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St. George, by Master FVB, an engraver active c.1480, possibly from Bruges in Flanders. Notę the flag on the saint’s sallet, as described in Charles the Bold’s ordinance, and the peculiar construction of the war-saddle. The fish-tail pommel of the saint’s sword is one of the commonest north-west European styles of the i5th century. (Rijksmuseum Stichting, Amsterdam)

Oj, 08: Two company flags showing SS. Petęr and Andrew, capturcd at Grandson and Morat re-spcctively. Again, the system of enumeration is missing from the flags, which are taken from the flag-book of Lucerne.

Platę E: A scene after a siege in the ijyos These reprcsentations are largely based on the illustrations in the chronicie of the Swiss, Diebold Schilling, who fought against Charles the Bold’s army. His work contains many splendid pictures of Swiss and Burgundian artillery both on the march and in action.

Ei: A smali bombard or veuglaire on the march. Guns were often, possibly always, painted: this must have been primarily to prevent rust, but medieval taste rcąuired bright colours. In^479 we lcarn that the entire artillery park of the town of Ghcnt was painted red. Notę the mantle with the ducal banners, which would be raised to protect the gunners. In the background is another veuglaire on a cart with what appear to be four long cases, probably for ammunition. This detail is taken from a Flemish manuscript c. 1470 of the works of Xenophon, another of Charles the Bold’s favourite authors.

Es: A master gunner examines a burst bombard. The hoop and stave construction of the gun may be clcarly seen at the point ofdamage. Notę the stakes and oreiller to take the recoil, and the method of elevation. This bombard is based on Mons Meg, a Burgundian bombard commissioncd by Philip the Good in 1449 and later sent by him as a gift to King James II of Scotland. The gun is still in Ediiiburgh castle: it is over 13 feet long, wcighs live tons, and shot a stone weighing 54glbs.

Ej: A gunner cleans out the vent ofa serpentine. Its mantle, bearing the arms of Burgundy, is in the upright position. The barrel bears traces of paint, largely burned ołfduring the action, and the vent is surrounded by the characteristic traces of burnt gunpowder. In the forcground a clerk checks the remaining ammunition. The Schilling chronicie shows many pictures of boxes containing balls and long canvas bags, which are presumably ‘cartridges’ of pre-measured powder charges. A ramrod and •powdcr ladlc lie neąrby. _k    ■

Platę E: Men uf the ordinances, 1j.y1-1j.jy Er: Man-at-arms

A man-at-arms reconstructed after a combination of the 1471 and 1473 ordinances (see text). His ‘sharp knifc’ has been portrayed as a short thrusting sword: the arrival of piąte armour neutralised the sword as a cutting weapon, and by the 15th century they were morę sharply pointcd, with increased rigidity. The man-at-arms’s war hammer is taken from a contemporary Burgundian weapon in Zurich Museum, and the horse armour is the Milanese example of which a photograph may be found elsewhcrc in this book.

F2: Valet

A valet bearing the banner of Louis de Chalons-

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