Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 2).djvu/204

 the XIVth century, when the knight and his lady seal a deed, we look to see the one sealing with his crested helm above his own shield and the other with a shield alone, a shield of her husband's arms impaling those of her father's house.

Italian, Florentine, first half of XVth century

Collection: Signor S. Bardini, Florence

Said to be that of King Martin I of Aragon (1395-1410)

D 11, Royal Armoury, Madrid

A multitude of gay crests must have shone in the sunlight on helms of war and helms of tournament-yard. Time and change cast that multitude upon the rubbish-heap. A little remains, jetsam cast up into our own times. Of XIVth century crests the writer can speak, but of that wonderful thing on the Black Prince's helm (see vol. i, Fig. 322), and of that on the helm of the Pranck family (see vol. i, Fig. 328). He has handled no others of that age; although others must surely lie in some dusty corners of Europe.

As a part of the warrior's gear the crest did not live out the middle ages. We find it hard to believe that men ever fought under these towering fantasies; yet there is good evidence. It was in time of war that English knights brought the fashion of crests into Scotland. "Crakys of War"—which are cannon and "tymmeris for helmys"—were seen for the first time in Scotland on one day: "twa noweltyis" they were, says the Scottish poet. Also when the English knights went campaigning into Spain, the Spaniard saw and wondered at the heads of beasts and soldans, and all the