Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

Othe1· Metals

121

In Ыacksшith's woгk, heat was used with the hamшer at eacl1 stage of the work, vvhile in armoнre1·'s 01· lock­ smith's woгk, heat was employed only at first, to achicve tl1e primitive f01·ms, and then the \voгk was caгried оп ,vith cblsel ancl file on tl1e cold metal. Up to the fouг­ tecnth centшy the \voгk was priвcipally that of thc Ьlacksmith, and after that, of tl1e locksшith. The mentioп of arшs апd armour in а book of tl1esc proportions must Ье very slight; the sнbject is а vast опе, ашl no effшt to treat it ,vith system woнld Ье satisfactoгy in so small а space. But а fe,v curioнs and significant facts relating to the making of armouг may Ье cited. The rapid decay of i1·on through 1·ust - l'apid, that is to say, iп compaгisoв with otl1eг metals - is often found to haYe taken place vvheп the discovery of old armour has been madc; so that gold oшameпts, be­ longing to а swш·d or other wеароп, may Ье found in excavating, wblle tЬе iгon which forшed the actual ,veapon has disappeared. Primitive аrшош was based on а leatheг foundation, hенсе the паше cuiгass, was de1·ived froш cu-ir (leathe1·). Iп а f01·mer book I lшve alluded to the аrшош of the noшaclic t1·ibes, which is described Ьу Pausanias as соагsе coats of mail made out of tl1e hoofs of hoгses, split, and laid oveгlappiвg еасЬ otheг, making theш "soшe­ thing like dragoп's scales," as Pausanias explains; adding fог the benefit of t]юse ,vho а1·е unfamiliaг with dragons' anatomy, "Whoever has not yet seen а dragon,