rsian; the fire-sticks of the prehistoric cross, Egyptian or Indian;
and the composite animals representing many qualities, Ninevite
(probably Accadian).[539]

All these were utilized, so that their already accepted uses should be
helps and adjuncts, instead of impediments to the appreciation of
divine truths; in the same way that "all that was lovely and of good
repute" in the belief and morals of the ancient peoples, reasserted
and purified, was claimed by the new teachers as types and antitypes.
The symbolism of colours has been always considered very important in
liturgical decoration,[540] and their meanings are discussed in the
chapter on colour.

The mystical colours, as has been already stated, are five--red, blue,
purple, white, and gold. These the Christian Church inherited from the
Levitical law, and continued faithful to them till the modern Roman
use introduced green and black. The Church of England before the
Reformation never allowed any but the original five mystic colours.

The symbolism of ecclesiastical embroideries, as well as that of all
Christian art, being intended to illustrate the truths of Christianity
by the teaching of the eye, the great symbol of our faith, the
_Cross_, naturally drew to itself all its prehistoric forms as being
the prophetic types of the "true cross."

The earliest form of the prehistoric cross, [Illustration], is supposed
to refer to the worship of the sun, and is said to be formed of two
fire-sticks (for producing fire by friction) laid across each other.
This is almost universal in prehistoric, archaic, classical, and
Christian art to the thirteenth century. The next most ancient form is
a broken cross, thus, [Illustration], said to be the double of the Tau,
or Egyptian sign of life, and claimed by the Rabbins as having been the
sign in blood, which stopped the hand of the angel of death, over the
doors of the Israelites at the first Passover. This afterwards was
called the "Gammadion," from its likeness to a doubled Greek gamma,
and it was also said to symbolize the "corner-stone."[541] The third
commonest form, apparently a modification of that of the fire-sticks,
[Illustration], is to be found throughout Celtic and Scandinavian art,
and was called in England "the fylfote" (from its likeness to the arms
of the Isle of Man), and likewise "the Gammadion," though it shows
another source than the Greek letter.

From these three forms already in use, added to that of t