Difference between revisions of "Seals of Virginia"

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:"Eulogium on the Late Chancellor Wythe, of Virginia"}}
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:"The Seals of Virginia"}}
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[[Media:ElogiumOnTheLateChancellorWytheJune1807.pdf|"Eulogium on the Late Chancellor Wythe,"]] ''Massachusetts Missionary Magazine,'' 5, no. 1 (June 1807), 10-15.<ref>"[[Media:ElogiumOnTheLateChancellorWytheJune1807.pdf|Eulogium on the Late Chancellor Wythe, of Virginia; Pronounced by a Gentleman of the Bar Before a Respectable Audience in the Western Part of Virginia&mdash;July, 1806]]," ''Massachusetts Missionary Magazine,'' 5, no. 1 (June 1807), 10-15.</ref>
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[[Media:ElogiumOnTheLateChancellorWytheJune1807.pdf|"The Seals of Virginia,"]] ''Seventh Annual Report of the Library Board of the Virginia State Library'' (1909-1910), 7-47.<ref>[[Media:ElogiumOnTheLateChancellorWytheJune1807.pdf|"The Seals of Virginia,"]] ''Seventh Annual Report of the Library Board of the Virginia State Library'' (1909-1910), 7-47.</ref>
  
 
==Article text==
 
==Article text==
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===Page 10===
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===Page 31===
  
 
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EULOGIUM ON THE LATE CHANCELLOR WYTHE, OF VIRGINIA; PRO-<br />NOUNCED BY A GENTLEMAN OF THE BAR BEFORE A RESPECTABLE<br />AUDIENCE IN THE WESTERN PART OF VIRGINIA&mdash;JULY, 1806.
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Seals of Virginia.
  
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(Extracted from the Informant.)
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Part II.
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Period of Statehood.
 
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''Fellow citizens,''
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As the various quarterings on •the arms of private families often depict by heraldic symbol~ great deeds performed, so the great seal of a commonwealth should not only be the symbol of sovereignty, but should be a faithful reflection of the great principles which are the foundation of the state's very existence, and an expositor of the science, literature, history and art of its period. It should be a great picture of the noble impulses and truths of the commonwealth's life reduced to a miniature, yet clear and precise in detail. In other words, it should be the ''multum in parvo.'' Such is the seal of Virginia. The importance of the great seal of the Commonwealth, as an emblem of sovereignty and an evidence of high political functions, was appreciated by the Convention of 1776, and it appointed a committee composed of some of the greatest minds of the day to prepare the design for the seal. The committee consisted of Richard Henry Lee, George Mason, Mr. Treasurer [Robert Carter Nicholas] and George Wythe. The following is an abstract from the minutes of the Virginia convention of Friday, July 5, 1 1776:
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. . . “Mr. George Mason, from the committee appointed to devise a proper seal for this Commonwealth, reported that the committee had accordingly prepared the following device thereof; which he read in his place, and afterwards delivered in at the clerk's table, where the same was again twice read and agreed to.
  
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I RISE on this solemn occasion with dissidence, when I reflect on the dignity of the character to be spoken of, and the feeble abilities of the speaker. I have, however, one consolation, when I reflect that this respectable audience is prepared to view the character about to be exhibited, with attention and a fond remembrance. Among the dead no rival is to be found, nor can posthumous celebrity in any degree oppose the professional advancement of the living. By thus paying a just tribute of respect to the memory of the illustrious dead, we hold up their conduct to the imitation of the living, and excite a generous wish to emulate their virtues.
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TO BE ENGRAVED ON THE GREAT SEAL.
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VIRTUS, the genius of the Commonwealth, dressed like an Amazon, resting on a spear with one hand, and holding a sword in the other, and treading on TYRANNY, represented by a man prostrate, a crown fallen from his head, a broken chain in his left hand, and a scourge in his right.
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In the exergon, the word VIRGINIA over the head of VIRTUS: and underneath the words ''Sic Semper Tyrannis.''
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On the reverse, a groupe.  
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LIBERTAS, with her wand and pileus.
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On one side of her CERES, with the cornucopia in one hand, and an ear of wheat in the other.
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On the other side AETERNITAS, with the globe and phoenix.  
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In the exergon, these words:
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DEUS NOBIS HAEC OTIA FECIT.
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Resolved, that George Wytbe, and John Page, Esquires, be desired to superintend the engraving the said seal, and to take care that the same be properly executed. . . ."
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The authorship of the design has been a disputed point among historians for many years. Col. Sherwin McRae, in his report to the Governor on the State Seal, made Fell. 25, 1884, gives the credit to George Mason, emphasizing particu-
  
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Permit me then to hold up to your view the character of the late venerable Chancellor of Virginia. This illustrious man was born in the year 1726, fifty years anterior to the commencement of the American Independence. It is to be regretted, that this remote part of the State furnishes but few documents from which to collect information relating to the first 50 years of his life. But it may be presumed that the one half, perhaps more, of that peri-<div align="right">od</div>
 
 
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==See also==
 
==See also==

Revision as of 15:19, 18 September 2014

"The Seals of Virginia," Seventh Annual Report of the Library Board of the Virginia State Library (1909-1910), 7-47.[1]

Article text

Page 31

Seals of Virginia.

Part II.

Period of Statehood.

As the various quarterings on •the arms of private families often depict by heraldic symbol~ great deeds performed, so the great seal of a commonwealth should not only be the symbol of sovereignty, but should be a faithful reflection of the great principles which are the foundation of the state's very existence, and an expositor of the science, literature, history and art of its period. It should be a great picture of the noble impulses and truths of the commonwealth's life reduced to a miniature, yet clear and precise in detail. In other words, it should be the multum in parvo. Such is the seal of Virginia. The importance of the great seal of the Commonwealth, as an emblem of sovereignty and an evidence of high political functions, was appreciated by the Convention of 1776, and it appointed a committee composed of some of the greatest minds of the day to prepare the design for the seal. The committee consisted of Richard Henry Lee, George Mason, Mr. Treasurer [Robert Carter Nicholas] and George Wythe. The following is an abstract from the minutes of the Virginia convention of Friday, July 5, 1 1776:

. . . “Mr. George Mason, from the committee appointed to devise a proper seal for this Commonwealth, reported that the committee had accordingly prepared the following device thereof; which he read in his place, and afterwards delivered in at the clerk's table, where the same was again twice read and agreed to.

TO BE ENGRAVED ON THE GREAT SEAL.

VIRTUS, the genius of the Commonwealth, dressed like an Amazon, resting on a spear with one hand, and holding a sword in the other, and treading on TYRANNY, represented by a man prostrate, a crown fallen from his head, a broken chain in his left hand, and a scourge in his right. In the exergon, the word VIRGINIA over the head of VIRTUS: and underneath the words Sic Semper Tyrannis. On the reverse, a groupe. LIBERTAS, with her wand and pileus. On one side of her CERES, with the cornucopia in one hand, and an ear of wheat in the other. On the other side AETERNITAS, with the globe and phoenix. In the exergon, these words:

DEUS NOBIS HAEC OTIA FECIT.

Resolved, that George Wytbe, and John Page, Esquires, be desired to superintend the engraving the said seal, and to take care that the same be properly executed. . . ." The authorship of the design has been a disputed point among historians for many years. Col. Sherwin McRae, in his report to the Governor on the State Seal, made Fell. 25, 1884, gives the credit to George Mason, emphasizing particu-

Page 32


See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Seals of Virginia," Seventh Annual Report of the Library Board of the Virginia State Library (1909-1910), 7-47.

External links

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