Chambers's encyclopaedia; a dictionary of universal knowledge for the people . vexillum prop-erly applied. Examples of these standards are sculiitured on theArch of Constantine at Rome. Tlie top of the staff was also fre-quently adorned with a figure of Mars or of Victory, and in later times, witli the head ofthe reigning Constantine em-braced Christianity, theCross was substitutedfor the head of the em-peror on the purple Byzantium. Stand-ards were less in useamongst tlie Greekst li a n has been usualwith war-like nations;but a standard, amisometimes a scarlet Hag,was emplo
Chambers's encyclopaedia; a dictionary of universal knowledge for the people . vexillum prop-erly applied. Examples of these standards are sculiitured on theArch of Constantine at Rome. Tlie top of the staff was also fre-quently adorned with a figure of Mars or of Victory, and in later times, witli the head ofthe reigning Constantine em-braced Christianity, theCross was substitutedfor the head of the em-peror on the purple Byzantium. Stand-ards were less in useamongst tlie Greekst li a n has been usualwith war-like nations;but a standard, amisometimes a scarlet Hag,was employed as a sig-nal for giving the rise of Chivalry,in the middle-ages, theordering o f banners,like every otlier branchof military organization,attained to somethinglike scientific exacti-tude. From the , which bore thenational emblems, to thesmall streamer attiichedto the lance, with its cross or stripes, there was a regular sub-ordination, each emblem its jjlace and its meaning. Thepennon of the simple knight differed from the square B. of the ban-. Bomau Standards from the Arch of Constan-tine. neret (q. v.), in being pointed at the ends. In addition to tlieirvarieties in size, shape, and color, these banners were distinguishedby the emblems which they bore. One of the earliest is thelianish raven, depicted on the standard taken bj Alfred, of whichAsser mentions the tradition, that in every battle, wherever thatfiag went before them, if tliej- [the Danes] were to gain the vic-tory, a live crow would appear flying on the middle of the flag;but if they were doomed to be defeated, it would hang down mo-tionless. Nqr did tlic privilege of carrying banners belong to theprinces and knights alone, bishoijs and abbots displayed similarensigns, whicli were carried before tbcm in religious processions,and under which their retainers fought in theirdefence. It wasto these that the term Gonfalon, a word as to the origin of wliiclimuch diversity of opiidon exists,
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