at Montbrison, and recording the folowing armorial bearings therein of certain old families of a district called Le Forez in the ci-devant Province of Le Lyonais, viz.

1. Azure, semé of fleurs-de-lys or (for France ancient).

2. Gules, a dolphin finned (pamé) or (for Forez).

3. Or, a lion sable, a label of five points of the last (for Forez ancient, and Beaujeu).

4. Gules, an escarbuncle fleury or (for Navarre).

5. Barry of six, argent and azure (for Foudras).

6. Gules, a cross argent (for Savoy). [Bonne de Bourbon, niece of the

Countess of Forez, married in 1355 Aimé VI. Count of Savoy.] 7. Azure, three hemp-breakers argent, from a chief of the last a lion naissant gules (for Joinville).

8. Per fesse or and azure, a pale counterchanged, over all a bend gules.

[D'or à cinq points equipollés d'azur, brisé d'une bande de gueules (for Saint-Priest, ca. det).]

9. Argent, a bend gules (for Leroy Chauvigny).

10. Vaire, a chief gules (for Urfé). 11. Argent, in chief a fesse nebulée sable (for Lavieu?).

12. Or, a cross gules (for the republic of Geneva ?).

13. Bendy of six, argent and azure (for Coutançon ?).

14. Gules, on a chief parted per fesse argent and azuie, a pale counterchanged.

[De gueules au chef d'argent, à trois points equipollés d'azur (for Rochevaron).]

15. Per chevron, argent and sable. [Chevronné d'argent et de sable (for Levis ?).]

16. Quarterly, or and gules (for Chaugy, de Roussillon).

17. Argent, a chief bendy or and gules.

18. Per chevron argent and gules, a label of five points azure.

[Chevronné d'argent et de gueules, brisé en chef d'un lambel d'azur à cinq pendants.] 19. Or, a gonfanon gules, fringed vert (for Auvergne).

20. Gules, a chevron or, a chief vaire (for Feugerolles, cadet).

21. Paly, or and gules (for Barges?).

22. Barry of four, or and gules (for Chauvigny).

23. Quarterly, or and gules, a bordure sable charged with eight fleursde-lys or (for Chalençon).

24. Gules, a lion or, a label of five points azure (for Montfort).

25. Argent, an eagle displayed sable, beaked and membered gules, a label of five points of the last.

26. Bendy of six, or and azure, a bordure gules (for Burgundy ancient).

27. Azure, a bend argent doubly coticed potent counterpotent of sixteen pieces argent and azure (for Champagne).

28. Vaire, or and gules (for Beauffremont).

29. Or, a dolphin azure, crested, bearded, and eared gules (for Dauphiné).

30. Gules, a bend or (for Chalon).

31. Azure, six bezants, three, two, and one, a chief or (for Nangis-Brichanteau, and for the Counts of Diois and of Valentinois, surnamed Poitiers, who descended from a bastard of the Counts of Poitou).

32. Barry of six vairé or, and gules. [Fascé vairé d'or et de gueules de six pieces.]

33. Argent, a castle gules.

34. Gules, three bars or, or argent, (for Polignac?).

35. Azure, a bend argent (for Esgertines).

36. Quarterly, or and gules, a label of five points sable (for Chaugy, cadet). 37. Barry of six, argent and azure, over all a bendlet (cotice) gules.

38. Argent, a cross ancrée gules (for Vernoilles).

39. Chequy, or and gules, a bordure azure (for Ventadour, cadet).

40. Or, a fesse nebulée gules (for Chevrieres Mauvoisin).

41. Per chevron, argent and azure. 42. Bendy of six, argent and azure. 43. Or, a cross ancrée gules (for Cousan-Damas).

44. Quarterly, 1 and 4, per fesse or and gules (for Chavigny ?) 2 and 3, per fesse or and azure (for Barges).

45. Or, an eagle displayed sable, beaked and membered gules (for Savoy ancient).

46. Gules, a castle triple-towered or (for Castile or Castelnau).

47. Barry of six, vairé gules, and or. [Fascé, vairé de gueules et d'or de six pieces.]

48. Or, four pallets gules (for Aragon).

These arms are depicted on a pointed waggon-vaulted wooden ceiling of the large chamber above named, (once the chapter house at Montbrison,) and of which chamber a rude representa tion may be found in a small silkbound MS. volume (No. 4325,) of our Harleian collection. They are disposed on 48 transverse bands, each having the same one coat repeated 20 times, that altogether there are 960 shields, independently of an ornamental border of five-tailed dragons, and other fantastic animals. And, it is worthy of remark, these coats have been so arranged that no two fields of similar metal or colour are in contact; whereby heraldic confusion has not only been prevented, but, at the same time, such an harmoniously coloured effect has been produced as to be well worthy of imitation by modern decotors about to embellish any of the ceilings of our several baronial mansions.

Over the fireplace, now destroyed, were five escutcheons. The central one bore the arms of the province of Forez-Gules, a dolphin, finned or; the first to the right had the arms of Bourbon-Azure, semé of fleurs-de-lys or, over all a bend gules, impaling Forez; while on the second were the arms of France. On the first to the left were, quarterly, Forez and Dauphiné, impaling Bourbon; and on the second, Bourbon-Vendome-Azure, semé of fleurs-de-lys or, over all a bend gules charged with three lioncels argent (not or, as La Mure says).

From these shields we conclude that the decoration of this hall may be attributed to the Jeanne de Bourbon who was Countess of Forez from 1373 till 1382. Yours, &c. PLANTAGENET.

The Memoir alluded to is now printing, and will be published in June. Careful and extensive investigation and inquiry have enabled me to render it an interesting illustration, not only of the Life and Works of AUBREY, but also of the state of so ciety in general, and especially of the literary circles, of the seventeenth century. In order to procure the most accurate accounts of Aubrey's writings, I have taken considerable pains to ascertain the present owner of one of his important manuscripts, but hitherto without success. The work referred to was designated "Monumenta Britannica,” and is mentioned with commendation by Sir Richard Hoare (Ancient Wiltshire, vol. ii.), Gough (British Topography, vol. ii.), and other authors. It extended to four folio volumes, and in 1819 was in the possession of William Churchill, esq. of Henbury, Dorsetshire, to whom it had descended from Mr. Awnsham Churchill, a wealthy London bookseller and publisher. Mr. William Churchill, his son, sold Henbury, and a part of his father's library by auction. Those who conducted the sale, and also the principal purchasers, are since dead, and I cannot learn from their representatives whether the "Monumenta Britannica” was amongst the articles sold. If not, it remained probably in the possession of William Churchill, esq. the younger, who resided in Hill Street, Berkeley Square, That gentleman's books and prints passed under his will to his cousin, Sir Charles Greville, who died a few years ago, and bequeathed his library to the present Earl of Warwick. His lordship, however, informs me that the Monumenta was not in the collection. I shall be glad if any of your numerous readers can afford me infor mation respecting this valuable work, as I am not only very anxious to ascertain its safe keeping, but to put on record every tangible fact relating to the manuscripts and personal characteristics of John Aubrey: venturing to entertain a confident expectation that the memoir above referred to will prove that the Wiltshire Topographer and Antiquary is deserving the gratitude and esteem of all real lovers of literature.

Yours, &c. J. BRITTON.

MR. URBAN, Lincoln's Inn, Jan. 22. ALLOW me to lay before your readers the following authorities which go to establish that the Collar of SS. as such, that is to say, as distinguished from collars of livery granted to particular persons and on particular occasions, and appertaining to certain offices, belongs to the dignity and degree of a Knight.

I. Judge Doddridge, Law of Nobility, p. 123 (A.D. 1642). "And by the statute made anno 24 H. VIII. cap. 13, intituled An Act for Reformation of Apparell,' it was permitted for Knights to wear a collar of gold, named a collar of SS. Esses." The stat. is repealed by stat. 1 Jac. I. c. 25, s. 45-47, but this is immaterial so far as regards the collar of SS., because the proviso in question is declaratory only.

II. Ashmole, Hist. of the Order of the Garter, ch. vii. sec. 8. "But that the golden collar was the undoubted badge of a Knight, may be instanced by a multitude of examples, deduced from the monuments of persons of that degree in the reigns of Hen. VI. Ed. IV. Hen. VII. Hen. VIII. and since, and so justly and legally appropriate, that in the Act of Parliament made for the reformation of apparell there is a proviso entered that Knights notwithstanding might wear a gold collar of SS. though it hath grown out of fashion." And further on Ashmole says, "All such persons as are honoured with knighthood have allowed them collars of silver gilt."

III. Selden, in his Titles of Honour, part II. ch. v., after showing that the King in ancient times invested with collars of SS, those whom he created Esquires, says, Yet also this kind of collar was heretofore the wearing of Knights also, as we see in the statutes of apparell." It is, however, necessary to observe that Esquires' collars were silver. Vid. Camden Britan. Orders, p. cxliii.

IV. Camden, in his Remains, speaks of the golden collar of SS. as belonging to Knights.

V. Milles, in his Catalogue of Honour, says, "In truth no evidence exists that the members of the Order of the Garter wore any collar at all

as Knights of the Garter, though they certainly wore golden collars in their character of Knights Bachelors and Knights Bannerets."

VI. In a letter of the heralds to the Earl of Holland, 29 June, 1527, MS. Heralds' Coll. L. 2, Founder's kin, they say, "So likewise were Knights (now called Bachelors) anciently known by their belts, their collar of SS. of gold," &c.

VII. Nisbet (Heraldry, vol. ii. p. 87) says, "In latter times it was the peculiar fashion of Knights among us to wear golden collars composed of SS.... That the golden collar of SS. was the undeniable badge of a Knight may be instanced by many undeniable examples; and by King Hen. VIII. it was allowed that Knights might publicly wear a gold collar of SS."

VIII. Carter, in his Analysis of Honour, p. 28, says, "The Roman Knights were allowed to wear a chain of gold.... which is by us yet imitated in the collar of SS." (A.D. 1655.)

IX. Ferne, in his Glory of Generosity, p. 103, after speaking of the collars of the Roman Knights, torquati, says, "The form and manner of this chaine is still remembered unto us by the collar of SS. ;" and see p. 109. (A.D. 1586.)

X. Gwillim, Heraldry, part II. p.110, also refers to the proviso of the statute of apparell, permitting Knights to wear a gold collar of SS.

Other authorities could be produced, but these suffice for the present. I have cited Judge Doddridge, Ashmole, Selden, Camden, Milles, the College of Heralds, 1627, Nisbet, Carter, Ferne, and Gwillim, and they are unanimous.

The question now arises, when and for what reason did that very remarkable badge of knighthood fall into disuse?

We have seen that Ashmole, who lived in the reign of Charles II. says that "it hath grown out of fashion;' and yet the same very high authority says that "all such persons as are honoured with Knighthood have allowed them collars of silver gilt." But I will trespass no longer on your patience.

Yours, &c. D. C. L.