GREAT SEAL OF KING EDWARD THE FIRST.

No. 85.

From the collection of medieval "Proverbes" already cited, we learn that Spain was still the favourite mart for the knightly charger. Denmark and Brittany had also a celebrity for their breeds of horses of a different character. The fiat of popular approval is given to the

"Dextriers de Castille.
Palefrois Danois.
Roussins de Bretagne."

Such was the noble nature of the high-bred dextrarius that, when two knights had been dismounted and were continuing the fight on foot, their horses, left to themselves, instantly commenced a conflict of their own of the most gallant and desperate character. A representation of a double battle of this kind is given on folio 42 of Roy. MS. 12, F. xiii., a treatise "De natura Pecudum, Volucrum," &c. The form of the Saddle of this time, with its high pommel and cantle, may be seen in the Royal seals engraved on Plates 52, 79, 81 and 85; and again in the figure numbered 58. It was sometimes heraldically decorated. In the purchases for the Windsor Tournament[400], in 1278, we have:—

"D Felis͂ Le Seler. viij. sell' de arm̄ Angɫ. p'c͂. lxiiij. ɫi. P'i͂s.

"D Eodem. iiij. selle brond' de filo auri et argent͂ tract͂ videlicet una de arm̄ Rob'ti Tibetot una de arm̄ Joh͂is de Neele. j. de arm̄ Imb'ti Guidonis et una de arm̄ Comitis Cornub' p'c͂ xx/iiij. viij. ɫi.

"D Eodem. j. sella brond' eodem modo de arm̄ Joh͂is de Grely. c͂ scalop͂ argent' p'c͂. xxxviij. ɫi." &c.

On the seal of Alexander II. of Scotland, 1214—49, the king's saddle is ensigned with a lion rampant (Cotton Charter, xix. 2). And the seal of Robert Fitz-Walter, 1299, presents an analogous example (Plate xvii. of vol. v. of the Archæologia). The Stirrup of the period is shewn by numerous examples to have been triangular. See woodcuts, No. [47], [48] and [56]. The Peytrel or breastplate was sometimes of plain fashion, as in the first seal of Henry III. (woodcut, No. [79]): sometimes it had the pendent ornaments of the preceding period, as in the example on Plate xxxvii. of the Painted Chamber, where the pattern is a string of golden trefoils. From the Windsor Roll quoted above we find that the poitrail was of leather, and that this leather was occasionally gilt:—

"De Stephano de Perone xi. par͂. strep͂ et xi. pectoral' deaurat͂ p'c͂. xxij. ƚi.

"De eodem. iiij fren̄ cū pector͂ et strepis de corea. p'c͂. vi. ƚi.

"De eodem. ij. fren̄ ij. pector͂ et ij. strep͂ deaur͂. p'c͂. iiij. ƚi."

The Bridle presents two kinds of bits: one has the cheeks joined by a bar from their lower end, as in woodcut, No. [80]; the other has no such cross-bar (see fol. 27 of Harl. MS. 3,244). The last quotation from the Windsor Roll shews us that the bridles were sometimes gilt. The group from the Painted Chamber on our woodcut, No. [82], offers a curious arrangement of the brow-band. The rounds in the original are gold-colour.