THE CHRISTIAN'S GREAVES AND SANDALS. PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL. Shod with Gospel Preparation Wield the Spirit's two-edged sword;- While they fall before the word. HART. Historical Notice. GREAVES were a kind of boots, without feet, for the defence of the legs, made either of bull's hide, or of metal, generally brass, or copper. The ancient Greave usually terminated at the ankle, and rose in front nearly to the top of the knee. It was open behind, but the opposite edges at the open part, nearly met when the Greave was buckled, buttoned, or tied to the leg. There were some kinds that did not reach so high as the knee. This piece of armour was useful, not only in combat, but for the purpose of guarding the leg against the impediments, such as iron spikes, etc., which the enemy strewed in the way, as well as to enable the warrior to make his way more easily among thorns and briars. It appears from ancient sculpture, that Greaves with the open part in front, and defending the calf rather than the shin, were sometimes in use. Sometimes a Greave was worn on one leg only, and that was the left; that leg, and indeed the left side generally, being advanced in action on account of the buckler, which was borne on the left arm. Homer's heroes usually wore brass Greaves; indeed the Greeks are continually called "brazen-greaved Achaians;" whence some suppose that this defence was first, and, for a time, exclusively, used by that people. Greaves were, however, worn by the Trojans as well as the Greeks. Thus, when Paris was arming for the combat with Menelaus "His legs he first in polished Greaves enclosed, With silver studs secured." We learn from this, that in arming, the Greaves were first put on. The use of Greaves was not confined to warriors, but they were worn by others whose occupations required a defence against thorns. Thus, when Laertes is described as collecting thorns for a fence, it is said "Leathern were his Greaves, Thong-tied, and also patched a frail defence Military Sandals, or boots, are classed with armour. If, with some commentators, we suppose the reference, a "Your feet shod," etc., is to firmness of standing, as in the base, or foundation, of an edifice, the apostle may be well imagined to have had in view those military caligas which were furnished with spikes, to enable those that wore them to stand firm and unmoved. Or if, with others, the allusion is supposed to be merely to the defence of the feet from the roughness of the way, and from the designs of enemies, who were wont to throw caltrops into the field, and to set spikes in the ground, to impede the march, and wound the feet of the soldiers -then, we may well conclude the text to bear a reference to the boots, Greaves, or Sandals, which to defend the feet from such annoyance, were composed of, or furnished with, brass, iron, or other metals. The same Hebrew word (naal,b) denotes both a Sandal and a shoe; more generally, doubtless, the former than the latter, although always rendered "shoe" in our version of the Old Testament, in which the word "Sandal” does not once occur. It must, indeed, generally be left to the context to determine which is intended; and this the context does not often enable us to say. It is very likely, however, that shoes, properly so called, were in use before this time, for it is probable we are to understand, from the mention of "rams' skins dyed red,” in the books of Moses, that the Hebrews had the art of preparing and colouring leather. If so, shoes were probably confined to the more comfortable classes of the people; for not only were Sandals of the earliest date, but, so far as a covering for the feet was employed at all, continued in general use for ages after the invention с a Ephes. vi. 15. b Ruth iv. 8. • Exod. xxv. 5. |