Triple Bore French Gun

This SBML (smooth bore muzzle-loading) bronze gun was cast in France in 1706 and has three bores arranged in a triangle, with one bore above and two below. The calibre is that of a French saker, which in English terms would be a 5½ pounder. The inscriptions on the gun read as follows: 

• Les Trimegiste - the Fates, the name of the gun. 
• Ultima ratio regum - the last argument of Kings, a standard description of Artillery. 
• Louis Auguste Duc de Maine - the Duke of Maine (1670-1736) was French Grand Master of Artillery, and a son of the French King Louis XIV. 
• Pluribus nec impar – motto adopted by Louis XIV, roughly translating as “not unequal to many”. 
• MFIM FIGAR AUGUSTIN INVENIT - Brother Jacob Maria Figari invented this.

The gun was captured by the Duke of Marlborough on 11 September 1709 at the Battle of Malplaquet in northern France, the fourth and final battle in the War of the Spanish Succession. Two of these triple bore guns are held by the museum; they were among the earliest items acquired for the collection and were displayed outside the Rotunda for many years. Indeed, exposure to the elements may have led to the deterioration of the original wooden carriages, as both have been replaced, most likely during the 19th century.