1868.] Heraldry. 413 gives alternately a row of -white shield- lets upright adjoining another row in- verted, the base points of both upiight and inverted shieldlets, being directed towards the open spaces between them, and so on ; but the colors for the up- right row would run White, Blue, White, &c, whereas those for the inverted ones would run Blue, White, Blue, &c. ; or, in other words, the whole field will ap- pear to be occupied with horizontal ranges of upright, irregularly outlined, conjoined VWs, the ranges alternating in tinctures. Vair-in-Pale — exhibits the same outlines and po- sitions of shield- lets as Vair-in- Point ; but con- sidered in verti- cal lines, if the White shieldlets are arranged, touching one an- other, all upright, base, chief, base, chief, &c, the adjoining Blue ones, all inverted will run, chief, base, chief, base, &c. This throws the tincturing into alter- nate perpendicular lines of all upright White shieldlets next to all inverted Blue shieldlets, and so on, in regular order ; the general coloring falling into vertical stripes, in the direction of the heraldic ordinary, or integral figure, called A Pale, hence the name of this Fur. Yair, ancient — here figured from Hugh Clark, in the general dis- position of its tinctures agrees with Counter- Vair m o dern, and Vair-in-Pale; but in all other essentials differs frcm the whole four preceding. The field is composed of horizontal bands, each of which has, meandering regularly through it, what, in Heraldry, is termed a partition line nebuly, or, popularly. a regularly curved line proceeding in loops, vaguely resembling many carpen- ters' dove-tails worked together, each separate loop having the exact general shape of the dove-tails used for securing the border-pieces of children's dissected maps, pictures and games. As this line never touches either the top or bottom line of its band, ancient Vair is an assem- blage of irregularly-regular horizontal stripes, of which every interlocking pair are bounded by straight lines. Each stripe is colored, proceeding from chief to base, White and Blue. Potent — is composed of horizontal bands, each made up of little pieces resem - bling crutch- heads, alternate- ly erect and in- verted. It is tinctured, check- er-wise, Argent and Blue, exactly like Vair, and the numbers — both of the bands and of the pieces in the bands — are optional. It is now accented on the first syllable, in all its meanings; but, as a crutch, the accent was formerly on the last syllable. In Chaucer's description of Elde, or Old Age, in the Romaunt of the Rose, we have : "So eld she was, that she ne went A-fuoto, but it were by potent. 1 ' Potent is the natural companion of Vair ; but the older name of this Fur, as here drawn, is most likely Counter- Potent or Potent- Counter- Potent. Counter-Potent — OR Potent-Counter-Potent — the latter being the appellation mostly
