To these the three principal pieces of armour were added ; the pouldron. and vambrace for the shoulders and arms ; cuisses and greaves for the thighs and legs ; gauntlets and iron shoes for the hands and feet ; besides some other detached and less considerable pieces. Spurs, though strictly speaking no part of armour, were almost universally added as a mark of distinction. They were of two kinds, the simple prick spur or goad, and the wheel or rowel spur, was frequently of large diame ter, and elegantly wrought. A knight was entitled to wear gilt or golden spurs, and an esquire silver ones. The spur is still retained as a mark of distinction in the creation of knights.
All these pieces united, were denominated a coat of mail, which, as such, was apparently unknown to the ancients.
Mail was principally of two kinds, chain mail, such as was worn by the Saxons and Normans : and plate mail, the use of which was transmitted down to the eighteenth century. An old French author describes the armour of Geoffroy duke of Normandy, when created a knight, in these words. " After providing him with horses, he was furnished with arms. He was clothed in an in comparable cuirass, formed of double rings of iron, which neither arrow nor lance could penetrate. Iron boots or stockings, also of double rings, were put on his legs ; and gilded spurs on his feet. A buckler bearing lions represented in gold, was suspended from his neck. On his head was placed a helmet glittering with precious stones, and so well tempered that no sword could cleave it. An ashen spear, pointed with iron, was brought to him, and then a sword from the royal store." The chain mail here spoken of, consists of small iron rings, not above a quarter of an inch in diameter, linked together. Each ring is connected with other four let into it, and each of these four is separately rivetted ; in this manner a kind of real net-work is produced. Several of these singular safeguards, which are called hauberks, have been handed down to our own days, and plainly evince the powerful obstruction they must have presented to the weapon of an assailant. The hauberk, or haubergeon, resembled a shirt in make, and was thrown over the up per part of the body ?bove clothing. A collar applied round the neck, and there was a hood or net helmet to cover the head. Sometimes the crown consisted of plates of iron instead of rings ; ana iron plates, in like manner, were sometimes clasped around the breast and back. Some authors suppose there was a distinction between the hauberk and haubergeon ; affirming that the latter was simply a tunic wanting sleeves, and was the common armour, while the hauberk belonged pecu liarly to a knight. We doubt if such a distinction was recognised in Britain. In addition to these parts, there were trousers exactly of a simiar construction, and, as we conceive, for we cannot positively advance it as k fact, the feet were a guard of the same de scription. A complete coat of chain mail, yet in preserva tion, weighs thirty-nine pounds.
Plate mail consisted of small lamina or plates, usually of tempered iron, laid over each other like the scales of a fish. These, which were very various in shape and form, according to the country, the fashion of the times, and fancy of the owner, were sewed to a strong linen or leather jacket, by a thread passing through a small hole in each plate. The plates were in general extremely numerous, small, and united with much ingenuity, so as freely to move together without impeding the motion of the weaver. But there are instances of them being large and cumbrous, where two only, weighing many pounds, covered the breast. This kind of armour is generally admitted to have been more recently intro duced into Britain than chain mail, and is supposed to have been completely substituted for it towards the middle of the century. In its gradual pro gress, however, it assumed such a variety of forms, and presented such a glaring want of uniformity, that the legislature at length interposed in 1632, commtinding none but uniform armour to be worn. The substitution of plate mail, though a surer safeguard, could not be unattended with inconvenience ; for while a complete suit of ring mail weighs only thirty-nine pounds, one of plate weighs between seventy and eighty ; nay, the breast plate alone, of that ascribed to Guy, earl of War wick, weighs no less than fifty-two pounds. Coats or
mail were sometimes ornamented with gilding, or inlaid with gold and silver, of beautiful workmanship.
The laws of most countries have been careful to en join, that subjects should be suitably provided both with armour and weapons ; and as kinds different in price and quality were used, the property of each individual was rendered the criterion of what he ought to possess. In England an act was made, in 1285, commonly called the statute of Winchester, commanding every man worth lands to the value of fifteen pounds, and chattels to the value of forty marks, to keep a haubergeon (or shirt of ring mail), an iron hat, a sword, and a dagger. With regard to persons of smaller fortune, probably either the government, or the overlord, provided defensive armour for them, as the injunction extends only to arms. It has been remarked that there is nothing said of either lance or shield, though we know that both were used at that period, and long subsequent to it. Soon afterwards, in the year 1429, similar injunctions were made by the Scottish parliament. "Every man who is able to spend twenty pounds yearly, or has an hundred pounds in goods, must be provided with a horse and accoutrements suit able to a gentleman ; others of ten pounds rent, or fifty pounds in goods, are to have hat, gorget, armour for the body, gloves of plate, and splints for the legs. Yeo men worth twenty pounds of goods, are to have a good doublet of fence (a buff jerkin), or an haubergeon, and iron hat ; with bow, quiver, sword and buckler, and knife. But should he be no archer, and cannot draw a bow, he must have a good sure hat for his head, a dou blet of fence, with sword and buckler, and a good axe, or else a brogged staff." Every baron is enjoined, tin der a penalty, to see his men accoutred : And here it may be necessary to explain, that at the period to which we now allude, the feudal system was in strict observ ance ; each man was a soldier, and every proprietor either held his lands from the king, or of some other proprietor, for certain services performed. Military tenures were a general mode of holding lands, whereby the proprietor was bound to provide a certain number of soldiers. These, on a proclamation of war, imme diately assembled, carrying arms and provisions, and attended their overlord to the rendezvous of the army. Probably in those days there were no common arsenals, or depots of arms, under the administration of officers of the crown ; and if the lower classes of people obtain ed armour, it may possibly have been from the overlord. There are many later regulations in both kingdoms re specting arms and amour. Id England it was enacted, in 1558, that all persons having estates of a thousand pounds, or upwards, should keep six horses for mount ing demi-lances, with requisite harness and weapons ; also forty corselets, forty coats of plate, forty pikes, forty long bows, thirty sheaf of arrows, thirty steel caps or skulls, twenty black bills or halberts, twenty hackbuts (muskets), and twenty iron hats. Those of inferior for tune, as before, had less to provide. However, the fa shion of the times having changed, and the ancient ar mour having fallen into disrepute, such ordinances were considered severe, and soon after the year 1597 defensive armour began to be laid aside. Nevertheless, complete coats of mail continued to be worn throughout the whole of the seventeenth, and even in the beginniqg of the eighteenth century. The statute 1632, already alluded to, had in view a general survey of the whole armour in the kingdom; and in addition to injunctions of uni formity, settled the prices both of it and arms. By acts of parliament passed in 1662 and 1663, the armour to be used was a back which should be sword proof ; a breastplate, and hat or helmet, which should be pistol proof. Armour gradually continued decreasing, both from innovations, and from its utility being diminished, until about the year 1690, when most of the defensive armour throughout the kingdom of Great Britain was returned to the Tower, whence it had been issued. It has never since been called for, except when skull-caps and breast-plates were occasionally used by the heavy dragoons, of which few are now in the service, and have a different uniform.