10

HISTORY OF THE

to Thistles of Gold, to Buttons of the shape of Thistles, to a gold Cup embossedwith Thistles, and to a Ring and Bonnets ornamented with Thistles.

The idea of instituting A Collar, was evidently suggested to King Jamesthe Fifth, by the Foreign Orders with which he had been Invested. Havingreceived the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1534, that of Saint Michaelin 1535, and the Garter in 1536, he is said to have kept open Court, and tohave solemnized the several Feasts of Saint Andrew, Patron of the GoldenFleece, * 1 and of Saint Michael of France, and Saint George of England, andto have placed the Arms of the Emperor Francis, and of Henry the Eighth,encircled with their respective Orders, over the gate of his palace at Lin-lithgow, together with those of Saint Andrew. 2 The new Collar seems tohave been formed upon that of the Garter, rather than upon that of theGolden Fleece, or of Saint Michael; and as the Rose was the principalornament of the Collar of the Garter, a Thistle was made that of the ScottishCollar.

The Collar not only occurs on the Coins of King James the Fifth, but heis said to have been represented with it in his portrait, formerly in the RoyalGallery at Whitehall, 3 which is presumed to be the one now at Windsor, andmay have been the “little auld Pictour of King James Fyft,” that belonged

purple Gown with gold buttons in the shape of a Thistle, are again mentioned. In an Inventory of“ golden and silver werk being in the Castle of Edinburgh the 8th November md.xliii,” the followingarticles are enumerated : “ Ane basing and ane laware of gold with Thrissillis and Lilleis round aboutthe samyne. Ane grit Coupe of gold with thrissillis and floure de lises. Ane litle Coupe of gold withthe cover and thairupoun ane Unicorne with the Kingis armes. Ane litle Cowpe of gold with Rosisand ane Croun upoun the samyne. Ane Cowpe of gold with the cover, and thairuponn ane Lyounwith ane ruby in his mouth, and within the samyn Coupe ane sey peice ouregilt.”

1 The Order of the Golden Fleece is alluded to as the Order of Saint Andrew, in Doctor Aldridge’sIntroduction to the “ Liber Niger,” or Register of the Order of the Garter in the reign of King Henrythe Eighth: “ Sic Georgius in tot Vexillis emicat, sic Michael, sic Andreas in Vexillis triumphaliforma renitent. Qui tres Ordines seu praeclarissimae Societates inter Christianos Principes et illorumelectissimos Equites hodie constant: ut maximam Pacis et Amicitiae toti Christiano Orbi praebeantoccasionem: dum horum Insignia mutuo dant et accipiunt. Inde nanque fit ut tres potentissimiMonarchee Christiani, quorum ex Nutu pendent omnia, tranquillum et felicem orbem efficiant, dumsimul sub Georgiano jam Supremo duo reliqui in unitatem ipsius Ordinis ac sacrosanctae Societatisamicissime coiverint, et in eorum ipse sinceram Amicitiam atque praedilectam Societatem rursum haudillibenter accesserit.”—Anstis, II. 29.

2 “ Cujus rei ut luculentius signum toti posteritati eluceret, insignia regia in porta Lithcoensispalatii figenda, singulaque Ordinum singulorum simul ac divi Andreae ornamenta (quae sunt nostrae

gentis propria exquisita artifice laude circumplicanda curavit.”— Lesley, ut supra, lib. ix. p. 193.