(iiAP. IX.] USE OF FIREARMS BY CAVALRY. 



233 



and his views are of great mtercst, as showing the dawn 

 of the renaissance in the military art. 



About the beginning of the sixteenth century the in- 

 fantry service had evidently begun to assume a position 

 much better than it had previously held, and was beginning 

 to rival the heavy armed cavalry even upon the tield of 

 Ijattle. This was brought about by two causes — first, 

 the great weight and consequent sluggishness of the 

 unwieldy horsemen, which prevented charges being 

 pressed home with vigour ; and secondly, the effect of 

 the superior organisation and armament of the foot- 

 soldiers. The pikes, which were used to prevent a charge 

 of cavalry, were so long and powerful that when the 

 infantry were steadily formed, and the pikts firmly pre- 

 sented, it was almost impossible for cavalry to break 

 their ranks. The arquebuses and muskets which were 

 used with them also enabled the foot-soldiers to inflict 

 some loss upon the horsemen without much danger to 

 themselves, and even if the infantry were somewhat 

 shaken, the halberdiers with their battlcraxes were a very 

 formidable foe to encounter. As soon as the improve- 

 ments in firearms enabled the musketeers and arque- 

 busiers to inflict wounds in spite of the heavy defences 

 worn by the gendarmerie, the turning point was gained, 

 and the infantry at once asserted its superiority. 



It was long however before the firearms reached such 

 power as to be able to penetrate armour, and then it was 

 only at point-blank range and by a perpendicular blow 

 that the bullet would pierce the heavy breastplates. Con- 

 sequently the defensive armour, which had been much 

 strengthened at the introduction of gunpowder and fire- 

 arms, was long retained by the cavalry, who set about 

 to apply to their own use the new invention which they 

 at once felt was the most dangerous weapon their service 

 had yet encountered. 



The knights, or heavy horsemen, at a very early period 

 made use of the petronel, a species of hand-cannon, so 

 called from being rested against the cuirass (poitrail) 

 when fired. These petronels were plain tubes with a 

 straight wooden stock, and were fired with a match 



