a flock snowed up at the bottom. But the gentlemen would not
hear of this; and to find something more appropriate, they inquired
strictly into the annals of our family. I told them, of course, all
about King Alfred; upon which they settled that one quarter should be,
three cakes on a bar, with a lion regardant, done upon a field of gold.
Also I told them that very likely there had been a Ridd in the battle
fought, not very far from Plover's Barrows, by the Earl of Devon against
the Danes, when Hubba their chief was killed, and the sacred standard
taken. As some of the Danes are said to be buried, even upon land
of ours, and we call their graves (if such they be) even to this day
'barrows,' the heralds quite agreed with me that a Ridd might have been
there, or thereabouts; and if he was there, he was almost certain to
have 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.

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