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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12567	Certain discourses, vvritten by Sir Iohn Smythe, Knight: concerning the formes and effects of diuers sorts of weapons, and other verie important matters militarie, greatlie mistaken by diuers of our men of warre in these daies; and chiefly, of the mosquet, the caliuer and the long-bow; as also, of the great sufficiencie, excellencie, and wonderful effects of archers: with many notable examples and other particularities, by him presented to the nobilitie of this realme, & published for the benefite of this his natiue countrie of England	Smythe, John, Sir, ca. 1534-1607.	1590 (1590)	STC 22883; ESTC S117657	85,512	138

alleage two the one ancient the other of this time The first is of the Arabians which nation vnder Mahomet that false prophet his successors Halifas conquered a great part of Europe Affrike and Asia were so long as they had but one supreme Halifa or Prince to gouerne the Arabians and al their dominions by them conquered so mighty through their excellent Milicia that no forren Nation durst assaile them But after by their long liuing in peace and great prosperitie in the end through the viciousnes and insufficiencie of one of their supreme Halifas that at that time raigned ouer them fell into reuolt and intestine wars amongst themselues striuing for the supreme throne and gouernement in such sort that in few yeres they did so corrupt and confound their ancient discipline Militarie so weaken themselues by many cōfused battels sackings and spoiles and by diuiding their great Empire into diuers partes vnder diuers Halifas that the Turkes a new Nation who had an excellent Milicia did inuade their dominions and within few yeares brought them into subiection to the Turkie Empire Now the other example which is of our time is Fraunce which kingdome vntill Lewes the eleuenth did serue himselfe with mercinaries had a well ordered Milicia offensiue and defensiue and that chiefly on horsebacke and yet diuers yeares had some reliques and remnants of the same but nowe in this later time the French Nation hauing continued seauen or eight and twenty yeares in ciuile warres amongest themselues they haue so corrupted and confounded all their ancient orders and proceedings in matters Militarie that they haue at this present no shew token nor mention of the same but disorder disobedience and confusion which hath proceeded of the like causes that brought the Arabians and many other Nations through intestine warres to corrupt and confound their Arte and Science Militarie as it shall more particularly appeare by that which followeth I think all men of experience iudgement in matters of warre do know that the first principall thing that is requisite to assemble and forme an armie or armies and to keepe the same in obedience with good effect is treasure to maintaine pay and reward with seuere execution of excellent Lawes Militarie Which what Prince soeuer he be that hath with sufficient Generals other Officers to commaund and gouerne may very well haue a well ordered Milicia by reason that no souldiours well payd and chiefly being subiects to the Prince that they serue can vse any excuses not to obserue all lawes and orders Militarie of Sea or Land Towne Campe or Field Besides that vpon any transgression of orders it is lawfull for the Captains and higher Officers to correct reforme and punish according to the lawes and ordinances Militarie from whence it commeth to passe that euen as the Citizens of a wel ordered Citie through the execution of good lawes ciuil and criminall by excellent gouernors doo liue in great order quietnes and prosperitie without any ciuile dissention Euen so an Armie in the field being well payed prouided for and gouerned doo liue as orderly in towne campe and field without robbing spoiling or otherwise iniuring any other but the common enemie Now to maintaine and continue the same it dooth behoue a King in his kingdome and chieflie in the bodie of the same to be well obeyed that by the quiet obedience of his subiects he may receiue all his customes rents and reuenewes with all other subsidies and aides that of antiquitie his progenitors haue accustomed to receiue with newe supplies of men and munitions from time to time to ranforce his Armie or Armies All which the French Kings through their subiects so often taking Armes and such intestine warres so manie yeares haue so come to want that they haue not had anie meanes possible to maintaine any other but a deformed and disordered Milicia by reason that the Nobilitie and Princes of the bloud vppon diuers legitimate causes by them pretended with their friends and followers taking Armes against them a great part of the reuenewe of the Crowne with all other customes subsidies and aides haue in diuers Cities Townes and Prouinces come to cease and the same to be enioyed by the Kings enemies armed by meanes whereof the French Kings that haue liued in the times of these intestine warres haue not had treasure to pay their Armies whereby to keepe their men of warre in any discipline Besides that by those continuall dissentions they haue lackt a great part of their Nobilitie and subiects to ranforce their Armies The Nobilitie also and Princes of the bloud that haue continued in Armes against their Kings notwithstanding their vsurped reuenewe and treasure of the Crowne haue beene as little or lesse able to pay their men of warre so that all the intestine and ciuill warres that haue continued so manie yeares in France with the slaughter and destruction of such infinite numbers of all sorts of people haue beene maintained and continued tumultuaritie more by spoyle sedition passion and faction than by any pay order and discipline Militarie Whereof it hath come to passe that such Armies as haue serued vnder the French Kings or vnder the Nobilitie that haue continued in armes against them how good Officers gouernors soeuer they had could not haue any certen nor ordered Milicia by reason that through the lacke of certaine pay and no hope of reward for extraordinary deserts it hath come to passe that the souldiors thereby being made voluntary haue obeyed their Captaines no otherwise than hath pleased themselues altering and changing their weapons as also themselues out of one band into an other and sometimes horsemen to become footemen and footemen to become horsemen besides their forraging and stragling from their Ensignes without order as also their negligence and lacke of vigilancie in their watches bodies of watches and centinels and by disordering themselues vpon euery light occasion both in battallion squadron and troupe Captaines also haue oftetimes formed or rather deformed their bands both on horsebacke and on foote with armors and weapons new inuented by themselues without controlment different from all orders Militarie The Generals and whole armies also both of the one side and of the other haue very seldome or neuer according to the Arte Militarie lodged themselues in any campe formed but dispersed and scattered by bands in many Townes and Villages with great disorder Besides that both Captaines Souldiors and all other men of warre for lacke of ordinary pay haue liued a great deale more vpon the spoile and misusing of the common people their fellow-subiects and friends than vpon any spoile or annoying of the enemy armed through which great disorders and lack of pietie contrary to all diuine humane lawes it hath come to passe that such Officers Captains and Souldiours that haue serued any long time in such licentious and tumultuarie wars be they subiects or mercenaries can very hardly after be reformed and

thereby become of lesse force and resistance Besides that it is a verie vncomelie sight to see a square of Piquers enlarged in their ranckes to march that the but-endes of their piques through their disequalitie of length should disorderlie precede one another All which being neglected and contemned by our such men of warre is by the Almanes Zwitzers Spaniards and other Nations skilfull in the Arte Militarie greatlie regarded Halbards of the Italian fashion with long poynts short edges and long staues to bee placed within a squadron of piques they doo better allow of than of Halbards or Battleaxes with short poynts long edges and short staues In the which they shewe that they doo verie little consider or knowe that when two squadrons doo encounter and that the first thrush of piques being past they doo presentlie come to ioyne with short weapons as with Swords Battleaxes and daggers and that then weapons that are with long poynts long staues and short edges doo worke no effect by reason that the rancks being so close and nere by frunt and flankes in their distances and the presse on both sides so great as in such actions it is they can haue no roume to stand thrusting and foyning with long Halbards nor Piques as our such men of warre doo imagine but then is the time that the ranckes of short Halbards or Battleaxes of fiue foote and a halfe long with strong short poynts short staues and long edges in the hands of lustie soldiers that doo followe the first ranckes of Piquers at the heeles both with blowe at the head and thrust at the face doo with puissant and mightie hand work wonderfull effect and carrie all to the ground And of the great and excellent executions of such short Halbards and Battleaxes in battailes our most worthie Auncestors and diuers other warlike Nations had experience manie yeares past when they did vse to fight manie great battailes Now peraduenture some not skilful in matters Militarie may happen to say that such opinions in weapons mistaken is no great matter howbeit they are much deceiued for in matters Militarie there is no mistaking so small that in true vnderstanding is not great and chiefly the mistaking of weapons with the which al effects executiōs of warre are performed Caliuers also as they terme them being of a greater length and heighth of bullet and more ranforced than Harquebuzes and therefore a great deale heauier they doo better allow of than they doo of light well formed and ranforced Harquebuzes alledging for their reasons that Caliuers will carrie further poynt and blancke and also giue a greater blowe than Harquebuzes In the which they doo verie little consider that neither Caliuers nor Harquebuzes considering their vncertaintie are to bee vsed by anie skilfull soldiers with anie volees of shot against the Enemie in the field aboue three or foure scores at the farthest and that Harquebuzes within that distance will wound and kill aswell as Caliuers besides that through the lightnes and shortnes of them they are so maniable that the Harquebuziers may skirmish a great deale longer and with more dexteritie and certeintie than the Caliuerers with their Caliuers as also that vpon a hastie retraite they may verie well saue and keepe their peeces being so light to the intent to make head againe whereas the Caliuerers in such actions through the ouermuch heauines of their peeces doo most commonlie cast them away and trust to their heeles whereby with great reason it may be concluded that light Harquebuzes well formed of conuenient length and ranforced such as the olde bands of Italians and Wallons doo vse are a great deale more maniable more fit and therefore of greater effect for soldiers to vse in the field than our ordinarie and heauie Caliuers that our such men of warre doo so much allowe of Now some of our such men of warre that were of great offices and charge vnder the Earle of Leicester that was Lieutenant Generall of the Queenes Armie at Tilburie this last sommer 1588. seeing the Essex regiment of 4000. footmen reduced into great bands of 400.500 and 600. to an Ensigne vnder the charge and gouernment of Knights and Esquires of great worship discretion and desire to doo seruice to their Prince Countrie they perswaded him with great vehemencie that it was verie meete and conuenient that all that whole regiment should bee reduced into bands of 150. soldiers to an Ensigne or into 200. at the most and therewithall that all those small bands should bee committed to the charge of our trained Low Countrie Captaines as they call them of the which there were a great number attending some of them more hungrie after charge spoyle and gaine than skilfull to do anie great seruice or to win reputation or the loue of their soldiers And the chiefest reasons that they did alleage for reducing them into such small bands were that the Enemie by seeing so great numbers of Ensignes in the field would iudge the Armie to bee verie huge and great in numbers of men and therefore redoubt them the more besides that by the imployment of such a number of trained Captaines the regiment and so consequentlie all the whole Armie assembled and reduced into such small bands should bee the more full of men of seruice and skill which their reasons may seeme pretie to such as knowe verie little of matters Militarie and that do not fall into the reckoning of their second meanings which I omit Howbeit how vnsoldierlike perswasions and opinions these were how vnprofitable for the Prince and vnfit and vnreadie for seruices in the field I will by the helpe of almightie God make euident When the great Princes of Germanie vppon anie occasion or iniurie offered are disposed to make warre one against another or vpon an imperiall Armie assembled to inuade or resist the Turke being bound as they are by their tenures Militarie to the Empire some to finde horsemen and others to finde footmen at their owne charges they then vpon such occasions haue alwaies vsed and do still vse to forme their regiments of footmen into great bands of 500. to an Ensigne and that they vse especiallie for two causes the one thereby in their regiments and so consequentlie in their whole Armies to saue the pay of a great sort of Captaines Lieutenants of bands Ensign-bearers and other Officers which would bee greatlie encreased and so amount to a farre greater charge and pay in case they should compose smaller bands of 300 to an Ensigne or vnder that number the other cause that doth mooue them to forme their bands so great is that their milicia consisting of Harquebuziers Piquers and some Halbarders with a fewe slath swords for the gard of their Ensignes that those sorts of weapons by reason of the greatnes of the bands being in great compertiments and diuisions may be more readilie and easilie drawne out and separated and with a great deale more celeritie incorporated

their discharging besides the difficultie that they shall finde at one time to charge their peeces to haue an eie to their enemies and to gouerne their horses vsing also their scowring sticks as they ought to do which imperfections of weapons of fire with manie more in the experience of all olde and skilfull soldiors are the cause that the shot of them doo terrifie and scare newe soldiors and nouices of warre a great deale more with crackes smoke and noyse than with any often hurting with the bullet All which vnreadinesses disaduantages and imperfections of Argolettiers Carabins Pistolettiers or Reisters considered with the readinesses aduantages and perfections of Archers and Crosse-bowers for all seruices in the field I come to conclude that Crosse-bowers on horsebacke vsed by many forren Nations of great antiquitie and that Archers on horsebacke vsed by our auncestours many yeeres past as also at this present by the Turkes Tartars Persians Arabians and other mightie Nations do farre exceede and excell all weapons of fire on horsebacke An exhortation to the Magistrates and Gentlemen of England THese discourses which I haue handled set down with many reasons aledged as also with very notable exāples opinions of great captaines testimony of most approued histories concerning the excellencie of Archers and diuerse other weapons in their due times and places with many errours and abuses militarie by our such men of war practised and in publike places perswaded and taught I haue not taken in hand and performed with anie intention or hope to reduce them from their erroneous opinions martiall or to perswade them to giue credit to any thing by me alleadged and proued because they are growen to such a selfe-wil liking of their owne opinions or rather fancies militarie that their ouerweening wilfulnes presumption do extend so far that diuers of the chiefe of thē will giue no credit to anie historie alledged nor anie experiēce nor example that they heare by their elders reported nor yet any thing by diuers reasons proued but onlie vnto their owne fancies such few things as they thēselues haue seen which doth most euidētly argue in them a wonderfull arrogancie and obstinat barbarousnes that they neither haue nor euer will haue any vnderstāding in the science militarie For it hath bin alwais a principle in the opinion of al great Captaines as also in all reason experience that no man can attaine to any sufficiencie and excellencie in the arte and discipline militarie but by three principall meanes that is by seeing actions of armes of war performed by conference with others to vnderstand the reasons of things in action or already done by the discourses of men of experience and histories of things in times past performed done as for example What doth it auaile any Nobleman or Gentleman how excellent a wit courage soeuer he hath incase he had seene all the chiefe and best fortifications that are in Europe as also many encampings of armies in campes formed dislodgings marchings in diuers formes with many battailes skirmishes and great encounters If hee neglecting to learne and vnderstand the causes of those things which hee hath seene hath giuen himselfe to dicing carding making of loue and drunkennes Or if his pride arrogancie ouerweening haue so possessed him that he hath disdained to harken or confer with others that haue bene able by experience to instruct and giue him the reasons of things by him seene which in trueth are the verie causes that there are so many Captaines Gentlemen of diuers Nations that haue beene in many campes and haue seene diuers armies and actions and yet do vnderstand very little of the Art and Discipline militarie Now therfore those our men of warre being such as I haue before declared and that notwithstanding there haue been such wonderfull opinions conceiued here at home of their sufficiencie that they haue been not only compared with the greatest Captaines of this age but also thought to bee the onlie men of warre of Christendome certeinlie it is greatly to be meruailed at how any such opinion should bee conceiued of them considering that they neuer serued in any imperiall or royall warres of Emperors Kings nor formed Common wealths within the continent of Europe Affricke nor Asia where they might attaine to any such knowledge in the Art Militarie but onlie in the disordered and tumultuarie warres of the Lowe Countries vnder the States where the soueraigne gouernment and commaundement hath consisted of a broken and vncertaine authoritie all things tending with great disorder and confusion more to the spoyle than to any discipline or Martiall seruice or peraduenture some verie little or nothing in the licencious and ciuil warres of France in both which warres for the lacke of certaine and assured pay for the men of warre as also rewards for particular and extraordinarie deserts and worthines it hath been impossible to establish and continue any formed milicia discipline Militarie wherby either Captaines or soldiers should grow to any skill and sufficiencie but rather to errors and ignorances as it may verie well appeare by the politique and Militarie discourses of that notable and braue soldier Monsieur de la Noüe where the imperfections and insufficiencies of such as haue attained to their chiefe skill in those warres are verie manifestlie set downe To the particularities whereof because his booke is not onelie extant in French but also translated into English I remit those that are disposed to see and consider Besides all which the wonderfull disorders and lack of vnderstanding of our such men of warre in all their proceedings and actions Militarie haue been such so many and so great almost in al matters that they haue taken in hand in the Lowe Countrie warres that not onlie in the iudgement of all the great Captaines Italians Spaniards Burgonnions and other Nations that either haue knowne their seruices or serued against them but also in the opinions of some of the wiser sort of the States themselues they haue been iudged to bee men of no vnderstanding nor sufficiencie in matters of warre although it hath bin giuen out and reported farre otherwise to their aduantage here at home amongst vs altogether to their merueilous and incredible commendations and praises wherevpon there hath been such credite giuen to their fond speaches and ignorant perswasions by the better sort of our Nation that they haue not onelie since our Nation began first to go ouer to serue as mercenarie soldiers in the Low Countries vnder the States brought in great numbers of disorders and abuses Militarie farre different or rather cleane contrarie to the auncient and moderne experience vse and proceedings of all warlike Nations but also in a great part defaced and decaied the accompt vse and exercise of our most excellent weapon the Long-bowe which in short time to come if it be not verie speedilie prouided for by the execution of such penall statute lawes as

footmen into small companies of one hundred and fiftie as is before declared so did they likewise perswade with him to reduce all those small bands into little Regiments of one thousand vnder euerie Coronell by which their perswasions they did verie manifestlie shewe that they vnderstood verie little for what causes and reasons Regiments were first instituted and since amongst manie Nations continued howbeit I doo perswade my selfe by that which I haue heard partlie from their own speaches partlie also from others of verie great credite that in all their proceedings in matters of warre they do rather followe the newe fashions of the disordered warres of France and the Lowe Countries vnder the States than anie reason and experience Militarie For in troth bands of horsemen and footmen of which Armies doo consist were at the first reduced into Regiments for diuers causes and chieflie for fiue The first that they might be the better the more orderlie gouerned and the more readie vpon all occasions to be commaunded and imployed The second that they might be the better and the more conuenientlie lodged in their quarters The third that they might bee the more orderlie and readilie placed in their watches bodies of watches and Centinells The fourth that they might for the defence of their Camp be the more readilie reduced into diuers puissant bodies of squadron by themselues with sleeues and wings in the places of assemblie And the fift that vpon the dislodging of an Armie reduced into Vaward Battle and Rereward diuers Regiments might the more orderlie and readilie incorporate and reduce themselues into three mightie battailes or more according to the order and direction of the Lieutenant generall or high Marshall of the field or els of the Sergeant Maior Maior by some called the Sergeant Maior generall Now the Launce-knights Almanes which is the Nation of Christendome most skilfull of all others that euer I sawe to performe these actions and effects before declared with manie other matters Militarie both for the Campe field to the intent to performe al such actions with the more celeritie and dexteritie haue vsed of great antiquitie to forme all their Regiments of footmen of tenne Ensignes to euerie Regiment and so they did vse manie yeares past when euerie one of their Regiments did consist of fiue thousand soldiers at which time their bands did consist of fiue hundred to euerie Ensigne And of later yeares they reduced their Regiments to bee of foure thousand and their bands to be of foure hundred to an Ensigne And last of all their Regiments to bee of three thousand and so their bands to bee of three hundred to euerie Companie which doth at this present continue vnles it bee in the publique seruices of the Empire against the common Enemie the Turke or in their owne priuate seruices as is before declared Now if our such perswaders before mentioned were of so great consideration and iudgement as they would seeme to be they would verie well know that great Regiments of fiue foure or three thousands that doo consist of great bands of fiue foure or three hundreds are a great deale more readie to be commaunded and gouerned and therewithall to performe all actions Militarie with a great deale more celeritie and dexteritie than if they were reduced into little Regiments of thousands small bands of hundreds and fifties And that may be with great facilitie considered by the like comparisons and reasons which I haue before alleaged that great bands of fiue hundreds and so consequentlie by the like reasons of foure or three hundreds are more readie to bee reduced into forme and imployed in all important seruices with more celeritie dexteritie than small bands of hundreds and fifties or two hundreds are Besides all which by forming of such small Regiments of one thousand the Prince doth consume a farre greater pay than by forming of great Regiments of fiue foure or three thousand by reason of the great number of officers which are encreased by such great nūbers of little Regiments And for further proofe and confirmation of euerie forementioned particularitie I were able to alleadge manie more reasons if it were not to auoide prolixitie Howbeit peraduenture it may now be said vnto me that the Tercios of the Spaniards that haue serued manie yeares in the Lowe Countries doo consist some of them but of twelue hundred and others of fifteene hundred and some of more and others of fewer which I confesse to bee true but that hath proceeded of this that they are not entire Tercios nor neuer were since they were drawne out of such principalities where they before were resident as for example when the Duke of Alba was to come out of Italie with his Armie to suppresse the intestine tumults of the Lowe Countries the whole Tercios of Sicilie Naples Sarden●a and Lumbardy were not drawne out of those gouernmēts but certen great parts of them which notwithstanding were called by the names of Tercios with additions of the names of the gouernments principalities from whence they came as though they had bin entire whereas in troth they were but certen great parts of those Tercios For a Tercio is not to bee holden for compleate of anie smaller number than of 3000. soldiers according to the ordinarie regiments of Italians Wallons and other Nations that are in these daies of the like number Caliuers and Mosquets for seruices in the field they extoll and magnifie and chieflie Mosquets perswading as much as they can all Magistrates and men of accompt that battailes and victories in these our daies are to bee obtained chieflie by the force and excellencie of those weapons and that the forraine Enemie seeking to inuade vs in anie Hauen with a Nauie and Armie royall should with foure or fiue thousand Mosquettiers and some Caliuerers bee repulsed and kept from landing And that certen Sconces by them deuised without anie Bulwarks Flanckers Trauesses Mounts Platformes wet or drie Ditches in forme with Counterscarps or any other good forme of fortification but onelie raised and formed with earth turfe trench and certen poynts angles and indents should bee able to hold out the Enemie landed some three or foure daies vntill the force of three or foure shires were assembled They also doo further attribute such excellencie vnto Mosquets that no squadrons of horsemen or footmen what number soeuer they haue of Archers are anie waies able to abide the volees and terrour of that weapon being in great numbers within 20. or 24. scores but that they must of necessitie bee dismembred and broken To the weapon of Caliuers before mentioned they also giue exceeding commendation for skirmishes and encounters in the field saying that they may skirmish with that weapon 10. or 12 scores of to the great terrour and hurt of the Enemie Vpon which excellent effects by them attributed to the aforenamed weapons of fire they haue perswaded as much as doth in them lie that all our bands of

comming at the first but with fiue thousand all Archers from beyond the mountaines of Caucasus to the aide of Mahomet then King of Persia vnder their braue Captaine Tanglaropice Muçaleto did performe great seruices vnto the Persians And after vpon lacke of pay and some other iniuries vnto them by the Persians offered retiring thēselues to the mountaines they did most valiantly defend themselues vntil that new aides and great numbers of Archers and Aljauas Turkes came to ioyne with them At which time inuading the Persians and ouerthrowing and killing their King in battaile they conquered all Persia and after inuading Armenia did vanquish and kill the Halifa of ●aldac and did subdue in a maner all the Dominions that Mahomet that false prophet and his successours Halifas had in certaine hundreds of yeeres before conquered in Asia And all those conquests with many battailes and victories he and his Turkes atchieued chiefly with the wonderful effects of their Bowes of which weapon their milicia did principally consist After whose time the Soldans his successours and Otoman the first Emperour of the Turkes and his successours did win many battailes and victories against the Emperours of Constantinople chiefly with the aduantage of that weapon And it is further apparant by diuerse Histories that the Tartars inhabiting towards the North and Northeast seas of Asia being reduced into a discipline militarie vnder diuers of their Princes Captaines as Hocata Cham Gabo Sabada and Haloon did with their innumerable numbers of Archers and Aljauas on horsebacke not onely subdue all the East partes of Asia euen to the very Ocean seas but did in diuerse ages inuade the West partes of Asia vanquishing and ouerthrowing in many battailes diuers Soldans with their great armies of Turkes and spoiled made tributarie vnto them Parthia Persia Media Armenia Mesopotamia and Suria And last of all Tamberlan that valiant Emperour of the Tartars inuading Asia minor and comming to battaile with Bayezet at that time Emperour of the Turkes did ouerthrow vanquish him his mightie armie and tooke him prisoner Which battaile and victorie he atchieued by reason that his armie of Tartars did farre exceede the Turkes in numbers of Archers Which most excellent effects of Archers before mentioned was the very cause that mooued Amurat the second of that name Emperor of the Turkes within fewe yeeres after to institute for the gard of his person that milicia of the Ianissaries on foote who being Christian mens children renied taught from their youth the exercise of the Bowe as also of later yeares of the harquebuze doe become most excellent in both kinds of weapons so as when the Turke doth send any numbers of them vnder his Basshas to the besieging of any Cities or towns they al vse to take with them both their Bowes and their Harquebuzes Their Harquebuzes to vse in trenches against places fortified and their Bowes for seruices of the field Howbeit whensoeuer the Turke in person with an imperiall armie doth inuade any Prince or Nation hee hath alwayes with him twelue or foureteene thousand Ianissaries on foote with their Bowes and cemitories without anie Harquebuzes for his last and most assured refuge and gard of his person So as it is most euident that the Basshas Bellarbies and Senjaques of the Turkes of the which there be so many notable and excellent Captaines able to gouerne conduct and commaund great and mightie Armies as all the West partes of Christendome haue not so many nor the like who knowing all the effectes of weapons of fire as well as the best men of warre of Christendome do by all reason militarie preferre their Bowes before their Harquebuzes for all battailes and great encounters in the field And euen so likewise two other most puissaunt and mightie Empires of Asia and conquering Nations the one of the Tartars and the other of the Persians Parthians and Medians vnder the Sophie which Empires and Nations although they haue knowen and had the vse of weapons of fire long before they were knowne in Europe yet haue they alwayes and doo still greatlie preferre their Archers and Bowes on horsebacke for battailes and victories before their weapons of fire And now as I haue before in diuers parts of these discourses brieflie set downe manie notable effects of our English Archers against both horsemen and footmen of all sorts of weapons with such and so manie notable battailes victories atchieued by our English nation chieflie next vnto God by the excellencie of our said Archers And that I haue last of all brieflie declared the wonderfull victories and conquests in diuers ages atchieued by foure so notable Nations and that most of all by the notable effects of their Bowes I meane the Gothes Vandals and other such septentrionall people their companions and fellowes in armes as also the Arabians the Turkes and Tartars So I might further with the testimonie of many notable histories partlie by the very Bible it selfe if it were not to auoide prolixitie shewe and prooue that all the notable and famous Nations of Europe Affrick and Asia that haue since the beginning of the world euen vntill this present time atchieued infinite victories and conquests haue atchieued the same by the wonderfull effects of Bowes as by the weapon of all others that God hath put into the hearts of men to deuise and vse sometimes to defend themselues withall against foraine Nations that haue vniustlie assailed them sometimes to inuade and by battailes and victories to chasten and punish other such Nations as in former times had had the perfect vse of the same and yet after in processe of time by the permission of God for their sinnes had neglected and forgotten the vse thereof that thereby they might receiue the punishment of God by the well exercised hands in those weapons of other warlike Nations that were either more in the fauour of God or els appoynted by him as instruments with bloud to chasten and punish such transgressors Diuers of the which examples because I haue in my Proeme of these discourses briefly declared I think it would bee holden for superfluous to rehearse and digresse into such innumerable examples of the excellencie and merueilous effects that haue been in all ages wrought by infinite Nations with that most miraculous weapon and therefore will reduce my selfe and proceede to the proouing and concluding that although skilfull Harquebuziers and Mosquettiers with their weapons of fire be verie excellent in their conuenient and due times places as I haue in diuers parts of this discourse particularlie declared yet that for battels victories in the field they are no waies cōparable to our English Archers and Bowes And now againe to returne to the answering of other obiections of our such men of warre who notwithstanding so many reasons and examples by me before alledged in due iust commendation of Archers haue not been ashamed many times most phantastically to