Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 6.djvu/521

 AT MINSTER, ISLE OF SHEPPKY flexibility to the suit than covild have been obtained with the breast-plate of a single piece. The lower jiortion of this body-armour is conunonly described as a " plaquet of steel worn over the breast-plate." There seems no reason why a man should double his defences at this point, and leave the more vital parts of his body with a single casing. Nor do we find that the evidence of existing suits is in favour of such an ai-rangemcnt. In the Tower are many armours with the breast-plates in two or more parts ; and in all, one plate ovei'lajis that adjoining to the extent of about two fingers breadth, for the obvious purpose of giving greater freedom of movement to the body. In some cases in the Tower examples, the upper plate has an oblong aperture near the top, through which a. steel pin passes from the plate beneath ; so that the two plates can slide freely to the extent of the orifice, while the enlarged head of the steel pin prevents their slipping asunder. In illuminated manuscripts of the fifteenth century, armed figures are frequently seen in which the upper part of the breast is painted of some brilliant colour, while the lower has a pointed placket of steel. In this case, we are told, the coloured portion repi-esents a breast-plate covered with silk. This seems very doubtful : it appears more likely that the coloured defence is of jazerant-work, of pourpointing, or of chain ; and this notion is strengthened by a very curious illumination in Royal MS., 15, E, vi., from which we give a sketch. Here, it will be seen, the plate-armour for the body consists of tassets and placket : no such thing as an under-plate covered with silk appears. Yet in the same manuscript almost all the armed figures, which are very numerous, have the upper part of the body covered with a garment of bright hue. It therefore seems pretty clear, that if the body- armour, ivheu icorn, had been provided with a silk-covered breast-plate, the same kind of breast-plate would have accom- panied the armour when taken oflfand offered upon the altar, as in the drawing before us. The illumination occurs at folio 222, b, and illustrates this passage of '-Lc Livre du VOL. VI. 3 B