which look like little wings or epaulets that have blown loose, and
stand erect. This suit was worn by the Marquis of Waterford, when
several gentlemen met to play at tournament at Eglintoun. Period of
Henry VII.: a warrior dismounted, the armour of German workmanship; the
figure remarkable for the change made in the helmet. Next to this
another suit of the same age, and the horse majestically armed,
especially about the head, neck, and upper parts of the chest. We now
come to a suit of what is called Damask armour, and this the great
wife-killer, Henry VIII., really wore--better for his fame if he had
been killed in it the first day he rode armed; but we have "said our
say" in a novel called _Lady Jane Grey_, and will pass on to mention
that there is another suit, said to have been presented to him by
Ferdinand, on his marriage with his daughter, Katherine of Arragon; of
this suit, Mr. Howitt, in his _Tower Armoury_, says, "The badges of this
king and queen, the rose and pomegranate, are engraved on various parts
of the armour. On the pins of the genouillères sheaf of arrows, the
device adopted by Ferdinand, the father of Katherine, on his conquest of
Granada; Henry's badges, the portcullis, the _fleur-de-lis_, and the red
dragon, also appear; and on the edge of the lamboys or skirts are the
initials of the royal pair, 'H. K.' united by a true-lover's knot." The
red dragon was the figure the ancient Britons bore on their standards in
their wars against the Saxons. It is frequently mentioned by the Welsh
bards who lived at that period, and also fought in these battles; but we
do not think they bore standards before the invasion of the Romans,
emblazoned with any devices. Passing by the armour of Edward VI., and
that said to have been used by Hastings Earl of Huntingdon, we come to a
suit that once covered the stately form of Dudley Earl of Leicester,
"the gipsy," as Essex called him, on account of those dark features that
Queen Elizabeth loved to look on. A suit, said to have been worn by his
once powerful rival, the Earl of Essex, is only divided from Dudley by
the armed figure that wears the mail assigned to Sir Henry Lea. Passing
by the figures of James I., Sir Maurice de Vere, and the Earl of
Arundel, we come to a beautiful suit of armour, made for Henry Prince of
Wales, who died young; it is gilt, and enriched with quaint designs of
ancient battles and stormy sieges, and other emblems of "grim-visaged
war." Then follow suits said to have been worn by the Duke of
Buckingham, James's favourite; Charles I., when Prince of Wales; and the
unfortunate Earl of Strafford, who was, like his royal master, beheaded.
The suit said to have belonged to James II., a curious head-piece,
believed to have been worn by Henry the Seventh's jester, and several
other curiosities, such as an ancient warder's horn, swords, &c., that
were formerly in the possession of Tippoo Saib, together with an old