Showing how it is most necessary in these times for this kingdom, both in peace and war, and how it may be done without charge to the country, trouble to the people, or any hindrance to necessary occasions. Also, of the discipline, the postures, and whatsoever else is necessary for the attaining to the art.

LONDON

Printed by B. A. and T. F. for Ben Fisher, and are to be sold at his shop, at the Signe of the Talbot without Alders Gote. 1634.

To

The Sacred Majesty of

our Dread Sovereign

CHARLES,

By the Grace of God, King of

Great Britain, France, and

Ireland; Defender of the Faith, & c.

Sir,

This project which I offer to your Sacred Majesty, however (for mine own unworthiness and insufficiency, or the almost last remembrance of the weapon, which I strive to advance) it may seem unworthy of your Gracious view or consideration; yet I am confident, if you please to lay your sacred eyes upon it, you will allow it. For first, it will be honorable to your kingdoms, through the multiplicity of good soldiers; terrible to your opposers, when they hear of such disciplined multitudes, and not troublesome to your subjects because it neither puts them to one penny of extraordinary expense, takes from them one day of their necessary affaires, nor loads them with any trouble or vexation, either of mind or body. Only it ties them to the exercise and performance of that duty, to which they are bound both by the laws of God, nature, and the wholesome statutes of this kingdoms, as the treatise (I hope) will witness, when your Majesty (or any by your Majesty appointed) shall read it. In humble confidence whereof, I rest.

Your Majesties,

Poor vassal and subject,

Gervase Markham

TO

The much honored

Gentlemen, Mr. William

Trumball, Esquire, Eldest

Clarke to his Majesties most

Honorable Privy Council, and

Muster-master-General of all

England.

Sir,

All rivers and rivulets, fountains and waters what soever, come from the sea, and return to the sea, the first, to acknowledge the happiness of their beginnings; the other, to restore the rent & tribute of their duties. So all subjects receive happiness from their Sovereigns, and to them they ought to restore anything that they can call happy within them. Hence, I have presumed in all humility and obedience, to present to his Sacred Majesty, this little treatise of The Art of Archerie and how it may profitably by used in this kingdom, to the advancement of the trained bands (to whose glory and good, your place especially calls you) to the propagation and increase of young soldiers, and to the support and re-edifying, of the now falling, and almost utterly ruined Societies of Bowers and Fletchers, who (as I am credibly informed, and partly know by diverse true observations) are so shaken and decayed in their estates and tradings, that without his Majesty’s assist, it is impossible for them to subsist. Then (worthy Sir) be pleased to lay your virtuous hand to this building, and make yourself master of many hearts, and many prayers, which (under your pardon) you may thus effect, by procuring to be inserted into the Letters for Musters; that the supplies may appear with bows and arrows, and to be exercised with the trained bands, as more largely appears in the treatise. This I dare no further urge, but leave it to your own goodness, which can better direct, then I can imagine.

Your Servant,

Gervase Markham

TO

The Worshipful,

the Masters, Wardens,

and Assistants, and to all the

rest of the Worshipful Companies

and Societies of

Bowers and Fletchers

within the Honorable

City of London, and

elsewhere.

Gentlemen,

It is not out of any ambition to get a name, out of any hope of future profit, nor out of any disposition or love I have to novelties, which has stirred me up to this labor but only a sincere affection I bear to truth and goodness, which in former times were, and I doubt not but will be again, and ever, the best friends and companions to the bow and arrow.

It is true, that in this treatise, I have (according to my weak judgement, and under the controlment of better knowledges) showed how the bow and arrow may again profitably be employed, and reviewed, without offence or scandal. It now remains in you (if his Majesty shall be graciously pleased, to put it in execution) to make good all my promises. And that is, by furnishing the subject with good bows, good arrows, and reasonable prices, because defects in these, will both disgrace the work, and give offence to the people. Yet I would not have you mistake me, that under this word good, I mean the best and principal bows and arrows, as though every man should necessarily be armed with Ewe and Horn-beam; no, Elm and Birch, are timbers sufficient for private practice, and if they be well wrought, artificially chosen, and reasonably sold the subject shall find no fault, nor the exercise hindrance.

This (when you are called upon) you are to take into your considerations, which I know you can better do, than I can instruct; therefore to it, and to the happy proceedings of these beginnings, which may begin your benefits, I leave you and rest,

Your Well -wisher,

Gervase Markham.

A

table of the

things contained

in this book.

Chapter I

A general encomion or praise of shooting both in peace and war.

Chapter II

That shooting is most necessary for this kingdom both in peace and war, and how it may profitably be used, without charge to the country, trouble to the people or hindrance to necessary occasions.

Chapter III

Of the chief point aimed at in shooting, and how to attain it.

Chapter IV

Of the bow, and the use.

Chapter V

Of the shooting-glove, and the use thereof.

Chapter VI

Of the string, and the use.

Chapter VII

Of the bow, the diversities and the uses, what wood is best, the choice, the trimming, to keep it in goodness; and how to cure all mischiefs.

Chapter VIII

Of the shaft, and the uses.

Chapter IX

Of the steel of the arrow, the excellence and use.

Chapter X

Of the feather, the nature, excellence and use.

Chapter XI

Of the arrow-head, the invention, and several uses.

Chapter XII

Of the handling of instruments, the time when, & c.

Chapter XIII

Of comely shooting, the benefit and means, with the faults.

Chapter XIV

The first posture, which is standing.

Chapter XV

The second posture, which is nocking.

Chapter XVI

The third posture, which is drawing.

Chapter XVII

The fourth posture, which is holding.

Chapter XVIII

The fifth posture, which is loosing.

Chapter XIX

Of keeping a length, of wind, and weather.

Chapter XX

Principal observations from the time of the year.

Chapter XXI

Of giving aim, the ease, and the errors.

Chapter XXII

Of taking true standing, that is advantageous.

Chapter XXIII

Of straight shooting, the shifts, and helps.

The Art of Archerie

Chapter I

A general encomium, or praise of shooting, both in peace and war.

Shooting is an art necessary for the knowledge of all sorts of men, useful both in peace and war. It is an honest pastime for the mind, and an wholesome exercise for the Body, not vile for great men to use, nor costly for poor men to maintain, not lurking in holes and corners, for ill men at their pleasure to misuse it, but still abiding in the open fight and face of the world, for good men (if it be any way faulty) by their wisdom to correct it.

Now touching the antiquity of it, Claudian faith, that nature first gave the example of shooting by the Porpentine, which by shooting his quills will hit any thing that fights with it, which learned men afterwards imitated in finding out bow and shafts, Plinie refers it to Scythes, the son of Jupiter. Better and nobler writers, as Plato, Calimachus, and Galen, bring shooting from Apollo, when he flew Python; yet long before those days, we read expressly in the Bible of shooting, and if we shall believe Lira, Lamech killed Cain with a shaft, which long continuance does not a little praise the art, besides, that it has at all times and may still be used by all men, the examples of the ancients are proofs unresistable. Cyaxares, king of the Medes and great grandfather to Cyrus, kept a company of Scythians with him only to teach his Son Astiages to shoot, and Cyrus, being a Child, as Zenophon shows, was himself taught the art of shooting; Darius was so exquisite in this art, that he caused this inscription to be graven on his monument:

Darius the King

lyes buried here;

That in Shooting and Riding

Had no peer.

Domitian the Emperor was so cunning in shooting, that he would shoot between a man’s fingers standing a far off and never hurt him. Comodus also had so sure a hand, that there was nothing within his reach and shot but he could hit it in what place he listed. Themistius the Philosopher commended Theodosins the Emperor, for three things wich he used of a child, which were shooting, riding, and feats of arms. And not only kings and emperors have been brought up in shooting, but also the best Common-wealths have made excellent edicts to maintain it. The Persians (which under Cyrus conquered in a manner all the world) made a law, that their children from five years old unto twenty, should learn three only things, that was; to ride, to shoot, and to speak truth always. The Romans had a law, that every man should use shooting in the time of peace till he was forty years old, and that every house should have a bow and forty shafts ready for all occasions. If I should rehearse the statutes made in Parliament by the kings of England for the advancement of shooting, I should but tire patience, let these therefore suffice already rehearsed. And how fit labor is for youth, Minos amount the Grecians, and Licurgus among the Lacedemonians do show, who never ordained any thing for the bringing up of youth that was not joined with labor and that labor which is in shooting, is of all other the best both because it increases strength, and most preserves health, being not vehement but moderate, not overlaying any one part with weariness, but exercising every part with equalness, as the arm and breast with drawing, the other parts with walking, being not so painful for the labor as delightful for the pastime, which exercise by the judgement of the best physicians is most allowable. Also by shooting, the mind is honestly employed, where a man does always desire to do best, (which is a word of honesty) and by the same way that virtue it self does, coveting to come nighest a most perfect end or mean, standing between two extremes, eschewing short, or gone, or on either side wide, which caused Aristotle to say that shooting and virtue were like one another and that shooting, of all other recreations, was the most honest and gave least occasion to have naughtiness joined into it, which two things, do approve, that (as tutors or overseers) are fixed unto it, and that is, daylight and open place where every man does come, the keepers from all unhonest actions. If a man shot foul at any time, it is not hid, it lurks not in corners, but openly accuses and betrays itself, which (as wise men say) is the next way to amendment.

Now as shooting is thus excellent in itself, and most allowable by both ancient and modern authority and example in the time of peace; so it is much more illustrious, and by many degrees more profitable and with more vigor to be acquired in the time of war as thus.

The upper hand in war, next to the goodness of God (from whom all Victory comes) stands chiefly in three things; The wisdom of the , the slights and policies of the commanders, and the strength and cheerful forwardness of the soldiers. The 2. first I will omit (they are elements above me) the last, which is the strength of war, it abides in the soldier, whose chief praise and virtue is obedience to his superiors, than to have and handle his Weapon well; of which, the one must be at the Captain’s appointment, the other, lay in the courage and exercise of the soldier; yet of all weapons, the best is that, where with least danger to ourselves, we may hurt our enemies most. And that is, (as I suppose) by artillery, which now adays is taken for guns and bows, which how much they do in war, both daily experience does teach, and Peter Nannius of Lovayne does very well set out in a dialogue, wherein this is remarkable, that when he has showed all the excellent commodities of guns, as infinite cost, and charge, cumbersome carriage. And if they be great, the uncertain leveling, the peril of them that stand by them, the easier avoiding by them that are far off. And if they be little, the less both fear and jeopardy is in them, besides all contrary winds and weather which does hinder them not a little; yet of all, in shooting he cannot rehearse any discommodity; yea, so necessary has shooting been, and so highly set by, that to its lasting credit it is recorded, that when Hector and his Trojans, would have set fire on the Greek ships, Teucer with his bow made them recoil back again, and Troy itself could never be destroyed without the help of Hercules shafts, which thing does signify, that though all the world were gathered into one army, yet without shooting they can never come to their purpose, and this may partly be collected out of the Holy Scriptures, where it is recorded, that among the Jews, nothing was so frequent or did so much good as bows; insomuch, that when the Jews had any great victory over the Gentiles, the first thing that the captains did, was to exhort the people to give all the thanks to God for the conquest, and not to their bows wherewith they had slain their enemies. God when he promises help to the Jews uses no kind of speaking so much as this, that he will bend his bow, and die his shafts in the Gentiles blood; whereby it is manifest, that God will either make the Jews to shoot strong shots to overthrow their enemies, or at least, that shooting is a mighty powerful thing in war, whereunto the high power of God is likened. David in the Psalms, call bows, the vessels of death, a bitter thing, a mighty power, with like attributes; yet one place more I must remember for the praise of shooting, and that is , when Saul was slain by the Philistines (being mighty bow-men) and Jonathan his son, who was so good an archer, that he never shot shaft in vain. The first statute David made, after he came to the kingdom was that all Israel should learn to shoot by which we see what great use and provision, even from the beginning, was among the Jews for shooting. Sesostris the most potent king that ever was in Egypt, overcame a great part of the world, only by archers, and in token how he vanquished all men, he set up in many places great images to his own likeness, with a bow in one hand, and a sharp headed arrow in the other. The Prince of Samos, Policrates, was lord over the Greek seas, and withstood the power of the Persians only by the help of one thousand archers. The best part of Alexanders army were archers, as Appian and others record, and they so strong, that sundry times they overcame their enemies before any other weapon could come in to second them. But to let passe these foreign examples, I will conclude with this saying out of Pliny, ‘if any man would call to mind the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Arabians, Indians, Scythians, Sarmathians, and Parthians, he shall perceive half the world to live in subjection, overcome by the power and might of shooting.’ Again, Leo writing concerning what arms were best, says thus, ‘Let all the youth of Rome be compelled to use shooting, either more or less, and ever to carry their bow and quiver about them, until they be forty years old.’ And in another place, he says, ‘Let the soldiers have their weapons well appointed, but above all other things regard most shooting; especially in the time of peace, for the neglect of it only has brought the whole Empire of Rome to ruin.’ And again, he says thus to his General, ‘Arm your host as I have appointed you, but especially with bows and arrows, for the power of it is infinite.’ And again to the same general, thus, ‘Artillery is easy to be prepared, and in time of need a thing most profitable; therefore we straightly command you to make proclamation to all men under our dominions, which be either in war or peace, to all cities, boroughs and towns, and finally to all manner of men, that every several person have bow and shafts of his own, and every house (besides this, )to have a standing, bearing bow and 40 arrows for all needs, and that they exercise themselves, in holts, hills, and dales, plains and woods, for all manner of chances which may happen in war. Which law of this good emperor, those which now haunt England, those which now haunt playhouses, alehouses and tobacco shops, I would presume, by little and little, be brought to a better esteem of themselves and a greater loathing of those ill places. Lastly, to conclude with our own nation; what battle have we ever fought either at home or abroad and triumphed, but the bow (next unto God) has carried the honor, witness the famous Battle of Chrssie against Philip the French king, where (as our adversaries themselves do confess) was slain all the nobility of France, only by the English archers, like unto this, was the battle fought by the Blacke Prince beside Poyctiers, where John the French king, with his son, and in a manner all the peers of France were taken, besides 30,000 which that day were slain, and very few . As this, so the Battle of Agincourt, is remarkable, where Henry V, with 7,000 fighting men, and many of them sick and unable, yet such archers, that (as the Chronicle does report) most of them drew a yard, slew all the Chevalrie of France, to the number of 40,000 and more, and lost not above 26 of the English. The bloody civil war between the two great houses of Yorke and Lancaster, where arrows flew on every side, will witness the powerfulness of the bow, and as these, so a world of others, too tedious to recite. So that in conclusion, it cannot be denied, but the bow has done more wonderful exploits and brought home more triumphs than any other weapon that ever was read of, either in Greek or Latin story, then that it should now fall sick, languish, may dye, and be buried in perpetual oblivion, O quam te memorem.

Chapter II

That shooting is most necessary for this kingdom both in peace and war, and how it may profitably be used, without charge to the country, trouble to the people, or any hindrance to necessary occasions.

Whatsoever I have formerly spoke in praise of the bow, which I know to be most worthy, yet I would not have the curious to mistake me, and think in it I derogate from other weapons, and so call me a King Harry Captain, or a man of an old edition, out of date in these refined times, where nothing is excellent, but that which is least excellent, folly and self opinion. No, I am far from such censuring, for I acknowledge the pike and musket to be the eldest brethren in war, and the weapons wherewith I have both commanded and been commanded all my life in the wars, neither dare I carry a thought either to weaken their power, or decrease their number, my wish is, that his Majesty had for every ten an hundred. But when I look into the state of the kingdom, to which my place in several counties calls me, I find there is a select and choice company culled out in every shire, which are called the cautionary or trained band, and which are armed with pike and musket, yet with that difficulty and unpreparedness, that authority herself cannot deny, but if a sudden and unlooked for alarm should raise them, few counties would boast of absolute perfection, but allow them (as they should be) complete in every thing belonging unto them, yet they are but a handful, and not to compare with the unarmed, one in an hundred. If then, to these trained bands, there were an equal number or a much greater of well disciplined bow-men, doubtless they would be found of great use; and not only gain glory to the kingdom, but fear and amazement to all those which durst to attempt us and that this is a work most necessary and most easy, without charge, trouble, or other difficulty, thus I approve it.

First, for the necessity, it is known to all those which either know us, have heard of us, or have felt us; that we are a potent, valiant, and daring nation: not trusting unto walled towns, castles, forts or concealed stratagems, but unto the God of battles, a good cause, and well managed arms so that what enemy soever will seek us, shall find us in the open field, where a battle must ever be made the arbitrator of our good or evil fortune. If then, the chance of one day must decide our controversy, what better art can be used in that extremity, then the art of multiplication, or bringing of most multitudes to fight without disorder; for, according to the proverb, ‘Many hands make light work’, and albe a few may prevail through the virtue of discipline, yet more will do more good, if valor and wisdom be not wanting, as thus for example; a battle is to be fought, and the king brings into the field 20,000 armed with pike and musket, to bring a greater number with those weapons is difficult or hurtful, either through the want of arms, or the necessity of other places. If then, there be 10,000 strong and well exercised bow-men to join unto them, can any man be so sottish as not to conceive what terror and amazement those showers of arrows will bring to the enemy, let this be judged by them that have seen the affright in battles, for mine own part, I cannot but conceive it a work of great necessity, excellent use, and infinity profitable both to the King, and his kingdoms.

Now touching the easy accomplishment of this work, without charge or vexation, or so much as a grumbling to the common people, it may thus (if his Majesty please) be effected.

There are (or at least there ought to be) in every city, town, hamlet and village, a certain select company of the best and ablest men both for person and estate, which should amount to a double number, or more ten those which are called the trained men, as thus, if in a town there be one trained man, then there should be two or three of these; if two trained men then four, five or six of these, according to the ability and popularity of the place, and these be called supplies, because from them the trained bands are supplied and reinforced upon every alteration, change, death, old-age, aor any other necessary avoidance. Now these supplies are bound to appearance at all muster, as well as the trained bands and do so, but having given in their names, they depart away without any exercise or military instruction, and so spend out the rest of the day either in the alehouse or some other place where they laugh at those which are taking pains and busy to be instructed, so that when they come to be called into the band themselves, their ignorance is so great, that they hurt both themselves and others.

Now, if it would please his Majesty, or those to whom he has dispensed such authority, to command, that these supplies should give their attendance with bows, arrows & palizadoes, or staves, assuming the likeness of the palizadoe & so to be exercised with the trained bands which carry pike & musket. This benefit would arise from such proceeding. First, a glory to the band by augmentation of their number, an expertness in the soldier, by his acquaintance with all manner of weapons, and a dexterity of body by the use and knowledge of every military motion. For, allow the bow to be as despised a thing as either envy or ignorance would have it, yet out of this discipline the bowman shall learn these most necessary lessons. First, all manner of marches & countermarches, turnings & returnings, wheelings imbattlings, doublings, and deductings, distance of place, how to charge, retire, and how to give showers or volleys upon all occasions, the posture of the bow and arrow, which has affinity with the musket, and the postures of the palizadoe, which is a good conduct to the pike, he shall learn the beatings of the drum, all words of command, the power of his superior officers, and indeed what not, that belongs to an ordinary soldier so that when any of them shall be called in to the trained band to handle other weapons, they will be found so skillful and expert, that there can be no fear either of confusion or disorder, and where his Majesty has one soldier now, he will then have two or a greater number.

Now if I shall be questioned touching the mixture of these several weapons, the pike, the musket, and the bow, or in what sort they may be imbattled without disorder or hindrance of one weapon with another; I answer, that albe there are a world of more worthy soldiers which can better demonstrate these things than myself, yet this is my opinion, and thus I conceive it may be done both easily and profitably. In the days of Queen Elizabeth of thrice happy and blessed memory, when the use of the musket was newly brought from beyond the seas into this kingdom, and the virtue thereof found and approved; yet was the weapon so scarce to be had, workman so slow, and new alterations so unpleasant, that the state was compelled to compound their bands of three several weapons, the pike, musket, and the harquebus or calliver, as I am able to show by sundry lists, both of my own and others. But after the expense of some small time, by the care of the Lords lieutenants, and the diligence of their deputies, the bands were reduced into that estate wherein now they stand, which is, pike and musket only, and the harquebus cast off. Now instead of the harquebus, and as the harquebus, so would I have the bow employed, and as the musket do wing the pike so I would have the bow to wing the musket, observing to keep the number so just and constant that one weapon might not intermix with another, but as three distinct and several bodies, (however joined in one battalion) to be separated and disposed at the pleasure of the commander; and because the bow is a more ready and quicker weapon of side charge then the musket, the captains may by doubling, either ranks or files, make his showers of arrows greater or less, according to the advantage of ground, the strength of his numbers, or the approach of the enemy.

Many other things might be added to this little beginning, which were much to tedious to handle in this place; because, I only desire but to open a little narrow way to a great deal of profit for the kingdom, which if it shall please authority to accept and second, both myself and many others, much more worthy than myself, will be ready with our uttermost endeavors to make good this project. Besides, the now almost half lost Societies of Bowers and Fletchers, will get a little warmth and, both praise their God, and pray for their king, from whom these good things issue. Not that the countries or soldiers shall be forced to any new charge of cost, by which extraordinary gain may redound unto them, but that the wholesome laws of the kingdom (which bind every man to be master of a bow and arrows) may be a little awakened. And so I return again to the Art of Archerie, and the true knowledge with use of the bow and arrow, and all things else depending upon them.

Chapter III

Of the chief point aimed at in shooting, and how to attain unto it.

The chief point or end whereunto every man bends his aim when he learns to shoot, is to hit the mark whereat he shoots, and to the compassing thereof, there is required two things; first, shooting straight then keeping a length, and these are attained unto, by knowing and having all things belonging to shooting, & when they be known and had, then in the well handling of them; and of these, some belong to shooting straight, some to keeping a length, and some to both, as shall be declared severally at large hereafter.

Now touching the things belonging to shooting, you shall understand, that all things are outward, yet some be outward instruments for every several archer to bring with him, proper for his owns use, other things be general to every man, as the time and place serve.

Those which I call outward instruments, are the Bracer, the Shooting glove, the String, Bow and Shaft.

Those which are general to all men , are the weather, & the mark; yet the mark, is ever under the rule of the weather.

Now the well handling of these and all other things, stand in the man himself, for some handlings are proper to instruments, some to the weather, some to the mark, and some rest in the man himself.

Touching the handlings which are proper to instruments, they Standing, Nocking, Drawing, Holding, and Loosing, from whence issue all fair shooting, which neither belong to wind nor weather, nor yet to the mark; for in a rain and at no mark, a man may shoot a fair shot.

As concerning the handlings which are proper to the weather, they are the knowledge of the wind with him, or against him, a side wind, full side wind, side wind quarter with him, side wind quarter against him, & c.

Touching the handlings proper to the mark, they are heedfully to regard his standing, to shoot, compass, to draw evermore alike, to loose evermore alike, to consider the nature of the prick, in hills and dales, in straits, plains, and winding places, and also to espy his mark.

Lastly, for the things remaining with the man himself, they are the avoiding of all affections and passions which are the making or marring of every good action. And these things thus spoken of and briefly discussed if they be well known and handled, doubtless they shall bring a man to such perfection in shooting that few or none can exceed him, but if he miss in any one of them he can never hit the mark, and the more he miss, the further off he is in shooting nigh the mark. But as in all other matters, so in this, the first step or Staure to be good, is to know a mans fault and then to amend it, for to maintain it is double to doe it.

Thus I have packed together in a general manner a small or short analysis of the art of archery; I will now unloosen them again, and taking as it were very piece into my hand again, discourse of them particularly and at large, beginning with the instruments. And first of the bracer.

Chapter IV

Of the Bracer and the use.

The bracer gives the least scope to my discourse, because it is an instrument of no potent validity, yet such an one as may not be omitted, therefore you shall understand, that the bracer serves for two purposes, the one to save the arm from the stripe of the string, and his doublet from wearing; and the other, that the string gliding sharply and quickly of the bracer may make the sharper shot, for if the string should light upon the bare sleeve, the strength of the shot would stop and die there; yet it is the best in my judgement, to give the bow so much bent, that the string need never come near or touch the mans arm, and so should a man need no bracer, as I know many good archers wich seldom or never use them, but it is not a rule for general imitation; because every mans apparel is not of one fashion, nor every one that fullness of judgement, that those which are continually and daily exercised in the same have.

In a bracer, a man must take heed of three things. First, that it have no nails in it, then that it have no buckles, and lastly, that the laces wherewith it is fastened be without tag or aglets; for the nails will shear the string in sunder before a man be aware, and so put his bow into hazard, and the buckles, tags or aglets, will (when a man least suspects it) raze and scratch his bow, a thing both uncomely to behold, and dangerous for the weapon.

The bracers are made for the most part of Spanish leather, the smooth side outward, and they be the best, sometimes of Spanish leather and the flesh side outward, and they are both good and tolerable, and others are made of hard, stiff but smooth bend leather, and they be the worst and most dangerous, and thus much is spoken of the bracer.

Chapter V

Of the Shooting glove and the use thereof.

A shooting glove is a necessary armor or defense for the hand, to preserve it from hurting or galling, so that a man may be able in his fingers to bear the sharpness of the string to the uttermost of his strength, for when a man shoot, the violence and might of his shot lay in the foremost finder, and the ring finger; for the middle finger (which is the longest) like a coward starts back and bear no weight of the string, in a manner at all; therefore, the two other fingers must have thicker leather, and that must have the thickest of all, whereon a man loose most, and for sure loosing, the foremost finger is most apt, because it hold best, and for that purpose, nature has yoked it with the thumb. Leather, if it be next to a mans skin will sweat, wax hard and chafe; therefore, scarlet for the softness, thickness and wholesomeness, is best to line the glove with all; but, if you find that it help not, but still the finger hurt, it is good then to take a Searecloth made of fine Virgin wax and Deere Suet, and putting it next your hand draw on your glove; if yet you feel your finger pinched, then forebear shooting, both because it is not possible for you to shoot well, as also, the continual hurting of your fingers by slow degrees, will make the time long ere you can be able to shoot again.

A new glove plucks many shots, because the string goes not freely off, & therefore the fingers of the glove must be cut short, and trimmed with some sweet ointment, that the string may glide smoothly away.

There be some, that with holding the nock of their shaft too hard, rub the skin off their fingers, which is an error, yet there is for it two remedies, one to have Goose quills spinetted and sewed against the nocking, between the lining of the glove and the leather, which both opens the fingers and helps the shot. The other, is to have a rowle of leather sewed between his fingers at the setting on of the finger-stals, which will so keep his fingers asunder, that by no means he shall hold the nock so hard, as before he did.

This shooting glove, should also have a purse on the back of the hand, where in the archer shall ever carry a fine linen cloth and wax, two necessary things, for any man that use shooting; some men use gloves or the like on the bow hand, for fear of chafing; because they hold so hard. But that error happen (for the most part) when a bow is not round, but a little square, therefore fine tempered wax shall do well in such a case, to lay where a man hold his bow; yet I do not condemn the wearing of a fine thin cut fingered glove on the bow hand. And thus much concerning the shooting glove; which albe, they are but trifles in a general opinion, yet to the young inexperienced scholar they are things of moment, and as well worthy his knowledge as those of greater value.

Chapter VI

Of the String and the use.

The bow string though it be but a little thing to the eye, and but a small twine in the hand, yet it is a thing of high esteem and worthy of a mans best circumspection, only the infelicity is that, in this instrument a man is forced to put all his confidence in the honesty of the string maker, and surely, the string maker ought more diligently to be looked unto by appointed officers, then either Bower or Fletcher; because they may deceive a simple man with more ease. An evil string break many a good bow, yea no other thing half so many; in war if a string break, the man is lost and is no man, for his weapon is gone; and though he have two strings put on at one, yet he shall have small leisure and less room to bend his bow; and therefore, God send honest string makers both for peace and war.

Touching what a string ought to be made on, as whether of good hemp (according to our now modern practice) or of fine flax or silk, I leave it to the decision of the string maker, of whom we must buy them who are most conversant with the virtue of every several substance.

Eustathius upon this verse in Homer - Twang quoth the Bow, and twang quoth the String, out quickly the Shaft flew - does tell, that in old time, they made their bow strings of bullockes tharmes, or guts, which they twined together as they do ropes, or as they do great harpstrings, or other like strings for great instruments, which occasioned them to give a great twang.

Bow strings also have been made of the hair of an horsetail, and were called by reason of the substance whereof they were made, Hippias, as appear in many good authors; great strings and little strings be for diverse purposes, the great string is more sure for the bow, more stable to prick with all, but slower for the cast; the little string is clean contrary, not so sure, & therefore to be taken heed of, least with long tarrying on it break you bow, being more fit to shoot far, then apt to prick near; therefore when you know the nature of both big and little, you may fit your bow according to your occasions.

In the stringing of your bow, though this theme belong rather to the handling than to the thing itself; yet because the thing and the handling of the thing, be so joined together; I must needs sometimes couple the one with the other.

First therefore, in the stringing of your bow, you must mark the fit length of your bow; for if the string be too short, the bending will give, and at the last slip, and so put the bow in hazard, if it be too long, the bending must needs be in the small of the string, which being twined hard, must needs snap in sunder, which is the utter destruction of many a good bow, moreover, you must look that your bow be well nocked, for fear the sharpness of the horn shear in sunder the string, which chance often, when in bending, the string has but one wap to strengthen it with all; you must look also, that your string be straight and even put on; otherwise, one end will writhe contrary to the other, and so in danger the bow. When the string begin never so little to wear, trust it not, but away with it, for it is an evil saved penny that loose a man a crown.

Thus you see, how many jeopardies hang over the poor bow, by reason only of the string, as when it is either too short, or too long, when the nock is naught, when the string has but one wap, or when it tarry too long on the bow; yet these, are not all the reasons for the breaking of the bow, for it is broken diverse other ways, and by diverse other means, as shall be declared.

In stringing your bow, you must have respect to much bend and little bend, for they be clean contrary one to the other. The little bend has but one commodity, which is in shooting faster and farther, the reason being, because the string has so far a passage ere it part with the shaft. The great bend has many commodities, for it make easier shooting, the bow being half drawn before; it need no bracer, for the string stop before it comes to the arm, it will not so soon hit a mans sleeve, or other parts of his garments, it hurt not the feathers of the shaft as the low bend does, it also suffer a man the better to spy his mark; therefore let your bow have a reasonable good bend, as about a shaftment and more at the least, for the reasons before rehearsed.

Lastly, it is not amiss, if in the mid part of the string, just where you nock your arrow, you wrap it about for the space of four fingers, with fine silk well waxed, for it will both be a good defense for the string to keep it from wearing, and also fill the nock of the arrow the better, and make it fly with more certainty. And thus much of the bow string.

Chapter VII

Of the Bow, the diversities and the sues: what wood is best, the choice, the trimming, to keep it in goodness , and how to cure it from all mischiefs.

Touching the bow, which is the chiefest instrument in all this art, diverse countries at diverse times, have used diverse bows and of diverse fashions. Horn bows are used in some place at this day, and were much used in the days of Homer; for Pandarus, who was one of the best shooters amongst the Trojans, had his bow made of two goats horns joined together, the length whereof, says Homer, was sixteen handbreadth, not much differing from the length of our bows. The Scriptures make mention of brass bows, iron bows, & steel bows, all which were used of longtime, and are yet at this day among the Turks; but yet they must needs be unprofitable; for if brass, iron, or steele, have their own strength and vigor in them, they are far above a mans strength; if they be made meet for mans strength, their vigor is allied and their strength nothing worth, to shoot any strong shot with all.

The Ethiopians, made their bows of the Palm tree, which seemed to be very strong, (but with us out of experience) being 4 cubits in length. The Indians, have their bows made of reed, which are wondrous strong; & it is no marvel, they framed their bow and shafts thereof; for (as Herodotus reports) every reed was so big, that a man might make a fisher boat thereof; these bows, says Apian, in Alexanders life, gave so great a stroke that no armor or shield, though it were never so strong was able to withstand it, the length of such a bow was even with the length of him that used it.’

The Licians used bows made of a certain tree called in Latin Cornus, touching the name in English, I can sooner prove that other men call it false, then I can tell the right name myself; this wood is a shard as a horn and very fit for shafts, as shall be declared hereafter.

Ovid show, that Syrinx a Nymph and one of the handmaids of Diana, had a bow of this wood, whereby the Poet mean, that it was the most excellent for this purpose; as for Brazil, Elm, Wishe and Ash; experience does prove them to be but in the mean degree, and so to conclude of all woods whatsoever, the Ewghe is that whereof perfect shooting would have a bow made; this wood as it has long been and is now general and common amongst us, so was it in former times acquired and had in most price, especially amongst the Romans, as does appear in this half verse of Virgil: Taxi troquentur in Arcus - Ewghe fit for bow to be made on.

Now this bow of Ewghe, ought to be made for perfect shooting at the prick, which mark, because it is certain and most certain I will draw & ground all my rules from that head only, and the rather, because whosoever is excellent at it, cannot be ignorant at any other mark.

A good bow is known as good counsel is known, by the end, and profit we receive by it; yet both the bow and good counsel, may be made better or worse, by the well or ill handling of them as experience teach us; and as a man, both must and will take counsel of a wise and honest man though he see not the end of it; so must an archer of necessity, trust an honest & good Bower for a bow, before he know the proof of it. And as a wise man will store up counsel before hand, to prevent future evils; so a good archer, should ever have three or four bows before hand, least sudden want might undo his pleasure.

Now, that you may escape general mistaking in the election of your bow, I will give you some rules and notions, which if you forget not, shall prevent many mistakings.

If you come into a shop and find a bow that is small, long, heavy, and strong, lying straight, not winding, not marred with wind shake, knot gall, Wenne, fret or pinch, then buy the bow from my warrant, the best color of a bow that I find, is when the back and the belly in working be much what after one manner, for such oftentimes in wearing, prove like Virgin wax of Gold, having a fine & long grain from one end of the bow to the other, for a short grain though it prove well sometimes, yet they are for the most part very brittle.

Touching the making of the bow I will not greatly meddle, least I should be found to intrude upon another mans occupation in which I have no skill, and so like the cobbler go beyond my Lartchet; only I would desire all Bowers to season their staves well, to work and sink them well, to give them hears convenient, and tyllering plenty; for thereby, they shall both get themselves a good name, (and a good name increase profit) and also bring a singular commodity to the whole kingdom; if any man offend in this point, I am persuaded they are only those young journeymen, which labor more to make many bows speedily for gain sake, then diligently to make a good bows for their credit sake, clean forgetting the proverb, ‘Soon enough, if well enough.’ - wherewith every honest tradesman should, as with a rule, measure his work, he that is a journeyman & ride upon another mans horse, if he ride an honest pace, no man will disallow him; but, if he ride post or beyond discretion, both he that own the horse, and he that after shall buy the horse may peradventure have case to curse him; neither is this fault confined to any one place, but I fear too generally dispersed in diverse parts of the kingdom, to the great hurt of that poor remnant of archers which yet flourish, and to the great hindrance of the kings service, if ever the virtue of that weapon shall be reissued; for believe it as a maxim, that the bow can never be made of too good wood, nor yet too well seasoned or truly made with heatings and tylerrings, neither the shaft of too good wood, or too throwly wrought, with the best pinion feathers that can be gotten; especially, when a man therewith is to serve his Prince, defend his countryman, and save himself from his enemy.

But to return again to the true knowledge of a well shooting bow, you are to understand, that every bow is made, either of a bough, a plant, or of the boole of the tree. The bough, commonly is very knotty and full of pins, weak, of small pith, will soon follow the string, and seldom wear to any fair color; yet for boys and young beginners, it may serve well enough. The plant, does many times prove exceeding well, especially, if it be of a good and clean growth, and for the pith of it, is quick enough of cast, it will play and bow, far before it break, as all other young things do. The boole of the tree is cleanest without knots or pins, having a fast and a hard wood, be reason of his full growth, strong and mighty of cast, and is the best of all other for the bow, if the staves be even cloven, and afterward well wrought, not over thwart the wood, but as the grain and straight growing of the wood lead a man; or otherwise, by all reason it must soon break, and that in many shivers. These things are to be considered in the rough wood, and when the bowstaves be over wrought and fashioned; for, in dressing and picking it up for a bow, it is then too late to look for it. But yet in these points (as I said before) you must when all is done, rely upon the goodness of an honest Bower to put a good bow into your hand; yet not forgetting yourselves, those characters which I have already showed you; neither must you stick, for a groat or a shilling more than another man would give; if it be a good bow; for a good bow twice paid for, is better the an ill bow once broken. Thus a shooter must begin, not at the making of his bow like a Bower, but at the buying of his bow like an archer, and when his bow is bought and brought home, before he trust too much upon it, let him try and trim it after this manner.

First, take you bow into the field, shoot in it, sink it with dead heavy shafts, look where it comes most and provide for that place betimes, before it pinch and so fret, then when you have thus shot in it,& preceives there is good shooting wood in it, carry it then again to a cunning workman that is trusty, & let him cut it shorter, and pick it & dress it fitter than before, let him make it come round compass every where and whipping at the ends, but with great discretion, least it whip in sunder, or else fret before you be aware, let him also lay it straight if it happen to cast, or otherwise need require; and if the bow be flat made gather it up round, and so shall it both shoot faster for far shooting, and also be surer for near pricking.

Now albe, some less curious and more thrifty, may account this second trimming of the bow, a piddling and needless work, and that after a thing is once perfect there needs no amendment, let them understand from me, that it is not very good taken in a bow whereof nothing, when it is new and fresh, need to be cut away or amended; even as Cicero says of a young mans with and style. For every new thing must have more then it need, or else it will not grow better and better, but decay and be worse and worse. New ale, if it run not over the barrel when it is new tunned, will soon loose both strength and head; and that bow, which at the first buying without any more proof or trimming, is fit and easy to shoot in, shall neither be profitable to last long, nor yet pleasant, to shoot well. And therefore, as a young horse, full of high courage and metal, with artful handling, is brought both to a comely pace and cunning image; so a new bow, fresh and quick of cast by likening and cutting, is brought to a steadfast shooting. And an easy and gentle bow when it is new, is not much unlike a soft spirited boy when he is young, yet as of an unruly boy, with tight handling, often comes a well ordered man; so of an unfit & staffith bow, with good trimming, a must needs follow always a steadfast and true shooting bow; and such a perfect bow, as will never fail of decay. And indeed such a bow every man ought to look for, that will attain to the end and perfection of perfect shooting.

Now, touching the saving and preserving of this good bow, when you are once possessed of it and have brought it to that perfection, of which I formerly spoke, you shall then prepare a cloth, either of fine harden or woollen, well waxed, wherewith every day you must rub & chafe your bow will it shine and glitter with all, which action shall cause it both to carry an excellent color and complexion, and also bring over it (as it were) a craft, which will make all the outside so slippery and hard, that neither wet nor weather shall be able to enter of hurt it, neither yet any fret or pinch be able to bite upon it; insomuch, that you shall do it more then extraordinary wrong before you can break it. This labor must be done oftentimes, but especially when you come from shooting; you must have a great care when you shoot, of the heads of your arrows, of wearing daggers, knives, point-tags of aglets, least by any mischief they happen to raze or scratch you bow, a thing ( as I said before) both unseemly to look on, and dangerous for frets. Also, take heed of mist and dank days, for they are hurtful to the bow, and more dangerous than rain; for in such weather, you ,must always be rubbing the bow, or forebear to shoot.

When your bow is thus neatly trimmed and ordered, you may then put it up into bow case, which bow case seeing it is a defense of safeguard for the bow I will speak a little thereof; first your bow case when you ride abroad, must by no means be too wide for your bows, for then one will beat against another and do mischief, neither must it be too straight, so that you shall be forced to cram them in, for that would crowd them and lay them to one side, which would make them to wind and warp; but it must be of fit proportion, easily filling and not more. A bow case of leather is not the best, for they are for the most part moist, & hurt a bow; therefore our best archers, will have for every bow a several case made either of fine canvas , or woollen-cloth, but woollen cloth is the best, for it not only keep them in sunder without hurt, but also preserve a bow in its full strength, that it will never give for any weather; when your bows are thus cased up severally, you may then put them up into your leather case without danger.

At home in you own house, wood cases made of dry wainscot, are very good for your bows to stand in, provided always, your bow stand not too near the stonewall, for that will make him moist and weak, nor yet too near the fire, for that will make it short and brittle.

Thus, I have showed you the general preservations of the bow, I will not descend to those things which are to be avoided for fear of breaking the bow, and they be four in number. The string, the shaft, by drawing too far, and by frets.

A bow is broken by the string, (as I have partly showed you before) when it is either too short, too long, not perfectly put on, when it has but one wappe, when it is put on crooked, when it is shorn by a sharp nock, or when it is suffered to tarry too long, on, any of these may the string fail and the bow break, especially in the mist, the reason being , because the ends have nothing to stop them but whip so far back, that the belly must need rise violently up and split in pieces, as you may very easily perceive, when at any time you will bend a bow backward. A bow therefore that follow the string is least hurt with breaking of the string.

Secondly, a bow is broken by the shaft, either when it is too short, so that you set in an your bow or when nock breaks, for the littleness, or when the string flips without the nock through the wideness, then you pull it to your ear, and let it go, which must needs break the shaft at the least, and puts both string, bow and all in hazard, because the strength of the bow has nothing in it to stop the violence of it; this kind of breaking is most dangerous for the standers by, for in such a case, you shall see sometimes the end of a bow fly more than a score from a man, and as I have noted it, is ever the upper end of the bow.

Thirdly, the bow is broken by drawing too far, two several ways, either when you take a longer shaft then your own, or else when you shift your hand too low or too high for shooting, and miss the true midst of the bow; and this motion is that, which pull the back of the bow in sunder and make it fly in many pieces so then you are to observe, when a bow is broken, having the belly risen up either both ways or but one, then the string break it, when it is broken but intwo pieces, and that in manner even or especially in the upper end, then the nock of the shaft broke it, and when the back is pulled in many pieces, then over drawing broke it. These tokens are always most certain, or very seldom do miss.

The 4^th, and last thing, that breaks a bow, are frets or gaules, which prepare and make ready a bow for breaking by any of the three ways formerly spoken of; and these frets, are as well in the arrow as the bow, and they are much like a canker creeping and increasing in those places where they abide, which is ever the weakest and most indigent; and to cure this, your bow must be picked & trimmed by a cunning workman, who will foresee that it may come round in compass every where; for, of frets you must beware. If your bow have a knot in the back, least the places which be next unto it, be not strong enough to bear with the knot, or else the strong knot will fret the weak places next unto it. Frets at first, are but little pinches, which as soon as you perceive, pick the places about the pinch to make them somewhat weaker, and as well coming as where it pinched; and so the pinch will die and never increase further or come to be a fret. Again, bows most commonly fret under the hand, not so much (as some suppose) for the moistness of the hand, as for the heat of the hand, for heat (as Aristotle says) is apt to loose and not to knit fast, and the looser the weaker, and the weaker more apt to fret.

A bow is never well made, which has not plenty of wood in the hand, for if the ends of the bow be staffish, or a mans hand any thing hot, the belly must needs soon fret.

Now, for the cure of these frets, I have not heard of any to any great purpose, more then to make the fretted place as strong or stronger then any other, touching the filling of the fret up with the small shivers of a quill and glue, (which some hold good) yet both by reason & mine opinion it must needs be stark naught, for put case the fret do cease then, yet the cause which made it fret before (which is only weakness) is not taken away, and therefore consequently the place must needs fret again. As for cutting out of frets, together with all manner of piecing of bows, I utterly dislike them, as things not fit for a good archer, for pieced bows, are like old houses which are more chargeable to repair, then commodious to dwell in; and again, to swaddle a bow much with bands, how ever necessity may make it useful, yet it seldom does any good, except it be to keep down a spell in the back, otherwise bands either need not when the bow is any thing worth, or else boot not when it is spoiled. And though I know many poor archers will use pieced and banded bows, because they are not able to get better, yet I am sure if they consider it well, they shall find it less chargeable and more pleasure, to bestow a crown on a new bow then to give twelve pence for piecing of an old, for better is cost upon somewhat worth, then expense upon that which is naught worth. And this I write the rather, because I entreat only of the perfection of shooting.

Again, there is another thing which will soon occasion a bow to be broken by one of the ways before named, and that is shooting in the winter season when there is any great frosts are ever, wheresoever there is any waterish humor, as is in all kind of wood, either more or less, and tis true, that all things frozen and icy, will rather break then bend; yet if any man must needs shoot at such a time, let him take his bow and bring it to the fire, and thereby a little rub and chafe it with a waxed cloth, which will quickly bring it to that perfection that he may safely shoot without danger. This rubbing with wax (as I said before) is a great succor against all wet and moistness, and as you thus rub your bow at the fire; so likewise in the field and going between your marks, either with your hand or else with a cloth, keep your bow in such a temper, as the frost may not annoy it.

And thus much concerning the bow, how first to know what wood is best, then how to choose a bow, after how to trim it, then how to keep it in goodness; and lastly, how to save it from all harm and mischief. And although many, both can and may say more in this subject then myself, yet what I have said is true, and I hope sufficient for any reasonable knowledge.

Chapter VIII.

Of the Shaft and the uses.

What shafts or arrows were made of in former times, authors do not so plentifully show, as of bows; yet Herodotus does tell us, that in the River Nilus there was a Beast called a water horse, of whose skin after it was dried, the Egyptians made shafts and darts. The tree called Cornus, was so common to make shafts on, that in many good Latin authors, Cornus is taken for a shaft, as in Seneca and this place of Virgil. Volat Itala Cornus.

Yet of all things that ever I marked in any old authors, either Greek or Latin, for shafts to be made of, I find not any thing so common as reeds; Herodotus in describing the mighty host of Xerxes, shows that those great countries used shafts made of reeds, as the Ethiopians, the s(whose Shafts had no feathers, at which I much marvel) and the Indians. The Indian shafts were very long, as a yard and an half (according to Apian) or at the least a full yard, as affirms Quintus Curtius, which made them give the greater blow, yet that great length made them more unhandsome, and less profitable for them that used them. In Creet and Italy, they made their shafts of reeds also, and as they, so many other countries beside.

The best reeds for shafts grew in Italy, especially in Rhemus, a flood in Italy. But because such shafts, are neither easy for our English nation to get, or it got, scarce profitable for use, I will leave them unhandled, and only speak of those shafts which our English nation do most approve of at this day. And therefore you shall understand, that every shaft does consist of three distinct parts, as the steel, the feather, and the head, which make a complete arrow, and because they be each of them (how ever slight in shallow imagination) yet of great validity and worthy our best discourse, I will handle them severally and apart. And first, of the steel.

Chapter IX.

Of the Steel of the Arrow, the excellence and use.

The steel or body of the arrow or shaft, is, and may be made of diverse woods, as namely, fifteen in number, as follows:

Oake

These woods, as they are most commonly used, so they are most fit to be used, yet some are more excellent then others, as you shall hear in their proper place, and in this instrument as in your bow, you must repose your confidence in the honest Fletcher. And although I cannot teach you to make a bow or an arrow, because it is the art of the artificers; yet, I will show you those rules and characters, which shall make you able to judge and discern the goodness and badness of a shaft, which is as much, as a good archer can require.

First then, the steel of an arrow, must be well seasoned for fear of casting, and it must be wrought as the grain goes or else it will never fly clean or true; for as cloth cut overthwart and against the wool, ever makes an imperfect garment; so a knotty steel may pass in a big shaft, but in a little one it is intolerable, both because it will never fly far, & also because it is ever in danger of breaking; it cannot fly far, because the strength of the shot is hindered and stopped at the knot, even as a stone cast into a smooth water will make the water move and make many circles; yet if there be any deep or whirling plat in the water, the motion will cease, and the circles vanish so soon as they approach it; for every thing as it is plain & straight of its own nature, is fittest for far moving. Therefore, a steel that is hard to stand in a bow, without knot and straight (I mean not artificially straight, as the Fletcher does make it, but naturally straight as it grows) is absolutely the best to make a shaft on, either to go clean, fly far, or to stand surely in any weather.

Now how big, how small, how heavy, how long, how short a shaft should be particularly for every man ( because I am bound to discourse of the general nature of this nature of this art, and not the hidden adjuncts) it cannot be discovered, no more then Rethoricians can appoint any one kind of words, sentences, figures and tropes, for every matter; but even as the man and the subject do require, observing still that the fittest be used. Therefore, as concerning these contraries in shafts, every man must avoid them, and draw every extremity to his mean or indifferent estate, which is the best in all things; yet if any man happen to offend in any excess, it is better to offend in want and scantness, then in too much or overflowing; and it is better to have a shaft a little too short, then any thing too long; somewhat too light, then over lumpish; a little too small, then a great deal too big; which thing, is not only true in shooting, but in all things else, which a man undertakes, especially in eating & talking.

The offense of these contraries comes most, when a man is careless and respects not of what kind of wood his arrow is made; for some wood belongs to the exceeding part, some to the scant part, and some to the mean. As Brazill, Turkie-wood, Fusticke, Sugar-chest, and the like; make dead, heavy, lumpish and cobbling shafts; the Mudder, Black-thorne, the Servis-tree, Beech, Elder, Aspe, and Sallow, either for their over-weakness or lightness, make hollow, starting, scudding, gadding shafts. But Birch, Hard-beame, some Oak, and some Ash, being both strong enough to stand in a bow, and also light enough to fly far, are best for a mean degree, which is to be sought out in everything, and although I know some men shoot so strong, that the heaviest wood is light enough for them; and other some so weak, that the loose and lightest wood will hardly serve them, yet generally for the most part of men, the mean woods are the best; therefore to conclude, that wood is always best for a man, which is most correspondent to his strength. And thus, no wood of his own nature, is either too light, or too heavy, but according to the strength of the archer which does use it; and that shaft which this year was for a man too light and scudding, for the self same man the next year may be too heavy and hobling. Therefore cannot I express otherwise, then generally shat is the best wood for an arrow, but let every one when he knows his own strength, and the nature of every several wood, provide and fit himself thereafter; yet as concerning sheaf arrows for the wars (as I suppose) it were better to make them of good Ash, as they were in former times, and not of Asp, as they be now, for of all the woods that ever I proved, Ash being big is the swiftest , and fives the fairest blow, by reason of its heaviness; both which qualities the Asp wants; what the benefit of armor is, every man can judge by experience, therefore that which pierces it most, is most worthy, then Ash being both swifter and heavier, it must be the deeper wounder, and so fittest for the sheaf. And thus much, of the choice of several woods.

Now, as no wood can be absolutely meet for all manner of shafts, no more can one fashion of the steel be fit for every archer; for those that be little breasted, and big towards the head, called for their likeness capon fashion, rush grown, and of some merry fellows bobtails, are fittest for them which shoot underhand, because they shoot with a soft loose, and strains not a shaft much in the breast, where the weight of the bow lies, as you may perceive by the wearing of every shaft; again, the big breasted shaft is fit for him that shoots right before him; as also, the breast being weak cannot possibly withstand a strong pithy kind of shooting. Thus the underhand must have a small breast to go clear away out of the bow, and the forehand must have a big breast to bear the great might of the bow.

Every shaft must be made round & not flat, without gall or worm, because roundness (whether you take example from Heaven or Earth) is the fittest shape of from both for fast moving, and also for soon piercing of any thing, and therefore Aristotle says; that nature has made the drops of rain round, because it shall the sooner enter through the air.

The nock of the shaft is diversely made, for some be great and full, some handsome and little, some wide, some narrow, some deep, some shallow, some round, some long, some with one nock, and some with a double nock, whereof every one has his several property; as thus: The great and full nock may be well felt, and does diverse ways save a shaft from breaking; the handsome little nock will go clean from the hand; the wide nock is naught both for breaking the shaft, and also for sudden flipping out of the string, when the narrow nock avoids both these injuries: The deep and long nock is good in the wars for sure keeping of the string, the shallow and round nock is the best of all other for our purpose in pricking, both for clean deliverance of a shot, and fine sending away of the arrow; and the double nock is for a double surety of the shaft. And this I think if sufficient touching the steel of the arrow only in general.

Now for the piecing of an arrow with Brazill, Holley, or other heavy wood, it is to make the end compass heavy with the feathers in flying, for the steadfaster shooting; for if the end were plumbed heavy with lead, and the wood next it light, the head end would ever be downward, and never fly straight. Now in piecing, you must conceive that two points are ever enough for one shaft, least the moistness of the Earth enter too much into the piecing and so loosen the glue; therefore many points are more pleasing to the eye, then profitable for use; some use to piece their shafts in the nock with Brazill or Holley, to counterpose with the head, & I have seen some for the same purpose, bore a hole a little beneath the nock, and put lead into it; yet for mine own part, I allow not any of those ways, because the nature of a feather in flying (if a man mark it well) is able to bear up a wonderful weight; therefore I imagine this manner of piecing at the nock was drawn from this president - when a good archer had broken a good shaft with which he was much enamored, both in love to the feathers, and out of a fancy not to loose what he did formerly affect, he has cause it thus to be pieced, which others perceiving, (without any examination of the cause, but pleased with the gaudiness) have presently imitated, and not only cut one, but all in their quiver; a thing, in my judgement much more costly then necessary; therefore more costly then necessary; therefore let no man make himself anothers ape without argument, without discretion.

Chapter X.

Of the Feather, the Nature, excellence and use.

There is not any thing in all the art of archery more seriously to be looked into then the feather of the shaft; because first a question may be asked, whether any other thing beside a feather be fit for a shaft or no; then if a feather only be fit, whether a Goose feather only or no; if a Goose feather be best, then whether there be any difference as concerning the feather of an old Goose or a young, a Gander or a Goose, a Fenny Goose or an upland Goose; again, which is the best feather in any Goose the right wing or the left, the pinion feather or any other feather; a white, a black, or a gray feather; Thirdly, in setting on the feather whether it is pared or drawn with a thick rib or with a thin, (the rib is the hard quill which divides the feathers) whether a long feather be better then a short, whether to be set on near the nock or far from the nock, whether to be set on straight or somewhat bowing, and whether one or two feathers must run on the bow; lastly, in couling or shering, whether it must be done high or low, whether somewhat swine backed (I must use archers words) or saddle backed, whether round or square shorn. And whether a shaft at any time ought to be plucked, and how to be plucked; of these things in their order.

First therefore, whether any thing else may be used but a feather, both Plinie in Latin, and Iulius Pollux in Greek do prove, that feathers always have been used; and but only the Lycians of whom I read in Herodotus, did use shafts without feathers; understand then, that only a feather is fit for a shaft, and that for two reasons: First, because it is least weak to give place to the bow, then because it is of that nature that it will start up after the bow, which plate, wood or horn, cannot do, because they will not give place; and again cloth, paper, or parchment, cannot serve, because they also will not rise up after the bow; therefore the feather only is met, for it will do both; now if you please to behold the feathers of all manner of birds, you shall see some so low, weak and short, some so course, stoore and hard, and the rib so brittle, thin and narrow, that it can neither be drawn, pared, nor well set on, so that, except it be a Swan feather for a dead shaft (as I know some good archers have used) or a Ducks for a flight, which lasts but one shot, there is no feather by only of a Goose, that has all manner of commodities in it; & for the Peacocks feather, which some men do use at a short butt, it seldom or never keeps up the shaft, either right or level, by reason that it is so rough and heavy, insomuch, that many which have taken them up for their gayness, have laid them down again for their profit; so that I conclude, the Goose of all feathers is the best for a complete archer, and he that will go beyond it, let him be Hercules scholler and not mine, who feathered his arrows with the wings of an Eagle, a foul that flies so high, and builds so far off, that I had rather content my self with the gentle Goose, then search for the others feathers. Especially, because the Goose brings even to a mans door so many excellent commodities: for the Goose is mans comfort both in war and peace, sleeping and waking, what praise soever can be given to shooting, the Goose may challenge the best part: how ell does she make a man fare at his table, how easily does she make a man lie in his bed, & how bravely does her quills make us write, & record every occurrent: I do not think that the Romans give so much honor to the Goose for saving the capitol, when the set her golden statue thereon, and appointed the Cenfors to allow out or the common treasury yearly stipends for the maintenance of those creatures, they did it not (I say) so much for that one good act, as for a world of others, which we daily and almost hourly receive from them; insomuch, that if I were bound to declaim in the praise of any beast living, I would choose the Goose: but leaving this digression: now how a feather is best; it follows now, whether of a young Goose, or an old; the old Goose feather is stiff, and strong, good for a wind, and fittest for a dead shaft; the young Goose feather is weak and fine, and are best for a swift shaft, and it must be called at the first shearing somewhat high: for in shooting, it will settle very much; the same things (although not so much) are to be considered both in Goose and Gander; a Fenny Goose, even as her flesh is blacker, stoorer and unwholsomner, so are her feathers by the same reason courser, stoorer and worse for that purpose; whence it comes, that I have heard many skillful Fletchers say, that the second feather in some place, is better then the pinion in other; between the wings is little difference, but that you must have diverse shafts of one flight, feathered with diverse wings for diverse winds; for if the Wind and the feather do both one way, the shaft will be carried too much. The pinion feathers, as they have the first place in the wing, so they have the first place in feathering, this feather you may know before it be pared, by a baight which is in it ; and again, when it is cauled by the thinness above, and the thickness at the ground, and also by the stiffness and fineness, which will carry a shaft better, faster, and further then any other feather.

Touching the color of the feather, it is the least of many other things to be regarded, yet is it worthy some notice; because for a good white you have sometimes an ill gray, yet surely it stands with good reason, ever to have the cock feather black or gray; as it were to give a man warning to nock right. The cock feather is that which stands above in right nocking, which if you do not observe, the other feathers must needs run on the bow, and so spoil the shot.

Now concerning the setting on of the feather, you are principally to regard, that your feather be not drawn for hastiness, but pared with diligence and made straight. The Fletcher is said to draw a feather; when he has but one swap at it with his knife, and he is said to pare it, when he takes leisure and heed to make every part of the rib apt to stand straight, and even upon the steel. This thing if a man does not take heed of, he may chance to have cause to say of his Fletcher, as we say of good meat ill dreft; the feathers are praise worthy, but the Fletcher too blame.

The rib in a stiff feather may be drawn thinner, for so it will stand cleaner, on the shaft, but in a weak feather you must leave a thicker rib, for if the rib which is the foundation ground whereon nature has set every cleft of the feather be taken away too near the feather; it must needs follow, that the feather shall fall and drop down, even as an herb does which has his root too near taken away with the spade.

The length and shortness of the feather serves for diverse purposes and diverse shafts, as a long feather for a long heavy and big shaft, the short feather for the contrary; again the short mayustand farther, the long nearer the nock, your feather must stand almost straight on, yet after that sort that it may turn round in flying; now here I consider the wonderful nature of shooting, which stands altogether by that fashion which is most apt for quick moving, which is only roundness; for the bow must be gathered round in drawing, it must come a round compass, the string must be round, the steel round, the best nock round, the feather shorn somewhat round, the shaft in flying must turn round, and if it fly far it flies a round compass, for either above or beneath a round compass hinders the flying; moreover, both the Fletcher in the making your shaft, and you in nocking your shaft, must take heed that two feathers run equally on the bow, for if one feather run alone on the bow, it will quickly be worn & not be able to match with the other feathers, besides at the loose (if the shaft be light) it will start, if it be heavy it will hobble.

To coule, shear or cut the feathers of a shaft high or low, it must be done according as the shaft is light or heavy, great or little, long or short: the swine backed fashion makes the shaft dead, for it gathers more air then the saddle backed does, therefore the saddle back is surer for danger of weather, and fitter for smooth flying; again, to shear a shaft round, as they were wont in former times to do, or after the triangle fashion which is much used now; in these times, both are good: for roundness is apt for flying of its own nature, and all manner of triangles, (the sharp point going before) is also apt for quick entring; and therefore says Cicero, ‘That Cranes taught by Nature, do in flying always observe a Triangle fashion, because it is so apt to pierce and go through the air’.

Lastly, plucking of feathers is naught, for there is no surety in it, therefore let every archer have such shafts, that he may both know them and trust them upon every change of weather; yet if they must needs be plucked, pull them as little as can be, for so shall they be less constant; And thus I have shut up in a straight room, what can be said of the best feather, feathering and fashioning of a perfect shaft, I will now proceed to the head.

Chapter XI.

Of the Arrow head, the Invention and several uses.

Necessity the inventer of all goodness (as the best authors affirm) amongst other things, invented the arrow head; first, to save the end from breaking, then made it sharp, that it might stick the better, after made it of strong matter, that it might continue longer, and last of all, experience, and the wisdom of men has brought it to such perfection, that there is not any thing more profitable in all the art of archery, either to wound a mans enemy in the war, or pleasure himself and his friend by hitting the mark at home, as is a right good arrow head, for where the shaft wants an head, it is both useless and without esteem.

Seeing then, the head is of this necessity, it is needful that we apply our best powers in attaining them; heads for the wars of long time, have been made not only of diverse matters, but also of diverse fashions. The Trojans had heads of iron, as this verse spoken of Pandarus shows.

Up to the pappes, his string did he pull, his Shaft to the Iron

The Grecians had heads of brass, as Homer says, Ulysses shafts were headed when he flew Antinous and the other wooers of Penelope, and in another place of Homer it is plain, that when Pandarus wounded Menelaus with his shaft, that the head was not glued on, but tied to the steel with a string, which is also affirmed by the commentaries in Greek, whence I find that archers in those times carried their shafts without heads till they had occasion to use them, and then set them on; which Homer again seconds in the Xxith, Book of his Odysseus where he tells how Penelope brought Ulysses bow amongst her suiters; that he which could bend and draw might be her husband, there (says the Poet) attended on her a maid with a bag full of heads both of iron and brass. The Scythians also used brass heads, the Indians had heads of iron, the Ethiopians made heads of hard, sharp stones, as Herodotus and Pollus affirm. The Germans (as Cornelius Tacitus writes) had their shafts headed with bone, and many countries, both of old time & now, use heads of horn; but to conclude with the truth it self, iron and steel are of all other the most excellent matter on which to make arrow, heads Iulius Pollux raries from us in the appellation of these things, for he calls the feathers the head, & this head that we speak of the point; but the reconcilement is so easy, we need not argue it.

The fashions of heads are as diverse as the matters whereon they have been made. The Ancients (says Pollux) used two sorts of heads, the one he calls , describing it thus, that it had two point or barbs looking backward to the steel, & the feathers which is the fame, which we call here in England a broad arrow head, the other he calls having two points stretched forward, which we call here a forked head; both these kind of heads were used in Homers days, for speaking how Teucer used forked heads, he says thus to Agamemnon.

Eight good shafts have I shot since I came, each one with a forked head

Pandarus and Ulysses used broad arrow heads, Hercules used forked heads, yet such as had three points or forks. The Parthians in that great battle where they slew rich Crassus, and his son, used broad arrow heads, which stuck so sure that the Romans could not pull them out. The Emperor Comodus used forked heads, whose fashion Herodotus does describe most lively; saying, that they were like the shape of a new moon, where with he could cut off the head of a bird, and not touch her body.

But letting pass the customs of the ancients: Our English heads which we customarily use in the wars, are better then either forked heads or broad arrow heads; for first, the end being lighter they fly a great deal faster, and by the same reason give a far more deadly blow, and in my conceit (which is no rule) if the little burb or beards which they have, were taken away they would be far better, for this every man will grant, that a shaft so long as it flies turns, and when it leaves to turn, it leaves to fly any further, and that every thing which enters by a turning and boring fashion, the more flatter it is the worse it enters, as a knife though it be sharp, yet it cannot bore so well as a bodkin; therefore says Aristotle, Nature made very thing round, that should pierce deep; so that I conclude, either the shaft does not turn in flying, or else our flat heads are hindrances to the shafts in entering. Now some may say, that a flat head both makes a greater hole, and sticks much faster: to this I say, that both the reasons are true, yet both insufficient; for first, the lesser the hoe is (if it be deep) the worse it is to heal, and a man when he shoots against his enemy, desires rather that it should enter far, then stick fast; for what remedy is it I pray you, for him that is smitten with a deep wound, to pull out the shaft quickly, except it be to hasten his death; thus heads which make a little hole and deep, are better in the war, then those which make great and shallow though they stick never so fast in.

Iulius Pollux makes mention of certain heads for the war, which carried fire in them, and the Scripture also speaks somewhat to that purpose: Herodotus speaks of a wonderful stratagem done by Xerxes, at what time he besieged the great Tower at Athens, where he made his archers bind their shaft heads about with Towe, and then set it on fire, and so shot them off: which being done by many, set all the places on fire, which were made of any matter that would burn: and besides so dazzled the enemy, that they knew not which way to turn them: but to finish these heads for war, I would wish, that all the head makers in England, would make their sheaf arrow heads more harder pointed then they be, or else as they are now out of use, so they will be without any power to hurt.

Now as concerning heads for pricking, which is one of the main ends of this discourse, they are reduced into diverse kinds, some are blunt heads, some sharp, some both blunt and sharp.

The blunt heads men use, because they find them good to keep a length, and it is true that they keep a length, because a man pulls them no further at one time then at another, for in feeling the plump end always equally, he may loose them, yet in the wind and against the wind, the weather has so much power on the broad end, that no man can keep a certain length truly, with such an head: therefore a blunt head in a calm or down wind, is very good, otherwise, no worse.

A sharp head at the end, without an shoulders (I call that a shoulder, which a mans finger may feel before it come to point of the head) will pierce quickly through a wind; but yet it has two discommodities; the one, that it will keep no length, because no man can pull it at a certainty, but it will come more or less through the want of the shoulder; and also, because men are afraid of the sharp point, for fear of setting it in the bow; The second discommodity is, when it is lighted on the ground, the small point will be ever in the danger of spoiling, which thing of all others, will soonest make a shaft to loose the length.

Now when men perceived that blunt heads were good to keep a length, but naught for a wind; and sharp heads good to pierce a wind with all, but naught to keep a length, the head makers (informed both by the archers and artificers) and wisely weighing the commodities and discommodities of both sorts of heads, Invented new files and other instruments wherewith they brought heads for pricking to such perfection, that in one head they lodged all the excellencies which were in both the other, without any dscommodity at all. These heads they call high rigged crested, or shouldered heads, or silver spoon heads, for a resemblance they have to the knobs upon some silver spoons. These heads are good both to keep a length, and also to perch the weather with all. First, to keep a length with all, because a man may certainly pull it to the shoulder every shot and no further, then to perch a wind with all, because the point from the shoulder forward, breaks the weather as all other sharp things do, so the blunt shoulder serves for a sure length keeping, and the point for passing through a rough and foul weather. And thus much for the matter, shape and choice of heads.

Now touching the setting on of the head, albe it is the office of the Fletcher rather than the archer, yet it is within the compass of your own knowledge, to advise him to set your head full on or close on. Full on, is when the wood is let hard up to the end or stopping of the head, and close, is when there is wood left on every side the shaft to fill the head with all, or when it is neither too little nor too great; if there be any fault in either of these points, the head when it lights on a stone or the hard ground will be in danger of breaking, or some other mischief.

Touching the stopping of heads with lead or any thing else, I shall not need her to speak any thing, because every silver spoon or shouldered head is stopped of it self.

Short heads are better then long, because the long head is worse for the workman to file straight, and more difficult to keep in a true compass every where; again, it is worse for the Fletcher to set on straight; and thirdly, it is always in more danger to be broken. And thus I have done with the particular instruments, I will now proceed to those which be general.

Chapter XII.

Of the handling of Instruments, the time when, & c.

Touching the handling of instruments which appertain to the art of archery, you must understand, that to learn aor do any thing with a mans hands, excellently or handsomely, or with an handsome excellence) it will ask the expense of long time and much practice; therefore he that will approach to this perfection (especially in shooting) must begin in his youth or child-hood; all creatures how wild or fierce soever, are by cunning handling tamed, especially when they be young; and as it si in natural things, so it also in those which be artificial. The potter can mold and cast his pots, to any form he pleases, when his clay is new, soft, and workable, and the wax will take any print when it is warm and pliable; but when either the one or the other is old, hard, and of no yielding quality, they are fitter for the dunghill then our industry: so man in his youth, both with wit and body, is most apt and pliable to receive any cunning that can be taught him; especially , this art of shooting: therefore he that will come to the perfection thereof, must needs begin and practice in his youth, for it is an art, and will ask a least a ful prentiship.

Yet mistake me not, for I speak not this to dishearten any man form the practice of shooting, which has neglected it in his younger years; for I am so far from it, that I will prove, wisdom may work the same thing in a man, which nature does in a child.

A child, by 3 things is brought to excellency; to wit, aptness, desire, and fear: First, aptness makes him pliant like wax, to be formed and fashioned to any thing; desire inflames him to strive to equal and excel others, in noble actions: and fear of them whom he is under, will make him labor, and take greater pain with diligent heed in learning any thing, whereof proceeds at the least, excellency and perfection: And as thus, so a man may be wisdom (in learning any thing and especially to shoot) have three like commodities also, whereby he may (as it were)become young again, and so attain to perfection. For what aptness works in child, that the use of weak bows will work in a man; being underneath his strength, and so easy that he may come to fair shooting at his pleasure, provided he slack not his practice; for use is that which will bring him both to fair shooting, and at last, to strong shooting; next what desire provokes in a child, that let shamefastness work in a man; and lastly, the pain that fear makes a boy undergo; that, let the love of shooting, excel and overgo in a man, and without these, there cannot be any perfection: Thus you see, whatsoever a child can be taught by aptness, desire, and fear, that may a man attain unto, by the use of weak bows, shamefastness, and love; according to that of Cicero, That use is a second nature: and I dare be bold to affirm, that whosoever (which is of ability) will begin, and constantly preserve, shall in the end, without question be an archer.

Chapter XIII.

Of comely Shooting, the Benefit and means, with the Faults.

Although the best shooting, is that which is most comely, and that they are such adjuncts as cannot be divided; yet cicero tells me, that as the chief point and most to be fought, is comeliness, so this comeliness only, can never be taught by any art or craft, but may be perceived well when it is done, not described well, how it should be done. Nevertheless, there are many ways to attain unto it, which wise men have assayed, and though not absolutely in it, yet in other matters of like consequence; as thus, it is written of Xeuxes, that taking upon him to paint Helena in all her perfection, chose out five of the fairest maids in all his country, and in beholding them, conceived and drew out such a picture, that it far exceeded all the pieces, that ever went before it; because the perfections of all those five, was drawn into one portraiture: so likewise in shooting, if a man would set before his eyes, five or six of the fairest and best approved archers, that ever he saw shoot, and of one learn to stand, of another tod raw, of another to loose, and so take from every man, what every man could do best; I dare be bold to say, he should come to such perfection in comeliness, as never yet any man attained not. But it may be you will expect, because I have chosen that theme, that necessarily I ought to speak something, int he way of instruction thereunto, but truly I must answer you, that I can teach you to shoot fair, as Socrates once taught a man to know God, for when he asked him what god was , nay (said He) I can better tell you what god is not, as God is not evil, & c. Even so can I say of fair shooting, that it has not this nor that discommodity, & so draining from it all discommodities in the end, leave nothing behind but fair shooting. And to do this the better, you must remember; that in the beginning, when I described generally the whole nature of shooting, I told you that fair shooting did proceed from these five several postures: Standing, Nocking, Drawing, Holding, and Loosing: all which, I will go over as succinctly and briefly as I can, describing the discommodities that men commonly use in all parts of their bodies, when they employ them to these Actions, so that at any time when you shall err or offend in any of the motions, you shall both speedily apprehend it, and with as great diligence amend it.

Faults in archers, do exceed the number of archers, and they proceed from the use of shooting without teaching; for custom and use separated from knowledge, and learning, does not only hurt shooting, but the most material & weightiest actions in the world; and therefore, I wonder much at those people, which will offer to be the maintainers of uses and customs, without knowledge, having no other words in their mouths but these, use, use, custom, custom; which besides diverse other discommodities, brings with it this mischief, that it takes from a man all hope of amendment.

There is nothing more true, then that in shooting, use is the only cause of all the faults therein; whence it comes, that children are more easily and sooner taught to shoot excellently then men; because children may be taught to shoot well at the first: men have more trouble to unlearn their evil customs, then they have labor afterward to come to good shooting.

All the discommodities, which ill custom has grafted in archers, can neither be quickly pulled out, nor yet soon reckoned by me, they are so many; for one shoots his head forward, as if he would bite the mark, another, stares with his eyes, as if they should fly after his arrow; another, winks with one eye & opens the other, as if he shot in a stone bow; one makes a sour face, another a wry countenance; one leers out his tongue, another bites his lip, & another holds his neck awry; in drawing, some fetch such a compass, as it they would turn about, and bless the field, others have their hand now up, now down, that a man cannot discern whereat they would shoot, another wags the upper end of his bow one way & the neither end another: another will stand pointing his shaft at the mark a good space, and by & by he will give him a whip & away, ere any man is aware, another will make such a wrestling and struggling with his instruments, as if he were able shoot no more as long as he lived; another draws his shaft softly to the midst, and by and by it is gone you cannot tell how; another draws his shaft low at the breast as if he would shoot a roving mark, and presently he lifts up his hand prick-height; another makes a wrenching or cringing with his back, as though a man inched him behind; another cowers down and thrusts out his buttocks, as if he were shooting at crows; another sets forward his left leg, and draws back with his neck and shoulders, as if he were pulling at a rope or else were afraid of the mark; another draws his shaft well until within two fingers of the head, and then he stays a little to look at his mark, which done, he pulls it up to the head and so looses, which manner of shooting although some excellent archers do use it, yet it is a fault; and good mens faults are not to be imitated.

Once I heard of a man, which used a bracer on his cheek, otherwise he had torn all the skin from one side of his face with this drawing-hand, another I have seen, which at every shoot after the loose would lift up his leg so far that he was ever in danger of falling; some will stamp forward and some leap backward, an all these faults are either in drawing or loosing, with a world of others, which any man may easily perceive and so endeavor to avoid them.

Now there be other faults after the shaft is gone from the bow, which only evil custom has brought upon men, of which the worst is, when men will cry after their shaft either with execrations or other unseemly words, much unfit for so honest a recreation; questionless such words are the symptoms of an evil mind, and display a man that is subject to immeasurable affections; good-mens ears do abhor them, and an hones man will avoid them. Now besides these, there be others, which have other faults; as some will take there bow and writhe and wring it, to pull in there shaft when it flies wide, as if he drove a cart, some will give two or three strides forward dancing and hopping after his shaft, as long as it flies; some with fear to be too far gone run backward as it were to pull their shaft back, another runs forward, when he reas to be short heaving after his arms as though he would help the arrow to fly; another runs aside to pull his shaft straight, one lifts up his heel & so holds it till the shaft bve falne, another casts his arm backward after the loose, and another swings his bow about him like a whistler before a pageant to make room, with a world of other errors, now out of my remembrance. All which, Montaigne in one of his essays calls the discharging of passions upon a wrong subject. Now these antique gestures, disfigure and take away all comeliness from this noble action; so, that archer which is void of all these crimes, cannot but possess the perfection of comeliness in this art, which howsoever it cannot be expressed to the life, in words, yet (I will according to my small knowledge) give you some small character thereof, which if any man shall please to follow, though I cannot make him utterly faultless, yet his faults shall neither quickly be perceived, nor yet greatly rebuked. And this method I will draw from these five principal postures; Standing, Nocking, Drawing, Holding, and Loosing, which being done in perfection, contain the substance of all fair shooting.

Chapter XIIII.

Of the first Posture, which is Standing.

The first posture or point which a man ought to observe when he goes about to shoot, is to take such footing and standing, as shall be both comely to the eye, and profitable for the action he has in hand, setting his countenance and all other parts of his body, after such a gesture and port, that both all his strength may be employed to his own most absolute advantage, and his shoot made and handled to the high contentment and delight of every well judging beholder; and first, a man must not go to it too hastily, for that is rashness, nor yet be too tedious or make too much a do about it, for that is curiosity. Next, the one foot must not stand too far from the other least he stoop too much, which is most unseemly; nor yet too near together, least he stand too straight up, for then he shall neither use his strength well, nor stand as he ought, steadfastly; the mean between both these must be kept. A thing more pleasant to behold when it is done, then easy to be caught how it should be done.

Chapter XV.

Of the Second Posture, which is Nocking.

To nock well, is the easiest point in all the art of archery, and contains no more but ordinary warning, only it requires diligent heed giving; first in putting the nock between your two first fingers, then bringing the shaft under the string and over the bow, then to set the shaft neither too high nor too low, but even and straight overthwart the bow; for unconstant nocking, makes a man loose his length, and besides that, if his shaft hand be high, and the bow hand low, or otherwise if they be contrarily placed, both the bow is in danger of breaking, and the shaft if it be little, will start, and if it be great it will hobble.

You must observe ever, to nock the cock feather upward, as I told you before, when I described the feather; and be sure that the string flip not out of the nock, but with your thumb before, & a finger on each side behind, for should it happen otherwise, all were in hazard of breaking.

Chapter XVI.

Of the third Posture; which is Drawing.

Drawing well, is the best part of shooting; the Ancients in times past, used another manner of drawing then we do: for they drew low at the breast, and to the right Pap; as is described in Homer: The noble women of Scythia, used the same fashion of shooting low at the breast , and because their left Paps hindered them, they caused them to be cut away when they were young, upon which action, they took to themselves the name of Amazons. But now in these days, contrary to that custom, we draw to right ear, & not to the Pap; now whether the old way in drawing low tot he Pap, or the new way to draw aloft to the ear be better; Percopius ane excellent Greek author does decide: showing that the old fashion in drawing to the Pap was naught, having no pith in it, and therefore (says he) is artillery dispraised of Homer, who calls it weak, and able to do no good. But drawing to the war, he greatly praises, as a way whereby men shoot stronger, loner, and deeper; drawing therefore to the ear, is better then to draw to the breast: and now I call it into my mind, I never read in any author whatsoever, of any other kind of shooting, then drawing with a mans hand either to the breast, or to the ear, and yet I have turned over all Homer, Herodotus, and Plutarch, which makes me not a little wonder, how and when crossbows first came up, seeing they are so forgotten by the best historians: Leo the Emperor would have his soldiers draw quickly inward, affirming it made a shaft fly fast: but in shooting at pricks, hasty drawing is neither sure nor comely. Therefore to draw easily and uniformly, (that is to say) not wagging your hand upward nor downward, but still observing one time and fashion, until you come to the ridge or shouldering of the head, is best both for profit, skill and comeliness.

Chapter XVII.

Of the fourth posture: which is Holding.

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Holding is an action, that must not be of long continuance, for to stand any time upon it, you put the bow in danger of breaking, and also spoil your shot; it must be so little, that it may be perceived better in a mans mind and imagination, when it is done, then seen with a mans eyes as it is doing: for in one moment, the shaft both approaches to the ear, and departs from the bow.

Chapter XVIII.

Of the fifth posture: which is Loosing.

Loosing, is one of the nature of holding, and asks as speedy a motion; for it must be so quick and hard, that no gird may be perceived; and again, so soft and gentle, that the shaft fly not as if it were sent out of a bow case. The mean between both these (which is perfect loosing) is not so hard to be followed in shooting, as it is hard to be described in teaching: if you will shoot fair, in loosing you must take heed of hitting or touching any thing about you; which caused Leo the Emperor, to command all his archers in war, to have their heads powled, and their beards shaven, least the hair of their head should hinder the sight of the eye, or the hair of their beards stop the course of the string; a world of other precepts there be, but these I hold sufficient for fair shooting.

Chapter XIX.

Of keeping a length, of wind and weather.

Having handled (as I hope) sufficiently this theme of fair shooting, there remains nothing now but shooting straight , and keeping a length, to make a man hit the mark, which is the full end of this discourse; now to shoot straight, or keep a length, cannot be done without some excellent knowledge of the wind and weather, therefore I will join them together, and discoursing of each in their proper places, show what belongs to the keeping of a length, and what to shooting straight.

The greatest enemies to shooting, are the wind and the weather, by which true keeping a length is chiefly hindered, which accident, if it were not, men by ordinary instruction might be brought to wonderful near shooting. For it is no marvel if the little poor shaft, being sent alone so high into the air amidst the rage of wind and weather, one blast hurling it one way, and another, another. It is I say, no marvel if it both loose the length, & miss the place where the shooter had thought to have found it. Greater matters then shooting are under the rule of the weather, and will of the wind; as sailing on the seas, and things of like nature, and as in sailing the chiefest point of a good master, is to know all tokens, which belong to the change of weather, and the course of the winds, that either by he may with more safety come to the Heaven; even so the best property of a good shooter, is to know the nature of the winds with him & against him, by which he shall sooner hit the mark. Wise sea masters, when they cannot win the best have, are glad of the next that is good; and shooters, although they cannot hit the mark, will be glad, and labor to come as near as they can. All things in this world, are imperfect and unconstant, therefore let every man acknowledge his own weakness, and only glorify him which is all perfection. The sailor that putts forth in all weathers, seldom escapes shipwreck, and the shooter, which makes no difference of seasons, but holds all alike, shall neither boast of winnings nor of virtue. Little boats and thin boards, cannot indure the rage of tempests, and weak bows and light shafts, cannot stand in a rough wind. And believe it , what archer soever shoots ignorantly, considering neither fair weather nor foul, true or false standing, nocking feather, nor head drawing nor loosing nor yet any compass, shall always shoot short and gone, wide and far off, and never cone near, except by chance he stumble on the mark; for ignorance is nothing else, but absolute blindness.

A skillful archer will first with diligent use and marking the weather, learn to know the nature of the wind, and will with wisdom measure in his mind, how much it will alter his shot either in length keeping, or in straight shooting so with changing his standing, or taking another shaft which he knows to be fitter for his purpose, either because it is lower feathered, or else of a better wing, will so handle with discretion his shot, that he will seem rather to have the weather under his rule by such care and circumspection, then the weather to rule his shaft by any sudden changing. Therefore in shooting, there is as much difference, between an archer that is a good weather man, and him that knows nor observes any thing, as is betwixt a blind-man and him that can see.

Moreover, a perfect archer must seriously learn to know the sure flight of his shafts, that he may be bold always to trust them: next, he must learn by continual experience to know all kind of weathers the signs when it will come, the nature when it is come, the diversity and alteration when it changes, and the decrease and diminishing when it eases: these things thus known and observed, and every shot diligently pondered, the ought our archer to compare the weather and his footing together, and with discretion measure them, so that whatsoever the weather shall take away from his shot, the same shall just footing restore again; this point well known, and discreetly handled, brings more profit and commendations to the archer, then any other secondary observation whatsoever.

He that will know perfectly the wind and weather, must put difference between times, and seasons, for diversities of times cause the diversity of weather. As in the whole year there are four diversities of times, the Spring, the Summer, the Fall , and Winter, so likewise in one day, there are also four diversities of time; the morning, noontide, afternoon and evening; and all these, both alter the weather and change a mans bow and strength, and to know that this si so, is enough for an archer, and not to search the cause why it should be so, for that is the office of the learned.

Chapter XX.

Principal observations from the Time of the year.

In considering the time of the year, a wise archer will follow a good seaman; in winter and rough weather, small boats and little pinks foresake the seas.

And at one time of the year, no galleys come abroad. So likewise, weak archers using but small and hollow shafts, with bows of little pith, must be content to give place for a time; yet I speak not this to discourage any weak shooter, for as there is no ship better then a galley in a soft and calm sea, so no man shoots more comely or nearer his mark, then some weak archers do in a fair and clear day.

Thus you see every good archer must know, not only what bow and shafts are fittest for him to shoot with all, but also what times and seasons are meetest for him to shoot in. And truly in all other matters, and amongst all the degrees & estates of men, there is no man that does anything more discreetly for his commendations, or more profitable for his own advantage, then he which doe sand will know perfectly for what matter, action and time he is most apt and fit; and here (were it not variable from the discourse I have in hand) I could enter into a large field of invention, against those which only labor to struggle to turmoil themselves in those matters and affairs which are neither fit for their capacities nor consonant to their bringing up; but cinthisu Aurm Vellet, I will turn again to the action of shooting, in which I will persuade all wise archer, always to have their instruments fit and obedient for their own strength, and thenevermore to wait and attend for such time, weather sand seasons, as is most agreeable with the action they go about: therefore, if the weather be too violent and unfit for your shooting, leave of for that day and attend a better season, for he is a fool that will not go when necessity drives.

Yet to make some larger description of the weather concerning shooting, I would have you remember (as I told you before) that in the whole year, the Spring, Summer ., Fall, and Winter; and in one day, the morning, noon, afternoon, and evening, alters the course of the weather, the pith of the bow, and the strength of the man: and in every one of these the weather alters; as sometimes windy, sometimes calm, one while cloudy, another clear, sometimes hot, sometimes cold; the wind sometime moist and thick, sometimes ,dry and smooth, & c.

A little windy in a misty day stops a shaft more then a good whistling wind in a clear day; nay I have seen (when there has been no wind at all) the air so misty and thick, that both the marks have been wonderful great: and once I heard in Cambridge, the down market Twelvecore prick, for the space of three weeks was thirteen score and an half, and into the wind (not being very great a great deal above fourteen score.

The wind is sometimes plain up and down, which commonly is most certain and requires least knowledge or circumspection, so that a mean shooter with mean furniture (if he can shoot home) may maie shift to do well.

A side wind, tries a good archer and good furniture, for sometime it blows a loft, sometime low be the ground, sometime it blows by blasts & sudden gusts, and sometime continues all in one manner, sometime a quarter wind with him; all which , by a man casting up a little light grass or otherwise by his own experience, shall easily find out. To see the wind it is impossible, the nature of it si so fine and subtle, but by carful observation a world of experience may be gathered; especially in a snow wherein one may perceive, that the wind goes by streams and not hold together , and int his observation, though the experience will breed in a man a greater admiration at the nature of the wind, then cunning in the knowledge of the wind; yet thereby he shall learn, that it is no wonder at all, though the best archers loose their length in shooting, seeing the wind is so variable in lowing.

The master of a ship, be he never so skillful, may by the uncertainty of weather loose both life and goods; no wonder then if a good archer, by the self same wind, so variable in it own nature, and so insensible to our nature, loose not only a shot, but a game.

The more deceivable the wind is, the more care must the archer have of those beguilings, he that does mistrust, is seldom over reached for although he cannot attain to that which is best, yet he will be sure to avoid that which is the worst.

Again, besides these winds, you must take heed, if at any time you see any cloud appear and gather by little and little against you; or if a shower of rain be approaching, for then the driving of the weather and the thickening of the air will increase your mark, but when the shower is gone, and all things clear and calm, the Mark will be as it was a t the first, and you are to alter your shooting new again.

You must also take heed (when you shoot) whether one of the marks of both, stands a little short, or under the occur or an high wall, for there you may easily be beguiled, as thus; if you take grass, & cast it up to see how the wind stands, many times you will suppose to shoot down the wind, when you shoot clean against the wind & there is a strong reason for it; because the wind which cometh against you, at the wall, rebounds back again, and whirls even to the prick, and sometimes much further; and then turns again, even as a violent water does against a rock, or any other high brey; which hexample of water, though it be more sensible to am ans eyes, yet it is not more true then this of the wind: insomuch, that the casting up grass (which should be a tell truth) will fly that way, which indeed is the longer way, and so easily deceived the archer which is not heedful.

To prevent this inconvenience, it is good for you when you come in the midst, between the marks, where the field is most open, and the wind at greatest liberty, and there to cast up either a feather, or some light grass, and know how the wind stands, which done, to hie to the prick with all speed possible, & according as you found the wind in the midway, so to frame your shot at the mark.

Take heed also, when you shot near the sea-coast, although you are two aor three miles from the sea, for there (if you be diligent to mark) you shall espy in the most clear day, wonderful alterations, which cause strange effects in shooting: and as thus near the sea, so like wise take heed when you shoot near any riverside, especially if it ebb and flow, for if then you observe the tide, the weather and accidents proceeding from them, you can hardly be a looser. And thus (according to my weak knowledge) I have showed you the nature of the wind and weather, wherein if any man find either defect or insufficiency, I shall intereat him to amend it out of his own much better experience; concluding the chapter with this admonition, of which I spoke before, that after the knowledge of the weather thus attained, that then our archer take heed to his standing, that he may thereby win as much in the ground, as he lost by the weather.

Chapter XXI.

Of giving Aim: the Ease and Errors.

Touching the giving of aim I cannot tell well that to say, only that in strange place, it takes away all occasion of foul play, which is the only commendations it can require: but in my judgement, it hinders the knowledge of shooting, and makes men more negligent; which eclipses the former glory; but allow it (as men would have it) useful, yet (though aim be given never so) you must trust to your own skill, for you cannot take aim at another mans shot, nor at your own neither; because the weather will alter in a minute, and that sometimes at one mark, and not at the other and will trouble your shaft in the air, when you can perceived no wind on the ground, as I have seen many shafts do, which have tumbled aloft in a very fair day; there may be faults also in drawing and loosing, and many things else, which are required in the keeping of just length; which though your aim be never so certain, yet your error may be undiscovered: therefore make use of you aim and you judgement, by a serious discourse within you self, and reconciling them by the aid of your own experience, make them both useful and profitable: this I have brought in as a parenthiss, not so much for the validity, as that I would not leave any thing forgotten.

Chapter XXII.

Of taking true Standing, that is advantageous.

The next thing to the knowledge of the weather, is perfect footing, or taking a true advantageous standing: therefore, in a side wind, you must stand somewhat cross into the wind, for so you shall shoot the surer, when you have taken your footing, then look upon your shaft, that neither wet nor earth be left upon it, for that will make it lose the length; look also on the head, lest it have had any stripe at the last shoot, for a stripe against a stone, many times will both spoil the head, crrk the shaft and hurt the feather; the lest of all which, will make man loose his length: which to repair, and for the avoidance of these general evils, which happen every sot, I would have our archer to carry by his side, a fine, short, close compact pouch, in which he should have a file, a stone, a hursishshik, and a cloth to wipe his shafts clean upon every occasion; these things must a man carefully look unto, ever when he takes up his shaft, he must also take heed, that the head be not made too smooth, for that will make the arrow fly too far, the mean therefore, is best proportion; the next to these things, follows the bow, the handling whereof, I have handled already; as for nocking, drawing and loosing, they are not undiscussed, I will but therefore rub your memory over with this precept, that to look at the head of your shaft at the loose, is the best help for keeping a length, yet some are of opinion, that is hinders excellent shooting, because a man has then no certainty of shooting straight , chiefly in that he beholds not his mark, but for mine own part, were I to shoot at a line, and not at a mark; I would always look at a mark; I would always look at my arrows end. Both of this I will speak more in the next chapter, and now conclude, that who so marks his weather diligently , keeps his standing justly, hold the nock truly, draws and looses equally, & keeps his compass certainly, can never miss his length.

Chapter XXIIII.

Of shooting straight and the helps.

Touching the art to shoot straight, I will first show you what lessons old archers have found to attain thereunto and then, what ways are vewt to accomplish the same.

As the weather belongs chiefly to the keeping a length, yet a side wind appertains to shooting straight; and the nature of the prick also, is to shoot straight, The length or shortness of the mark, is always under the rule of the weather, yet there is something in the mark, worthy or be marked of an archer.

If the prick stand on plain straight ground, they are the est to shoot at; if the mark stand on an hill side, or the ground be unequal with hollows and turning ways betwixt the marks, a mans eye will take that to be straight which is crooked. The experience of this thing, is seen in painting and other arts, where crookedliness appear straight by shadows: but to proceed, the chief cause why a man cannot shoot, is because they look at their shaft, which fault comes for want of instruction when a man is young; for he that learns to shoot by himself, being afraid to pull the shaft out of the bow, looks still at his arrow; and custom confirms this error , as it does many other, and men continue longer in this fault, because it has so good a virtue in the keeping of a length, therefore to keep this fault and yet shoot straight , some archers have found out this invention, to espy a tree, or an hill beyond the mark, or else to have some notable thing betwixt the marks on which he might fix his eye & his hand: and, that this is so, there was once an excellent archer which took all his implements, his quiver and other necessaries & laid them n the midway between the makers, which the by standard supposed he did for safety sake, but the end of this dirfit was, to make his shoot straight; there be other archers which will espy a mark a bow wide off the price, and then place himself on that hand the prick is on; which thing, how much good it does a man, he will hardly believe that does not prove it.

Others, and they no mean archers, in drawing look at the mark until they come almost to the head, then they look at the shaft, but that every loose, with a second sight, the find their mark again. But this way, all the other before rehearsed, are but shifts and fooleries and not to be imitated in shooting straight, ht only way worthy pursuit is always to have your eye upon your mark, and as I hold, it is the readiest and easiest way, to come to shoot straight, chiefly if it be practiced in youth, and confirmed in elder age.

Now there is yet a scruple in mens minds, which is the best way to look at the mark; as whether between the bow and string, or above or beneather hand, and many otherways beside. But it is not much material, which way a man looks at this mark, if it vary unto from comely shooting, the diversity of mens standing and drawing, cases diverse ment to look at the mark diverse ways, yet they all lead a mans hand to shoot straight, if nothing else stop; so that comeliness if the only judge of best looking at the mark, some men wonder, why in casting a mans eye at the mark, the hand should go straight: but surely, if he considered the nature of a mans eye, he would not wonder at it: for this I am certain of, that no servant to his master, no child to his father is so obedient, as every joint and piece of the body is to do, whatsoever the eye bids. The eye is the guide, the ruler, and the succourer of all the other parts; the hand, the foot, and other members, dare do nothing without the eye, as does appear in the night, or dark corners.

The eye is the very tongue wherewith wit and reason does speak to every part of the body, and the with does not so soon signify a thing by the eye, as every part is ready to follow, or rather prevent the bidding of the eye. This is plain in many things, but most evident in fence and fighting, (for as I have heard men say) there every part standing in fear to have a blow, turns to the eye for help, as infants do to the mother, the foot, the hand ,and all wait upon the eye. If the eye bid the hand either bear off or strike, of the foot either go forward, or backward, it does so. And that which is most wonder of all, the one man looking steadfastly at the other mans eye and not at his hand will, even as it were read in his eye, where heprpses to strike next; for, the eye is not any thing else, by a certain window for wit to shoot out her head at.

This wonderful work of God , in making all the members so obedient to the eye, is a pleasant thing to remember, and look upon; therefore, an archer may be sure in learning to look at his mark when he is young, always to shoot straight. The things that hinder a man which looks at his mar to shoot straight, be these, a sidewind, a bow either too strong or too weak, an ill arm, when a feather runs on the bow too much, a big breasted shaft for him that shoots underhand, because it will hobble; a little breasted shaft for him that shoots above the hand, because it will start: a pair of winding pricks, and many other things, which you shall mark your self, and as you know them, so learn to amend them. If a man would leave to look at his shaft, and learn to look at his mark, he may use this way, which a good shooter told me once that he did. Let him take him bow in the night, and shoot at two lights, and there he shall be compelled to look always at his mark, and never at his shaft. This way once, or twice used, will cause him forsake looking at his shaft, yet let him take heed of setting his shaft in the bow.

Thus you see, to shoot straight is the least mastery of all, if a man order himself thereafter in his youth, and as for keeping a length, I am sure, the rules which I gave will never deceive; so that there shall lack nothing, either of hitting the mark always, or else very near shooting if the fault be not only in your own self, which may come two ways; either in having a faint heart, or courage, or else with suffering your self overmuch to be led be affection; if a mans mind fail him, the body, which is ruled by the mind, can never do his duty; if lac of courage were not, men might do more Masteries, then the do, as does appear, in leaping and vaulting.

All affections, and especially anger, hurt both mind and body, the mind is blinded thereby, and if the mind be blind, it cannot rule the body aright. The body both blood and bone, as they say is brought out of his right course by anger, whereby a man lacks his right strength, and therefore cannot shoot well. If these things be avoided (whereof I will speak no more, because they belong not properly to shooting) and all the precepts which I have given, diligently mar