Well might Gailliard rate the hamaide among difficult charges, nor have later armorists done much to dissipate the fog, rather the reverse. The problem is threefold. What is the meaning of the word ? How should the charge be represented in armory? And how should the term be used in blazoning? Those are the three aspects under which the charge will be considered in this essay, looking first to medieval sources, then to the later French writers, and lastly to English heraldry.