The first Part.

PLATO, Calimachus and Galene, very noble writers bring the inuen­tion of shooting from Apollo: for the which cause, Shooting is highly praised of Galen in his booke of Ex­hortation to good Artes, where hee [Page] saith, that meane craftes be first sonnde out by men or beastes, as weauing by a Spyder, &c. But high and commendable Sciences by Goddes, as Shoo­ting and Musicke by Apollo. And if wee shall be­leeue Nicholas de Lyra, Lamech killed Caine with a Shast.

Cyaxares the king of the Medes, and great grand­father to Cyrus, kept a sort of Scythians with him on­ly for this purpose, to teach his son Astiages to shoot.

Cyrus being a child, was brought vp in shooting, which Xenephon wold neuer haue made mētion of, except it had been fit for Princes to haue vsed, seeing that Xenephon wrote Cyrus life (as Tullie sayth) not to shewe what Cyrus did, but what all manner of Princes both in pastimes & earnest matters ought to doe.

Darius the first king of Persia of that name, shew­ed playnlie, how fit it is for a king to loue and vse Shooting, who cōmanded this sentence to be writ­ten on his tombe for a princely memory and praise.

Herodian his opinion of Commodus the Empe­rour, was: that he had no Princely thing in him, but strength of bodie, and good Shooting.

Themistius the noble Philosopher, in an Oration made to Theodosius the Emperour, cōmendeth him for three things that hee vsed of a Childe: Shooting: Riding of a horse well, and feates of Armes.

[Page]It is most manifest in the histories of our Nation, that the kings and Princes of this Realm haue bin excellent Archers: And this age can witnesse with what loue and affection the right noble kings of fa­mous memorie, king Henrie the eight, and Edward the sixt, did vse and exercise the same in their owne persons.

By Shooting is the minde honorably exercised, where a man alwaies desireth to bee best (which is a word of honor) and that by the same way that vertue it self doth, coueting to come nighest a most per­fect end, or meane standing between two extreams, eschuing short or gone, or on eyther side, wide. For which causes Aristotle himselfe saith: that Shooting and Vertue be very like. And that of all other, it isAristotle de Morib. the most honest pastime, and least occasion to naugh­tinesse, two things doe very plainly prooue: vz Day­light and Open place. If Shooting fault at any time, it hides not it selfe, but openly accuseth and bewrai­eth it selfe: which is the next way to amendement, as wise men doe say.

THE SECOND PART.

NOt only kinges and Emperors haue beene brought vp in shooting, but also the best common Wealths that euer were haue made goodly actes & laws for it: as the Persians (who vnder Cyrus conquered very many nations) had a law, that their children should learne three thinges only, from fiue yeares old to twenty: To ride a horse wel, to shoot wel, & to speak trueth alwaies and ne­uer lie.

[Page]The Romans (as Leo the Emperour in his booke of the sleightes of warre telleth) had a law that eue­ry man shuld vse Shooting in time of peace, while he were fourty yeeres olde: And that euerie house should haue a Bowe and fourty Shaftes ready for all needes: The omitting of which Law (saith Leo) among the youth, hath beene the only occasion, why the Romaines lost a great deale of their Empire.

The firste Statute and Lawe that euer Dauid made after he was King, was this: that all the chil­dren of Israell shoulde learne to shoote (according to a Law made many a day before that time, for the set­ting out of Shooting) as it is written (saith Scrip­ture) in libro Iustorum, which booke we haue not nowReg, 2, 1 extant.

Plato wold haue common Masters and stipendsDe Leg 7 for to teach youth to shoot: And for the same purpose he would haue broad fields neere euery Citie made common for men to vse shooting in.

Leo the Emperour in his sixt booke: Let all the youth of Rome bee compelled to vse shooting, either more or lesse: And alwayes to beare their bow and their quyuer about them, vntill they be fourty years old: For since Shooting was neglected and decayed among the Romanes, many a Battell and fielde hath been lost.

Againe, in the xi. Book and 50. Chap. Let your Souldiers haue their weapons wel appointed and trimmed, but aboue all other thinges regarde most shooting: And therfore, let men when ther is no war vse Shooting at home: For the leauing off onely of [Page] Shooting hath brought ruine & decay to the wholeRuin & de­caie to the whole Em­pire by lea­uing off of Shooting. Empire of Rome.

After wardes hee commandeth againe his Cap­taines by these wordes: Arme your hoast as I haue appointed you, but especially with Bowe and Ar­rows plenty: For shooting is a thing of much might & power in warre, and chiefly against the Saracens & Turks, which people haue all their hope of victorie in their Bowe and Shafts.

Besides all this, in another place hee writeth thus to his Captaine. Artillerie is easie to bee pre­pared, and in time of great neede a thing most profi­table. Therefore wee straightly commaund you to make Proclamation to all men vnder our domini­ons, either in warre or peace, to all Citties, Bur­roughes and Townes, and finallye to all manner of men: that euery seuerall pearson haue bowe and shaftes of his owne: And euery house besides this, to haue a standing bearing Bow and fourty shafts for all needes: And that they exercise themselues in holtes, hilles and dales, playnes and woods, for all maner of chaunces in warre.

And yet Shooting (although they sett neuer so much by it) was neuer so good (then) as it is now in England: which thing to be true, is verie pro [...]table, in that Leo doth say: That he would haue his Soul­diers take off their Arrowe-heads, and one shoot at another for their exercise: Which play if the English Archers vsed, I thinke they would find small sport, and lesse pleasure in it. But the exercise therof other­wise, bringeth a notable aduantage to them that [Page] doe practise the same: For experience doth teach vs, that the strongest men doe not alwayes make the strongest shoote, which thing prooueth that draweing strong lyeth not so much in the strength of man, as in the vse of Shooting.

To conclude this second part, if a man shuld per­use all pastimes and exercises profitable to be set by of euery man, woorthy to be rebuked of no man, fit for all ages, persons and places, and a medicine to purge the whole land of all pestilent gaming, onelie Shooting shall appeare, wherein all these commo­dities shal be found, being strengthened by putting in execution such laudable actes & statutes as haue bin on that behalfe made and prouided by the Par­liaments of this Realme.

THE THIRD PART.

EVripides (euery of whose verses Tul­lie thinketh to be an Aucthoritie) doth say, That of all weapons the best is, where with least danger of our selfe, we may hurt our enemie most: And that is (as may bee supposed) Artille­rie: which now adayes is taken for two thinges, Gunnes and Bowes.

Peter Nannius a learned man of Louain, in a Dia­logue sheweth exceeding commodities of both: And some discommodities of Gunnes: as infinit cost and charge, cumbersom cariage if they be great, the vn­certain leuelling, the peril of them that stand by, &c. [Page] Besides al this, contrary wind and weather, which hindereth them not a little, and sometime maketh thē vnprofitable: yet of shooting he cannot reherse one discommoditie.

But because some sort of men at Armes would bring our Magistrates and the better sorte of our people and nation to mislike this ancient weapon, as vnprofitable for the wars of our dayes: & wold attribute alexcellence to the Musquet and Caliuer: See Sir Iohn Smyth, Knight, in his booke treating of Archery from fol. 20, to fol. 28. wher you may find he vtterly consuteth them, proouing three especiall poyntes against them, vz.

• 1 Archers to be most ready in the field.
• 2 Archers to faile least in shooting.
• 3 And that they doe anney the Enemies most, be they horsemen or footmen.

And then after many vnreplyable reasons, offe­reth that hee will neuer refuse with 8000. good Ar­chers to aduenture his life against 20000. of the best shot in Christendom.

Where fol. 23. 27. 28. he prooueth long Bowes to be most excellent for battailes and great encoun­ters, both against horsemen and footmen, for that it is a ready weapon both in faire and foule weather which shot is not: & that the arrowes in flying both in their descēt & fal, kil & wound from the face to the foot, into many ranks of y^e aduers battel or squadrō, [Page] Which the shot doth not, but in their point blancke (staying at the first, second, or third ranke of the Ene­mie) nor then, but seldom by reason of many imper­fections, which hee setteth downe there. Where it is further to bee noted, that very many ranks of Ar­chers may (with couenience) altogether, one behind another, shoot into the Enemies battell, which the gunnes cannot doe by reason of their point blanck, whereby they must needs endanger their fellowes before them: So that in fol. 29. hee concludeth, (as wel he may) that ther is no doubt, but Archers with their vollees of Arrowes, will wound, kill, and hurt aboue an hundred men and horses, for euery one so to be done by the shot.

In fol. 18. 19. He (hauing shewed many imperfecti­ons belongyng to the Shot) auerreth, that for those causes in many great encounters verie hot, and continued many howers with Shot, with new Sup­plies on both sides, within three, foure or fiue skores and neerer, there hath not been slaine and hurt on both sides with Bullettes thirtie men. And therfore in fol. 28. he saith: that it cōmeth to passe, that when men and horse haue ben in three or foure skirmishes and do see that they receiue no hurt, neither by fier, or smoke, nor noise: nor that in many thousandes of men there are not twentie men slain, nor hurt, they grow after to be tar lesse in doubt therof.

Howbeit the vollees of Arrows flying together in the aire as thick as haile doe not only terrifie and amaze, in most terrible sort, the ears, eies, and harts both of horses and men, with the noise and sight of [Page] their comming: But they also in their discents, doe not leaue in a whole squadron of horsemen or foote­men (although they bee in motion) so much as one man or horse vnstricken and wounded with diuers Arrowes, if the number of Archers be answerable to the number of the squadron.[Downward-pointing arrow]

Besides all which, it is to be noted, that horses in the fielde being wounded, or but lightly hurt with Arrowes, they through the great paine, that vppon euery motion they doe feel in their flesh, vaines, and sinewes, by the shaking of the Arrowes with their barbed heads hanging in them, doe presently fall a yerking and leaping, as if they were madde, in such sort, as be it squadron, or in troope, they doe quite dis­order one another, and neuer leaue vntill they haue throwne and cast their maisters. Wheras contrari­wise, Horses that are in vitall parts hurt with Bul­lets, or the bones of their legs, shoulders or backes be broken, they doe presently fall downe: Or other­wise, although they bee stricken cleane through, or that the Bullets do still remaine in them, they after the first shrinke, at the entring of the Bullet, do passe their carier as though they had very litle or no hurt. In which Treatise fol. 26. 27. hee complaineth of all sortes of Magistrates, for that they doe not see those notable Lawes made by former kinges for the ad­uancemēt of Archerie to bee put in execution, wher­unto people of this realm (of a singular gift of God) by a naturall inclination, come to be perfect and ex­cellent: Whereby wee are suffered to discontinue a weapon euer terrible to the enemies, and whereof [Page] they neuer had skill: and vpon any sudden shall bee enforced to sight with them at their owne weapons wherein (by necessity) they are continually trained vp, we being therin vnpractised.

The same knight, in the Proeme of his booke prooueth that the Egyptians did first conquer a great parte of Asia, Europe, and Affricke by their Armie, which did consist most of Archerie: But they falling into security and drunkennes, and neglect of that weapon, were conquered by Alexander the greate, the greatest part of whose Armie did consist of Ar­cherie.

In like sort, and with the like weapon were the Grecians conquered with the Arabians. After the same Discipline of Archery they reuiued. And after (vpon neglect thereof) againe conquered and quite ouerthrowne by Mahomet with his Turkes and Ia­nissaries that consisted most of Bow-men.

King Dauid and Iosiah performed great effectes, therewith: By this weapon God gaue many victo­ries to the Iewes: and by the same for their trans­gressionPsa. 7. 63. 75 they receiued diuers ouerthrowes of the Gentiles. Besides that, king Dauid doth cal Bowes a mighty power, and in his Psalmes the vessels of death.

God when hee promiseth help to the Iewes, hee vseth no kind of speaking so much as this: That heeDeut. 32. will bend his Bowe, and die his Shaftes in Gen­tiles blood: Whereby it is manifest, that Shooting is a wooderfull thing in warre, whereunto the high power of God is likened.

[Page]When Demosthenes the valiant Captaine slue and tooke Prisoners, all the Lacedemonians besides of the Citie of Pilos, the Shaftes went so thick that day (sayth Thucydides) that no man could see their e­nemies. I Lacedemonian taken Prisoner, was as­ked of one of Athens, whether they were stout Fel­lowes that were slaine or no of the Lacedemonians: Thucid. 4. He answered nothing els but this: Make much of those Shaftes of yours, for they know neither stout nor vnstout. &c.

The Gothes. Vandals, Alans, and other Northren Nations, inuaded and conquered Rome and Greece and besieged Constantinople, spoyled Hungarie, Au­stria, Illiria; and Dalmatia, wasted all Italie, sacked France and Spaine, inuaded Affrick, &c. And it is most euident they atchieued all these victories, more with the effect of Bowes, then with all the rest of their weapons.

With the like weapon did the Arrabians inuade Constantinople, Mesopotamia, Surria, Armenia & Per­sia, Ierusalem, Egypt, Barbarie, &c. They discontinu­ing this weapon, were by the same chiefly conque­red by the Turkes.

The like did the Tartars against Parthia, Media, Armenia, Mesopotamia and Surria, with innumerable numbers of Archers on horsback.

So did Tamberlaine the Tartar Emperour, ouer­throw Baiazeth the Turkish Emperor, by reason his Armie did farre exceed the Turks in the number of Archers.

Which most excellent effects of Archery, was the [Page] cause that Amurath the second Emperor of y^• Turks, did within few yeares after institute for the guard of his person, a number of Ianissaries on foot (beeing Christians renyed) taught from their youth to exer­cise the Bowe: And so of the Harquebuze: So that when the Turke sendeth any his Baslaes to besiege a­ny towns, they all vse to take with them both their bowes and Harquebuzes: their Harquebuzes to vse in trenches against places fortifyed: & their bowes for seruices of the field: But the Turke for guarde of his person, and for al battels and great encounters in the field, doeth euer prefer the Bowes before the Harquebuzes, fol. 41▪ 42. So likewise doe the Tar­tars, Persians, and Parthians vnder the Sophie: who al­though they haue had the vse of shot long before vs in Europe, yet haue they, and do still prefer their Ar­chers, and Bowes for Battels and Victories before their weapons of fire. fol. 42

It is very certain, that shooting is the chief thing wherewith God suffereth the Turke to punish our sinnes withall: The youth there is brought vp inCa [...]p de re­bus Turc, Shooting: and it is well knowne to the Spaniardes the might of their shooting, who in the towne called Newcastle in Illerica, were all slaine by the Turkes Arrowes, when the Spaniardes had no vse of their gunnes by reason of the raine.

And since that, the Emperours Maiestie himselfe at the Citty of Argier in Affricke, had his hoast sore handled with the Turkes Arrowes, when his guns stood him in no seruice at all by the like accident of raine.

[Page]And therfore, as concerning all these kingdomsPlin, lib, 16 Chap. 36 and common wealths, I may conclude with Plinie, thus: If any man would remember the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Arabians, the men of Indie, of Scythia, so manie people in the East of the Samaritanes, and all the kingdome of the Parthians, &c. hee shall perceiue halfe the part of the world to liue in subiection, ouer­come by the might and power of Shooting.

Proofes from our Nation of former and moderne times.

THe sayd Sir Iohn Smyth, knight, fol. 29. 30. 31. Tilburie Campe. proouing that by y^e example of placing Bowes in the Armie at Tilburie. An. Dom. 1588. Cap­tains of this age in general, not to be expert in that Discipline, hee teacheth the order of our Auncestors therein, in this sort. vz.

They placed thē in the face of the men at Armes of France and other Nations (who were then better armed then now wee vse to bee) and the effect was such, that flying in the ayre as thicke as snow, with a terrible noise (much like a tempestious wind) they did leaue no disarmed place of horse, or man vnstric­ken and vnwounded, as may well appeare by the battell of Cressey; that king Edward the thirde, and his sonne Prince Edw. won against Philip of France, where the French were six to one wel armed: where were slain xi. Princes, a thousand and two hundred knightes, and thirty thousand Souldiours: The [Page] woonderfull effectes and terrour of the shotte of Ar­rowes was that day such, as neither men at armes nor other Horsmen of diuers Nations, were able to enter and breake the Archers, being without pikes stakes, bankes, and trenches to guard them, but in the plaine Fieldes: The Archers with their Vol­lees of Arrowes did break the ranks both of Horse­men and footmen, wounding and killing both horse and man, the French kings horse being slain vnder him, and himselfe in perill.

The like or greater ouerthrow was acted by the same Prince, against Iohn king of France in the bat­tell of Poicters, with six thousand Archers, and two thousand armed men against 60000. French.

The same Prince fought the like battell in Spain ouerthrew a hundred thousand men in one battel by the wonderful effect of Archers.

So was the battell of Herringes fought there in Henrie the sixt his time, and won by Archery,

In the same kings time (as the French Chroni­cles do report) the L. of Belay accōpanied with two hundred French Lances going to Mans, met with an English Captain called Berrie, and with him 80. Archers, by whom the Lances were ouerthrowne, and diuers taken prisoners.

The like encounter happened about that time, between Guyan de Coing, a French Captaine with 120. Lances, and Sir William Olde with twentye Archers, with like successe.

But for that it may be obiected: That it may bee graunted, that Archery was a preualent weapon [Page] in auncient times before the Musquet and Calliuer came to the perfection of their vse: It is not amisse to produce later instances of these our ages.

Seruices of great effect done by Archerie of our Nation in these our times.

NOtable seruice was done in the time of king Henrie the 8. of famous me­morie (vpon a conuoy between Guiens and Teroun) by Archers.

In the time of king Edward the sixt, 1548. Ket with his Norfolke Rebels, by one conflict and a foughten field (beeing men vn­armed) did great exploits against the Duke of Nor­thumberland by Archers: So that the Duke lost his good opinion of Harquebuzies, and would euer after say publikely, the Bow to be the noblest weapon of the world: This Sir Iohn Smyth setteth down from the certaine reporte of the late Earle of Warwicke, who was there present.

In the same kinges time the Westerne RebelsThe right honorable the Lord of Hu [...]ldon, L, Chamber laine that now is, an eie-witnes. droue the Spanish and Italian Harquebuzies from all their strengths with vollees of Arrowes, which sir Iohn Smyth also hath hard the L. Chamberlaine that now is very notably report (who was there an eie witnes) Captaine Spinola an Italian, a verie braue Souldiour, and wounded with Arrowes in these seruices, gaue singular commendation of the Archerie of England.

[Page]The Battell of Floddon hill, where Iames king Scottes was slain, is very famous: where the Ar­chers of Cheshire and Lancashire got immortal name and praise for euer.

The feare onely of English Archers hath done stranger things then is read of els where: and that not long sithence, betwixt Eske and Leuen at Sandie Sikes did appear, where the whole nobility of Scot­land, for feare of the Archers of England, were drow­ned and taken Prisoners.

There is an olde prouerbe in Scotland, that euery English Archer beareth vnder his girdle twenty foure Scottes.

And if it bee true, as it is sayd, when the king of England hath been in France, the Priestes at home (because they were Archers) haue been able to o­uerthrow all Scotland.

Bishop Latimer in his sixt Sermon made beforeBishop La­timer his commen­dation of Archerie. king Edward the sixt, desired the Lordes, as they lo­ued the honour and glory of God, and as they inten­ded to remooue his indignation, to prouide for the practise of Shooting: which hee called the gift of god, wherby we excelled all other Nations: and an In­strument wherby he hath giuen vnto vs many vi­ctories.

The foresaide Lord Warwicke did also reporte, that when he was Lieutenant generall at Newha­uen, hee did send to the Admirall of France, then fauo­red by her Maiesty, six hundred harquebuziers, who thankfully receiuing them, yet said, hee had rather haue had two hundred Archers: And that he would [Page] with them performe greater seruice: This message was brought from the Admiral by Sir Francis Som­merset, Sir Richard Throgmorton, and Sir William Pellam, knightes.

Woonderful seruice was sithence done by foure score of our Archers, against Dutch & French Har­husiers in France, to the great admiration of the Reingraue: whereupon hee did protest and acknow­ledge the Long-bowes of England to bee the best weapons for the field that were vsed by any nation of Christendome: And said that the Queene of Eng­land had great cause so to esteem of them. Reported by the said Earle of Warwicke.

Sir Iames Croft declared many notable seruices hee had seene done by Archers in England, Fraunce, Scotland and Ireland.

About Bartholmew tyde last, 1595. there came out of Scotland, one Iames Forgeson, Bowyer to the king of Scots, who credibly reported, that about twoScots be­come Ar­chers. yeares past, certaine rebelles did rise there against the king, who sent against them fiue hundred horse­men well appointed: They meeting three hundred of the Rebels Bowmen, encountred each with other, where the Bowe-men slue two hundred and foure score of their horses, and killed, wounded, and soreScots make prouision of Archerie hurt most part of the kinges men. Whereupon the said Forgeson was sent hether from the king with Commission to buy vp ten thousande Bowes and Bowstaues: But because he could not speed heer, he went ouer into the East countries for them: This report wil bee prooued by credible persons of the cit­tie of London.

[Page]It may therefore bee well concluded with Sir Iohn Smyth: That all conquering Nations haue made chiefe choise of the Bowes, as of the most ex­cellent kind of weapon for victories and conquests.

And yet (as he sayth) it is euident by al histories and all such as haue trauelled many partes of Eu­rope, Asia, and Affricke, that English Bowes & Ar­rowes doe exceede and excell all others vsed by all forein Nations, not only in substance and strength but also in length and bignesse.

Neither is it vnknowne, that the French Cap­taines and Gentlemen of this age, attribute all the former victories of the English against themselues, and their Auncestors, more to the effect of Archers, then to any extraordinary valiancie of our nation.

It therfore were great pittie (or rather impiety) to suffer this noble ancient weapon (being so migh­tie a strength and honor to al nations that haue and doe vse the same, and especially to our English peo­ple aboue all others, for the reasons and examples aboue rehearsed) to goe to decay amongst vs, while there is godly lawes prouided for the same, and while it may be vsed of any person, and the same person fully prouided of Bowe and arrowes for ex­ercise (according to the prescription of the lawe on that behalfe) vnder twentie pence. The practise wherof (besides his own excellence) wil greatly di­minish the noysome and pestilent custom of vnlaw­full games now crept in vse in the roome therof, be­ing far more chargeable then Archery is.

But there is great hope that this honorable wea­pon [Page] now (by vse of vnlawful games) greatly decay­ed, will resume to it selfe within this realme, his an­cient strength and vertue (and that in short time, the people of a naturall inclination being giuen there­unto) seeing it hath pleased her royal Maiesty, vnder her Highnesse hand, to haue giuen out warrant vn­to the right Honorable Sir Iohn Puckering knight, Lord keeper of the great Seale of England, to grant out Commissions vnder the same Seale, to put in execution one laudable Statute, made in the time of her right Princely Father for exercise of Archery, and debarring of vnlawful games: And seeing that the Lordes of her Highnesse priuy Counsell haue also by their Letters directted to his Lordsh. com­mended the same, as an Act fit to bee performed for the honor and strength of the Realme.