Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 4.djvu/249

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MEDIEVAL MANNERS AND COSTUME.
229
And iiaylys, with a byckorne[1]
A Goode Cowrscer, and row schode[2], with a softe bytte.
And a gret halter for the rayne of the brydylle.
A Sadylle welle stuffud.
And a peyre of Jambus.
And iij dowbylle Gyrthis, with dowbille bokollus.
And a dowbille sengulle, with dowbille bokullus.
And a rayne of ledir hungre[3] teyyd from the horse hede un-to the gyrthys, be-twen the forther bowse of the horsce, for renassyng.
A Rennyng[4] paytrelle.
A Cropere of leder hongre.
A Trappar for the Courser.
And ij servantis on horsebake, welle be-sayne.
And vj servantis on fote, alle in a sute.

It is not my intention to offer here any remarks upon the curious subject of justs, their introduction, probably from France, or other details in connection with these chivalrous exhibitions, which have been ably illustrated by the late Mr. Douce, Sir Samuel Meyrick, and other writers. At the period when these instructions were compiled, in the earlier part of the fifteenth century, armomr of mail had become almost entirely superseded by plate, a change which had commenced as early as the reign of Edward III. At that period the legs and arms were first protected by rerebraces and vambraces, cuisses and greaves ; to which the globular breast-plate, or plastron, was soon added, and this, with the "rere-doss," or back-plate, formed the "pair of plates large," as designated by Chaucer. The pair of plates, by which the use of an habergeon was rendered unnecessary, is mentioned as early as 1330, amongst the armour of Roger, earl of March, taken in Nottingham castle[5]. It is very doubt-

  1. ↑ Biscornuta or iwcorwe, was a weapon having a head formed with a beak, or horn, in eitiier direction, as shewn in the figure of Bishop Wivill's champion, on the sepul chral brass of that prelate at Salisbury.(Carter's Sculpture and Painting, pi. 97.) Byckorne here denotes an armourer's tool for riveting, a beak-iron. "A hamer; j. bequerne, j. payr of pynsons."—Inventory of goods delivered from the Tower, 33 Hen. VI. Archaeol., vol. xvi. p. 126. "Small bickernes" are named amongst armourers' tools in the Survey of the Tower of London, 1660.
  2. ↑ Rough shod: "new shodd," Lansd. MS.
  3. ↑ Leather of Hungary. This passage is obscure: Mr. Douce supposed "bouse" to be a boss on the horse's gear, and Sir S. Meyrick explains "renasshyng" as "curbing or acting as a martingale." The word may possibly be read "revassyng."
  4. ↑ Here a second hand has interpolated the word "for."
  5. ↑ Un peire de plates couvertz d'un drap d'or; une peire des plates covertz de rouge samyt ; vj. corsetz de feer," &c.—Invent, of Exch., vol. iii. p. 165. The petition also of James Douglas to be allowed to procure armour from Loudon for a wagur of battle, A.D. 1367, mentions "unum par de platis, j. haubergeonem," &c.— Rymer, t. vi. 41 Edw. III.
VOL. IV.
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