Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/58

ARMISTEAD. quently distinguished himself and earned the brevet rank of lieutenant-colonel by his defense of Fort McHenry (near Baltimore) against the attack of Admiral Coehrane's fleet, on Septem- ber 13, 1814.

AR'MISTICE (Fr. armistice, from Lat. anna, arms + stntuin, supine of stare, to stand; for the form slice, cf. sol-stice). A cessation of hostilities for any period of time that may be mutually agreed upon by the combatants. An armistice is sometimes called after a severe action, to enable botli sides to search for and bury their dead ; or it may be called as a pre- lude to overtures for peace. A local armistice may be entered into or arranged between any part of the opjiosing forces M'hich will only affect the respective commands. A general ar- mistice, affecting all the troops in the field and all operations, can only be entered into by the commanders-in-chief, or their home govern- ments.

AR'MITAGE, Edward (1817-96). An Eng- lish historical painter. He was born at London; was educated iu German}' and France, and was a pupil, in 1837, of Delaroche, whom he assisted in painting the famous '"Ilemicycle." In 1843, at the Westminster Hall Exhibition, his cartoon, "Cicsar's First Invasion of Britain," gained the first prize. His more noteworthy frescoes are in Saint John's (Roman Catholic) Church in London, and iii the Houses of Parliament. He was appointed professor of painting in the Royal Academy in 1875, of which he had become a member three years earlier.

ARMITAGE, Thomas (1819-96). An Ameri- can Baptist clergyman who was born in York- shire, England, and came to America in 1838. At 16 years of age he entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church, but in 1848 became a Baptist, and was pastor of the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, New York, re- tiring in 1889. He was active in the organiza- tion of the American Bible Union, and was its president from 1856 to 1875. He was a strong advocate of the revision of the Bible, with a view to bringing out what he thought the correct interpretation of tlie words which relate to baptism. He published Preaching: Its Ideal and Inner Life (1880) — lectures which he had de- livered before Baptist theological seminaries^ and A History of the Baptists (1887).

AR'MOR (through OF. armvre. armeiire, from Lat. urmatiint. armor). In common usage, clothing or coverings worn to protect the body against weapons. (In the English statutes it includes offensive weapons as well. ) Among primitive nations the armor ordinarily consisted of the shield alone. Before gunpowder was com- monly used, each nation, as it gained greater skill in warfare, adopted other means of defense, in addition to the shield. Skins, leathers, various materials like cloth, metals in many forms, were adopted as protections. The Greeks of the Homeric Age had helmets, cuirasses, greaves, and shields of bronze. The later Greeks used the same pieces of bronze armor, but developed them so as to protect the whole body more thoroughly, and frequently used a corselet of quilted linen, of Oriental origin, in place of the metal cuirass. The shield was smaller than the Homeric shields. The Romans used practically the i=ame armor, but endeavored to develop it along the lines of superior protection and less weight. For part of the body anuor they substituted iron in place of bronze. For the cuirass they used frequently leather, on which iron rings were sewed. The shield was of wood, covered with leather, and had a metal rim.

The early CJernians iiad no armor except the shield. From contact with Roman weapons, they learned the necessity for moi-c, and accordingly adopted some of the Roman armor. But for a long period armor was rare and costly. Charles the Great enacted laws repeatedly " forbidding the sale of bymies (q.v.) outside his realm. If any merchant disobeyed, he was to forfeit all his property. Every large landowner had to own a byrnie; and if he appeared without it, he for- feited his benefice. As, in place of national levies, feudal armies became the rule, more stress was laid upon a knight's having a complete suit of armor. The foot-soldiers and attendants were protected mainly by gambesons, but the knight strove to cover every portion of his body with metal armor.

The period beginning with the Twelfth Century, wi the use of the crossbow became common and when the Crusaders came into conflict with the armies of the East, is the time in which armor developed most rapidly and became most perfect. For the byrnie was substituted, first, the grand hauberk, and later, in the Fourteenth Century, plate armor. The small, conical-shaped helmet of the Eleventh Century was discarded for a much larger one, cylindrical in form, which covered both head and face. wn the visor was do'n. only a few openings were left for seeing and for getting air. The body also was entirely covered with plate armor. When thus clad a knight was unrecognizable, and this necessitated armorial bearings as a means of identification. The shields were still made of wood, and elm seems to have been preferred. In thoroughly equipped bands of mounted men, the horses were also partially protected by plates of armor.

Armor, by its development, had been able to keep pace with the improved forms of tlie cross- bow and the long-bow. But when gmipowder came into use, armor was of little service. Consequently, it was discarded for the most part, except among the very wealthy, who continued to wear coats of mail as late as the close of the Seventeenth Century, and in certain troops of cuirassiers, some of which still retain in their unifonus traces of armor. Even now some of the helmets worn by cavalry may be classed as armor. After coats of mail were discarded because they were ineffective and cumbrous, buff coats and jerkins were much used for defense. For this whole subject consult Demmin. Die Kricijswaffen (fourth edition. Leipzig, 1898), which contains thousands of illustrations. For the separate pieces of armor, consult the articles: AiLETTES; Bard: Bras.sart.s; Breastplate; Brigandtxe: Byrxie: CiiAstPRox ; Chaisses; Coat of Mail: Coif: Ga.mbeson, etc. See also Chain-mail.

AR'MORER. Formerly a maker of, or an expert in, armor: hence, one who had the care of the arms and armor of a knight or man-at-arms, and equipped him for action. In modern use the armorer is the custodian or manufacturer of mil- itary arms, and has the supervision of any col- lection or equipment of arms. In the British Army, an armorer is attached to each troop of