Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 4).djvu/222

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

of Simancas, is listed a certain gift of arms that Charles V received from the Duke of Mantua, among them Dos morriones are mentioned; but these, according to the drawing in the inventory, are not the type of helmet that is usually classed as morion, but are open casques or burgonets with hinged ear-pieces (ante, pages 132, 133, Figs. 1218 and 1219).

Fig. 1268. Morion

Spanish, about 1500-10. Upon the latten band around the base of the skull is engraved in Roman characters the inscription: PRÆCINGITE · VOS · ARMATVRAM · FIDEI D 25, Royal Armoury, Madrid

Fig. 1269. Morion

Italian, between 1530 and 1550 Collection: Mr. F. Harman Oates, F.S.A.

The head-piece of the Spanish man at arms in the closing years of the XVth century and in the commencement of the XVIth century (Fig. 1268), shows a combless skull-piece with an apex like that of the cabasset and a slightly sloping brim. These same features, save that a slight comb is apparent, may be noted on that series of morions of Italian origin that date from about 1530 to 1550, some of which bear the arms of the town of Lucca, while others bear those of Bologna, a circumstance which suggests that they were possibly the head-piece of the town guard of those cities. The example that figured in the Meyrick Collection, and is described in the "Engraved Illustrations" (vol. ii, Plate 74), is spoken of as an "Archer's salade." We illustrate one of these series of helmets from the collection of Mr. Harman Oates (Fig. 1269). But although the word salade was late in the XVIth century applied to almost any kind of helmet, these helmets under discussion have much more analogy to the morion than to the salade. In the same 1547 inventory of the property of King Henry VIII to which we have just alluded, dealing with Westminster and Greenwich, "Armories in the Chardge of Sir Thomas Darcye Knight; and in the custodye of Hans Hunter, Armerer," and "off Erasimus Kirkener, Armerer," there are constant references to the morion head-piece, sometimes spelt morion, once spelt mornis, but more ordinarily murrion.

"Itm in Morion heddes covered w^t vellet & passemyn of golde.

"Itm ij Mornis covered with crimsen Satten one embrodered w^t purled golde and the other embrodered w^t broided golde.