Seventeenth-century Fireback
Fireback in the 1501 fireplace of the hall of Peterhouse College, Cambridge, with James I coat of arms. You can just about make out the lion of England on the left and the unicorn of Scotland on the right. The centre of the arms depicts the lions of England in the first and fourth quarters, the lion of Scotland in the second and the harp of Ireland in the third. The motto around the centre, now barely legible, reads: "Honi soit qui mal y pense"; 'Evil be to him who evil thinks'*, and the motto at the bottom reads: "Dieu et mon Droit": 'God and my Right'. Dated 1618.
*Hang on a minute... isn't that an 'evil' thing to think?
Seventeenth-century Fireback
Fireback in the 1501 fireplace of the hall of Peterhouse College, Cambridge, with James I coat of arms. You can just about make out the lion of England on the left and the unicorn of Scotland on the right. The centre of the arms depicts the lions of England in the first and fourth quarters, the lion of Scotland in the second and the harp of Ireland in the third. The motto around the centre, now barely legible, reads: "Honi soit qui mal y pense"; 'Evil be to him who evil thinks'*, and the motto at the bottom reads: "Dieu et mon Droit": 'God and my Right'. Dated 1618.
*Hang on a minute... isn't that an 'evil' thing to think?