while he endeavoured to look about him, as he best might, through the uncovered narrow cross-clefts in his helm. A fine example of such a helm, with the pièce de renfort fixed on the left side, is represented, from the original in the Parham armoury, in Fig. 38.

Heraldic crests began to be worn a little before the first half of the 14th century had been completed; and as the second half of the century advanced they gradually were adopted by all warriors of high rank, and also somewhat later by all men of knightly degree. A fan-like decoration, both

for the knightly helm and for the head of the knight's warhorse, had been introduced at an earlier period, as appears from the seal of Alexander de Balliol, Fig. 35. A flowing scarf or contoise was worn, with the earliest crests, attached to the helm; but this gave way to the mantling, a very small mantle of some rich material, attached with the crest to the helm or basinet, which was worn hanging down behind upon the shoulders; it generally ended in tassels, and had its edges jagged or escalloped. Fig. 39, the helm of Sir H. Hastings, 1347, represented on his brass, to which I have already referred, is an early example with both crest and mantling; and another example of both crest and mantling, the crest rising from out

of a coronet, three years earlier, has been given in Fig. 36. The crested helm of King Richard 1I., Fig. 40, has been drawn from one of the fine sculptures in Westminster Hall. In this example the lion-crest stands upon a " cap of dignity," and on either side of the helm there is an ostrich feather erect. In Fig. 41, from the seal of Earl Edmund de Mortimer, 1400, is shown, rising above the helm from a coronet, a peculiar style of crest formed of several rows of feathers set erect, and clustered closely together; it was called a panache, and was held in very high estimation.

Examples: The sculptured effigies of Sir Walter Arden, A.D. 1380, at Aston, in Warwickshire; of Sir John Calveley, about 1390, at Banbury, in Cheshire; and of John, Lord Montacute, 1389, in Salisbury Cathedral. Also brasses to several members of the De Cobham family, at Cobham, in Kent; to Sir John de Paletoot, 1361, at Watton, in Herts; to Sir John Argentine, about 1375, at Horseheath, in Cambridge. shire; to Nicholas, Lord Burnell, 1382, at Acton Burnell, in Shropshire; to Sir Thomas Burton, 1382, at Little Casterton, in Rutland; to John Cray, Esquire, of the same date, at Chinnor, in Berkshire; to Thomas, Lord Berkeley, 1392, at Wotton-under-Edge, in Gloucestershire-in these brasses the laces of the camails are shown on the basinets, but in the examples that follow the camail-laces are covered. Brasses to Sir Robert Swynborne, 1391, at Little Horkesley, in Essex; to Sir William de Bryenne, 1395, at Seal, in Kent; to Sir John de Saint Quintin, 1397, at Brandsburton, in Yorkshire (this figure is remarkable for the richness of the hip-belt); to Sir G. de Felbrigge, 1400, at Playford, in Suffolk; to Sir Nicholas Dagworth, 1400, at Blickling, in Norfolk; to Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, 1401, at Warwick; and to a knight unknown, about 1405, at Laughton, in Lincolnshire. Seals also continue their faithful illustration of armour and weapons.

The sculptured effigy of the Black Prince, who died in 1376, which rests upon his monument in Canterbury Cathedral, may be added to the foregoing examples as the typical armed representative of the camail period of armour in England. (See Note 69 for some notice of the gauntlets of the effigy of the Black Prince.) Above the monument at Canterbury there hangs a shield and jupon, with a helm, the scabbard of a sword, and a pair of gauntlets, all of them traditionally assigned to the age of the Black Prince, and indeed considered to have been worn by the Prince himself; the shield and jupon, however, display the arms of Edward III., and not those of his illustrious eldest son. This noble effigy has been engraved by Stothard; and all the brasses that have been specified in this section are engraved in one or other of my volumes.

5. THE FIFTH, OR TRANSITION PERIOD, TO 1410.— As it would naturally have been expected, before its final disuse, the camail was occasionally retained for a few years after the prevalent adoption of unmixed armour of plate. Accordingly, I must here refer to a small group of transitional examples which exhibit plate armour in its earliest character, with the exception of the camailed basinet. It is probable that the hauberk may have been habitually worn at this time, and, indeed, till about 1420, or even later, under the plate. In the examples that now follow (engraved in my "Brasses ") the hip-belt of the last period is represented.

Examples: Brasses to Sir Thomas Braunstone, 1401, at Wisbeach, in Cambridgeshire; to Sir Reginald de Cobham, 1403, at Lingfield, in Surrey; and to Sir J. Wylcotes, 1410, at Great Tew, in Oxfordshire-in the last example a plate gorget is worn over the camail.

III. PLATE ARMOUR..-I. FIRST PERIOD, TO ABOUT 1430. The armour has now become a complete panoply of plate. The jupon has disappeared, and the polished breast