TH E

A R C H A E O L O G Y

O FW EAPONS

An n••n J A...........r......." " 'hi.to r y

1 0lh .AC e ..ro ."'ooiry

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

ACKNOW LEDGEM ENT

"T H E

D W A R F ,"

s a y sC o le rid g e , " s e e s fa rth e r th a n th e g ia n t, w h e n

h eh a sth e g ia n t's s h o u ld e r to

m o u n t o n ." A n y b o o ko f th is k in d

m ust be

b a s e d

u p o n

th e

w orko fprevious scholars, and I

ow e

m uch to m any

g ia n ts, w h o s e n a m e s w ill b e fo u n d in th e b ib lio 

g ra p h y .

F o r

th e

m e d ia e v a l

s e c tio n ,

o n e

o u ts ta n d in g :

H enry

H e w itt, w h o se A n tie n t A rm o u r, published in1 8 6 0 ,h a s perhaps m ore

o f re a l v a lu e

t o

offer the

studento f m ediaeval arm s

th a n

a n y

o th e r· b o o k . T h is

e x h a u s tiv e

s tu d y

b a s e d

u p o n

c o n te m p o ra ry

d o c u m e n ts , a n d c o n ta in s n o n eo fth e th e o rie s w h ic h h a v es o

b e 

d e v ille d la te r re se a rc h . I n m y s tu d yo fthe m ediaeval sw ord I have fo llo w e d h is e x a m p le , f o r m y so u rc e s to o h a v e b e e n o rig in a l.A s anyone w h oi s interested in m ediaeval life m ust, lo w e a great deal to th e c o u n d e s s p a in te rs a n d s c u lp to rs w h o h a v e le fts oric h , d e ta ile d and accurate an accounto fth e c o s tu m e a n d a rm so f th e ir c o n te m  p o ra rie s .M yw orki s based upon theirs; here and there I have illus tra te dm ytext w ith copieso f pieceso f it, and though these lack the c h a ra c te ro fth e

o rig in a ls , th e y

are accurate

copies. I have

ta k e n

great care not to

"im prove"o n

th e o rig in a l, th e b e tte r to

s h o w

d e ta il. E v e r y th in gi sa sit w a s p u to n to th e v e llu m

or carved in the

s to n e .

H aving expressedm yg ratitu d e to these giantso f th e past, I fm d I have scarcely ro o m to nam ea llth e liv in g p e o p le to w h o mlo w es o m u c h . S ir J a m e s