A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

208 OF THE SUB-ORDINARIES.
the left, they are said to be in bend sinister, or bar,
as the arms of CONINGSECK in
the Empire, given us by Sylvester Petra Sancta, loze.ngy or and gules,
sinister.
OF THE RUSTRE.
in bend,
THIS is a lozenge pierced round in the middle, so that the field appears through
it ; named rustre by the French, and by the Germans, rutten ; which some wiij
have represent the button at the end of lances, used in tiltings and tournaments ;
and so is an armorial figure from these noble and manly exercises. Others will
have rustre to represent a piece of iron of that form, which is sometimes interposed
between the heads of nails fixed on ports of cities and castles ; Menestrier gives
us an example of them in the arms of LEBARET in France, argent, three rustres
azure, as fig. 15.
Sylvester Petra Sancta observes, that these figures are very seldom used if*
Germany and Italy ; his words are, " Rhombi tesserarii, nempe in orbem pertusi,
" rariores obveniunt in gentilitiis parmulis :" I have never met with them nor
their name in British Armories. Sir George Mackenzie observes, that we and the
English call such muscles ; and to distinguish them, would call them mascles pierced
round, instead of rustres.
MASCLE OR MACLE
Is a lozenge voided of the field ; that is, when the middle part of the lozenge js
evacuate or cut out after a square form, like a lozenge, and so differs from rustre,
" "
Macle," says Menestrier, Est uue
which is pierced with a small round hole.
u maille de cuirasse, ou lozange, ouverte et percee en lozange."
The Mascle has not only been anciently, but frequently carried in arms all
Europe over. Heralds make it to represent different things ; as first, the eye, or
ring to fasten a coat of mail, and so a piece of armour fit for a military badge.
Others with Sir John Feme will have it to represent the mash of a net, and
Latin it macula ; and some add the word cassium or retium macula, signifying that,
the first assumer of it had been prudent and politic in military affairs. And our
author instances the seven mascles granted by King William II. of England, to
William Roumare, (who, in evidents and writs, is called de rubro mart) for his
military conduct and bravery in the Holy Land agairut the Saracens. Some again
more particularly tell us, that the mascles borne by the house of Rohan in France,
viz. gules, nine macles, three, three and three, or, fig. 16. are upon the account,
that all the carps and flint-stones of that duchy are marked with figures like the
mascle so called there ; for which singularity, the Dukes of that country take macles
for their armorial figures, with a motto relative to them, viz. Sine macula
mada. Sir George Mackenzie, in his Science of Heraldry, thinks, that macles
look like mirrors, and upon that account are carried by the name of PURVES with
us, deriving the name from the French word Pouruoir, to see. In whatever sense
the mascle may be taken, it is, as I said before, an ancient and frequent armorial
figure all Europe over.
ROBERT QUINCY who came over with William the Conqueror, and got many
lands in England by that King's favour, carried gules, seven mascles, three, three,
and ons, or. Some of his issue I shall here mention, since they had considerable
interests and employments in Scotland.
One Robert de is putney witness in a charter of confirmation of the lands of
Seaton, Winton, and Winchburgh, by King William, to Alexander Seaton, son
of
Philip de Seaton ; (the principal charter I have had in my custody, and several
others, where this Robert de ^uincy is a witness). His son was Sierus de ^iiincy,
who was likewise a witness in the charters of King William, and was designed
Earl of Winchester in England. The occasion of their being in Scotland with
other English was, their being enemies to King John of England, and, in conjunction
with William King of Scotland for setting up Lewis, the eldest son of France,