Archaeologia cantiana . heseadditions from such a soiuce, might we not reasonablylook for a suggestion respecting banded mail, to thesame unchanging East? We may be assured thatthe banded-mail was a simple affair enough to givean additional advantage to the ordinary chain-mail,and involved no grave difficulties. A year or two ago I purchased a hawberk of chain-mail, of Asiatic workmanship, and probably fromNorthern India, which appears to me to decide thisvery interesting question. The simplicity of the ad-ditional constructions at once commends itself, asanswering all the conditions required,
Archaeologia cantiana . heseadditions from such a soiuce, might we not reasonablylook for a suggestion respecting banded mail, to thesame unchanging East? We may be assured thatthe banded-mail was a simple affair enough to givean additional advantage to the ordinary chain-mail,and involved no grave difficulties. A year or two ago I purchased a hawberk of chain-mail, of Asiatic workmanship, and probably fromNorthern India, which appears to me to decide thisvery interesting question. The simplicity of the ad-ditional constructions at once commends itself, asanswering all the conditions required, besides gi\dngthe general eflPect as seen in our ancient collar is rendered rather more rigid by the intro-duction of leathern thongs, passed through each inter-mediate line of rings, thus giving an effective andadditional protection, insuring at the same time therequisite flexibility (see annexed cut, fig. 2). No ex-pedient could possibly be more simple, and none so 156 THE BRASS OP SIR JOHN HE NORTHWODE. Fig. 2. likely to be adopted for the purpose. It indeed givesthe additional protection by means of a material,thoroughly flexible, which had been in use from theearliest times in defensive armour. Among the Asiatichawberks, in the Museum of the United Service, aresome which exhibit a similar mode of manufacture;but felt is used in some examples, and the collar isrendered still more rigid.* In fact, this could easilybe done when required. I cannot, therefore, doubt butthat here is the solution of this oft-debated question,and it has turned out, as so frequently happens, thattruth, far sought for, lay really before our eyes. The other details are full of interest, as parts ofmilitary costume. Beneath the loose sleeves of thehawberk, is a scaly or plumose defence of the fore arm,which I am inclined to consider may be intended torepresent whalebone, rather than overlapping pieces ofleather, because some of the scales have the indicationof a ridge, which is more con
Size: 1677px × 1490px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorkentarch, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookyear1858
