DOESET SOLDIERS. 47 



only 160 arrived at their destination, and on this occasion 

 as much as 5 or 10 was paid for a release. 



It need not be supposed that Dorset was more decadent 

 in military affairs than other counties ; but almost throughout 

 the latter half of the period now under consideration com- 

 plaints from London as to the numbers and qualities of 

 soldiers coming from Dorset were very frequent. Even of 

 the trained bands it was said that " they were in some sort 

 defective and not sorted with men of sufficiency able to bear 

 their own charge." Again in 1598 Dorset men levied for 

 Ireland were found on arrival to be " very evill armed and 

 so nakedly apparalled as they daylie fall into sicknes and 

 infirmitie," and the commissioners of muster in the county 

 were ordered to send 3 per man to provide them with 

 armour and clothing. Many similar criticisms could be 

 quoted. The soldiers were often described as too young, 

 suffering from a " maime," vagrants who run away from their 

 captains, or others who on reaching the sea or place of 

 service offer money to their officers to discharge them. 



The national ministers were always anxious for the full 

 efficiency of the oversea drafts, and, as the charge for their 

 equipment fell on the county, they could always cheerfully 

 issue lavish orders in this respect. In 1601 every hundred 

 Dorset soldiers going to Ireland were to be supplied with 

 24 corselets with pikes, 40 callivers with morions and 

 bandoliers, 12 muskets with rests morions and bandoliers, 

 12 bastard muskets with morions and bandoliers, 12 corselets 

 with " billes having longe stemmes," and all with Turkey 

 swords with best basket hilts. Also for the same occasion 

 the soldier's "kit " was to consist of "a cassocke of good 

 broade cloth lyned with bayes or cotton, a paire of Venetians 

 of good brode cloth lyned with cotton and lynnen, a double tt 

 of canvas, 2 shirtes, 2 bandes, 2 paire of stockinges, 2 paire 

 of shoes, a hatte capp." At a slightly earlier date it was 

 prescribed that the colour of the coats was to be russet brown. 

 It is not to be expected that these ideals were often attained, 

 for the muster commissioners would doubtless spend as little 



