quillons droop slightly at their extreme ends. The grip is apparently old, though like the blade it is of later date, possibly XVIth century; the latter bears the running wolf and imperial orb mark. The sword, as now shown at Lincoln, has a modern scabbard of crimson velvet embroidered with roses, fleurs-de-lis, and other designs, mounted with a silver-gilt chape and locket, the latter inscribed: Thomas Kent, Mayor, 1685. We add this description of the present modern scabbard of the Lincoln sword despite the fact that it belongs to a period later than we are dealing with; since we are able to record the interesting circumstance, that the scabbard from which it was copied is still in existence, and used to be in the collection of the late Mr. Robert Hillingford (Fig. 694). Its chape mount is lost, but the locket mount is in position engraved on one side, as on the copy, with the name Thomas Kent, Mayor, and on the other the date Anno Domini 1685. Although from the design of this chape it might appear to be almost of Elizabethan times, with the inscription added later, there is a maker's mark upon it, the letters G. S. within a shield, which, being a well-known, though unidentified mark, of late XVIIth century date, precludes any possibility of the scabbard being earlier than the latter part of that century. When and why this scabbard was taken from Lincoln and a copy substituted, it would be interesting to learn.
Among the processional swords of the early years of the XVth century is the third, or "Lent," sword of Bristol, so called from its being borne before the judges at the Lent assizes (Fig. 695). The hilt is gilded. The pommel is of flattened wheel shape and has on one side in a circle the arms of England, and on the other the shield of St. George, both of which emblems were originally enamelled. The pommel is further ornamented with scroll-*work in which there is at each end of the oval a Lombardic "T" enclosing the letter "M" and surmounted by a crown of three fleurons. The date 1583 and the inscription: THIS x SWORDE x WE x DID x REPAIER x THOMAS x ALDWORTH x BEINGE x MAYOR have been subsequently engraved round the edge of the pommel. Thomas Aldworth was Mayor 1582-3. The quillons are straight and droop at the extreme ends; they are decorated with engraved leafage.
Next of the processional swords to be considered is the sword at York. It is the older of the two remaining processional swords of the city, a wonderful example of the early XVth century swordsmith's art (Fig. 696).
Exceptional interest attaches to this sword, for it is the one which was hung up, according to custom, over the stall of the Emperor Sigismund, father-in-law to King Richard II, in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, on the
