under the title of "The Antiquity and Dignity of Parliaments.”

11. "A Relation of the Proceedings against Ambassadors, who have miscarried themselves and exceeded their Commission."

12. "That the Sovereign's Person is required in the great Councils or Assemblies of the States, as well at the Consultations as at the Conclusions."

13. "The Argument made by the command of the House of Commons out of the Acts of Parliament and Authority of Law expounding the same, at a Conference with the Lords, concerning the Liberty of the Person of every Freeman."

14. "A brief Discourse concerning the Power of the Peers and Commons of Parliament in point of Judicature." The four last are also printed in Cottoni Posthuma.

15. "A short View of the long Life and Reign of Henry III. King of England, written in 1614, and presented to James I." It was printed in 1627, 4to. and reprinted in Cottoni Posthuma

16. "Money raised by the King without Parliament, from the Conquest until this day, either by Imposition, or Free Gift, taken out

of Records or Ancient Registers." Printed in the Royal Treasury of England, or General History of Taxes, by Captain James Stephens, 8vo.

17. "A Narrative of Count Gundamor's Transactions during his Embassy in England." Lond. 1659, 4to.

Besides these, he wrote on various other subjects, some of which are the flowing Of Scrutage; Of Enclosures and converting Ara. ble Land into Pasture; Of the Antiquity, Authority, and Office of the High Steward and Marshal of England; Of the Antiquity, Etymology, and Privileges of Castles; Of Towns; Of the Measures of Land; Of the Antiquity of Coats of Arms; Of Curious Collections; Of Military Affairs; Of Trade; Collections out of the Rolls of Parliament;-different from those that were printed, but falsely, under his name, in 1657, by Wm. Prynne, esq. He likewise collected materials for "The History and Antiquities of Huntingdonshire;" and conceived the project of writing An Account of the State of Christianity in these Islands, from the first Reception of it here, to the Reformation. The first part of this design was executed by archbishop Usher, in his book,

De Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Primordiis," composed probably at the request of sir Robert, who left eight volumes of collections for the continuation of the work. Many of the compositions last mentioned are still in MS. There are a few papers, moreover, among the "Discourses of Eminent Antiquaries," published by Hearne. One of these, as being short and complete, is well adapted for a specimen.

Of the Antiquity of Motts and Words, with Arms of Noblemen and Gentlemen of England.

1

If I strait this question to the common acceptance, my discourse must be to you, as the question is to me, slender and strait. But if I take liberty to wrest it whither the letter will lead me, as to impresses of which nature, arms, with their words, are, it will grow more tedious than the time wherein so many must deliver their opinion, will permit. And therefore, to fashion the one to the other, both to my own ignorance, I shall fit the time though not the question. And first, I must intreat you to allow for antiquity of arms, which is the supportation of our mott or word, that all significant portratures painted in shields, were and are accounted

arms and insignia. The original doubtless, whereof, first grew from the Egyptian Hieroglyphicks, by which means, purposes were delivered by natural characters as in writing, for fortitude, they formed a lion; lust, a goat; watchfulness, an owl. Hence men, to depicture their virtuous affections, used on their shields some of these significant figures, adding no mott nor word at the first, in that so long as the tradition of that natural learning lived in men's practice, it was needless; but after the secret mysteries of those bodies (for so Jevius termeth the painted forms,) were worn from their true understanding, to serve only for a distinction of person or families, (for so now arms are) they were allured to add thereunto a soul to that senseless body; for heentitleth the mott or word, concluding it now necessary that the one must accompany the other, under certain limitation, as that the one must not be above three words, the other not charged with many differing signs or colours, which we hold still a secret of good heraldry. These arms or impresses are either ta private persons, or families; the first more ancient, for he that did formerly person a king, bore in his shield, as note of sovereignty, some beast or bird royal. So did Agamemnon' at Troy, a lion; the like did Fergusius the Scott, since received by the kings

of that country; Cæsar an eagle, as emperor, since appropered to the Empire to this day. Amongst all our English, king Arthur is by Vincentius said to bear ensign of sanctity and religion, the figure of our lady, upon his shield. Cadwalador, for his fierceness, a dragon. Divers of our Saxon kings, for their devotion, a cross; as St. Edward. And some for their principality and rule, leopards and lions; as our kings since the Norman conquest. But for a word annexed to any impress or arms, I cannot remember any here, before Henry II. who is by some writers observed to bear a sword and olive branch together, wreathed with this word, utrumque. Such a like in regard of the connexity, though not in like sense, was that dolphin twisted upon an anchor on Vespa sian's coin, with this word, festina lente. Richard I. used a mailed arm, holding a shivered lance, the word, labor viris convenit. Edward IV. his white rose clused in an imperial crown, the word, rosa sine spina. Edward VI. a sun shining, the word, idem per diversa. Queen Mary, a sword erected upon an altar, pro ará et regni custodia; but more subtle than any of these, was that of the last Scotch queen Mary, who, after her French marriage, stamped a coin whereon the one side was the impaled arms of Scotland and France, on the other, between two Islands and a starry heaven, two crowns imperial, the word, aliumque moratur. Thus much for impresses personal and