Heraldry, is accounted one of the most noble bearings in armoury, and, according to the learned in this science, ought to be given to none but such as greatly excel in the virtues of generosity and courage, or have rendered singular service to their sovereigns; in which case they may be allowed a whole eagle, or an eagle naisant, or only the head or such other parts as may be judged most suitable to their exploits.

The eagle has been borne as an ensign or standard by several nations. The first who seem to have assumed the eagle were the Persians, according to the testimony of Xenophon; but subsequently it was adopted by the Romans, who, after a great variety of standards, at length fixed on the eagle, in the second year of the consulate of C. Marius, having till that period used indifferently wolves, leopards, and eagles. The Roman eagles were figures in relief formed of silver or gold, and borne on the tops of pikes; the wings being displayed, with frequently a thunderbolt in the talons. Under the eagle on the pike were piled bucklers, and sometimes crowns.

Constantine is said to have been the first who introduced the eagle with two heads, to intimate, that though the empire seemed divided, it had yet only one body. Others say that it was Charlemagne who resumed the eagle as the Roman ensign, and added to it a second head; but that opinion is destroyed by an eagle with two heads observed by Lipsius on the column of Antoninus, as also by the eagle's having only one head on the seal of the golden bull of the Emperor Charles IV. The conjecture, therefore, of Menevrius appears more probable; namely, that the emperors of the East, when there were two on the throne at the same time, struck their coins with the impression of a cross with a double traverse, which each of them held in his hand, as being the symbols of the Christians; and that they did the like with the eagle in their ensigns, and, instead of doubling, joined them together, representing them with two heads; a practice in which they were followed by the emperors of the West. But this conjecture of Menoster is not confirmed by ancient coins, without which Papebroeche inclines to think the use of the eagle with two heads to have been merely arbitrary, though he admits it to be probable that it was first introduced on occasion of there being two emperors on the same throne.

The eagle on medals is, according to Spanheim, a symbol of divinity and providence, and, according to all other antiquaries, of empire. The princes on whose medals it is most usually found are the Ptolemies, and the Seleucidae of Syria. An eagle with the word consecratio expresses the apotheosis of an emperor.

(Aquila), a constellation. See ASTRONOMY.

White Eagle, a Polish order of knighthood, instituted in 1325 by Vladislav V. on marrying his son Casimir to a daughter of the grand duke of Lithuania. The badge was a gold chain to which was suspended a silver eagle crowned.

Black Eagle, an order of knighthood, instituted in 1701 by the elector of Brandenburg, on his being crowned king of Prussia. The badge was an orange-coloured ribbon sustaining a black eagle.

Numismatics, a sort of base money which was current in Ireland in the early part of the reign of Edward I., that is, about the year 1272. There were also lionines, rosades, and many other coins of the same sort, named according to the figures with which they were impressed. The current coin of the kingdom at that time was a composition of copper and silver, in determinate proportions; but these were so much inferior to the standard of that time, that they were not intrinsically worth half so much as the others. They were imported from France and other foreign countries. When Edward had been a few years established on the throne, he set up mints in Ireland for coining good money, and then prohibited the use of eagles, and other kinds of base coin; making it death, with confiscation of effects, to import any more of them into the kingdom. Eagle is the designation of the principal gold coin of the American United States.

Eagle-Stone. See JETTES.

Ealdorman, or Ealdorman, among the Saxons, was of the same import with Earl among the Danes. The word was also used for an elder, senator, or statesman; and hence, at this day, those functionaries are called aldermen who are associates to the chief officer in the common council of a city or corporate town.