Homme

d’armes, Fr. a military phrase among the French, signifying a gentleman or cavalier who belonged to one of the old companies, was armed cap-a-pied, and always fought on horseback. In ancient times every man of this description was accompanied by two horsemen independent of his servants. One of the mounted attendants was armed with a cro -bow, and the other with a common bow or battle-axe; so that one hundred hommes d’armes composed a body of three hundred horse. It was a species of cavalry which existed from the reign of Louis XI. until the reign of Henry II. Charles VII. had begun to form the French nobility into regular corps of cavalry, dividing them into different troops. Out of these he established a body of fifteen hundred hommes d’armes or armed bowmen, and he gave the troops or companies according to their sizes, to the princes and most experienced captains in his kingdom. For particulars we refer the curious to Le Gendre and Gaia, Traité des armes, L. 14, and to Fauchet, L. 2. C. 1. de son Traité de la milice et des armes. Etre Homme de Cheval , Fr. a term in French equitation, signifying, that a man is completely master of his horse, or knows how to manage him thoroughly and according to prescribed rules and regulations. Thus Il est suffisamment homme de cheval pour d’etre point embarra é de celui qu’il monte en commandant sa troupe —He is sufficiently master of his horse, or he is horseman enough, not to be in the least embarra ed by the one he rides in exercising his troop.