THE MUSKETEER

Symbol of Warden-Ship

A musketeer (French: mousquetaire) was an early modern infantry soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were a significant part of early modern armies, to a great degree, in Europe. Symbolic of the battle, loyalty to the sovereign, warden-ship, and a symbol of office.

Musketeers were soldiers characterized by being equipped with the matchlock rifle. Although the weapon appears first to have been used militarily by the Spanish in the Netherlands revolt in 1567, its name seems only to have entered English usage in 1587, its use being common from 1590.

Musketeers were also utilized in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) and the 14th century Chinese military treatise Huolongjing describes a s-shaped serpetine matchlock.

The musket most commonly used during the civil wars was the matchlock or arquebus, a gun first used towards the end of the 15th century, which had a barrel length of around 4½ feet and was fired by touching off the priming charge with a piece of burning slow-match.

The match was a length of cord soaked in saltpetre attached to the trigger mechanism. The matchlock had a range of about 300 yards but with no hope of accuracy above 50 yards

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THE WINGED WHEEL

Symbol for Communication and/or Transport....

This "WINGED WHEEL" is seen most often in connection with ATHENA but also frequently with MERCURY. The Wheel with Wings is, a "Spinning" or Moving Wheel. Together with Mercury, by itself or with other Figures, it is the most common Symbol for Communication and/or Transport

The wheel is symbolic of transportation, successful journeys and expeditions, and also perpetuity. Wheels are symbols of peace, flight, freedom and spiritual transport.

There are many charges that feature wings which have their own meaning; such as a winged globe as a symbol of the holy spirit. In Heraldry a single wing is called a “demi vol” and usually enjoys the symbolism of the eagle. Associated with Hermes, the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology.

The winged wheel is also a symbol of progress, seen in many contexts including the coat of arms of Panama and the logo of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

A Religious symbol of the Holy Spirit, and the continuity between old and new....

THE PIKEMAN

the swift and straight current which carries away the foolhardy

Seventeenth-century infantry consisted largely of pikemen and musketeers.

The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the conflict known as the Rough Wooing. It was the last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies

To oppose the English south of Edinburgh, the Earl of Arran had levied a large army, consisting mainly of pikemen with contingents of Highland archers.

By the 1640s the pikemen's main weapon was 18 feet (5.48 metres) long in theory, but often shorter in practice, for soldiers sometimes cut off a foot or two to make it more manageable. They also carried a sword, though this was generally of poor quality.

At the beginning of the century pikemen wore a rimmed helmet (‘pikeman's pot’), breast- and back-plate, and articulated tassets covering the thighs, but armour was discarded as the century went on. The pikemen of the New Model Army seem not to have worn body armour, and Sir James Turner reported that in 1671 pikemen were ‘naked’—that is, unarmoured—everywhere save in the Netherlands

It is said of the pike to be symbolic of the swift and straight current which carries away the foolhardy.

FALCONER'S GLOVE

Falconer's or Hawking-glove. When the quarry is bolted the hawk flies fast in pursuit and seizes its prey with its talons, overpowering it through sheer strength of grip. If it misses, it is trained to return to the falconer's glove for a piece of meat. Usually borne on a shield by a bearer who was indeed a Falconer or one who successfully completed an enterprise involving a The word Falcon Is derived from the Latin "falx", meaning sickle, a reference to the Falcon's wing shape in flight. Egyptians associated the Falcon with the 'Eye of Horus'. The god Horus was believed to appear in the form of Pharaoh's Falcon or as a Falcon-headed god. The mythology states he could see everything at once because one eye was the sun and the other was the moon. It is written that Falcons were permitted to ride on Pharaoh's nape as his protector and divine spirit. A venerable symbol of majesty and power, heraldic writers add that the Falcon denotes someone eager, or hot in the pursuit of an object much desired; if seated on its 'rest' or perch it may signify a bearer who is ready and serviceable for high affairs.

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