Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 4.djvu/376

 352 ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. The armourers of our own country, we may here observe, were unable to provide the requisite supplies of military equipments, and the special com- mission for their encouragement, nominated by Charles I. as above cited, recites the inconvenience arising from the necessity of seeking for pro- vision of arms from foreign parts, as heretofore accustomed. It is curious to notice the various defences of foreign fabrication, enumerated in the survey. The Spanish morions might have been preserved from the wreck of the Armada, and it is possible that the Flemish pouldrons and gauntlets had been part of the equipment of forces raised in the Netherlands, on that memorable occasion. We find also Danish foot-armour, Dutch armour and head-pieces, possibly part of stores purchased by Henrietta Maria in Holland, with the price of the crown jewels, in the disastrous position of affairs, in 1642. The custom-house rates, however, shew that the impor- tation of armour must have been considerable at various times. Thus, according to the act 1 Mary, the duties on Almain rivets were rated at 6s. 8d. the harness, corslet harness complete, 20s. a piece (reduced in the rates 2 James I. to 12s. 4d.), harness, called dimilances, 26s. 8d., brigan- dines, I3s. 4d., shirts of mail, 26s. 8d., and every description of offensive weapons, hand-guns, dagges and daggers, rapiers, halberts and partesans, flaskets for i)owder, steel saddles, morions and sallats, are enumerated in these curious official rates. Amongst foreign stores, the survey describes about 300 suits foi- infantry, as " armour of Toyras provision,*' with head- pieces mostly made in England, to be used with them. Sir Samuel Meyrick supposed these to have been provided by the city of Tours, but he has stat; d no ground for the conjecture, nor the occasion on which it is probable that Touraine might have furnislied any such supply. There is moi-eover no evidence that the name of that city was ever written Toyi'as. It may, however, be the name of some place in the Low Countries, or elsewhere, where armour was fabricated, or possibly the name of an armourer, noted at that period. A large number of these suits still re- main, stamped upon the breast with the letters toirasS and we are in- debted to the kindness of Mr. Hewitt lor enabling us to give a repre- ' In owe instance, apparrntlv by accident, tlic letters heiiiii'piuu'licd separately, torah.