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Honorable Ordinaries. - Sub-Ordinaries: Harrington

Then there is the Fret, which sometimes looks like a knot, as on the Harrington coat-of-arms. The Harrington knot is thought to be only a portion of the meshes left from a net that was thrown over the entire shield, they having taken their name and arms from a fishing village upon the sea, which belonged/to them.

Harrington.

At other times the fret covers the entire shield, as it did that of a certain storied knight. One day a couple of knights, engaged in a discussion of some question of heraldry, happened to pause on the dusty highway, and, leaning HONORABLE ORDINARIES - SUB-ORDINARIES. "see Cat in the Dairy. against the trunk of a tree, continued their discussion, emphasizing it with a gesture or two, and in a tone that could scarcely be called a whisper. Attracted by their manner, three or four peasants gathered about them to hear the discussion. Just then a knight appeared in the distance, mounted upon a handsome horse, slowly trotting towards them. "Now," quoth one of the disputants, if you can blazon his shield, so that his sovereign might know him without being told his name."

The other agreed to do this, and, waiting only until the sun fell upon the shield of the unknown knight in such a way as to bring out with perfect distinctness the device enamelled upon it, he read as follows: "This knight beareth sable, a musion (cat) passant guardant or, oppressed with a fret gules of eight parts, nails d'or." As I told you before, the language of the heralds was one that was as well comprehended by the common laborer as by the knight, so that this description was perfectly intelligible to the little group of auditors. Immediately, one of the peasants, who, when not listening, had asked an occasional question, now exclaimed, "Sir, you call this armes ?

Now, by my faith, I had not thought that arms could be of such trifling things.

Why, this is even the cat in the milk- Scotland. house window; full ill will the housekeeper's dairy thrive if she puts such a vermin beast in trust to keep it."