on so farre In suppâ—â— 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 harâ—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 with 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 Ey by goddes precious hert and his nayles And by the blood of Christe that is in Hales Seuen is my chaunce and thine is sinke and treye Ey goddes armes if thou falsly playe This dagger shall thorough thine herte go This frute commeth of the â—eched boones twoâ— Forsâ—eringe Ire falsnes and Homicide c Thoughe these verses be very ernestlie 〈…〉 yet they do not halfe so grisely sette out the horâ—blenes of blasphemy which suche gamneâ—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 spokeÌ„ wyth â—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 â—elly for dwelling can be expressed yâ— 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 remembrauÌ„ce 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 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 PHIL. 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 TOX. 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 vpoÌ„ 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 froÌ„ suche vnthriftynesse and speciallye all the youth of Englande for what youth doth begynne a man wyll folowe coÌ„monlye euen to his dyinge daye whiche thinge Adrastus in Euripides pretelye doth expresse Euripides in supplâ— sayinge VVhat thing a man in tender age hath moost in vre That same to death alwayes to kepe he shal be sure Therfore in age who greatly longes good frute to mowe In youth he must him selfe aplye good seede to sowe 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 growâ— croked when it is oulde a man shal rather breake it thaÌ„ streyght it And I thinke there is no one thinge yâ— crokes youth more then suche vnlefull games Nor let no maÌ„ 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 entisemeÌ„tes 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 couÌ„sell of the Poete ⧠Stoppe the begynninges PHILOLO 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 mennes playinge to or put you anye difference betwixte them TOXOPHI 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 ê™ 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
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 with a small deale of money of whiche thynge surely sho tyng was the cause From the same contrie of Scythia the Gothians Hunues 〈…〉 Diaâ— 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 yâ— 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 After them the â—urkes hauing an other name but yet the same people P. Mela. â— 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 thaÌ„ 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 If god were wyth vs it buted â—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 droÌ„ke 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 Iâ—d nowe last of all the emperour his maiestie him selfe at the Citie of Argier 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 strauÌ„ge 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 theÌ„ 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 remeÌ„ber a certaine FreÌ„chman called Textor that writeth a boke which he nameth Officina Teâ—toâ— 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 chauÌ„ce haue rehersed out of the best Authors both in greke and latin Textor 〈…〉 but .ii. of them which .ii. surely yf they were to rekeÌ„ agayne I wold not ones name theÌ„ 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 booke-bynders 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
daye all the nobilite of Fraunce onlye wyth hys archers Such lyke battel also fought yâ— noble black prince Edward beside Poeters where Iohn yâ— french king with hys sonne in a maner al yâ— peres of FrauÌ„ce were taken beside .xxx. M. which that daye were â—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 with al his noble familie al English hertes dayly doth pray with bowmeÌ„ of England slew kyng Iamie with many a noble Scot eueÌ„ braÌ„t ageÌ„st FlodoÌ„ hil in which battel yâ— stoute archers of Cheshire Lanchasshire for one day bestowed to yâ— death for their price couÌ„try sake hath gotten immortall name and prayse for euer 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 whycâ—e my synguler good frende and Master Sir William â—algraue and Sir George Somerset dyd with a few Archers to yâ— number as it is sayd of .xvi. at the Turne pike besyde HaÌ„mes 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 PHI. 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 prickyng and nere shotinge for which cause you and many other bothe loue vse shootyng TOX. Euer more Philologe you wyl haue some ouertwhart reson to drawe forthe more communication with 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 yâ— 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 vnhaÌ„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 suÌ„der many a good bowe as wild horses at a brunte doth race pluck in peces many a stronge carte And thus strong meÌ„ without vse can do nothynge in shoting to any purpose neither in warre nor peace but if they happen 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 â—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 PHI. And that is best I trow in war to let it go and not to stoppe it TOX. 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 PHI. That is a wonder to me yâ— the feare of a displeasure shoulde do more harme than the displeasure it selfe TOX. 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 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 â—irl pâ—d 3. as is pratelye proued by the communication of Cyrus and Tigranes the kynges sunne of Armenie in Xenophou PHI. I grante Toxophile that vse of shotyng maketh a man drawe strong to shoote at most aduauntage to