268 Sloan's Architectural Review and Banders' Journal. [October, black to be a color, but that we shall not enter upon, all heralds calling it a color ; and using it as such ; and, as such, it is much inferior in dignity to white, as rep- resenting darkness, as the other does light ; and, consequently, is the emblem of horror and melanchoty ; and, there- fore, mourning is black, as indicating a disconsolate and heavy mind. However, Sylvanus Morgan says, " It is the first of antiquity;" and he is cor- rect, forasmuch as dark was before the light ; and yet the latter is of greater dignity. It is accounted simple, because it needs no other color to make it absolute, and communicate itself to all other colors. Coates thinks the cross-hatching for Sable, in engraved armories, is natural, as expressing blackness or darkness. In Latin, it is called ater or niger. Colombiere tells us that the ancient heralds gave black the name of sable because it comes from the earth, being the first color in nature, and the last in art ; as also, because there is a sort of sand called, in French, sable, which scours and cleans arm*. Of the virtues and qualities of the soul, it denotes Grief, Simplicity, Wisdom, Prudence, and Honesty ; of the planets, Saturn ; of the four elements, the earth ; of human constitutions, the melancholy ; of metals, lead and iron ; of precious stones, the diamond ; of trees, the olive ; of birds, the crow or the raven ; and of the ages of men, the last, which inclines to dotage. Those who bear sable in their arms, are obliged to relieve widows, orphans, churchmen, and the learned, that are under oppression. Leigh, in his Accidence of Armory, will have it that Sable, of itself, signUL j Constancy, Divine Doctrine, and Heavi- ness for Loss of Friends ; with Or, honor with long life ; with Argent, fame ; with Gules, to be feared of his enemies ; with Azure, studious to appease strife ; with Vert, after great sorrow, much joy ; with Purpure, religious to the death ; with Tenne, unquietness hindereth his desire; with Sanguine, prosperous. He adds that when the field is Or, and the thing which is charged upon the field is Sable, that coat is most rich,* because when the diamond is set in gold, the metal honoreth the stone, and the stone the metal ; whereas, if it were set in silver, the stone would honor the metal, and the metal would abase the stone ; and so that color is most rich when it is set in the richest field. When the field is Argent, and the charge on it is Sable, that is the fairest, because they set off one another, as light and darkness, and are farthest seen. According to Upton^ sable, or black, is the privation of white in perspicuity, as bitter is the privation of sweetness in moisture ; and blackness is produced by little and obscure light. He adds : That though black be the second principal color, yet, in bearing of arms, the field sable is not very commendable ; but the field white, with black spots, which is ermine, he highly applauds, whereas, on the contrary, he wholly disapproves of ermines, which is the field black and the spots white. Coates cites Colombiere to the effect that, " Though it be rare to find any that, by way of arms, have no charge upon the field, yet the Counts or Earls of Gour- nay formerly bore only the field sable, without any charge upon it." The arms are right, but the name is misprinted ; it should be, as per Tallemont above, the Counts of Tournay. Kent says : " Black, though the an- cientest of all colors, (for darkness was before light, and without light all is black,) yet, as it is the color of mourning, pos- sesses the fifth place. Saturn is the
- The Arms of William Shakespeare are: " Or, upon
a hend Sable, a tilting-spear of the first, headed Argent. Crest: A falcon, with wings displayed and addorsed, Argent, holding in his dexter talon a tilting-spear, in pale, Or, pointed of theirs*," [or, as Clai'pncieux Cooke lias it, "steeled sylver."] Motto, " Non sanz droict," in m idem French, "Non sans droit," i. e., " Jfot without right."
