bone now much perished. The plates of the grip, only small fragments of which exist, were also composed of bone. Another smaller dagger we also select from the London Museum Collection (Fig. 783). The metal plates of the hilt of this specimen are octagonal, and not circular in form; but the wooden grip is a restoration. The cuir bouilli sheath shown with the dagger is of the right type; but it does not belong to it. The Broken Wharf dagger (Fig. 782), like others with which we are acquainted, has the top plate of the rondel flanged at the edge, concealing the lining of the wood. This, however, was not a universal practice; for the last dagger described, being of commoner make, shows simply octagonal plates of iron placed over the wood. That the rondel dagger was often made the subject of the finest enrichment is evidenced by the contemporary monuments in which it figures; but we are unacquainted with any existing enriched example that can date earlier than the third quarter of the XVth century.
The next group of rondel daggers can be more definitely dated. They figure in the Burgundian tapestries of the latter part of the XVth century, and in the Freydal of Maximilian already alluded to. From this evidence, and from that of their style and decoration, it may be inferred that they date generally within the last quarter of the XVth century. A very fine and complete example (Fig. 784), which is supposed to have belonged to the Archduke Sigismund of Tyrol, and to be Bellunese make of about 1470, is in the Imperial Armoury of Vienna. It is a sumptuous weapon with a faceted grip of rock crystal and a rondel guard of engraved silver-gilt. The flattened disk pommel has applied to it a hemispherical disk also of rock crystal. The blade is of great length, back-edged and reinforced at the point. It still retains its original tooled leathern scabbard with silver ring mounts of Gothic character—the chape mount is a XVIth century addition. In the National Bavarian Museum of Munich (Fig. 785) there is an even later example of the rondel dagger: its date is probably within the last quarter of the XVth century. The grip, which is of horn, is carved to represent the Burgundian knotted staff; it is mounted with engraved brass. The scabbard is of tooled leather; in it is fitted an auxiliary knife with a handle of rock crystal. A rondel dagger of exactly the same type and period was formerly in the Ressman Collection (Fig. 786). A very fine dagger, with its sheath, of the same class, which might belong to the early years of the XVIth century, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Fig. 787). This dagger was purchased by the Museum at the famous Bernal sale in 1855. In the collection of Mr. Henry G. Keasby is a very similar dagger of somewhat
