not perfectly straight when it was withdrawn, it was beaten
into shape, more sand being first put upon it. After this the
remaining fifth of the blade was subjected to the fire, and was
rubbed with suet while red hot; the final polish of the whole sword
was produced by emery powder on wooden wheels.

[Illustration: DAMASCENED HELMET]

Damascening was a favourite method of ornamenting choice suits
of armour, and was also applied to bronzes, cabinets, and such
pieces of metal as lent themselves to decoration. The process began
like niello: little channels for the design were hollowed out, in
the iron or bronze, and then a wire of brass, silver, or gold, was
laid in the groove, and beaten into place, being afterwards polished
until the surface was uniform all over. One great feature of the art
was to sink the incision a little broader at the base than at the top,
and then to force the softer metal in, so that, by this undercutting,
it was held firmly in place. Cellini tells of his first view of
damascened steel blades. "I chanced," he says, "to become possessed
of certain little Turkish daggers, the handle of which together
with the guard and blade were ornamented with beautiful Oriental
leaves, engraved with a chisel, and inlaid with gold. This kind of
work differed materially from any which I had as yet practised or
attempted, nevertheless I was seized with a great desire to try my
hand at it, and I succeeded so admirably that I produced articles
infinitely finer and more solid than those of the Turks." Benvenuto
had such a humble opinion of his own powers! But when one considers
the pains and labour expended upon the arts of damascening and
niello, one regrets that the workers had not been inspired to attempt
dentistry, and save so much unnecessary individual suffering!

On the Sword of Boabdil are many inscriptions, among them, "God is
clement and merciful," and "God is gifted with the best memory."
No two sentiments could be better calculated to keep a conqueror
from undue excesses.

Mercia was a headquarters for steel and other metals
in the thirteenth century. Seville was even then famous for its
steel, also, and in the words of a contemporary writer, "the steel
which is made in Seville is most excellent; it would take too much
time to enumerate the delicate objects of every kind which are
made in this town." King Don Pedro, in his will, in the fourteenth
century, bequeathes to his son, his "Castilian sword, w