The _pale_ is an honourable ordinary, consisting of two perpendicular lines drawn from the top to the base of the escutcheon, and contains one third of the width of the field.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Pale]

Ex. Azure, a pale, or.

The pale may be formed of any of the lines before described; it is then called a _pale engrailed, a pale dancette_, &c.

The pale has a diminutive called the _pallet_, which is one half the width of the pale.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Pallet]

Ex. Argent, a pallet, gules.

The pale has another diminutive one fourth its size; it is called an _endorse_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Endorse]

Ex. Argent, a pale between two endorses, gules.

The pale and the pallet may receive any charge; but the endorse is never to be charged with any thing.

THE BEND.

The _bend_ is an honourable ordinary, formed by two diagonal lines drawn from the dexter chief to the sinister base, and contains the fifth part of the field if uncharged; but if charged with other figures, the third part of the field.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Bend]

Ex. Argent, a bend, vert.

The bend has four diminutives, viz. the _garter_ which is half the breadth of the bend.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Garter]

Ex. Argent, a garter, gules.

The _cotice_ which is the fourth part of the bend. Cotices generally accompany the bend in pairs; thus a bend between two cotices is said to be cotised.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Cotice]

Ex. Gules, a bend, argent, coticed of the same.

The _riband_, which is one third less than the garter and the _bendlet_, must never occupy more than one sixth of the field.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Riband]

Ex. Argent, a riband vert.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Bendlet]

Ex. Gules, two bendlets, engrailed, argent.

The _bend sinister_ is the same breadth as the bend dexter, and is drawn from the sinister to the dexter side of the shield.

[Ill.u.s.tration: bend sinister]

Ex. Argent, a bend sinister, purpure.

The _scarpe_ is the diminutive of the bend sinister, and is half its size.

[Ill.u.s.tration: scarpe]

Ex. Argent, a scarpe, purpure.

The _baton _is the fourth part of the bend, and, as before mentioned, it is a mark of illegitimacy, and seldom used in Heraldry, but by the illegitimate descendants of royalty.

[Ill.u.s.tration: baton]

Ex. Gules, a baton, sable, garnished, or.

THE FESS AND BAR.

The _fess_ is formed by two horizontal lines drawn above and below the centre of the shield. The fess contains in breadth one third of the field.

[Ill.u.s.tration: fess]

Ex. Argent, a fess, azure.

The _bar _is formed in the same manner as the fess, but it only occupies the fifth part of the field. It differs from the fess, that ordinary being always placed in the centre of the field; but the bar may be placed in any part of it, and there may be more than one bar in an escutcheon.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Bar]

Ex. Gules, two bars, argent.

The _closet_ is a diminutive of the bar, and is half its width.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Closet]

Ex. Argent, two closets, azure.

The _barrulet_ is half the width of the closet.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Barrulet]

Ex. Gules, two barrulets, argent.

The annexed example is to ill.u.s.trate the word _gemels_, which is frequently used to describe double bars. The word _gemels_ is a corruption of the French word _jumelles_, which signifies double.