weapons of the enemy-his haqueton, hauberk, a breastplate (or plaston) probably, surcoat, with iron outer-guards for the limbs and joints, then the shield, and, last of all, the great pavise. Bodies of pavisiers were formed on each side, in action; and, doubtless, these strong defences were apposed, as much as possible, to the hostile archers. All this shows how terrible the bows and arrows had become.

We now return to the equipment of the infantry. When not provided with a long-bow, the foot soldier carried a crossbow, or arblast. In its elementary form, this is a weapon composed of a short bow adjusted to a staff, called the arbrier, or stock, and fixed at right angles to it, close to one extremity. For a while, during the 12th century, as the long-bow in the 14th, the cross-bow had the reputation of being a weapon terrible beyond all others. At that time, probably, it was a novelty. It does not appear at all in the Bayeux tapestry, nor in any other monument of the 11th century. It is remarkable, also, that when the cross-bow was first introduced it was forbidden to be employed by Christians in warfare with one another, as being too murderous a weapon; this was at the second Council of Lateran, held in the year 1139; and it was only new inventions, or early ones revived, that were interdicted in such a manner as the cross-bow was at that time. If it has not hitherto been mentioned amongst the weapons of the 12th and 13th centuries, it has been omitted because, notwithstanding its reputation, the cross-bow at that period was but little used, so that even in the Crusades (when its use was allowed) this weapon performed only a very subordinate part. The reasons for this will soon be apparent. In the 14th century, the cross-bow was much more generally used; thus, as we have seen, the French army at Crécy included in its ranks 6,000 Genoese cross-bowmen.

The cross-bow, simply formed from a bow and a stock, may be used with more precision than the long-bow; but,

Fig. 26.-GROUP OF TWO ARBLASTS OR CROSS-BOWS, AND TWO DAGGERS. 2. Rolling-purchase Cross-bow. 3. Left-hand Dagger 4. Moorish three-point Dagger.

I. Hand Cross-bow.

at the same time, it is both inconvenient when in use, and heavier to carry. Again, it can be protected from the very injurious action of rain only with great difficulty; and, finally, it has a considerably shorter range than the long-bow. Should it be desired to give it an equally long range, it would be necessary to add greatly to the strength of the cross-bow; and this, in its turn, would require some mechanical apparatus to draw the bow-string, which implies a further addition to both weight and inconvenience. At the end of the 13th century, and at the commencement of the 14th, all the crossbows that were in use had their bow-strings drawn by means of machinery; and of these cross-bows, or arblasts, there were three varieties, severally named—the hind's foot, the lever, and the rolling purchase—arbalétes à pied de biche, à cric, and à tour.

A few words may be said by way of description of each of these varieties of this weapon. The distinctions, it will be observed, between these varieties of the cross-bow consist exclusively in the varied means that are employed for bending the bow and drawing up the bow-string.

1. The hind's foot (called also the goat's foot) cross-bow (à pied de biche, or à pied de chevre). The apparatus employed to bend this cross-bow is a lever composed of two articulated pieces. The smaller piece, or the small arm of the lever, is divided into two branches, each of which is provided with a kind of fork. When the bow is to be bent, the bowstring is grasped by one of these branches; and then the other branch, by means of its long fork, rests on points placed on the two sides of the stock. The archer, having taken a firm hold of the larger piece or arm of the lever, draws it back; the small fork, with the bowstring in its grasp, follows this movemen ; the bowstring is brought up to a notch, in which it is caught, and remains fixed; and thus this bow is drawn up and ready to act.

gear

2. The lever cross-bow (à cric). A stout and strong cord secures to the bow-stock a pignon, that is, a toothed wheel, enclosed within a circular iron case. This wheel is in with a rod, which is straight, but has a hook at its further extremity. When the wheel is turned by means of a handle, the rod is advanced until the hook at its extremity is made to grasp the bowstring; then by the reversed action of the wheel the rod is drawn back, and the bowstring follows with it to its own proper place. See Fig. 27, No. 2.

3. The rolling-purchase cross-bow (à tour, or de passot). The stock of this bow is furnished at its extremity with a kind of iron stirrup, into which the archer inserted his foot, that he might be enabled to bend his bow with a greater purchase. At the opposite extremity is fixed a compound tackle, or system of pulleys, over which strong cords are led ; and these cords being set in motion over their pulleys by means of a small windlass, and the pulleys themselves at one end of the tackle having been hooked to the bowstring, the bow is thus bent. The string is then lodged on a nut, the tackle is removed and suspended from the archer's belt, the arrow, or bolt, is laid in its proper place, and the weapon is ready for the aim. In Fig. 26, No. 2, a cross-bow of this class is represented; and in No. 1 of the same figure is shown a simple cross-bow, which is drawn up by the action of the left foot and the right hand.

The sword of the foot soldier differed from the corresponding weapon worn and used by the knight, in having its blade much narrower. Besides such a sword as this, when he was provided with neither long-bow nor cross-bow, the foot soldier carried either a pike or a vouge, a strong staff, having at its extremity a long point also very strong, which, in fact was a kind of spear; or sometimes he was armed with the guisarme, a lance having a small axe fixed at the foot of its blade or lance-head on one side, and generally a spike projecting on