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Bowmen and Arbalesters

Bowmen and Arbalesters.jpg Cabriolet of the Fourteenth CenturyThumbnailsBishop, Abbot, and ClerkCabriolet of the Fourteenth CenturyThumbnailsBishop, Abbot, and ClerkCabriolet of the Fourteenth CenturyThumbnailsBishop, Abbot, and ClerkCabriolet of the Fourteenth CenturyThumbnailsBishop, Abbot, and Clerk

The man on the right of the cut wears a visored helmet, but it has no amail; his body is protected by a skirt of mail, which appears at the shoulders and hips, and at the openings of his blue surcoat; the legs are in brown hose, and the feet in brown shoes. The centre figure has a helmet and camail, sleeves of mail, and iron breastplate of overlapping plates; the upper plate and the skirt are of red spotted with gold; his hose and shoes are of dark grey. The third man has a helmet with camail, and the body protected by mail, which shows under the arm, but he has also shoulder-pieces and elbow-pieces of plate; his surcoat is yellow, and his hose red. The artist has here admirably illustrated the use of the crossbow. In one case we see the archer stringing it by help of a little winch; in the next he is taking a bolt out of the quiver at his side with which to load his weapon; in the third we have the attitude in which it was discharged.