“If any person during his life shall have accomplished any notable feat of arms, or gained honour in the lists, he shall be shown armed de pied-en-cap, helmet on his head, visor raised, and hands joined. His sword shall be at his side, and his spurs on. These shall be of gold if he shall have been an armed knight; otherwise he shall have none.
“If he shall have gained no honours in the lists, he shall have the visor lowered, and his helmet shall be placed beside him.
“If he shall not have distinguished himself in the tourney, but shall have died on the field of battle, contributing to the victory, he shall be represented armed de pied-en-cap, visor lowered, naked sword in his hand, the point upwards, and his shield in his left hand. If he shall have been of the vanquished, he shall be represented armed de pied-en-cap, his sword in its sheath, visor raised, his hands joined, and his spurs put on. If he shall have been made prisoner and died on the field or in captivity, he shall be represented as in the preceding article, but without spurs and with empty scabbard.
“All these personages may be represented in their surcoats, if they shall have taken part in a pitched battle, at which the Prince in whose pay they shall have been, shall have been present; otherwise, they shall not be thus represented, unless they be of the rank of King, Prince, Duke, Marquis, Count, or Baron.
“No man, howsoever noble, shall be represented in his surcoat unless he be the Lord and Proprietor of the Church or Chapel, or the successor (? descendant) of the Lord and Proprietor.
“If any person shall have followed the wars as a man-at-arms, he may be represented armed, but without surcoat and helmet.
“No one shall be represented with a fringe to his surcoat, unless he be of the rank of Baron.”
It should be said in conclusion, that these rules were not always strictly observed, and cannot be relied upon in the absence of corroborative testimony from other sources.
II
THE FOURTEENTH AND FIFTEENTH CENTURIES
THE fourteenth century witnessed a notable transformation in military equipment.[C] The introduction of firearms and the marked improvement in weapons of offence led to the almost complete abandonment of the coats of mail which had served the chivalry of Europe so long and so well, and to the substitution of plate armour for at least the more vital points of the harness. In Spain we have seen the transition began considerably earlier than in Northern Europe, but the adoption of the new fashion in its entirety did not proceed quite so rapidly as this early start might lead one to expect.