a tip of the hat to you and yours, and thank you for downloading "crowns and coronets," another freeware clipfont from the folks at ecf. ---- king's cross! what shall we do? his purple robe is rent in two! out of his crown he's torn the gems! he's thrown his sceptre into the thames! the court is shaking in its shoe- king's cross! what shall we do? (leave him alone for a minute or two.) -eleanor farjeon (nursery rhymes of london town, 1916) ---- "crowns and coronets" is a windows95 truetype font/macintosh clipart package digitized from a collection of 19th century public domain woodcuts in august of 1997 by steven j. lundeen, emerald city fontwerks, seattle, washington, usa. this clipfont has been made available as freeware, and no restrictions have been placed on its distribution or use. however, the font author has included this readme file out of respect for the throne, which includes a very brief bit of ***essential "crowns and coronets" information ... ---ESSENTIAL "crowns and coronets" INFORMATION--- crowns - made at first of grass, flowers, twigs of laurel, oak, olive, etc., but later of gold, were awarded in ancient rome to the victors in the public games, and to citizens who had done the state some distinguished service. also, an ornament or covering for the head worn as a symbol of sovereignty. crowns were of varied forms till heralds devised a regular series to mark the grades of rank, from the imperial crown to the baron's coronet. coronets - crowns representing a dignity inferior to that of the sovereign. the distinction between the coronets of different ranks of nobility as it now exists throughout europe is of very modern origin. a - baron's coronet. baron - in england, a title or degree of nobility; one who holds the rank of nobility between a viscount and baronet, being the lowest grade of rank in the house of lords. b - coronet of a duke. coronet - an inferior crown worn by noblemen. the coronet of a british duke is adorned with strawberry leaves. c - crown - a wreath or garland, or any ornament encircling the head, especially as a badge of dignity or power; hence, any mark of honorable distinction. "an olive-branch and laurel-crown." -shakespeare "hid'st thou that forehead with a golden crown!" - shakespeare "what seemed his head the likeness of a kingly crown had on." -milton "let merit crowns and justice laurels give." - dryden d - mural crown (roman antiquity) - a golden crown, or circle of gold, indented so as to resemble a battlement, bestowed on him who first mounted the wall of a beseiged place, and there lodged a standard. e - victorian crown of england - the crown of england is a gold circle, adorned with pearls and precious stones, from which rise alternately four maltese crosses and four fleurs-de-lis. from the tops of the crosses spring imperial arches, closing under a mound and a cross. within the crown is a crimson velvet cap with an ermine border. f - imperial crown (charlemagne's) - the crown of charlemagne, which is preserved in the imperial treasury of vienna, is composed of eight plates of gold, four large and four small, connected by hinges. the large plates are studded with precious stones, the front one being surmounted with a cross; the smaller ones, placed alternately with these, are ornamented with enamels representing solomon, david, hezekiah, and isaiah, and christ seated between two flaming seraphim. g - imperial crown (charlemagne's) h - austrian crown - the austrian crown is a sort of cleft tiara, having in the middle a semicircle of gold supporting a mound and cross; the tiara rests on a circle with pendants like those of a miter. i - russian crown - the russian crown is a modified form of the same imperial crown (austrian). j - french crown - the royal crown of france is a circle ornamented with eight fleurs-fe-lis, from which rise as many quarter- circles closing under a double fleurs-de-lis. k - coronet of the prince of wales - composed of a circle or fillet of gold, on the edge four crosses patte