Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 3).djvu/168

 a specimen in his collection as the "concealed" ranseur. These were in all probability what are described at the end of the XVIth century and in the XVIIth century as "leading staffs," and as being carried by captains of foot. The "secret" or "concealed" ranseur consists in a hollow iron tube often covered with leather to lend it the appearance of a walking staff, at one end of which is a hinged cover concealing three secret blades, which can be jerked out, being then held in position by a catch. We have not seen a single weapon of this class that we should care to assign to the XVth century; but several examples bearing dates within the middle of the XVIth century have come under our notice, notably a well-preserved specimen in the Tower of London Collection (Fig. 931).