You A studie to sore Toxophile.

I wil not hurt my self ouermoche I warraūt you.

Take hede you do not, for we Physicions saye, that it is nether good for the eyes in so cleare a Sunne, nor yet holsome for y^e bodie, [...]o soone after meate, to looke vpon a mans boke.

In eatinge and studyinge I will neuer folowe anye Physike, for yf I dyd, I am sure I shoulde haue small pleasure in the one, and lesse courage in the other. But what newes draue you hyther I praye you?

Small newes trulie, but that as I came on walkynge, I fortuned to come w^t thre or foure that went to shote at the pryckes: And when I sawe not you amonges them, but at the last espyed you lokynge on your booke here so sadlye, I thought to come and holde you with some commu­nication, lest your boke shoulde runne awaye with you. For me thought by your waueryng pace & ear­nest lokyng, your boke led you, not you it.

In dede as it chaunced, my mynde went faster then my [Page] feete, for I happened here to reade in Phedro Plato­nis, a place that entretes wonderfullie of the nature of soules,In Phedro. which place (whether it were for the pas­synge eloquence of Plato, and the Greke tongue, or for the hyghe and godlie description of the matter, kept my mynde so occupied, that it had no leisure to loke to my feete. For I was reding howe some sou­les being well fethered, flewe alwayes about heauē and heauenlie matters, other some hauinge their fe­thers mowted awaye, and droupinge, sanke downe into earthlie thinges.

I remēbre the place ve­rie wel, and it is wonderfullie sayd of Plato, & now I se it was no maruell though your fete fayled you, seing your minde flewe so fast.

I am gladde now that you letted me, for my head akes w^t loking on it, and bycause you tell me so, I am verye sorie y^t I was not w^t those good feloes you spake vpon, for it is a verie faire day for a mā to shote in.

And me thinke you were a great dele better occupied & in better cōpanie, for it is a very faire daye for a mā to go to his boke in.

Al dayes and wethers wil serue for that purpose, and surelie this occasiō was ill lost.

Yea but clere wether maketh clere min­des, and it is best as I suppose, to spend y^• best time vpon the best thinges: And me thought you shot ve­rie wel, and at that marke, at which euery good sco­ler shoulde moste busilie shote at. And I suppose it be a great dele more pleasure also, to se a soule flye in Plato, then a shafte flye at the prickes. I graunte you, shoting is not the worst thing in the world, yet if we shote, and time shote, we ar not like to be great winners at the length. And you know also we scho­lers [Page 2] haue more ernest & weightie matters in hand, nor we be not borne to pastime & pley, as you know wel ynough who sayth.

Yet the same man in the same place Philologe, M. Cic. 1 [...]. by your leue, doth admitte holsome, honest and manerlie pastimes to be as ne­cessarie to be mīgled with sad matters of the minde, as eating & sleping is for the health of the body, and yet we be borne for neither of bothe. And Aristotle him selfe sayth,Arist. de mo­ribus. 10. 6. y^• although it were a fonde & a chyl­dish thing to be to ernest in pastime & play, yet doth he affirme by the authoritie of the oulde Poet Epi­charmus, that a man may vse play for ernest matter sake. And in an other place,Arist. Pol, 8. 3. y^• as rest is for labour, & medicines for helth, so is pastime at tymes for sad & weightie studie.

How moche in this matter is to be giuen to y^• auctoritie either of Aristotle or Tul lie, I cā not tel, seing sad mē may wel ynough speke merily for a merie matter, this I am sure, whiche thing this faire wheat (god saue it) maketh me remē bre, y^• those husbādmen which rise erliest, and come latest home, and are content to haue their diner and other drinckinges, broughte into the fielde to them, for feare of losing of time, haue fatter barnes in har uest, than they whiche will either slepe at none time of the daye, or els make merie w^t their neighbours at the ale. And so a scholer y^t purposeth to be a good husband, and desireth to repe and enioy much fruite, of learninge, muste tylle and sowe thereafter. Our beste seede tyme, whiche be scholers, as it is verie tymelye, and whan we be yonge: so it endureth not ouerlonge, and therfore it maye not be let slippe [Page] one houre, oure grounde is verye harde, and full of wedes, our horse wherw^t we be drawen very wylde as Plato sayth.In Phedro. And infinite other mo lettes whiche wil make a thriftie scholer take hede how he spēdeth his tyme in sporte and pleye.

That Aristotle and Tullie spake ernestlie, and as they thought, the ernest matter which they entreate vpon, doth plain­lye proue. And as for your husbandrie, it was more probablie tolde with apt wordes propre to y^e thing, then throughly proued with reasons belongynge to our matter. For contrariwise I herd my selfe a good husbande at his boke ones saye, that to omit studie somtime of the daye, and sometime of the yere, made asmoche for the encrease of learning, as to let the lād lye sometime falloe, maketh for the better encrease of corne. This we se, yf the lande be plowed euerye yere, the corne commeth thinne vp: the eare is short, the grayne is small, and when it is brought into the barne and threshed, gyueth very euill faul. So those which neuer leaue poring on their bokes, haue oftē ­times as thinne inuention, as other poore mē haue, and as smal wit and weight in it as in other mens. And thus youre husbandrie me thinke, is more like the life of a couetouse s [...]dge that oft very euill pre­ues, then the labour of a good husbād that knoweth wel what he doth. And surelie the best wittes to ler­ning must nedes haue moche recreation and ceasing from their boke, or els they marre them selues, whē base and dompys [...]he wittes can neuer be hurte with continuall studie, as ye se in luting, that a treble mi­ [...]kin string must alwayes be let down, but at suche [Page 3] time as when a man must nedes playe: when y^e base and dull stryng nedeth neuer to be moued out of his place. The same reason I finde true in two bowes that I haue, wherof the one is quicke of cast, tricke, and trime both for pleasure and profyte: the other is a lugge slowe of cast, folowing the string, more sure for to last, then pleasaunt for to vse. Now sir it chaū ced this other night, one in my chābre wolde nedes bende them to proue their strength, but I can not tel how, they were both left bente tyll the nexte daye at after dyner: and when I came to them, purposing to haue gone on shoting, I found my good bowe clene cast on the one side, and as weake as water, that su­relie (if I were a riche man) I had rather haue spent a crowne: and as for my lugge, it was not one why [...] the worse: but shotte by and by as wel and as farre as euer it dyd. And euen so I am sure that good wit­tes, except they be let downe like a treble string, and vnbent like a good casting bowe, they wil neuer last and be able to cōtinue in studie. And I know where I speake this Philologe, for I wolde not saye thus moche afore yong men, for they wil take soone occa­sion to studie litle ynough. But I saye it therfore bi­cause I knowe, as litle studie getteth litle learninge or none at all, so the moost studie getteth not y^• moost learning of all. For a mans witte sore occupied in er­nest studie, must be as wel recreated with some ho­nest pastime, as the body sore laboured, must be re­freshed with slepe and quietnesse, or els it can not en­dure very longe, as the noble poete sayeth. ‘VVhat th [...]g wāt [...] quiet & meri rest endures but a smal while▪ Ouid.’

[Page] B And I promise you shoting by my iudgement, is y^e moost honest pastime of al, & suche one I am sure, of all other, that hindreth learning litle or nothing at all, whatsoeuer you & some other saye, whiche are a gret dele sorer against it alwaies thā you nede to be.

Hindereth learninge litle or nothinge at all? that were a meruayle to me truelie, and I am sure seing you saye so, you haue some reason wherewith you can defende shooting w^tall, and as for wyl (for the loue that you beare towarde shotinge) I thinke there shall lacke none in you. Therfore seinge we haue so good leysure bothe, and no bodie by to trou­ble vs: and you so willinge & able to defende it, and I so redy and glad to heare what may be sayde of it I suppose we canne not passe the tyme better ouer, neyther you for y^e honestie of your shoting, nor I for myne owne mindsake, than to se what can be sayed with it, or agaynste it, and speciallie in these dayes, whan so many doeth vse it, and euerie man in a ma­ner doeth common of it.

To speake of shoo­tinge Philologe, trulye I woulde I were so able, either as I my selfe am willing or yet as the matter deserueth, but seing with wisshing we can not haue one nowe worthie, whiche so worthie a thinge can worthilie praise, and although I had rather haue anie other to do it than my selfe, yet my selfe rather then no other. I wil not fail to saye in it what I can wherin if I saye litle, laye that of my litle habilitie, not of the matter it selfe whiche deserueth no lyttle thinge to be sayde of it.

If it deserue no little thinge to be sayd of it Toxophile, I maruell howe [Page 4] [...]t chaunceth than, that no man hitherto, hath writ­ten any thinge of it: wherin you must graunte me, that eyther the matter is noughte, vnworthye, and barren to be written vppon, or els some men are to blame, whiche both loue it and vse it, and yet could neuer finde in theyr heart, to saye one good woorde of it, seinge that very triflinge matters hath not lac­ked great learned men to sette them out, as gnattes and nuttes, & many other mo like thinges, wherfore eyther you maye honestlie laye verie great faut vpō men bycause they neuer yet praysed it, or els I may iustlie take awaye no litle thinge from shooting, by­cause it neuer yet deserued it.

Trulye here­in Philologe, you take not so muche from it, as you giue to it. For great and commodious thynges are neuer greatlie praysed, not bycause they be not wor­thie, but bicause their excellencie nedeth no man hys prayse, hauinge all theyr cōmendation of them selfe not borowed of other men his lippes, which rather prayse them selfe, in spekynge much of a litle thynge than that matter whiche they entreat vpon. Great & good thinges be not praysed. For who euer pray­sed Hercules (sayeth the Greke prouerbe) And that no man hitherto hath written any booke of shoting the fault is not to be layed in the thyng whiche was worthie to be written vpon, but of men which were negligent in doyng it, and this was the cause ther­of as I suppose. Men [...]e that vsed shootyng moste and knewe it best, were not learned: men that were lerned, vsed litle shooting, and were ignorant in the nature of the thynge, and so fewe menne hath bene [Page] that hithetto were able to wryte vpon it. Yet howe longe shotyng hath continued, what common weal­thes hath moste vsed it, howe honeste a thynge it is for all men, what kynde of liuing so euer they folow what pleasure and profit cōmeth of it, both in peace and warre, all maner of tongues & writers, Hebrue, Greke and Latine, hath so plentifullie spoken of it, as of fewe other thinges like. So what shooting is howe many kindes there is of it, what goodnesse is ioyned with it, is tolde: onelye howe it is to be lear­ned and brought to a perfectnesse amonges men, is not toulde.

Than Toxophile, if it be so as you do saye, let vs go forwarde and examin howe plen­tifullie this is done that you speke, and firste of the inuention of it, than what honestie & profit is in the vse of it, bothe for warre & peace, more than in other pastimes, laste of all howe it ought to be learned a­monges men for the encrease of it, whiche thinge if you do, not onelye I nowe for youre cōmunication but many other mo, when they shall knowe of it, for your labour, & shotyng it selfe also (if it coulde speke) for your kyndnesse, wyll can you very moche thanke

What good thynges mē speake of sho­ting & what good thinges shooting bringes to men as my wit & knowlege will serue me, gladly shall I say my mind. But how the thing is to be learned I will surely leue to some other which bothe for grea­ter experience in it, & also for their lerninge, can set it out better than I.

Well as for that I knowe both what you can do in shooting by experience, & y^• you cā also speke well ynough of shooting, for youre [Page 5] learning, but go on with the first part. And I do not doubt, but what my desyre, what your loue toward it, the honestie of shoting, the profite that may come therby to many other, shall get the seconde parte out of you at the last.

Of the first finders out of shoting, di­ [...]ers C men diuerslye doo wryte.Clandianus in histri. Claudiane the poete sayth that nature gaue example of shotyng first, by the Porpentine, whiche doth shote his prickes, and will hitte any thinge that fightes with it: whereby men learned afterwarde to immitate the same in findyng out both bowe and shaftes.Plin. 7. 56. Plinie referreth it to Schythes the sonne of Iupiter. Better and more noble wryters bringe shoting from a more noble in­uentour: as Plato,In sympo. Calimachus,In hym. and Galene from Apollo.Apol [...]. Yet longe afore those dayes do we reade in the bible of shotinge expreslye.Gen. 21. And also if we shall beleue Nicholas de Lyra,Nic. de lyra. Lamech killed Cain with a shafte. So this great continuaunce of shoting doth not a lytle praise shotinge: nor that neither doth not a litle set it oute, that it is referred to thinuention of Apollo,Galen in e [...] ­hor. ad bo­n [...] art [...]. for the which poynt shoting is highlye prai­sed of Galene: where he sayth, y^• mean craftes befirst foūd out by men or beastes, as weauing by a spider, and suche other: but high and cōmendable sciences by goddes, as shotinge and musicke by Apollo. And thus shotynge for the necessitie of it vsed in Adams dayes, for the noblenesse of it referred to Apollo, hath not ben onelie cōmended in all tunges and wri­ters, but also had in greate price, both in the best cō ­mune wealthes in warre tyme for the defēce of their [Page] & lawes for it, [...]crod. I clio. as the Persians which vnder Cyrus cōquered in a maner all the worlde, had a lawe that their children shulde learne thre thinges, onelie from v. yeare oulde vnto .xx. to ryde an horse well, to shote well, [...]o de stra­ [...]g. 20. to speake truthe alwayes & neuer lye. The Ro­maines (as Leo themperour in his boke of sleightes of warre telleth) had a lawe that euery man shoulde vse shoting in peace tyme, while he was .xl. yere olde and that euerye house shoulde haue a bowe, and .xl. shaftes ready for all nedes, the omittinge of whiche lawe (sayth Leo) amonges the youthe, hath ben the onely occasion why the Romaynes lost a great dele of their empire. But more of this I wil speake whē I come to the profite of shoting in warre. If I shuld rehearse the statutes made of noble princes of En­glande in parliamentes for the settyng forwarde of shoting, through this realme, and specially that acte made for shoting the thyrde yere of the reygne of our moost drad soueraygne lorde king Henry the .viii. I could be very long. But these fewe exāples specially of so great men & noble cōmon wealthes, shall stand in stede of many.

That suche princes and suche cōmune welthes haue moche regarded shoting, you haue well declared. But why shotinge ought so of it selfe to be regarded, you haue scarcelye yet proued.

Examples I graunt out of histories do shew a thing to be so, not proue a thing why it shuld be so Yet this I suppose, y^• neither great mens qualities being cōmēdable be without great authoritie, for o­ther men honestly to folow them: nor yet those great learned men that wrote suche thinges, lacke good [Page 7] ceasō iustly at al tymes for any other to approue thē. Princes beinge children oughte to be brought vp in shoting: both bycause it is an exercise moost holsom, and also a pastyme moost honest: wherin labour prepareth the body to hardnesse, the minde to couragi­ousnesse, sufferyng neither the one to be marde with tendernesse, nor yet the other to be hurte with ydle­nesse: as we reade how Sardanapalus and suche o­ther were, bycause they were not brought vp w^t out­warde honest payneful pastymes to be men: but coc­kerde vp with inwarde noughtie ydle wantonnesse to be women. For how fit labour is for al youth, Iu­piter or els Minos amonges them of Grece,Ci [...]. 2. [...]u [...]. Qu. and Lycurgus amonges the Lacedemonians, do shewe by their lawes, which neuer ordeyned any thing for y^• bringyng vp of youth that was not ioyned with la­bour. And the labour which is in shoting of al other is best, both bycause it encreaseth strength, and pre­serueth health moost, beinge not vehement, but mo­derate, not ouerlaying any one part with werysom­nesse, but softly exercisynge euery parte with equal­nesse, as the armes and breastes with drawinge, the other parties with going, being not so paynfull for the labour as pleasaunt for the pastyme, which exer­cise by the iudgement of the best physicions, is most alowable.Gal. 2. de san. tu [...]d. By shoting also is the mynde honestly ex­ercised where a mā alwaies desireth to be best (which is a worde of honestie) and that by the same waye, that vertue it selfe doeth, couetinge to come nighest a moost perfite ende or meane standing betwixte .ii. extremes, eschewinge shorte, or gone, or eithersyde [Page] wide,Ari [...] .1. de morib. for the which causes Aristotle him selfe sayth that shoting and vertue be very like. Moreouer that shoting of all other is the moost honest pastyme, and hath leest occasion to noughtinesse ioyned with it .ii. thinges very playnelye do proue, which be as a man wolde saye, the tutours and ouerseers to shotinge: Daye light and open place where euerye man doeth come, the maynteyners and kepers of shoting, from all vnhonest doing. If shotinge faulte at any tyme, it hydes it not, it lurkes not in corners and huddermo­ther: but openly accuseth & bewrayeth it selfe, which is the nexte waye to amendement, as wyse men do saye. And these thinges I suppose be signes, not of noughtinesse, for any man to disalowe it: but rather verye playne tokens of honestie, for euerye man to prayse it.

The vse of shotinge also in greate mennes chyl­dren shall greatlye encrease the loue aud vse of sho­tinge in all the residue of youth. For meane mennes myndes loue to be lyke greate menne, as Plato and Isocrates do saye.Iso. in ni [...]. And that euerye bodye shoulde learne to shote when they be yonge, defence of the cō ­mune wealth, doth require whē they be olde, which thing can not be done mightelye when they be men, excepte they learne it perfitelye when they be boyes. And therfore shotinge of all pastymes is moost fitte to be vsed in childhode: bycause it is an imitation of moost ernest thinges to be done in manhode.

Wherfore, shoting is fitte for great mens children, both bycause it strengthneth the body with holsome labour, and pleaseth the mynde with honest pastime [Page 8] and also encourageth all other youth ernestlye to fo­lowe the same. And these reasons (as I suppose) stirred vp both great men to bring vp their chyldren in shotinge, and also noble commune wealthes so straytelye to commaunde shoting. Therfore seinge Princes moued by honest occasions, hath in al com­mune wealthes vsed shotynge, I suppose there is none other degree of men, neither lowe nor hye, lear­ned nor leude, yonge nor oulde

You shal nede D wade no further in this matter Toxophile, but if you can proue me that scholers and men gyuen to lear­ning maye honestlie vse shoting, I wyll soone graūt you that all other sortes of men maye not onelye le­lullie, but ought of dutie to vse it. But I thinke you can not proue but that all these examples of shotinge brought from so longe a tyme, vsed of so noble prin­ces, confirmed by so wyse mennes lawes and iudge­mentes, are sette afore temporall men, onelye to fol­lowe them: whereby they may the better and strōg­lyer defende the commune wealth withall. And no­thing belongeth to scholers and learned men, which haue an other parte of the commune wealth, quiete and peaceable put to their cure and charge, whose ende as it is diuerse frō the other, so there is no one waye that leadeth to them both.

I graunte Philologe, that scholers and lay men haue diuerse of­fices and charges in the cōmune wealth, whiche re­quires diuerse brīging vp in their youth, if they shal do them as they ought to do in their age. Yet as tem­porall men of necessitie are compelled to take some­what of learning to do their office the better withal: [Page] So scholers maye the boldlyer borowe somewhat of laye mennes pastimes, to maynteyne their health in studie withall. And surelie of al other thinges shoting is necessary for both sortes to learne. Whiche thing, when it hath ben euermore vsed in Englande how moche good it hath done, both oulde men and Chronicles doo tell: and also our enemies can beare vs recorde. For if it be true (as I haue hearde saye) when the kynge of Englande hath ben in Fraunce, the preestes at home bicause they were archers, haue ben able to ouerthrowe all Scotlande. Agayne ther is an other thing which aboue all other doeth moue me, not onely to loue shotinge, to prayse shoting, to exhorte all other to shotinge, but also to vse shoting my selfe: and that is our kyng his moost royall pur­pose and wyll, whiche in all his statutes generallye doth commaunde men, and with his owne mouthe moost gentlie doeth exhortemen, and by his greate gyftes and rewardes, greatly doth encourage men, and with his moost princelie example very oft doth prouoke all other mē to the same. But here you wyll come in w^t tēporal man and scholer: I tell you plain­lye, scholer or vnscholer, yea if I were .xx. scholers, I wolde thinke it were my dutie, bothe with exhor­tinge men to shote, and also with shoting my selfe to helpe to set forwarde that thing which the kinge his wisdome, and his counsell, so greatlye laboureth to go forwarde: whiche thinge surelye they do, bycause they knowe it to be in warre, the defence and wal of our countrie, in peace, an exercise moost holsome for the body, a pastime moost honest for the mynde, and [Page 9] as I am able to proue my selfe, of al other moste fit and agreable with learninge and learned men.

If you can proue this thing so playnly, as you speake it ernestly, thē wil I, not only thinke as you do, but become a shooter and do as you do. But yet beware I saye, lest you for the great loue you bear towarde shootinge, blindlie iudge of shootinge. For loue & al other to ernest affections be not for nought paynted blinde. Take hede (I saye) least you prefer shootinge afore other pastimes, as one Balbinus through blinde affection, preferred his louer before all other wemen, although she were deformed with a polypus in her nose. And although shooting maye be mete sometyme for some scholers, and so forthe: yet the fittest alwayes is to be preferred. Therefore if you will nedes graunt scholers pastime and recre ation of their mindes, let them vse (as many of thē doth) Musyke, and playing on instrumentes, thin­ges moste semely for all scholers, and moste regar­ded alwayes of Apollo & the Muses.

Euen as I can not deny, but some musike is fit for lerning so I trust you can not chose but graunt, that shoting is fit also, as Calimachꝰ doth signifie in this verse. ‘Both merie songes and good shoting deliteth Appoll [...].Cal. hym. [...]’

Butas concerning whether of them is moste fit for learning, and scholers to vse, you may saye what E you will for your pleasure, this I am sure that Pla­to and Aristotle bothe, in their bookes entreatinge of the cōmon welthe, where they shew howe youthe shoulde be brought vp in .ii [...]i. thinges, in redinge, in [Page] writing, in excercise of bodye, and singing, do make mention of Musicke & all kindes of it, wherin they both agre, that Musike vsed amonges the Lydians is verie ill for yong men, which be studentes for ver­tue and learning, for a certain nice, softe, and smoth swetnesse of it, whiche woulde rather entice thē to noughtines, than stirre them to honestie.

An other kinde of Musicke inuented by the Dori­ans, they both wonderfully prayse, alowing it to be verie fyt for the studie of vertue & learning, because of a manlye, rough and stoute sounde in it, whyche shulde encourage yong stomakes, to attempte man­lye matters. Nowe whether these balades & roun­des, these galiardes, pauanes and daunces, so nice­lye fingered, so swetely tuned, be lyker the Musike of the Lydians or the Dorians, you that be learned iudge. And what so euer ye iudge, this I am sure, y^t lutes, harpes, all maner of pypes, barbitons, sam­bukes, with other instrumentes euery one, whyche standeth by fine and quicke fingeringe be cōdemned of Aristotle,Aristot. pol. [...]. 6. as not to be brought in & vsed amonge them, whiche studie for learning and vertue.

Pallas when she had inuented a pipe, cast it away, not so muche sayeth Aristotle, because it deformed her face, but muche rather bycause suche an Instru­mente belonged nothing to learnynge. Howe suche Instrumentes agree with learning, the goodlye a­grement betwixt Apollo god of learninge, & Mar­syas the Satyr, defender of pipinge, doth well de­clare, where Marsyas had his skine quite pulled o­uer his head for his labour.

[Page 10] Muche musike marreth mennes maners, sayth Ga­len, although some man wil saye that it doth not so, but rather recreateth and maketh quycke a mannes mynde, yet me thinke by reason it doth as hony doth to a mannes stomacke, whiche at the first receyueth it well, but afterwarde it maketh it vnfit, to abyde any good stronge norishynge meate, [...]rels anye hol­some sharp [...] and quicke drinke. And euen so in a ma­ner these Instrumentes make a mannes wit so softe and smoothe so tender and quaisie, that they be lesse able to brooke, stronge and tough studie. Wittes be not sharpened, but rather dulled, and made blunte, wyth suche sweete softenesse, euen as good edges be blonter, whiche menne whette vpon softe chalke stones.

And these thinges to be true, not onely Plato A­ristotle & Galen, proue by authoritie of reason,Herodotus in Clio. but also Herodotus and other writers, shewe by playne and euident example, as that of Cyrus, whiche af­ter he had ouercome the Lydians, and taken their kinge Cresus prisoner, yet after by the meane of one Pactyas a verye headie manne amonges the Lydi­ans, they rebelled agaynste Cyrus agayne, then Cyrus had by an by, broughte them to vtter destru­ction, yf Cresus being in good fauour with Cyrus had not hertelie desyred him, not to reuenge Pacty­as faulte, in shedynge theyr blood. But if he would folowe his counsell, he myght brynge to passe, that they shoulde neuer more rebel agaynst hym, And y^• was this, to make them weare lōg kyrtils, to y^• foot lyke woomen, and that euerye one of them shoulde [Page] haue a harpe or a lute, and learne to playe and sing whyche thinge if you do sayth Cresus (as he dyd in dede) you shall se them quickelye of men, made wo­men. And thus lutinge and singinge take awaye a manlye stomake, whiche shulde enter & pearce depe and harde studye.

Euen suche an other storie doeth Nymphodorus an olde greke Historiographer write,Nymphod. of one Sesostris kinge of Egypte, whiche storie because it is some­what longe, and very lyke in al poyntes to the other and also you do well ynoughe remembre it, seynge you read it so late in Sophoclis commentaries,Comment. in Antig. I wyll nowe passe ouer. Therefore eyther Aristo­tle and Plato knowe notwhat was good and euyll for learninge and vertue, and the example of wyse histories be vainlie set afore vs or els the minstrel­sie of lutes, pipes, harpes, and all other that stan­deth by suche nice, fine, minikin finge [...]ing (suche as the mooste parte of scholers whom I knowe vse, if they vse any) is farre more fitte for the womannish­n [...]sse of it to dwell in the courte among ladies, than for any great thing in it, whiche shoulde helpe good and sad studie, to abide in the vniuersitie amonges scholers. But perhaps you knowe some great good nesse of suche musicke and suche instrumentes, wher vnto Plato & Aristotle his brayne coulde neuer at­tayne, and therfore I will saye no more agaynst it.

well Toxophile is it not ynoughe for you to rayle vpon Musike, excepte you mocke me to? but to say the truth I neuer thought my selfe these kin­des of musicke fit for learninge, but that whyche I [Page 11] sayde was rather to proue you, than to defende the matter. But yet as I woulde haue this sorte of mu­sicke decaye amonge scholers, euen so do I wysshe from the bottome of my heart, that the laudable cu­stome of Englande to teache chyldren their plaine­song and priksong, were not so decayed throughout all the realme as it is. Whiche thing howe profita­ble it was for all sortes of men, those knewe not so wel than whiche had it most, as they do nowe whi­che lacke it moste. And therfore it is true that Teu­cer sayeth in Sophocles.

That milke is no fitter nor more naturall for the bringing vp of children than musike is, both Gallen proueth by authoritie, and dayly vse teacheth by ex­perience. For euen the litle babes lacking the vse of reason, are scarse so well stilled in suckyng theyr mo thers pap, as in hearynge theyr mother syng.

Agayne how fit youth is made, by learning to sing, for grammar and other sciences, bothe we dayly do see, and Plutarch learnedly doth proue, and Plato wiselie did alowe, whiche receyued no scholer in to his schole, that had not learned his songe before.

The godlie vse of praysing God, by singinge in the churche, nedeth not my prayse, seing it is so praysed through al the scripture, therfore nowe I wil speke nothing of it, rather than I shuld speke to litle of it.

Besyde al these commodities, truly .ii. degrees of mēne, which haue the highest offices vnder the king [Page] in all this realme, shal greatly lacke the vse of Sin­ginge, preachers and lawiers, bycause they shalnot without this, be able to rule their brestes, for euery purpose. For where is no distinction in telling glad thinges and fearfull thinges, gentilnes & cruelnes, softenes and vehement [...]es, and suche lyke matters, there can be no great perswasion.

For the hearers, as Tullie sayeth, be muche affecti­oned, as he is that speaketh. At his wordes be they drawen, yf he stande still in one facion, their mindes stande still with hym: If he thundre, they quake: If he chyde, they feare: If he cōplayne, they sory with hym: and finally, where a matter is spoken, with an apte voyce, for euerye affection, the hearers for the moste parte, are moued as the speaker woulde. But when a man is alwaye in one tune, lyke an Humble bee, or els nowe vp in the top of the churche, nowe downe that no manne knoweth where to haue hym: or piping lyke a reede, or roring lyke a bull, as some lawyers do, whiche thinke they do best, when they crye lowdest, these shall neuer greatly mooue, as I haue knowen many wel learned, haue done, bicause theyr voyce was not stayed afore, with learnyng to synge. For all voyces, great and small, base & shril, weke or softe, may be holpen and brought to a good poynt, by learnyng to synge.

Whether this be true or not, they that stand mooste in nede, can tell best, whereof some I haue knowen, whiche, because they learned not to sing, whan they were boyes, were fayne to take peyne in it, whā they were men. If any man shulde heare me Toxophile, [Page 12] that woulde thinke I did but fondly, to suppose that a voice were so necessarie to be loked vpon, I would aske him if he thought not nature a foole, for makīg such goodly instrumentes in a man, for wel vttring his woordes, orels if the .ii. noble orators Demost­henes & Cicero were not fooles, wherof the one dyd not onelie learne to sing of a man: But also was not ashamed to learne howe he shoulde vtter his soūdes aptly of a dogge, the other setteth oute no poynte of thetorike, so full [...]e in all his bookes, as howe a man shoulde order his voyce for all kynde of matters.

Therfore seinge men by speaking, differ and be bet­ter than beastes, by speakyng wel, better than other men, and that singing is an helpe towarde the same as dayly experiēce doth teache, example of wysemē doth alowe, authoritie of learned men doth approue wherwith the foundacion of youth in all good com­mon wealthes alwayes hath bene tempe [...]ed: sure­lye if I were one of the parliament house, I woulde not fayle, to put vp a bill for the amendment of this thynge, but because I am lyke to be none this yeare, I wil speake no more of it, at this time.

It were pitie truly Philologe, that the thinge shoulde be neglected, but I trust it is not as you say.

The thing is to true, for of them that come daylye to y^• v­niuersitie, where one hath learned to singe, vi. hath not. But nowe to oure shotinge Toxophile agayne, wherin I suppose you can not say so muche for sho­tyng to be [...]itte for learninge, as you haue spoken a­gaynste Musicke for the same.

Therfore as concerning Musike, I can be content [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] to graunt you your mynde: But as for shooting, su­rely I suppose that you can not perswade me, by no meanes, that a man can be earnest in it, and earnest at his booke to: but rather I thynke that a man w^t a bowe on his backe, and shaftes vnder hys girdell, is more fit to wayte vpon Robin Hoode, than vpon Apollo or the Muses.

Ouer ernest shooting surely I will not ouer ernestlye defende, for I euer thought shooting shoulde be a wayter vpon lerning not a mastres ouer learning. Yet this I maruell not a litle at, that ye thinke a man with a bowe on hys backe is more like Robin Hoode seruaūt, than Apol­lose, seing that Apollo him selfe in Alcestis of Euri­pides, whiche tragidie you red openly not long ago, in a maner glorieth saying this verse. ‘It is my wont alwaies my bowe with me to beare’

Therfore a learned man ought not to much to be ashamed to beare that some tyme, [...] whiche Apollo god of lerning him selfe was not ashamed always to beare. And bycause ye woulde haue a man wayt vpon the Muses, and not at all medle with shotyng I maruell that you do not remembre howe that the ix. muses their selfe as sone as they were borne, wer put to norse to a lady called Euphemis whiche had a son named E [...]otus with whome the nine Muses for his excellent shootinge, kepte euer more compa­nie wall, & vsed dayly to shoote togither in y^• mount Pernasus: and at last it chaūced this Erotus to dye, whose death the Muses lamented greatly, and fell all vpon theyr knees afore Iupiter theyr father, and at theyr request, E [...]otus for shooting with the Mu­ses [Page 13] in earth was made a signe, and called Sagitta­rius in heauen. Therfore you se, that if Apollo and the Muses either were examples in dede, or onelye fayned of wise men to be examples of learninge, ho­nest shoting maye well ynough be companion with honest studie.

Well Toxophile, if you haue no stronger defence of shotinge then Poetes, I feare yf your companions which loue shotinge, hearde you, they wolde thinke you made it but a triflyng and fa­bling matter, rather then any other man that loueth not shotinge coulde be persuaded by this reason to loue it.

Euen as I am not so fonde but I knowe that these be fables, so I am sure you be not so ignoraunt, but you knowe what suche noble wit­tes as the Poetes had, ment by such matters: which oftentymes vnder the couering of a fable, do hyde & wrappe in goodlie preceptes of philosophie, with the true iudgement of thinges. Whiche to be true speci­allye in Homer and Euripides, Plato, Aristotle and Galene playnelye do shewe: when through all their workes (in a maner) they determine all cōtrouersies, by these .ii. Poetes and suche lyke authorities. Ther­fore if in this matter I seme to fable, and nothynge proue, I am content you iudge so on me: seinge the same iudgement shal condemne with me Plato, A­ristotle, and Galene, whom in that errour I am wel content to folowe. If these oulde examples proue no thing for shoting, what saye you to this▪ that the best learned and sagest men in this Realme, whiche be nowe alyue, both loue shoting and vse shoting, as the best learned bisshoppes that be: amonges whome [Page] Philologe▪ you your selfe knowe .iiii. or .v. which as in all good learning, vertue and sagenesse they gyue o­ther men example what thing they shoulde do, euen so by their shoting, they playnely shewe what honest pastime, other mē giuē to learning, may honestly vse. That ernest studie must be recreated with honest pa­stime sufficientlye I haue proued afore, both by rea­son and authoritie of the best learned men that euer wrote. Then seing pastymes be lefull, the moost fit­test for learning, is to be sought for. A pastyme, saith Aristotle, [...] must be lyke a medicine. Medicines staude by contraries, therfore the nature of studying consi­dered, the fittest pastyine shal soone appeare. In stu­die euery parte of the body is ydle, which thing cau­seth grosse and colde humours, to gather togyther & [...]ere scholers verye moche, the mynde is altogyther bent and set on worke. A pastyme then must be had where euery parte of the bodye must be laboured to separate and lessen suche humours withal: the mind must be vnbent, to gather & fetche againe his quick­nesse withall. Thus pastymes for the mynde onelye, be nothing fit for studentes, bycause the body which is moost hurte by studie, shulde take no profyte at all thereat. This knewe Erasmus verye well, when he was here in Cambrige: which when he had ben sore at his boke (as Garret our bookebynder hath verye ofte tolde me) for lacke of better exercise, wolde take his horse, and ryde about the markette hill, and come agayne. If a scholer shoulde vse bowles or tennies, the laboure is to vehement and vuequall, whiche is cōdempned of Galene: the example very ill for other [Page 14] men, when by so manye actes they be made vnlaw­full.

Running, leaping, and coyting be to vile for scho­lers, and so not fit by Aristotle his iudgement: wal­king alone into the felde,Aristot. pol. 7. 17. hath no token of courage in it, a pastyme lyke a simple man which is neither flesh nor fisshe. Therfore if a man woulde haue a pastyme holesome and equall for euerye parte of the bodye, pleasaunt and full of courage for the mynde, not vile and vnhoneste to gyue ill example to laye men, not kepte in gardynes and corners, not lurkynge on the nyght and in holes, but euermore in the face of men, either to rebuke it when it doeth ill, or els to testifye on it when it doth well: let him seke chefelye of all o­ther for shotynge.

Suche comm [...]ne pa­stymes as men commenlye do vse, I wyll not great­lye allowe to be fit for scholers: seinge they maye vse suche exercises verye well (I suppose) as Galene him selfe doth allowe.

Gal. de [...] Those exercises I remembre verye well, for I read them within these two dayes, of the whiche, some be these: to runne vp and downe an hyll, to clyme vp a longe powle, or a tope, and there hange a while, to holde a man by his armes and waue with his heeles, moche lyke the pa­styme that boyes vse in the churche whē their master is awaye, to swinge and totter in a belrope: to make a fiste, and stretche out both his armes, and so stande lyke a roode. To go on a man his tiptoes, stretching out thone of his armes forwarde, the other backe­warde, which if he blered out his tunge also, myght be thought to dannce A [...]ticke verye properlye.

[Page] To tūble ouer and ouer, to toppe ouer tayle: To set backe to backe, and se who cā heaue an other his he­les highest, wi [...]h other moche like: whiche exercises surelye muste nedes be naturall, bycause they be so childisshe, and they may be also holesome for the bo­dy: but surely as for pleasure to the minde or honestie in the doinge of them, they be as lyke shotinge as Yorke is foule Sutton. Therfore to loke on al pasty­mes and exercises holsome for the bodye, pleasaunt for the mynde, comlye for euery man to do, honest for all other to loke on, profitable to be sette by of euerye man, worthie to be rebuked of no man, fit for al ages persōs and places, onely shoting shal appeare, wher­in all these commodities maye be founde.

To graunt Toxophile, that studentes may at tymes conuenient vse shoting as moost holsome and honest pastyme: yet to do as some do, to shote hourly daylie, wekelye, and in a maner the hole yere, neither I can prayse, nor any wyse man wyl alowe, nor you your selfe can honestlye defende.

Sure­lye Philologe, I am very glad to se you come to that poynt that moost lieth in your stomake, and greueth you and other so moche. But I truste after I haue sayd my mynde in this matter, you shal cōfesse your sel [...]fe that you do rebuke this thing more thā ye nede, rather then you shal fynde that any man may spende by anye possibilittie, more tyme in shotinge then he ought. For first and formoost the hole tyme is deuy­ded into .ii. partes, the daye and the night: whereof the night maye be both occupyed in many honest bu­sinesses, and also spent in moche vnthriftinesse, but in [Page 15] no wise it can be applyed to shoting. And here you se that halfe oure tyme, graunted to all other thinges in a maner both good and ill, is at one swappe quite taken awaye from shoting. Now let vs go forward, and se how moche of halfe this tyme of ours is spēt in shoting. The hole yere is deuided into .iiii. partes, Spring tyme, Somer, faule of the leafe, and winter wherof the whole winter, for the roughnesse of it, is cleane taken away from shoting: except it be one day amonges .xx. or one yeare amonges .xl. In Somer, for the feruent heate, a man maye saye likewyse: ex­cept it be somtyme agaynst night. Now then spring tyme and faule of the leafe be those which we abuse in shoting. But if we consider how mutable & chaungeable the wether is in those seasons, and howe that Aristotle him selfe sayth, that mooste parte of rayne fauleth in these two tymes: we shall well perceyue, that where a man wolde shote one daye, he shall be fayne to leaue of .iiii. Now when tyme it selfe graū ­teth vs but a litle space to shote in, lette vs se if sho­ting be not hindered amonges all kyndes of men as moche otherwayes. First, yong childrē vse not, yong men for feare of them whom they be vnder tomoche dare not: sage men for other greater businesses, wyll not: aged men for lacke of strengthe, can not: Ryche men for couetousnesse sake, care not: poore men for cost and charge, may not: masters for their housholde keping, hede not: seruaūtes kept in by their maisters very oft, shall not: craftes men for getting of their ly­uing, verye moche leysure haue not: and many there be that oft beginnes, but for vnaptnesse proues not: [Page] and moost of all, whiche when they be shoters gyue it ouer and lyste not, so that generallye men euerye where for one or other consideration moche shoting vse not. Therfore these two thinges, straytenesse of tyme, and euery man his trade of liuing, are the cau­ses that so fewe men shotes: as you maye se in this greate towne, where as there be a thousande good mens bodies, yet scarse .x. y^• vseth any great shoting. And those whome you se shote the moost, with how many thinges are the drawen, or rather driuen, frō shoting. For first, as it is many a yere or they begyn to be greate shoters, euen so the greate heate of sho­tinge is gone within a yere or two: as you knowe di­uerse Philologe your selfe, which were sometyme the best shoters, and now they be the best studentes.

If a man faule sycke, farewell shoting, maye fortune as long as he lyueth. If he haue a wrentche, or haue takē colde in his arme, he may hang vp his bowe (I warraunt you) for one season. A litle blayne, a small cutte, yea a silie poore worme in his finger, may kepe him from shoting wel ynough. Breaking and ill luck in bowes I wyll passe ouer, with an hūdred mo sere thinges, whiche chaunceth euerye daye to them that shote moost, wherof the leest of them may compell a man to leaue shoting. And these thinges be so trewe and euident, that it is impossible either for me craf­telye to fayne them, or els for you iustly to deny thē. Thā seing how many hundred thinges are required altogyther to giue a man leaue to shote, and any one of thē denied, a mā can not shote: and seing euery one of them maye chaunce, and doth chaunce euery day, [Page 16] I meruayle anye wyse man wyll thynke it possible, that any greate tyme can be spent in shoting at all.

I [...] this be true that you saye Toxophile, and F in very dede I can denye nothinge of it, I meruayle greatly how it chaunceth, that those, whiche vse sho­ting be so moche marked of men, and ofttymes bla­med for it, and y^• in a maner as moche as those which pleye at cardes and dise.Cardes and dyse. And I shal tell you what I hearde spoken of the same matter. A man no shoter, (not longe agoo) wolde defende playing at cardes & dise, if it were honestly vsed, to be as honest a pastime as youre shotinge: For he layed for him, that a man might pleye for a litle at cardes and dyse, and also a man might shote away all that euer he had. He sayd a payre of cardes cost not past .ii.d. and that they ne­ded not so moche reparation as bowe and shaftes, they wolde neuer hurte a man his hande, nor neuer weare his gere. A man shulde neuer slee a man with shoting▪ wyde at the cardes. In wete and drye, hote and coulde, they woulde neuer forsake a man, he she­wed what great varietie there is in them for euerye mans capacitie: if one game were harde, he myght easelye learne an other: if a man haue a good game, there is greate pleasure in it: if he haue an ill game, the payne is shorte, for he maye soone gyue it ouer, and hope for a better: with many other mo reasons.

But at the last he concluded, that betwixt playinge and shoting, well vsed or ill vsed, there was no dif [...]e­rence: but that there was lesse coste and trouble, and a greate deale more pleasure in playing, then in sho­tynge.

I can not deny, but shoting (as all other good thinges) may be abused. And good thinges vngood­lye vsed, are not good, sayeth an honorable bishoppe in an ernester matter then this is: yet we muste be­ware that we laye not mennes faultes vpō the thing which is not worthie, for so nothing shulde be good. And as for shoting, it is blamed and marked of men for that thing (as I sayde before) which shoulde be rather a token of honestie to prayse it, then any signe of noughtinesse to disalowe it, and that is bycause it is in euerye man his sight, it seketh no corners, it hy­deth it not: if there be neuer so litle fault in it, euerye man seeth it, it accuseth it selfe. For one houre spente in shoting is more sene and further talked of, then .xx nightes spent in dysing, euen as a litle white stone is sene amonges .iii. hundred blacke. Of those that blame shotinge and shoters, I wyll saye nomore at this tyme but this, that beside that they stoppe and hinder shoting, which the kinges grace wolde haue forwarde, they be not moche vnlyke in this poynt to Wyl [...] Somer the king his foole, which smiteth him that standeth alwayes before his face, be he neuer so worshipfull a man, and neuer greatly lokes for him whiche lurkes behinde an other man his backe, that hurte him in dede.

But to him that compared gamning with shoting somewhat wyll I answere, and bycause he went a­fore me in a cōparison: and comparisons sayth lear­ned men, make playne matters: I wyl surely folowe him in the same.In [...] ▪ Honest thynges (sayeth Plato) be knowen from vnhonest thinges, by this difference, [Page 17] vnhonestie hath euer present pleasure in it, hauing neyther good pretence going before, nor yet any profit folowing after: which saying descrybeth general lye, bothe the nature of shooting & gamning whiche is good, and which is euyl, verie well.

Gamninge hath ioyned with it, a vayne presente pleasure, but there foloweth, losse of name, losse of goodes, and winning of an hundred gowtie, dropsy diseases, as euery man can tell. Shoting is a peyn­full pastime, wherof foloweth health of body quiknes of witte, habilitie to defende oure countrye, as our enemies can beare recorde.

Loth I am to compare these thinges togyther, & yet I do it not bicause there is any comparison at al betwixte them, but therby a man shal se how good the one is, howe euil the other. For I thinke ther is scarse so muche contrariousnes, betwixte hotte and colde, vertue & vice, as is betwixte these .ii. thinges: For what so euer is in the one, the cleane contrarye is in the other, as shall playnlye appere, if we consi­der, bothe theyr beginnynges, theyr encreasynges, theyr fructes, and theyr endes, whiche I wyl soone rydde ouer.

¶The fyrste brynger in to the worlde of shootynge,Pla. [...]. was Apollo, whiche for his wisdome, & great com­modities, brought amonges men by him, was este­med worthie, to be counted as a God in heauen.

Disyng surely is a bastarde borne, because it is said to haue .ii. fathers, and yet bothe noughte: The one was an vngracious God, called Theuth, Plato In Phedro. which for his noughtines, came neuer in other goddes companyes, [Page] and therfore Homer doth despise onse to nam [...] him, in all his workes. The other father was a Ly­dian borne, whiche people for suche gamnes, [...]rodot. in [...] and o­ther vuthriftines, as boowlyng and hauntyng of tauernes, haue bene euer had in most vile reputation, in all storyes and writers.

The Fosterer vp of shoting is Labour, y^• compani­on of vertue, the maynteyner of honestie, the encrea­ser of health and welthinesse, whiche admytteth no­thinge in a maner in to his companye, that standeth not, with vertue and honestie, and therefore sayeth the oulde poete Epicharmus very pretelye in Xeno­phon, [...]en. de dict. [...] [...]. So [...]. that God selleth vertue, & all other good thin­ges to men for labour. The Nource of dise and car­des, is werisom Ydlenesse, enemy of vertue, y^• drowner of yo [...]the, that tarieth in it, and as Chauser doth saye verie well in the Parsons tale, the gree [...]e path waye to hel, hauinge this thing appropriat vnto it, that where as other vices haue some cloke of hone­stie, onely ydlenes can neyther do wel, nor yet thinke wel. Agayne, shooting hath two Tutours to looke vpon it, out of whose companie, shooting neuer stirreth, the one called Daye light, y^• other Open place, whyche .ii. keepe shooting from euyl companye, and suffers it not to haue to much swinge, but euermore kepes it vnder awe, that it darre do nothyng in the open face of the worlde, but that which is good and honest. Lykewyse, dysinge and cardynge, haue .ii. Tutours, the one named Solitariousenes, whyche lurketh in holes and corners, the other called Night an vngratiouse couer of noughtynesse, whyche two [Page 18] thynges be very In [...]pers & receyuers of all nough­tynesse and noughtye thinges, and therto they be in a maner, ordeyned by Nature. For on the nighte tyme & in corners, Spirites and theues, rattes and mise, toodes and oules, nyghtecrowes and poulcat­tes, foxes and foumerdes, with all other vermine, and noysome beastes, vse mooste styrringe, when in the daye lyght, and in open places whiche be ordey­ned of God for honeste thynges▪ they darre not ones come, whiche thinge Euripides noted verye well, sayenge. ‘I [...] thinges the night, good thinges the daye doth haunt & vse. [...]’

Companions of shoting, be prouidens, good heed giuing, true meatinge, honest comparison, whyche thinges agree with vertue very well. Ca [...]dinge and dysinge, haue a sorte of good felowes also, goynge commonly in theyr companye, as blynde Fortune, stumbling chaunce, spittle lucke, false dealyng craf­ty conueyaunce, braynlesse brawlynge, false forswe­rynge, whiche good feloes wyll sone take a man by the ste [...]e, and cause him take his Inne, some w^t beg­gerye, some wyth goute & dropsie, some with thefte and robbery, & seldome they wyl leaue a man before he comme eyther to hangyng or els somme other ex­treme misery. To make an ende, howe shoting by al mennes lawes hath bene alowed, cardyng and dy­sing by al mennes iudgementes condemned, I nede not shewe the matter is so playne.

Therfore, whan the Lydians shall inuent better [Page] thinges than Apollo, when slothe and ydlenes shall encrease vertue more than labour, whan the nyghte and lurking corners, giueth lesse occasion to vnthri­ftinesse, than lyght daye and opennes, than shal sho­tynge and suche gamninge, be in sūme comparison lyke. Yet euen as I do not shewe all the goodnes, whiche is in shotynge, whan I proue it standeth by the same thinges that vertue it selfe standeth by, as brought in by God, or Godlyelyke men, fostered by labour, committed to the sauegarde of lyght and o­pennes, accompanied with prouision and diligens, loued and allowed by euery good mannes sentence, Euen lykewyse do I not open halfe the noughtines whiche is in cardyng & dising, whan I shewe howe they are borne of a desperate mother, norished in y­dlenes, encresed by licence of nyght and corners, ac­companied wyth Fortune, chaunce, deceyte, & craf­tines: condemned and banished, by all lawes & iud­gementes.

For if I woulde enter, to descrybe the monstru­ousenes of it, I shoulde rather wander in it, it is so brode, than haue any readye passage to the ende of the matter: whose horriblenes is so large, that it passed the eloquence of oure Englyshe Homer, to com­passe it: yet because I euer thought hys sayinges to haue as muche authoritie, as eyther Sophocles or Euripides in Greke, therfore gladly do I remem­bre these verses of hys.

¶Mother of lesinges) trulye it maye well be called so, if a man consydre howe manye wayes, and how many thinges, he loseth thereby, for firste he loseth his goodes, he loseth his tyme, he loseth quycknes of wyt, and all good lust to other thinges, he loseth honest companye, he loseth his good name and esti­mation, and at laste, yf he leaue it not, loseth God, & heauen and all: and in stede of these thinges win­neth at length, eyther hangyng or hell.

¶And of deceyte) I trowe if I shoulde not lye, there is not halfe so muche crafte vsed in no one thinge in the worlde, as in this cursed thynge. What false dise vse they? as dise stopped with quicksiluer and heares, dise of a vauntage, flattes, gourdes to chop and chaunge whan they lyste, to lette the trewe dise fall vnder the table, & so take vp the false, and if they be true dise, what shyfte wil they make to set y^• one of them with slyding, with cogging, with foysting, with coytinge as they call it. Howe wyll they vse these shiftes, whan they get a playne man that can no skyll of them? Howe will they go about, yf they perceyue an honest man haue money, which list not playe, to prouoke him to playe? They wyl seke his company, they wil let hym paye nought, yea and as I hearde a man ones saye that he dyd, they wil send for hym to some house, & spend perchaunce, a crown on him, and at last wyll one begin to saye: what my masters, what shall we do? shall euerye man playe [Page] his .xii.d. whyles an apple coste in the fyre, and than we wyll drinke & departe: Naye wyl an other [...]aye, as false as he, you can not leaue whan you begyn, and therfore I wyll not playe: but yet yf you wyll gage, that euery man as he hath lost his .xii.d. shall sit downe, I am content, for surely I woulde wine no mannes money here, but euen as much as wolde paye for my supper. Than speketh the thyrde, to the honest man that thought not to playe, what wyll [...] you playe your .xii. pence if he excuse hym, tush man wyll the other saye, sticke not in honest company for xii.d. I wyll beare your halfe, and here is my mony

Nowe al this is to make him to beginne, for they knowe if he be ones in, and be a looser, y^• he wyl not sticke at his .xii.d. but hopeth euer to gette it agayne, whiles perhaps, he loose all. Than euery one of thē setteth his shiftes abroche, some w^t false dise, some wyth settynge of dyse, some with hauinge outelan­dishe syluer coynes guylded, to put away at a tyme for good gold. Than yf ther come a thing in controuersie, muste you be iudged by the table, and than farewell the honest man hys parte, for he is borne downe on euerye syde.

Nowe sir, besyde all these thinges they haue cer­tayne termes, as a man woulde saye, appropriate to to theyr playing: wherby they wyl drawe a mannes money, but paye none, whiche they cal barres, that surely he that knoweth them not, maye soone be de­barred of all that euer he hath, afore he lerne them. Yf a playne man lose, as he shall do euer, or els it is a wonder, than the game is so deuilysh, that he can [Page 20] neuer leaue: For vayn hope (which hope sayth Euripides, destroyeth many a man and Citie) dryueth hym on so farre,In supp [...]. that he can neuer retourne backe, vntyl he be so lyght, that he nede feare no theues by the waye. Nowe if a simple man happen onse in his lyfe, to win of suche players, than will they eyther entreate him to kepe them company whyles he hath lost all agayne, or els they will vse the moste dyuel­yshe fashion of all, For one of the players that stan­deth nexte him, shall haue a payre of false dise, and cast them out vpon the bourde, the honest man shall take them & cast them, as he did the other, the thirde shall espye them to be false dise, and shall crye oute, har [...]e, wyth all the othes vnder God, that he hath falselye wonne theyr moneye, and than there is no­thynge but houlde thy throte from my dagger, than euery man layeth hande on the simple man, and ta­keth all theyr moneye from him, and his owne also, thinking him selfe wel, that he scapeth w^t his lyfe.

Cursed sweryng, blasphemie of Christe) These halfe verses Chaucer in an other place, more at large doth well set out, and verye liuely expresse, sayinge.

[Page] Thoughe these verses be very ernestlie [...] yet they do not halfe so grisely sette out the hor [...]ble­nes of blasphemy, which suche gamne [...]s vse, as it is in dede, and as I haue hearde my selfe. For no man can wryte a thing so earnestlye, as whan it is spokē wyth [...]esture, as learned men you knowe do saye.

Howe will you thinke that suche furiousenes wyth woode countenaunces, and brenning eyes, with staringe and bragging, with heart redie to leape out of the [...]elly for dwelling, can be expressed y^• tenth part, to the vttermost. Two men I herd my selfe, whose sayinges be far more grisely, than Chaucers verses One, whan he had lost his moneye, sware me God, from top to toe with, one breath, that he had lost al his money for lacke of sweringe: The other, losyng his money, and heaping othes vpon othes, one in a nothers necke, moost horrible & not spekeable, was rebuked of an honest man whiche stode, by for so do doynge, he by and by starynge him in the face, and clappyng his fiste with all his moneye he had, vpon the boorde, sware me by the flesshe of God, that yf sweryng woulde helpe him but one ace, he woulde not leue one pece of god vnsworne, neyther wythin nor without. The remembraūce of this blasphemy Philologe, doth make me quake at the hart, & there­fore I wyll speake no more of it.

And so to conclude wyth suche gamnyng, I thynke there is no vngraciousenes in all thys worlde, that carieth a man so far from god, as thys faulte doth. And yf there were anye so desperate a persone, that [Page 21] woulde begynne his hell here in earth, I trowe he shoulde not fynde hell more lyke hell it selfe, then the lyfe of those men is which dayly haunt and vse suche vngracious games.

You handle this gere in dede: And I suppose if ye had ben a prentice at suche games, you coulde not haue sayd more of them then you haue done, and by lyke you haue had somwhat to do with them.

In dede, you may honestlye gather that I hate them greatly, in that I speake a­gaynst them: not that I haue vsed them greatlye, in that I speake of them. For thynges be knowen dy­uerse wayes, as Socrates (you knowe) doeth proue in Alcibiades. And if euery man shulde be that, that he speaketh or wryteth vpō, then shulde Homer haue bene the best capitayne, moost cowarde, hardye, ha­sty, wyse and woode, sage and simple: And Terence an ouldeman & a yong, an honest man and a bawde: with suche lyke. Surelye euerye man ought to praye to God dayly, to kepe them frō suche vnthriftynesse, and speciallye all the youth of Englande: for what youth doth begynne, a man wyll folowe cōmonlye, euen to his dyinge daye: whiche thinge Adrastus in Euripides pretelye doth expresse,Euripides in suppl [...]. sayinge.

For the foundation of youth well sette (as Plato doth saye) the whole bodye of the commune wealth shal floryshe therafter. If the yonge tree grow [...] cro­ked, [Page] when it is oulde, a man shal rather breake it thā streyght it. And I thinke there is no one thinge y^• cro­kes youth more then suche vnlefull games. Nor let no mā say, if they be honestly vsed they do no harme. For how can that pastyme whiche neither exerciseth the bodye with any honest labour, nor yet the minde with any honest thinking, haue any honestie ioyned with it. Nor let noman assure hym selfe that he can vse it honestlye: for if he stande therein, he maye for­tune haue a faule, the thing is more slipperye then he knoweth of. A man maye (I graunt) syt on a brante hyll syde, but if he gyue neuer so lytle forwarde, he can not stoppe though he woulde neuer so fayne, but he must nedes runne heedling, he knoweth not how farre. What honest pretences, vayne pleasure layeth dayly (as it were entisemētes or baytes, to pull men forwarde withall) Homer doeth well shewe, by the Sirenes, and Circes. And amonges all in that shyp there was but one Ulysses, and yet he hadde done to as the other dyd, yf a goddesse had not taught hym: And so lykewyse I thinke, they be easye to numbre, whiche passe by playing honestlye, excepte the grace of God saue and kepe them. Therfore they that wyll not go to farre in playing, let them folowe this coū ­sell of the Poete.

‘❧Stoppe the begynninges.’

Well, or you go any further, I pray you tell me this one thing: Doo ye speake agaynste meane mennes playinge onelye, or agaynste greate [Page 22] mennes playinge to, or put you anye difference be­twixte them?

If I shulde excuse my selfe herein, and saye that I spake of the one, and not of the other, I feare leaste I shoulde as fondlye ex­cuse my selfe, as a certayne preacher dyd, whome I hearde vpon a tyme speake agaynste manye abuses, (as he sayde) and at last he spake agaynst candelles, and then he fearynge, least some men woulde haue bene angrye and offended with him, naye sayeth he, you must take me as I meane: I speake not agaynst greate candelles, but agaynst lytle candels, for they be not all one (ꝙ he) I promyse you: And so euerye man laughed him to scorne.

In dede as for greate men, and greate mennes matters, I lyft not greatlye to meddle. Yet this I woulde wysshe that all great men in Englande had red ouer diligentlye the Pardoners tale in Chaucer, and there they shoulde perceyue and se, howe moche suche games stande with theyr worshyppe, howe great soeuer they be. What great men do, be it good or yll, meane men communelye loue to followe, as many learned men in many places do saye, and day­lye experience doth playnelye shewe, in costlye appa­rell and other lyke matters.

Therfore, seing that Lordes be lanternes to leade the lyfe of meane men, by their example, eyther to goodnesse or badnesse, to whether soeuer they liste: and seinge also they haue libertie to lyste what they wiil, I pray God they haue will to list that which is good, and as for their playing, I wyll make an ende with this saying of Chaucer.

But to be shorte, the best medicine for all sortes of men both high and lowe, yonge and oulde, to put a­waye suche vnlawfull games is by the contrarye, lykewyse as all physicions do alowe in physike. So let youthe in steade of suche vnlefull games, whiche stande by ydlenesse, by solitarinesse, and corners, by night and darkenesse, by fortune & chaunce, by crafte and subtiltie, vse suche pastimes as stand by labour: vpon the daye light, in open syght of men, hauynge suche an ende as is come to by cōning, rather then by crafte: and so shulde vertue encrease, and vice decaye. For contrarye pastimes, must nedes worke contrary mindes in men, as all other contrary thinges doo.

And thus we se Philologe, that shoting is not onely the moost holesome exercise for the bodye, the moost honest pastime for the mynde, and that for all sortes of men: But also it is a moost redy medicine, to purge the hole realme of suche pestilent gamning, wher w^t many tymes: it is sore troubled and ill at ease.

The more honestie you haue proued by shoting Toxophile, and the more you haue perswaded me to loue it, so moche truly the soryer haue you made me with this last sentence of yours, wherby you plainly proue that a man maye not greatly vse it. For if sho­ting be a medicine (as you saye that it is) it maye not be vsed very oft, lest a man shuld hurt him selfe withall, as medicines moche occupyed doo. For Aristotle him selfe sayeth, that medicines be no meate to lyue withall: and thus shoting by the same reason, maye [Page 23] not [...] moche occupyed.

You playe your oulde wontes Philologe, in dalying with other mens wit­tes, not so moche to proue youre owne matter, as to proue what other mē can say. But where you thinke that I take awaye moche vse of shoting, in lykening it to a medicine: bycause men vse not medicines eue­ry daye, for so shoulde their bodyes be hurt: I rather proue daylye vse of shoting therby. For although A­tistotle sayeth that some medicines be no meate to lyue withall,Hip [...]o. d [...] med. purg. whiche is true: yet Hippocrates sayth that our daylye meates be medicines, to withstande euyll withall, whiche is as true. For he maketh two kyndes of medicines, one our meate that we vse dai­lye, whiche purgeth softlye and slowlye, and in this similitude maye shoting be called a medicine, wher­with dayly a man maye purge and take a way al vn­lefull desyres to other vnlefull pastymes, as I pro­ued before. The other is a quicke purging medicine, and seldomer to be occupyed, excepte the matter be greater, and I coulde describe the nature of a quicke medicine, which shoulde within a whyle purge and plucke oute all the vnthriftie games in the Realme, through which the commune wealth oftentymes is sycke. For not onely good quicke wittes to learnyng be thereby brought out of frame, and quite marred: but also manlye wittes, either to attempt matters of high courage in warre tyme, or els to atcheue mat­ters of weyght and wisdome in peace tyme, be made therby very quaisie and faynt. For loke throughoute all histories written in Greke, Latyne, or other lan­guage, and you shal neuer finde that realme prosper [Page] in the whiche s [...]che ydle pastymes are vsed. As con­cerning the medicyne, although some wolde be mis­content, if they hearde me meddle anye thynge with it: Yet betwixte you and me here alone, I maye the boldlyer saye my fantasie, and the rather bycause I wyll onelye wysh for it, whiche standeth with hone­stie, not determyne of it which belongeth to authori­tie. The medicine is this, that wolde to God and the kynge, all these vnthriftie ydle pastymes, whiche be very bugges, that the Psalme meaneth on, walking on the nyght and in corners, were made felonye,Psalm. [...]. and some of that punyshment ordeyned for them, which is appoynted for the forgers and falsifyers of the kynges coyne. Which punishment is not by me now inuented, [...] but longe agoo, by the mooste noble ora­tour Demosthenes: which meruayleth greatly that deathe is appoynted for falsifyers and forgers of the coyne, and not as greate punyshmente ordeyned for them, whiche by theyr meanes forges and falsifyes the commune wealthe. And I suppose that there is no one thyng that chaungeth sooner the golden and syluer wyttes of men into copperye & brassye wayes then dising and suche vnlefull pastymes.

And this quicke medicine I beleue wolde so throw­lye pourge them, that the daylye medicines, as sho­ting and other pastymes ioyned with honest labour shoulde easelyer withstande them.

The excel­lent commodityes of shotynge in peace tyme, Toxo­phile, you haue very wel and sufficiently declared.

Wherby you haue so persuaded me, that God wyl­ [...]ng hereafter I wyll both loue it the better, and al­so [Page 24] so vse it the ofter. For as moche as I can gather of all this communication of ours, the tunge, the nose, the handes and the feete be no fytter membres, or instrumentes for the body of a man, then is shotinge for the hole bodye of the realme. God hath made the partes of men which be best and moost necessarye, to serue, not for one purpose onelye, but for manye: as the tungue for speaking and tasting, the nose forsmelling, and also for auoyding of all excremētes, which faule oute of the heed, the handes for receyuynge of good thinges, and for puttyng of all harmefull thin­ges, from the bodye. So shotinge is an exercyse of healthe, a pastyme of honest pleasure, and suche one also that stoppeth or auoydeth all noysome games gathered and encreased by ill rule, as noughtye hu­mours be, whiche hurte and corrupte sore that parte of the realme, wherin they do remayne.

But now if you can shewe but halfe so moche pro­fyte in warre of shotynge, as you haue proued plea­sure in peace, then wyll I surelye iudge that there be fewe thinges that haue so manifolde commodities, and vses ioyned vnto them as it hath.

The vpperhande in warre, nexte the good­nesse G of God (of whome al victorie commeth,Mach. 1. [...]. as scri­pture sayth) standeth chefelye in thre thinges: in the wysedome of the Prince, in the sleyghtes and polli­cies of the capitaynes, and in the strength and chere­full forwardnesse of the souldyers. A Prince in his herte must be full of mercy and peace, a vertue moost pleasaunt to Christ, moost agreable to mans nature, moost profytable for ryche and poore.

[Page] For thā the riche man enioyeth with great pleasure that which he hath: the poore may obtayne with his labour, that which he lacketh. And although there is nothing worse then war, wherof it taketh his name, through the which great men be in daunger, meane men without succoure, ryche men in feare, bycause they haue somwhat: poore men in care, bycause they haue nothing: And so euery man in thought and mi­serie: Yet it is a ciuill medicine, wherewith a prince maye from the bodye of his commune wealth, put of that daunger whiche maye faule: or elles recouer a­gayne, [...]d Ni [...]o. whatsoeuer it hath lost. And therfore as Isocrates doth saye, a prince must be a warriour in two thinges, in conninge and knowledge of all sleyghtes and feates of warre, and in hauing al necessarye ha­bilimentes belongyng to the same. Whiche matter to entreate at large, were ouerlonge at this tyme to declare, & ouermoche for my learning to perfourme.

After the wisdome of the prince, are valiaunt ca­pitaynes moost necessary in warre, whose office and dutye is to knowe all sleightes and pollicies for all kyndes of warre, which they maye learne .ii. wayes, either in daylye folowing and haunting the warres or els bicause wisdome bought with strypes, is ma­ny tymes ouercostlye: they maye bestowe sometyme in Uegetius, which entreateth suche matters in La­tin metelye well, or rather in Poly [...]nus, and Leo the Emperour, which setteth out al pollicies and duties of capitaynes in the Greke tunge very excellentlye.

But chefely I wolde wisshe (and if I were of autho­ritie) I wolde counsel al the yong gentlemen of this [Page 25] realme, neuer to lay out of theyr handes .ii. authors Xenophon in Greke, and Caesar in Latyn, where in they shulde folowe noble Scipio Africanus,D [...]. S [...]. as Tullie doeth saye: In whiche .ii. authours, besydes elo­quence a thing moste necessary of all other, for a captayne, they shulde learne the hole course of warre, whiche those .ii. noble menne dyd not more wyselye wryte for other men to learne, than they dyd man­fully excercise in the fyelde, for other men to folowe.

The strengthe of war lyeth in the souldier, whose [...]hyefe prayse and vertue, is obedienceObedience. towarde his captayne, sayth Plato.Plat. leg. 1 [...] And Xenophon being a gen­tyle authour,Xen. Ages. moste christianlye doeth saye, euen by these woordes, that that souldyer whiche firste ser­ueth god, & than obeyeth hys captayne, maye bolde­lie with all courage, hope to ouerthrowe his enemy Agayne, w^tout obedience, neither valiant man, stout horse,Xe [...]. [...]ipp [...] nor goodly harnes doth any good at al. which obedience of y^• souldier toward his captane, brought the hole empyre of y^• worlde, into the Romanes hā ­des, & whan it was brought, kepte it lenger, than e­uer it was kept in any cōmon welth before or after.

And this to be true,Plu [...]arch [...] Scipio Africanus, the moste noble captayne that euer was amonge the Romay­nes, shewed very playnly, what tyme as he went in to Afryke, to destroye Cartage. For he restinge hys hooste by the waye in Sicilie, a daye or twoo, and at a tyme standing with a great man of Sicilie, and looking on his souldiers howe they excercised them selues in kepyng of araye, and other feates, the gen­tleman of Sicilie asked Scipio, wherein laye hys [Page] chyefe hope to ouercome Cartage: He an swered, in yonder feloes of myne, whom you se play: And why sayth the other, bycause sayeth Scipio, that if I cō ­maunded them to runne in to the toppe of this high castel, and cast them selues doune backeward vpon these rockes, I am sure the woulde do it.

Salust also doth write,Sal. [...]. Cat. y^t there were mo Romanes put to death of theyr captaynes for setting on theyr enemyes before they had licence, than were for run­ning away out of the fyelde, before they had fough­ten. These two e [...]amples do proue, that amonges the Romaynes, the obedience of the souldyer was wonderfull great, and the seueritie of the Captay­nes, to se the same kepte wonderfull strayte. For they wel perceyued that an hoste full of obedyence, falleth as seldome into the handes of theyr enemies as that bodye fawleth into Ieoperdye, the whiche is ruled by reason. Reason and Rulers beynge lyke in offyce, (for the one ruleth the body of man, the o­ther ruleth the bodye of the cōmon wealthe) ought to be lyke of condicions, and oughte to be obeyed in all maner of matters. Obedience is nourysshed by feare and loue, Feare is kepte in by true iustice and e­quitie, Loue is gotten by wisdome, ioyned w^t libera­litie: For where a souldyer seeth ryghteousenesse so rule, that a man can neyther do wronge nor yet take wronge, and that his capitayne for his wysedome, can mayntayne hym, & for his liberalitie will main­tayne him, he must nedes both loue him & feare him, of the whiche procedeth true & vnfayned obedience. After this inwarde vertue, the nexte good poynt in [Page 26] a souldier, is to haue and to handle his weapō wel, whereof the one must be at the appoyntment of the captayne, the other lyeth in the courage and exercise of the souldier: yet of al weapōs the best is,In Her [...]. [...]. as Euri­pides doth say, wherw^t with leest daūger of our self we maye hurt our enemye moost. And that is (as I suppose) artillarie. Artillarie now a dayes is taken for .ii. thinges: Gunnes & Bowes, which how moch they do in war, both dayly experience doeth teache, and also Peter Nānius a learned man of Louayn, in a certayne dialoge doth very well set out, wherin this is most notable, that when he hath shewed ex­cedyng commodities of both, and some discōmodi­ties of gunnes, as infinite cost and charge, comber­some cariage: and yf they be greate, the vncertayne leuelyng, the peryll of them that stand by them, the esyer auoydyng by them that stande far of: & yf they be lytle, the lesse both feare and ieoperdy is in them, besyde all contrary wether and wynde, whiche hyn­dereth them not a lytle: yet of all shotyng he can not reherse one discommoditie.

That I meruayle greatly at, seing Nannius is so wel learned, & so excercised in the authours of both the tūges: for I my selfe do remembre, that shotyng in war is but smal­ly praysed, and that of diuers captaynes in dyuers authors. For first in Euripides (whom you so high­ly prayse) and very well, for Tullie thynketh euerye verse in him to be an authoritie, what I praye you, doth Lycus that ouercame Thebes, say as concer­nyng shotyng? whose wordes as farre as I remem­bre, [...]e these, or not muche vnlyke.

Agayne Teucer the best Archer amonges all the Grecians,Sop [...] in [...] in Sophocles is called of Menelaus, a boweman, & a shooter as in villaynie & reproche, to be a thing of no price in warre. Moreouer Pandarꝰ the best shooter in the worlde, whome Apollo hym selfe taught to shoote, bothe he and his shotynge is quyte contemned in Homer,Iliad [...] in so much that Homer (which vnder a made fable doth alwayes hyde hys iudgement of thinges) doeth make Pandarus him selfe crye out of shooting, and cast his bowe awaye, and take him to a speare, makynge a vowe that if e­uer he came home, he woulde breake his shaftes, & burne his bowe, lamentyng greatly, that he was so fonde to leaue at home his horse and charyot wyth other weapons, for the trust y^t he had in his bowe. Homer signifieng therby, that men shoulde leue sho­ting out of warre, and take them to other wepons more fitte and able for the same, and I trowe Pan­darus woordes be muche what after thys sorte.

But to let passe al Poetes,Xen. [...]yri I [...]st. 6. what can be sorer said agaynst any thing, than the iudgement of Cyrus is agaynst shotynge, whiche doth cause his Persians beyng the best shooters to laye awaye theyr bowes and take them to sweardes and buckelers, speares and dartes, and other lyke hande weapons. The which thing Xenophon so wyse a philosopher, so ex­perte a captayne in warre hym selfe, woulde neuer haue written, and specially in that booke wherin he purposed to shewe,Epist. 1 a [...] Q Fra as Tullie sayeth in dede, not the true historie, but the example of a perfite wise prince and cōmon welthe, excepte that iudgement of chaū ­gyng Artillerie, in to other wepons, he had alwayes thought best to be folowed, in all warre. Whose counsell the Parthians dyd folowe,Plutarch M. [...]. whan they cha­sed Antonie ouer the moūtaines of Media, whiche being the best shoters of the worlde, lefte theyr bo­wes, and toke them to speares and morispikes.

And these [...]ewe examples I trowe, of the best shoo­ters, do well proue that the best shotinge is not the [Page] best thinge as you call it in warre.

As concer­nynge your first example, taken oute of Euripides, I maruayle you wyl bring it for y^• disprayse of sho­tyng, seyng Euripides doth make those verses, not bicause he thinketh thē true, but bicause he thinketh them fit for the person that spake them. For in dede his true iudgement of shoting, he doth expresse by & by after in the oratiō of the noble captaine Amphy­trio agaynste Lycus, wherein a man maye doubte, whether he hath more eloquentlye confuted Lycus sayenge, or more worthelye sette oute the prayse of shootynge. And as I am aduised, his woordes be muche hereafter as I shall saye.

Secondarily euen as I do not greatlye regarde what Menelaus doth say in Sophocles to Teucer, bycause he spake it bothe in anger, and also to hym that he hated, euen so doo I remembre very well in Homer, that when Hector and the Troians woulde haue set fyre on the greke shippes,Iliad. [...]. Teucer with his bowe made them recule backe agayne, when Menelaus tooke hym to his feete, and ranne awaye.

Thirdlye as concerning Pandarus, Homer doth not disprayse the noble gyfte of shotynge, but ther­by euery man is taught, that whatsoeuer, and how good soeuer a weapon a man doth vse in war,Ho [...]. Ili. 5. yf he be hym selfe a couetouse wretche, a foole wythoute counsell, a peacebreaker as Pandarus was, at last he shall throughe the punishment of God fall into his enemyes handes, as Pandarus dydde, whome Diomedes throughe the helpe of Minerua misera­blye slue.

[Page] And bycause you make mencion of Homer, & Troye matters, what can be more prayse for anye thynge, I praye you, than that is for shootyng, that Troye coulde neuer be destroyed without the helpe of Her­cules shaftes, whiche thinge doeth signifie, that al­though al the worlde were gathered in an army to­gyther, yet without shotinge they can neuer come to theyr purpose, as Ulysses in Sophocles very plainlye doth saye vnto Pyrrhus, as concernyng Hercu­les shaftes to be caried vnto Troye. ‘Nor you without them, nor without you they do ought. [...]oph. phil.’

Fourthlye where as Cyrus dyd chaunge parte of his bowemen, [...] wherof he had plentie, into other mē of warre, wherof he lacked, I will not greatlye dis­pute whether Cyrus did well in that poynt in those dayes or no, bycause it is not playne in Xenophon howe strong shooters the Persians were, what bo­wes they had, what shaftes and heades they occu­pyed, what kynde of warre theyr enemies vsed.

But trulye as for the Parthians, it is playne, in Plutarche, [...] that in chaungyng theyr bowes in to speares, they brought theyr selfe into vtter destru­ction. For when they had chased the Romaynes ma­ny a myle, through reason of theyr bowes, at the last the Romaynes ashamed of their fleing, and remem­brynge theyr owide noblenesse and courage, ymagi­ned thys waye, that they woulde kneele downe on theyr knees, and so couer all theyr body wyth theyr shyldes and targattes, that the Parthians shaftes [Page 28] might slyde ouer them, & do them no harme, whiche thing when the Partiās perceyued, thinking that y^• Romaynes were forweryed w^t laboure, watche, and hūgre: they layed downe their bowes, and toke spe­res in their handes, and so ranne vpon them: but the Romaynes perceyuinge them without their bowes, rose vp manfully, and slewe them euery mother son, saue a fewe that saued them selues with runnyng a­waye. And herein our archers of Englande far passe the Parthians, which for suche a purpose, whē they shall come to hande strokes, hath euer redy, eyther at his backe hangyng, or els in his next felowes hande a leadē maule, or suche lyke weapon, to beate d [...]wne his enemyes withall.

Well Toxophi [...] [...]inge that those examples whiche I had thought to haue ben cleane agaynst shoting, you haue thus turned to the hygh prayse of shotinge: and all this prayse that you haue now sayd on it, is rather come in by me thā sought for of you: let me heare I praye you nowe, those examples whiche you haue marked of shotyng your selfe: whereby you are, and thinke to persuade other, y^• shoting is so good in warre.

Exāples surely I haue marked very many: frō the begynning of tyme had in memorie of wrytyng, throughout all cōmune wealthes, & Empires of the worlde: wher­of the mooste parte I wyll passe ouer, lest I shoulde be tediouse: yet some I wyll touche, bycause they be notable, both for me to tell and you to heare.

And bycause the storye of the Iewes is for the tyme moost auncient, for the truthe mooste credible, it shalbe moost fitte to begynne with them. And al­though [Page] I knowe that God is the onely gyuer of vi­ctorie, and not the weapons, for all strength and vi­ctorie (sayth Iudas Machabeus) cōmeth from hea­uen:Ma [...]h 1. 3. Yet surely strong weapons be the instrumentes H wherwith god doth ouercome y^• parte, which he wil haue ouerthrowen. For God is well pleased wyth wyse and wittie feates of warre: As in metinge of e­nemies, for truse takyng, to haue priuilye in a bush­ment harnest men layd for feare of treason, as Iudas Machabeus dyd wyth Nicanor Demetrius capi­tayne:Ma [...]h. 2. 14. And to haue engines of warre to beat downe cities with all: and to haue scoutwatche amōges our enemyes to knowe their counsayles, as the noble ca­ptaine Ionathas brother to Iudas Machabeus did in the countrie of Amathie against the mighty hoste of Demetrius.Ma [...]h. 1. 12. And besyde al this, god is pleased to haue goodly tombes for them which do noble feates in warre, and to haue their ymages made, and also their cote Armours to be set aboue theyr tombes, to their perpetual laude and memorie:Ma [...]h. 1. 13. as the valiaunt capitayne Symon, dyd cause to be made for his bre­thren Iudas Machabeus and Ionathas, whē they were slayne of the Gētiles. And thus of what autho­ritie feates of warre, and strong weapons be, short­ly and playnelye we maye learne: But amonges the Iewes as I began to tell, I am sure there was no­thing so occupyed, or dydde so moche good as bowes dyd▪ insomoche that when the Iewes had any great vpperhande ouer the Gentiles, the fyrste thinge al­wayes that the captayne dyd, was to exhort the peo­ple to gyue all the thankes to God for the victorye, & [Page 29] not to theyr bowes, wherwith they had slayne their enemyes: as it is playne that the noble IosueIosu [...]. 13▪ dyd after so many kynges thrust downe by hym.

God, when he promyseth helpe to the Iewes, he vseth no kynde of speakyng so moche as this, that he wyll bende his bowe,Deut [...]r [...]. 3 [...]. and die his shaftes in the Gen­tiles blood: whereby it is manifest, that eyther God wyll make the Iewes shoote stronge shotes to ouer­throwe their enemies: or at leeste that shotinge is a wōderful mightie thing in warre, whervnto y^• hygh power of God is lykened.Psal. 7.63. 75. Dauid in the Psalmes calleth bowes the vessels of death, a bytter thinge, & in an other place a myghty power, and other wayes mo, which I wyll let passe, bycause euerye man rea­deth them daylye: But yet one place of scripture I must nedes remembre, which is more notable for y^• prayse of shoting, then any y^• euer I red in any other storie, and that is, when Saul was slayne of y^• Phi­listians being mightie bowmen,Regu [...]. 1. 31. and Ionathas his sonne with him, that was so good a shoter, as y^• scri­pture sayth, that he neuer shot shafte in vayne, and y^• the kyngdome after Saules deathe came vnto Da­uid: the first statute &Regum. 2. 1. lawe thateuer Dauid made af­ter he was king, was this, that al y^• children of Israel shulde learne to shote, according to a lawe made ma­ny a daye before y^• tyme for the setting out of shoting as it is written (sayeth Scripture) in libro lustorum, whiche booke we haue not nowe: And thus we se plainelye what greate vse of shoting, and what pro­uision euen from the begynnynge of the worlde for shotyng, was amonge the Iewes.

[Page] The Ethiopians which inhabite the furthest part South in the worlde, were wonderfull bowmen: insomoche that when Cambyses king of Persie being in Egipt, [...] sent certayne ambassadours into Ethiope to the kynge there, with many great gyftes: the king of Ethiop perceyuinge them to be espyes, toke them vp sharpely, and blamed Cambyses greatly for such vniust enterprises: but after that he had princely en­tertayned them, he sent for a bowe, and bente it and drewe it, and then vnbent it agayne, and sayde vn­to the ambassadours, you shall cōmende me to Cam­byses, and gyue him this bowe fro me, and byd him when any Persian can shote in this bowe, let him set vpon the Ethiopians: In the meane whyle let hym gyue thankes vnto God, whiche doth not put in the Ethiopiās mynde to cōquere any other mans lande. This bowe, when it came amonge the Persians, neuer one man in suche an infinite host (as Herodotus doth saye) could styrre the stryng, saue onely Smer­dis the brother of Cambyses, whiche styrred it two fingers, and no further: for the which act Cambyses had suche enuy at him, that he afterward slewe him: as doth appeare in the storye.

Sesostris the moost mightie king that euer was in Egipt, ouercame a great parte of the worlde, and that by archers: he subdued the Arabians, the Iues, the Assyrians: he wēt farther into Scythia then any man els: he ouercame Thracia, euen to the borders of Germanie. And in token how he ouercame al men he set vp in many places great ymages to his owne lykenesse, hauynge in the one hande a bowe, in the o­ther [Page 30] a sharpe heeded shafte: that men myght knowe, [...]. what weapon his hooste vsed, in conqueryng so ma­nye people.

Cyrus, counted as a god amonges the Gentyles, for his noblenesse and felicitie in warre:Herod [...]. yet at the last when he set vpon the Massage [...]anes (which people neuer went without their bowe nor their quiuer, ne­ther in warre nor peace) he and all his were slayne, and that by shotyng, as appeareth in the storye.

Polycrates the prince of Samos (a very litle yle) was lorde ouer all the Greke sees, and withstode the power of the Persians,Herod. [...] onely by the helpe of a thou­sande archers.

The people of Scythia, of all other men loued, and vsed moost shotyng, the hole rychesse and house­houlde stuffe of a man in Scythia, was a yocke of oxen, a plough, his nagge and his dogge, his bowe and his quiuer: which quiuer was couered with the skynne of a man, which he toke or slewe fyrste in bat­tayle. The Scythians to be inuincible by reason of their shotyng, the greate voyages of so manye noble conquerours spent in that countrie in vayne, doeth well proue: But specially that of Darius the mygh­tie kyng of Persie, which when he had taryed there a great space, and done no good, but had forweryed his hoste with trauayle and hunger: [...] At last the men of Scythia sent an ambassadour with .iiii. gyftes: a byrde, a frogge, a mouse, and .v. shaftes. Darius meruaylyng at the straungenesse of the gyftes, asked the messenger what they signifyed: the messenger answered, that he had no further cōmaundement, but onely [Page] to delyuer his gyftes, and retourne agayne with all spede: but I am sure (sayeth he) you Persians for your great wysdome, can soone bo [...]lt out what they meane. When the messenger was gone, euery man began to saye his verdite. Darius Iudgement was this, that y^• Scythians gaue ouer into the Persians handes, their lyues, theyr hole power, both by lande and see, signifyinge by the mouse the earthe, by the frogge the water, in which they both liue, by y^• birde their lyues which lyue in the ayer, by the shaft their hole power and Empire, that was maynteyned al­wayes by shotinge. Gobryas a noble and wyse cap­tayne amonges the Persians, was of a cleane cōtra­ry minde, saying, nay not so, but the Sythiās meane thus by their gyftes, that except we get vs wynges, and flye into the ayer lyke birdes, or run into y^• holes of the earth lyke myse, or els lye lurkyng in fennes & marisses lyke frogges, we shall neuer returne home agayne, before we be vtterly vndone with their sha­ftes: which sentence sanke so sore into their hertes, y^• Darius with all spede possible, brake vp his campe, and gat hym selfe homewarde. Yet howe moche the Persians them selues set by shotinge, wherby they encreased their empire so moche, doth appeare by .iii manifest reasons: [...] first that they brought vppe theyr youth in the schole of shoting, vnto .xx. yere of age, as dyuerse noble Greke authours do saye.

Agayne, bycause the noble kyng Darius thought hym selfe to be praysed by nothyng so moch, as to be counted a good shoter, as doth appeare by his sepul­chre, wherin he caused to be written this sentence:

Thirdlye the coyne of the Persians, both golde & siluer had the Armes of Pers [...]e vpon it,Plutarch. in Ages [...]a. as is custo­mably vsed in other realmes, and that was bow and arowes: by the which feate they declared, how moch they set by them.

The Grecians also, [...] but specially the noble Atheni­enses, had all their strength lyinge in Artillarie: and for y^• purpose the citie of Athēs had a M. men which were onely archers, in dayly wages, to watche and kepe the citie frō al ieoperdie & sodein daūger: which archers also shuld cary to prisō & warde any misdoer at y^• cōmaundemēt of the hygh officers, as playnlye doth appeare in Plato.Plato in [...]. And surely the bowmen of A­thens did wōderful feates in many battels, but spe­cially when Demosthenes the valiaūt captayne slue and toke prisoners all the Lacedemonians besyde y^• citie of Pylos, where Nestor somtyme was lord: the shaftes went so thicke that daye (sayth Thucydides)Thucydid. [...] that no man could se theyr enemies. A Lacedemoni­an taken prisoner, was asked of one at Athens, whether they were stoute fellowes that were slayne or no, of the Lacedemonians: he answered nothing els but this: make moche of those shaftes of youres, for they knowe neyther stoute nor vnstoute: meanynge therby, that no man (though he were neuer so stout) came in their walke, that escaped without death.

Herodotus descrybing the mighty hoost of Xerxes especially doth marke out,Herod. in Polym. what bowes and shaftes they vsed, signifying y^t therin lay their chefe strēgth [Page] And at the same tyme Attossa, mother of Xerxes, wyfe to Darius, and doughter of Cyrus, [...] doeth en­quire (as Aeschylus sheweth in a Tragedie) of a cer­tayne messenger that came from Xerxes hoste, what stronge and fearfull bowes the Grecians vsed: wherby it is playne, that Artillarie [...] thing, wherin both Europe and Asia [...] those dayes trusted moost vppon.

The best parte of Alexanders hoste were archers as playnelye doth appeare by Arianus, and other y^• wrote his life: and those so stronge archers, that they onely, [...] sundrye tymes ouercame their enemies, afore any other neded to fyght: as was sene in the battayl which Nearchus one of Alexanders capitaynes had besyde the ryuer of Thomeron. And therfore as con­cerning all these kyngdomes and cōmune wealthes, I maye cōclude with this sentence of Plinie, [...] whose wordes be, as I suppose thus: If any man woulde remēbre the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Arabians, the men of Inde, of Scythia, so many people in y^• east of the Sarmatianes, and all the kyngdomes of the Parthians, he shall well perceyue halfe the parte of the worlde, to lyue in subiection, ouercome by the myght and power of shotinge.

In the commune wealth of Rome, which exceded all other in vertue, noblenesse, and dominion litle mē ­tion is made of shoting, not bycause it was litle vsed amonges them, but rather bycause it was bothe so necessarye and cōmune, that it was thought a thing not necessarye or requyred of anye man to be spoken vpon, as if a man shoulde describe a greate feaste, he [Page 33] woulde not ones name bread, although it be mooste common and necessarye of all: but surely yf a feaste beynge neuer so great, lacked bread, or had fewsty and noughty bread, all the other daynties shulde be vnsauery, and litle regarded, and than woulde men talke of the commodity of bread, whan they lacke it, that would not ones name it afore, whan they had it: And euen so dyd the Romaynes as concernynge shootyng. Seldome is shootinge named, and yet it dyd the moste good in warre, as didde appere, verye playnlye in that battell, whiche Scipio Aphricanꝰ had with the Numantines in Spayne, whome he coulde neuer ouercome, before he sette bowemen a­monges his horse men, by whose myght they were clean vanquished.

Agayne,Cor. [...] Tiberius fyghtynge with Armenius and Inguiomerus princis of Germanie, had one wing of archers on horseback, an other of archers on foot, by whose might the Germanes were slayne downe ryghte, and so scattered and beate oute of the feelde, that the chase lasted . [...]. myles, the Germanes clame vp in to trees for feare, but the Romanes dyd fetche them downe with theyr shaftes as they had bē bir­des, in whyche battell the Romaynes loste fewe or none, as dothe appeare in the historie.

But as I began to saye, the Romaynes dyd not so muche prayse the goodnesse of shootinge, whan they had it, as they dyd lament the lacke of it, whan they wanted it, as Leo the .v. the noble Emperour doth playnly testifie in sundrie places in those bokes whiche he wrote in Greke, of the sleyghtes and pol­ [...]ies [Page] of warre.

Surelie of that booke I haue not heard before, and howe came you to the syghte of it.

The booke is rare trulie, but this laste yeare when master Cheke translated the sayd booke out of greke in to Latin, to y^• kinges maiestie, he of his gentlenesse, wolde haue me very ofte in hys chā ­ber, and for the familiaritie that I had wyth hym, more than manye other, woulde suffer me to reade of it, whan I woulde, the whiche thinge to do, surelye I was very desirous and glad, because of the excel­lent handelynge of all thynges, that euer he taketh in hande. And verily Philologe, as ofte as I remem­bre the departynge of that man from the vniuersitie, (whiche thinge I do not seldome) so ofte do I well perceyue our moste helpe and furtheraunce to lear­nynge, to haue gon awaye with him. For by y^• great cōmoditie y^• we toke in hearyng hym reade priuatly in his chambre, all Homer, Sophocles, and Euripi­des, Herodotus, Thurydides, Xenophon, Isocrates and Plato, we feele the great discommoditie in not hearynge of hym, Aristotle & Demosthenes, whiche ii. authours with all diligence last of all he thought to haue redde vnto vs. And when I consider howe manye men he succoured with his helpe, & hys ayde to abyde here for learninge, and howe all men were prouoked and styrred vp, by his councell and daylye example, howe they shulde come to learning, surely I perceyue that sentence of Plato to be true, which sayeth that there is nothyng better in any common wealthe, than that there shoulde be alwayes one or other, excellent passyng man, whose lyfe and vertue, [Page 34] shoulde plucke forwarde the will, diligence, laboure and hope of all other, that folowyng his footestep­pes, they myght comme to the same ende, wherevn­to labour, lerning & vertue, had cōueied him before. The great hinderance of learning, in lackinge thys man greatly I shulde lament, if this discōmoditie of oures, were not ioyned with the cōmoditie & welth, of y^• hole realme, for which purpose, our noble king full of wysedome hath called vp this excellent man full of learnynge, to teache noble prince Edwarde, an office ful of hope, comforte & solace to al true hertes of England: For whome al England dayly doth praye, y^t he passing his Tutour in learnyng & know­ledge, folowynge his father in wisedome & felicitie, accordyng to y^t example which is set afore his eyes, may so set out and mayntayne goddes worde to the abolishment of al papistry, the confusion of al here­sie, that therby he feared of his ennemies, loued of al his subiectes, maye bring to his own glory, immor­tal fame & memorie, to this realme, welthe, honour & felicitie, to true and vnfayned religion perpetuall peace, concorde and vnitie.

But to retourne to shootynge agayne, what Leo sayeth of shootynge amonges the Romaynes, hys woordes, be so muche for the prayse of shootynge, and the booke also so rare to be gotten,Leo. 6. 5. that I lear­ned the places by harte, whyche be as I suppose, e­uen thus. Fyrste in his sixte booke, as concerning what harneys is best: Lette all the youth of Rome be compelled to vse shootyng, eyther more or lesse, & alwayes to bear theyr bowe & theyr quiuer aboute with them, vntyll they be .xl. yeares oulde.

[Page] For sithens shootynge was necglected and decayed among the Romaynes, many a battayle and fyelde hath ben loste.Lco. 11. 50. Agayne in the .11. booke and .50. cha­piter, (I call that by bookes and chapiters, whyche the greke booke deuideth by chapiters and paragraphes) Let your souldyers haue theyr weapons wel appoynted and trimmed, but ab [...]ue all other thyn­ges regarde moste shootinge, and therfore lette men when there is no warre, vse shootinge at home: For the leauynge of, onely of shotynge, hath broughte in [...]uyne and decaye, the hole Empire of Rome. After­warde he commaundeth agayne, hys capitayne by these wordes: [...]. 11 Arme your hoste as I haue appoyn­ted you, but specially with bowe and arrowes plen­tie. For shootynge is a thinge of muche myghte and power in warre, and chyefely agaynst the Sarrace­nes and Turkes, whiche people hath all their hope of victorie in theyr bowe and shaftes: Besydes all this, in an other place, he wryteth thus to his Cap­tayne: Artillerie is easie to be prepared, and in time of great nede, a thing moste profitable, therfore we straytlye commaunde you to make proclamation to al men vnder our dominion, which be eyther in war or peace, to all cities, borowes and townes, and fy­nally to all maner of men, [...] that euerye seare persone haue bowe and shaftes of his owne, & euerye house besyde this, to haue a standing bearyng bowe, and xl. shaftes for all nedes, and that they excercise them selues in holtes, hilles, and dales, playnes and wo­des, for all maner of chaunces in warre.

Howe muche shooting was vsed among the olde [Page 35] Romanes and what meanes noble captaynes and Emperous made, to haue it encrease amonge them, and what hurte came by the decaye of it, these wor­des, of Leo the emperour, which in a maner I haue rehersed woorde for woorde, playnly doth declare. And yet shotynge, although they set neuer so muche by it, was neuer so good than, as it is nowe in En­glande, whiche thing to be true, is very probable, in that Leo doth saye, that he woulde haue his souldi­ers take of theyr arrowe heades,Leo. 7. 18. and one shote at an other, for theyr excercise, whiche playe yf Englyshe archers vsed, I thinke they shoulde fynde smal play and lesse pleasure in it at all.

The great vpperhande maynteyned alwayes in warre by artillery, doeth appeare verye playnlye by this reason also, that whan the spanyardes, franch­men, and germanes, grekes, macedonians and egy­ptians, eche contry vsing one singuler weapon, for whyche they were greatelye feared in warre, as the Spanyarde Lancea, the Francheman Gesa, the Ger­man Framea, the Grecian Machera, the Macedonian Sarissa, yet coulde they not escape, but be subiectes to the empire of Rome, whan the Parthians hauyng all theyr hope in artillerie, gaue no place to thē, but ouercame the Romanes, ofter than the Romaynes them, and kepte battel with them, many an hundred yeare,Plutarch. [...] M. [...]rass. [...] Spart. and s [...]ue the ryche Crassus and his son wyth many a stoute Romayne more, with theyr bowes. They draue Marcus Antonius ouer the hylles of Media & Armenia, to his great shame and reproch. They s [...]ue Iulianus Apostata, and Autoninus Ca­racalla, [Page] they helde in perpetual pryson, y^• most noble emperour Ualerian in despite of all the Romaynes and many other princes, whiche wrote for his dely­ueraunce, as Bel solis called kynge of kynges, Ua­lerius kynge of Cadusia, Arthabesdes kyng of Ar­menia, and many other princes more, whom y^• Par­thians by reason of theyr artillerie, regarded neuer one whitte, and thus with the Romaynes, I maye conclude, that the borders of theyr empyre were not at the sunne rysinge and sunne settynge, as Tullye sayeth: but so farre they went, as artillarie woulde gyue them leaue. For I thinke all the grounde that they had, eyther northewarde, farther than the bor­ders of Scythia, or Eastewarde, farther than the borders of Parthia, a man myght haue boughte w^t a small deale of money, of whiche thynge surely sho tyng was the cause.

From the same contrie of Scythia the Gothians Hunues, [...] Dia [...]. and Wandalians came wyth the same we pons of artillarie, as Paulus Diaconus doth saye, & so berafte Rome of her empyre wyth fyre, spoyle, & waste, so y^• in suche a learned citie was lefte scarce one man behynde, that had learnynge or leysoure to leue in writinge to them whiche shoulde come after howe so noble an Empyre, in so shorte a whyle, by a rable of banyshed bondemen, wythoute all order and pollicie, saue onelye theyr naturalle and daylye excercise in artillarye, was broughte to suche thral­dome and ruine.

[Page 36] After them the [...]urkes hauing an other name, but yet the same people,P. Mela. [...]. borne in Scythia, brought bp onely in artillarie, by the same weapon haue sub­dued and beraft from the Christen men all Asia and Aphrike (to speake vpon,) and the moost noble coun­tries of Europe, to the greate diminishing of Christe his religion, to the great reproche of cowardyse of al christianitie, a manifest token of gods high wrath & displeasure ouer the synne of the worlde, but special­lye amonges Christen men, which be on slepe made drunke with the frutes of the flesh, as infidelitie, dis­obedience to Goddes worde, and heresie, grudge, e­uel wyll, stryfe, contention, and priuie enuye, couey­tousnesse, oppression, vnmercifulnesse, with innume­rable sortes of vnspeakeable daylye bawdrye: which thinges surely, yf God hold not his holy hande ouer vs, and plucke vs from them, wyl bryng vs to a more Turkishnesse and more beastlye blynde barbarous­nesse: as callyng ill thinges good, and good thynges ill, contemnyng of knowledge & learnynge, settynge at nought, and hauyng for a fable, God and his high prouidence, wyll bring vs (I say) to a more vngraci­ous Turkishnesse (if more Turkishnesse can be then this) thā if the Turkes had sworne, to bring al Tur­kye agaynst vs. For these frutes surelye must neades sprynge of suche seede, and suche effect nedes folowe of suche a cause: if reason, truthe, and God, be not al­tered, but as they are wont to be. For surely no Tur­kyshe power can ouerthrowe vs, if Turkysshe lyfe do not cast vs downe before.

[Page] If god were wyth vs, it buted [...]ot the turke to be a­gaynst vs, but our vnfaythful sinfull lyuyng, which is the Turkes moder, and hath brought hym vp hi­therto, muste nedes turne god from vs, because syn and he hath no felowshyp togither. If we banished ill liuyng out of christendome, I am sure the Turke shulde not onelye, not ouercome vs, but scarce haue an hole to runne in to, in his owne countrye.

But Christendome nowe I may tell you Philologe is muche lyke a man that hath an ytche on him, and lyeth drōke also in his bed, and though a thefe come to the dore, and heaueth at it, to come in, and sleye hym, yet he lyeth in his bed, hauinge more pleasure to lye in a slumber and scratche him selfe wher it yt­cheth euen to the harde bone, than he hath redynes to ryse vp lustelye, & dryue him awaye that woulde robbe hym and sleye hym. But I truste Christe wyl so lyghten and lyfte vp Christen mennes eyes, that they shall not slepe to death, nor that the turke Chri­stes open enemy, shall euer boste that he hath quyte ouerthrowen vs. But as I began to tell you, shoo­tynge is the chefe thinge, wherewith God suffereth the turke to punysh our noughtie liuinge wyth all: [...]. The youthe there is brought vp in shotyng, his pri­uie garde for his own person, is bowmen, the might of theyr shootynge is wel knowen of the Spanyar­des, whiche at the towne called Newecastell in Il­lirica, were quyte slayne vp, of the turkes arrowes: whan the Spanyardes had no vse of theyr gunnes, by reason of the rayne. I [...]d nowe last of all, the em­perour his maiestie him selfe, at the Citie of Argier [Page 37] in Aphricke had [...] hooste sore handeled wyth the Turkes arrowes, when his gonnes were quite di­spatched and stode him in no seruice, bycause of the raine that fell, where as in suche a chaune of raine, yf he had had bowmen, surelye there shoote myghte peraduenture haue bene a litle hindred, but quite di­spatched and marde, it coulde neuer haue bene.

But as for the Turkes I am werie to talke of them partlye because I hate them, and partlye bycause I am now affectioned euen as it were a man that had bene longe wanderyng in straūge contries & would fayne be at home to se howe well his owne frendes prosper and leade theyr lyfe, and surely me thincke I am verie merye at my harte to remember how I shal finde at home in Englande amonges Englysh men, partlye by hystories, of them that haue gone afore vs, agayne by experience of thē whych we knowe, & lyue with vs as greate noble feates of warre doone by Artillarye, as euer was done at any tyme in any other common welthe. And here I must nedes remē ber a certaine Frēchman called Textor, that writeth a boke which he nameth Officina,Te [...]to [...]. wherin he weueth vp many brokenended matters and settes out much rifraffe, pelfery, trumpery, baggage & beggerie ware clamparde vp of one that would seme to be fitter for a shop in dede than to write any boke. And amonges all other yll packed vp matters, he thrustes vp in a hepe togyther all the good shoters that euer hathe bene in the worlde as he saythe hymselfe, and yet I trow Philologe that of all the examples whiche I now by chaūce haue rehersed out of the best Authors [Page] both in greke and latin, Textor [...] but .ii. of them, which .ii. surely yf they were to rekē agayne, I wold not ones name thē, partly bycause they were nough­tie persons, and shoting somoche the worse, bycause they loued it, as Domitian and Commodus the em­perours: partelye bycause Textor hath them in his boke, on whome I loked on bychaunce in the booke­bynders shoppe, thinkynge of no suche matter. And one thing I wyl say to you Philologe, that if I were disposed to do it, and you hadde leysure to heare it, I coulde soone do as Textor doth, and reken vp suche a rable of shoters that be named here and there in poe­tes, as wolde holde vs talkyng whyles tomorowe: but my purpose was not to make mention of those which were feyned of Poetes for theyr pleasure, but of suche as were proued in histories for a truthe: but why I bringe in Textor was this: At laste when he hath rekened all shoters that he can, [...] he sayeth thus, Petrus Crinitus wryteth, that the Scottes whiche dwell beyonde Englande be verye excellent shoters, and the best bowmen in warre. This sentence whe­ther Crinitus wrote it more leudly of ignoraunce, or Textor confirmeth it more piuyshlye of enuye, may be called in question and doubte: but this surelye do I knowe very well that Textor hath both red in Gagu [...]us the Frenche hystorie, and also hath hearde his father or graundfather taulke (except perchaūce he was borne and bred in a Cloyster) after that sort of the shotynge of Englisshe men, that Textor neded not to haue gone so piuishlye beyonde Englande for shoting, but myght very soone, euē in the first towne [Page 38] of kent, haue founde suche plentie of shotinge, as is not in al the realme of Scotland agayne. The Scottes surely be good men of warre in theyr owne feate as can be: but as for shotinge, they neyther can vse it for any profyte, nor yet wil chalēge it for any prayse, although master Textor of his gētlenesse wold gyue it them. Textor neaded not to haue fylled vppe his booke with suche lyes, if he hadde read the storye of Scotlande, [...]. M [...]. [...] whiche Ioannes Maior doeth wryte: wherein he myghte haue learned, that when Iames Stewart fyrst kyng of that name, at the Parliamēt holden at Saynt Iohnnes towne or Perthie, com­maunded vnder payne of a great forfyte, that euerye Scotte shoulde learne to shote: yet neyther the loue of theyr coūtrie, the feare of their enemies, the auoy­dyng of punishment, nor the receyuinge of anye pro­fyte that myght come by it, coulde make them to be good Archers: whiche be vnapte and vnfytte ther­vnto by Gods prouidence and nature.

Therfore the Scottes them selues proue Textor a lyer, bothe with authoritie and also daily experience, and by a certayne Prouerbe that they haue amon­ges them in theyr cōmunication, wherby they gyue the whole prayse of shotynge honestlye to Englysihe men, saying thus: that euery Englysihe Archer bea­reth vnder his gyrdle .xxiiii. Scottes.

But to lette Textor and the Scottes go: yet one thynge woulde I wysshe for the Scottes, and that is this, that seinge one God, one faythe, one com­passe of the see, one lande and countrie, one tungue in speakynge, one maner and trade in lyuynge, [Page] lyke courage and stomake in war, lyke quicknesse of witte to learning, hath made Englande and Scot­lande bothe one, they wolde suffre them no longer to be two: but cleane gyueouer the Pope, which seketh none other thinge (as many a noble and wyse Scot­tish man doth knowe) but to fede vp dissention & par­ties betwixt them & vs, procuryng that thynge to be two, which God, nature, and reason, wold haue one.

Howe profytable suche an attonement were for Scotlande,Iohn [...] both Iohānes Maior, and Ector Boe­tius which wrote the Scottes Chronicles do tell, & also all the gentlemen of Scotlande with the poore cōmunaltie, do wel knowe: So that there is nothing that stoppeth this matter, saue onelye a fewe freers, and suche lyke, whiche, with the dregges of our En­glysh Papi strie lurkyng now amonges them, study nothing els but to brewe battell and stryfe betwixte both the people: Wherby onely they hope to mayne­tayne theyr Papisticall kyngdome, to the destru­tion of the noble blood of Scotlande, that then they maye with authoritie do that, whiche neither noble man nor poore man in Scotlande yet doeth knowe. And as for Scottishe men and Englishe men be not enemyes by nature, but by custome: not by our good wyll, but by theyr owne follye: whiche shoulde take more honour in being coupled Englande, then we shulde take profite in being ioyned to Scotlande.

Wales being headye, and rebelling many yeares a­gaynst vs, laye wylde, vntylled, vnhabited, without lawe, iustice, ciuilitie and ordre: and then was amō ­ges them more stealing thā true dealing, more sure­tie [Page 36] for them that studyed to be noughte, then quyet­nesse for them that laboured to be good: when nowe thanked be God, and noble Englande, there is no countrie better inhabited, more ciuile, more diligent in honest craftes, to get bothe true and plentifull ly­uynge withall. And this felicitie (my mynde gyueth me) within these few dayes shal chaūce also to Scot­lande, by the godly wysedome of oure mooste noble Prince kynge Henrye the .viii. by whome God hath wrought more wonderfull thynges then euer by any prince before: as banishing the byshop of Rome and herisie, bringyng to light god his worde and veritie, establishing suche iustice and equitie, through euery parte of this his realme, as neuer was sene afore.

To suche a Prince of suche a wysdome, God hath reserued this mooste noble attonement: wherby nei­ther we shalbe any more troubled, nor the S [...]ottes with their best countries any more destroyed, nor y^• see, whiche God ordeyneth profytable for both, shall from eyther be any more stopped: to the great quiet­nesse, wealth & felicitie of all the people dwellynge in this Ile, to the high renoume & prayse of our moost noble kyng, to the feare of all maner of nacions that owe ill wyll to either countrie, to the hygh pleasure of God, which as he is one, and hateth al diuision, so is he best of all pleased, to se thinges which be wyde and amysse, brought to peace and attonement. But Textor (I beshrowe him) hath almooste broughte vs from our cōmunicatiō of shoting. Now sir by my iudgement, the Artillarie of Englande farre excedeth all other realmes: but yet one thing I doubt & longe [Page] haue surely in that point doubted, whē, or by whom, shotyng was first brought in to Englande, & for the same purpose as I was ones in companye wyth syr Thomas Eliot knight, which surelie for his lerning in all kynde of knowlege bringeth much worshyp to all the nobilite of Englande, I was so bould to aske hym, yf he at any tyme, had marked any thing, as cō ­cernynge the bryngynge in of shootynge in to Eng­lande: he aunswered me gentlye agayne, that he had a worcke in hand which he nameth, De rebus memora bilibus Anglie, which I trust we shal se in print short­lye, and for the accomplyshmente of that boke, he had read & perused ouer many olde monumētes of Eng­lande, and in sekyng for that purpose, he marked this of shootynge in an excedyng olde cronicle, the which had no name, that what tyme as the Saxons came first into this realme in kyng Uortigers dayes, whē they had bene here a whyle and at last began to faull out with the Brittons, they troubled and subdewed the Brittons wyth nothynge so much, as with theyr bowe and shaftes, whiche wepon beynge straunge & not sene here before, was wonderfull terrible vnto them, and this beginninge I can thynke verie well to be true. But nowas concerning many exāples for the prayse of English archers in warre, surely I wil not belong in a matter y^• no mā doubteth in, & those few y^• I wil name, shal either be proued by y^• histori­es of our enemies, or els done by men that now liue.

Kynge Edward the thirde at the battel of Cressie ageinst Philip y^• Frēche king as [...]aguinus the frēch Historiographer plainlye doeth tell, slewe that daye [Page 40] all the nobilite of Fraunce onlye wyth hys archers.

Such lyke battel also fought y^• noble black prince Edward beside Poeters, where Iohn y^• french king w^t hys sonne & in a maner al y^• peres of Fraūce were taken beside .xxx.M. which that daye were [...]layue, & verie few Englyshe men, by reason of theyr bowes.

Kynge Henrie the fifte a prince pereles and moste vyctoriouse conqueroure of all that euer dyed yet in this parte of the world, at the battel of Dagin court with .vii.M. fyghtynge men, and yet many of them sycke, beynge suche Archers as the Cronycle sayeth that mooste parte of them drewe a yarde, slewe all the Cheualrie of Fraunce to the nomber of. XL. M. and moo, and lost not paste .xxvi. Englysshe men.

The bloudye Ciuil warre of England betwixt the house of Yorke and Lancaster, where shaftes flewe of bothe sydes to the destruction of mannye a yoman of Englande, whome foreine battell coulde neuer haue subdewed bothe I wyll passe ouer for the pyttyefulnesse of it, and yet maye we hyghelye prayse GOD in the remembraunce of it, seynge he of hys prouydence hathe so knytte to gether those .ii. noble houses, with so noble and pleasunte a flowre.

The excellent prince Thomas Hawarde nowe Duke of Northfolk, for whose good prosperite w^t al his noble familie al English hertes dayly doth pray w^t bowmē of England slew kyng Iamie w^t many a noble Scot euē brāt agēst Flodō hil, in which battel y^• stoute archers of Cheshire & Lanchasshire for one day bestowed to y^• death for their price & coūtry sake, hath gotten immortall name and prayse for euer.

[Page] The feare onely of Englysh Archers hathe done more wonderfull thinges than euer I redde in anye historye greke or latin, and moost wonderfull of all now of late beside Carlile betwixt Eske and Leuen at Sandy sikes, where the hoole nobilite of Scot­lande for fere of the Archers of Englonde (next the stroke of God) as both Englysh men and Scotyshe men that were present hath toulde me were drowe­ned and taken prisoners.

Nor that noble acte also, whyche althoughe it be almost iost by tyme, commeth not behynd in worthi­nesse whyc [...]e my synguler good frende and Master Sir William [...]algraue and Sir George Somer­set dyd with a few Archers to y^• number as it is sayd of .xvi. at the Turne pike besyde Hāmes where they turned with so fewe Archers, so many Frenchemen to flight, and turned so many oute of theyr Iackes, whych turne turned all fraunce to shame & reproche and those .ii. noble Knightes to perpetuall prayse & fame.

And thus you se Philologe, in al contries Asia, A­phrike and Europe, in Inde, Aethiop, Aegypt & Iu­rie, Parthia, Persia, Grece, and Italie, Schythia, Turkey, and Englande, from the begynninge of the world euen to thys daye, that shotynge hath had the cheife stroke in warre.

These examples sure­lye apte for the prayse of shotynge,I not feyned by po­etes, but proued by trewe histories, distinct by tyme and order, hath delyted me excedyng muche, but yet me thynke that all thys prayse belongeth to stronge shootynge and drawynge of myghtye bowes not to [Page 41] prickyng and nere shotinge, for which cause you and many other bothe loue & vse shootyng.

Euer more Philologe you wyl haue some ouertwhart re­son to drawe forthe more communication w^t all, but neuerthelesse you shall perceaue if you wyl, that vse of prickyng, and desyre of nere shootynge at home, are the onelye causes of stronge shootyng in warre, and why? for you se, that the strongest men, do not drawe alwayes the strongest shoote, whiche thyng prouethe that drawinge stronge, liethe not so muche in the strength of man, as in the vse of shotyng. And experience teacheth the same in other thynges, for you shal se a weake smithe, whiche wyl wyth a lipe and turnyng of his arme, take vp a barre of yron, y^• another man thrise as stronge, can not stirre. And a strong man not vsed to shote, hath his armes breste and shoulders, and other partes wherwith he shuld drawe stronglye, one hindering and stoppinge an o­ther, euen as a dosen stronge horses not vsed to the carte, lettes & troubles one another. And so the more stronge man not vsed to shoote, shootes moost vnhā sumlye, but yet if a strong man with vse of shooting coulde applye all the partes of hys bodye togyther to theyr moost strengthe, than should he both drawe stronger than other, and also shoote better than o­ther. But nowe a stronge man not vsed to shoote, at a girde, can heue vp & plucke in sūder many a good bowe, as wild horses at a brunte doth race & pluck in peces many a stronge carte. And thus strong mē, without vse, can do nothynge in shoting to any purpose, neither in warre nor peace, but if they happen [Page] to shoote, yet they haue done within a shoote or two when a weake man that is vsed to shoote, shal serue for all tymes and purposes, and shall shoote .x. shaf­tes, agaynst the others .iiii. & drawe them vp to the poynte, euerye tyme, and shoote them to the mooste aduauntage, drawyng and withdrawing his shafte when he list, marky [...]ge at one man, yet let driuyng at an other man: whiche thynges in a set battayle, although a man, shal not alwayes vse, yet in bicke­rynges, and at ouerthwarte meatinges, when fewe archers be togyther, they do moste good of all.

Agayne he that is not vsed to shoote, shall euermore with vntowardnesse of houldynge his bowe, & noc­kynge his shafte, not lookyng to his stryng betyme, put his bowe alwayes in ieoperdy of breakynge, & than he were better to be at home, moreouer he shal shoote very fewe shaftes, and those full vnhandsum lye, some not halfe drawen, some to hygh and some to lowe, nor he can not driue a shoote at a tyme, nor stoppe a shoote at a neede, but oute muste it, and ve­rye ofte to euel profe.

And that is best I trow in war, to let it go, and not to stoppe it.

No not so, but somtyme to houlde a shafte at the heade, whyche if they be but few archers, doth more good with the feare of it, than it shoulde do if it were shot, with the stroke of it.

That is a wonder to me, y^• the feare of a displeasure, shoulde do more harme than the displeasure it selfe.

Yes, ye knowe that a man whiche fereth to be banyshed, out of hys cuntrye, can neyther be mery, eate, drynke nor sleape for feare, yet when he is banished in dede, he slepeth [Page 44] and eateth, as well as any other. And many menne doubtyng and fearyng whether they shoulde dye or no, euen for verye feare of deathe, preuenteth them selfe with a more bytter deathe then the other death shoulde haue bene in deade. And thus feare is euer worse than the thynge feared, [...]irl. p [...]d. 3. as is pratelye proued, by the communication of Cyrus and Tigranes, the kynges sunne of Armenie, in Xenophou.

I grante Toxophile, that vse of shotyng ma­keth a man drawe strong, to shoote at most aduaun­tage, to kepe his gere, whiche is no small thinge in war, but yet me thinke, that the customable shoting at home, speciallye at buttes and prickes, make no­thynge at all for stronge shooting which doch moste good in war. Therfore I suppose yf men shulde vse to goo into the feyldes, and learne to shote myghty stronge shootes, and neuer care for any marke at al, they shulde do muche better.

The trouthe is, that fashion muche vsed, would do muche good, but this is to be feared, least that waye coulde not pro­uoke men to vse muche shotyng, bycause ther shulde be lytle pleasure in it. And that in shoting is beste, y^• prouoketh a man to vse shotinge moste: For muche vse maketh men shoote, bothe strong & well, whiche two thinges in shootinge, euery man doeth desyre. And the chyefe mayntayner of vse, in any thyng, is comparyson, and honeste contention. For whan a manne stryueth to be better than an other, he wyll gladly vse that thing, though it be neuer so paynful wherein he woulde excell, whiche thynge Aristotle verye pratelye doth note, sayenge.

[Page] Where is comparison, [...]rist. theto. [...] Th [...]od. there is victorie: where is victorie, there is pleasure: And where is pleasure, no man careth what labour or payne he taketh, by­cause of the prayse, and pleasure, that he shal haue, in doynge better than other men.

Agayne, [...]. you knowe Hesiodus wryteth to hys bro­ther Perses, y^• al craftes men, by contending one ho­nestly w^t an other, do encrease theyr cūnyng w^t theyr substance. And therfore in London, and other great Cities, men of one crafte, moste commonly, dwelle togyther, bycause in honest stryuyng togyther, who shall do best, euery one maye waxe bothe cunninger and rycher, so lykewyse in shootynge, to make mat­ches to assemble archers togyther, to contende who shall shoote best, and winne the game, encreaseth y^• vse of shotynge wonderfully amonges men.

Of Use you speake very much Toxophile but I am sure in al other matters, Use can do nothing, wythoute two other thinges be ioyned wyth it, one is a natural Aptnesse to a thinge, the other is a true waye or Knowlege, howe to do the thing, to which ii. yf Use be ioyned, as thirde felowe, of them thre, procedeth perfectnesse and excellencie: If a manne lacke the first two, Aptnesse and Cunnyng, Use can do lytle good, at all. For he y^t woulde be an oratour and is nothinge naturallye fitte for it, that is to saye lacketh a good wytte and memorie, lacketh a good voyce, countenaunce and body, and other suche like, ye yf he had all these thinges, and knewe not what, howe, where, when nor to whome he shulde speake, surelye the vse of spekynge, woulde brynge out none [Page 43] other frute but playne follye and bablyng, so y^• Use is the laste and the least necessarye, of all thre, yet no thing can be done excellently without them al thre. And therfore Toxophile I my selfe bicause I neuer knewe, whether I was apte for shooting or no, nor neuer knewe waye, howe I shulde learne to shoote I haue not vsed to shoote: and so I thinke fiue hundred more in Englande do besyde me. And surely yf I knewe that I were apte, and y^• you woulde teach me howe to shoote, I woulde become an archer, and the rather, bycause of the good communication, the whiche I haue had with you this daye, of shotyng.

Aptnesse, Knowlege, and Use, euen as you saye, make all thinges perfecte. Aptnesse is the fyrst and chyefest thinge, without whiche the other two do no good at all. Knowledge doeth encrease al ma­ner of Aptnesse, bothe lesse and more. Use sayth Ci­cero, is farre aboue all teachinge. And thus they all three muste be had, to do any thinge very well, and yf anye one be awaye, what so euer is done, is done verye meanly. Aptnesse is y^• gyfte of nature, Know­lege, is gotten by y^• helpe of other: Use lyeth in our owne diligence & labour. So that Aptnesse & vse be ours and w^t in vs, through nature & labour: Know­ledge not ours, but cōmynge by other: and therfore moost diligently, of all men to be sought for. Howe these three thinges stande with the artillery of En­glande, a woorde or twoo I will saye.

All Englishe men generally, be apte for shotyng, and howe? Lyke as that grounde is plentifull and frutefull, whiche withoute anye tyllynge, bryngeth [Page] out corne, as for example, yf a man shoulde go to the myll or market with corne, and happen to spyl some in the waye, yet it wolde take roote and growe, by­cause y^• soyle is so good: so Englād may be thought very frutefull and apt to brynge oute shoters, where children euen from the cradell, loue it: and yong men without any teachyng so diligentlye vse it. Agayne, lykewyse as a good grounde, well tylled, and well husbanded, bringeth out great plentie of byg [...]ared corne, and good to the faule: so if the youthe of Eng­lande being apte of it selfe to shote, were taught and learned how to shote, the Archers of England shuld not be only a great deale rāker, and mo then they be: but also a good deale bygger and stronger Archers then they be. This cōmoditie shoulde folowe also y [...] the youth of Englande were taught to shote, that e­uen as plowing of a good grounde for wheate, doth not onely make it mete for the seede, but also riueth and plucketh vp by the rootes, all thistles, brambles and weedes, which growe of theyr owne accorde, to the destruction of bothe corne and grounde: Euen so shulde the teaching of youth to shote, not only make them shote well, but also plucke awaye by the rootes all other desyre to noughtye pastymes, as disynge▪ cardyng, and boouling, which without any teaching are vsed euery where, to the great harme of all youth of this realme. And lykewise as burnyng of thistles and diligent weding them out of the corne, doth not halfe somocheryd them, as whē y^• ground is falloed and tilled for good grayne, as I haue hearde many a good hus [...]andman say: euen so, neither hote punishment, [Page 42] nor yet diligent searching out of suche vnthrif­tinesse by the officers, shal so throwly wede these vn­gracious games out of the realme, as occupying and bringyng vp youth in shotynge, and other honest pa­styme. Thirdly, as a grounde which is apt for corne and also wel tilled for corne: yet if a man let it lye stil and do not occupye it .iii. or .iiii. yeare: but then wyll sow it, if it be wheate (sayth Columella) it wil turne into rye: so if a man be neuer so apte to shote, nor ne­uer so wel taught in his youth to shote, yet if he giue it ouer, and not vse to shote, truly when he shalbe ey­ther cōpelled in warre tyme for his countrye sake, or els prouoked at home for his pleasure sake, to faule to his bowe: he shalbe come of a fayre archer, a stark squyrter and dribber. Therefore in shotynge, as in all other thinges, there can neyther be many in num­ber, nor excellent in dede: excepte these .iii. thynges, Aptnesse, Knowledge, and Use goo togyther.

Uery well sayde Toxophile, and I promyse you, I agree to this iudgement of yours altogyther and therefore I can not a lytle maruayle, why En­glysshe men brynge nomore helpe to shotynge, then nature it selfe gyueth them. For you se that euen children be put to theyr owne shiftes in shotyng, hauing nothynge taughte them: but that they maye chose, and chaunce to shoote ill, rather then well, vnaptlye soner then fitlye, vnto wardlye, more easely then wel fauouredlye, whiche thynge causeth manye neuer begynne to shoote: and moo to leaue it of when they haue begone, and moost of all to shote both worse & weaker, then they might shote, if they were taught.

[Page] But peraduenture some men wyll saye, that wyth vse of shootynge a man shall learne to shoote, true it is he shall learne, but what shal he learne? marye to shoote noughtly. For all Use, in all thynges, yf it be not stayed with Cunnyng, wyll verie easely brynge a man to do y^• thynge, what so euer he goeth aboute with muche ill fauorednes and deformitie.

Which thinge how much harme it doth in learning both Crassus excellencie dothe proue in Tullie, and I my selfe haue experiens in my lytle shootyng. [...]. And therfore Toxophile, you must nedes graunt me that ether Englishe men do il, in not ioynyng Knowlege of shooting to Use, or els there is no knowlege or cū ­ninge, which can be gathered of shooting.

Learnyng to shoote is lytle regarded in England, for this consideration, bycause men be so apte by nature they haue a greate redy forwardnesse and wil to vse it, al though no man teache them, al thoughe no man byd them, & so of theyr owne corage they rūne hedlynge on it, and shoote they ill, shote they well, greate hede they take not. And in verie dede Aptnesse w^t Use may do sumwhat without Knowlege, but not the tenthe parte, if so be they were ioyned with knowlege.

Whyche thre thynges be seperate as you se, not of theyr owne kynde, but through the negligence of mē whyche coupleth them not to gyther. And where ye doubte whether there can be gadered any knowlege or arte in shootyng or no, surely I thynke that a mā being wel exercised in it and sumwhat honestly lear­ned with all, myght soone with diligent obseruynge and markynge the hole nature of shootynge, find out [Page 45] [...]s it were an Arte of it, as Artes in other matters haue bene founde out afore, seynge that shootyng stā deth by those thinges, which maye both be thorow­lye perceued, and perfitly knowen, and suche that ne­uer failes, but be euer certayne, belongynge to one moost perfect ende, as shootyng streight, and keping of a lenght bring a man to hit the marke, y^• chefe end in shootyng: which two thynges a man may attaine vnto, by diligent vsynge, and well handlynge those instrumentes, which belong vnto them. Therfore I can not see, but there lieth hyd in the nature of Shooty [...]ge, an Arte, whiche by notynge, and obseruynge of him, that is exercised in it, yf he be any thyng lear­ned at al, maye be taught, to the greate forderaunce of Artillarie through out al this Realme. And trew lye I meruell gretelye, that Englysshe men woulde neuer yet, s [...]ke for the Arte of shootynge, seinge they be so apte vnto it, so praysed of there frendes, so fea­red of there ennemyes for it.Ueg [...]s. Uegetius woulde haue maysters appointed, whyche shoulde teache youthe to shoote faire. Leo the Emperour of Rome, sheweth the same custome,Leo. 6. 5. to haue bene alwayes amongest y^• olde Romaynes: whych custome of teachyng youth to shoote (saythe he) after it was omitted, and litle hede taken of,Strabo. 11. brought the hole Empire of Rome, to grete Ruine. Schola Persica, that is the Scole of the Persians, appoynted to brynge vp youthe, whiles they were .xx. yeare olde in shooting, is as notably knowne in Histories as the Impire of y^• Persians: whych schole, [...]or. Ta. [...] as doth apere in Cornelius Tacitus, as sone as they gaue ouer and fell to other idle pasti­mes, [Page] brought bothe them and y^• Parthians vnder y^• subiection of the Romaines. [...]l [...]g. 7. Plato would haue common maisters and stipendes, for to teache youthe to shoote, & for the same purpose he would haue abrode feylde nere euery Citie, made common for men to vse shotyng in, whyche sayeng the more reasonably it is spoken of Plato, the more vnresonable is theyr dede whiche woulde ditche vp those feeldes priuatly for ther owne profyt, whyche lyeth open generallye for the commō vse: men by suche goodes be made ryther not honester sayth Tullie. Yf men can be perswaded to haue shootynge taughte, [...] this aucthorite whyche foloweth will perswade them, or els none, and that is as I haue ones sayde before, of Kynge Dauyd, whose fyrste acte and ordinaunce was after he was kynge that all Iudea should learne to shoote. Yf sho­tyng could speake, she would accuse England of vn­kyndnesse and slouthfulnesse, of vnkyndnesse toward her bycause she beyng left to a lytle blynd vse, lackes her best maintener which is cunnynge: of shouthful­nesse towarde theyr owne selfe, bycause they are content wyth that whych aptnesse and vse doth graunt them in shootynge, and wyl seke for no knowlege as other noble cōmon welthes haue done: and the iust­lier shootynge myght make thys complaynt, seynge that of fence and weapons there is made an Arte, a thynge in no wyse to be compared to shootynge.

For of fence all mooste in euerye towne, there is not onely Masters to teache it, wyth his Prouostes Us­shers Scholers and othernames of arte & Schole, but there hath not fayled also, whyche hathe dili­gently [Page 50] and well fauouredly written it and is s [...]t ou [...] in Priute that euery man maye rede it.

What discommoditie doeth comme by the lacke of knowlege, in shootynge, it were ouer longe to [...] hearce. For manye that haue bene apte, and loue [...] shootynge, bycause they knewe not whyche way to houlde to comme to shootynge, haue cleane tourned them selues from shootynge.

And I maye telle you Philologe, the lacke of tea­chynge to shoote in Englande, causeth very manye men, to playe with the kynges Actes, as a man dyd ones eyther with the Mayre of London or yorke I can not tel whether, whiche dyd commaund by pro­clamation, euerye man in the Citie, to hange a lan­ [...]erne wyth a candell, afore his dore: whiche thynge the man dyd, but he dyd not lyght it: And so many bye bowes bicause of the acte, but yet they shote not: not of euyll wyll, but bycause they knowe not howe to shoote. But to conclude of this matter, in shoting as in all other thynges,Aptnesse Aptenesse is the fyrste, and chyefe thynge, whiche if it be awaye, neyther Cun­nynge or Use, doeth anye good at all, as the Scot­tes and Fraunce men, wyth knowledge and Use of shootynge, shall become good Archers, whan a cū ­nynge shypwright shall make a stronge shyppe, of a Salowe tree: or whan a husbandman shall becom ryche, wyth sowyng wheat on New markscunnyng, et heath. Cunnynge muste be had,Cunnyn [...]. bothe to set out, & amend [...] Nature, and also to ouersee, and correcte vse: which vse yf it be not led, & gouerned wyth cunnyng, shall [...]oo [...]er go amisse, than strayght.

[Page] [...] maketh perfitnesse, in doinge that thynge, [...] vnto nature maketh a man apte, and knowlege ma­keth a man cunninge before. So y^• it is not so doubtful, which of them three hath moost stroke in shoting as it is playne & euident, that all thre must be had, in excellent shootynge.

For this communicaciō Toxophile I am very glad, and y^• for myn ownesak [...] bicause I trust now, to become a shoter, And in dede I thought a fore, English mē most apte for shoting, and I sawe them dayelye vse shotyng, but yet I ne­uer founde none, that woulde talke of anye knowle­ge whereby a man might come to shotynge. Ther­fore I trust that you, by the vse you haue had in sho­ting, haue so thorowly marked and noted the nature of it, that you can teache me as it were by a trade or waye how to come to it.

I graunte, I haue vsed shootinge meetly well, that I might haue mar­ked it wel ynoughe, yf I had bene diligent. But my much shootynge, hath caused me studie litle, so that thereby I lacke learnynge, whych shulde set out the Arte or waye in any thynge. And you knowe that I was neuer so well sene, in the Posteriorums of Ari­stotle as to inuent and searche out general Demon­strations for the setting forth of any newe Science. Yet by my trothe yf you wyll, I wyll goe with you into the fealdes at any tyme and tel you as much as I can, or els you maye stande some tyme at the pric­kes and looke on thē which shoote best and so learne

Howe lytle you haue looked of Aristotle, and how muche learnynge, you haue lost by shotynge I can not tell, but this I woulde saye and yf I loued [Page 47] you neuer so [...], that you haue bene occupyed in sum­what els besyde shotynge. But to our purpose, as I wyll not requyre a trade in shotinge to be taught me after the sutteltye of Aristotle, euen so do I not agre with you in this poynt, that you wold haue me lear­ne to shoote with lokyng on them which shoote best, for so I knowe I should neuer come to shote meane­lye. For in shotyng as in all other thynges which be gotten by [...]eachynge, there must be shewed a waye & a path which shal leade a man to y^• best and cheiffest point whiche is in shootynge, whiche you do marke youre selfe well ynough, and vttered it also in youre communication, when you sayde there laye hyd in y^• nature of shootyng a certayne waye whych wel per­ceyued and thorowlye knowen, woulde bring a mā wythout any wanderyng to y^• beste ende in shotyng whych you called hitting of the pricke. Therfore I would refer all my shootinge to that ende whiche is best, and so shuld I come the soner to some meane.

That whiche is best hath no faulte, nor can not be a­mended. So shew me beste shootynge, not the beste shoter, which yf he be neuer so good, yet hath he many a faulte easelye of any man to be espyed. And therfore meruell not yf I requyre to folowe that exam­ple whych is without faulte, rather than that which hath so manye faultes. And thys waye euerye wyse man doth folow in teachynge any maner of thynge. As Aristotle when he teacheth a man to be good he settes not before hym Socrates lyfe whyche was y^• best man, but chiefe goodnesse it selfe accordynge to whych he would haue a man directe his lyfe.

[Page] This waye which you requyre of me Philologe, is to hard for me, and to hye for a shooter to taulke on, & takē as I suppose out of the middes of Philosophie▪ to serche out the perfite ende of any thyng, y^• which perfite ende to fynde out, sayth Tullie, is the hardest thynge in the worlde, [...] B [...]u the onely occasyon and cause, why so many sectes of Philosophers hathe bene al­wayse in learnynge. And althoughe as Cicero saith a man maye ymagine and dreame in his mynde of [...] perfite ende in any thynge, yet there is no experience nor vse of it, nor was neuer sene yet amonges men, as alwayes to heale the sycke, euer more to leade [...] shyppe without daunger, at al times to hit the prick: shall no Physicion, no shyp master, no shoter euer do. And Aristotle saith that in all deades there are two pointes to be marked, [...]. pol. 8. 6 possibilitie & excelēcie, but che­fely a wise mā must folow & laye hand on possibilitie for feare he lease bothe. Therfore seyng that which is moost perfect and best in shootyng as alwayes to hit y^• pricke, was neuer sene nor hard tel on yet amō ­ges men, but onelye ymagined and thought vpon in a man his mynde, me thinck this is the wisest coūsel & best for vs to folow rather that which a man maye come to, than y^• whyche is vnpossible to be attained to, leste iustely that sayeng of y^• wyse mayde Ismens in Sophocles maye be verifyed on vs. ‘A foole he is that takes in hande he can not ende. [...]’

Well yf the perfite ende of other matters, had bene as perfitlye knowne, as the perfite ende of shotynge is, there had neuer bene so manye sectes of [Page 52] Philosophers as there be, for in shoting both man & boye is in one opinion, that alwayes to hit the pryck is mooste perfecte end that can be imagyned, so that we shal not nede gretly contend in this matter. But now sir, whereas you thynke y^• a man in learning to shoote or any thyng els, shuld rather wyselye folow possibilitie, thā vainly seke for perfite excellencie, su­relye I wyl proue y^• euery wyse man, y^• wisely wold learne any thyng, shal chiefly go aboute y^• whervnto he knoweth wel he shal neuer come. And you youre selfe I suppose shal confesse y^• same to be y^• best way in teachyng, yf you wyl answere me to those thinges whych I wyl aske of you.

And y^• I wyl glad­lye, both bycause I thynke it is vnpossible for you to proue it, & also bycause I desire to here what you cā saye in it.

The studie of a good Physiciō Tox­ophile, I trow be to know al diseases & al medicines fit for them.

It is so in dede.

Bicause I suppose he would gladly at al tymes heale al disea­ses of al men.

Ye truely.

A good purpose surely, but was ther euer physiciō yet among so many whyche hath laboured in thys study, that at al ti­mes coulde heale all diseases?

No trewly: nor I thyncke neuer shalbe.

Than Physicions by lyke, studie for y^•, whiche none of them cōmeth vnto. But in learning of fence I pray you what is y^• which men moost labor for?

That they may hit a no­ther. I trow & neuer take blow theyr selfe.

You say trothe, & I am sure euery one of thē would faine do so whē so euer he playethe. But was there euer any of thē so conning yet, which at one tyme or oth [...]r [Page] hath not be touched?

The best of them all is glad somtyme to escape with a blowe.

Thā in fence also, men are taught to go aboute that thing, whiche the best of them all knowethe he shall neuer attayne vnto. Moreouer you that be shoters, I pray you, what meane you, whan ye take so greate heade, to kepe youre standynge, to shoote compasse, to looke on your marke so diligently, to cast vp grasse diuerse tymes and other thinges more, you know better thā I. What would you do thā I pray you?

Hit y^• marke yf we could.

And doth euery mā go about to hit the marke at euery shoote?

By my trothe I trow so, and as for my selfe I am sure I do.

But al men do not hit it at al tymes.

No trewlye for that were a wonder.

Can a­ny man hit it at all tymes?

No man verilie.

Than by likely to hit the pricke alwayes, is vnpossible. For that is called vnpossible whych is in no man his power to do.

Unpossible in dede.

But to shoote wyde and far of the marke is a thynge possyble.

No man wyll denie that.

But yet to hit the marke alwayse were an excellent thyng.

Excellent surelie.

thā I am sure those be wiser men, which couete to shote wyde than those whiche couete to hit the prycke.

Why so I pray you.

Because to shot [...] wyde is a thynge possyble, and therfore as you saye youre selfe, of euery wyse mā to be folowed. And as for hittinge y^• prick, bycause it is vnpossible, it were a vaine thynge to go aboute it: but in good sadnesse Toxophise thus you se that a man might go throghe [Page 49] all craftes and sciences, and proue that anye man in his science coueteth that which he shal neuer gette.

By my trouth (as you saye) I can not denye, but they do so: but why and wherfore they shulde do so, I can not learne.

I wyll tell you, euerye crafte and science standeth in two thynges: in Kno­wing of his crafte, & Working of his crafte: For per fyte knowledge bringeth a man to perfyte workyng This knowe Paynters, karuers, Taylours, shomakers, and all other craftes men, to be true. Nowe, in euery crafte, there [...] a perfite excellencie, which may be better knowen in a mannes mynde, then folowed in a mannes dede. This perfytenesse, bycause it is generally layed as a brode wyde example afore al mē, no one particuler man is able to compasse it: and as it is generall to al men, so it is perpetuall for al time whiche proueth it a thynge for man vnpossible: al­though not for the capacitie of our thinkyng whiche is heauenly, yet surelye for the habilitie of our wor­kyng whyche is worldlye.

God gyueth not full perfytenesse to one man (sayth Tullie) lest if one man had all in any one science,D [...]. Inu [...]. 8 ther shoulde be nothyng lefte for an other. Yet God suffe­reth vs to haue the perfyt knowledge of it, that such a knowledge diligently folowed, might bring forth accordyng as a man doth labour, perfyte woorkyng And who is he, that in learnynge to wryte, woulde forsake an excellent example, and folowe a worse?

Therfore seing perfytenesse it selfe is an example for vs, let euerye man studye howe he maye come nye it, which is a poynt of wysdome, not reason with God [Page] why he may not attaine vnto it, which is vayne [...]uri­osite.

Surely this is gaily said Philologe, but yet this one thynge I am a fraide of, lest this perfit­nesse which you speke on wil discourage men to take any thynge in hande, bycause afore they begin, they know, they shal neuer come to an ende. And thus di­spayre shall dispatche, euen at the fyrste entrynge in, many a good man his purpose and intente. And I thinke both you your selfe, & al other men to, would counte it mere folie for a man to tell hym whome he teacheth, that he shal neuer optaine that, whyche he would fainest learne. And therfore this same hyghe and perfite waye of teachyng let vs leue it to hygher matters, and as for shootynge it shal be content with a meaner waye well ynoughe.

Where as you say y^• this hye perfitnesse will discorage mē, bycause they knowe, they shall neuer attayne vnto it, I am sure cleane contrarie there is nothynge in the world shall incourage men more than it. And whye? For where a man seith, that though a nother man be ne­uer so excellente, yet it is possible for hym selfe to be better, what payne or labour wyl that man refuse to take? yf the game be onse wonne, no mā wyl set forth hys foote to ronne. And thus perfitnesse beynge so hyghe a thynge that men maye looke at it, not come to it, and beynge so plentifull and indifferent to eue­rye bodye that the plentifulnesse of it maye prouoke all men to labor, bycause it hath ynoughe for all mē, the indifferencye of it shall encourage euerye one to take more paine than hys fellowe, bycause euerye man is rewarded accordyng to his nye cōmyng, and [Page 50] yet whych is moste meruel of al, y^• more men take of it, the more they leue behynd for other, as Socrates dyd in wysdome, and Cicero in eloquens, whereby other hath not lacked, but hathe fared a greate deele y^• better. And thus perfitnesse it selfe bycause it is neuer obteyned, euen therfore only doth it cause so ma­ny men to be so well sene & per [...]ite in many matters, as they be. But where as you thynke y^• it were fond­nesse to teache a man to shoote, in lokyng at the most perfitnesse in it, but rather woulde haue a manne go some other way to worke, I trust no wyse man wyl discomend that way, except he thincke himselfe wy­ser than Tullye,De Orat. 3. whiche doeth playnlye saye, that yf he teached any maner of crafte as he dyd Rhetorike he would labor to bringe a man to the knowlege of the moost perfitnesse of it, whyche knowlege should euer more leade and gyde a manne to do that thynge well whiche he went abonte. Whych waye in al maner of learnyng to be best, Plato dothe also declare in Euthydemus, of whome Tullie learned it as he dyd many other thynges mo. And thus you se Toxo­phile by what reasons and by whose authorite I do require of you this waye in teachynge me to shoote, which waye I praye you withoute any more delaye shew me as farforth as you haue noted and marked.

You cal me to a thyng Philologe which I am lothe to do. And yet yf I do it not beinge but a smale matter as you thynke, you wyll lacke frendeshyp in me, yf I take it in hande and not bring it to passe as you woulde haue it, you myghte thyncke great wāt of wysdome in me.

[Page] But aduyse you, seing ye wyll nedes haue it so, the blame shal be yours, as well as myne: yours for put­tynge vpon me so instauntlye, myne in receyuynge so fondly a greater burthen then I am able to beare. Therfore I, more wyllynge to fulfyll your mynde, than hopyng to accomplysh that which you loke for, shall speake of it, not as a master of shotynge, but as one not altogyther ignoraunt in shotynge. And one thynge I am glad of, the sunne drawinge downe so fast into the west, shall compell me to drawe a pace to the ende of our matter, so that his darkenesse shall somethyng cloke myne ignoraunce. And bycause you knowe the orderynge of a matter better then I: Aske me generallye of it, and I shall particularly answere to it.

Uery gladly Toxophile: for so by ordre, those thynges whiche I woulde knowe, you shal tell the bet­ter: and those thynges whiche you shal tell, I shall remembre the better.

What is the cheyfe poynte in shootynge, that euerye manne laboureth to come to?

To hyt the marke.

Howe manye thynges are requi­red to make a man euer more hyt the marke?

Twoo.

Whiche twoo?

Shotinge streyght and ke­pynge of a lengthe.

Howe shoulde a manne shoote strayght, & howe shulde a man kepe a length?

In knowynge and hauynge thinges, belon­gynge to shootyng▪ and whan they be knowen and had, in well handlynge of them: whereof some be­long to shotyng strayght, some to keping of a lēgth, some commonly to them bothe, as shall be tolde se­uerally of them, in place conuenient.

Thynges belongyng to shotyng, whyche be they?

All thinges be outwarde, and some be instrumentes for euery sere archer to brynge with him, proper for his owne vse: other thynges be generall to euery man, as the place and tyme [...]erueth.

Which be instru­mētes?

Bracer, shotynggloue, stryng, bowe & shafte.

Whiche be general to all men?

The wether and the marke, yet the marke is euer vnder the rule of the wether.

wherin standeth well handlynge of thynges?

All togyther wythin a man him selfe, some handlynge is proper to instrumentes, some to the wether, somme to the marke, some is within a man hym selfe.

what handlyng is proper to the Instrumentes.

Standynge, nockyng, drawyng, holdyng, lowsing, wherby cōmeth fayre shotynge, whiche neyther be­long to wynde nor wether, nor yet to the marke, for in a rayne and at no marke, a man may shote a fayre shoote.

well sayde, what handlynge belon­geth to the wether?

Knowyng of his wynde, with him, agaynst hym, syde wynd, ful syde wind, syde wynde quarter with him, syde wynde quarter agaynste hym, and so forthe.

well than go to, what handlynge belongeth to the marke?

To marke his standyng, to shote compasse, to draw euermore lyke, to lowse euermore lyke, to consyder the nature of the pricke, in hylles & dales, in strayte planes and winding places, & also to espy his marke

Uery well done. And what is onely within a man hym selfe?

Good heede gyuynge, and a­uoydynge all affections: whiche thynges oftenty­mes do marre and make all. And these thynges spoken of me generally and brefely, yf they be wel kno­wen, had, and handled, shall brynge a man to suche shootynge, as fewe or none euer yet came vnto, but surely yf he misse in any one of thē, he can neuer hyt [Page 3] the marke, and in the more he doth misse, the farther he shoteth from his marke. But as in all other matters the fyrst sleppe or stayre to be good, is to know a mannes faulte, and than to amende it, and he that wyl not knowe his faulte, shall neuer amende it.

You speake nowe Toxophile, euen as I wold haue you to speake: But lette vs r [...]turne agayne vnto our matter, and those thynges whyche you haue packed vp, in so shorte a roume, we wyll lowse thē forthe, and take euery pyece as it were in our hande and looke more narowlye vpon it.

I am content, but we wyll rydde them as fast as we can, by­cause the sunne goeth so faste downe, and yet some­what muste needes be sayde of euerye one of them.

well sayde, and I trowe we beganne wyth those thynges whiche be instrumentes, whereof the fyrste, as I suppose, was the Braser.Brac [...]r▪

Litle is to be sayd of the braser. A bracer serueth for two causes, one to saue his arme from the strype of the strynge, and his doublet from wearynge, and the o­ther is, that the strynge glydynge sharpelye & quick­lye of the bracer, maye make the sharper shoote. For if the strynge shoulde lyght vpon the bare fleue, the strengthe of the shoote shoulde stoppe and dye there. But it is best by my iudgemente, to gyue the bowe so muche bent, that the strynge neede neuer touche a mannes arme, and so shoulde a man nede no bracer as I knowe manye good Archers, whiche occupye none. In a bracer a man muste take hede of .iii. thin­ges, y^• it haue no nayles in it, that it haue no bucles, that it be fast on with laces wythout agglettes.

[Page] For the nayles wyll shere in sunder, a mānes string, before he be ware, and so put his bowe in ieoperdy: Buckles and agglettes at vnwares, shall race hys bowe, a thinge bothe euyll to the syghte, & perilous for freatynge. And thus a Bracer, is onelye had for this purpose, that the strynge maye haue redye pas­sage.

In my Bracer I am cunnyng ynough, but what saye you of the shootyng gloue.

A shootynge Gloue is chieflye, for to saue a mannes fyngers from hurtynge, that he maye be a­ble to beare the sharpe stryng to the vttermost of his strengthe. And whan a man shooteth, the might of his shoote lyeth on the formooste fynger, and on the Ringman, for the myddle fynger whiche is the lon­gest, lyke a lubber starteth backe, and beareth no weyght of the strynge in a maner at all, therfore the two other fyngers, muste haue thicker lether, & that muste haue thickest of all, where on a man lowseth moste, and for sure lowsyng, the formoste fynger is moste apte, bycause it holdeth best, & for y^• purpose nature hath as a man woulde saye, yocked it w^t the thoumbe. Ledder, if it be nexte a mans skynne, wyl sweat, waxe hard and chafe, therefore scarlet for the softnes of it and thicknesse wyth all, is good to sewe wythin a mānes gloue. If that wylle not serue, but yet youre fynger hurteth, you muste take a searynge cloth made of fine virgin waxe, and Deres sewet, & put nexte your fynger, and so on wyth youre gloue. If yet you fele your fynger pinched, leaue shootyng both because than you shall shoote nought, & agayn by litle & lytle, hurtynge your finger, ye shall make [Page 3] it longe and longe to or you shoote agayne. A newe gloue pluckes many shootes bycause the stringe go­eth not freelye of, and therefore the fingers muste be cut sho [...], and trimmed with some ointment, that the string maye glyd wel awaye. Some with holdynge in the nocke of theyr shafte to harde, rub the skyn of there fingers. For this there be .ii. remedyes, one to haue a goose quyll splettyd and sewed againste the nockynge, betwixt the lining and the ledder, whyche shall helpe the shoote muche to, the other waye is to haue some roule of ledder sewed betwixt his fingers at the setting on of the fingers, which shall kepe his fingers so in sunder, that they shal not hold the nock so fast as they did. The shootyng gloue hath a purse whych shall serue to put fine linen cloth and wax in, twoo necessary thynges for a shooter, some men vse gloues or other suche lyke thyng on their bow hād for chafyng, bycause they houlde so harde. But that commeth commonlye, when a bowe is not rounde, but somwhat square, fine waxe shall do verye well in such a case to laye where a man holdeth his bow: and thus muche as concernynge your gloue. And these thynges althoughe they be trifles, yet bycause you be but a yonge shoter, I woulde not leue them out.

And so you shal do me moost pleasure: The string I trow be the next.

String [...]. The next in dede. A thing though it be lytle, yet not a litle to be regar­ded. But here in you muste be contente to put youre trust in honest stringers. And surely stringers ought more diligently to be looked vpon by the officers thā [...]ther bower or fletcher, bycause they maye deceyue a [Page] simple man the more easelyer. An ill stringe brekethe many a good bowe, nor no other thynge halfe so ma­ny. In warre if a string breke the man is loste and is no man, for his weapon is gone, and althoughe he haue two stringes put one at once, yet he shall haue smal leasure & lesse roume to bend his bow, therfore god send vs g [...]od stringers both for war and peace. Now what a stringe ought to be made on, whether of good hempe as they do nowe a dayes, or of flaxe or of sylke, I leue that to the iugemente of stringers, of whome we muste bye them on. Eustathius [...]. apon this verse of homere ‘Twāg [...] the bow, & twāg q the string, [...] 4. out quicklie the shaft f [...]ue’ doeth tel, that in oulde tyme they made theyr bowe strynges of bullox thermes, whiche they twyned to gither as they do ropes, & therfore they made a great twange. Bowe strynges also hath bene made of the heare of an horse tayle called for the matter of them Hippias as dothe appeare in manye good authors of the Greke tongue. [...]. Great stringes, and lytle stryn­ges be for diuerse purposes: the great string is more surer for the bowe, more stable to pricke wythal, but slower for the cast, the lytle stringe is cleane contra­rye, not so sure, therfore to be taken hede of, lesse with longe tarienge on, it breake youre bowe, more fit to shoote farre, than apte to pricke nere, therfore when you knowe the nature of bothe bigge and lytle, you must fit your bow, according to the occasion of your shootinge. In stringinge of your bow (though this [Page 4] place belong rather to the hādlyng than to the thyng it selfe, yet bycause the thynge, and the handlynge of the thynge, be so ioyned together, I must nede some tyme couple the one wyth the other,) you must mark the fit length of youre bowe. For yf the stringe be to short, the bending wyll gyue, and at the last slyp and so put the bowe in ieopardye. Yf it be longe, the ben­dynge must nedes be in the smal of the string, which beynge sore twined muste nedes knap in sunder to y^• distruction of manye good bowes. Moreouer you must looke that youre bowe be well nocked for fere the sharpnesse of the horne shere a sunder the strynge And that chaunceth ofte when in bending, the string hath but one wap to strengthe it wyth all. You must marke also to set youre stringe streygte on, or elles the one ende shall wriethe contrary to the other, and so breke your bowe. When the stringe begynnethe neuer so lytle to were, trust it not, but a waye with it for it is an yl saued halpeny y^• costes a man a crowne Thus you se howe many ieopardyes hangethe ouer the selye poore bowe, by reason onlye of the strynge. As when the stringe is shorte, when it is longe, whē eyther of the nockes be nought, when it hath but one wap, and when it taryethe ouer longe on.

I se wel it is no meruell, though so many bowes be bro­ken.

Bowes be broken twise as many wayes besyde these. But a gayne in stringynge your bowe, you must loke for much bende or lytle bende for they be cleane contrarye.

[Page] The lytle bende hath but one commoditie, whyche is in shootyng faster and farther shoote, and y^• cause therof is, bycause the strynge hath so far a passage, or it parte wyth the shafte. The greate bende hath many commodities: for it maketh easyer shootynge the bowe beyng halfe drawen afore. It needeth no bra [...]er, for the strynge stoppeth before it come at the arme. It wyl not so sone hit a mannes sleue or other geare, by the same reason: It hurteth not the shaft fedder, as the lowe bende doeth. It suffereth a man better to espye his marke. Therfore lette your bowe haue good byg bend, a shaftemente and .ii. fyngers at the least, for these which I haue spoken of.

The braser, g [...]oue, and strynge, be done, nowe you muste come to the bowe, the chefe instrument of all.

Bowe. Dyuers countryes and tymes haue vsed al­wayes dyuers bowes, and of dyuers fashions.

Horne bowes are vsed in some places nowe, & were vsed also in Homerus dayes, for Pandarus bowe, the best shocter among al the Troianes, [...] 4 was made of two Goete hornes ioyned togyther, the lengthe wherof sayth Homer, was .xvi handbredes, not far differing from the lengthe of our bowes.

Scripture maketh mention of brasse bowes.Psalm. 17. Irō bowes, and style bowes, haue bene of longe tyme, and also nowe are vsed among the Turkes, but yet they must nedes be vnprofitable. For yf brasse, yron or style, haue theyr owne strength and pith in them, they be farre aboue mānes strength: yf they be made meete for mannes strengthe, theyr pithe is nothyng worth to shoote any shoote wyth all.

[Page 5] The Ethiopians had bowes of palme tre,Hero. [...]n [...] which seemed to be very stronge, but we haue none experi­ence of them. The lengthe of them was .iiii. cubites The men of Inde had theyr bowes made of a rede, whiche was of a great strengthe. And no maruayle though bowe and shaftes were made therof, for the redes be so great in Inde,In [...] as Herodotus sayth, that of euery ioynte of a rede, a man may make a fyshers bote. These bowes,Arrianus. 8. sayeth Arrianus in Alexanders lyfe, gaue so great a stroke, that no harneys or buck­ler though it were neuer so strong, could wythstand it. The length of suche a bowe, was euen wyth the length of hym,In Po [...] that vsed it. The Lycians vsed bo­wes made of a tree, called in Latyn Cornus, (as con­cernyng the name of it in English, I can souer proue that other men call it false, than I can tell the right name of it my selfe) this wood is as harde as horne and very fit for shaftes, as shall be toulde after.

Ouid sheweth that Syringa the Nymphe,Metamo [...]. 1. and one of the maydens of Diana, had a bowe of this wood wherby the poete meaneth, that it was verye excel­lent to make bowes of

As for brasell, Elme, Wych, and Asshe, experience doth proue them to be but meane for bowes, and so to conclude Ewe of all other thynges, is that, wher­of perfite shootynge woulde haue a bowe made.

Thys woode as it is nowe generall and common a­monges Englyshe men, so hath it continewed from longe tyme and had in mooste price for bowes, amō ­ges the Romaynes, as doth apere in this halfe verse of Uyrgill.

Nowe as I saye, a bowe of Ewe must be hadde for perfecte shootinge at the prickes, whiche marke, bycause it is certayne, & moste certaine rules may be gyuen of it, shall serue for our cōmunication, at this time. A good bowe is knowen, much what as good counsayle is knowen, by the ende and proofe of it, & yet bothe a bowe and good counsell, maye be made bothe better and worse, by well or yll handlynge of them: as oftentymes chaūceth. And as a man both muste and wyll take counsell, of a wyse and honeste man, though he se not the ende of it, so must a shoo­ter of necessitie, truste an honest and good bowyer for a bowe, afore he knowe the proofe of it. And as a wyse man wyll take plentye of counsel afore hand what soeuer need, so a shooter shulde haue alwayes iii. or .iiii. bowes, in store, what so euer chaunce.

But if I truste bowyers alwayes, sometyme I am lyke to be deceyued.

Therefore shall I tell you some tokens in a bowe, that you shal be the seeldomer deceyued. If you come into a shoppe, and fynde a bowe that is small, long, heauy and strong, lyinge steyght, not windyng, not marred with knot gauie, wyndeshake, wem, freat or pynche, by [...] that bowe of my warrant. The beste colour of a bowe y^• I fynde, is whan the backe and the bellye in woor­kynge, be muche what after one maner, for such of­tentymes [Page 6] in wearyng, do proue lyke virgin wax or golde, hauynge a fine longe grayne, euen from the one ende of the bowe, to the other: the short graine although suche proue well somtyme, are for y^• most parte, very brittle. Of the makynge of the bowe, I wyll not greatly meddle, leste I shoulde seeme to enter into an other mannes occupation, whyche I can no skyll of. Yet I woulde desyre all bowyers to season theyr staues well, to woorke them and synke them well, to gyue thē heetes conuenient, and tylle­rynges plentye. For thereby they shoulde bothe get them selues a good name, (And a good name encre­seth a mannes profyt muche) and also do greate cō ­modite to the hole Realme. If any men do offend in this poynte, I am afrayde they be those iourny mē whiche labour more spedily to make manye bowes for theyr owne monye sake, than they woorke dili­gently to make good bowes, for the common welth sake, not layinge before theyr eyes, this wyse pro­uerbe.

‘Sone ynough, if wel ynough.’

Wherwyth euere honest handye craftes man shuld measure, as it were wyth a rule, his worke withal. He that is a iourney man, and rydeth vpon an other mannes horse, yf he ryde an honest pace, no manne wyll dysalowe hym: But yf he make Poste haste, bothe he that oweth the horse, and he peraduenture also that afterwarde shal bye the horse, may chaūce to curse hym.

[Page] Suche hastinesse I am afrayde, maye also be found amonges some of thē, whych through out y^• Realme in diuerse places worke y^• kinges Artillarie for war, thinkynke yf they get a bowe or a sheafe of arrowes to some fashion, they be good ynough for bearynge gere. And thus that weapon whiche is the chiefe de­fence of the Realme, verye ofte doth lytle seruyce to hym that shoulde vse it, bycause it is so negligentlye wrought of him that shuld make it, when trewlye I suppose that nether y^• bowe can be to good and chefe woode, nor yet to wel seasoned or truly made, wyth hetynges and tillerynges, nether that shafte to good wood or to thorowely wrought, with the best pini­on fedders that can be gotten, wherwith a man shal serue his prince, defende his countrie, and saue hym selfe frome his enemye. And I trust no man wyll be angrye wyth me for spekynge thus, but those which finde them selfe touched therin: which ought rather to be angrye wyth them selfe for doynge so, than to be miscontent wyth me for saynge so. And in no case they ought to be displeased wyth me, seinge this is spoken also after that sorte, not for the notynge of a­nye person seuerallye, but for the amendynge of eue­rye one generallye. But turne we agayne to knowe a good shootynge bowe for oure purpose.

Euerye bowe is made eyther of a boughe, of a plante or of the boole of the tree. The boughe cōmon lye is verye knotty, and full of pinnes, weak, of small pithe, and soue wyll folowe the stringe, and seldome werith to any fayre coloure, yet for chyldren & yonge beginners it maye serue well ynoughe. The plante [Page 7] proueth many times wel, yf it be of a good and clene groweth, and for the pith of it is quicke ynoughe of cast, it wyl plye and bow far afore it breake, as al o­ther yōge thinges do. The boole of y^• tree is clenest w^t out knot or pin, hauinge a faste and harde woode by reasonne of hys full groweth, stronge and myghtye of cast, and best for a bow, yf the staues be euen clo­uen, and be afterwarde wroughte not ouerwharte the woode, but as the graine and streyght growyng of the woode leadethe a man, or elles by all reason it must sone breake, & that in many shiuers. This must be considered in the roughe woode, & when the bow staues be ouerwrought and facioned. For in dressing and pikynge it vp for a bow, it is to late to loke for it But yet in these poyntes as I sayd before you muste truste an honest bowyer, to put a good bow in youre hand, somewhat lookinge your selfe to those tokens whyche I shewed you. And you muste not sticke for a grote or .xii.d. more than a nother man would giue yf it be a good bowe. For a good bow twise paide for is better than an ill bowe once broken.

Thus a shooter muste begyn not at the makynge of hys bowe lyke a bower, but at the byinge of hys bow lyke an Archere. And when his bow is bought and brought home, afore he truste muche vpon it, let hym trye and trym it after thys sorte.

Take your bow in to the feeld, shote in hym, sinke hym wyth deade heauye shaftes, looke where he cō ­methe moost, prouyde for that place betymes, leste it pinche and so freate: whē you haue thus shot in him, and perceyued good shootynge woode in hym, you [Page] must haue hym agayne to a good cunnynge, and tru­stie woorkeman, whyche shall cut hym shorter, and pike hym and dresse hym fytter, make hym comme rounde compace euery where, and whippyng at the endes, but with discretion, lest he whyp in sunder or els freete, soner than he is ware of, he must also lay him streght, if he be caste or otherwise nede require, and if he be flatte made, gather hym rounde, and so shall he bothe shoote the faster, for farre shootynge, and also the surer for nere pryckynge.

What yf I come into a shoppe, and spye oute a bow, which shal both than please me very wel whan I by him, and be also very fit and meete for me whan I shote in hym: so that he be both weake ynoughe for easye shootynge, and also quycke and spedye ynoughe for farre castynge, than I woulde thynke I shall nede no more businesse wyth him, but be contente wyth hym, and vse hym well ynoughe, and so by that me­anes, auoyde bothe great trouble, and also some cost whiche yo cunnynge archers very often put your selues vnto, bey [...]ge verye Englyshe men, neuer cea­synge piddelynge about your bowe & shaftes whan they be well, but eyther with shorting and pikynge your bowes, or els with newe fetheryng, peecynge and headinge your shaftes, can neuer haue done vn­tyll they be starke nought.

Wel Philologe, su­relye if I haue any iudgement at all in shootyng, it is no very great good token in a bowe, whereof no­thyng whan it is newe and fresshe, nede be cutte a­waye, euen as Cicero sayeth of a yonge mānes wit and style, which you knowe better that I. For eue­ry [Page 8] newe thynge muste alwayes haue more than it neadeth, or elles it wyll not waxe better and better, but euer decaye, and be worse and worse. Newe ale if it runne not ouer the barrell whan it is newe tun­ned, wil sone lease his pith, and his head afore he be longe drawen on.

And lyke wyse as that col [...]e whyche at the fyrste ta­kynge vp, nedeth lytle breakyng and handlyng, but is fitte and gentle ynoughe for the saddle, seeldome or neuer proueth well, euen so that bowe whyche at the fyrste byinge, wythout any more proofe & trim­mynge, is fit and easie to shoote in, shall neyther be profitable to laste longe, nor yet pleasaunt to shoote well. And therfore as a younge horse full of corage, wyth handlynge and breakinge, is brought vnto a sute pace and goynge, so shall a newe bowe fresshe and quicke of caste, by sinking & cuttyng, be brought to a stedfast shootyng. And an easie and gentle bow whan it is newe, is not muche vnlyke a [...]ofte spiri­ted boye when he is younge. But yet as of an vnru­lie boye with right handlyng, proueth oftenest of al a well ordered man: so of an vnfit and staffysh bow with good trimming, muste nedes folowe alwayes a stedfast shotynge bowe.

And suche a perfite bowe, whiche neuer wyll de­ceyue a man, excepte a man deceyue it, muste be had for that perfecte ende, whyche you looke for in shoo­tinge.

Well Toxophile, I see wel you be cun­ninger in this gere than I: but put case that I haue thre or fower suche good bowes, pyked and dressed, as you nowe speke of, yet I do remembre y^• manye [Page] learned men do saye, that it is easier to gette a good thynge, than to saue and keepe a good thyng, wher­fore if you can teache me as concernyng that poynte, you haue satisfyed me plentifullye, as concernynge a bowe.

Trulye it was the nexte thyng that I woulde haue come vnto, for so the matter laye.

Whan you haue broughte youre bowe to suche a poynte, as I spake of, than you must haue an herdē or wullen cloth waxed. wherw^t euery day you must rubbe and chafe your bowe, tyll it shyne and glytter withall. Whyche thynge shall cause it bothe to be cleane, well fauoured, goodlye of coloure, and shall also bryng as it were a cruste, ouer it, that is to say, shall make it euery where on the outsyde, so slyppe­ry and harde, that neyther any weete or wether can enter to hurte it, nor yet any freat or pynche, be able to byte vpon it: but that you shal do it great wrong before you breake it. This must be done oftentimes but specially when you come from shootynge.

Beware also whan you shoote, of youre shaft he­des, dagger, knyues or agglettes, lest they race your bowe, a thing as I sayde before, bothe vnsemely to looke on, and also daūgerous for freates. Take hede also of mistie and dankyshe dayes, which shal hurte a bowe, more than any rayne. For then you muste eyther alway rub it, or els leaue shootynge.

Your bowecase (this I dyd not promise to speake of, [...] bycause it is without the nature of shootynge, or els I shoulde truble me wyth other thinges infinite more: yet seing it is a saue garde for the bowe, som­thynge I wyll saye of it) youre bowecase I saye, yf [Page 9] you ryde for the, muste neyther be to wyde for youre bowes, for so shall one clap vpon an other, and hurt them, nor yet so strayte that scarse they can be thrust in, for that woulde laye them on syde & wynde them A bowecase of ledder, is not the best, for that is oft­tymes moyste which hurteth the bowes very much. Therfore I haue sene good shooters which would haue for euerye bowe, a sere case made of wollen clothe, and than you maye putte .iii. or .iiii. of them so cased, in to a ledder case if you wyll. This wollen case shall bothe kepe them in sunder, and also wylle kepe a bowe in his full strengthe, that it neuer gyue for any wether. At home these wood cases be verye good for bowes to stande in. But take hede y^t youre bowe stande not to nere a stone wall, for that wyll make hym moyste and weke, nor yet to nere any fier for that wyll make him shorte and brittle. And thus muche as concernyng the sauyng and keping of our bowe: nowe you shall heare what thynges ye must auoyde, for feare of breakyng your bowe.

A shooter chaunseth to breake his bowe common ly .iiii. wayes, by the strynge, by the shafte, by dra­wyng to far, & by freates: By the stryng as I sayde afore, whan the strynge is eyther to shorte, to long, not surely put on, wyth one wap, or put croked on, or shorne in sundre wyth an euell nocke, or suffered to tarye ouer longe on. Whan the stryng fayles the bowe muste nedes breake, and specially in the myd­des: because bothe the endes haue nothyng to stop them: but whippes so far backe, that the belly must nedes violentlye rise vp, the whyche you shall well [Page] perreyue in bendyng of a bowe backward. Therfore a bowe that foloweth the strynge is least hurt with breakyng of stringes By the shafte a bowe is brokē ether when it is to short, and so you set it in your bow or when the nocke breakes for lytlenesse, or when the strynge slyppes wythoute the nocke for wydenesse, than you poule it to your care and lettes it go, which must nedes breake the shafte at the leaste, and putte strunge and bow & al in ieopardy, bycause the strēgth of the bowe hath nothynge in it to stop the violence of it.

Thys kynde of breakynge is mooste perilouse for the standers by, for in such a case you shall se some tyme the ende of a bow flye a hoole score from a mā, and that moost commonly, as I haue marked oft the vpper ende of the bowe. The bow is drawne to far .ii. wayes. Eyther when you take a longer shafte thē your owne, or els when you shyfte your hand to low or to hye for shootynge far. Thys waye pouleth the backe in sunder, and then the bowe fleethe in manye peces.

So when you se a bowe broken, hauynge the bellye risen vp both wayes or toue, the stringe brake it. When it is broken in twoo peces in a maner euen of and specyallye in the vpper ende, the shafte nocke brake it.

When the backe is pouled a sunder in manye pee­ces to farre drawynge, brake it.

These tokens eyther alwayes be trewe or els verye seldome mysse.

[Page 10] The fourthe thyng that breketh a bowe is fretes,Freates. whych make a bowe redye and apte to breake by any of the .iii. wayes afore sayde. Freetes be in a shaft as well as in a bowe, and they be muche lyke a Canker, crepynge and encreasynge in those places in a bowe, whyche be weaker then other. And for thys purpose must your bowe be well trymmed and piked of a cō ­ning man that it may come rounde in trew compasse euery where. For freetes you must beware, yf youre [...]ow haue a knot in the backe, lest the places whyche be nexte it, be not alowed strong ynoughe to bere w^t the knotte, or elles the stronge knotte shall freate the weake places nexte it. Freates be fyrst litle pinchese, the whych whē you perceaue, pike the places a bout the pinches, to make them somewhat weker, and as well commynge as where it pinched, and so the pin­ches shall dye, and neuer encrease farther in to great freates.

Freates begynne many tymes in a pin, for there the good woode is corrupted, that it muste nedes be weke, and bycause it is weake, therfore it freates.

Good bowyers therfore do rayse euery py [...] & alowe it moore woode for feare of freatynge.

Agayne bowes moost commonlye freate vnder the hande, not so muche as some men suppose for the moistnesse of the hande, as for the heete of the hand: the nature of heate sayeth Aristotle is to lowse, and not to knyt fast, and the more lowser the more wea­ker, the weaker, the redier to freate.

[Page] bowe is not well made, whych hath not wood plen­tye in the hand. For yf the endes of the bowe be staf­fysshe, or a mans hande any thynge hoote the bellye must nedes sone frete. Remedie for fretes to any purpose I neuer hard tell of any, but onelye to make the freated place a stronge or stronger then any other.

To fill vp the freate with lytle sheuers of a quill and glewe (as some saye wyll do wel) by reason must be starke nought.

For, put case the freete dyd cease then, yet the cause whiche made it freate a fore (and that is weakenesse of the place) bicause it is not taken away must nedes make it freate agayne. As for cuttyng out of freates wythe all maner of pecynge of bowes I wyll cleane exclude from perfite shootynge. For peced bowes be muche lyke owlde housen, whyche be more charge­able to repayre, than commodiouse to dwell in. A­gayne to swadle a bowe much about wyth bandes, verye seldome dothe anye good, excepte it be to kepe downe a spel in the backe, otherwyse bandes ether nede not when the bow is any thinge worthe, or els boote not whē it is marde & past best. And although I knowe meane and poore shooters, wyll vse peced and banded bowes sometyme bycause they are not able to get better when they woulde, yet I am sure yf they consyder it well, they shall fynde it, bothe lesse charge and more pleasure to ware at any tyme a cou­ple of shyllynges of a new bowe than to bestowe .x.d of peacynge an olde bowe. For better is coste vpon somewhat worth, than spence vpon nothing worth. And thys I speke also bycause you woulde haue me [Page 11] referre all to perfitnesse in shootynge.

Moreouer there is [...] other thynge, whyche wyl sone cause a bowe be broken by one of the .iii. wayes whych be first spoken of, and that is shotyng in winter, when there is any froste. Froste is wheresoeuer is any waterish humour, as is in al woodes, eyther more or lesse, and you knowe that al thynges frosen and Isie, wyl rather breke than bende. Yet if a man must nedes shoote at any suche tyme, lette hym take hys bowe, and brynge it to the fyer, and there by li­tle and litle, rubbe and chafe it with a waxed clothe, whiche shall bring it to that poynt, y^• he maye shote safelye ynough in it. This rubbyng with waxe, as I sayde before, is a great succour, agaynst all wete and moystnesse.

In the fyeldes also, in goyng betwyxt the pricks eyther wyth your hande, or elles wyth a clothe you muste keepe your bowe in suche a temper. And thus muche as concernynge youre bowe, howe fyrste to knowe what wood is best for a bowe, than to chose a bowe, after to trim a bowe, agayne to keepe it in goodnesse, laste of al, howe to saue it from al harm and euylnesse.

And although many men can saye more of a bow yet I trust these thynges be true, and almoste suffi­cient for the knowlege of a perfecte bowe.

Su­relye I beleue so, and yet I coulde haue hearde you talke longer on it: althogh I can not se, what maye be sayd more of it. Therfore excepte you wyll pause a whyle, you may go forwarde to a shafte.

What shaftes were made of, in oulde tyme [Page] authours do not so manifestlye shewe, as of bowes. Herodotus doth tel,Hero. eutep. that in the flood of Nilus, ther was a beast, called a water horse, of whose skinne after it was dried, the Egyptians made shaftes. and dartes on. The tree called Cornus was so com­mon to make shaftes of, [...] that in good authours of y^• latyn tongue, Cornus is taken for a shafte, as in Se­neca, and that place of Uirgill, ‘Volat Itala Cornus. [...]’

Yet of all thynges that euer I warked of olde au­thours, either greke or latin, for shaftes to be made of, [...] there is nothing so cōmon as reedes. Herodotus in describynge the mightie hoost of Xerxes doth tell that thre great contries vsed shaftes made of a rede, the Aeth [...]opians, the Lycians (whose shaftes lac­ked fethers, where at I maruayle moste of all) and the men of Inde. [...] The shaftes in Inde were verye longe,O. Lurt. [...]. a yarde and an halfe, as Arrianus doth saye, or at the least a yarde. as Q. Curtius doth saye, and therfore they gaue y^• greater strype, but yet bycause they were so long, they were the more vnhansome, and lesse profitable to the men of Inde, as Curtius doeth tell.

In Crete and Italie, they vsed to haue their shaf­tes of rede also. The best reede for shaftes grewe in Inde,Pli 16. 3 6. and in Rhenus a flood of Italy.

But bycause suche shaftes be neyther easie for En­glishe men to get, and yf they were gotten scarse profitable for them to vse, I wyll lette them passe, and speake of those shaftes whyche Englysh men at this daye moste cōmonly do approue and allowe.

[Page 12] A shaft hath three principall partes, the stele, the [...]ethers, and the head: whereof euerye one muste be seuerallye spoken of.

¶ [...] Steles be made of dyuerse woodes. as.

• Brasell.
• Turkie wood.
• Fusticke.
• Sugercheste.
• Hardbeame.
• Byrche.
• Asshe.
• Doke.
• Seruis tree.
• Hulder.
• Blackthorne
• Beche.
• Elder.
• Aspe.
• Salow.

These wooddes as they be most commonly vsed, so they be mooste fit to be vsed: yet some one fytter then an other for diuers mennes shotinge, as shalbe toulde afterwarde. And in this pointe as in a bowe you muste truste an honest fletcher. Neuerthelesse al thoughe I can not teache you to make a bowe or a shafte, whiche belongeth to a bowyer and a fletcher to cōme to theyr lyuyng, yet wyll I shewe you some tokens to knowe a bowe & a shafte, whiche pertay­neth to an Archer to come to good shootynge.

[Page] A stele muste be well seasoned for Castinge, and it must be made as the grayne lieth & as it groweth or els it wyl neuer flye clene, as clothe cut ouertwhart and agaynste the wulle, can neuer hoose a manne cleane. A knottye stele maye be suffered in a bygge [...]haste, but for a lytle shafte it is nothynge fit, bothe bycause it wyll neuer flye far, and besydes that it is euer in danger of breakynge, it flieth not far bycause the strengthe of the shoote is hindred and stopped at the knotte, euen as a stone cast in to a plaine euen stil water, wyll make the water moue a greate space, yet yf there be any whirlynge plat in the water, the mo­uynge ceasethe when it commethe at the whyrlynge plat, whyche is not muche vnlyke a knotte in a shafte yf it be cōsidered wel. So euery thyng as it is plaine and streight of hys owne nature so is it fittest for far mouynge. Therfore a stele whyche is harde to stāde in a bowe, without knotte, and streighte (I meane not artificiallye streyghte as the fletcher dothe make it, but naturally streyght as it groweth in the wood) is best to make a shaft of, eyther to go cleane, fly far or stand surely in any wedder. Now howe big, how small, how heuye, how lyght, how longe, how short, a shafte shoulde be particularlye for euerye man (se­ynge we must taulke of the generall nature of shoo­tyng) can not be toulde no more than you Rhethori­cians can appoynt any one kynde of wordes, of sen­tences, of fygures fyt for euery matter, but euen as the man and the matter requyreth so the fyttest to be vsed. Therfore as concernynge those contraryes in a shafte, euery man muste auoyde them and draw to [Page 13] the meane of them, whyche meane is best in al thyn­ges. Yet yf a man happen to offende in any of the ex­tremes it is better to offend in want and scantnesse, than in to muche and outragiouse excedynge. As it is better to haue a shafte a lytle to shorte than ouer longe, somewhat to lyght, than ouer lumpysshe, a ly­tle to small, than a greate deale to big, whiche thyng is not onely trewlye sayde in shootynge, but in all o­ther thynges that euer man goeth aboute, as in ea­tynge, taulkynge, and all other thynges lyke, whych matter was onse excellentlye disputed vpon, in the Scooles, you knowe when.

And to offend, in these contraryes cōmeth much yf men take not hede, throughe the kynd of wood, wher of the shaft is made: For somme wood belōges to y^• excedyng part, some to y^• scāt part, some to y^• meane, as Brasell, Turkiewood, Fusticke, Sugar cheste, & such lyke, make deade, heuy lūpish, hobblyng shaftes Againe Hulder, blacke thorne, Serues tree, Beche, Elder, Aspe, and Salowe, eyther for theyr wekenes or lyghtenesse, make holow, starting, studding, gad­dynge shaftes. But Birche, Hardbeme, some Doke, and some Asshe, beynge bothe stronge ynoughe to stande in a bowe, and also lyght ynoughe to flye far, are best for a meane, whiche is to be soughte oute in euery thinge. And althoughe I knowe that some mē shoote so stronge, that the deade woodes be lyghte ynoughe for them, and other some so weeke, that the lowse woodes be lykewyse for them bigge ynoughe yet generally for the moost parte of men, the meane is the best. And so to conclude that, is alwayes beste [Page] for a man, whiche is metest for him. Thus no wood of his owne nature, is eyther to lyght or to heuy, but as the shooter is him selfe whyche dothe vse it. For that shafte whiche one yeare for a man is to lyghte & scuddinge, for the same selfe man the next yeare may chaunce be to heuy and hobblynge. Therfore can not I expresse, excepte generally, what is best wood for a shaft, but let euery mā when he knoweth his owne strength and the nature of euery wood, prouyde and fyt himselfe thereafter. Yet as concerning sheaffe Ar­couse for war (as I suppose) it were better to make them of good Asshe, and not of Aspe, as they be now a dayes. For of all other woodes that euer I proued Asshe being big is swiftest and agayne heuy to giue a greate stripe with all, whyche Aspe shall not doo.

What heuynes doth in a stripe euery man by experi­ence can tell, therfore Asshe being both swyfter and heuier is more fit for sheafe Arroes thē Aspe, & thus muche for the best wood for shaftes.

Agayne lykewyse as no one wood can be greatlye meet for all kynde of shaftes, no more can one facion of the stele be fit for euery shooter. For those that be lytle brested and big toward the hede called by theyr lykenesse taperfashiō, reshe growne, and of some me­rye fellowes bobtayles, be fit for them whiche shote vnder hande bycause they shoote wyth a softe lowse, and stresses not a shaft muche in the breste where the weyghte of the bowe lyethe as you maye perceyue by the werynge of euery shafte.

Agayne the bygge brested shafte is fytte for hym, which shoteth right afore him, or els the brest being [Page 14] weke shoulde neuer wythstande that strong piththy kynde of shootynge, thus the vnderhande must haue a small breste, to go cleane awaye oute of the bowe, the forehande muste haue a bigge breste to bere the great myghte of the bowe. The shafte must be made rounde nothynge flat wyth oute gal or wemme, for thys purpose. For bycause roundnesse (whether you take example in heauen or in earthe) is fittest shappe and forme both for fast mouing and also for sone per cynge of any thynge. And therfore Aristotle saythe that nature hath made the raine to be round, bycause it shoulde the easelyer enter throughe the ayre.

The nocke of the shafte is dyuersly made, for some be greate and full, some hansome & lytle, some wyde some narow, some depe, some shalowe, some round, some longe, some wyth one nocke, some wyth a dou­ble nocke, wherof euery one hathe hys propertye.

The greate and full nocke, maye be well felte, and many wayes they saue a shafte from brekynge. The hansome and lytle nocke wyll go clene awaye frome the hand, the wyde nocke is noughte, both for brea­kyng of the shafte and also for soden slyppynge oute of the strynge when the narrowe nocke doth auoyde bothe those harmes. The depe and longe nocke is good in warre for sure kepyng in of the strynge. The shalow, and rownde nocke is best for our purpose in prickyng for cleane delyueraunce of a shoote. And double nockyng is vsed for double suerty of the shaft And thus far as concernynge a hoole stele.

[Page] Peecynge of a shafte with brasell and holie, or o­ther heauy woodes, is to make y^• ende compasse he­auy with the fethers in fliyng, for the stedfaster sho­tyng. For if the ende were plumpe heauy wyth lead and the wood nexte it lyghte, the head ende woulde euer be downwardes, and neuer flye strayght.

Two poyntes in peecing be ynough, lest the moyst­nes of the earthe enter to moche into the peecinge, & so leuse the glue. Therfore many poyntes be more plesaunt to the eye, than profitable for the vse.

Sūme vse to peece theyr shaftes in the nocke wyth brasel, or holye, to counterwey, with the head, and I haue seue sūme for the same purpose, bore an hole a lytle bineth the nocke, and put leade in it. But yet none of these wayes be anye thing needful at al, for y^• nature of a fether in flying, if a man marke it wel, is able to bear vp a wonderful weyght: and I thike suche peecing came vp first, thus: whan a good Ar­cher hath broken a good shafte, in the fethers, & for the fantasie he hath had to it, he is lothe to leese it, & therfore doeth he peece it. And than by and by other eyther bycause it is gaye, or elles because they wyll haue a shafte lyke a good archer, cutteth theyre hole shaftes, and peeceth them agayne: A thynge by my iudgement, more costlye than nedefull.

And thus haue you heard what wood, what fas­shion, what nockynge, what peecynge a stele muste haue: Nowe foloweth the fetherynge.

I woulde neuer haue thought you could haue sayd halfe so muche of a stele, and I thynke as con­cernyng the litle fether and the playne head, there is [Page 15] but lytle to saye.

Lytle, yes trulye: for there is no one thing, in al shoting, somoche to be lokedon as the fether. For fyrste a question maye be asked, whe­ther any other thing besyde a fether, be fit for a shaft or no if a fether onelye be fit, whether a goose fether onely, or no? yf a goose fether be best, then whether there be any difference, as concernynge the fether of an oulde goose, and a younge goose: a gander, or a goose: a fennye goose, or an vplandish goose. Againe which is best fether in any goose, the ryght wing or the left wing, the pinion fether, or any other fether: a whyte, blacke, or greye fether? Thirdly, in settyng on of your fether, whether it be pared or drawen w^t a thicke rybbe, or a thinne rybbe (the rybbe is y^• hard quill whiche deuydeth the fether) a long fether bet­ter or a shorte, set on nere the nocke, or farre from the nocke, set on streight, or somwhat bowyng & whe­ther one or two fethers runne on the bowe. Fourth­ly in couling or sheryng, whether high or lowe, whether somewhat swyne backed (I muste vse shoters wordes) or sadle backed, whether rounde, or square shorne. And whether a shaft at any tyme ought to be plucked, and how to be plucked.

Surely Tor­ophile, I thynke manye fletchers (although daylye they haue these thinges in vse) if they were asked so­deynly, what they coulde saye of a fether, they could not saye so moch. But I praye you let me heare you more at large, expresse those thynges in a fether, the whiche you packed vp in so narrowe a rowme. And fyrst whether any other thyng may be vsed for a fe­ther or not.

That was y^• fyrst poynte in dede, [Page] and bycause there foloweth many after, I wyll hye apace ouer them, as one that had manye a myle to ride.Pl. 16. 36. Shaftes to haue had alwayes fethers Plinius in Latin,I Pol. 1. 10. and Iulius Pollux in Greke, do playnlye shewe, [...] Polym. yet onely the Lycians I reade in Herodotus to haue vsed shaftes without fedders. Onelye a fed­der is fit for a shafte for .ii. causes, fyrste bycause it is leathe weake to giue place to the bowe, than bycause it is of that nature, that it wyll starte vp after y^• bow So, Plate, wood or horne can not serue, bycause the wil not gyue place. Againe, Cloth, Paper or Parch­ment can not serue, bycause they wyll not ryse after the bowe, therfore a fedder is onely mete, bycause it onelye wyl do bothe. Nowe to looke on the fedders of all maner of birdes, you shal se some so lowe weke and shorte, some so course, stoore and harde, and the rib so brickle, thin and narrow, that it can nether be drawen, pared, nor yet well set on, that except it be a swan for a dead shafte (as I knowe some good Ar­chers haue vsed) or a ducke for a flyghte whiche la­stes but one shoote, there is no fether but onelye of a goose that hath all commodities in it. And trewelye at a short but, which some mā doth vse, y^• Pecock fe­ther doth seldome kepe vp y^• shaft eyther ryght or le­uel, it is so roughe and heuy, so that many mē which haue taken them vp for gayenesse, hathe layde them downe agayne for profyte, thus for our purpose, the Goose is best fether, for the best shoter.

No that is not so, for the best shoter that euer was vsed other fethers.

Ye are you so cunninge in shootynge I praye you who was that.

Hercules whyche [Page 16] had hys shaftes fethered with Egles fethers as He­fiodus dothe saye.Heslod. in Scuto. Her.

Well as for Hercules, se­ynge nether water nor lande, heauen nor hell, coulde scarse contente hym to abyde in, it was no meruell thoughe a sely poore gouse fether could not plese him to shoote wythal, and agayne as for Egles they flye so hye and builde so far of, y^• they be very hard to cōe by.3 Gouse. Yet welfare the gentle gouse which bringeth to a man euen to hys doore so manye excedynge commo­dities. For the gouse is mās cōforte in war & in peace slepynge and wakynge. What prayse so euer is gy­uen to shootynge the gouse maye chalenge the beste parte in it. Howe well dothe she make a man fare at his table. Howe easelye dothe she make a man lye in hys bed? How fit euen as her fethers be onelye for shootynge, so be her quylles fytte onely for wrytyng

In deade Toxophyle that is the beste prayse you gaue to a gouse yet, and surelye I would haue sayde you had bene to blame yf you had ouer­skypte it.

The Romaynes I trowe Philo­loge not so muche bycause a gouse wyth tryinge sa­ued theyr Capitoliū and head toure wyth their gol­den Iupiter as Propertius doth say very pretely in thys verse.

Dyd make a golden gouse and set hir in the top of y^• Capitoliū, [...] & appoynted also the Censores to alow out of y^• cōmon butche yearly stipedes for y^• finding [Page] of certayne Geese, y^• Romaynes did not I saye giue al thys honor to a gouse for y^• good dede onely, but for other infinit mo which cōme daylye to a man by Geese, and surely yf I should declame in y^• prayse of any maner of be [...]st lyuyng, I would chose a gouse, But the goose hath made vs flee to farre from oure matter. Now sir ye haue hearde howe a fether must be had, and that a goose fether onely. It foloweth of a yong gose and an oulde, and the residue bēlonging to a fether: which thing I wyll shortlye course ouer: wherof, when you knowe the properties, you maye fitte your shaftes accordyng to your shotyng, which rule you must obserue in all other thynges too, by­cause no one fashion or quantitie can be fitte for eue­ry man, nomore then a shooe or a cote can be. The oulde goose fether is styffe and stronge, good for a wynde, and fyttest for a deed shaft: the yonge goose fether is weake and fyne, best for a swyfte shaft, and it must be couled at the first shering, somewhat hye, for with shoting, it wyll sattle and faule very moche. The same thing (although not so moche) is to be cō ­sydered in a goose and a gander. A fenny goose, euen as her flesh is blacker, stoorer, vnholsomer, so is her fether for the same cause courser stoorer & rougher, & therfore I haue heard very good fletchers saye, that the seconde fether in some place is better then the pi­mon in other some. Betwixt the winges is lytle dif­ferēce but that you must haue diuerse shaftes of one flight, fethered with diuerse winges, for diuerse windes: for if the wynde and the fether go both one way the shaft wyl be caryed to moche. The pinion fether [Page 17] as it hath the firste place in the winge, so it hath the fyrst place in good fetheringe. You maye knowe it a­fore it be pared, by a bought whiche is in it, and a­gayne when it is colde, by the thinnesse aboue, and the thicknesse at the grounde, and also by the stifnes and finesse which wyll cary a shaft better, faster and further, euen as a fine sayle cloth doth a shyppe.

The coulour of the fether is leste to be regarded, yet som what to be looked on: lest for a good whyte you haue sometyme an yll greye. Yet surelye it stan­deth with good reasō to haue the cocke fether black or greye, as it were to gyue a man warning to nocke ryght. The cocke fether is called that which stādeth aboue in right nocking, which if you do not obserue the other fethers must nedes run on the bowe, and so marre your shote. And thus farre of the goodnesse and choyse of your fether: now foloweth the setting on. Wherin you must looke that your fethers be not drawen for hastinesse, but pared euen and streyghte with diligence. The fletcher draweth a fether when he hath but one swappe at it with his knyfe, and then playneth it a lytle, with rubbynge it ouer his knyfe. He pareth it when he taketh leysure and hede to make euery parte of the ryb apt to stand streight, and euen on vpon the stele. This thing if a mā take not heede on, he maye chaunce haue cause to saye so of his fletcher, as in dressinge of meate is cōmunelye spoken of Cookes: and that is, that God sendeth vs good fethers, but the deuyll noughtie Fletchers. Yf any fletchers heard me saye thus, they wolde not be angrye with me, except they were yll fletchers: and [Page] yet by reason, those fletchers too, ought rather to a­mend them selues for doing yll, then be angry with me for saying truth. The ribbe in a styffe fether may be thinner, for so it wyll stande cleaner on: but in a weake fether you must leaue a thicker ribbe, or els yf the ryb which is the foundacion and grounde, wher in nature hath set euerye clefte of the fether, be taken to nere the fether, it muste nedes folowe, that the fe­ther shall faule, & droupe downe, euen as any herbe doeth whyche hath his roote to nere taken on with a spade. The lengthe and shortnesse of the fether, serueth for diuers shaftes, as a long fether for a long heauy, or byg shafte, the shorte fether for the contrary. Agayne the shorte maye stande farther, the longe nerer the nocke. Youre fether muste stande almooste streyght on, but yet after that sorte, y^t it maye turne rounde in flyinge. And here I consider the wonder­full nature of shootynge, whiche standeth all togy­ther by that fashion, which is moste apte for quicke mouynge, and that is by roundenesse. For firste the bowe must be gathered rounde, in drawyng it must come rounde compasse, the strynge muste be rounde the stele rounde, the beste nocke rounde, the feather shorne somwhat rounde, the shafte in slyenge, muste turne rounde, and if it flye far, it flyeth a round com­pace. For eyther aboue or benethe a rounde cōpace, hyndereth the flyinge. Moreouer bothe the fletcher in makynge your shafte, and you in nockynge your shafte, muste take heede that two fethers equallye runne on the bowe. For yf one fether runne alone on the bowe, it shal quickely be worne, and shall not be [Page 18] able to matche with the other fethers, and agayne at the lowse, yf the shafte be lyght, it wyl starte, if it be heuye, it wil hoble. And thus as concernyng set­tyng on of your fether. Nowe of coulynge.

To she [...]e a shafte hyghe or lowe, muste be as the shafte is, heauy or lyght, great or lytle, long or short The swyne backed fashion, maketh the shaft deader, for it gathereth more ayer than the saddle backed, & therfore the saddle backe is surer for daunger of we­ther, & fitter for smothe fliing. Agayn to shere a shaft rounde, as they were wount somtime to do, or after the triangle fashion, whyche is muche vsed nowe a dayes, bothe be good. For roundnesse is apte for fli­ynge of his owne nature, and all maner of triangle fashion, (the sharpe poynte goyng before) is also na­turally apte for quicke entrynge,De nat. [...]. and therfore sayth Cicero, that cranes taught by nature, obserue in fly­inge a triangle fashion alwayes, bycause it is so apt to perce and go thorowe the ayer wythall. Laste of all pluckynge of fethers is noughte, for there is no suerty in it, therfore let euery archer haue such shaf­tes, that he maye bothe knowe them and trust them at euery chaunge of wether. Yet if they must nedes be plucked, plucke them as litle as can be, for so shal they be the lesse vnconstante. And thus I haue knit vp in as shorte a roume as I coulde, the best fethers fetheringe and coulinge of a shafte.

I thynke surelye you haue so taken vp the matter wyth you, y^• you haue lefte nothynge behinde you. Nowe you haue brought a shafte to the head, whiche if it were on, we had done as concernyng all instrumentes be­longyng [Page] to shootynge.

Necessitie, the inuentour of all goodnesse (as all authours in a maner, doo saye) amonges all other thinges inuented a shaft heed, firste to saue the ende from breakyng, then it made it sharpe to stycke better, after it made it of strōg matter, to last better: Last of all experience and wysedome of men, hathe brought it to suche a perfitnesse, that there is no one thing so profitable, belongyng to artillarie, either to stryke a mannes enemye sorer in warre, or to shoote nerer the marke at home, then is a fitte heed for both purposes. For if a shaft lacke a heed, it is worth no­thynge for neither vse. Therfore seinge heedes be so necessary, they must of necessitie, be wel looked vpon Heedes for warre, of longe tyme haue ben made, not onely of diuers matters, but also of diuers fashions The Troians had heedes of yron, as this verse spo­ken of Pandarus, sheweth:

‘Vp to the pappe his string did he pull,Illado [...]. 4. his shaft to the harde yron’

The Grecians had heedes of brasse, as Ulysses shaftes were heeded, when he slewe Antinous, and the other wowers of Penolepe.

‘Quite through a dore,Odysse. 21. flewe a shafte with a brasse heed.’

It is playne in Homer, where Menelaus was wounded of Pandarus shafte, y^e the hedes were not glewed on,Iliados. 4. but tyed on with a string, as the cōmen­tartes in Greke playnelye tell. And therfore shoters [Page 19] at that tyme to cary their shaftes withoute heedes, vntill they occupyed them, and than set on an heade as it apereth in Homer the. xxi. booke Odyssei, where Penelope brought Ulixes bowe downe amonges the gentlemen, whiche came on wowing to her, that he whiche was able to bende it and drawe it, might inioye her, and after her folowed a mayde sayth Homer,Odysse. 21. carienge a bagge full of heades, bothe of iron and brasse.

The men of Scythia, vsed heades of brasse. The men of Inde vsed heades of yron The Ethiopians vsed heades of a harde sharpe stone,Hero [...] Polym as bothe Hero­dotus and Pollux do tel. The Germanes as Corne­lius Tacitus doeth saye, had theyr shaftes headed with bone, and many countryes bothe of olde tyme and nowe, vse heades of horne, but of all other yrō and style muste nedes be the fittest for heades.

Iulius Pollux calleth otherwyse than we doe, where the fethers be the head,I. Pol. [...]: 1 [...]. and that whyche we call the head, he calleth the poynte.

Fashion of heades is diuers and that of olde tyme: two maner of arrowe heades sayeth Pollux, was vsed in olde tyme. The one he calleth [...], descry­bynge it thus, hauyng two poyntes or barbes, loo­kyng backewarde to the stele and the fethers, which surely we call in Englishe a brode arrowe head or a swalowe tayle. The other he calleth [...], hauing ii. poyntes stretchyng forwarde, and this Englysh men do call a forkehead: bothe these two kyndes of heades, were vsed in Homers dayes, for Teucer v­sed forked heades, sayinge thus to Agamemnon.

[Page] Eighte good shaftes haue I shot sithe I came,Illa [...]. [...]. eche one wyth [...] forke heade.

Pandarus heades and Ulysses heades were broode arrow heades, as a man maye learne in Ho­mer that woulde be curiouse in knowyng that mat­ter. Hercules vsed forked heades, but yet they had thre pointes or forkes, when other mennes had but twoo. [...]intarchus in Cr [...]o. The Parthyans at that great battell where they slewe ritche Crassus and his sonne vsed brode Arrowe heades, whyche stacke so sore that the Ro­maynes could not poule them out agayne. Commo­d [...]s the Emperoure vsed forked heades,D [...]odia. 1. whose fa­cion Herodiane doeth lyuely and naturally describe, sa [...]inge that they were lyke the shap of a new mone wherewyth he would smite of the heade of a birde and neuer misse, other facion of heades haue not I red on. Our Englyshe heades be better in war than eyther forked heades, or brode arrowe heades. For firste the ende beynge lyghter they flee a great deele the faster, and by the same reason gyueth a far sorer stripe. Yea & I suppose if y^• same lytle barbes which they haue, were clene put away, they shuld be far beter. For thys euery mā doth graunt, y^• a shaft as lōg as it flyeth, turnes, and whā it leueth turnyng it le­ueth goyng any farther. And euery thynge that en­ters by a turnynge and boring facion, the more flat­ter it is, the worse it enters, as a knife thoughe it be sharpe yet bycause of the edges, wil not bore so wel as a bodkin, for euery rounde thynge enters beste & therefore nature, sayeth Aristotle, made the rayne droppes rounde for quicke percynge the ayre,

[Page 20] Thus, eyther shaftes turne not in flyeng, or els our flatte arrowe heades stoppe the shafte in entrynge.

But yet Toxophile to holde your communication a lytle I suppose the [...]lat heade is better, bothe bycause it maketh a greter hoole, and also bycause it stickes faster in.

These two reasons as they be bothe trewe, so they be both nought. For fyrst the lesse hoole, yf it be depe, is the worse to heale agayne: whē a man shoteth at hys enemy, he desyreth rather y^t it should enter far, than stick fast. For what reme­dye is it I praye you for hym whych is smitten w^t a depe wounde to poull out the shaft quickely, except it be to haste his death spedely? thus heades whyche make alytle hole & depe, be vetter in war, than those which make a great hole and sticke fast in.

Iulius Pollux maketh mencion of certayne kindes of heades for war which bear fyre in them,Posl [...]. 7. Psal. 7. and scripture also speaketh somwhat of the same.He [...]o Uran Herodotus doth tell a wonderfull pollicy to be done by Xerxses what tyme he beseged the great Toure in Athenes: He made his Archers binde there shafte heades a­boute wyth towe, and than set it on fyre and shoote thē, whych thyng done by many Archers set all the places on fyre, whych were of matter to burne: and besydes that dased the men wythin, so y^• they knewe not whyther to turne them. But to make an ende of all heades for warre I woulde wyshe that the head makers of Englande shoulde make their sheafe ar­rowe heades more harder poynted then they be: [Page] for I my selfe haue sene of late suche heades set vpō sheafe Arrowes, as y^• officers yf they had sene them woulde not haue bene content wyth all.

Now as concernyng heades for pryckyng, which is oure purpose, there be dyuerse kyndes, some be blonte heades, some sharpe, some bothe blonte and sharpe. The blont heades men vse bycause they per­ceaue them to be good, to kepe a lengthe wyth all, they kepe a good lengthe, bycause a man poulethe them no ferder at one tyme than at another. For in felynge the plompe ende alwayes equallye he maye lowse them. Yet in a winde, and agaynste the wynd the wether hath so much power on the brode end, y^• no man can kepe no sure lengthe, wyth such a heade. Therfore a blont hede in a caulme or downe a wind is very good, otherwyse none worse.

Sharpe heades at the ende wythout anye shoul­ders (I call that the shoulder in a heade whyche a mans finger shall feele afore it come to the poynte) wyll perche quycklye throughe a wynde, but yet it hath .ii. discommodities, the one that it wyll kepe no lengthe, it kepeth no lengthe, bycause no manne can poule it certaynly as far one tyme as at an other: it is not drawen certaynlye so far one tyme as at an o­ther, bycause it lackethe shouldrynge wherwyth as wyth a sure token a man myghte be warned when to lowse, and also bycause menne are afrayde of the sharpe poynt for settyng it in y^• bow. The seconde in cōmoditie is when it is lyghted on y^• ground, y^• smal poynte shall at euerye tyme be in ieopardye of hur­rynge, whyche thynge of all other wyll sones make [Page 21] the shafte lese the lengthe. Now when blonte hea­des be good to kepe a lengthe wythall, yet noughte for a wynde, sharpe heades good to perche the we­ther wyth al, yet nought for a length, certayne heade makers dwellyng in London perceyuynge the commoditie of both kynde of heades ioyned wyth a dis­commoditie, inuented newe files and other instru­mentes where wyth he broughte heades for pryc­kynge to such a perfitnesse, that all the commodities of the twoo other heades should be put in one heade wyth out anye discommoditie at all. They made a certayne kynde of heades whyche men call hie rig­ged, creased, or shouldred heades, or syluer spone heades, for a certayne lykenesse that suche heades haue wyth the knob ende of some syluer spones.

These heades be good both to kepe a length withal and also to perche a wynde wythal, to kepe a length wythall bycause a man maye certaynly poule it to the shouldrynge euery shoote & no farther, to perche a wynde wythall bycause the pointe from the shoulder forwarde, breketh the wether as al other sharpe thynges doo. So the blonte shoulder seruethe for a sure lengthe kepynge, the poynte also is euerfit, for a roughe and greate wether percyng. And thus much as shortlye as I could, as concernyng heades both for war & peace

But is there no cūning as con cerning setting on of y^• head?

Wel remēbred But that poynt belongeth to fletchers, yet you may desyre hym to set youre heade, full on, and close on. Ful on is whan the wood is bet hard vp to the ende or stoppynge of the heade, close on, is when there is [Page] lefte wood on euerye syde the shafte, ynoughe to fyll the head withall, or when it is neyther to little nor yet to greate. If there be any faulte in anye of these poyntes, y^• head whan it lyghteth on any hard stone or grounde wil be in ieoperdy, eyther of breakynge, or els otherwyse hurtynge. Stoppynge of heades eyther wyth leade, or any thynge els, shall not nede now, bycause euery siluer spone, or showldred head is stopped of it selfe. Shorte heades be better than longe: For firste the longe head is worse for the ma­ker to fyle strayght compace euery waye: agayne it is worse for the fletcher to set strayght on: thyrdlye it is alwayes in more ieoperdie of breakinge, whan it is on. And nowe I trowe Philologe, we haue done as concernynge all Instrumentes belongyng to shootynge, whiche euery sere archer ought, to prouyde for hym selfe. And there remayneth .ii thynges behinde, whiche be generall or cōmon to euery man the Wether & the Barke, but bicause they be so knit wyth shootynge strayght, or kepynge of a lengthe, I wyll deferre them to that place, and now we will come (God wyllyng) to handle oure instrumentes, the thing that euery man desireth to do wel.

If you can teache me so well to handle these instrumē ­tes as you haue described them, I suppose I shalbe an archer good ynough.

To learne any thing (as you knowe better than I Philologe) & special­lye to do a thing w^t a mannes handes, must be done if a man woulde be excellent, in his youthe. Yonge trees in gardens, which lacke al senses, and beastes w^tout reson, when they be yong, may with handling [Page 22] and teaching, be brought to wonderfull thynges.

And this is not onely true in natural thinges, but in artificiall thinges to, as the potter most connyngly doth cast his pottes whan his claye is softe & work­able, and waxe taketh printe whan it is warme, & leathie weke, not whan claye and waxe be hard and oulde: and euen so, euerye man in his youthe, bothe with witte and body is moste apte and pliable to re­ceyue any cunnyng that shulde be taught hym.

This cōmunication of teaching youthe, maketh me to remembre the right worshipfull and my singuler good mayster, Sir Humfrey Wingfelde, to who [...] nexte God, I ought to refer for his manifolde bene­fites bestowed on me, the poore talent of learnyng, which god hath lent me: & For his sake do I owe my seruice to all other of the name & noble house of the Wyngfeldes, bothe in woord and dede. Thys wor­shypfull man hath euer loued and vsed, to haue ma­ny children brought vp in learnynge in his house a­monges whome I my selfe was one. For whom at terme tymes he woulde bryng downe from Londō both bowe and shaftes. And when they shuld playe he woulde go with them him selfe in to the fyelde, & se them shoote, and he that shot fayrest, shulde haue the best bowe and shaftes, and he that shot ilfauou­redlye, shulde be mocked of his felowes, till he shot better.

Woulde to god all Englande had vsed or wolde vse to lay the foundacion of youth, after the example of this worshipful man in bringyng vp chyldren in the [Page] Booke and the Bowe: by whiche two thynges, the hole common welth both in peace and warre is che­felye ruled and defended wythall.

But to our purpose, he that muste come to this high perfectnes in shootyng whiche we speake of, muste nedes begin to learne it in hys youthe, the omitting of whiche thinge in Englande, bothe maketh fewer shooters, and also euery man that is a shoter, shote warse than he myght, if he were taught.

Euen as I knowe that this is true, whiche you saye, euen so Toxophile, haue you quyte discouraged me, and drawen my minde cleane from shootynge, seinge by this reason, no man y^• hath not vsed it in his youthe can be excellent in it. And I suppose the same reson woulde discourage many other mo, yf they hearde you talke after this sorte.

This thyng Phi­lologe, shall discourage no man that is wyse. For I wyll proue y^t wisdome maye worke the same thinge in a man, that nature doth in a chylde.

A chylde by thre thinges, is brought to excellen­cie. By Aptnesse, Desire, and Feare: Aptnesse ma­keth hym pliable lyke waxe to be formed and fashio­ned, euen as a man woulde haue hym. Desyre to be as good or better, than his felowes: and Feare of them whome he is vnder, wyl cause hym take great labour and payne with diligent hede, in learnynge any thinge, wherof procedeth at the laste excellency and perfectnesse.

A man maye by wisdome in learnyng any thing, and specially to shoote, haue thre lyke commodities also, wherby he maye, as it were become younge a­gayne, [Page 27] and so attayne to excellencie. For as a childe is apte by naturall youth, so a man by vsyng at the first weake bowes, far vnderneth his strength, shal be as pliable and readye to be taught fayre shotyng as any chylde: and daylye vse of the same, shal both kepe hym in fayer shotyng, and also at y^• last bryng hym to stronge shootynge.

And in stede of the feruente desyre, which prouoketh a chylde to be better than hys felowe, lette a man be as muche stirred vp with shamefastnes to be worse than all other. And the same place that feare hathe in a chylde, to compell him to take peyne, the same hath loue of shotyng in a man, to cause hym forsake no labour, withoute whiche no man nor chylde can be excellent. And thus whatsoeuer a chylde may be taught by Aptnesse, Desire, & Feare, the same thing in shootynge, maye a man be taughte by weake bo­wes, Shamefastnesse and Loue.

And hereby you maye se that that is true whiche Cicero sayeth, that a man by vse, may be broughte to a newe nature. And this I dare be bould to saye, that any man whiche will wisely begynne, and con­stantlye perseuer in this trade of learnyng to shote, shall attayne to perfectnesse therin.

This communication Toxophile, doeth please me verye well, and nowe I perceyue that moste generally & chefly youthe muste be taughte to shoote, and secondarilye no man is debarred therfrom excepte it be more tho­rough his owne negligence for bicause he wyll not learne, than any disabilitie, bicause he can not lerne.

[Page] Therfore seyng I wyll be glad to folowe your coū ­sell in chosynge my bowe and other instrumentes, and also am ashamed that I can shote no better thā I can, moreouer hauynge suche a loue toward sho­tynge by your good reasons to day, that I wyl for­sake no labour in the exercise of the same, I beseche you imagyn that we had bothe bowe and shaftes here, and teache me how I should handle them, and one thynge I desyre you, make me as fayre an Ar­cher as you can.

For thys I am sure in learnynge all other mat­ters, nothynge is broughte to the moost profytable vse, which is not handled after the moost cumlye fa­siō. As masters of fēce haue no stroke fit ether to hit an other or els to defende hym selfe, whyche is not ioyned wyth a wonderfull cumlinesse. A Cooke cā not chop hys herbes neither quickelye nor hansom­lye excepte he kepe suche a mesure wyth hys chop­pynge kniues as woulde delyte a manne bothe to se hym and heare hym.

Euerye hand craft man that workes best for hys owne profyte, workes most semelye to other mens sight. Agayne in buyldynge a house, in makynge a shyppe, euery parte the more hansomely, they be ioyned for profyt and laste, the more cumlye they be fa­shioned to euery mans syght and eye. Nature it selfe taught men to ioyne alwayes welfauourednesse w^t profytablenesse. As in man, that ioynt or pece which is by anye chaunce depriued of hys cumlynesse the same is also debarred of hys vse and profytable­nesse.

[Page 27] As he that is gogle eyde and lokes a squinte hath both hys countenaunce clene marred, and hys sight sore blemmyshed, and so in all other members lyke. Moreouer what tyme of the yeare bryngeth mooste profyte wyth it for mans vse, the same also couereth and dekketh bothe earthe and trees wyth moost cū ­lynesse for mans pleasure. And that tyme whych ta­kethe awaye the pleasure of the grounde, carieth w^t hym also the profyt of the grounde, as euery man by experience knoweth in harde and roughe winters. Some thynges there be whych haue no other ende, but onely cumlynesse, as payntyng, and Daunsing. And vertue it selfe is nothynge eles but cumlynesse, as al Philosophers do agree in opinion, therfore se­ynge that whych is best do [...]e in anye matters, is al­wayes moost cumlye done as both Plato and Cice­ro in manye places do proue, and daylye experience dothe teache in other thynges, I pr [...]ye you as I sayde before teatche me to shoote as f [...]yre, and wel­fauouredly as you can imagen.

Trewlye Philologe as you proue verye well in other matters, the best shootynge, is alway­es the moost cumlye shootynge but thys you know as well as I that Crassus shewethe in Cicero that as cumlinesse is the chefe poynt, & most to be sought for in all thynges, so cumlynesse onlye, can neuer be taught by any Arte or craft. But may be perceyued well whē it is done, not described wel how it should be done.

Yet neuerthelesse to comme to it there be ma­nye waye whych wayes men haue assayde in other [Page] matters, as yf a man would folowe in learnynge to shoote faire, the noble paynter Zeuxes in payntyng Helena, whyche to make his Image bewtifull dyd chose out .v. of the fayrest maydes in al the countrie aboute, and in beholdynge them conceyued & drewe out suche an Image that it far exceded al other, by­cause the comelinesse of them al was broughte in to one moost perfyte comelinesse: So lykewyse in sho­tynge yf a man, woulde set before hys eyes .v. or .vi. of the fayreste Archers that euer he saw shoote, and of one learue to stande, of a nother to drawe, of an other tolowse, and so take of euery man, what eue­ry man coulde do best, I dare saye he shoulde come to suche a comlynesse as neuer man came to yet. As for an example, if the moost comely poynte in shoo­tynge that Hewe Prophete the Kynges seruaunte hath and as my frendes Thomas and Raufe Can­trell doth vse w^t the moost semelye facyons that .iii. or iiii. excellent Archers haue beside, were al ioyned in one, I am sure all men woulde wonder at y^• excel­lencie of it. And this is one waye to learne to shoote fayre.

This is very wel truly, but I praye you teache me somewhat of shootyng fayre youre selfe.

I can teache you to shoote fayre, euen as So trates taught a man ones to knowe God, for when he axed hym what was God: naye sayeth he I can tell you better what God is not, as God is not yll, God is vnspeakeable, vnsearcheable and so forth: Euen lykewyse can I saye of fayre shootyng, it hath not this discommodite with it nor that discommo­ditie, and at last a man maye so shifte all the discom­modities [Page 29] from shootynge that there shall be left no thynge behynde but fayre shootynge. And to do this the better you must remember howe that I toulde you when I descrybed generally the hole nature of shootyng that fayre shotyng came of these thynges, of standynge, nockynge, drawynge, hewldynge and lowsynge, the whych I wyll go ouer as shortly as I can, describynge the discommodities that men cō ­monlye vse in all partes of theyr bodies, that you yf you faulte in any such maye knowe it & so go about to am end it. Faultes in Archers do excede the num­ber of Archers, whyche come wyth vse of shootynge wythoute teachynge. Use and custome separated from knowlege and learnynge, doth not onely hurt shootynge, but the moost weyghtye thynges in the worlde beside: And therfore I maruayle moche at those people whyche be the mayneteners of vses w^t oute knowledge hauynge no other worde in theyr mouthe but thys vse, vse, custome, custome. Suche men more wylful than wyse, beside other discommo ties, take all place and occasion from al amendmēt. And thys I speake generally of vse and custome.

Whych thynge yf a learned man had it in hande y^• woulde applye it to any one matter, he myght han­dle it wonderfullye. But as for shootyng, vse is the onely cause of all fautes in it and therfore chylderne more easly and soner maye be taught to shote excel­lentlye then men, bycause chylderne may be taught to shoote well at the fyrste, men haue more payne to vnlearne theyr yll vses, than they haue laboure af­terwarde to come to good shootynge.

[Page] All the discommodities whiche ill custome hath graffed in archers, can neyther be quycklye poulled out, nor yet sone reckened of me, they be so manye.

Some shooteth, his head forwarde as though he woulde byte the marke: an other stareth wyth hys eyes, as though they shulde flye out: An other win keth with one eye, and loketh with the other: Some make a face with writhing theyr mouthe and coun­tenaunce so, as though they were doyng you wotte what: An other blereth out his tonge: An other by­teth his lyppes: An other holdeth his necke a wrye. In drawyng some fet suche a compasse, as thoughe they woulde tourne about, and blysse all the feelde: Other heaue theyr hand nowe vp now downe, that a man can not decerne wherat they wolde shote, an other waggeth the vpper ende of his bow one way, the neyther ende an other waye. An other wil stand poyntinge his shafte at the marke a good whyle and by and by he wyli gyue hym a whip, and awaye or a man wite. An other maketh suche a wrestling with his gere, as thoughe he were able to shoote no more as longe as he lyned. An other draweth foftly to y^• middes, and by and by it is gon, you can not knowe howe.

An other draweth his shafte lowe at the breaste, as thoughe he woulde shoote at a rouynge marke, and by and by he lifteth his arme vp pricke heyghte. An other maketh a wrynchinge with hys backe, as though a manne pynched hym behynde.

An other coureth downe, and layeth out his buttoc­kes, as though he shoulde shoote at crowes.

[Page 29] An other setteth forwarde hys lefte legge, and dra­weth backe wyth head and showlders, as thou ghe he pouled at a rope, orels were afrayed of y^• marke. An other draweth his shafte well, vntyll wythin .ii. fyngers of the head, and than he stayeth a lyttle, to looke at hys marke, and that done, pouleth it vp to the head, and lowseth: whych waye although sume excellent shooters do vse, yet surely it is a faulte, and good mennes faultes are not to be folowed.

Summe men drawe to farre, summe to shorte, sūme to slwolye, summe to quickely, summe holde ouer longe, summe lette go ouer sone.

Summe sette theyr shafte on the grounde, and fet­cheth him vpwarde. An other poynteth vp to warde the skye, and so bryngeth hym downewardes.

Ones I sawe a manne whyche vsed a brasar on his cheke, or elles he had scratched all the skynne of the one syde, of his face, with his drawynge hand. An other I sawe, whiche at euerye shoote, after the loose, lyfted vp his ryght legge so far, that he was euer in ieoperdye of faulyng.

Summe stampe forwarde, and summe leape back­warde. All these faultes be eyther in the drawynge, or at the loose: w^t many other mo whiche you may easelye perceyue, and so go about to auoyde them.

Nowe afterwarde whan the shafte is gone, men haue manye faultes, whyche euell Custome hath broughte them to, and specially in cryinge after the shafte, & speakynge woordes scarce honest for suche an honest pastyme.

[Page] Suche woordes be verye tokens of an ill mynde, and manifeste [...]gnes of a man that is subiecte to in­mesurable affections. Good mennes eares do abhor them, and an houest man therfore wyl auoyde them. And besydes those whiche muste nedes haue theyr tongue thus walkynge, other men vse other fautes as some will take theyr bowe and writhe & wrinche it, to poule in his shafte, when it flyeth wyde, as yf he draue a carte. Some wyl gyue two or .iii. strydes forwarde, daunsing and hoppynge after his shafte, as long as it flyeth, as though he were a mad man. Some which feare to be to farre gone, runne backe­warde as it were to poule his shafte backe. Another tunneth forwarde, whan he feareth to be short, hea­uynge after his armes, as though he woulde helpe his shafte to flye. An other writhes or runneth a syde, to poule in his shafte strayght. One lifteth vp his heele, and so holdeth his foote still, as longe as his shafte flyeth. An other casteth his arme backe­warde after the lowse. And an other swynges hys bowe aboute hym, as it were a man with a staffe to make roume in a game place. And manye other faultes there be, which nowe come not to my remē ­braunce. Thus as you haue hearde, many archers wyth marrynge theyr face and countenaunce, wyth other partes, of theyr bodye, as it were menne that shoulde daunce antiques, be farre from the comelye porte in shootynge, whiche he that woulde be excel­lent muste looke for.

Of these faultes I haue verie many my selfe, but I talke not of my shootynge, but of the generall na­ture [Page 31] of shootynge. Nowe ymagin an Archer that is cleane wythout al these faultes & I am sure euerye man would be delyted to se hym shoote.

And althoughe suche a perfyte cumlynesse can not be expressed wyth any precepte of teachyng, as Cicero and other learned menne do saye, yet I wyll speake (according to my lytle knowlege) that thing in it, whych yf you folowe, althoughe you shall not be wythout fault, yet your fault shal neyther quick­ly be perceued, nor yet greatly rebuked of them that stande by. Standyng, nockyng, drawyng, holdyng, lowsyng, done as they shoulde be done, make fayre shootynge.

The fyrste poynte is when a man shoulde shote,Standy [...]ge. to take suche footyng and standyng as shal be both cumlye to the eye and profytable to hys vse, settyng hys countenaunce and al the other partes of his bo­dye after suche a behauiour and porte, that bothe al hys strengthe may be employed to hys owne moost auaūtage, and hys shoot made and handled to other mens pleasure and delyte. A man must not go to ha­stely to it, for that is rashnesse, nor yet make to much to do about it, for y^• is curiosit [...]e, y^• one fote must not stande to far fro the other, leste he stoupe to muche whyche is vnsemelye, nor yet to nere to gether, leste he stande to streyght vp, for so a man shall neyther vse hys strengthe well, nor yet stande stedfastlye.

The meane betwyxt bothe must be kept, a thing more pleasaunte to behoulde when it is done, than rasie to be taught howe it shoulde be done.

To nocke well is the easiest poynte of all,Nochyn [...] and [Page] there in is no cunninge, but onelye dylygente hede gyuyng, to set hys shaft neyther to hye nor to lowe, but euen streyght ouertwharte hys bowe, Uncon­staute nockynge maketh a man leese hys lengthe.

And besydes that, yf the shafte hande be hye and the bowe hand lowe, or contrarie, bothe the bowe is in ieopardye of brekynge, and the shafte, yf it be lytle, wyll start: yf it be great it wyll hobble. Nocke the cocke fether vpward alwayes as I toulde you whē I described the fether. And be sure alwayes y^• your stringe slip not out of the nocke, for than al is in [...]eo­pardye of breakynge.

DrawyngeD [...]awynge. well is the best parte of shootyng. Men in oulde tyme vsed other maner of drawynge than we do. They vsed to drawe low at the brest, to the ryght pap and no farther, and this to be trew is playne in Homer, where he descrybeth Pandarus shootynge. [...]

‘Vp to the pap his stringe dyd he pul, his shafte to the hard heed.’

The noble women of Scythia vsed the same fa­shyon of shootyng low at the brest, and bicause their lefte pap hindred theyr shootynge at the lowse they cut it of when they were yonge, and therfore be they called in lackynge theyr pap Amazones. Nowe a dayes contrarye wyse we drawe to the ryghte eare and not to the pap. Whether the olde way in draw­ynge low to the pap, [...] or the new way to draw a loft to the eare be better, an excellente wryter in Greke called Procopius doth saye hys mynde, shewyng y^• [Page 32] the oulde fashion in drawing to y^• pap was nought, of no pithe, and therfore saith Procopius: is Artylla [...]ye dispraysed in Homer whych calleth it [...] 1. Weake and able to do no good. Drawyng to the eare he prayseth greatly, whereby men shoote both stronger and longer: drawynge therfore to the eare is better than to drawe at the breste. And one thyng commeth into my remembraunce nowe Philologe when I speake of drawyng, that I neuer red of o­ther kynde of shootyng, than drawing wyth a mās hand ether to the breste or eare: This thyng haue I sought for in Homer Herodotus and Plutarch, and therfore I meruayle how crosbowesCrosbowes. came fyrst vp, of the which I am sure a man shall finde lytle men­tion made on in any good Authour. Leo the Em­peroure woulde haue hys souldyers drawe quyck­lye in warre, for that maketh a shaft flie a pace. In shootynge at the pryckes, hasty and quicke drawing is neyther sure nor yet cumlye. Therfore to drawe easely and vniformely, that is for to saye not wag­gyng your hand, now vpwarde, now downe warde, but alwayes after one fashion vntil you come to the rig or shouldring of y^• head, is best both for profit & semelinesse. HoldyngeHolding. must not be longe, for it bothe putteth a bowe in ieopardy, & also marreth a mans shoote, it must be so lytle y^• it maye be perceyued bet­ter in a mans mynde when it is done, than seene w^t a mans eyes when it is in doyng.

LowsyngeLowsynge. muste be muche lyke. So quycke and hard y^• it [...]e wyth oute all girdes, so softe and gentle [Page] that the shafte flye not as it were sente out of a bow case. The meane betwixt bothe, whyche is perfyts lowsynge is not so hard to be folowed inshootynge as it is to be descrybed in teachyng. For cleane low­synge you must take hede of hyttynge any thynge a boute you. And for the same purpose Leo the Em­perour would haue al Archers in war to haue both theyr heades pouled, and there berdes shauen leste the heare of theyr heades shuld stop the syght of the eye, the heere of theyr berdes hinder the course of the strynge.

And these preceptes I am sure Philologe yf you folowe in standyng, nockyng, drawynge, holdynge, and lowsynge, shal bryng you at the last to excellent fayre shootynge.

All these thynges Toxohi­le althoughe I bothe nowe perceyue them thorow­lye, and also wyll remember them diligently: yet to morowe or some other day whē you haue leasure we wyll go to the pryckes, and put them by lytle and ly­tle in experience. For teachynge not folowed, doeth euen as muche good as bookes neuer looked vpon. But nowe seing you haue taught me to shote fayre, I praye you tel me somwhat, how I should shoote nere leste that prouerbe myght be sayd iustlye of me sometyme. He shootes lyke a gentle man fayre & far of.

He that can shoote fayre, lacketh nothyng but shootyng streyght and kepyng of a length wher of commeth hyttynge of the marke, the ende both of shootyng and also of thys our communication. The handlyng of y^• wether & the mark bicause they belōg to shootyng streyghte, and kepynge of a lengthe, I [Page 33] wyll ioyne them togyther, shewinge what thinges belonge to kepynge of a lengthe, and what to shoo­tynge streyght.

The greatest enemy of shootyng is the wynde and the wether,wynde [...]nd wether. wherby true kepyng a lengthe is chefe­ly hindered. If this thing were not, men by teaching might be brought to wonderful neare shootynge. It is no maruayle if the litle poore shafte being sent alone, so high in to the ayer, into a great rage of we­ther, one wynde tossinge it that waye, an other thys waye, it is no maruayle I saye, thoughe it leese the lengthe, and misse that place, where the shooter had thought to haue founde it. Greter matters than sho tynge are vnder the rule and wyll of the wether, as saylynge on the sea. And lykewise as in sayling, the [...]he chefe poynt of a good master, is to knowe the to­kens of chaunge of wether, the course of the wyn­des, that therby he maye the better come to the Ha­uen: euen so the best propertie of a good shooter, is to knowe the nature of the wyndes, with hym and agaynste hym, that thereby he maye the nerer shote at hys marke. Wyse maysters whan they canne not winne the beste hauen, they are gladde of the nexte: Good shooters also, y^• can not whan they would hit the marke, wil labour to come as nigh as they can. All thinges in this worlde be vnperfite and vncon­stant, therfore let euery man acknowlege hys owne weakenesse, in all matters great and smal, weyght­ [...]ye and merye, and glorifie him, in whome only p [...] ­fyte perfitnesse is. But nowe sir, he that wyll at all aduentures vse the seas knowinge no more what is [Page] to be done in a tempest than in a caulme, shall soone becumme a marchaunt of Eele skinnes: so that sho­ter whiche putteth no difference, but shooteth in all lyke, in rough wether and fayre, shall alwayes put his wynninges in his eyes.

Ly [...]le botes and thinne boordes, can not endure the rage of a tempest. Weake bowes, & lyght shaf­tes can not stande in a rough wynde. And lyke wyse as a blynde man which shoulde go to a place where he had neuer ben afore, that hath but one strayghte waye to it, and of eyther syde hooles and pyttes to faule into, nowe falleth in to this hole and than into that hole, and neuer cōmeth to his iourney ende, but wandereth alwaies here and there, farther and far­ther of: So that archer which ignorauntly shoteth considering neyther fayer nor foule, standynge nor nockynge, fether nor head, drawynge nor lowsyng, nor yet any compace, shall alwayes shote shorte and gone, wyde and farre of, and neuer cumme nere, ex­cepte perchaunce he stumble sumtyme on the marke For ignoraunce is nothynge elles but mere blynde­nesse.

A mayster of a shippe first learneth to knowe the cum myng of a tempest, the nature of it, and howe to behaue hym selfe in it, eyther with chaungynge his course, or poullynge downe his hye toppes and brode sayles, beyng glad to eschue as muche of the wether as he can: Euen so a good archer wyl fyrste wyth diligent vse and markynge the wether, learne to knowe the nature of the wynde, and with wyse­dome, wyll measure in hys mynde, howe muche it [Page 34] wyll alter his shoote, eyther in lengthe kepynge, or els in streyght shotynge, and so with chaunging his standynge, or takynge an other shafte, the whiche he knoweth perfytlye to be fitter for his pourpose, ey­ther bycause it is lower fethered, orels bycause it is of a better wyng, wyll so handle w^t discretion hys shoote, that he shall seeme rather to haue the wether vnder hys rule, by good hede gyuynge, than the we­ther to rule hys shafte by any sodayne chaungyng.

Therefore in shootynge there is as muche diffe­rence betwixt an archer that is a good wether man, and an other that knoweth and marketh nothynge, as is betwixte a blynde man, and he that can se.

Thus, as concernynge the wether, a perfyte ar­cher muste firste learne to knowe the sure flyghte of his shaftes, that he may be boulde alwayes, to trust them, than muste he learne by daylye experience all maner of kyndes of wether, the tokens of it, whan it wyll cumme, the nature of it whan it is cūme, the diuersitie and alteryng of it, whan it chaungeth, the decrease & diminishing of it, whā it ceaseth. Thirdly these thinges knowen, and euery shoote diligentlye marked, than must a man cōpare alwayes, the we­ther and his footyng togyther, and with discretion measure them so, that what so euer the roughe we­ther shall take awaye from hys shoote the same shal luste footynge restore agayne to hys shoote.

Thys thynge well knowen, and discretelye han­deled in shootynge, bryngeth more profite and com­mendation and prayse to an Archer, than any other thynge besydes.

[Page] He that woulde knowe perfectly the winde and we­ther, muste put differences betwixte tymes. For di­uersitie of tyme causeth diuersitie of wether, as in the whole yeare, Sprynge tyme, Somer, Faule of the leafe, and Winter: Lykewyse in one day Mor­nynge, Noonetyme, After noone, and Euentyde, bothe alter the wether, and chaunge a mā [...]es bowe wyth the strength of man also. And to knowe that this is so, is ynough for a shoter & artillerie, and not to serche the cause, why it shoulde be so: whiche be­longeth to a learned man and Philosophie.

In consydering the tyme of the yeare, a wyse Ar­cher wyll folowe a good Shipman. In Winter & rough wether, smal bootes and lytle pinkes forsake the seas: And at one tyme of the yeare, no Gallies come abrode: So lykewyse weake Archers, vsyng small and holowe shaftes, with bowes of litle pith, muste be content to gyue place for a tyme.

And this I do not saye, eyther to discōmende or dis­courage any weake shooter: For lykewyse, as there is no shippe better than Gallies be, in a softe and a caulme sea, so no man shooteth cumlier or nerer hys marke, than some weake archers doo, in a fayre and cleare daye.

Thus euery archer must knowe, not onely what bowe and shafte is fittest for him to shoote withall, but also what tyme & season is best for hym to shote in. And surely, in al other matters to, amonge al de­grees of men, there is no man which doth any thing eyther more discretely for his commendation, or yet more profitable for his aduauntage, than he which [Page 35] wyll knowe perfitly for what matter and for what tyme he is moost apte and fit. Yf men woulde go a­boute matters whych they should do and be fit for, not suche thynges whyche wylfullye they desyre & yet be vnfit for, verely greater matters in the cōmon welthe than shootyng shoulde be in better case than they be. This ignorauncie in men whyche know not for what tyme, and to what thynge they be fit, cau­seth some wyshe to be riche, for whome it were bet­ter a greate deale to be poore: other to be medlynge in euery mans matter, for whome it were more ho­nestie to be quiete and styll. Some to desire to be in the Courte, whiche be borne and be fitter rather for the carte. Somme to be maysters and rule other, whiche neuer yet began to rule them selfe: some al­wayes to iangle and taulke, whych rather shoulde heare and kepe silēce. Some to teache, which rather should learne. Some to be prestes, whiche were fy [...] ­ter to be clerkes. And thys peruerse iudgement of y^• worlde, when men mesure them selfe a misse, brin­geth muche mysorder and greate vnsemelynesse to the hole body of the common wealth, as yf a manne should were his hoose vpon his heade, or a woman go wyth a sworde and a buckeler euery man would take it as a greate vncumlynesse although it be but a tryfle in respecte of the other.

Thys peruerse iudgement of men hindreth no thynge so much as learuynge, bycause commonlye those whych be vnfittest for learnyng, be cheyfly set to learnynge.

As yf a man nowe a dayes haue two sonnes, the [Page] one impotent, weke, s [...]ckly, lispynge, stuttynge, and stamerynge, or hauynge any misshape in his bodye: what doth the father of suche one commonlye saye? This boye is fit for nothynge els, but to set to ler­nyng and make a prest of, as who would say, y^• out­castes of the worlde, hauyng neyther countenaūce tounge nor wit (for of a peruerse bodye cūmeth commonly a peruerse mynde) be good ynough to make those men of, whiche shall be appoynted to preache Goddes holye woorde, and minister hys blessed sa­cramentes, besydes other moost weyghtye matters in the common welthe put ofte tymes, and worthe­lye to learned mennes discretion and charge: whan rather suche an offyce so hygh in dignitie, so godlye in administration, shulde be committed to no man, whiche shulde not haue a countenaunce full of cum­lynesse to allure good menne, a bodye ful of manlye authoritie to feare ill men, a witte apte for al lear­nynge with tongue and voyce, able to perswade all men. And although fewe suche men as these can be founde in a common wealthe, yet surely a godly dis posed man, will bothe in his mynde thyncke fit, and with al his studie labour to get such men as I speke of, or rather better, if better can be gotten for suche an hie administration, whiche is most properlye ap­poynted to goddes owne matters and businesses.

This peruerse iugement of fathers as concernynge the fitnesse and vnfitnesse of theyr chyldren causeth the cōmon wealthe haue many vnfit ministers: And seyng that ministers be, as a man woulde say, instrumentes wherw^t the cōmon wealthe doeth worke all [Page 36] her matters w^tall, I maruayle bowe it chaūteth y^• a pore shomaker hath so much wit, y^• he will prepare no instrument for his science neither knyfe nor aule, nor nothing els whiche is not very fitte for him: the cōmon wealthe can be content to take at a fonde fa­thers hande, the rifraffe of the worlde, to make those instrumentes of, wherw^tal she shoulde worke y^• hiest matters vnder heauen. And surely an aule of lead is not so vnprofitable in a shomakers shop, as an vnfit minister, made of grosse metal, is vnsemely in y^• cō ­mō welth. Fathers in olde time among y^• noble Persians might not do w^t theyr childrē as they thought good, but as the iudgement of the cōmon wealth alwayes thought best. This fault of fathers bringeth many a blot w^t it, to the great deformitie of the common wealthe: & here surely I can prayse gentlewo­men which haue alwayes at hande theyr glasses, to se if any thinge be amisse, & so will amende it, yet the cōmon wealth hauing y^• glasse of knowlege in euery mans hand, doth se such vncumlines in it: & yet win keth at it. This faulte & many suche lyke, myght be sone wyped awaye, yf fathers woulde bestow their children on y^• thing alwayes, whervnto nature hath ordeined them moste apte & fit. For if youth be graf­ted streyght, & not awrye, the hole cōmon welth wil florish therafter. Whan this is done, than muste e­uery man beginne to be more ready to amende hym selfe, than to checke an other, measuryng their mat­ters with that wise prouerbe of Apollo, Knowe thy selfe: that is tosaye, learne to knowe what thou arte able, fitte, and apte vnto, and folowe that.

[Page] This thinge shulde be bothe cuml [...]e to the cōmon wealthe, and moost profitable for euery one, as doth appere very well in all wise mennes deades, & speci­ally to turne to our communication agayne in shoo­tynge, where wise archers haue alwayes theyr in­strumentes fit for theyr strength, & wayte euermore suche tyme and wether, as is most agreable to their gere. Therfore if the wether be to sore, and vnfit for your shootynge, leaue of for that daye, and wayte a better season. For he is a foole y^• wyl not go, whome necessitie driueth.

This cōmunication of yours pleased me so well Corophile, that surelye I was not hastie to calle you, to descrybe forthe the wether but with all my harte woulde haue suffered you yet to haue stande longer in this matter. For these thin­ges touched of you by chaunse, and by the waye, be farre aboue the matter it selfe, by whose occasion y^• other were broughte in.

Weyghtye matters they be in dede, and fit bothe in an other place to be spoken: & of an other man than I am, to be handled. And bycause meane men must meddle wyth meane matters, I wyl go for warde in descrybyng the we­ther, as concernynge shooting: and as I toulde you before, In the hole yere, Spring tyme, Somer, Fal of the leafe, and Winter: and in one day, Morning, Noone tyme, After noone, and Euentyde, altereth the course of the wether, the pith of the bowe, the strength of the man. And in euery one of these times the wether altereth, as sumtyme wyndie, sumtyme caulme, sumtyme cloudie, sumtyme clere, sumtyme [...]ote, sumtyme coulde, the wynde sumtyme mo [...]stye [Page 37] and thicke, sumtyme drye and smothe. A litle winde in a moystie day, stoppeth a shafte more than a good whiskynge wynde in a clere daye. Yea, and I haue sene whan there hath bene no winde at all, the ayer so mistie and thicke, that both the markes haue ben wonderfull great. And ones, whan the Plage was in Cambrige, the downe winde twelue score marke for the space of .iii. weekes, was .xiii. score, and an halfe, and into the wynde, beynge not very great, a great deale aboue .xiiii. score.

The winde is sumtyme playne vp and downe, whiche is commonly moste certayne, and requireth least knowlege, wherin a meane shoter with meane geare, if he can shoote home, maye make best shifte. A syde wynde tryeth an archer and good gere verye muche. Sumtyme it bloweth a lofte, sumtyme hard by the grounde: Sumtyme it bloweth by blastes, & sumtyme it continueth al in one: Sumtyme ful side wynde, sumtyme quarter with hym and more, and lykewyse agaynst hym, as a man with castynge vp lyght grasse, orels if he take good hede, shall sensibly learne by experience. To se the wynde, with a man his eyes, it is vnpossible, the nature of it is so fyne, and subtile, yet this experience of the wynde had I ones my selfe, and that was in the great snowe that fell .iiii. yeares agoo: I rode in the hye waye betwirt Topcliffe vpon Swale, and Borowe bridge, the waye beyng sumwhat trodden afore, by waye fay, rynge men. The feeldes on bothe sides were playne and laye almost yearde depe with snowe, the nyght afore had ben a litle froste, so y^• the snowe was hard [Page] & crusted aboue. That morning the sun shone brigh [...] and clere, the winde was whistelinge a lofte, and sharpe accordynge to the tyme of the yeare. The snowe in the hye waye laye lowse and troden wyth horse feete: so as the wynde blewe, it toke the lowse snow with it, and made it so slide vpon the snowe in the felde whyche was harde and crusted by reason of the frost ouer nyght, that therby I myght se ve­rye wel, the hole nature of the wynde as it blewe y^• daye. And I had a great delyte & pleasure to marke it, whyche maketh me now far better to remember it. Sometyme the wynd would be not past .ii. year­des brode, and so it would carie the snowe as far as I coulde se. An other tyme the snow woulde blowe ouer halfe the felde at ones. Sometyme the snowe woulde tomble softly, by and by it would flye won­derfull fast. And thys I perceyued also that y^• wind goeth by streames & not hole togither. For I should se one streame wyth in a Score on me, thā the space of .ii. score no snow would stirre, but after so muche quātitie of grounde, an other streame of snow at the same very tyme should be caryed lykewyse, but not equally. For the one would stande styll when the o­ther flew a pace, and so contynewe somtyme swift­lyer sometime slowlyer, sometimebroder, sometime narrower, as far as I coulde se. Nor it flewe not streight, but sometyme it crooked thys waye some­tyme that waye, and somtyme it ran round aboute in a compase. And somtyme the snowe wold be lyft clene from the ground vp in to the ayre, and by & by it would be al clapt to the grounde as though there [Page 38] had bene no winde at all, streightway it woulde rise and flye agayne.

And that whych was the moost meruayle of al, at one tyme .ii. driftes of snowe flewe, the one out of the West into y^• East, the other out of the North in to y^• East: And I saw .ii. windes by reasō of y^• snow the one crosse ouer the other, as it had bene two hye wayes. And agayne I shoulde here the wynd blow in the ayre, when nothing was stirred at the groūd. And when all was still where I rode, not verye far frō me the snow should be lifted wonderfully. This experiēce made me more meruaile at y^• nature of the wynde, than it made me conning in y^• knowlege of y^• wynd: but yet therby I learned perfitly that it is no meruayle at al thoughe men in a wynde lease theyr length in shooting, seyng so many wayes the wynde is so variable in blowynge.

But seynge that a Mayster of a shyp, be he neue [...] so cunnynge, by the vncertayntye of the wynde, lee­seth many tymes both lyfe and goodes, surelye it is no wonder, though a ryght good Archer, by the self same wynde so variable in hys owne nature, so vn­sensyble to oure nature, leese manye a shoote and game.

The more vncertaine and disceyuable the wynd is, the more hede must a wyse Archer gyue to know the gyles of it.

He y^• doth mistrust is seldome begiled. For although therby he shall not attayne to that which is best, yet by these meanes he shall at leaste auoyde y^• whyche is worst Besyde al these kindes of windes you must [Page] [...]ake hede yf you se anye cloude apere and gather by lytle and litle agaynst you, or els yf a showre of raine belyke to come vpon you: for than both the dryuing of the wether and the thyckynge of the ayre increa­seth the marke, when after y^• showre al thynges are contrary clere and caulme, & the marke for the most parte new to begyn agayne. You must take hede al­so yf euer you shote where one of the markes or both stondes a lytle short of a hye wall, for there you may be easlye begyled. Yf you take grasse and caste it vp to se howe the wynde standes, manye tymes you shal suppose to shoote downe the wynde, when you shote cleane agaynste the wynde. And a good reasō why. For the wynd whych commeth in dede against you, redoundeth bake agayne at the wal, and whyr­leth backe to the prycke and a lytle farther and than turneth agayne, euen as a vehement water doeth a­gaynste a rocke or an hye braye whyche example of water as it is more sensible to a mās eyes, so it is neuer a whyt the trewer than this of the wynde. So that the grasse caste vp shall flee that waye whyche in dede is the longer marke and disceyue quycklye a shooter that is not ware of it.

This experience had I ones my selfe at Nor­wytch in the chapel felde wythin the waulles. And thys waye I vsed in shootynge at those markes.

When I was in the myd way betwixt the markes whyche was an open place, there I toke a fether or a lytle lyght grasse and so as well as I coulde, lear­ned how the wynd stoode, that done I wente to the [...]rycke as faste as I coulde, and according as I had [Page 39] foūde y^• wynde when I was in the mid waye, so I was fayne than to be content to make the best of my shoote that I coulde. Euen suche an other experiēce had I in a maner at Yorke, at the pri [...]kes, lying be­twixte the castell and Ouse syde. And although you smile Philologe, to heare me tell myne owne fonde­nes: yet seing you wil nedes haue me teach you som­what in shotyng, I must nedes somtyme tel you of myne owne experience, & the better I may do so, by­cause Hippocrates in teachynge phylike,Nippo. [...] morb. vulg. vseth verye muche the same waye. Take heede also when you shoote nere the sea cost, although you be .ii. or .iii. mi­les from the sea, for there diligent markinge shall es­pie in the moste clere daye wonderfull chaunginge. The same is to be cōsidered lykewyse by a riuer side speciallie if it ebbe & flowe, where he y^• taketh dili­gent hede of y^• tide & wether, shal lightly take a way al y^• he shooteth for. And thus of y^• nature of windes & wether according to my marking you haue hearde Philologe: & hereafter you shal marke farre mo your selfe, if you take hede. And the wether thus marked as I tolde you afore, you muste take hede, of youre stāding, y^• therby you may win as much as you shal loose by the wether.

I se well it is no maruell though a man misse many tymes in shootyng, seing y^• wether is so vnconstant in blowing, but yet there is one thing whiche many archers vse, y^• shall cause a man haue lesse nede to marke the wether, & that is Ame gyuing.

Of gyuyng Ame, I can not tel wel, what I shuld say. For in a straunge place it ta­keth away al occasion of foule game, which is y^• on­ly [Page] prayse of it, yet by my iudgemēt, it hidreth y^• kno­wlege of shotyng, & maketh men more negligente: y^• which is a disprayse. Though Ame be giuē, yet take hede, for at an other mās shote you can not wel take Ame, nor at your owne neither, bycause the wether wil alter, euen in a minute, & at the one marke & not at the other, & trouble your shafte in the ayer, when you shal perceyue no wynde at the ground, as I my selfe haue sene shaftes tumble a lofte, in a very fayer daye. There may be a fault also, in drawing or low­synge, and many thynges mo, whiche all togyther, are required to kepe a iust length. But to go forward the nexte poynte after the markyng of your wether, is the takyng of your standyng. And in a side winde you must stand sumwhat crosse in to the wynde, for so shall you shoote the surer. Whan you haue taken good footing, than must you looke at your shafte, y^• no earthe, nor weete be lefte vpon it, for so should is leese the lengthe. You must loke at the head also, lest it haue had any strype, at the laste shoote. A stripe v­pon a stone, many tymes will bothe marre the head, croke the shafte, and hurte the fether, wherof the lest of them all, wyll cause a man lease his lengthe. For suche thinges which chaunce euery shoote, many ar­chers vse to haue sūme place made in theyr cote, fitte for a litle fyle, a stone, a Hunfyshskin, and a cloth to dresse the shaft fit agayne at all nedes. Thys must a man looke to euer when he taketh vp his shaft. And the heade maye be made to smothe, which wil cause it flye to far: when youre shafte is fit, than must you take your bow euen in the middes or elles you shall [Page 40] both lease your lengthe, and put youre bowe in [...]eo­pardye of breakynge. Nockynge iuste is next, which is muche of the same nature. Than drawe equallye, lowse equallye, wyth houldynge your hande euer of one heighte to kepe trew compasse. To looke at your shafte hede at the lowse, is the greatest helpe to kepe a lengthe that can be, whych thyng yet hindreth ex­cellent shotyng, bicause a man can not shote streight perfitlye excepte he looke at his marke, yf I should shoote at a line and not at the marke, I woulde al­wayes loke at my shaft ende, but of thys thyng some what afterwarde. Nowe if you marke the wether diligentlye, kepe your standynge iustely, houlde and nocke trewlye, drawe and lowse equallye, and kepe youre compace certaynelye, you shall neuer misse of your lengthe.

Then there is nothyng behinde to make me hit y^• marke but onely shooting streight.

No trewlye. And fyrste I wyll tel you what shyftes Archers haue founde to shoote streyght, thā what is the best waye to shoote streyght. As the we­ther belongeth specially to kepe a lengthe (yet a side winde belongeth also to shote streight) euen so the nature of the pricke is to shote streight. The lengthe or shortnesse of the marke is alwayes vnder the rule of the wether, yet sumwhat there is in y^• marke, wor thye to be marked of an Archer. Yf the prickes stand of a streyght playne groūd they be y^• best to shote at. Yf y^• marke stād on a hyl syde or y^• groūd be vnequal w^t pittes & turninge wayes betwyxte the markes, a mans eye shall thynke that to be streight whyche is croked: The experience of this thing is sene in pay [...] ­tynge, the cause of it is knowen by learnynge.

[Page] And it is ynoughe for an archer to marke it and take hede of it. The cheife cause why men can not shoote streight, is bicause they loke at theyr shaft: and this fault commeth bycause a mā is not taught to shote when he is yong. Yf he learne to shoote by himselfe he is a frayde to pull the shafte throughe the bowe, and therfore looketh alwayes at hys shafte: yll vse confirmeth thys faulte as it doth many mo.

And men continewe the longer in thys faulte bycause it is so good to kepe a lengthe wyth al, and yet to shote streight, they haue inuēted some waies. to espie a tree or a hill beyonde the marke, or elles to haue sūme notable thing betwixt y^• markes: & ones I sawe a good archer whiche did caste of his gere, & layd his quiuer w^t it, euen in the midway betwixt y^• prickes. Sūme thought he dyd so, for sauegarde of his gere: I suppose he did it, to shoote streyght w^tall. Other men vse to espie sūme marke almoost a bow wide of y^• pricke, and than go about to kepe him selfe on y^• hande that the prycke is on, which thing howe muche good it doth, a man wil not beleue, that doth not proue it. Other & those very good archers in dra­wyng, loke at the marke vntill they come almost to y^• head, than they looke at theyr shafte, but at y^• very lowse, w^t a seconde sight they fynde theyr marke a­gayne. This way & al other afore of me rehersed are but shiftes & not to be folowed in shotyng streyght. For hauyng a mans eye alwaye on his marke, is the only waye to shote streght, yea & I suppose so redye & easy a way yf it be learned in youth & confirmed w^t vse, y^• a man shal neuer misse therin. Men doubt yet ī [Page 41] lokig at y^• mark what way is best whether betwixt the bowe & the stringe, aboue or beneth hys hand, & many wayes moo: yet it maketh no great matter which way a man looke at his marke yf it be ioyned w^t comly shotynge. The diuersite of mens standyng and drawing causeth diuerse mē loke at theyr marke diuerse wayes: yet they al lede a mās hand to shoote streight yf nothyng els stoppe. So that cumlynesse is the only iudge of best lokyng at the marke. Some men wonder why in casting a mans eye at y^• marke, the hande should go streyght. Surely yf he consyde­red the nature of a mans eye, he wolde not wonder at it: For this I am cerrayne of, that no seruaunt to hys mayster, no chylde to hys father is so obedient, as euery ioynte and pece of the body is to do what soeuer the eye biddes. The eye is the guide, the ruler & the succourer of al the other partes. The hāde, the foote & other members dare do nothynge w^tout the eye, as doth appere on the night and darke corners. The eye is the very tonge wherw^t wyt & reasō doth speke to euery parte of the body, & the wyt doth not so sone signifye a thynge by the eye, as euery part is redye to folow, or rather preuent the byddyng of the eye. Thys is playne in many thinges, but most eui­dent in fence and feyghtynge, as I haue heard men saye. There euery part standynge in feare to haue a blowe, runnes to the eye for helpe, as yonge chyldrē do to y^• mother: the foote, the hand, & al wayteth vpō the eye. Yf the eye byd y^• hād either beare of, or sinite, or the foote ether go forward, or backeward, it doth so: And that whyche is moost wonder of all the one [Page] man lookynge stedfastly at the other mans eye and not at his hand, wyl, euē as it were, rede in his eye where he purposeth to smyte next, for the eye is no­thyng els but a certayne wyndowe for wit to shote oute hir hede at.

Thys wonderfull worke of god in makynge all the members so obedient to the eye, is a pleasaunte thynge to remember and loke vpon: therfore an Ar­cher maye be sure in learnyng to looke at hys marke when he is yong, alwayes to shoote streyghte. The thynges that hynder a man whyche looketh at hys marke, to shoote streyght, be these: A syde wynde, a bowe either to stronge, or els to weake, an ill arme, whan a fether runneth on the bowe to much, a byg brested shafte, for hym that shoteth vnder hande, by­cause it wyll hobble: a litle brested shafte for hym y^• shoteth aboue y^• hande, bicause it myl starte: a payre of windynge prickes, and many other thinges mo, which you shal marke your selfe, & as ye knowe thē, so learne to amend them. If a man woulde leaue to looke at his shafte, and learne to loke at his marke, he maye vse this waye, whiche a good shooter tolde me ones that he did. Let him take his bowe on the nyght, and shoote at .ii. lightes, and there he shall be compelled to looke alwayes at his marke, & neuer at his shafte: This thing ones or twyse vsed wyl cause hym forsake lokynge at hys shafte. Yet let hym take hede of settynge his shaft in the bowe.

Thus Philologe to shoote streyght is the leaste maysterie of all, yf a manne order hym selfe thereaf­ter, in hys youthe. And as for kepynge a lengthe, I [Page 42] am sure the rules whiche I gaue you, wil neuer dis­ceyue you, so that there shal lacke nothynge, eyther of hittinge the marke alwayes, or elles verye nere shotynge, excepte the faulte be onely in youre owne selfe, whiche maye come .ii. wayes, eyther in hauing a faynt harte or courage, or elles in sufferynge your selfe ouer muche to be led with affection: yf a mans mynde fayle hym, the bodye whiche is ruled by the mynde, can neuer doe his duetie, yf lacke of courage were not, men myght do mo mastries than they do, as doeth appere in leapynge and vaultinge.

All affections and specially anger, hurteth bothe mynde and bodye. The mynde is blynde therby: and yf the mynde be blynde, it can not rule the bodye a­right. The body both blood and bone, as they say, is brought out of his ryght course by anger: Wherby a man lacketh his right strengthe, and therfore can not shoote wel. Yf these thynges be auoyded (wher of I wyll speake no more, both bycause they belong not properly to shoting, & also you can teache me better, in them, than I you) & al the preceptes which I haue gyuen you, diligently marked, no doubt ye shal shoote as well as euer man dyd yet, by the grace of God. Thys communication handled of me Philo­loge, as I knowe wel not perfytly, yet as I suppose truelye you must take in good worthe, wherin if di­uers thinges do not all togyther please you, thanke youre selfe, whiche woulde haue me rather faulte in me [...]e follye, to take that thynge in hande whyche I was not able for to perfourme, than by any honeste [Page] shame fastnes with say your request & minde, which I knowe well I haue not satisfied. But yet I wyl thinke this labour of mine the better bestowed, if to morow or some other daye when you haue leysour, you wyl spende as much tyme with me here in this same place, in entreatinge the question De origine anime, and the ioynyng of it with the bodye, that I maye knowe howe far Plato, Aristotle, & the Stoi­ [...]cians haue waded in it.

How you haue handeled this matter Toxoph. I may not well tel you my selfe nowe, but for your gentlenesse and good wyll towarde learnyng & sho­tyng, I wyll be content to shewe you any pleasure whensoeuer you wyll: and nowe the sunne is doune therfore if it plese you, we wil go home and drynke in my chambre, and there I wyll tell you playnelye what I thinke of this cōmunication and also, what daye we will appoynt at your request for the other matter, to mete here agayne.

Deo gratias.