ve done his best, being in sight of hearth and home; and it was plain
that he must have had good legs to be at the same time both there and in
Athelney; and good legs are an argument for good arms; and supposing
a man of this sort to have done his utmost (as the manner of the Ridds
is), it was next to certain that he himself must have captured the
standard. Moreover, 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
s