des monnaies anciennes. As explained in the note, old

money was generally better than new, owing to the debasement of the

coin, so often practised by the kings of France.

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3. Blois, an important town on the Loire, some way above Tours.

5. des douvelles de tonneaux, * barrel-staves.' As the foundries of the time could not make sufficiently good castings, cannon were built of sections hooped together by rings shrunk over them. This method has been again resorted to in the case of guns too large to be cast in one pièce.

9. les douze pairs. The Peers of France were a royal council of

great nobles and ofHcers of State. Philip Augustus fixed their number at twelve, but it was afterwards greatly increased.

36. 8OUB 1>ourgeoi8. ^^i^r^^tr hère means 'of Bourges.' Money was reckoned according to the standard of the town where it was struck. Tours money {sifus tournois) was a more conmion standard.

33. à la l>elle étoile, * in the open air,* a phrase which was originally facetious, implying that a person lodged 'at the sign of the Star,* i.e. with the stars over him. See Eve § 158.

20. une tartarelle, *a rattle, like our watchman*s rattle, used by a leper to wam passers-by to avoid him. The cliquette or ' bones * was used for the same purpose.

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8. pour faire ma tournée d'aumônes, *to go my rounds begging.' II. escabel. The usual form is escabeau, Souvestre also uses

escabelU,

15. langue fourrée, * stuffed neat's longue,' a tongue covered with

a sheath {fourreau) of skin, and cooked in the skin.

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8. BOUB le yent, ' to leeward.' The leper's breath, it was thought, would convey contagion.

II. gens d'armes, *men at arms.' Thèse were the soldiers of the compagnies cCordonnancey the picked force established by Charles VII.

22. de francs-archers. The francs-archers or *free archers,' so called because exempted from some taxes, were a force raised by Charles VII to oppose the English archers. They were abolished by LfOuis XI.

salades. This word, a corruption of the Italian celata^ 'wrought,' was used by the French for a round helmet, without a crest, and with a small visor or none at ail. This kind of helmet was used largely in the I5th century and survived as the steel-cap of later times.