4 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
powder for these guns, which, estimating the projectile at ten times the 
weight of the powder, 1 2 would not admit of any projectile heavier than about 
21b. 
Again, the whole cost of the removal of the forty-three cannon to proof, 
and restoring them, as well as removing twelve cannon on a former occasion, 
was only equal to the wages of three artillerymen for one day. 
Under date of the year 1358 we find this curious item “to a blacksmith 
pour ix canons sur in pies ferez et enchier denches et de platin'es par 
chascun i olole d’or valent m oholes d'or” and next in order “pour xxi, 
canons ferez et encjiier chascun par lui denche et de platines , et coustent 
les trois canons i escut valent vn escus pour tons ces canons enferer ” 
These items are difficult of explanation. Napoleon says 3 “ on voit dans ces 
comptes 24 canons places sur trepieds et attaches par des ferrures/” By 
this he appears to mean that the cannon were placed on tripods; but the 
more accurate translation of the first item seems to be, “ for nine cannon on 
three beds,” i.e. three on one stand or bed. This is the only way by which 
the entry “ par chascun i obole d’or, valent m oboles d J or/ J can be explained. 
In thus translating pied as the stand or bed of the cannon, we are supported 
by several instances of that application of the word occurring in Christine 
de Pisan, one of which is quoted in the second volume of the Etudes, 3 and 
by the occurrence of the word, evidently bearing this meaning, in the account 
of the great cannon made at Caen in 1375. 
The “ ench.es 4 et platines 5 ” most probably signify vents and vent covers : 
and the drilling the former, and making and attaching the latter, would be 
legitimate work for a smith. 
The extremely high price of powder is well exemplified by these accounts, 
ten pounds of it costing more than a great cannon. It was kept in large 
leathern sacks, and transferred to smaller ones for distribution. Its manufac¬ 
ture evidently included the process of beating, by which means the ingredients 
were doubtless reduced to a state of fine powder. 
The projectiles used were “ garros” or cannon-arrows, and appear to have 
been of different prices, and to have served for espringales if necessary. 
Their shafts were of oak ; they were headed with iron, and winged with brass, 
the most expensive arrows being winged upon three sides. 
Unfortunately we have here no means of judging from these details of the 
form of the supports or beds of these cannon; but in a future part of this 
work, where it is proposed to engrave several forms of supports from MSS. 
of the 15th century, this question will be again discussed. 
These accounts of Laon confirm the inferences drawn from the documents 
cited in dealing with the history of cannon in the first half of the fourteenth 
century, and strengthen the opinion given that the two large guns mentioned 
in the accounts of Edward III. of England, in 1346, were but small pieces. 
1 This proportion was chosen in a former case, vide Vol. IY. p. 292. 
2 Etudes, &c., Yol. III. p. 88. 
3 Ibid. pp. 64 and 69. 
4 Enehe—a canal, gutter, channel. Yide Roquefort, Glossaire de la langue Eomane. 
5 Of the application of the “ plataine ” to the vent of the cannon, a curious instance occurs later, 
vide p. 9. 
