Heraldry of the Decadence, Part 4

Coming to the conclusion of our review of some of the alternate blazon schemes suggested at times by different heraldic authors, we present you with not one, not two, not three, but four different blazon schemes based on the Virtues.

Virtues

Proposed by William Berry, An Introduction to Heraldry, 1810:

Or               Force
Argent         Hope
Gules           Charity
Azure           Justice
Sable           Prudence
Vert             Strength
Purpure        Temperance

Virtues

Found in Eugene Zieber, Heraldry in America, 1895, attributes these to “Planché’s Clark”, but I do not find them in my copy of Clark (1882).

Or               Constancy
Argent         Innocence
Gules           Magnanimity
Azure           Loyalty
Sable           Prudence
Vert             Love loyal
Purpure        Temperance

Virtues

In Pierre Derveaux, Blasons et Armories, 1987

Or               Prestige
Argent         Sagesse
Gules           Ardeur
Azure           Fidélité
Sable           Tristesse
Vert            
Purpure      

I'm not at all sure why no virtues are given for green and purple in this scheme.

Virtues

From Ferne, John, The Glory of Generositie (1586), cited in The Oxford Guide to Heraldry, Thomas Woodcock and John Martin Robinson, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1988, p. 54; Nisbet, Alexander, A System of Heraldry, Speculative and Practical, 1722 (repr. 1984), Vol. I

Or               Faith
Argent         Innocency
Gules           Magnanimity
Azure           Loyalty
Sable           Prudence
Vert             Love
Purpure        Temperance

Many of the virtues here match those of the ones proposed in the one Zieber ascribes to Planche's Clark above, but not all, hence its inclusion here separately.

And, again, these schemes can create some very odd-sounding blazons. For example, my own arms would be blazoned by Berry as: Hope two chevronels justice between three apples charity slipped and leaved strength.