THE ARMOURY.

Charm'd with the fight, the ardent breaft is fir'd

With thoughts like thole which ancient bards inspir'd.

On entering this room, (which is painted in the Gothic manner, and lighted by an elegant arched window of ftained glafs,) the contemplative vifitor cannot but feel a degree of refpect and veneration for the memory of his forefathers. Surrounded by fuch a multiplicity of armour and war-weapons, he will, if not folely engroffed by other pursuits, be capable of reflection, and form to himself a variety of conjectures on times long past; his active mind will contraft the manners, cuftoms, and military exploits of those days, with the present ones; draw a line of comparison from the different centuries, and mark the progreffion of art and science, from a ftate little better than barbarous, to an age, when refinement and ingenuity are nearly arrived at the acme of perfection.

On taking, however, a general furvey of the objects that prefent themselves, he, without doubt, will firft glance his eyes on the tasteful difplay of the different antiquities, fuch as helmets, breaft-plates, lances, and fwords. Among fuch groups, the Armour will fand the most confpicuous to view: here, an ample field will be open for meditation: the form, make, and materials of these war-fuits, will be a fource of admiration and furprife. When at thought is caft on the quondam warriors, whofe ftrength enabled them to fuftain fuch a weight of metal, and at the fame time were capable of exerting themselves, performing under it every exploit, and enduring every toil of war, he will be overcome with astonishment, and feel his confequence leffened, whilft he confi. ders himself as the offspring of a dwindled race of mankind.

Again fhould the warlike weapons arreft attention, which have been the inftruments of carnage and bloodfhed, and fent many a noble and generous heart to that bourn

"From whence no traveller returns,"

he mufes in filence, as he blames the ambition that ftirred up the fire of contention, and regrets the enmity that fubfifts between man and man.

But turning from fuch painful remembrances, his thoughts will placidly dwell on the progreffive improvement of fire arms, from the firft invention in remote times, to thofe of a later date. Shouldthofe of ancient English manufacture appear any way worthy of inspection, their ponderous and rude workmanship will furnifh a

strong

frong contraft to thofe executed in the prefent day; if those of a foreign make have any thing peculiarly ftriking, he will find them richly decorated with a diverfity of ornaments, and in every refpect fuitable to the wealth and grandeur of an eastern nation. If, once more, he condefcends to examine the articles (in appearance) Jefs attractive than the preceding, he will find many things to meet his praife and approbation.

Such are the fubjects to which we wish to introduce the vifitor, and we have the vanity to think, that he will not enter this apartment without feeling in a fmall degree the emotion we have attempted to defcribe, nor quit it, without having added fomething to his general flock of knowledge.

The FIRST FIGURE under the Gothic Niche neareft to the window, is dreffed in HAUBERK, or ancient Suit of Mail, fuch as was worn in the army of William the Conqueror, when he invaded this country. It is compofed of small rings of iron, which paffing through four others, are rivetted together in fuch a manner as not to prevent any motion of the body. Befides their ordinary clothes, the knights wore under the Hauberk a loose garment called a Ganıbefon, which defcended as low as the knee; it was ftuffed with woollen or cotton, and quilted; its ufe was to deaden the ftroke of a fword or a lance, which though it did not divide the mail, might severely bruife the body. Between the Hauberk and Gambefon a breaft-plate of iron, called a Plaftron, was occafionally put on, and over all, men of family wore furcoates of fatin, velvet, or cloth of gold and filver, richly embroidered with their armorial bearings. Thus enveloped, and loaded with fuch a number of weighty incumberances, it is by no means wonderful that in the midit of fummer, in the heat, duft, and prefs of an engagement, men at arms fhould be fuffocated in their armour; an event which we learn from hiftory often happened. Befides the inconvenience of being thus fwathed up like an Egyptian mummy, a man could have but little power of action, and this in some measure accounts for the fmall number of knights flain in an engagement with cavalry only: probably as ranfom was fo great an object in those days, they rather wifhed to capture than kill their enemies, and for that purpose endeavoured to unhorse them, for when they were overturned, they were immoveable, and lay on the spot till remounted by their friends, or overtaken by their enemies. This venerable relic of antiquity came originally from the Caftle of Tong, in Shropshire, and was prefented by the Rev. Mr. Buckridge to the Mufeum of the late Richard Green, Efq. of Lich. field, from whence it was purchased by the prefent Proprietor. It is prefumed, that this Hauberk is the only perfect one of the kind remaining in England, as there is not a fpecimen exhibited either. at the Tower or British Museum. In the Treatife on Ancient Ar

mour,

mour, written by the late Francis Grofe, Efq. F. A. S. a-description is given of this identical Suit of Mail, in volume ii. page 9, plate 21.

The CENTRE FIGURE is dreffed in a complete fuit of PIKEMEN'S ARMOUR, worn by the arquebufers and musketeers, at the first introduction of fire arms. It is in fine prefervation, and belonged to an officer, who probably used it at the memorable fiege of Latham Houfe, as it was known to have been preferved at Crofs Hall, in that neighbourhood, a confiderable number of years. It was prefented to the Mufeum by Col. Stanley, M. P. the prefent Proprietor of Crofs Hall.

On the right hand is the FIGURE of a KNIGHT in a fuit of bright fteel Armour, of the time of Queen Elizabeth: this is called plate armour, and is of more modern date than the nail, as it came into general use about the middle of the fourteenth century. At its firft introduction it was made of prodigious ftrength and thickness, and was fitted to every part of the body fo close, that it was impoffible to pierce it with a lance.

At the battle of Fornoue, under Charles VIII. a number of Italian knights were taken, who could not be flain on account of the ftrength of their armour, till broken up like huge lobsters with wood-cutters' axes, by the followers of the army.

Large Glass Case.

No. 1. Singular IRON TURKISH BRIDLE BIT. 2. Another BRIDLE BIT of a different make.

3. An Ancient SPANNER and PRIMER.

4. A very ancient and uncommon ARQUEBUSE MATCH-LOCK; the but very much curved, and richly ornamented with inlaid work in ivory: on which is alfo a reprefentation of a Spanish soldier in the dress of the age. The trigger is about twelve inches long, fhaped to the curve of the but. It is faid to have been taken on board the Spanish Armada.

5. TURKISH SCIMITAR, richly decorated on the fcabbard and handle, with different coloured ftones.

6. A very curious MAHRATTA HORSEMAN'S SWORD, between four and five feet long, of excellent témper: the blade, which is very thin, is fixed into a kind of gauntlet, that reaches nearly to the wearer's elbow, and in which there is a grafp across the infide for the hand. See Grofe pl. 50. No. 1 and 2.

7. HIGHLAND PISTOL, brass mounted.

8. Two HIGHLAND PISTOLS, made of iron, and of different conftructions.

9. A SWORD, with a PISTOL in the handle; taken from a French officer on board the Ville de Paris.

10. A very curious double WHEEL-LOCK MUSKET, from the

Grand

Grand Duke of Tufcany's Gallery at Florence. This piece has two pans, two wheels of fteel, and two fiints; by which contrivance it difcharges twice with once loading.

11. A TURKISH GUN, Bell-mouthed; the barrel fluted and da masked, a snaphaunch lock, and the flock inlaid with ivory.

12. A TURKISH MUSKET, the ftock, lock, and barrel, like to the former, but richly ornamented, and mounted with filver. This curious piece was taken from the Turks by Count Orlow, the Ruffian General; afterwards exchanged with an English gentleman for a fine horse; the gentleman presented it to the Right Honourable Lord Paget, who gave it to the Lichfield Museum, from whence it was purchased by the prefent Proprietor.

13. A very curious modern FOWLING PIECE, made by C. Malbon, of Chefter; it has two pans, the hindmoft is fhut by means of a fhort lever or regulator, while the foremost is used. It fires twice with once loading.

14. A most curious and beautiful ancient SPANISH WHEELLOCK FUSEE, the whole ftock of which is entirely covered with the most exquifite inlaid work in ivory and mother of pearl, reprefenting a variety of figures of men, beasts, birds, flowers, &c.

15. A beautiful fmall FRENCH PIECE, of very capital work. manship.

16. A MAGAZINE GUN, made in Italy in the year 1666, which, when loaded at the but end, may be difcharged by moving a fhort regulator, ten times in less than half a minute.

17. LANCE, called ASSIGAY, ufed by the Caffraria Chiefs, Cape of Good Hope.

18. MAHRATTA DAGGER, of curious conftruction.-See Grofe's Ancient Armour, plate 56, No. 4. Vol. II.

19. A MAGNIFICENT TURKISH SWORD, called the ATTOGAN, the hilt and fcabbard of folid filver of the fine workmanfhip; the blade is bent the reverse way from the scimitar, and is worn before, attached to an embroidered belt.

In this cafe are alfo a variety of ancient SPURS, many of them very curious.

The Bottom Cafe contains the following mifcellaneous articles:No. 1. An ancient MANUSCRIPT MISSAL on vellum, finely illuminated, written before the invention of printing.

2. A READING DESK, for holding the above, which folds together, and is made of one piece of wood.

3. Ancient SHOE and CLOG, fuppofed to be English.

1

4. Curious SHOE lined with hair, and wooden bottom worn in Ruffia and other Northern countries.

5. STEEL TOBACCO PIPE, to which is fixed a pistol lock, for lighting it.

6. Several pieces of ROMAN POTTERY, found near Colchefter, in Effex.

7. Curious