In armẏs be ii. pinẏonẏs. also it shewẏs wat clawrẏ cownterlẏ and quarterlẏ bene with other
¶ Ther be in armys calde .ij. pynyonys Oon is whan the feeld his a sawtri. Seynt andrewys crosse may be clauri counterly quarterly. Clawri is called playn of oon coloure. Cownterly is whan colowris quarterly be .ij. colowris sett in .ij. quarteris
¶ The secunde pynyon̄ is called cheffrounce that is a couple of sparis. and that may be claury counterly quarterli gereri and byally.
¶ Gereri is whan .iij. cheffrounce be to gedur or moo.
¶ Byaƚƚ is called whan a barre is be twene .ij. cheffrounce
Here endeth the mooste speciaƚƚ thyngys of the boke of the lynage of Coote armuris and how gentylmen shaƚƚ be knowyn from vngentylmen. and now here foloyng begynnyth the boke of blasyng of aƚƚ maṅ armys: ī latyn french & Englisħ
¶ Explicit prima pars.
Here begẏnnẏth the blasẏng of armẏs
I haue shewyd to yow in thys booke a foore how gentilmē began. and how the law of armys was first ordant. and how moni colowris ther be in cootarmuris. and the difference of cootarmuris with mony other thynggis that here needis not to be rehersed. Now I intende to procede of signys in armys and of the blasyng of aƚƚ armys. Bot for to reherce aƚƚ the signys that be borne in armys as Pecok Pye Bacc Dragon Lyon & Dolfyn and flowris and leeuys it war to longe a tariyng. ner I can not do hit: ther be so mony. Bot here shaƚƚ shortli be shewyd to blase aƚƚ armys if ye entende diligentli to youre rulys. And be cause the cros is the moost worthi signe emong al signys in armys: at the cros I wiƚƚ begynne. in the wich thys nobuƚƚ and myghti prynce Kyng Arthure hadde grete trust so that he lefte his armys that he bare of .iij. Dragonys. and ou̇ that an other sheelde of .iij. crownys. and toke to his armys a crosse of Siluer in a feelde of verte and on the right side an ymage of owre blessid lady with hir sone in hir arme. and wt that signe of the cros he dyd mony maruelis after. as hit is writyn in the bookis of cronyclis of his dedys Also I haue red thys signe of the cros to be sende from god to that blessid man Marcuri as vincencius sayth. in speculo historiali. of the maruellis deth of Iulian thappostita Emproure. lio .xvo. he saythe thangele brought vn to the foresayd Mercuri aƚƚ armure necessari with a shelde of asure and a cros fluri with .iiij. rosis of golde. as here ī this And I fonde neuer that euer any armys waar sende from heuyn bot in theym was the sygne of the cros. Exceppid in tharmys of the Kyng of fraunce the wiche armys certanli war sende bi an awngeƚƚ from heuyn that is to say. in flowris in maner of Swerdis in a felde of asure. as hit shewis here. The wich certan armys ware geuyn to the forsayd kyng of fraunce in sygne of euerlastyng trowbuƚƚ and that he and his successaries aƚƚ way with bataiƚƚ and swereddys shulde be punyshid.
