PHILOL

LVS. B.

THE SECONDE BOOKE OF

the schole of shotyng.

HILOL. What is the cheyfe poynte in shootynge, that euerye manne laboureth to come to? TOX. To hyt the marke. PHI. Howe manye thynges are required to make a man euer more hyt the marke? TOX. Twoo. PHI. Whiche twoo ? TOX. Shotinge streyght and kepynge of a lengthe. PHIL. Howe shoulde a manne shoote strayght, & howe shulde a man kepe a length? TOX. 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 legth, some commonly to them bothe, as shall be tolde seuerally of them, in place conuenient. PHI. Thynges belongyng to shotyng, whyche be they? TOX. 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 serueth. PHI. which be instrumētes ? TOX. Bracer, shotynggloue, stryng, bowe & shafte. PHI. Whiche be general to all men? TOX. The wether and the marke, yet the marke is euer vnder the rule of the wether. PHI. wherin standeth well handlynge of thynges? TOX. 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. PHI. what handlyng is proper to the Instrumentes. TOX. Standynge, nockyng, drawyng, holdyng, lowsing, wherby cometh 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. PHI. well sayde, what handlynge belongeth to the

wether? TOX. Knowyng of his wynde, with hym, agaynst hym, syde wynd, ful syde wind, syde wynde quarter with him, syde wynde quarter agaynste hym, and so forthe. PHI. well than go to, what handlynge belongeth to the marke? TOX. 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. PHI. Very well done. And what is onely within a man hym selfe? TOX. 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 the, he can neuer hyt the marke, and in the more he doth misse, the farther he shoteth from his marke. But as in all other matters the fyrst steppe 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. PHI. You speake nowe Toxophile, euen as I wold haue you to speake: But lette vs returne agayne vnto our matter, and those thynges whyche you haue packed vp, in so shorte a roume, we wyll lowse the forthe, and take euery pyece as it were in our hande and looke more narowlye vpon it. TOX. 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. PHI. well sayde, and I trowe we beganne wyth those thynges whiche be instrumentes, whereof the fyrste, as I suppose, was the Braser. TOX. 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 sleue, 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

Bracer.

.iii. thinges, yt it haue no nayles in it, that it haue no bucles,

that it be fast on with laces wythout agglettes. 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 onely had for this purpose, that the strynge maye haue redye passage. PHI. In my Bracer I am cunnyng ynough, but what saye you of the shootyng gloue.

TOX. 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, and that muste haue thickest of all, where on a man lowseth moste, and for sure lowsyng, the formoste finger is moste apte, bycause it holdeth best, & for yt purpose nature hath as a man woulde saye, yocked it wt 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 finger 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 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 short, and trimmed with some ointment, that the string maye glyd wel awaye. Some with holdynge in the nocke of theyr shafte too 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 had for chafyng, bycause they houlde so harde. But that commeth commonlye, when a bowe is not rounde, but somewhat 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 although they be trifles, yet bycause you be but a yonge shoter, I woulde not leue them out. PHI. And so you shal do me moost pleasure: The string I trow be the next. TOX. The next in dede.

A thing though it be lytle, yet not a litle to be Stringe. regarded. But here in you muste be contente to put youre truste in honest stringers. And surely stringers ought more diligently to be looked vpon by the officers tha ether bower or fletcher, bycause they may deceyue a 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 although he haue two stringes put one at once, yet he shall haue small leasure & lesse roume to bend his bow, therfore god send vs good stringers both for war and peace. Now what a stringe ought to be made on, whether of good hempe as they do now a dayes, or of flaxe or of silke, I leue that to the iugemente of stringers, of whome we muste bye them on. Eustathius apon this verse of homere Twag q the bow, & twag q the string, out quicklie the shaft flue Iliad. 4.

Eustathius.

Greke tongue.

doeth tel, that in oulde tyme they made theyr bowe strynges of bullox thermes, whiche they twyned togither 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 Great stringes, and lytle strynges Fauorinus. 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, leste with longe tarienge on, it breake your 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 place belong rather to the hädlyng 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 ye 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 yll saued halpeny yt 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, whe eyther of the nockes be nought, when it hath but one wap, and when it taryethe ouer longe on. PHI. I se wel it is no meruell, though so many bowes be broken. TOX. Bowes be broken twise as many wayes besyde these. But a gayne in stringynge youre bowe, you must loke for muche bende or lytle bende for they be cleane contrarye.

The lytle bende hath but one commoditie, whyche is in shootyng faster and farther shoote, and ye 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 bracer, 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 youre bowe haue good byg bend, a shaftemente and .ii. fyngers at the least, for these which I haue spoken of. PHI. The braser, gloue, and strynge, be done, nowe you muste come to the

Bowe.