ARMOUR, an external covering for the purpose of protecting tie human body during the time of war. The naked and defenceless condition of mankind in their natural state, their susceptibility of injury, and the dif ficulty of existing without warfare, probably first sug gested the use of armour. What may have been the earliest kind devised, we cannot at this period pretend to ascertain ; Yet, to judge by those nations now living in the most barbarous state, it has most likely been the shield. Next some kind of breastplate, or gorget, may have been contrived ; and then a protection of a more complex and artificial structure to guard the head. The breastplate, by degrees, was fashioned into an ingenious defence, consisting of various other pieces extending over a greater portion of the body ; it was connected with a back, and then were added guards for the arms, legs, and thighs. The helmet covering only the upper part of the head, was closed before, brought down towards the shoulders, and united to the rest, by which means a complete external protection was obtained. But these improvements were accomplished, as we know, in a long series of years ; and there cannot be a more unequivocal demonstration of the progress of civiliza tion and the arts in Europe, than the various changes or alterations which armour underwent for many cen turies.
Shields, also called bucklers and targets, consist of different substances, such as leather, wood, or metal ; and their form is various, according to the different nations which use them. The shields of the natives of New South Wales, a barbarous people, unacquainted with any other of defensive armour, are of a long elliptical figure, made either of the bark of a tree, or of solid wood hardened by fire. The inhabitants of Loui siada, near the coast of Guinea, carry a shield of very hard wood, above half an inch thick :• it is an oblong figure, slightly convex, nearly three feet in length, and a foot and a quarter broad. Those of the _Malays in Celebes, are oval, and formed of wood. We are told that the shield of Ajax consisted of seven bulls hides. That of the Tartars is still made of leather. Both in France, and in England and Scotland, round leather shields were used, and even so late as the year 1715 by the Scottish chieftains. An old statute, 1471, enjoins the yeomen to have a target of leather (to resist the shot of England.) This shield, called the roundel from
its figure, was often stuck full of nails in concentric cir cles. It was not above a foot or thirteen inches in diameter, generally convex, though sometimes concave ; and there are instances of a dagger being inserted in the boss or umbo. Here also were the arms of the bearer, or some emblematic device exhibited. Many of these shields had wood, wicker-work, or even metal plates, below the leather. The Grecian shield was either round or angular. That of Agamemnon, at the Trojan war, was surrounded with ten circles of brass, inclosing twenty bosses of tin, and in the centre was a -Gorgon's head. The shield of Achilles is described as superb, and abounding with sculptures. The Roman shield was of a square figure, and convex : and by the union of many of these in service was formed the tes tudo ; so called from presenting the general appearance of the shell of a tortoise. The size of the shield has been extremely various, for some were used almost sufficient to cover the whole body : And there was one particular kind, used several centuries ago, called Pavois or Tallevas, of extraordinary dimensions, which was not wore by the combatant himself, but borne by an atten dant. This, in sieges, was interposed between archers and the besieged, to guard them from the weapons of the enemy. The triangular, or common-shaped shield, -was used by the Normans. Those of wood were known in Scotland in the year 1547 ; at which period, an unfa vourable picture of the times is drawn by the hand of an invading enemy. Describing the overthrow and flight of the Scottish, lie proceeds : " Nye this place of onset whear the Scottes, at their running awey, had let fall their weapons, as I sayd, them- found we, bysyde their common maner of armour, certeyn nice instrumentes for war, as we thought ; and the wear, nue hordes endes cut of, being about a foot in breadth, and half a yarde in leangth : hawing on the insyde handels made very cun nyngly of twoo cordes endes. These a God's name wear their targettes again the shot of our small ar tillerie, for they wear not able to hold out a canon." By an act of tile Scottish parliament 1431, all persons were commanded' to wear shields made of wood or leather. The rudest nations use only one strap, or loop, in fixing the shield to the arm ; the civilized ones used two or more.