A System of Heraldry - Clan Strachan Society

OF CELESTIAL FIGURES,
Sylvester Petra Sancta, " Flexae deorsum tres lunube argenteolae, in arvo scuti
" puniceo, sunt Quasenareorum in Belgio."
The positions then of the half moon are by way of crescent. The French say,
croissant montant, tourne, contourne, renverse, which sometimes are situate in benddexter
and sinister, as the French, tourne en bande et en barre..
or STARS.
WHICH are as frequent in armories as the crescents, and have been considered,
in their nature, influences, appearances, and names, in composing of devices and
arms too ; yet, in the last, through a long descent to succeeding bearers, the consi-
derations upon their first assumption are almost totally forgot for wrant of record :
In place of which, we find only some herald books stuffed with stories and symbolical
representations of those figures, as if the present bearers of these were endowed
with divine qualities, and to shine on earth like those bright luminaries ;
whereas, in the most of them, there is no such thing to be found, and their honour is
have transmitted to them those as marks of
only, that their brighter predecessors
their ancient nobility.
They are to be considered here as principal figures, distinguishing families from
one another, and not as marks of cadency and addition?.! figures, to difference
younger sons, by crescents and stars, among themselves.
The Star has, almost in all ages, been made use of as a mark of honour. Robert
King of France instituted the Royal Order of the Star, being of gold,
with five
points in a field azure, Plate X. fig. 12. which the Knights of that Order wore on
the left side as a badge of honour ; and after the extinction of that Order, it became
the badge of the night-watch in the city of Paris.
JOHN King of FRANCE took for his device a star, with these words, Monstrant
in the
regibus astra viam ; alluding to the star which appeared to the three kings
east at the birth of our Saviour.
The ancient family of BEAUX, whom the Latins call BAUSEII, sometime Princes
of Orange, carried for arms gules, a star of sixteen points argent, pretending to be
descended of one of these kings or wise men who came to worship our Saviour.
There was a branch of this family great Lords in the kingdom of Naples, as Jacob
ImhofF, in his Treatise of the Princes of the Empire, says, carried the foresaid
arms upon the same account.
The name of WISEMAN, with us, is said to carry both name and arms, in relation
to that star which conducted the three wise men from the east, sable, a cheveron
between three stars of eight points waved or, as Sir James Ealfour in his
Manuscript of Blazons. Plate X. fig. 17.
The house of SALIS in Genoa, from which is descended the Marquis of SALIS,
azure, two bars or, each charged with another gules ; in chief, a crescent and two
stars of the second between the bars. The last figures were assumed, says Menes-
trier, by one of the family who was at sea with the Count of Savoy, in a great
storm ; but, perceiving the moon and two stars, gave great hopes to all the com-
pany of a safe landing, which accordingly fell out ; they have been since used in
their arms to perpetuate that event.
STERNBERG, in Germany, carries a star, in allusion to the name.
I shall mention the family of STELLA in Genoa, v'rr.. or, on a chief danccttc
mure, three stars of the first.
OLIVER VANORT, Commander of the Dutch fleet, in passing the straits of Ma-
gellan, upon the account of that expedition, was honoured with these arms, viz-.
azure, a fesse unde argent between two stars, one in chief, and another in base or ;
crest, a terraqueous globe, and upon it a ship ;. which arms were enveloped with a
mantle azure, seme of stars or. And Sir Francis Drake, who sailed about the
\vor_ld, got such another bearing, viz. sable, a fesse wavey, between two stars in
chief and base argent ; which represent the two polar stars, arctic and antarctic,
and which are carried by his descendant Sir FRANCIS DRAKE of Buckland.
The name of BAILLIE, with us, carries azure, nine stars, three, three, two, and
one, argent ; Sir George Mackenzie says they carried anciently only but six stars,