Title page from Robert Hooke's Micrographia

The engraving on the lower-half of the title page depicts the coat of arms of the Royal Society, founded in November 1660 by royal charter of King Charles II. The coat of arms consists of a shield argent featuring the Three Lions of England supported by two white hounds gorged with crowns. A peer's helmet, believed to be a tribute to Lord Brouncker (a peer and the society's first President), sits on top of the shield. The helmet in turn is surmounted by a crown studded with florets and an eagle holding a shield once again depicting the Three Lions of England. The society's motto, "Nullius in verba" (Latin for "on the word of no one" or "take nobody's word for it") frames the bottom. Notably, the motto was adopted to signify the determination of the society's fellows to establish facts via scientific experiments.