Note to JULIUS CAESAR, 2.2.88-89, 'tinctures, stains, relics and cognizance'

A relic, as you may already know, is "something kept as a remembrance, souvenir, or memorial; a historical object relating to a particular person, place, or thing; a memento" (Oxford English Dictionary). A relic may be something as insignificant as a lock of hair or a fingernail.

The other three terms are all related to heraldry. "Tincture" is, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, an "inclusive term for the metals, colours, and furs used in coats of arms, etc." A "stain" is a variation on one of the five traditionally recognized heraldic colors, which are gules (red), sable (black), azure (blue), vert (green), and purpure (purple). And a "cognizance" is heraldic badge, worn by the retainers of a noble house. The most famous such badge is the crowned tudor rose worn by the Yeomen of the Guard.