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 The ring and severed neck of Pompey drew forth tears from him. He had made manifest to this man how upright he would be. The garment bespattered with blood in the Sacred Rites taught That for him they would be such fateful foretellings of woe. If therefore you regard the power of ambition You may see that there is no greater evil than the seeking for honours.

A word must be said for the matchless quality of the gold and silver damascening. The beautiful arabesques that form the theme of the decoration of the central boss are most wonderfully inlaid; so fine indeed is the damascening in quality that it may be compared with the work of the Zuloaga of XIXth century Spain, or of the Kōmai of modern Japan.

The Louvre School, about 1570. Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 398)

In addition to the royal shield made by this unknown maker, we can quote three others—in England—which, if not actually the direct work of this mysterious armourer, were certainly produced from his designs and executed directly under his supervision. These are the two shields in the Wallace Collection (Nos. 398 and 661), and a very fine example in a private