dancetté sable; on the last corner shield, quarterly or and gules, a fess argent; upon a smaller shield in the middle of the border, sable a pair of wings expanded argent; on the border opposite, party per fess sable and or, two crescents argent; in the centre of the next border, gules two bars (perhaps) sable charged, the upper one with three, the lower with one, bezants or plates; and last of all, upon the other border, or, a lion rampant, gules with chief vair, sable, and or. Repeated at various places are a vase surmounted by a cross with two birds, half-serpent, half-dove, sipping out of the vessel; and below this group another, consisting of two stags well "attired," each with one hoof upon the brim of a fountain out of which they are about to drink. This latter symbol is evidently a reference to the Psalmist's hart that panteth after the fountains of water, while the former one is a representation of the union of the serpent's wisdom with the simplicity of the dove. In many ancient monuments the upper half of the bird is that of a dove, the lower ends in a snake-like shape with an eye shown at the extremity of the tail. There are five long rhythmical inscriptions on this cloth, in German, one at every corner, and the longest of all in the middle; considering the period at which they were written, these doggerel verses are very poor, and run nearly as follows:—
"ALS . mAn . ZALT . FunFZEHN . HunDERT . JAHR.
DARZu . nOCH . ACHTZiG . unD . FunF . ZWAR.
HAT . DER . EDEL . unD . VEST . HEinRiCH.
vOn . GEiSPiTZHEim . DiE . TuGEnTREiCH .
AnnA . BLiCKin . Zum . GmAL . ERKORn .
WELCHE . vOn . LiGTEnBERG . GEBORn .
BEiD . ALTES . ADELiCHS . GESCHLECHT .
ZuSAmmEn . SiCH . VERmEHLT . RECHT .
DAmiT . nuHn . in . iHREm . EHESTAnDT .
VLEiSiG . HAuSHALTunG . WuRDT . ERKAnDT .
HAT . SiE . iHREm . TunCKERn . Zu . EHRn .
DEn . HAuSRAHT . WOLLEn . ZiRn . unD . mEHRn .
DARumB . miT . iHRER . EiGnEN . HAnDT .
DiES . unD . nOCH . ViEL . ZiERLiCHS . GEWANDT .
Zu . iHRER . GEDACHTniS . GEmACHT .
miT . BEiDER . nECHSTEn . AnGHEn . ACHT .
miT . GOTT . iHRH . TunCKERn . D . KinDER . ZART .
AuCH . SiE . ERHALTE . BEi . WOHLFAHRTH .
DARnEBEn . VERLEiHEn . GEDuLT .
DAS . WiR . BEZAHLn . DER . nATuR . SCHuLT .
