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allow him apartments in Windfor Caftle, in the fouthweft Tower in the lower ward of the caftle, called Chancellor's tower.

His oath, robe, and livery, in the Sovereign's court, are the fame as the Prelate's. His office is not only to feal original statutes, appointed to remain perpetually in Windfor caftle, but also thofe copies, of which each Knight Companion is obliged to have one, are in his keeping, with letters of licence, mandates and certificates relating to the order..

The Chancellor's badge of distinction is a medal of gold, enamelled with a red rofe, within a Garter of blue enamel, with this motto, Honi foit qui mal y pense; and on the reverfe thereof, St. George enamelled within the Garter, pendant to a purple ribbon, or gold chain.

REGISTER OF THE GARTER.

THIS officer was one of the three constituted at the first inftitution of the Order. His mantle is crimfon fattin, lined with taffaty, and a fcutcheon of St. George's arms, embroidered on the left fhoulder, but not incircled with a Garter, having taffals the fame as the Prelate and Chancellor.

He has apartments in the caftle of Windfor; on his breaft a red book of the Order, with this device, two pens in faltire, within the Garter.

GAR

GARTER.

THE fourth officer of the Order is Garter, inftituted by Henry V. with the advice and confent of all the Knights Companions, who for the honour of the Order was pleased he fhould be the principal Officer within the College of Arms, and chief of the Heralds.

The services enjoined him, relating to the Order, were, in preceding times, performed by the Windfor Herald of Arms, an officer created by king Edward the Third.

His robe is the fame as the Register; be wears pendant to a chain a gold medal enamelled with the Sovereign's arms, impaled with the Crofs of St. George, furrounded with the Garter, and crowned with an Imperial Crown.

BLACK ROD.

THE fifth and last Officer is the Black Rod. This Officer was inftituted by the founder; according to the institution, he is to be a Gentleman of blood and arins, born within the Sovereign's dominions; and if not a Knight at his admiffion into the office, he is to be knighted; and, for the honour of the order, he is appointed the chief Usher in the kingdom.

In a chapter held at Whitehall, the 13th of Febru ary, 6 Car. I. it was decreed, that the office of the Black Rod fhould from thenceforth fucceffively, as

I

foon

foon as the fame fhould become void, be annexed to fome one of the Gentlemen Ufhers, Daily Waiters, whom the Sovereign fhould appoint.

The oath given to this officer (temp. Hen. VIII.) was, "truly and faithfully to obferve and keep all the "points of the Statutes of the Order, as to him be"longed and appertained." His mantle is the fame as the Register and Garter; it was ordained, that he or his Deputy fhould carry a Black Rod (whence he hath his titles) before the Sovereign, or his Deputy, at the Feast of St. George, within the Castle of Windfor, and at other folemnities and chapters of the Order, on the top of the Rod there ought to be fet a Lion of England. This Rod ferves inftead of a mace, and has the fame authority to apprehend delinquents, and fuch as have offended against the statutes of the Order. And where he apprehends any one of the Order, as guilty of fome crime for which he is to be expelled, the manner of it is, by touching them with this Black Rod; his fee for it is five pound.

He has affigned him a gold badge, to be worn pendant to a chain or ribbon, before his breaft; a knot (like thofe in the Collar of the Order) encompaffed with the Garter and Motto, being alike on both fides.

There is a house in Windfor Caftle granted to this Officer by Letters Patent, during life. It is fituated on the South fide of the Caftle in the middle ward. By the conftitutions he is granted Baron's-fervice at the church, and livery thereto appertaining.

King Charles the First annexed to this Officer the little Park of Windsor, for ever; and not to be dis

pofed

pofed of but under the Great Seal of the Order, and that only to the Ufher of the Order for the time being.

The INSTALLATION of

the KNIGHTS of the GARTER;

held at Windfor on the 25th of July, 1771.

(Taken from PORNY'S Elements of Heraldry.)

THE ceremonies obferved at the Installation of the Knights of the Order of the Garter; the particulars of which Mr. Porny, who was an eye-witness at the Installation of his Royal Highnefs the Prince of Wales, his Royal Highness the Bishop of Ofnaburgh, his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, his Serene Highness the Duke of Mecklenburgh, his Serene Highnefs the Prince of Brunswick, the Duke of Marlborough, the Duke of Grafton, the Earl of Albemarle, and the Earl Gower, in prefence of the Sovereign, at Windfor, describes as follows:

The Knights Companions, in the full habit of the Order; the Officers of the Order, in their mantles; the Knights elect, in the under habit of their Order, having their caps and feathers in their hands; and the proxies, in their ordinary habit, attended the Sovereign in the royal apartment; the Officers of Arms being in the presence-chamber, the Canons and poor Knights in the guard-chamber.

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The

fhoulder, and brought under the right arm, with the George appendant) he proceeds from his lodgings in the castle to the chapter house, where disrobing himself of his upper garment, he is invefted with a furcoat of crimson velvet, lined with white taffata, during which time the admonition is given as follows:

Take this robe of crimson to the increase of your honour, and in token or fign of the most noble order you have received, wherewith you being defended, may be bold, not. only frong to fight, but also to offer yourself to fhed your blood for Chrift's faith, the liberties of the Church, and the juft and neceffary defence of them that are oppressed and needy.

After this, his fword is girt about him over his furcoat, with a belt the fame as the coat, and then bearing his cap (in his hand) which is of black velvet adorned with a diamond band, and a plume of white feathers with an heron fprig in the middle, he proceeds to his inftallation in St. George's chapel, being led between two Knights Companions of the order, to the feat below his ftall, where (Garter king of arms having on a crimson velvet cufhion, laced and taffeled with gold, brought the mantle, collar, hood, and the book of ftatutes) laying his right hand on the New Teftament, the oath is adminiftered to him in the following manner:

You being chofen to be one of the honourable company of this most noble order of the Garter, fhall promife and fwear by the Holy Evangelifts, by you here touched, that wit tingly or willingly you shall not break any ftatute of the faid order, or any articles in them contained, the fame being agreeable, and not repugnant, to the laws of Almighty

Gods

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