One of the most interesting tasks which the collector of military curios can set himself is to trace out, by all available means, the growth of army uniforms from earliest times to the present day. In prosecuting such self-imposed work, the sources of information which will have to be studied are almost without limit, ranging from contemporary drawings, prints, statues, the writings of such chroniclers as Stowe, to, of course, the actual uniforms themselves. Our knowledge of the metamorphoses of military dress is very imperfect, and this research work will be all the more valuable in consequence. At first thought it is a little surprising to learn that the earliest official mention of a distinguishing uniform for English soldiers occurs among the Ordinances of Henry VIII, but when we consider that armour in various styles was largely used until Tudor times, the fact is not so striking. Isolated instances of uniformed soldiers can be traced before this period; Hannibal, we know, raised the famous white and crimson Spanish regiments, and then, of course, there were the Crusaders, who wore the ordinary clothes of the times, ornamented with crosses of distinctive colours. With the decline of armour, retainers went into battle robed in the cloth liveries of their masters, whilst the mercenaries wore the usual dress of civilians. The drawback to such an arrangement was obvious. Men could never tell who were their friends and who their foes, and unnecessary slaughter was consequently committed. It was not long before leaders provided their followers with scarves of distinctive colours; sometimes they were appropriately chosen, at others they were merely distinctive. But even this plan gave little satisfaction, for our history books of the period are crowded with tales of men who donned the enemy's colours and were thus able to surprise their opponents. [Illustration: HELMET PLATE OF THE ROYAL MARINE LIGHT INFANTRY.] As a result of these conditions, Henry VIII decided to clothe some, at least, of his soldiers in distinctive uniforms; he selected white coats emblazoned with the red cross of St. George. Speaking of other soldiers of this reign, probably later levies, Stubbs remarks that the doublets which they wore "reached down to the middle of the thighs, though not always quite so low, being so hard quilted, stuffed, bombasted, and sewed as they can neither work nor yet well play in them, through the excessive heat and the stiffness thereof. Therefore are they forced to wear them loose about them. They are stuffed with four, five, or six pounds of bombast at the least, and made of satin, taffeta, silk, grograine, gold, silver, and what not." From the antiquarian's point of view this dress must have indeed proved attractive, though the soldier of to-day will hardly recognize any redeeming features in it. [Illustration: A HORSE AMULET BEARING THE DEVICE OF THE ROYAL FUSILIERS.]