1 6 ' Horfes. 



of tight hofe. His helmet is no lefs Angular, evidently not intended for warHke purpofes, 

 but well adapted to guard againft the ardour of the fun during a hunting day. The faddle 

 is almoft modern in form. The two knights fighting (No. 2) have the common Norman 

 faddle, in which the horfeman is feated, as in an arm-chair. This faddle is brought up 

 very high on the fhoulders of the horfe, and almoft impedes the free movement of the 

 neck. A poor, wandering knight, mounted in fuch a faddle, on a horfe addifted to 

 plunging, muft have been almoft fure to tumble over his horfe's head at the leaft whimfical 

 freak of the animal. 



In Plate 31 are various illuftrations of the celebrated romance of Arthur of Little 

 Britain, a MS. written in the 14th century. In the tournament the Duke of Brittany is 

 to be recognifed by the ermine of his fhield and horfe-cloth. The battle in the middle 

 drawing fhows horfemen with fhields, upon which are painted monftrous figures, according 

 to the practice of the Chinefe of our own time. The faddles of the horfes in the four 

 drawings of this plate are quite of the modern Englifli form. 



The beautiful drawing (Plate 32) borrowed from the Horo' of Ann of Brittany, MS. 

 of the 15th century, reprefents St. Martin, a foldier of the Emperor Conftancius, fifteen 

 years old, dividing his cloak with a poor man, whom he met naked at the gate of Amiens 

 on a cold morning of a moft fevere winter. The French National Library in Paris is 

 in pofteffion of the fplendid prayer-book from which this drawing is taken. Moft of 

 the illuminations of this MS. are reprefentations of country life and agricultural labours. 

 All the margins of the book are decorated with reprefentations of plants and infedls, drawn 

 from life and admirably illuminated. More than three hundred various plants are there 

 delineated, and form the moft complete herbal which we poflefs from the early period of 

 the 15th century. 



In Plate 23 we have a reprefentation of the Duke of Brittany and the Duke of Bourbon 

 fighting in the tournament of King Rene of Anjou. The Duke of Bourbon is diftinguiftied 

 by the fleur-de-lis, forming the creft of his helmet, and which are fpread all over his drefs, 

 and the bridle and cover of his horfe. The horfe of the Duke of Brittany wears two 

 horns on his head, in imitation of the creft of the Duke's helmet. The drefs of the 

 latter horfeman, the bridle and cover of his horfe, are fprinkled with ermine, the diftindtive 

 mark of the coat-of-arms of the fovereigns of Brittany. 



The cart-horfe (Plate 34, No. i) is borrowed from a French MS. of the 15th century. 

 It would not be difficult in our days to find, in feveral parts of France, the fame horfe, 

 with the very fame harnefs. The gentlefolks meeting on horfeback (No. 3 of the fame 

 plate) more particularly bear the mediasval ftamp of their own time. The pyramidal 

 head-drefs of the lady, minus the veil, may ftill be feen in Normandy — -worn, however, 

 by wet nurfes, and no more by ladies having a right to bear on their horfe-cloth a 



