the name of our farm was pure proof; a plover being a wild bird, just the same as a raven is.  Upon this chain of reasoning, and without any weak misgivings, they charged my growing escutcheon with a black raven on a ground of red.  And the next thing which I mentioned possessing absolute certainty, to wit, that a pig with two heads had been born upon our farm, not more than two hundred years agone (although he died within a week), my third quarter was made at once, by a two-headed boar with noble tusks, sable upon silver.  All this was very fierce and fine; and so I pressed for a peaceful corner in the lower dexter, and obtained a wheat-sheaf set upright, gold upon a field of green.

[Illustration:  645.jpg John Ridd admiring his coat of arms]

Here I was inclined to pause, and admire the effect; for even De Whichehalse could not show a bearing so magnificent.  But the heralds said that it looked a mere sign-board, without a good motto under it; and the motto must have my name in it.  They offered me first, “Ridd non ridendus”; but I said, “for God’s sake, gentlemen, let me forget my Latin.”  Then they proposed, “Ridd readeth riddles”:  but I begged them not to set down such a lie; for no Ridd ever had made, or made out, such a thing as a riddle, since Exmoor itself began.  Thirdly, they gave me, “Ridd never be ridden,” and fearing to make any further objections, I let them inscribe it in bronze upon blue.  The heralds thought that the King would pay for this noble achievement; but His Majesty, although graciously pleased with their ingenuity, declined in the most decided manner to pay a farthing towards it; and as I had now no money left, the heralds became as blue as azure, and as red as gules; until Her Majesty the Queen came forward very kindly, and said that if His Majesty gave me a coat of arms, I was not to pay for it; therefore she herself did so quite handsomely, and felt goodwill towards me in consequence.

Now being in a hurry—­so far at least as it is in my nature to hurry—­to get to the end of this narrative, is it likely that I would have dwelled so long upon my coat of arms, but for some good reason?  And this good reason is that Lorna took the greatest pride in it, and thought (or at any rate said) that it quite threw into the shade, and eclipsed, all her own ancient glories.  And half in fun, and half in earnest, she called me “Sir John” so continually, that at last I was almost angry with her; until her eyes were bedewed with tears; and then I was angry with myself.

Beginning to be short of money, and growing anxious about the farm, longing also to show myself and my noble escutcheon to mother, I took advantage of Lady Lorna’s interest with the Queen, to obtain my acquittance and full discharge from even nominal custody.  It had been intended to keep me in waiting, until the return of Lord Jeffreys, from that awful circuit of shambles, through which his name is still used by mothers to frighten their children into bed.  And right glad was I—­for even London shrank with horror at the news—­to escape a man so bloodthirsty, savage, and even to his friends (among whom I was reckoned) malignant.