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 theÌ„ doth Musyke and playing on instrumentes thinges moste semely for all scholers and moste regarded alwayes of Apollo the Muses TOX. 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 Calimachê° doth signifie in this verse Both merie songes and good shoting deliteth Appollâ— Cal. hym â— Butas concerning whether of them is moste fit for learning and scholers to vse you may saye what you will for your pleasure this I am sure that Plato and Aristotle bothe in their bookes entreatinge of the coÌ„mon welthe where they shew howe youthe shoulde be brought vp in iiâ—i thinges in redinge in 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 theÌ„ 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 that lutes harpes all maner of pypes barbitons sambukes with other instrumentes euery one whyche standeth by fine and quicke fingeringe be coÌ„demned of Aristotle Aristot. pol. â— 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 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 â—rels anye holsome sharpâ— 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 yâ— was this to make them weare loÌ„g kyrtils to yâ— foot lyke woomen and that euerye one of them shoulde 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 fingeâ—ing suche as the mooste parte of scholers whom I knowe vse if they vse any is farre more fitte for the womannishnâ—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 PHI. 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 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 Seldome at all good thinges be knowen how good to be Before a man suche thinges do misse out of his handes Sophocleâ— in Aâ—acâ— 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 ther 's 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
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 polâ—ies of warre PHIL. Surelie of that booke I haue not heard before and howe came you to the syghte of it TOX. The booke is rare trulie but this laste yeare when master Cheke translated the sayd booke out of greke in to Latin to yâ— kinges maiestie he of his gentlenesse wolde haue me very ofte in hys chaÌ„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 yâ— great coÌ„moditie yâ— 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 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 coÌ„ueied him before The great hinderance of learning in lackinge thys man greatly I shulde lament if this discoÌ„moditie of oures were not ioyned with the coÌ„moditie welth of yâ— 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 that he passing his Tutour in learnyng knowledge folowynge his father in wisedome felicitie accordyng to that 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 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 abâ—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 â—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 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 theÌ„ but ouercame the Romanes ofter than the Romaynes them and kepte battel with them many an hundred yeare Plutarch â— M. â—rass 〈…〉 Spart and sâ—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 sâ—ue Iulianus Apostata and Autoninus Caracalla they helde in perpetual pryson yâ— 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 yâ— Parthians by
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 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 PHI. But is there no cūning as con cerning setting on of y◠head TOX. 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 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 PHI. If you can teache me so well to handle these instrumētes as you haue described them I suppose I shal be an archer good ynough TOX. To learne any thing as you knowe better than I Philologe speciallye to do a thing with 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 wtout reson when they be yong may with handling 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 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 PHI. 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 TOX. This
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 haue more ernest weightie matters in hand nor we be not borne to pastime pley as you know wel ynough who sayth TOX. 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 miÌ„gled 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. yâ— 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. yâ— as rest is for labour medicines for helth so is pastime at tymes for sad weightie studie PHI. How moche in this matter is to be giuen to yâ— auctoritie either of Aristotle or Tul lie I caÌ„ not tel seing sad meÌ„ may wel ynough speke merily for a merie matter this I am sure whiche thing this faire wheat god saue it maketh me remeÌ„bre yâ— those husbaÌ„dmen 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 with their neighbours at the ale And so a scholer that 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 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 speÌ„deth his tyme in sporte and pleye TOX. 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 the 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 laÌ„d 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 ofteÌ„times as thinne inuention as other poore meÌ„ 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 sâ—â—dge that oft very euill preues then the labour of a good husbaÌ„d 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 wheÌ„ base and dompysâ—he wittes can neuer be hurte with continuall studie as ye se in luting that a treble miâ—â—kin string must alwayes be let down but at suche time as when a man must nedes playe when the 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 chauÌ„ced this other night one in my chaÌ„bre 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 whyâ— 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 coÌ„tinue 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 yâ— 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 thâ—g waÌ„tâ— quiet meri rest endures but a smal while â–ª Ouid. And I promise you shoting by my iudgement is the 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 thaÌ„ you nede to be PHI. 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 wtall 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 the 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 TOX. 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 PHI. If it deserue no little thinge to be sayd of it Toxophile I maruell howe â—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 vpoÌ„ 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 TOX. 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 coÌ„mendation 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 Menâ—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 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 coÌ„meth 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 PHI. 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 coÌ„munication 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 TOXOPH What good thynges meÌ„ 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. PHI. Well as for that I knowe both what you can do in shooting by experience yâ— you caÌ„ also speke well ynough of shooting for youre 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 TOXOPH Of the first finders out of shoting diâ—ers 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 Apolâ— 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 eâ—hor ad bonâ—â— artâ—â— for the which poynt shoting is highlye praised of Galene where he sayth yâ— mean craftes befirst fouÌ„d out by men or beastes as weauing by a spider and suche other but high and coÌ„mendable 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 coÌ„mended in all tunges and writers but also had in greate price both in the best coÌ„mune wealthes in warre tyme for the defeÌ„ce of their lawes for it â—crod I clio as the Persians which vnder Cyrus coÌ„quered 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 â—â—o de straâ—â—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 wheÌ„ 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 exaÌ„ples specially of so great men noble coÌ„mon wealthes shall stand in stede of many PHI. That suche princes and suche coÌ„mune 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 TOX. 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 yâ— neither great mens qualities being coÌ„meÌ„dable be without great authoritie for other men honestly to folow them nor yet those great learned men that wrote suche