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ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. 353 sentation, sufficing to shew tlit-ir iasliioiu and their date. In default of any conclusive evidence, it may be suggested that these had formed i)art of the equipment of infantry serving under the gallant Marechal de Toiras, and it seems not improbable, that they miglit have been supplied by the French general to assist Charles I. in the equipment of the expedition in aid of Lewis XIII. against the Hugonots in La Rochelle, in 1625". Charles found himself at that time under the greatest difficulties, in his endeavours to fultil the promises made by James I. to the court of France ; he was burdened with debt, unable to obtain supplies from parliament, and compelled to borrow from his subjects for the outfit of that unpopular enterprise. If this explanation of the " Toyras provision" can be received as probable, these suits may present to the visitor of the Tower no unin- teresting memorial of the vacillating policy of the times of Charles I. and of the expedients to which he was constantly reduced. Various terms occur in this official return of William Legge, which might claim detailed notice, had not these observations already been ex- tended too far. There is, however, one noticed already in the Journal , to which we must here take occasion again to advert. The explanation of the word mainefaire, adopted by Mr. Douce and Sir S. Meyrick, seems to have been first received as synonymous with crinet, or criniere, by Grose, who remarks, in his Treatise on Armour, that "the criniere or manefaire consisted of a number of small plates, generally about twelve, hooked together, and to the chafron, so as to be moveable : their use was to guard the neck of a horse," &c. This interpretation seems to have been some- what hastily drawn from a supposed allusion to the horse's mane ; but the portion of horse-armour destined for that purpose is here distinctly de- signated by the term "crinet for the necke. " The earliest mention of '■^ manus ferrea, hitherto noticed, is in a document relating to deliveries and supplies of arms and armour by John de Flete, keeper of the jewels and military stores in the Tower, 13 Edw. III. The suggestion, previously offered in the Journal, appears to be confirmed by some descriptions of suits, omitted in Mr. Bray"s copy of the returns of 1660, and now first printed. Thus we find one described as tilt armour, cap-a-pie, wanting only gauntlets and mainefaire, and another small armour with pass guard, mainefaire and gauntlets, all mention of horse-armour being here omitted. It would thus appear that it was a piece of armour, repeatedly mentioned, as by Hall the chronicler, before cited, in connexion with gauntlets, and of which one alone was required. It seems therefore, highly probable that • We are indebted to the kindness of the skilful opponent of Buckingham in the Mr. Holmes for this suggestion. The ill-fated expedition of 1627, in favour of marquis de Toiras took an active part in the Hugonuts, in La Rochelle. It is the affairs of this period, and was sue- possible that these suits may have been cessful in the capture of the Lsle de Ilh6, taken by the English on some other occa- in 1()25, whilst the combined fleets of sion, such as the capture of the French France, Holland, and England were under fleet by Blake, in Ki.jo. the command of the duke de Montmo- " Seep. 231 of this volume, rency. Toiras is better known perhaps as