Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 2).djvu/242

 is now in the British Museum but which was formerly in the Meyrick and Burges Collections (Fig. 551), suggests in its general shape a doublet of the period of Elizabeth laced down the front, with an upright collar and tasset-like flaps below. It is made of a series of irregular octagonal pieces of thin iron, or rather of square pieces with their angles cut off, and a hole in the centre of each. These are arranged so that every part presents three thicknesses, and are worked on the tile system, the parts overlapping upwards, the only portions kept quite clear and of one thickness being those immediately round the centre holes. These plates of iron, which are very roughly made, and were most probably covered with pitch to prevent them from rusting, are placed between two folds of coarse canvas, and are sewn down by means of string, which passes through the centre holes, forming a pattern of rough hexagons, with lines radiating from the centres. The rudimentary sleeves are simply quilted; while the edge of the garment is formed of an applied piece of canvas-covered rope. This jack is represented in Skelton's Illustrations of the Meyrick Collection, plate XXXIV, and is there described as being sky blue in colour. Of this colour there is now no trace.