictouris, 
        In feildis, the seid metallis and ther colouris; 

The quhiche stanis come first frome paradice, 
    thairfor thai ar so precyus singlare. 
quha will study his wittis, and conterpace 
    The hie planetis, and signis of the aire, 
    Symylitudis of thaim he may fynd there 
        ffor to blasoun, and alse in bestiall, 
        In erbis, foullis, and fischis therwithall; 



How thai be born, in quhat kindis, and quhare, 
    also be quhom, and eftir in excellence, 
That I refer to my lordis to declair, 
    kingis of armes, and heraldis of prudens, 
    and persewantis, and grant my negligens 
        that I suld not attempe thus to commoune, 
        Bot of ther grace, correctioune, and pardoune, 

ffor, as I red, princis of nobillest mynd, 
    And specialy this seid Iulius cesar, 
ther attentik worthi ordour did fynd, 
    fful honorable in erth, and necesser, 
    To bere armes, blasoune, and to prefer 
        Vthir officiaris in honour, as I schall 
        Schaw causis quhy of this ordour regall, 

Quhiche ascendis, create be greis thre: 
    first, persewant; syn, herald; and than king; 
Ichone of this being gre aboue gre, 
    Be land and see preuilegit in al thing, 
    In werre and peice, batell, province and ring, 
        Ceté, castellis, parliamentis prerogative, 
        Amang princis trew reuerendaris to schrive. 

Oure al the warld, and erast Amang the best, 
    thir preambulis and discripcionis procedis, 
all thingis be takin treuly as thai attest, 
    ay liscenciat and lovit with al ledis, 
    Noblis, vergynis, and wedois in ther nedis, 
        Of holy chirche the sure feith thai support, 
        At ther poweris causing to al consort. 

Withoutin quham, honerable actis in armis 
    wirschipfully is seldim donne, we se, 
ffor ded of lif, fauour, hatrent, or harmis, 
    Euer thai attest the verray verite, 
    quhar na man may laubour for Inymyte, 
        ther thai proced, euer schawing the best ; 
        withouttin quham, quha mycht materis degest. 



This hie ourdour noble and necessary, 
    prince of peté, and Iuge amang gentrice, 
most behuffull tretaris of trowith no vary, 
    Mewaris of goud, and mesaris of malice, 
    wellis of cunnyng, and trowit in kingly wise, 
        Mansuete maneryt so ther meritis requiris, 
        Ther dewiteis al digniteis desiris. 

Señ it is so, our souerane Lord most hie, 
    The thre personis resting in o godheid, 
and one in thre, the hali trinite, 
    the blissit vergin of quhom god tuk manheid, 
    Saif this ordour, prudently to proceid 
        Amang kingis, princis, liegis and lordis; 
        Of cristindome to cause luf and concordis! 

And I confess my simple insufficiens: 
    llitil haf I sene, and reportit weil less, 
of this materis to haf experience. 
    Tharfor, quhar I al neidful not express, 
    In my waiknes, and not of wilfulnes, 
        my seid lordis correk me diligent, 
        To maid menis, or sey the remanent! 

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