wielded by a skilful hand, it would cut through a thick roll of sail-cloth without apparent difficulty; a feat which could not be performed with an ordinary sword, nor, it should be observed, by the sabre itself, in an ordinary hand, though the swordsman who tried could, it appears, do nearly the same thing with a good European blade. That peculiarity, however, which, more than even the excellence of the blades, has excited the admiration and curiosity of Europeans, is the freckled or wavy appearance of the surface of the oriental sabres; and it may be regarded as a singular fact, that, notwithstanding our long connection with the East, the question appears to be yet unsettled, as to whether that appearance is produced by welding iron and steel together in a peculiar way, by the admixture of some foreign ingredient, or whether, in short, it ought not to be regarded as the natural grain of the indigenous material in its malleable state? The last mentioned of these theories appears to be the least probable, especially as the two former have been found, in practice, to produce at least analogous effects, as we have already mentioned in treating of steel, and as will be further instanced in the article on fire-arms. As to the odour alluded to as one of the tests of the real Eastern sabre, its presence does not appear to be universal, much less need we suppose that it is in any instance incorporated with the metal itself while in a state of fluidity. It is perfectly easy to conceive, that in countries where perfumes are so general, that what is applied to every thing else would be likewise applied to the sword; for a Mahomedan does not prize his beard more than he appears to value the instruments which are at once the pride of his equipment, the safeguard of his person, and the arguments of his faith. Emerson, in his letters from the Egean says, "I have seen some blades (scymetar) which were valued at 200 or 300 dollars; many are said to be worth triple that sum, and all retain the name of Damascus, though it is by no means likely The twisting that they have been manufactured there. and intertwisting of the fibres of the metal are considered as the tests of excellence; but I have never seen any possessed of the perfume said to be incorporated with the steel in the real Damascus blades." This celebrated oriental city, although no longer the seat of those manufactures which have made it famous throughout the civilised world, is nevertheless at this day no inconsiderable emporium for iron and steel wares of a similar class. Mr. Buckingham, the traveller, says, "Among the manufactures to be found in the bazaars of Damascus are very superb caparisons for horses, of which the Turks, and indeed all the eastern nations, are extremely fond. The best of these are considered to be made in Romelia, by which the people have generally understood European Turkey; a number of fine bridles, martingales, and silver and embossed pieces come also from Persia. The fire-arms are chiefly of French and German manufacture, but got up in a more highly ornamental style than would be pleasing to European taste, being expressly prepared for this market. Those who are the most choice, however, in the selection of their arms, prefer to have the barrels of their muskets made of the old wavy iron found in the ancient sword blades of the country, with French or German ornaments, but with English locks. The sabre blades are almost all of the old Persian or Damascus manufacture, the art of making them being no longer known or practised, so that they continue to increase in price as they grow older and scarcer; for there are no modern swords that can compare with them in quality. They are mounted in various ways, according to the taste of the wearer, but generally in what is called the Mamlouk style; and this is done at Damascus in a better manner than even at Cairo, where they pride themselves in this kind of workmanship." During the early ages, European warriors frequently gave names to their favourite weapons; many of these are preserved by authors who have described military exploits. The sword of Magnus, an old king of Norway, was called by him leg biter. Every one has heard of caliburn, the celebrated sword of king Arthur, which our Richard I. sent to Tancred, and the value of which may be estimated from the fact that the heroic crusader gave to the English monarch in return "four great ships and fifteen galleys." An Andalusian, who always carries his sabre about with him, calls it his Santa Theresa, and says, that, when he draws it, "Trembla la tierra,' the earth trembles. Camden mentions that the sword of the renowned Talbot, earl of Shrewsbury was found in the river Dordon, near Bourdeaux, many years after the death of him who wielded it, bearing this barbarous inscription, Sum Talboti M. IIII. c. XLIII. At a period when the zeal of the crusaders laboured to give the form of the cross to almost every object capable of being moulded by their pious ingenuity, the straight sword of a holy warrior, with a plain transverse guard, was without violence considered to represent the emblem of his Saviour's passion. It was, therefore, not uncommon for the expiring knight to fix his eyes upon his sword hilt as a lively symbol of his faith. The celebrated chevalier Bayard, "the knight without fear or reproach," when mortally wounded at the battle of Rebec, breathed his last words while kneeling before his sword as a representation of the cross. In the museum of armour at Madrid may still be seen several swords of the foregoing description, including those of the Cid, of Guzman, Gonsalo, and Cortez. "They are all," says a recent traveller, "straight, long, and two-edged, with plain scabbards of old velvet, and hilts in the shape of a cross. Thus armed, a cavalier carried at once with him the emblem of his faith and the in strument of his valour; and if mortally wounded on the field of battle, he could, like Bayard, kneel and pray before the emblem of the crucifixion.' Here are likewise some swords of immense length, made at Rome, and consecrated by the pope, who sent them to be used in the crusades against the Saracens. Of the very early manufacture of arms in this country we have no direct information; as, however, our warlike ancestors must have perceived how indigenous to their soil were two of what would always be deemed its noblest products, namely, "Man and steel, the soldier and his sword," so it is not likely that the produce of iron mines, so early discovered, would be exclusively devoted to the arts of peace. It is singular that the historians of the two most famous modern seats of the manufacture of edged instruments should respectively have found themselves compelled to rest upon mere probability, the claims of those two places to be regarded as engaged at an early era in the fabrication of arms, notwithstanding that the antiquity of their connection with the working of iron is indisputable. With reference to the present famous metropolis of British sword cutlery, Hutton, its local historian, says: "As there is the highest probability that Birmingham produced her manufactures long before the landing of Cæsar, it would give pleasure to the curious enquirer, could he be informed of her size in those very early ages; but this information is for ever hid from the nistorian and the readers." With respect to another town, not less celebrated for its steel works than the last mentioned, Hunter remarks," of the manufacture of arms at Sheffield we have no direct information. All the articles enumerated in the ordinances for the government of the cutlers of Hallomshire, and in the later act of incorporation are instruments of peace. And yet in an age when there was so large a demand for weapons of that description, which could be conveniently made along with what are known to have been among the manufactures of Sheffield, it is probable enough that her artists might be employed in their fabrication." The subjoined delineation of two men employed in giving an edge to a sword is curious, exhibiting what in all probability was the common construction of grinding machinery about 1000 years ago. The original of this rude sketch is in an old psalter, written and illuminated by Eadwine, a monk, about the time of king Stephen; the book is in the library of Trinity College at Cambridge. From ancient drawings, it appears, that in these very early times the blades of swords, instead of being polished upon a wheel covered with leather and emery, as at present, were placed upon a bench or board, and furbished by hand. In France a sword-cutler is still called fourbisseur; and the French familiarly say of two persons who are extremely intimate, " Ces gens sont tête-à-tête comme des fourbisseurs ;" meaning that, like sword-cutlers (who used to work sitting closely opposite to each other), they are putting their heads together. |
