a cuirass, brigantine, or coat of mail, in use amongst the Roman soldiers. It was generally made of leather, and its name is supposed to be derived from lorum. The loricae were set with plates of metal in various forms; sometimes in books or rings like a chain, sometimes like feathers, and sometimes like the scales of serpents or fishes, to which plates of gold were frequently added. There were other lighter cuirasses, consisting only of numerous folds of linen cloth, or of flax, made strong enough to resist weapons. Such soldiers as were rated under a thousand drachms, instead of the lorica now described, wore a pectorale. The Roman lorica was made like a shirt, and defended the wearer both before and behind, but was so contrived that the back part could be occasionally separated from the front. Some of the loricae were made of cords of hemp or flax, close set together; and hence they are called thoraces, bilices, trilices, and so on, from the number of the cords fixed one upon another; but these were used rather in hunting than in the field of battle.