vouches for the truth of this noble image of the Psalms; he has even undertaken to point out the means by which the Eagle has accomplished the revival of his early youth. We doubt very much if science would admit the proofs he has advanced; but in requital, as an admirer of the present French ruler would say, thanks to the solemn day of the 10th of May, 1852, this gift of regeneration possessed by the eagles has been acknowledged as a historical fact.

We shall now present a short sketch on historical Devices, or Mottoes. The Device, we are aware, is a sort of metaphorical figure, by the assistance of which one object is represented by another to which it bears a resemblance; a thought by a figure; the life of a man, his origin, his noble deeds, by a thought or by an image. The Ancients made use of Devices. Their kings and their chiefs bore them on their shields and on their standards, but frequently they were not merely emblems, but a legend. Thus, at the siege of Thebes, the sooth-sayer, Amphiaraus, bore a dragon on his shield, Perseus a gorgon, Capaneus a hydra, and Polynices a Sphynx, as symbolical of the manner in which his father Edipus had arrived at power.

In Virgil, all the companions of Æneas had also their devices, but they were not always merely simple emblems only explained by legends. Very soon, in fact, the device was modelled in a clearer form. The symbol was accompanied by an inscription. Augustus, for example, had engraven on his monies an anchor entangled with a dolphin, with these words: Festina lente; and Vespasian had represented a butterfly and a crab, or better still, a Palm-tree laden with fruit, and bearing for an inscription this single word, Mature. Cæsar had two, having first taken a device without an emblem; he then adopted his famous Veni, Vidi, Vici.

It was in the Middle Ages that the science of Devices became more extensive and more perfect, thanks to the Tournaments, the Carousals, and all the fêtes of chivalry which rendered necessary the use of these gallant and martial emblems. Then they commenced to be distinguished in four different ways: the Devices were symbolled in imitation of Moorish Arabesques by the colors, or the mixture of colors, and of which the lacs d'amour, which encircle at the present day the escutcheon of the Kings of Sardinia, are a last memorial; then the Devices only included simple words, and were designated on that account ames sans corps; afterwards the devices having, on the contrary, a figure

without words, were named corps sans áme; finally, those which had at the same time corps, that is to say a material representation of the idea, the design of the symbol; and âme, that is, say the legend, the inscription, the word which animated the object, motto in Italian.

The devices having but a legend without the allegorical figure, should not be confounded with the war cry of defiance, invocation, or of accession; they were most frequently altogether distinct from them; on this point we could furnish some rare exceptions; the Montmorency, for example, the Counts de Chartres, and the Molac of Bretagne, who took their war cry for a device, and reciprocally. It was necessary also to distinguish sentences placed on the shields or on pennants from the inscriptions on the arms. These inscriptions on the coatof-arms were often hereditary, whilst the Device, on the contrary, comprised almost always an allusion to the character of those who adopted it, or an event in his life which was for the most part personal. The inscription on the arms was for the race, the device for the man. Most frequently they were but a single word, bearing the most perfect resemblance to those who had selected them. Such was the device of Saint Francis de Paul, Charitas, and that also of St. Charles Borromeo, Humilitas. The devices containing inscriptions are the only ones employed at the present day. As for those bearing the figure without the words, mute devices which should only rank amongst the emblems, they have not been much used since the ancients. We know but of few other examples to cite, save the Cest ailé, which, in 1580, according to Juvénal des Ursins, Charles VI. made the supporters of his arms; the compass, which according to the laconic usage of the Spanish, formed the device of the Duc d'Albe, and finally the two AAs, in a circle, a kind of heraldic rebus, signifying chacun a son tour, and well worthy the ambitious Guise, who had adopted it for his emblem or symbol. The Devices which reunited at the same time the legend and the inscription were much longer in use.

The most stringent rules were adopted in their composition adhering one to the figure, le corps, the other to the words, l'ame. Thus it was necessary to, have the Device composed of body and of soul in such affinity, one with the other, that the soul always elucidated the body; the legend should be concise, slightly diverted, according to Ménage, without any evasion, and easily understood,

stalks and broom pods, enamelled and intertwined with golden fleurs-de-lis, with the device: Exaltat humiles.

The decoration of the order of the Star, founded by, King John, which became at a later period one of the privileges of the Patrole, was composed of a golden star with five rays, supported by a collar with three chains of gold, interlaced with golden roses enamelled alternately in white and red. The Knights of the Porcupine, instituted by the Duke of Orleans, father of Louis XII., was distinguished by the ermine mantle and a chain of gold, from which was suspended a Porcupine of the same metal, with this motto: Cominus et Eminus. A collar composed of shells intertwined with a gold chain, to which was suspended a medal representing the Archangel St. Michael, was the decoration of the famous order of Saint Michel founded by Louis XI. That of Saint Esprit, instituted by Henri III., had for a decoration a cross of gold with eight points ornamented with golden fleurs-de-lis, with a dove on one side, and on the other the image of Saint Michael. The ribbon was celestial blue, watered. Another founded by Henri III. under the title of Charité Chrétienne, in favor of soldiers maimed in the service of the State, had for an ensign a mantle having embroidered on the left side a cross of gold, with these words: Pour avoir fidèlement servi. The order of Sainte-Louis, instituted by Louis XIV. in 1693, thus indicated: Ludovicus Magnus instituit 1693, written in letters of gold on the azure border of his cross, had for a motto these words: Bellica virtutis præmium, which plainly marked the purely military character of his institution. The cross of Saint Louis, which should be, according to an edict of the month of April, 1719, decreed to none but Catholic officers; and it was in order to repair this too exclusive ordonnance that Louis XV. founded, in favor of officers who were not Catholics, the special order of the Mérite Militaire. It had for a distinctive mark a gold cross with eight points suspended to a dark blue ribbon, and bearing on one side an unsheathed sword, with these words: Pro virtute bellica, and on the other a laurel crown, and the legend: Ludovicus XV. instituit 1739.

The order of the Legion of Honor, which replaced all the others, had at first for a decoration a star enamelled in white, with five double rays, a crown of oak and laurel, in the middle of which was, on one side, the effigy of

des Français; and on the other side the eagle armed with the thunderbolt, and the device, Honneur et Patrie. At the period of the Restoration, the cross preserved the motto; its form and attributes were alone modified. Thus they replaced. the effigy of Henri IV. by that of Napoleon, and substituted the Imperial Eagle for the fleurs de lis, which were themselves replaced in 1830 by a silver ground ornamented with two tricolor banners. This cross, attached to a red-watered. ribbon, was in silver for the knights and in gold for the other members. The officers wore it at their button-hole, with a rosette of ribbon; the commandeurs, who were called commandante under the Empire, wore it as a collar with a little larger ribbon than the officers; the higher rank of officers bore on the right side of their coats a plate in silver as large as seven centimetres, two millimetres; as for the grands croix, (grands cordons under the Empire), their decoration consisted in a large red-watered ribbon placed saltier-wise (in the form of Saint Andrew's Cross), and supporting the cross, and a large silver plate of ten centimetres bearing four colors or banners at its angles, and attached to the left side of the dress.

Amongst the principal odd decorations, we will cite: in ENGLAND, that of the Order of the Garter, which consists, 1st., in a garter of dark blue velvet embroidered in gold, with the device: Honi soit qui mal y pense, and attached over the left knee with a little golden buckle; 2nd, in a medallion of gold with the effigy of St. George, suspended by a large dark blue ribbon; 3rd and lastly, in a silver star embroidered on the mantle on the left side of the breast. The order of the Thistle, which was at first peculiar to the Scotch, had for a device a golden medal representing on one side St, Andrew with the cross of his martyrdom, and on the other a thistle with this legend: Nemo me impunè lacessit.

The order of Bath, which comprises only thirty-six knights, is distinguished by a red-watered ribbon from which is suspended a medal with the following inscription: Tres in uno, in allusion to the three theological virtues; this symbol was better represented by the three crowns which upheld the celestial blue scarf of the old knights.

In Russia, the order of Saint Andrew, which is obtained at the same time as the degree of Lieutenant-General, has for a decoration. a gold cross bearing at its angles the four initials of this device;

Sanctus Andreas Patronus Russia; on the reverse may be read in Russian language: For the faith and fidelity.

The order of Saint Catherine was given but to ladies of the highest rank; the distinctive marks were, a plate with these words in the Russian language: For the country, and a cross bearing this inscription: Equat mænia comparis.

The order of Saint Wladimir had for an ensign a plate bearing this inscription round the shield: Utilite, Honneur, Gloire; and in the centre four Russian letters which signified Saint Prince Wladimir semblable aux apôtres.

In Austria, the order of the Golden Fleece was distinguished by a decoration surmounted by a stone in blue enamel, with these words; Pretium laboris non vile; and by these chivalrous. words embroidered on the extreme edge of the mantle of the order: Je l'ay empris.

A gold cross bearing on its shield the initials of this device: SanctoStephano Regi Apostolico,and the legend: Publicum, Meritorum pretium,is the distinctive mark of the order of Saint Etienne.

As to that of Leopold, he had for a legend, on the front of his cross: Integritati et merito, and this motto, which was that of Leopold I: Opes regum corda subditorum.

The order of the Iron Crown, had for a decoration a crown surmounted by a double eagle, and furthermore, for knights of the first class, a star with four rays embroidered on the left side of the dress, bearing in the centre the iron crown and the legend: Avita et Aucta.

In SPAIN, the order of Charles III. bore on the shield of his great cross the image of the Blessed Virgin, and on the cross of the simple knights, a C interlacing the cipher III., and this device: Virtuti et merito.

The knights of the first and second class of the order of Saint Ferdinand bore a cross with this legend around the shield: El rey y la patria, whilst those of the third class had this device, Al merito militar.

As to the military order of Saint Herménégilde, the honorary signs of which are the cross and plate, with this inscription around the shield: Premio à la constancia militar.

In PORTUGAL the Order of Christ, instituted as a continuation of the Templars, recalled in fact by its ensigns, the costume of the Knights Templar. Each member wore a long robe of white wool, and on the breast a red patriarchal cross, with another cross in silver.

The Order of the Tower, and that of the Sword, were distinguished by a cross and a medal, both bearing on their front the