Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 4).djvu/347

 1414, and it is claimed that the blade is one of those made to the order of King Henry V for the invasion of France. This, it is hardly necessary to say, is an entire invention: the numerals I. 4. I. 4. have no reference to the year 1414, but merely go to prove that the blade is of early XVIIth century date, made by an Austrian bladesmith of Steyr, who often added groups of numbers, such as 1414-1415, 1441-1515, and we have seen an example with as high a number as 1778, in addition to the running wolf mark that he utilized, in order that blades made there might not be mistaken for those produced at the Bavarian town of Passau on the Danube, whose stamp of the running wolf they had borrowed. It is much to be regretted that all these three fine hilts have suffered so sadly from the rigorous overcleaning in the past. A hilt constructed on similar lines to those of the last Windsor sword we have described, can be seen on a sword in Viscount Astor's Collection at Hever Castle. Here is a grandly proportioned sword-hilt, incrusted with panels of silver on a field of gold azzimina damascening. Its charm, however, depends not so much upon its decoration as on the robust scale of its conception (Fig. 1381).

The hilt is possibly of either English or Flemish workmanship Wallace Collection (Laking Catalogue, No. 526)

The grip now found with the hilt is not that which was originally made for it; neither can the blade be the original unless it was much shortened early in the second half of the XVIIth century when the sword was last put together. The date of the hilt is of the closing years of the XVIth century. Tradition says that it was presented by Queen Elizabeth to a member of the Weatherby family, in whose possession it remained until quite recent times. In the Wallace Collection (No. 527) can be seen a weapon almost similar but of slightly smaller proportions; while another (No. 526), in the same collection (Fig. 1382), shows