is a mere official privilege, and can scarcely be cited in reply to
[Greek: Ph].'s interrogative, except upon the principle, "Exceptio
probat regulam." The persons now privileged to wear the ancient golden
Collar of SS. are the _equites aurati_, or knights (chevaliers) in the
British monarchy, a body which includes all the hereditary order of
baronets in England, Scotland, and Ireland, with such of their eldest
sons, being of age, as choose to claim inauguration as knights. It is
presumable too that the Collar of SS. is also an incident of the minor
degree of knight bachelor (bas-chevalier seu miles-bachillarus); whilst
the silver Collar of SS. belongs to every head of a family of ancient
esquirage quality, bearing arms. It is true, the fashion of wearing the
collar, whether gold or silver, may be said to have been in desuetude
for centuries. But rights of blood never prescribe; and there are strong
grounds to believe that there will again be a general revival of the use
of such distinctions.

There are various other points bearing upon the subject of the Collar of
SS., upon which I wish to offer some remarks, and with your permission I
will return to the subject. I cannot, however, conclude without
observing, that it would much add to the value of MR. NICHOLS'
compilation if he would extend it so as to embrace a description of the
floreal coronet of knighthood, the belt of honour, the helmet, scarf,
ring, spars, &c.,--all indeed, that the words "ad recipiendum a nobis
ARMA MILITARIA" implied in the ancient proclamations for taking the
order of knighthood. If MR. NICHOLS, in addition to this, will show also
wherein the knights of this equestrian quality differed from such
persons as were distrained "ad se milites faciendos," he will solve a
number of knotty difficulties in heraldic literature, and will enable
the public generally to understand that there are many more chivalrous
rights and privileges inherent in the subject than what is dreamt of in