The Danes wore their armour as a tunic, winch hung 

 over chausses, or pieces covering the leg and extending 

 over the foot; the Saxons either as a tunic or cuirass. The 

 Bayeux Tapestry shows us that the Norman knights were 

 defended by a haubergeon of ringed mail, forming breeches, 

 jacket, and hood, which appears to have first been drawn 

 over the thighs, where it fitted loosely, the arms were then 

 put into the loose sleeves, and the hood was brought over 

 the head. The opening at the chest was covered with a 

 square piece, fastened behind by straps. 



The Normans' offensive arms were lances ( gonfanons ) , 

 bowsf and arrows, kite-shaped shields, slings, swords, 

 and clubs. Those of the Anglo-Saxons, round shields, 

 lances, swords, battle axes, bills, and maces. 



The principal varieties of armour of this and the imme- 

 diately succeeding period are — ringed, scaled, mascled, 

 rustred, segulated, and trelissed. 



The unsettled state of the kingdom left little time for 

 the introduction of novelties in armour during the reigns of 

 the First or Second William. The hauberk of the latter 

 reign appears to have been a tunic frock, with wide sleeves 

 reaching a little below the elbow, terminating with a broad 

 gilt border, and having a hood, not separate. 



The long-pointed toe, perhaps originally invented to 

 prevent the foot slipping from the stirrup, came in in the 

 reign of Bufus, when the shoes and leg-bands were suc- 

 ceeded by chausses, or leg-coverings of mail. 



About the middle of the reign of Henry II. we find the 

 rings, which had hitherto appeared to be sewn flat on the 

 under garment, appear set edgewise ; and it is doubtful if 

 at this time the rivetting of rings, which distinguishes the 

 second era, commences. Some imagine that the mode of 

 representing this kind of armour, of edge rings, was only 

 an easy conventional method of depicting what would other- 

 wise be a most laborious and tedious task, and that the 

 interlacing and joining rings, so as to dispense with the 

 thick under garment, now commenced. 



Whatever may be the real state of this questio vexata, 

 we find an undoubted specimen of the rivetted-ring armour, 

 of the time of Henry III., in the monument of De Lisle, at 

 Eampton Church, Cambridgeshire. 



t Few of the weapon?- of this earlv date are now retained. Perhaps 

 the last appearance of the bow and arrows in European warfare was in 

 Mcntrose's campaigns, where they were opposed to musketry with no ill 

 success. 



