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Honorable Ordinaries. - Sub-Ordinaries: Greek

Greek Cross.

The Tau Cross is sometimes called St. Anthony's Cross, because that much demon-tormented saint is always represented with this cross, which is really one of the Greek letters, stamped upon his dress.

One of the Drurys accompanied John of Gaunt into Spain, and then, fired with holy zeal, made a pilgrimage to Palestine. In that holy land he was so unfortunate as to leave his bones; but before making this last bequest of himself, he added to his shield this letter, or Cross Tau. This he did because in very ancient times it HONORABLE ORDINARIES - SUB-ORDINARIES. was used as a symbol of safety, in allusion to this verse in Scripture, "Slay utterly old and young-maids and little children and women - but come not near any man upon whom is the mark (or Tau)."

The Saltire, like the Greek Cross, is also seen on the Union Jack, it being claimed, as we learned before, to be the cross on which St. Andrew of Scotland and St. Patrick of Ireland were crucified. There is a French word resembling it, which signifies a wood or park, and the cross looks quite like the gate of an enclosure. The Nevilles wear it on their shield, having been at one time Wardours of the King's Forests throughout all England. The name of these Nevilles was a powerful one in the history of England, and, during the lifetime of the renowned king-maker, Richard Neville, it was so extremely popular in Calais, where he was governor, that his badges were universally adopted. "No man esteemed himself gallant whose head was not adorned with his Ragged Staff; nor was any door frequented that had not his white cross painted thereon." Besides these simple lines there are a rabble of second cousins to them. This little shield with a sort of checker in the right-hand corner is said to have a "canton" upon it. Another divided into irregular pieces is said to have gyrons, and here quite a pretty tale of the old Spanish wars comes in. Very few families in Great Britain wear it, but amongst the few is that of the Duke of Argyle, the chief of the Campbell clan, but in Spain the charge is very common.