Musekins

[Ernst]

Musekyns, musekins, mosequins, mussacchini, etc.

http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/3919/1/T ... _final.pdf

From 1338, with the assumption of responsibility for military supply for the
war with France, Fleet handled a large quantity of armour. Included in the mail were
208 pairs of mail sleeves and skirts, ten paunces without sleeves and two sleeves
without skirts, 348 hauberks, 897 mail collars with 614 covers, 678 aventails, twelve
pairs of musekins, two pairs of gussets, nine mail coifs, ten mail corsets and one pair
of mail chausses.(83)
------------
Makers from Maastricht, John, Gerard, Courand and Reginald supplied:
20 habergeons,
36 collars,
9 pairs of sleeves and paunces,
1 pair of short sleeves,
1 pair of musekins,
47 aventails.
Another Flemish maker, Terence of Middelburgh, supplied
2 habergeons,
41 collars,
5 pairs of musekins,
26 aventails.
------------
Large issues of armour were also made to ships, including 115 pisanes to the cog
John, authorised in June 1345. The remain from his first account comprises:
72 pairs of mail sleeves and paunces,
28 pisanes,
8 pairs of musekins,
70 aventails,
47 mail shirts, 16 with collars.
------------
TNA, E 101/392/14, account of William Rothwell,618 keeper of the privy
wardrobe at the Tower of London, 9 May 1353–24 June 1360
.....
Recepta <platorum, loricarum >, pauncorum, bracorum, pizanum, aventallorum et
aliorum hernesiorum de mayle et de plata de dicto Roberto de Mildenhale ut patet
per particulas subscriptas
De predicto Roberto de Mildenhale nuper custode dicte private garderobe Regis infra
Turrim dicto ixo die Maii anno xxvijo per indenturam ipsius Roberti superius
annotatam
cxiiij paria de pauncz quorum l paria de diversis clavaturis et lxiiij debiles
cxxxviij paria et j braces quorum lxxvij paria longa, xlv paria curta, ij paria pro
torniamento et xiiij paria et j bracz communes
ij paria de gusettis
iij paria de chausons
xj pec’ de maille debiles pro coopertoriis equorum
cxlviij pizan’ quorum iiij de platis ferreis et cxliiij de maille
xij paria de musekyns
c iiijxx vj aventalla
clxxiij loricas quarum lxxvj cum coleris de nova factura, iiijxx viij absque coleris de
vetera factura, iiij de alta clavatura, iij pro torniamento debilas, j de maille jasserant
et j de latone

Richardson seems unsure of what the musekins might be, but offers these further citations:

Only the musekins remain unidentifiable; they always appear in pairs, and were
issued as an addition to the usual set of mail aventail, pair of sleeves and paunces,
and pisane, along with a pair of plates. (100)

(100)100 Though the identity of musekins is unknown, they are attested elsewhere. A fourteenth-century
French verse lists ‘musekins, genouilleres, gardebras, greves et coiffrains’, cited in S.M. Taylor, ‘In
defence of larceny: a fourteenth-century French ironic encomium’, Neophilologus, 15 (1981), 358–
65. The regulations for the arming of men-at-arms in Hainault in 1336 require either a hauberk and
chausses of mail, or a habergeon, mail coif or bevor, gauntlets (wans de maille) and chausses, or
mail paunces (pans), sleeves (maunches), bevor, musekins, chausses and gauntlets, see Premier
registre aux plaids de la cour féodale du comté de Hainaut 1333 à 1405, ed. F. Cattier (Brussels,
1893), 1–2. This is interesting also as it suggests that the difference between a hauberk and a
habergeon in the early–mid-fourteenth century might be that the hauberk had an integral coif for the
head and mufflers for the hands, as the habergeon requires these defences separately. For issues of
musekins, see BL, Add. MS 60584, ff. 42v, 43v, in the former instance to Richard Fitzalan, earl of
Arundel.

In Arms & Armour of the Crusading Era 1050-1350 David Nicolle provides these citations:

Mosequins: SP unclear form of armour, probably of limbs and probably of mail, from Italy; Catalonia, mid-14th century (Hoff A2)

Hoff A2 is Ada Bruhn de Hoffmeyer, Arms and Armour in Spain: A short survey, vol.II, Madrid 1982

Musekins: OF obscure form of armour, perhaps a raised collar worn by poorly-armoured troops; Flanders, early 14th century (Gans A)

Gans A is F.L. Ganshof, 'Armature (Galbert de Bruges, ch. 106, ed. Pirenne, p. 152)', Archivium latinitatis Medii Aevi vol.XVI, 1940

In a PM, Sean Manning offers this:

I wonder if musekins are the same as the mussacchini in the document issued by Florence in 1384. In that regulation, the best cavalry were to be armed with greaves and cuisses, musacchini and arm harness (bracialli), gorget and sleeves and gussets of mail, cuirass, bascinet and gauntlets of iron. The oldest Italian dictionary I which could find defined those as "a piece of armour for the back no longer in use" (here) Another says that "musacchino" and "musekin/musequin" are the same word (here) and guesses that they protected the shoulders. Apparently Boccacio uses the word once, but I have to fake Italian with Latin so I don't understand the passage they quote.

The 1353 account is the last mention of musekins in the Wardrobe accounts: They have disappeared by 1360, never to re-appear.

It seems clear to me that the pairs of musekins are made of mail, since they end up in the inventories with other mail items, and are purchased with other mail items from Flemish makers. It is also clear that they are not coifs, pisanes, aventails, pairs of sleeves, pairs of paunces (believed to be skirts), hauberks, haubergeons, chausses, or mail coverings for the horse, as all these items are listed seperately. I theorize that the pairs of musekins are independant mail gauntlets. There is evidence to support the use of these from the late 13th century until about 1375, when their obsolescense to plated gauntlets would have been complete.
http://manuscriptminiatures.com/search/ ... gauntlets"

I am troubled by the etymology. The word in various forms seems to appear in English, French, Flemish, Spanish, and Italian sources, so I am unsure what root word could be linked to the hand related to musekins. I am also troubled by Richardson's footnote 100, which seems to indicate separate mail gauntlets are wans de maille, though the listing is an either-or sort of affair. Perhaps musekins covered the hands but lacked cuffs, or some other minor difference not understood, or they are "booties" for the feet instead of chausses. Does anyone else have suggestions on the origin of the word, or further references?

[Ernst]

A few additional references FWIW:

Will of William of Grantham, pepperer; 21 December 1350
From: 'Wills: 25 Edward III (1351-2)', Calendar of wills proved and enrolled in the Court of Husting, London: Part 1: 1258-1358 (1889), pp. 645-656. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report ... musachinum Date accessed: 29 June 2013.

To John de Gonewardby tenements in the parish of S. Mary de Vaucherche which the testator received from his brother Robert, and in the vill of S. Orner which he received from his brother John; also to the same his best aketon, a pair of plates, a pair of musekyns and a pair of Bracers, one aventail, a bacinet with timbrer, a pisan, a pair of jambers, a pair of quissers covered with linen-cloth (cum panno de camaca), and a pair of iron gauntlets;...

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/m/mec/med ... gs=9643375
J. Hunter, "On the Measures Taken for the Apprehension of Sir Thomas de Gournay ... ," Archaeol. 27 (1838). 291-94. Expense Account of Sir William de Thweng, 1333,p. 292
http://books.google.com/books?id=6V8VAA ... ns&f=false

Pro iij paribus de Paunces, braces, & Musekyns avental.

http://books.google.com/books?id=rNgGAA ... ns&f=false
Arms presented by Richard of Byteryng, Norwich Militia

Musekyns.jpg (82.76 KiB) Viewed 1967 times

By listing the musekins as "bras'" or arm armor, the Norwich Roll K has eliminated the possibility that these are for the legs or feet. Perhaps shoulder armor is still a possibility, but gauntlets of mail seem more likely.

[Bertus Brokamp]

They seem to be voiders.

The Limburger Chronik describes them as this for the year 1351:

Item die underwamse hatten enge armen unde in dem gewerbe waren si benehet unde behaft mit stucken von panzern, daz nante man musisen.

My translation:
"The underdoublets had narrow sleeves and in the joints they were sewn and strengthened with pieces of haubergeons, these were called 'musisen'."

[Ernst]

So the 1360 ij paria de gusettis would be for the armpit, and the musekyns for the elbow joint, both beneath plate arms?

[Jason Grimes]

After poking around Google and getting hits of a town name in Iraq, I wonder if the term was borrowed from the crusades like jazerant was? You might have some luck there?

[Ernst]

I considered the East-West transfer, but haven't found anything concrete. In Turkic, musekkins is a sedative, so probably not related. Could be Farsi or Arabic for all I know.

Another odd piece of mail on the arm is a mail "vambrace" excavated at Wisby, Regn. No. A 38 (Thordeman fig. 95) which has a finished upper edge, so wasn't torn from a hauberk. Since we know they made mail sleeves in long and short versions, I suppose we could have a mail vambrace to wear with a short sleeve.

Bertus, are you sure about that translation of "in the joints"?

EDIT TO ADD: Here's an interesting thought--buskins are short boots. The etymology is uncertain, but Wiktionary gives this:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/buskin

Apparently from Old French bousequin, variant of brousequin ( > modern brodequin), probably from Middle Dutch broseken, of unknown origin.

What if we are looking at Museken for the hands and broseken for the feet, with -ken or -kin as the diminuative, e.g. mannaken, manikin = little man? Substituting qu for k we get bousequins or brousequins for buskins, mosequins (Catalonian) for the mysterious armor, and mannaquin for the man-model. It's unusual for the French to use a k unless it was brought in from another language like Greek, Dutch, Flemish, etc.

[RandallMoffett]

Ernst,

And do not forget that the term can be something that changes use over time and can mean more than one thing in one given time. It can be used as arm (sleeves) armour, gauntlets (hand) or maybe just forearm protection even and likely use the same word!

And thanks for the info on Norwich.... I plan on visiting the town in research so anything tied to towns and arms and armour is of course awesome!

What version of the Hustings are you using?

RPM

[James B.]

In the early 14th century you see maille doubled on the arms sometimes. Like there is a voider sleeve under the shorter sleeved hauberk; I wonder if that could be what that is.

[Galleron]

In Modus armandi milites ad torneamentum, muscylers are a defense of the lower leg:

http://willscommonplacebook.blogspot.co ... entum.html

[Ernst]

Interesting. Perhaps from the same root as muscle? "Little musclers"
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=muscle

muscle (n.) late 14c., from Middle French muscle "muscle, sinew" (14c.) and directly from Latin musculus "a muscle," literally "little mouse," diminutive of mus "mouse" (see mouse (n.)).

So called because the shape and movement of some muscles (notably biceps) were thought to resemble mice. The analogy was made in Greek, too, where mys is both "mouse" and "muscle," and its comb. form gives the medical prefix myo-. Cf. also Old Church Slavonic mysi "mouse," mysica "arm;" German Maus "mouse; muscle," Arabic 'adalah "muscle," 'adal "field mouse." In Middle English, lacerte, from the Latin word for "lizard," also was used as a word for a muscle.
Musclez & lacertez bene one selfe þing, Bot þe muscle is said to þe fourme of mouse & lacert to þe fourme of a lizard. [Guy de Chauliac, "Grande Chirurgie," c.1425]
Hence muscular and mousy are relatives, and a Middle English word for "muscular" was lacertous, "lizardy." Figurative sense of "force, violence, threat of violence" is 1930, American English. Muscle car "hot rod" is from 1969.

[Ernst]

In the early 14th century you see maille doubled on the arms sometimes. Like there is a voider sleeve under the shorter sleeved hauberk; I wonder if that could be what that is.

Considering the rarity of musekins in the written records, I suppose they should be equally rare in the iconography. Here's a drawing of an effigy with mail sleeves and mail "vambraces" (musekins?).
http://effigiesandbrasses.com/1431/1441/

On most effigies with open mail sleeves the forearms are merely covered with aketon sleeves, splinted vambraces, or plate (even scale on the Northwoode efficy). Considering the secondary nature of the above source, we could be viewing an artistic mis-interpretation.

But there are more.
http://effigiesandbrasses.com/3171/2551/
The actual image is worn, but seems to confirm mail.


So we have a mail defense for the arm which isn't the same as a mail sleeve, an extant example with radius and ulna inside, and a description for mail armor of an unknown type for the arm that's contemporary.

[James B.]

I think Galleron may have the right of it, maille legs which are used in this era also.

The last posted image looks like a tightly quilted arming garment under the maille to me, several other effigies 1320-1350 show an arming garment under the 3/4 long maille without a vambrace also. This being my current favorite example:

[Ernst]

In modern Portuguese, mosequins are the same as buskins, i.e. short boots. I think the term musekins generally applies to an abbreviated limb armor, but specific documents tell us if they are for the arm (Norwich Roll K) or leg (Modus armandi's muscylers in tibiis de ascer ou de quyr boily where it is fairly clear thay are not even of mail).

[Galleron]

In modern Portuguese, mosequins are the same as buskins, i.e. short boots. I think the term musekins generally applies to an abbreviated limb armor, but specific documents tell us if they are for the arm (Norwich Roll K) or leg (Modus armandi's muscylers in tibiis de ascer ou de quyr boily where it is fairly clear thay are not even of mail).

I don't think it is clear: "de ascer" could certainly refer to mail.

[Ernst]

There was certainly steel mail, but none made of leather--de quyr boily. I really need to work on precision in my language.

[Galleron]

There was certainly steel mail, but none made of leather--de quyr boily. I really need to work on precision in my language.

I think that muscyler, like gauntlet or gorget, describes the part of the body protected rather than the material. So it could be of hardened leather and it could be of mail. If the material was unspecified the writer had certain default assumptions, depending on period and context. If it was included in an order of pisans, aventails and haubergeons, probably mail. If ordered with leather helmets and cuirasses for a tournament with whalebone swords, probably leather.

[Ernst]

I'm not sure I concur, as hauberk, chausses, and coif also describe the part of the body covered, but are presumed to be constructed of mail. If muscylers=musekyns, should we expect them to both cover the same part of the body, the leg (in tibiis)? We see the musekyns in the Norwich Roll K listed as Bras' -- bracers-- alongside vantbras, rerebrace, coters de ferr, and par de maille--pairs of mail sleeves, and the 1 par asceri 1 par m. one pair of steel, one pair mail. There is no mention of any leg armor under Bras'; yet, this is where we find the musekyns, immediately after the listing for 2 pair of bracers.

[Baron Alcyoneus]

Tibiis is the plural of tibia.

[Ernst]

So do muscylers = musekyns, or is the part of the body covered "the limbs", since legs aren't arms.

[Ernst]

Chasing down the Italian spelling variant provided by Sean, Google brings up this work:
The Life of Cola de Rienzo (1313-1354), Tribune of the people of Rome.
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/ ... ni&f=false

giupparello di seta verde scinto con li musacchini inaurati

a split jupon of green silk with golden musekins

The footnote reference indicates these are for the arm:

I Musacchino parte di armatura Filoc II 278 Poiché ebbe armate le braccia di belli bracciali e musacchini

Which Google translation yields as, "The Musacchino part of armor Filoc II 278 Since he had armed the arms of beautiful bracelets and musacchini"

[Ernst]

Continuing to reply to myself...

In Arms & Armour of the Crusading Era 1050-1350 David Nicolle provides these citations:

Mosequins: SP unclear form of armour, probably of limbs and probably of mail, from Italy; Catalonia, mid-14th century (Hoff A2)

Hoff A2 is Ada Bruhn de Hoffmeyer, Arms and Armour in Spain: A short survey, vol.II, Madrid 1982

Hoffmeyer's work is available online:
http://books.google.com/books?id=QmQFYZ ... ns&f=false

Pedro of Aragon learns of a shipment of arms from Tuscany to Sardinia, and in August 1337 has a letter written to the administrator of the island, Lope de Ginestar to send (among other things) a hauberk (loriga), faulds and sleeves (faldas y mangas), mosequins, collars (golorones), chausses (calças), coifs (çapatos), all of Milanese mail as well as an aventail and cervelliere.

EDIT: Here is the apparent publication of Hoffmeyer's source material, Reg. no. 1111, fo. 47
http://books.google.com/books?id=OoXK2e ... ns&f=false

una loriga bella de malla de Milana et faldas mangas mosequins golorons calças çapalos de la dita malla de Milana las quales armas sean de azero si hy son et sino sean las mas buenas et mas finas que podredes esleyr Item una barbuda de la dita malla et una cor be llera de las mas bellas que hy son Encara nos embiat unas cuyraças buenas et finas et cameras cuxeras mosequins broncales vayresents de cuero et guardatlas tales que se nos afagan bien las quales sean de las mas bellas et mellores que hy son et de aquesto nos faredes plazer De las ditas cosas en la dita letra contenidas plazenos que en fagades nuestro proveyto Dada en Darocha sub nuestro siello

It seems there is a second reference to musekins of leather. Should the default understanding be that they are mail for the arms unless otherwise specified, or that they are simply limb armor?

[Ernst]

Cross posted from this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=163480

Sean,

...

II Imprimis gamberuoli et cosciali, musacchini e bracciali, gorgiera e maniche e gossetti de maglia, corazza, barbuta e guanti di ferro, spata, cultello, lancea e argia

gamberuoli et cosciali,- Perhaps gamboissed cuisses and greaves.
musacchini e bracciali,- I've been round and about on the musekins, and have only concluded they're for the limbs. We know that bracers are for the arm. Perhaps the English equivalent here is vambraces and rerebraces.
gorgiera e maniche e gossetti de maglia, Gorget and sleeves and gussets of mail. I'll withhold judgement on whether the gorgiera is an aventail or pisan. It could be either based on this alone. Does the de maglia refer only to the gussets, or to the gorget and sleeves as well?
.....

I've forced a friend of mine to read this interesting discussion, and he cleared the fog from some of the terms you found:
In italian "braccio" correspond to the humerus, so "bracciale" should be a cover for the upper arm.
So, bracciale both in modern italian just like bracers in english, appear to have shifted from upper arm to lower arm somewhere in time.
"Musacchini" for my friend are short sleeves, he said they were common in the first half of XIV° century.
Italian dictionary has this to say on the term:
http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/musacchino/
That translated sound like: uncertain ancient armour part, probably to cover the shoulder and the upper arm, with a dog or lion head shape. (?) Then, there are two excerpt from Boccaccio and D'Annunzio that used this term in their poetry:
"poi che gli ebbe armato le braccia di be’ bracciali e musacchini (Boccaccio)" is: "and after he armed his arms with nice bracers and musacchini".
"erangli rimasti agli omeri i musacchini (D’Annunzio)" is: "He had musacchini left on his humeruses".
About the gossetti, I agree with the gusset interpretation, and my friend offered me this:
http://www.septemcustodie.it/wp/?p=3732.
The blog page talk about this phrase from a german book "Chronicles of Limburg"(?) : "[...] die Unterwämse hatten enge Armen unde in dem Gewerbe [alternativa: Gelenk] waren si benehet unde behaft mit Stucken von Panzern, daz nante man Musisen [alternativa: Mauseisen]."
I leave to you to translate from german, but in short it talk about sewing a patch of maille in the arm articulation, that should be the inner elbow.

[Ernst]

The question of in dem Gewerbe, that is, "in the trade" vs. in dem Gelenk, that is, "in the joint" seems significant. Is there a digital scan of the manuscript, or are there multiple sources with alternate wording?

EDIT: Closest I've gotten to original source.
http://www.hs-rm.de/de/landesbibliothek ... tml?type=0

[RandallMoffett]

Ernst,

Are we sure on that. Most of my latin dictionaries state bracchium means arm or forearm.

'bracchium -i n. [the forearm , arm from elbow to wrist; any limb of a living creature; any other thing like an arm, e.g. branch, spur, yard, outwork of a fortification, mole]. '

http://www.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/lookdown.pl?arm

All my dictionaries are the same as well. Something seems odd that in Italian it would be so different when in Latin id did not change. That said as I said earlier it seems to at times mean the full arm.

RPM

[Ernst]

I don't think we're sure about anything when it comes to musekins. In English, "bracers" seems to simply mean an arm harness, subsequently specified as rerebraces over the humerus and vambraces (avantbraces) over the radius/ulna. The translation from other languages ia always confusing. I rather think the proposed etymology of a diminuitive muscle covering is good, but this tells us little more than that musekins are limb armor.

[RandallMoffett]

I agree. I tend to go with arm over forearm unless I have evidence to the contrary. This one is just hard.

RPM

[Ernst]

Gleaning through Richardson again:

Only the musekins remain unidentifiable; they always appear in pairs, and were
issued as an addition to the usual set of mail aventail, pair of sleeves and paunces,
and pisane, along with a pair of plates. (100)

If the musekins are mail voiders for the elbow, the sleeves issued with it would have to be short, though the issue of mail "vambraces" also makes sense with short sleeves.

Makers from Maastricht, John, Gerard, Courand and Reginald supplied:
20 habergeons,
36 collars,
9 pairs of sleeves and paunces,
1 pair of short sleeves,
1 pair of musekins,
47 aventails.

Interestingly enough, pairs of mail sleeves (paria de bracz) are not distinguished in the way plate and leather arm armors are. I don't think the word "vambrace" is ever used for mail, yet we have an extant example.

iiij(xx) ij paria de bracz de maille longa et curta (82 pair of bracers, i.e. sleeves, of mail, long and short)
iij paria de vantbracz et rerebracz de acere (3 pair of vambraces and rerebraces of steel.)
------------
clvij paria de vantbracz et rerbracz de corio vetera et debiles (157 pair of vambraces and rerebraces of leather, old and weak)
------------
Herneysiarum de maille... (We see the following items of mail)
ccxxij paria et j bracz... (222 pair and one sleeve)
iiij paria de gussettis... (4 pair of gussets)
xij paria de musekyns... (12 pair of musekins)
Armaturarum de plate... (And these are plate armors)
c iiij(xx) xvij paria de vantbracz (197 pair of vambraces)
cxlvij paria de rerebracz (147 pair of rerebraces)
clxj paria de vantbracz et rerebracz (161 pair of vambraces and rerebraces)

So we see that plate vambraces and rerebraces could be issued as a pair of vambraces only, rerebraces only, or as a set of vambraces and unmatched rerebraces, or as a connected set of vambraces and rerebraces. This explains a bit as to why fewer mail gussets and musekins are needed than sleeves. Sadly, we don't get the ratio of long and short sleeves of mail.



This one is most frustrating:

The mail musekins found
in the 1330s and 1340s are a good example; the accounts furnish substantial
information about them, such as their issue along with mail aventail, collar, sleeves
and paunces and a pair of plates, and their price.

I have yet to find where Richardson gives the price for the musekins, as he does for other items of mail. Neither do musekins show up in Storey's analysis of the cost of arms. If they have a price closer to gussets than to pisans, I would agree that they are likely voiders for the elbow. If the price is closer to that given for pisans and standards, I might lean toward mail "vambraces" like that found at Wisby.

[Ernst]

Here's a peculiar example listed in the inventory from 1357 of arms for Guillaume III of Bavaria, Count of Hainault.
http://www.archive.org/stream/annalesvo ... g_djvu.txt

Item, ij paires de musekins de jaserant. Item, iiij paires d'autres fier et une piécette de déliet fier.

Item: 2 pair of musekins of jaserant. Item: 4 pair of others, iron(?) and one small piece of fine iron(?)

Edit: For context, because some of the other information may be of use to others, and because I am really unsure of some parts of this translation (Help me, please), I have taken a stab at it. (Re-lined by item)

Premiers, ij paires de plattes de wière, s'en sont les unes couviertes d'un drap d'or et les autres d'un bleu velluiel à j escut des armez Monsigneur le conte Willaume.
Item , ij paires de plattes à jouster, de coy li une est couvierte d'un noir velluiel et l'autre d'un bleu.
Item , une paire de plattes à jouster qui sont couviertes d'un drap d'or et furent Monsigneur Ânsiaul de Sars.
Item , une paire de plattes à jouster.
Item , ij paires de plattes de wière des armes de Haynnau.
Item, vij paires de plattes de le vièse manière.
Item , une paire de plattes de rouge velluiel à ij kainnes d'argent et j billet ' d'argent.
Item , une paire de grandes plattes couviertes d'une rouge torse.
Item , viij haubrigons et j de déliet fier.
Item', vi pans, s'en y a j de jaserant.
Item, viij paires de manches, s'en sont les ij paires de jaserant et ij autres paires de déliet fier.
Item , ix barbières , s'en sont les iij de jaserant. Item, ij collerettes de fort fier, et une de déliet fier.
Item, iiij paires de kauchons de v^ière, s'en est une paire dorée.
Item , une paire de kauchons de tournoy et j despareil.
Item, une paire de longhes kauces de déliet fier de maille.
Item , une paire de plus gros fier de celi manière et unekauche despareille.
Item, une coiffe de le vièse manière, à fleur de lis de laiton.
Item , ij paires de musekins de jaserant.
Item , iiij paires d'autres fier et une piécette de déliet fier.

First, 2 pairs of plates of war, of which one covered with cloth of gold and the other of a blue velvet. 1 shield with the arms of Lord, the Count William.
Item, 2 pairs of plates for jousting of (coy li - cuir boulli?) one is covered with black velvet and the other one blue.
Item, a pair of plates for jousting which are covered with cloth of gold and were Lord Ansiaul of Sars'.
Item, one pair of plates for the joust.
Item, 2 pair of plates of war with the arms of Hainault.
Item, 7 pair of plates of the old style.
Item, one pair of plates of red velvet to 2 (kainnes) of silver and 1 billet of silver.
Item, a pair of large plates covered with a red torse.
Item, 8 haubergeons and one of delicate iron (small rings).
Item, 6 paunces, of which one is of jaserant.
Item, 8 pairs of sleeves, of which 2 pairs are of jaserant, and 2 other pairs of delicate iron (small rings).
Item, 9 aventails out of them 3 of jaserant.
Item, 2 collars of strong iron and one of delicate iron (small rings).
Item, 3 pair of (kauchons=chaussons?) of war , therein is one golden pair.
Item, one pair of chaussons for the tourney and one of the same.
Item, one pair of long chausses of delicate iron (small rings) of mail.
Item, a pair of larger iron (big rings) in that manner and one chausse of the same.
Item, a coif of the old style with fleur-de-lis of latten.
Item, 2 musekins of jaserant.
Item, 4 pair of others-iron and a small piece of delicate iron (small rings).
(Perhaps the final piece is a voider or gusset.)

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I am guessing at that de wière is "of Vienna" and wouldn't be surprised if I am totally wrong. (See Galleron's post: I have edited in green accordingly.) The velvet guess fo velluiel might be something else as well. Fier I suspect might be fer or iron. Google Translate insists on it being fiers or "proud". De celi manière I suspect to be de celle manniere, "in that manner". Is déliet similar to fine, or delicate?

[Galleron]

I suggest that wière is a variant of guerre.

[Ernst]

I suggest that wière is a variant of guerre.

Cerainly makes more sense to contrast with arms for tournament. I have edited the original post to reflect this suggestion.

[Bertus Brokamp]

I'd say viese means vieux: old

http://books.google.nl/books?id=WQdEAAA ... ux&f=false

In Middle Dutch sources barbieren are aventails so that seems to be correct.

[Ernst]

Thanks Bertus, I'll adjust accordingly. Now everyone sees how weak my translation skills are. The jaserant aventails are interesting considering the discussion of vrysouns (sp?). I suppose the jaserant would be covered on both sides with cloth, where the vrysoun is top-only fabric.

Any thoughts on the discrepency in language in the Limburg Chroicle noted by Signo?

http://www.septemcustodie.it/wp/?p=3732.
The blog page talk about this phrase from a german book "Chronicles of Limburg"(?) : "[...] die Unterwämse hatten enge Armen unde in dem Gewerbe [alternativa: Gelenk] waren si benehet unde behaft mit Stucken von Panzern, daz nante man Musisen [alternativa: Mauseisen]."

[Ernst]

Regarding the kainnes, I'm fairly certain both it and the billet are a measure of silver adorning the armor. Kannes is an old unit of volume = about 1 liter or 1 qt..
http://books.google.com/books?id=gx7ZAA ... ht&f=false

[Dan Howard]

Regarding the kainnes, I'm fairly certain both it and the billet are a measure of silver adorning the armor. Kannes is an old unit of volume = about 1 liter or 1 qt..
http://books.google.com/books?id=gx7ZAA ... ht&f=false

The density of pure silver is 10.49 g/cm3. So a liter of silver weighs around 10 kg (1 kg = 0.09533 liters). The silver decoration would weigh more than the armour. Might it be referring to the cost of the armour rather than the type of adornment?

[Konstantin the Red]

Dèliet fier may mean thin or fine-gauge iron, whether sheet or wire. Light stuff.