Classic Audiobook Collection - Toxophilus by Roger Ascham ~ Full Audiobook [history]

Episode Date: April 9, 2025

Toxophilus by Roger Ascham audiobook. Genre: history Written in Tudor England and cast as a lively dialogue, Roger Ascham's Toxophilus pairs two friends in friendly dispute: Toxophilus, whose very name means the lover of the bow, and Philologus, the lover of learning. Their conversation begins with a simple question - is archery merely a pastime, or a practice worthy of serious, educated men? From there, Ascham builds a spirited defense of the longbow as a source of health, discipline, and civic strength, tying the art of shooting to questions of character, training, and public responsibility. As the debate unfolds, the book shifts from persuasion to practical guidance, walking listeners through the essentials of the craft: choosing and caring for a bow, selecting arrows, understanding aim and distance, and developing steady form through thoughtful practice. Along the way, Ascham reveals his larger purpose: to show that skill of hand and cultivation of mind can belong together, and that English recreation can be both moral and meaningful. Part instruction, part cultural argument, Toxophilus stands as a landmark of early English prose and a passionate case for mastery. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 00 (00:16:31) Chapter 01 (00:43:49) Chapter 02 (01:09:30) Chapter 03 (01:36:22) Chapter 04 (02:07:06) Chapter 05 (02:39:10) Chapter 06 (03:06:46) Chapter 07 (03:32:11) Chapter 08 (03:55:37) Chapter 09 (04:27:04) Chapter 10 (04:53:27) Chapter 11 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Toxophilus by Roger Asham, dedication and preface. To the most gracious and our most dread sovereign Lord, King Henry VIII, by the grace of God, King of England, France and Ireland, defender of the faith and of the Church of England and also of Ireland, in earth's supreme head next under Christ, be all health, victory and felicity. What time, as most gracious prince, Your Highness, this last year passed, took that your most honourable and victorious journey into France, accompanied with such a part

of the nobility and yeomanry of England as neither hath been like known by experience, nor yet read of in history, accompanied also with the daily prayers, good hearts and wills of all and every one of your gracious subjects left behind you here at home in England. The same time, I, being at my book in Cambridge, sorry that my little ability could stretch out no better to help forward so noble an enterprise, yet with my good will, prayer, and heart, nothing behind him that was foremost of all, conceived a wonderful desire, by the prayer, wishing, talking, and communication that was in every man's mouth for your grace's most victorious return, to offer up something at your homecoming to your highness, which should be both a token of my love and duty towards your majesty,

and also a sign of my good mind and zeal towards my country. This occasion, given to me at that time, caused me to take in hand again this little purpose of shooting, begun of me before, yet not ended then, for other studies, more meat for that trade of living which God and my friends have set me unto. But when your grace's most joyful and happy victory prevented my daily and speedy diligence to perform this matter, I was compelled to wait another time, to prepare and offer up this little book unto your majesty. And when it hath pleased your highness of your infinite goodness, and also your most honourable counsel, to know and peruse over the contents and some part of this book, and so to allow it that other men might read it, through the furtherance and setting forth of the right worshipful, and my singular good master, Sir William Padgett, knight, most worthy secretary to your highness, and most open and ready succour to all poor, honest, learned men's suits, I most humbly beseech your

grace, to take in good worth this little treatise, purposed, begun and ended of me, only for this intent that labour, honest pastime, and virtue might recover again that place and right that idleness, unthrift, gaming and vice, have put them from. And although to have written this book, either in Latin or Greek, which thing I would be very glad yet to do, if I might surely know your grace's pleasure therein, had been more easy and fit for my trade-in study. Yet, nevertheless, I, supposing at no point of honesty, that my commodity should stop and hinder any part either of the pleasure or profit of many, have written this English matter in the English tongue for Englishman, where in this I trust that your grace, if it please your highness to read it, shall perceive

it to be a thing honest for me to write, pleasant for some to read, and profitable for me. many to follow, containing a past I am honest for the mind, wholesome for the body, fit for every man, vile for no man, using the day and open place for honesty to rule it, not lurking in corners for misorder to abuse it. Therefore, I trust it shall appear to be both a sure token of my zeal to set forward shooting, and some sign of my mind towards honesty and learning. Thus I will trouble your grace no longer, but with my daily prayer I will beseechel. I will beseecher, God to preserve your grace in all health and felicity, to the fear and overthrow of all your enemies, to the pleasure, joyfulness and succour of all your subjects, to the utter destruction

of papistry and heresy, to the continual setting forth of God's word and his glory. Your Grace's most bounden scholar, Roger Asham. To all gentlemen and yeomen of England. Vias, the wise man, came to Cresus, the rich king, on a time when he was was making new ships, purposing to have subdued by water the out-isles lying betwixt Greece and Asia Minor. "'What news now in Greece?' said the King, Tobias. "'None other news but these,' said Bias,

"'that the Isles of Greece prepared a wonderful company of horsemen to overrun Lydia withal. "'There is nothing under heaven,' said the King, "'that I would so soon wish, as that they durst be so bold to meet us on the land with horse. And think you, said by us, that there is anything which they would sooner wish than that you should be so fond to meet them on the water with ships. And so, Cresus, hearing not the true news, but perceiving the wise man's mind and counsel, both gave then over-making of his ships, and left also behind him a wonderful example for all Commonwealth's to follow. That is, evermore to regard and set most by that thing whereunto nature hath made the most apt,

and use hath made the most fit. By this matter I'm in shooting in the longbow for Englishmen. Which thing, with all my heart, I do wish, if I were of authority, I would cancel all the gentlemen and yewain of England not to change it with any other thing, how goodsoever it seems to be. But that still, according to the old want of England, youth should use it for the most honest pastime in peace, that men might handle it as a most sure weapon in war. Other strong weapons, which both experienced doth prove to be good, and the wisdom

of the king's majesty and his counsel provides to be had, and ought ordained to take away shooting, but that both not compared together whether one should be better than the other, but so joined together that the one should be always an aid and help for the other, might so strengthen the realm on all sides that no kind of enemy in any kind of weapon might pass and go beyond us. For this purpose, I, partly provoked by the counsel of some gentleman, partly moved by the love which I have always borne towards shooting, have written this little treatise. Wherein, if I have not satisfied any man, I trust he will rather be content with my doing, because I am, I suppose, the first which hath said anything in this matter, and few beginnings

be perfect," said the wise men. And also because if I have, said amiss, I am content that any man amended, or, if I have said too little, any man that will to add what him pleaseth to it. My mind is, in profiting and pleasing every man, to hurt or displease no man, intending none other purpose but that youth might be stirred to labour, honest pastime, and virtue, and, as much as lithe in me, plucked from idleness, unthrifty games and vice. Which thing I have laboured only in this book, showing how fit shooting is for all kinds of men, how honest a pastime for the mind, how wholesome an exercise for the body, not vile for great men to use, not costly for poor men to sustain, not lurking in holes and corners for ill

men at their pleasure to misuse it, but abiding in the open sight and face of the world, for good men if it fault, by their wisdom to correct it. And here, I desire all gentlemen and yeoman to use this pastime in such a mean that the outrageousness of great gaming should not hurt the honesty of shooting, which, of his own nature, is always joined with honesty. Yet for men's faults oftentimes blamed unworthily, as all good things have been, and evermore shall be. If any man would blame me, either for taking such a matter in hand, or else for writing it

in the English tongue, this answer I may make him. that when the best of the realm think it honest for them to use, I, one of the meanest sort, ought not to suppose it vile for me to write. And though to have written it in another tongue had been both more profitable for my study and also more honest for my name, yet I can think my labour well bestowed,

if with a little hindrance to my profit and name, may come any furtherance to the pleasure or commodity of the gentlemen and yeomen of England, for whose sake I took this matter in hand. And as for the Latin or Greek tongue, everything is so excellently done in them that none can do better. In the English tongue, contrary, everything in a manner so meanly both for the matter and handling that no man can do worse. For therein the least learned, for the most part, have been always most ready to write. And they which had least hope in Latin have been most bold in English,

when surely every man that is most ready to talk is not most able to. write. He that will write well in any tongue must follow this council of Aristotle, to speak as the common people do, to think as wise men do, and so should every man understand him and the judgment of wise men allow him. Many English writers have not done so, but using strange words as Latin, French and Italian, to make all things dark and hard. Once I communed with a man which reasoned the English tongue to be enriched and increased thereby, saying, Who will not praise that feast where a man shall drink at a dinner both wine, ale, and beer? Truly, quoth I, they be all good, everyone taken by himself alone.

But if you put Malmsey in sack, red wine and white, ale and beer, and all in one pot, you shall make a drink neither easy to be known nor yet wholesome for the body." Cicero, in following our Socrates, Plato and Demosthenes, increased the Latin tongue after another sort. This way, because divers men that write do not know, they can neither follow it because of their ignorance, nor yet will praise it for very arrogance. Two faults seldom the one out of the other's company. English writers, by diversity of time, have taken divers matters in hand.

In our father's time nothing was read but books of feign chivalry, wherein a man by reading should be led to none other end but only to manslaughter and bordery. If any man supposed they were good enough to pass the time withal, he is deceived. For surely, vain words do work no small thing in vain, ignorant and young minds, especially if they be given anything thereunto of their own nature. These books, as I have heard say, were made the most part in abbeys and monasteries, a very likely and fit fruit of such an idle and blind kind of living. In our time, now, when every man is given to know much rather than to live well, very many

do write, but after such a fashion as very many do shoot. Some shooters take in hand strong bows than they be able to maintain. This thing maketh them some time to out-shoot the mark, some time to shoot far wide, perchance hurt some that look on. Other, that never learned to shoot, nor yet knoweth good shaft nor bow, will be as busy as the best, but such one commonly plucketh down aside, and crafty archers which be against him, will be both glad of him, and also ever ready to lay and bet with him. It were better for such one to sit down than shoot. Other, there be, which have very good bow and shafts, and good knowledge in shooting,

but they have been brought up in such evil favoured shooting that they can neither shoot fair nor yet near. If any man will apply these things together, it shall not see the one far differ from the other. And I, also, among all other, in writing this little treatise, have followed some young shooters, which both will begin to shoot, for a little money, and also will use to shoot once or twice about the mark for naught, afore they begin a good. And therefore I did take this little matter in hand. To a say myself, and hereafter, by the grace of God, if the judgment of wise men that look on, think that I can do any good, I may perchance cast my shaft among other for better game.

Yet in writing this book, some men will marvel perchance why, that I, being an unperfect shooter, should take in hand to write of making a perfect archer. The same man, per adventure, will marvel how a wetstone which is blunt can make the edge of a knife sharp. I would the same man should consider also that in going about any matter there be four things to be considered doing, saying, thinking, and perfectness. First, there is no man that doeth so well, but he can say better, or else some men, which now be stark naught, should be too good. Again, no man can utter with his tongue so well as he is able to imagine with his mind, and yet perfectness itself is far above all

thinking. Then, seeing that saying is one step near a perfectness than doing, let every man leave marvelling, why my word shall rather express than my deed shall perform perfect shooting. I trust no man will be offended with this little book, except it be some Fletchers and Bowies, thinking hereby that many that love shooting should be taught to refuse such naughty wares as they would utter. Honest Fletchers and Bowers do not so. And they that be, un-honest, ought rather to amend themselves for doing ill than being angry with me for saying well. A Fletcher hath even so got a quarrel to be angry with an archer that refuseth an ill shaft, as a bladesmith hath to a fletcher that forsaketh to bive him a naughty knife,

for as an archer must be content that a fletcher know a good shaft in every point for the perfect and making of it. So an honest Fletcher will be content that a shooter know a good shaft in every point for the perfectly using of it, because the one knoweth like a fletcher how to make it, the other knoweth like an archer how to use it. And seeing the knowledge is one in them both, yet the end divers. Surely that Fletcher is an enemy to archers and artillery, which cannot be content that an archer know a shaft as well for his use in shooting

as he himself should know a shaft for his advantage in selling. And the rather, because shafts be not made so much to be so much to be so, sold, but chiefly to be used. And seeing that use and occupying is the end by which a shaft is made, the making, as it were, a means for occupying, surely the knowledge in every point of a good shaft is more to be required in a shooter than a fletcher. Yet, as I said before, no honest Fletcher will be angry with me, seeing I do not teach how to make a shaft, which belongeth only to a good fletcher, but to know and handle a shaft, which belongeth to an archer. And this little book, I trust, shall please and profit both parties, for good bows and shafts

shall be better known to the commodity of all shooters, and good shooting may perchance be the more occupied to the profit of all bowiers and fletches. And thus I pray God that all Fletches, getting their living truly, and all archers using shooting honestly, and all manner of men that favour artillery may live continually in health and meriness, obeying their prince as they should, and loving God as they ought, to whom for all things be all honour and glory for ever. Amen. End of dedication and preface. Book 1, Part 1 of Toxophilus. This Librevox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Clive Caterall. Toxophilus by Roger Asham, edited by J. A. Giles. The first book of the School of shooting, part one. Philologist said, you study too, saw Toxophilae. Toxophilus said,

I will not hurt myself over much, I warrant you. Philologist said, take heed you do not, for we physicians say that it is neither good for the eyes in so clear a sun, nor yet wholesome for the body so soon after meat to look upon a man's book. Toxophilus said, in eating and studying, I will never follow any physic, for if I did, I am sure I should have small pleasure in the one, and less courage in the other. But what news drave you hither, I pray you? Philologist said, small news, truly, but as I came on walking, I've fortunate to come with three or four that went to shoot at the bricks, and when I saw not you amongst them, but at the last espied you looking on your book here so sadly, I thought to

come and hold you with some communication, lest your book should run away with you, from you thought by your wavering pace and earnest-looking, your book led you, not you, it." Doxophila said, Indeed, as it chanced, my mind went faster than my feet, for I happened here to read in Fidro-Platonus, a place that entreats wonderfully of the nature of souls, which place, whether it were for the passing eloquence of Plato and the Greek tongue, or for the high and godly description of the matter, it kept my mind so occupied that it had no leisure to look at my feet. for I was reading how some souls, being well-feathered, flew always about heaven and heavenly matters. Other some, having their feathers moated away and drooping, sank down into earthly things.

Philodogist said, I remember the place very well, and it is wonderfully said of Plato, and now I see it was no marvel though your feet failed you, seeing your mind flew so fast. Togsophilus said, I'm glad now that you lettered me, for my head aches with looking on it. And because you tell me so, I am very sorry that I was not with those good fellows you spake upon, for it is a very fair day for a man to shoot in. Philologist said,

and he thinks you are a great deal better occupied, and in better company, for it is a very fair day for a man to go to his book in. Toxophilus said, All days and weathers will serve for that purpose, and surely this occasion was ill-lost. Philologist said, yea, but clear weather maketh clear minds, and it is best, as I suppose, to spend the best time

upon the best things, and be thought, you shot very well, and at that mark which every good scholar should most busily shoot at, and I suppose it be a great deal more pleasure also to see a soul fly in Plato than a shaft fly at the pricks. I grant you, shooting is not the worst thing in the world, yet if we shoot and time shoot, we are not like to be great winners at the length. And you know also we scholars have more earnest and weighty matters in hand, nor we be not born to pastime and play, as you know well enough who saith?

Toxophilus said, Yet the same man in the same place, philology, by your leave, doth admit wholesome, honest, and manly pastimes to be as necessary to be mingled with sad matters of the mind, as eating and sleeping is for the health of the body, and yet we be born for neither of both. And Aristotle himself said that although it were a fond and a childish thing to be too earnest in pastime and play,

yet doth he affirm by the authority of the old poet Epikamus that a man may use play for earnest matter's sake, and in another place that as rest is for labour and medicines for health, so is pastime at times for sad and weighty study. Philologists said, How much in this matter is to be given to the authority either of Aristotle or Tully? I cannot tell. Seeing sad men may well enough speak merrily for a merry matter.

This I am sure. Which thing this fair wheat, God save it, maketh me remember that those husbandmen which rise earliest and come late home, and are content to have their dinner and other drinks brought into the field to them for fear of losing of time, have fatter barns in harvest than they which will either sleep at noontime of the or else make merry with their neighbours at the ale.

And so a scholar that purposeth to be a good husband, and desirest to reap and enjoy much fruit of learning, must till and sow thereafter. Our best seed-time, which be scholars, as it is very timely, and when we be young, so it endureth not over long, and therefore it may not be let slip one hour. Our ground is very hard and full of weeds. Our horse wherewith will be drawn very wild, as Plato saith. and infinite other moments which will make a thrifty scholar take heed how he spenteth his time in sport and play. Toxophilus said, that Aristotle and Tully speak earnestly, and as they thought,

the earnest matter which they entreat upon doth plainly prove. And as for your husbandry, it was more probably told without words proper to the thing than thoroughly proved with reasons belonging to our matter. For contrary-wise, I heard myself a good husband, at his book once say, that to omit study some time of the day and some time of the year, made as much for the increase of learning as to let the land lie sometime follow, maketh for the better increase of corn. This we see, if the land be ploughed every year, the corn cometh thin up, the ear is short, the grain is small,

and when it is brought into the barn and threshed, giveeth very evil fall. So those which never leave pouring on their books Have oftentimes as thin invention as other poor men have And a small wit and weight in it as other men's And thus your husbandry, methinks, Is more like the life of a covetous snudge That oft very evil proves Than the labour of a good husband

That knoweth well what he doth. And surely the best wits to learning Must needs have much recreation and ceasing from their book Or else they mar themselves when base and dumpishwits can never be hurt with continual study. As you see in looting that a treble minikin string must always be let down, but at such time as when a mad must needs play, when the bass and dull string needeth never to be moved out of his place.

The same reason I find true in two bows that I have, where if one is quick of cast, trick and trim both for pleasure and profit, the other is a lug, slow of cast, following the string, more sure for to last than pleasant to use. Now, sir, it chanced this other night that one in my chamber would needs bend them to prove their strength, but I cannot tell how they were both left bent till the next day at after dinner. And when I came to them, purposing to have gone on shooting, I found my good bow clean cast on the one side and as weak as water, that surely if I were a rich man I had rather spent a crown.

And as for my lug, it was not one way. wet the worse, but shot by and by, as well and as far as ever it did. And even so, I'm sure that good wits, except they let down like a treble string and unbent like a good casting bow, they will never last and be able to continue in study. And I know where I speak this, philology, for I would not say this much afore young men, for they will take some occasion to study little enough, but I say it therefore because I know, as little study geteth little learning, or none at all, so the most study geteth not the most learning of all. For a man's wit sore occupied in earnest study must be well-recreated with some honest

pastime, as the body sore laboured must be refreshed with sleep and quietness, or else it cannot endure very long. As the noble poet saith, what thing wants quiet and merry rest endures but a small while? And I promise you, shooting, by my judgment, is the most honest pastime of all. And such one I am sure of all other that hindereth learning little or nothing at all. Whatsoever you and some others say, which are a great deal soarer against it always than you need be. Philologist said, hindrith learning little or nothing at all. That were a marvel to me truly, and I am sure, seeing you say so, you have some reason wherewith you can defend shooting with all. And as for will, for the love that you bear towards shooting, I think there shall lack none in you.

Therefore, seeing we have so good leisure both and nobody by us to trouble us, and you so willing and able to defend it, and I so ready and glad to hear what may be said of it, I suppose we cannot pass the time better over, neither you for the honesty of your shooting, nor I for mine own mind's sake, than to see what can be said with it or against it, and especially in these days when so many doth use it,

and every man in a manner doth commune of it. Toxophila said, to speak of shooting philology, truly, I would, I were so able, either as I myself am willing, or yet as the matter deserveth, but seeing with wishing we cannot have one now worthy, which so worthier thing can worthily praise, and although I had rather have any other do it than myself, yet myself rather than no other, I will not fail to say in it what I can. wherein, if I say little, lay that of my little ability, not of the matter itself, which deserveth no little thing to be said of it. Philologists said, if it deserve no little thing

to be said of it, Toxophilae, I marvel how it chanceth that no man hitherto hath written anything of it, wherein you must grant me that either the matter is naught, unworthy and barren to be written upon, or else some men are to blame which both love it and use it, and yet, could never find in their heart to say one good word of it, seeing that very trifling matters hath not lacked great learned men to set them out, as gnats and nuts, and many other more like things. Wherefore, either you may honestly lay very great fault upon men, because they never yet praised it, or else I may justly take away no little thing from shooting because it never yet

deserved it." Toxophilus said, truly herein, philology, you take not so much from it as you give to it. for great and commodious things are never greatly praised, not because they be not worthy, but because their excellency needs no man's praise, having all their commendation of themselves, not borrowed of other men's lips, which rather praise themselves in speaking much of a little thing

than that matter which they entreat upon. Great and good things be not praised, for whoever praised Hercules, as the Greek proverb. And that no man hitherto hath written any book of shooting, the fault is not to be laid in the thing which was worthy to be written upon, but of men which were negligent in doing it. And this was the cause thereof, as I suppose. Men that used shooting most and knew it best were not learned.

Men that were learned used little shooting, and were ignorant in the nature of the thing. And so few men hath been that hitherto were able to write upon it. Yet how long shooting has continued, what commonwealths hath most used it. How honest a thing it is for all men, what kind of living soever they follow, what pleasure and profit cometh of it, both in peace and war, all manner of tongues and writers, Hebrew, Greek and Latin, hath so plentifully spoken of it as few other things like.

So what shooting is, how many kinds there is of it, what goodness is joined with it, is told, only how it is to be learned and brought to a perfectness among men is not told. Philologists said, Then, Toxophilae, if it be so as you do say, let us go forward and examine how plentifully this is done that you speak, and first of the invention of it. Then, what honesty and profit is in the use of it, both for war and peace, more than in other pastimes. Last of all, how it ought to be learned among men, for the increase of it.

Which thing, if you do, not only I now for your communication, but many other more when they shall know of it for your labour, and shooting itself also, if it could speak, for your kindness, will thank you very much. Toxophilus said, What good things men speak of shooting, and what good things shooting brings to men, as my wit and knowledge will serve me,

gladly shall I say my mind. But how the thing is to be learned, I will surely leave to some other, which, both for greater experience in it, and also for their learning, can set it out better than I. Philologists said, Well, as for that, I know both what you can do in shooting by experience,

and that you can also speak well enough of shooting for your learning. But go on with the first part. And I do not doubt but what my desire, what your love toward it, the honesty of shooting, the profit that may come thereby to many other, shall get the second part out of you at the last. Toxophilus said, Of the first finders out of shooting, diverse men diversely do. write, Claudian the poet saith that nature gave example of shooting first by the porcupine,

which doth shoot his pricks and will hit anything that fights with it, whereby men learned afterwards to imitate the same in finding out both bow and shafts. Pliny refereth it to Seithes, the son of Jupiter. Better and more noble writers bring shooting from a more noble inventor, as Plato, Calimachus and Galen from Apollo. Yet long afore those days do we read it in the Bible of shooting expressly, and also, if we shall believe Nicholas Delira, Lamech killed Kane with a shaft. So this great continuance of shooting doth not a little praise shooting, nor that neither doth not a little set it out,

that it is referred to the invention of Apollo, for which point shooting is highly praised of Galen, where he saith that mean crafts be first found out by men or beasts as weaving by a spider and such other, but high and commendable sciences by gods as shooting at music by Apollo. And thus shooting, for the necessity of it used in Adam's days, for the nobleness of it referred to Apollo, has not been only commended in all tongues and writers, but also had in great price, both in their best commonwealths in wartime for the defence of their country, and of all degrees of men in peacetime, both for the honesty that is joined with it, and the

prophet that followeth of it." Philologists said, well, as concerning the finding out of it, little praise has gotten to shooting thereby, seeing good wits may most easily of all find out a trifling matter. But whereas you say that most commoners have used it in wartime, and all degrees of men have very honestly used it in peacetime, I think you can neither show by authority nor yet prove by reason. Toxophilus said, The use of it in wartime, I will declare hereafter. And first, how all kinds and sorts of men,

what degree soever they be, have at all times afore, and now, very honestly use it, the example of most noble men very well doth prove. Syaxaris, the king of the Medes and great-grandfather of Cyrus, kept a sort of Scythians with him only for this purpose, to teach his son Astyagis to show. shoot. Cyrus, being a child, was brought up in shooting, which things Xenophon would never have made mention on, except it had been fit for all princes to have used, seeing that Xenophon wrote Cyrus's

life, as Tully Seth, not to show what Cyrus did, but what all manner of princes, both in pastimes and earnest matters, ought to do. Darius, the first of that name and king of Persia, showed plainly how fit it is for a king to love and use shooting, which commanded this sentence to be graven on his tomb for a princely memory and praise. Darius the king lieth buried here, that in shooting and riding had never peer. Again, Domitian the emperor was so cunning in shooting that he could shoot betwixt a man's fingers, standing afar off and never hurt him. Commodus also was so excellent and had so sure a hand in it

that there was nothing within his reach and shot, but he would hit it in what place he would, as beasts running, either in the head or heart, and never miss. As Herodian saith he saw himself, or else he would never have believed it. Philologists said, Indeed, you praise shooting very well, in that you show that Domitian and Commodas love shooting. Such an ungracious couple, I'm sure as a man shall not find again if he raked all hell for them. Toxophilus said, well, even as I will not commend their illness, so ought not you to dis praise their goodness.

And indeed, the judgment of Herodian upon Commodus is true of them both, and that was this, that, besides strength of body and good shooting, they had no princely thing in them. Which saying, me think, commends shooting wonderfully, calling it a princely thing? Furthermore, how commendable shooting is for princes, Themistius, the noble philosopher, showeth in a certain oration made to Theodosius, the emperor, wherein he doth commend him for three things that he used as a child, for shooting, for riding of a horse well, and for feats of arms. Moreover, not only kings and emperors have been brought up in shooting, but also

the best commonwealths that ever were have made goodly acts and laws for it. As the Persians, which under Cyrus conquered in a manner all the world, had a law that their children should learn three things only from five years under twenty, to ride a horse well, to shoot well, to speak truly, always and never lie. The Romans, as Leo the Emperor in his book of Slights of War telleth, had a law that every man should use shooting in peacetime while he was forty years old, and that every house should have a bow and forty shafts ready for all needs. The omitting of which law, said Leo, amongst the youth, hath been the only occasion why the Romans lost a great deal of their empire. But more of this I will speak when it come to the

profit of shooting in war. If I should rehearse the statutes made of noble princes of England in Parliament for the setting forth of shooting through this realm, and especially that act made for shooting in the third year of the reign of our most dread sovereign Lord King Henry VIII, I could be very long, but these few examples, especially of so great men and noble commonwealth, shall stand instead of many. Philologists said, that such princes and such commonwealths have much regarded shooting, you have well declared. But why shooting ought so of itself to be regarded, you have scarcely yet proved.

Toxophilus said, examples I grant out of histories do show a thing to be so, not prove a thing why it should be so. Yet this, I suppose, that neither great men's qualities being commendable be without great authority for other men honestly to follow them, nor yet those great learned men that wrote such things lack good reason justly at all times for any other to approve them. Princes, being children, ought to be brought up in shooting, both because it is an exercise most wholesome and also a pastime most honest. Wherein labour, prepareth the body to heart, the mind to courageousness, suffering neither the one to be marred with tenderness, nor yet the other to be hurt with idleness.

As we read how Sardinapolis and such other were, because they were not brought up with outward honest, painful pastimes to be men, but cocked up with inward, naughty, idle wantonness to be women. For how fit labour is for all youth, Jupiter, or else Minos amongst them of Greece, and like Kyrgus amongst the Lacedaemonians do show by their laws, which never ordained anything for the bringing up of youth that was not joined with labour. And the labour which is in shooting of all other is best, both because it increaseseth the strength and preserveseth health most, being not vehement but moderate, not overlaying any one part with weariness, but softly

exercising every part with equalness, as the arms and breasts withdrawing, the other parts with going, being not so painful for the labour as pleasant for the pastime, which exercise, by the judgment of the best physicians, is most allowable. By shooting also is the mind honestly exercised, where a man always desireth to be best, which is a word of honesty, and that by the same way that virtue itself doth, coveting to come nice to most perfect end, or mean standeth betwixt to extremes, issuing short or gone, or either side wide. For the witch causes Aristotle himself seth, that shooting and virtue be very alike. Moreover, that shooting of all other is the most honest pastime, and hath least occasion to naughtiness joined with it. Two things very plainly do

prove, which be, as a man would say, the tutors and overseers to shooting. Daylight and open place, where every man doth come the maintainers and keepers of shooting from all unhonest doing. If shooting fault at any time, it hides it not. It lurks not in corners and hudder mother, but openly accuseth and betrayeth itself, which is the next way to amendment, as wise men do say. And these things, I suppose, be signs not of naughtiness for any man to disallow it, but rather very plain tokens of honesty for every man to praise it.

The use of shooting also in great men's children shall greatly increase the love and use of shooting in all the residue of youth. For that mean men's minds love to be like great men, as Plato and Isocrates do say. And that everybody should learn to shoot when they be young, defence of the Commonwealth doth require when they be old, which thing cannot be done mightily when they be men, except they learn it perfectly when they be boys. and therefore shooting of all pastimes is most fit to be used in childhood because it is in an imitation of earnest things to be done in manhood

wherefore shooting is fit for great men's children both because it strengthens the body with wholesome labour and pleaseth the mind with honest pastime and also encourages all other youth earnestly to follow the same and these reasons as I suppose stirred up both great men to bring up their children in shooting and also noble commonwealth so straightly to commend shooting. Therefore, seeing princes moved up by honest occasions, hath in all commonwealth used shooting.

I suppose there is none other degree of men, neither low nor high, learned nor lewd, young or old. Philologist said, You need weighed no further in this matter toxophilae, but if you can prove me that scholars and men given to learning may honestly use shooting, I will soon grant you that all other sorts of men may not only lawfully but ought of duty to use it. But I think you cannot prove but that all these examples of shooting brought from so long a time used of so noble princes, confirmed by so wise men's laws and judgments, are set afore temporal men only to follow them, whereby they may the better and strongerer defend the Commonwealth withal.

And nothing belongeth to scholars and learned men, which have another part of the Commonwealth, quiet and peaceable, put to their cure and charge, whose end, as it is diverse from the other, so there is no one way that leadeth to them both. Toxophilus said, I grant philology that scholars and laymen have divers offices and charges in the Commonwealth, which requires divers bringing up in their youth, if they shall do them as they ought to do in their age. Yet, as temporal men of necessity are compelled to take somewhat of learning to do their office the better withal, so scholars may the boldier borrow somewhat of layman's pastimes to maintain their

health in study with all. And surely, of all other things, shooting is necessary for both sorts to learn. Which thing, when it hath been ever more used in England, how much good it hath done both old men and chronicles do tell, and also our enemies can bear us record. For if it be true, as I have heard say, when the King of England hath been in France, the priests at home, because they were archers, been able to overthrow all Scotland. Again, there is another thing, which above all other doth move me, not only to love shooting, to praise shooting, to exhort all other to shooting, but also to you shooting myself. And that is our King Henry, the eighth, his most royal purpose and will, which in all his statues generally doth command men, and with his own mouth most gently

doth exhort men, and by his great gifts and rewards greatly doth encourage men, and with his most princely example very often doth provoke all other men to do the same. But here you will come in with the temporal men and scholar. I tell you plainly, scholar or unscholar. Yea, if I were 20 scholars, I would think it were my duty, both with exhorting men to shoot, and also with shooting myself, to help to set forward that thing which the king's wisdom and his counsel so you, greatly laboreth to go forward. Which things surely they do because they know it to be in war the defence and war of our country. In peace, an exercise most wholesome for the body, a pastime most honest for the mind, and, as I am able to prove myself, of all other most fit and agreeable

with learning and learned men. End of Book 1, Part 1. Book 1 Part 2 of Toxophilus by Roger Asham, edited by J. A. Giles This Librevox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Clive Caterall. Book 1, Part 2. Philologists said, If you can prove this thing so plainly as you speak it earnestly, then will I not only think as you do,

but become a shooter and do as you do. But yet beware, I say, lest you for the great love you bear towards shooting, blindly judge of shooting. For love, and all other two earnest affections, be not for naught painted blind. Take heed, lest you prefer shooting before other pastimes, as one Balbinus, through blind affection, preferred his lover before all other women, although she were deformed with a polypus in her nose.

And although shooting may be meet some time for some scholars, and yet so forth, yet the fittest always is to be preferred. Therefore, if you will need to grant scholars' pastimes and recreation of their minds, let them use, as many of them doth, music, and playing on instruments, thinks most seemly for all scholars, and most regarded always for Apollo and the muses. Toxophilus said, Even as I cannot deny but some music is fit for learning, so I trust you cannot choose but grant that shooting is fit also, as Kalamacchus doth signify in this verse. Both merry songs and good shooting delighteth Apollo.

But as concerning whether of them is most fit for learning and scholars to use, you may say what you will for your pleasure. This I am sure that Plato and Aristotle both, in their books in treating of the Commonwealth where they show how youth should be brought up in four things, in reading and writing, in exercise of body and singing, do make mention of music and all kinds of it. wherein they both agree that music used among the Lydians is very ill for young men, which be students for virtue and learning, for a certain nice, soft and smooth sweetness of it,

which would rather entice them to naughtiness than stir them to honesty. Another kind of music, invented by the Dorians, they both wonderfully praise, allowing it to be very fit for the study of virtue and learning, because of a manly rough and stout sound in it, which should encourage young stomachs to attempt manly matters. Now, whether these ballads and rounds, these galliards, pavans, and dances, so nicely fingered, so sweetly tuned, be like the music of the Lydians or the Dorians, either be learned, judge.

And whatsoever you judge, this I am sure, that lutes, harps, all manner of pipes, barbiton, sambukes, and other instruments of every one, which standeth by fine and quick fingering, condemned of Aristotle as not to be brought in and used among them which study for learning and virtue. Pallas, when she had invented a pipe, cast it away. Not so much, said Aristotle, because it deformed her face, but much rather because such an instrument belongeth nothing to learning. How such instruments agree with learning, the goodly agreement betwixt Apollo, God of Learning, and Marsaius, the satire defender of piping, doth well declare, where Marsaius has had his skin quite pulled over his head for his labour.

Much music mareth men's manners, said Galen, although some man will say that it doth not so, but rather recreateth, and maketh quick a man's mind. Yet, methink by reason it doth as honey doth to a man's stomach, which, at the first, receiveth it well, but afterward it maketh it unfit to abide any good, strong, nourishing meat, or as any wholesome, sharpened quick drink. And even so in a manner,

these instruments make a man's wit so soft and smooth, so tender and quasi, that they be less able to brook strong and tough study. Wits be not sharpened, but rather dulled, and made blunt with such sweet softness, even as good edges be blunter which men wet upon soft chalk stones. And to these things to be true,

not only Plato, Aristotle and Gainland proved by authority of reason, but also Herodotus and other writers show by plain and evident example, as that of Cyrus, which after he had overcome the Lydians and taken the King Cresus, prisoner. Yet after, by the means of one Pacteus, a very heady man among the Lydians, they rebelled against Cyrus again. Then Cyrus had by and by brought them to utter destruction if Cresus, being in good favour with the Cyrus, had not heartily desired him not. not to revenge Pacteus' fault in shedding their blood. But if he should follow his counsel, he might bring to pass that they should never more rebel against him. And that was this, to make them wear long curtels to the foot like women,

and that every one of them should have a harp or a lute, and learn to play and sing. Which thing if you do, Seth Cresus, as he did indeed, you shall see them quickly of men-made women, and thus looting and singing take away a manly stomach, which you'd enter and pierce deep and hard study. Even such another story doth Nymphodorus, an old Greek historiographer write, of one Sessostris, king of Egypt, which story because it is somewhat long and very like in all points to the other, and also you do well enough remember it, seeing you read it so late in Sophocles' commentaries, I will now pass over. Therefore, either Aristotle and Plato knew not what was good.

good and evil for learning and virtue, and the example of wise histories be vainly set afores, or else the minstrelsy of lutes, pipes, harps, and all other that standeth by such fine, nice minikin fingering, such as the most part of scholars whom I know use, if they use any, is far more fit for the womanishness of it to dwell in the court among ladies than for any great thing in it which would help good and sad study to abide in the universities among scholars. But perhaps you know some great goodness of such music and such instruments, wherein to Plato and Aristotle his brain could never attain. And therefore I will say no more against it."

Philologist said, Well, Toxophilay, it is not enough for you to rail upon music, except you mock me too. But say the truth, I never thought myself these kinds of music fit for learning. But that which I said was rather to prove you than to defend the matter. But yet, as I would have this sort of music decay among scholars, even so do I wish, from the bottom of my heart, that the Lordal custom of England to teach children their plain-song and pricks-song were not so decayed throughout all the realm as it is. Which thing, how profitable it was for all sorts of men, those knew not so well then which

had it most, as they do now which lack it most. And therefore it is true that Tusser saith in Sophocles, seldom mettoe, all good things be known how good to be, before a man such things do miss out of his hands. That milk is no fitter nor more natural for the bringing up of children the music is, both Galen proveth by authority, and daily use teacheth by experience. For even the little babes lacking the use of reason, are scarce so well stilled in sucking their mother's pap as in hearing their mothers sing. Again, how fit youth is made by learning to sing, for grammar and other sons,

sciences, both we daily do see and Plutug learnedly doth prove, and Plato wisely did allow, which received no scholar into his school that had not learned his song before. The godly use of praising God by singing in the church needeth not my praise, seeing it it so praise through all the scriptures. Therefore I will speak nothing of it rather than I should speak too little of it. Beside all these commodities, truly two degrees of men, which have the highest officers under the king in all this realm, shall greatly lack the use of singing, preachers and lawyers, because they shall not, without this, be able to rule their breasts for every purpose.

For where is no distinction in telling glad things and fearful things, gentleness and cruelness, softness and vehementness, and such like matters, there can be no great persuasion? For the hearers, as Tully saith, be much affectioned as he that is speaking. At his words be they drawn. If he stand still in one fashion, their mind stand still with him. If he thunder, they quake. If he chide, they fear. If he complain, they sorry with him.

And finally, where a matter is spoken with an apt voice for every affection, the hearers, for the most part, are moved as the speaker would. But when a man is always in one tune like a humble bee, or us now in the top of the church, down, that no man knoweth where to have him, or piping like a reed or roaring like a bull, as some lawyers do, which think they do best when they cry loudest. These shall never greatly move, as I have known many well-learned have done, because their voice was not stayed afore with learning to sing. For all voices, great and small, bass and shrill weak or soft, may be helping and brought to a good point by learning to sing. Whether this

be true or not, they that stand most in need can tell both. Whereof some I have known, which, because they learned not to sing when they were boys, were fain to take pain in it when they were men. If any man should hear me, Toxophily, they would think I did but fondly to suppose that a voice were so necessary to be looked upon, I would ask him if he thought not nature a fool, for making such goodly instruments in a man for well uttering his words. Or else, if the two noble orators Demosthenes and Cicero were not fools, whereof the one did not only learn to sing of a man, but

but also was not ashamed to learn how he should utter his sounds aptly of a dog. The other seteth out no point of rhetoric so fully in all his books as how a man should order his voice for all kinds of matters. Therefore, seeing men by speaking differ and be better than beasts, by speaking well be better than other men, and that singing is in help towards the same, as daily experience doth teach. Example of wise men doth allow, authority of learned men doth approve,

wherewith the foundation of youth in all good commonwealth have always been tempered. Surely, if I were one of the Parliament House, I would not fail to put up a bill for the amendment of this thing, but because I am like to be none this year, I will speak no more of it at this time. Toxophilus said, it would pity truly philology that the thing should be neglected, but I trust it is not, as you say. Philologist said, the thing is too true, for of them that have come daily to the university, where one hath learned to sing, six hath not.

But now to our shooting, talk softly again, wherein I suppose you cannot say so much for shooting to be fit for learning as you have spoken against music for the same. Therefore, as concerning music, I can be content to grant you your mind. But as for shooting, surely I suppose that you cannot persuade me by no means that a man can be earnest in it, and earnest at his book too. But rather I think that a man with a bow on his back and shafts under his girdle

is more fit to wait upon Robin Hood than upon Apollo or the Muses. Toxophilus said, Over-earnest shooting, surely I will not over-urnestly defend, for I ever thought shooting should be a waiter upon learning, not a mistress over-learning. Yet this I marvel not a little at, that you think a man with a bow on his back is more like Robin Hood's servant than Apollo's, seeing that Apollo himself, in Alsestives of Euripides,

which tragedy you read openly not long ago, in a manner glorifieth, saying this verse, It is my want always my bow with me to bear. Therefore, a learned man ought not too much to be ashamed to bear that sometime, which Apollo, God of Learning, himself, was not ashamed always to bear. And because ye would have a man wait upon the muses, and not at all meddle with shooting, I marvel that you do not remember how the name,

nine muses themselves, as soon as they were born, were put to nurse to a lady called Euthemis, which had a son named Eurotus, with whom the nine muses, for his excellent shooting, kept ever more company with all, and used daily to shoot together in Mount von Asas. And at last it chanced at this Eurotus to die, whose death the muses lamented greatly, and fell ill upon their knees afore Jupiter their father, and at their request Eurotus, for shooting with the muses on earth, was made a sign and called Sagittarius in heaven. Therefore you see that if Apollo and the muses either were examples indeed, or only feigned of wise men to be examples of learning, honest shooting may well enough be

companion with honest study. Philologists said, well, Toxophilae, if you have no stronger defense of shooting than poets, I fear if your companions which love shooting heard you, they would think you made it, but a trifling and fabling matter, rather than any other man that loveth not shooting be persuaded by this reason to love it." Toxophilus said, Even as I am not so fond but I know that these be fables, so I am sure you be not so ignorant, but you know what such noble wits as the poets had meant by such matters, which oftentimes, under the covering of a fable, do hide and wrap in goodly precepts of philosophy with the true judgment of things.

Which to be true, especially in Homer and Euripides, Plato, Aristotle and Gainley plainly do show, when through all their works in a manner they determine all controversies by these two poets and such-like authorities. Therefore, if in this matter I seem to fable and nothing prove, I am content you judge so on me, seeing the same judgment shall condemn with me Plato, Aristotle and Galen, whom in that error I am well content to follow. If these old examples prove nothing for shooting, what say you to this? That the best, learned and sages men in this realm, which be now alive, both love shooting and use shooting,

as the best learned bishops that be, amongst whom philology you yourself know four or five, which, as in all good learning virtue and sageness, they give other men example what thing they should do. Even so by their shooting they plainly show what honest pastime other men given to learning may honestly use. That earnest study must be recreated with honest pastime, sufficiently I have proved before, both by reason and authority of the best learned men that ever wrote, then seeing pastimes be lawful, the most fittest for learning is to be sought for. A pastime, Seth Aristotle, must be like a medicine. Medicines stand by contraries, therefore the nature of studying considered the fittest pastime shall soon appear. In study,

Every part of the body is idle, which thing causeth gross and cold humours to gather together and vex scholars very much. The mind is altogether bent and set on work. A pastime then must be had, where every part of the body must be laboured to separate and lessen such humours with all. The mind must be unbent, to gather and fetch again his quickness with all. Thus, pastimes for the mind only be nothing fit for students, because the body, which is most hurt by study, should take away no profit thereat. This knew Erasmus very well when he was here in Cambridge, which, when he had been sore at his book, as Garrett our bookbinder has very often told me, for lack of better exercise would take his horse and ride about

the market hill and come again. If a scholar should use bowls or tennis, the labour is so vehement and unequal, which is condemned of Galen. The example very ill for other men when by so many acts they be made unlawful. Running, leaping and quiting be too vile for scholars, and so not fit by Aristotle's judgment. Walking alone into the field hath no token of courage in it, a pastime like a simple man which is neither flesh nor fish. Therefore, if a man would have a pastime wholesome and equal for every part of the body, pleasant and full of courage for the mind, not vile and unhonest to give ill-example to laymen, not kept in gardens and corners, not lurking on the night and in holes, but evermore in the face of men, either to rebuke it when it doth ill, or us to testify on it when

it doth well, let him seek chiefly of all other for shooting. Philologists said, such common pastimes as men commonly do use, I will not greatly allow to be fit for scholars, seeing they may use such exercises very well, I suppose, as Galen himself doth allow. Toxophilus said, These exercises I remember very well, for I read them within these two days. Of the which some be these, to run up and down a hill,

to climb up a long pole or a rope, and there hang a while, to hold a man by his arms and wave with his heels, much like the pastime that boys use in the church when their master is away, to swing and totter in a bellrope,

to make a fist and stretch out both his arms and so stand like a rude, to go on a man's tiptoes, stretching out the one of his arms forward, the other backward, which, if he bleared out his tongue also, might be thought of to dance antic very properly, to tumble over and over,

to top over tail, to sit back to back and see who can heave another heels highest, with the other much like, which exercise surely must need to be natural, because they be so childish. And they may also be wholesome for the body, But surely as for pleasure to the mind or honesty in the doing of them, they be as like shooting as York is foul-sutton. Therefore, to look on all pastimes and exercises wholesome for the body, pleasant for the mind,

comely for every man to do, honest for all other to look upon, profitable to be set by every man, worthy to be rebuked of no man, fit for all ages, persons and places, only shooting shall appear, wherein all these commodities may be found. Philologists said, to grant Toxophilay that students may at times convenient you shooting as most wholesome and honest pastime, yet to do as some do,

to shoot hourly, daily, weekly, at an amount of the whole year, neither I can praise nor any wise man will allow, nor you yourself can honestly defend. Toxophilus said, Surely, Philology, I am very glad to see you come to that point that most lieth in your stomach, and grieveeth you and others so much.

But I trust, after I have set my mind in this matter, you shall confess yourself that you do rebuke this thing more than you need, rather than you shall find that any man may spend, by any possibility, more time in shooting than he ought. For, first and foremost, the whole time is divided into two parts, the day and the night, whereof the night may be both occupied in many honest businesses, and also spent in much unthriftiness,

but in no wise it can be applied to shooting. And here you see that half our time, granted to all other things, in a manner both good and ill, is at one swipe quite taken away from shooting. Now, let us go forward and see how much of half this time of ours is spent in shooting. The whole year is divided into four parts,

springtime, summer, fall of the leaf, and winter, whereof the whole winter, winter, for the roughness of it, is clean taken away from shooting, except it be one day amongst twenty, or one year amongst forty. In summer, for the fervent heat, a man may say likewise, except it be some time against night. Now then, spring-time and fall of the leaf be those which we abuse in shooting. But if we consider how mutable and changeable the weather is in those seasons, and how

that Aristotle himself saith, that most part of rain falleth in these two times, we shall well perceive that, where a man would shoot one day, he shall be fain to leave off for. Now when time itself granted us but a little space to shoot in, let us see if shooting be not hindered amongst all kinds of men, as much in other ways. First, young children use not. Young men, for fear of them whom they be under too much, dare not. Sage, age men for other great business will not. Aged men, for lack of strength, cannot. Rich men for covetousness sake care not. Poor men for cost and charge may not. Masters for their household keeping heed not. Servants kept in by their masters very

oft shall not. Craftsmen, forgetting of their living, very much leisure have not. And many there be that oft begins, but for unaptness proves not. And may be that may be most of all, which, when they be shooters, give it over and list not, so that generally men everywhere, for one or other consideration, much shooting use not. Therefore, these two things, traitness of time, and every man his trade of living, are the cause that so few men shoot, as you may see in this great town, where, as there be a thousand good men's bodies, yet scarce ten that useth any great shooting. And those whom you see shoot to, you see, shoot the most, with how many things are they drawn, or rather driven from shooting? For first, as it

is many a year, or they begin to be great shooters, even so the great heat of shooting is gone within a year or two. As you know divers, philology yourself, which were sometime the best shooters, and now they be the best students. If a man fall sick, farewell shooting, may fortune as long as he liveth. If he hath a wrench, or have taken cold in his arm, He may hang up his bow, I warrant you, for a season. A little Blaine, a small cut. Yay, a silly poor woman his finger may keep him from shooting well enough. Breaking and ill luck in bows I will pass over,

with a hundred more serious things, which chanceth every day to them that shoot most, whereof the least of them may compel a man to leave shooting. And these things be so true and evident that it is impossible either for me craftily to feign them, or else for you justly to deny them. Then, seeing how many hundred things are required altogether to give man leave to shoot, and any one of them denied a man cannot shoot.

In seeing every one of them may chance and doth chance every day, I marvel any wise man will think it possible that any great time can be spent in shooting at all." Philologists said, If this be true that you say, Toxophilae, and in very deed I can deny nothing of it, I marvel greatly how it chaneth that those which you shooting be so marked of men, and oft-times blamed for it, and that in a manner as much as those which play at dice and cards. And I shall tell you what I heard spoken of the same matter. A man, no shooter, not long ago would defend playing at cards and dice if it were honestly used, to be as honest a pastime as your shooting. For he laid for him that a man might play for a little at cards and dice,

and also a man might shoot away at all that ever he had. He said a pair of cards cost not past two-pence, and that they need not so much reparation as bow and shafts, and they would never hurt a man's hand, nor ever wear his gear. A man should never slay a man with shooting wide at the cards. In wet and dry, hot and cold, they would never forsake a man. He showed what great variety there is in them for every man's capacity. If one game were hard, he might easily learn another. If a man have a good game, there is great pleasure in it. If he have an ill game, The pain is short, for he may soon give it over and hope for a better, with many other more reasons. But at the last, he concluded, that betwixt playing and shooting, well-used or ill-used, there was no difference,

but that there was less cost and trouble, and a great deal more pleasure in playing than in shooting. End of Part 2 Book 1, Part 3 of Toxophilus by Roger Asham, edited by J.A. Giles Librevox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Clive Caterall Book 1, Part 3 Toxophilus said, I cannot deny but shooting,

as all other good things may be abused, and good things ungodly used are not good, said an honourable bishop, in an earnest matter than this is. Yet we must beware that we lay not men's faults upon the thing which is not worthy, for so nothing should be good, And as for shooting, it is blamed and marked of men for that thing, as I said before,

which should rather be a token of honesty to praise it than any sign of naughtiness to disallow it. And that is because it is in every man his sight. It seeketh no corners. It hideth it not. If there be never so little fault in it, every man seeth it. It accuseth itself. For one hour spent in shooting, is more seen and further talked of than twenty nights spent in dicing,

even as a little white stone is seen amongst three hundred black. Of those that blame shooting and shooters, I will say no more at this time but this, that beside that this stop and hinder shooting, which the king's grace would have forward, they be not much unlike in this point to Will Summer the king's fool, which smiteth him that standeth always before his face, be he never so worshipful a man, and never greatly looks for him which lurks behind another man's

back that hurt him indeed. But to him that compared gaming with shooting, somewhat will I answer, and because he went before me in a comparison, and comparisons, said Leonard men, make plain matters, I will surely follow him in the same. Honest things, said Plato, be known from unhonest things by this difference. Anonesty had ever present pleasure in it, having neither good pretense going before, nor yet any profit following after. Which saying describeth generally both the nature of shooting and gaming, which is good and which is evil, very well.

Gaming hath joined with it a vain present pleasure, but there followeth loss of name, loss of goods, and winning of a hundred gouty, dropsy diseases, as every man can tell. Shooting is a painful pastime. Whereof followeth health of body, quickness of wit, and ability to defend our country, as our enemies can bear record. Loth I am to compare these things together, and yet I do it, not because there is any comparison at all betwixt them, but thereby a man shall see how good the one is, how evil the other. For I think there is scarce so much contrariousness betwixt hot and cold, virtue and vice, as is betwixt these two things. For whatsoever is in the one, the clean contrary is in the other, as shall plainly appear if we consider both

their beginnings, their increasings, their fruits and their ends, which I shall soon be rid over. The first bringer into the world of shooting was Apollo, which, for his wisdom and great commodities brought amongst men by him, was esteemed worthy to be counted as a god in heaven. Dysing surely is a bastard born, because it is said to have two fathers, and yet both nought. The one was an ungracious god called Theuth, which, for his noughtiness, came never in other gods' companies, and therefore Homer doth despise once to name him in all his works. The other father was a Lydian born, which people, for such games and other unthriftiness as bowling and haunting of taverns, have ever been had in most vile reputation.

in all stories and writers. The fosterer of shooting is labour, that companion of virtue, the maintainer of honesty, the increaser of health and wealthiness, which admiteth nothing in a manner into his company that standeth not with virtue and honesty, and therefore saith the old poet Epicamus,

very prettily in Xenophon, that God selleth virtue and all other good things to men for labour. The nurse of dice and car, is wearisome idleness, enemy of virtue, the drowner of youth that tarrieth in it, and as Chaucer doth say very well in the Parsons tale, the green pathway to hell. Having this thing appropriate unto it, that, whereas other vices have some cloak of honesty, only idleness can neither do well, nor yet think well. Again, shooting hath two tutors to look upon it, out of whose company shooting never stirreth,

The one called daylight, the other open place, which too keep shooting from evil company, and suffers it not to have too much swing, but evermore keeps it under awe, that it dare do nothing in the open face of the world but that which is good and honest. Likewise, dicing and carding have two tutors, the one named solitariousness, which lurketh in holes and corners, the other called night. ungracious cover of naughtiness, which two things be very in-keepers and receivers of all naughtiness and naughty things, and thereto they be in a manner ordained by nature. For on the night-time and in corners, spirits and thieves, rats and mice, toads and owls, night-crows

and pole-cats, foxes and fumards, with all other vermin and noisome beasts use most stirring. When, in the daylight and open places, which be ordained of God for honest things, they dare not come, which thing Euripides noteth very well, saying, Ill things the night, good things the day doth haunt and use. Companions of shooting be providence, good-heeding, true meeting, honest comparison, which things agree with virtue very well. Carding and dicing have a sort of good fellows, also going commonly in their company, as blind fortune, stumbling chance, spittle luck, false-stealing, crafty conveyance, brainless brawling,

false-foreing, which good fellows will soon take a man by the sleeve, and cause him to take his in, some with beggary, some with gout and dropsy, some with theft and robbery, and seldom will they leave a man before he come to hanging, or else some other extreme misery. To make an end, how shooting by all men's laws hath been allowed, carding and dicing, by all men's judgments, condemned, I need not show the matter is so plain. Therefore, when the Lydians shall invent better things than Apollo, when sloth and idleness shall increase virtue more than labour, when the night and lurking corners giveth less occasion to unthriftiness than light day and openness, then shall shooting and such gaming be in

some comparison-like. Yet, even as I do not show all the goodness which is in shooting, when I prove it standeth by the same things that virtue itself standeth by, as brought in by God or God-like men, fostered by labour, committed to the safeguard of light and openness, accompanied with every provision and diligence, loved and allowed by every good men's sentence. Even likewise, I do not open half the naughtiness which is in carding and dicing, when I show how they are born of a desperate mother, nourished in idleness, increased by license of night and corners, accompanied with fortune, chance, deceit, and craftiness, condemned and banished by all laws

and judgments. For if I would enter to describe the monstrousness of it, I should rather wander into it, it is so broad, than have any ready passage to the end of the matter, whose horribleness is so large that it passed the eloquence of our English Homer to compass it. Yet, because I ever thought his sayings to have as much authority as either Sophocles or Euripides the Greek, therefore gladly, do I remember these verses of his, Hazardry is very mother of Lessings, and of deceit and cursed forswearings, blasphemy of Christ, manslaughter, and waste also, of cattle, of time, of other things more. Mother of Lessings

Truly it may well be called so if a man consider how many ways and how many ways and how many things he looteth thereby. For first he looses his goods, he looses his time, he loveth quickness of wit, and all good lust to other things. He loosedeth honest company, he loveth his good name and estimation, and at last, if he leave it not, loosedeth God and heaven and all, and instead of these things winneth at length either hanging or hell. And of deceit. I trow, if I should not love. there is not half so much craft using no one thing in the world

as in this cursed thing. What false dice use they, as dice stocked with quicksilver and hairs, dice of advantage, flats, goods to chop and change when they list, to let the true dice fall under the table and to take up the false? And if they be true dice,

what shift will they make to set the one of them with sliding, with cogging, with foisting, with coiting, as they call it? How will they use these shifts, when they get a plain man that can no skill of them. How will they go about if they perceive an honest man to have money which lists not play, to provoke him to play?

They will seek his company, they will let him pay naught, yea, as I heard a man once say that he did, they will send for him to some house and spend perchance a crown on him, and at last will one begin to say, What, my masters, what shall we do? Shall every man play his twelvepence while an apples roast-and-y-and-y-o'-pence, while an apples roast in the fire, and then we will drink and depart. Nay, will another say, as false as he, you cannot leave when you begin, and therefore I will not play. But if you will gauge that every man, as he hath lost his twelvepence, shall sit down,

I am content, for surely I would win no man's money here, but even as much as would pay for my supper. Then speaketh the third to the honest man that thought not to play. What? Will he play your twelvepence? If he excuse him, Tush, man, will the other say, stick not in honest company for twelve pence, I will bear your half, and here is my money. Now, all this is to make him to begin, for they know if he once be in, and be a loser, that he will not stick at his twelve pence, but hopeth ever to get it again, while perhaps he lose all. Then every one of them seteth his shifts a-brose-brown. Then every one of them seteth his shifts a

some with false dice, some with setting of dice, some with having outlandish silver coins gilded to put away at a time for good gold. Then if there come a thing in controversy, must you be judged by the table? And then farewell the honest man his part, for he is borne down on every side. Now, sir, beside all these things, they have certain terms, as a man would say, appropriate to their playing, whereby they will draw a man's money but pay none, which they will draw a man's money but pay none, which they call bars, that surely he that knoweth them not, may soon be debarred of all that ever he hath afore he learned them.

If a plain man lose, as he shall do ever, or else he does a wonder, then the game is so devilish that he can never leave. For vain hope, which hopes hath Euripides destroyeth many a man and city, driveeth him on so far that he can never return back until he be so light that he can never return back, He need fear no thieves, by the way. Now, if a simple man happen once in his life to win of such players, then will they either entreat him to keep them company whilst he have lost all again, or else they will use the most devilish fashion of all, for one of the players that standeth next him shall have

a pair of false dice and cast them out upon the board, the honest man shall take them and cast them as he did the other. The third shall espy them to be false dice, and shall cry out hard, with all the oaths under God that he have falsely won their money, and then there is nothing but hold thy throat from my dagger. Every man layeth hand on the simple man, and taketh all their money from him, and his own also, thinking himself well that he escapeth with his life. Cursed swearing, blasphemy of Christ.

These half-furces chaucer in another place, more at large, doth well set out, and very lively express, saying, I, by God's precious heart, and by his nails, and by the blood of Christ that is inhales, seven is my chance, and thine is sank, entray. By God's arms, if thou falsely play, this dagger shall through thine heart go. This fruit cometh of the beeched bones too, forswearing, ayer, falseness, and homicide, and so. Though these verses be very earnestly written, yet they do not half so grisly set out the horribleness of blasphemy which such gamers use, as it is indeed, and as I have myself heard.

For no man can write a thing so earnestly as when it is spoken with gesture, as learned men you know do say. How will you think that such furiousness with wood countenance and brunning eyes, with staring and bragging, with heart ready to leap out of the belly for swelling, can be expressed the tenth part to the uttermost. Two men, I heard myself, whose sayings be far more grisly than Chaucer's verses. One, when he had lost his money,

swear me God from top to the toe with one breath that he had lost all his money for lack of swearing. The other, losing his money and heaping oaths upon oaths, one in another's neck, most horrible and not speakable, was rebuked of an honest man, which stood by for so doing. He, by and by, staring him in the face, and clapping his fist with all his money he had upon the board, swear me by the flesh of God, that if swearing would help him but one ace,

he would not leave one piece of God unsworn, neither within nor without. The resemblance of this blasphemy philology doth make me quake at the heart, and therefore I will speak no more of it. And so, to conclude with such gaming, I think there is no ungraciousness in all this world that carryeth a man so far from God as this fault doth. And if there were any so desperate a person that would begin his hell in earth, I trow he should not find hell more like hell itself than the life of those men in which daily haunt and use such ungracious games.

Philologist said, You handle this gear indeed. And I suppose if you had been apprentice at such games you could not have said more of them than you have done, and by like you have had somewhat to do with them. Toxophilus said, Indeed, you may honestly gather that I hate them greatly in that I speak against them, not that I have used them greatly in that I speak of them,

for things be known divers ways, as Socrates you know, doth prove in Alcibiades. And if every man should be that that he speaketh or written upon, then should Homer have been the best captain, most cowardly, hardy, hasty, or, wise and would, sage and simple, and Terrence an old man, and a young, an honest man and a board, with such like. Surely every man ought to pray to God daily to keep them from such unthriftiness, and especially all the youth of England. For what youth doth begin, a man will follow commonly, even to his dying day. Which thing adrastus in Euripides prettily doth express, saying,

What thing a man in tender age hath most in eur, that same to death, always to keep he shall be sure. Therefore, in age who greatly longs good fruit to mow, in youth he must himself apply good seed to sow. For the foundation of youth well set, as plaited hath say, the whole body of the commonwealth shall flourish thereafter. If the young tree grow crooked, when it is old, man shall rather break it than straight it. And I think there is no one thing that crooks youth

more than such unlawful games. Nor let no man say, if they be honestly used, they do no harm. For how can that pastime which neither exerciseth the body with any honest labour, nor yet the mind with any honest thinking, have any honesty joined with it? Nor let no man assure himself that he can use it honestly, for if he stand therein, he may fortune have a fall. The thing is more slipperer than he knoweth of. A may and may, I grant, sit on a brant hillside, but if he give never so little forward he cannot stop, though he would never so fain, but he must needs run headlong, he knoweth not how far. What honest pretenses vain pleasure layeth daily, as it were enticements or bates to pull men forward withal,

Homer doth well show by the sirens and circe'st. Amongst all in the that ship there was but one Ulysses. And yet he had done too as the other did if a goddess had not taught him. And so likewise, I think they be easy to number which pass by playing honestly, except the grace of God, save and keep them. Therefore, they that will not go too far in playing, let them follow this council of the poet. Stop the beginnings. Philologists said, well, or you go any further, I pray you tell me this one thing. Do you speak against mean men's playing only, or against great men's playing too? I'll put you any difference betwixt them.

A Toxophilus said, If I should excuse myself herein, and say that I speak of the one and not of the other, I fear lest I should as fondly excuse myself as a certain preacher did, whom I heard upon a time speak against many abuses, as he said, and, at last, he spake against candles. And then, he fearing lest some man should have been angry and offended with him, Nay, saith he, he must take me as I mean. I speak not against great candles, but against little candles,

for they be not all one, quoth he, I promise you. And so every man laughed him to scorn. Indeed, as for great men and great men's matters, I listen not greatly to metal. Yet this I would wish That all great men in England Had read over diligently the pardoner's tale in Chaucer And there they should perceive and see

How much such games stand with their worship How great soever they be What great men do, be it good or ill Mean men commonly love to follow As many learned men in many places do say And daily experience doth plainly show In costly apparel and other like matters Therefore, seeing that lords be lanterns to lead the life of mean men by their example,

either to goodness or badness, to whithersoever they list, and seeing also they have liberty to list what they will, I pray God they have will to list that which is good, and as for their playing, I will make an end with this saying of Chaucer, Lords might find them other manner of play, honest enough to drive the day away. But to be short, the best medicine for all sorts of men, both high and low, young and old,

to put away such unlawful games, is by the contrary, likewise as all physicians do allow in physics. So let youth, instead of such unlawful games, which stand by idleness, by solitariness and corners, by night and darkness, by fortune and chance, by craft and subtlety, use such pastimes as stand by labour, upon the daylight in open sight of men, having such an end as is come to by cunning rather than by craft, and so should virtue increase and vice decay. For contrary pastimes must needs work contrary minds in men, as all other contrary things do. And thus we see, philology, that shooting is not only the most wholesome exercise for the body, the most honest pastime for the mind, and that for all sorts of men.

But also it is a most ready medicine to purge the whole realm of such pestilent gaming, wherewith many times it is sore troubled and ill at ease. Philologists said, The more honesty you have proved by shooting Toxophilae, and the more you have persuaded me to love it, so much truly the sorer have you made me with the last sentence of yours, whereby you plainly prove that a man may not greatly use it. For if shooting be a medicine, as you say that it is,

it may not be used very oft, as a man should hurt himself withal, as medicines much occupied do. For Aristotle himself said that medicines be no meat to live withal, and thus shooting by the same reason may not be much occupied. Toxophilus said, You play your old wants philologist in dallying with us, other men's wits, not so much to prove your own matter as to prove what other men can say.

But where you think that I take away much use of shooting, in likening it to medicine, because men use not medicines every day, for so should their bodies be hurt, I rather prove daily use of shooting thereby. For Aristotle saith that some medicines be no meat to live withal, which is true, Yet Hippocrates saith that our daily meats be medicines, To withstand evil withal, which is as true, For he maketh two kinds of medicines. One our meat that we use daily,

Which purgeth softly and slowly, And in this similitude may shooting be called a medicine, Wherewith daily a man may purge and take away all unlawful desires To other unlawful pastimes, as I proved before. The other is a quick purge, medicine, and seldomer to be occupied, except the matter be greater. And I could describe the nature of a quick medicine, which should within a while purge and pluck out all the unthrifty games in the realm, through which the Commonwealth oftentimes

is sick, for not only good quick wits to learning, and thereby brought out of frame, and quite marred, but also manly wits, either to attempt matters of high courage in wartime, or us to achieve matters of weight and wisdom in peacetime, be made that the way to make, thereby very queasy and faint. For look throughout all histories written in Greek, Latin or other language, and you shall never find that realm prosper in which such idle pastimes are used. As concerning the medicine, although some would be miscontent if they heard me meddle anything with it, yet, betwixt you and me, here alone, I may the boldly assay my fantasy, and the rather because I will only wish for it, which standeth with honesty, not determine of it,

which belongeth to authority. The medicine is this, that would to God and the king all these unthrifty idle pastimes, which be very bugs that the psalm meaneth on, walking on the night and in corners, were made felony, and some of that punishment ordained for them, which is appointed for the forges and falsifiers of the king's coin? which punishment is not by me now invented, but long ago by the most noble orator Demosthenes, which marvelleth greatly that death is appointed for falsifiers and forges of the coin, and not as great punishment ordained for them, which by their means forges and falsifies the Commonwealth.

And I suppose that there is no one thing that changeth sooner the golden and silver wits of men into coppery and brassy ways than dicing and such unlawful pastimes. And this quick medicine, I believe, would so thoroughly purge them that the daily medicines, as shooting and other pastimes, joined with honest labour, should easily withstand them. Philologists said,

the excellent commodities of shooting in peacetime toxophily you have very well and sufficiently declared, whereby you have so persuaded me that, God willing, hereafter, I will both love it the better and also use it the oftor. For as much as I can gather of all this communication of ours, the tongue, the nose, the hands, and the feet, be no fitter members or instruments for the body of a man

than is shooting for the whole body of the realm. God hath made the parts of men which be best and most necessary to serve not only for one purpose only, but for many. As the tongue for speaking and tasting, the nose for smelling, and also for avoiding all excrements which fall out of the head, the hands for receiving of good things, and for putting off of all harmful things from the body, so shooting is an exercise of health, a pastime of honest pleasure, and such one also that stoppeth or avoideth all noisome games,

gathered and increased by ill rule as naughty humours be, which hurt and corrupt sore that part of the realm wherein they do remain. But now, if you can show but half so much profit in war of shooting as you have proved pleasure in peace. Then will I surely judge that there be few things that have so manifold commodities and uses joined unto them as it hath. End of part three.

Book one, part four, of Toxophilus. This Librevox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Clive Caterall. Toxophilus by Roger Asham, edited by J.A. Giles. Book one, part four. Toxophilus said, The upper hand in war, next to goodness of God,

of whom all victory cometh, as scripture saith, standeth chiefly in three things, in the wisdom of the prince, in the slights and policies of the captains, and in the strength and cheerful forwardness of the soldiers. A prince in his heart must be full of mercy and peace, a virtue most pleasant to Christ,

most agreeable to man's nature, most profitable for rich and poor. For then the rich man enjoyeth with great pleasure that which he hath. The poor may obtain with his labour that which he lacketh. And although there is nothing worse than war, whereof it takes its name, through the which great men be in danger, mean men without succour, rich men in fear because they have somewhat, poor men in care because they have nothing,

and every man in thought and misery. Yet it is a civil medicine, where with the pretext, Prince may, from the body of his commonwealth, put off that danger which may fall, or us recover again whatsoever it has lost. And therefore, as Isocrates doth say, a prince must be a warrior in two things, in conning and knowledge of all slights and feats of war, and in having all necessary habiliments belonging to the same. Which matter to entreat at large were over long at this time to declare, and overmuch for my learning to perform. After the wisdom of the Prince, a valiant captain's most necessary in war, whose office and duty

is to know all slights and policies for all kinds of war, which they may learn in two ways, either in daily following and haunting the wars, or else, because wisdom bought with stripes is, many time, over costly, they may bestow some time in vegetius, which entreates such matters in Latin neatly well, or rather in Polyanus and Leo the Emperor, which seteth out all policies and duties of captains in the Greek tongue very excellently. But chiefly I would wish, and if I were of authority I would counsel, all the young gentlemen of this realm never to lay out of their hands two authors, xenophon in Greek, and Caesar in Latin,

wherein they should follow noble Scipio Africanus, as Tally does say, in which two authors, besides eloquence, a thing most necessary of all other for a captain, they should learn the whole course of war, which those two men did not more wisely write for men to learn than they did manfully exercise in the field for other men to follow. The strength of war lieth in the soldier, whose chief praise and virtue is obedience towards his captain, said Plato. And Xenophon, being a Gentile author, most Christianly doth say, even by these words, that, that soldier which first serveth God, and then obeyeth his captain, may boldly, with all courage, hope to overthrow his enemy. Again, without obedience, neither valiant man, stout horse, nor goodly harness

doth any good at all. Which obedience of the soldier towards his captain brought the whole empire of the world into the Roman's hands, and, when it was brought, kept it longer than ever it was kept in any Commonwealth before or after. And this to be true, Scipio Africanus, the most noble captain that ever was among the Romans, showed very plainly what time as he went into Africa to destroy Carthage. For he, resting his host by the way in Sicily a day or two, and at a time standing with the great man of Sicily, and looking on his soldiers how they exercised themselves in keeping of array and other feats, the gentleman of Sicily asked Scipio, wherein lay his chief hope to overcome Carthage. He answered,

In yonder fellows of mine who you see play. And why, said the other? Because, said Scipio, that if I commanded them to run into the top of this high castle, and cast themselves down backward upon these rocks, I'm sure they would do it. Celeste also dost write that there were more Romans put to death of their captains for setting on their enemies before they had licence than were for running away out of the field before they had fought. These two examples do prove that among the Romans the obedience of the soldier was wonderful great and the severity of the captains to see the same kept, wonderful straight, for they well perceived that an host full of obedience

falleth as seldom into the hands of their enemies as that body falleth into jeopardy, the which is ruled by reason. Reason and rulers, being like in office, for the one ruleth the body of man, the other ruleth the body of the Commonwealth, ought to be like of conditions, and ought to be obeyed in all manner of matters.

Obedience is nourished by fear and love. Fear is kept in by true justice and equity, love is gotten by wisdom joined with liberality. For where a soldier seeth righteousness so rule that a man can do neither wrong nor yet take wrong, and that his captain, for his wisdom, can maintain him, and for his liberality will maintain him, he must needs both love him and fear him, of the which proceedeth true and unfeigned obedience. After this inward virtue, the next good point in a soldier is to have and to handle his weapon well, whereof the one must be at the appointment of the captain, the other lieth in the courage and exercise of the soldier.

Yet, of all weapons the best is, as Euripides doth say, wherewith with least danger of ourself we may hurt our enemy most. And that is, as I suppose, artillery. Artillery Nowadays is taken for two things, guns and bows, which, how much they do in war, both daily experience doth teach, and also Peter Nanius,

a learned man of Levain, in a certain dialogue doth very well set out. Wherein this is most notable, that when he hath showed exceeding commodities of both, and some discommodities of guns, as infinite cost and charge, cumbersome carriage, and if they be great, the uncertain levelling, the peril of them that stand by them, the easier avoiding by them that stand far off,

and if they be little, the less both fear and jeopardy is in them, beside all contrary weather and wind which hindroth them not a little, yet of all shooting he cannot rehearse one discommodity. Philologists said, That I marveled greatly at, seeing Nanius is so well learned, and so exercised in the authors of both the tongues, for I myself do remember that shooting in war is but smallly praised, and that of divers captains in divers authors. For first in Euripides, whom you so highly praise, and very well for Tully thinketh every verse in him to be an authority,

what I pray you doth Lysus that overcame Thebes say as concerning shooting, whose words, as far as I remember, be these, or not my might, unlike. What praise hath thee at all, which never durst abide, the dint of a spears-point thrust against his side? Nor never boldly buckler bore, yet in his left hand, face to face his enemies brunt stiffly to withstand, but always trusteth to a bow and to a feathered stick, harness evermost fit for him, which to fly is quick. Bow and shaft his armour meetest for a a coward, which dare not once abide the brunt of battle-sharpened heart. But he is a man of manhood, most is mine assent, which, with heart and courage bold, fully hath him bent. His enemies look in

every stour stoutly to abide, face to face, and foot to foot, tied what may be betide. Again, Tusa, the best archer among all the Grecians, in Sophocles, is called of Manilaus, a bowman and a shooter, as in villainy and reproach, to be a thing of no price in war. Moreover, Pandarus, the best shooter in the world, whom Apollo himself taught to shoot, both he and his shooting is quite condemned in Homer, insomuch that Homer, which under a maid-fable doth always hide his judgment of things, doth make Pandarus himself cry out of shooting and cast his bow away, and take him to a spear, making a vow that if ever he came home he would break his shafts and burn his bow, lamenting greatly that he was so fond to leave at home his

horse and chariot with other weapons, for the trust that he had in his bow. Homer signifying thereby that men should leave shooting out of war, and take them to other weapons more fit and able for the same. And I trail Pandarus' words to be much what after this sort. I'll chance ill-luck me hither brought, ill-fortune me that day befell, when first my bow for the pin I wrought, for Hector's sake the Greeks to quell. But if that God so for me shape, that home again I may once come, let me never enjoy the hap, nor ever twice look on the sun, if bow and shafts I do not burn, which now so evil doth serve my turn. But to let pass all poets, what can be Sora said against anything than the judgment of Cyrus is against shooting,

which doth cause his Persians, being the best shooters, to lay away their bows, and take them to swords and bucklers, spears and dance, and other like hand-wapons. The witch-thing xenophon, so wise a philosopher, so expert a captain in war himself, would never have written, and especially in that book wherein he purposed to show, as Tulleseth, indeed not the true history, but the example of a perfect, wise prince and commonwealth, except that judgment of changing artillery into other weapons, he had always thought best to be followed in all war. Whose counsel the Persians did follow, when they chased Antony over the mountains of media, which, being the best shooters in the world, left their bows and took them to spears and

to morrispikes? And these few examples, I trow, of the best shooters, do well prove that the best shooting is not the best thing, as you call it, in war. Toxophilus said, as concerning your first example, taken out of Euripides, I marvel you will bring it for the dispraise of shooting, seeing Euripides doth make those verses not because he thinketh them true, but because he thinketh them fit for the person that spake them. For indeed his true judgment of shooting, he doth express by and by, after, in the eration of the noble captain Amphitero against Lycissus, wherein a man may doubt

whether he hath more eloquently confuted Lycissus saying, or more worthily set out the praise of shooting. And as I am advised, his words be much hereafter, as I shall say, against Hence the witty gift of shooting in a bow, Fond and lewd words thou lewdly dost out-throw, Which if thou wilt hear of me a word or twain, quickly thou mayst learn how fondly thou dost blame. First, he that with his harshness himself doth wall about, that scarce is left one hole through which he may peep out, such bondmen to their harness to fight a nothing meet, But soonest of all other are trodden undefeat. If he be strong, his fellows faint, in whose fain't.

whom he puteth his trust. So loaded with his harness he must needs lie in the dust. Nor yet from death he cannot start, if once his weapons break. How stout, how strong, how great, how longsoever be such a freak! But whosoever can handle a bow, sturdy, stiff and strong, wherewith like hail many shafts he shoots into the thickest throng. This profit he takes, that standing afar his enemies he may spill. When he he, he, and his, full safe shall stand, out of all danger and ill. And this in war is wisdom most, which works our enemy's woe, when we shall be far from all fear and jeopardy of our foe. Secondarily, even as I do not greatly regard what Minolaus doth say in Sophocles to Tusa, because he spake it

both in anger and also to him that he hate it, even so do I remember very well in Homer that when Hector and the Trojans would have set fire on the Greek ships, Tusa, with his bow, made them recoil back again, when Menelaus took him to his feet and run away. Thirdly, as concerning Pandarus, Homer doth not dispraise the noble gift of shooting, but thereby every man is taught that whatsoever and how good soever a weapon a man doth use in war, if he be himself a covetous wretch, a fool without counsel, a peace-breaker, as Pandarus was, at last he shall, through the punishment of God, fall into his enemy's hands, as Pandarus did, whom Diomedes, through the help of Minerva, miserably slew.

And because you make mention of Homer and Troy matters, what can be more praise for anything, I pray you, than that is for shooting, that Troy could never be destroyed without the help of Hercules' shafts, which thing doth signify that, although all the world were gathered in an army together, yet without shooting, can never come to their purpose, as Ulysses in Sophocles very plainly does say unto Pyrrhus, as concerning Hercules shafts to be carried into Troy, nor you without them, nor without you they do aught.

Fourthly, whereas Cyrus did change part of his bowmen, whereof he had plenty, into other men of war, whereof he lacked, I will not greatly dispute whether Cyrus did well in that point in those days or no, because it is plain in Xenophonphiress. on, how strong shooters the Persians were, what bows they had, what shafts and heads they occupied, what kind of war their enemies used. But truly, as for the Parthians, it is plain in Plutarch that in changing their bows into spears, they brought their self into utter destruction. For when they had chased the Romans many a mile through reason of their bows, at the last, the Romans ashamed of their flying, and remembering their old nobleness and courage, imagined

this way that they would kneel down on their knees, and so cover all their body with their shields and targets, that the Parthian shafts may slide over them, and do them no harm. Which thing, when the Parthians perceived, thinking that the Romans were for-wearied with labour, watch and hunger, they laid down their bows, and took their spears in their hands, and so ran upon them. But the Romans, perceiving them without their bows, rose up manfully, and slew them, every mother's son, save a few that saved themselves with running away. And herein are Arches of England far past the Parthians, which for such a purpose, when they shall come to handstrokes,

have ever ready, either at his back hanging, or else in his next fellow's hand, a leaden maule or such-like weapon to beat down his enemies with all. Philologists said, Well, Toxophilae, seeing that those examples which I had thought have been clean against shooting, you have thus turned to the high praise of shooting, And all this praise that you have now said on it is rather come in by me than sought for of you.

Let me hear, I pray you now, those examples which you have marked of shooting yourself, whereby you were persuaded and to think to persuade others, that shooting is so good in war. Toxophilus said, Examples, surely I have marked very many, from the beginning of time had in memory of writing, throughout all commonwealths and empires of the world. whereof the most part I will pass over, lest I should be tedious, yet some I will touch, because they be notable both for me to tell and for you to hear. And because the story of the Jews is for the time most ancient, for the truth most credible,

it shall be most fit to begin with them. And although I know that God is the only giver of victory, and not the weapons, for all strength and victory, said Judith Maccabeyas, cometh from heaven, yet surely strong weapons be the instruments wherewith God doth overcome that part which he will have overthrown. For God is well pleased with wise and witty feats of war, as in meeting of enemies for truce-taking, to have privily an ambushment, harnessed men laid for fear of treason, as Judas Maccabeyas did with Nicanor, Demetrius's captain, and to have engines of war to beat down cities with all, and to have scout watch among our enemies to know their counsel,

as the noble Captain Jonathan, brother to Judas Maccabeyus did, in the country of Amethy against the mighty host of Demetrius. And beside all this, God is pleased to have goodly tombs for them which do noble feats in war, and to have their images made, and also their coat-armours to be set above their tombs to their perpetual lord and memory, as the valiant captain Simon did cause to be made

for his brethren Judas Maccabeyus and Jonathan, when they were slain of the Gentiles. And thus, of what authority feats of war and strong weapons be, shortly and plainly we may learn. But amongst the Jews, as I begin to tell, I am sure there was nothing so occupied or did so much good as Bose did, insomuch that when the Jews had any great upper hand over the Gentiles, the first thing always that the captain did was to exhort the people to give all the thanks to God for the victory, and not to their bows, wherewith they had slain the men. their enemies. As it is plain the noble Joshua did after so many kings thrust down by him. God,

when he promiseth help to the Jews, he useth no kind of speaking so much as this, that he will bend his bow and dye his shafts with the Gentiles' blood, whereby it is manifest that either God will make the Jews shoot strong shoots to overthrow their enemies, or at least that shooting is a wonderful mighty thing in war, whereunto the high power of God is likened. David in the Psalms calleth bows the vessels of death, a bitter thing, and in another place a mighty power, and other ways more which I will let pass, because every man readeth them daily. But yet one place of Scripture I must needs remember, which is more notable for the praise of shooting than any that ever I read in any other story, and that is when Saul was slain of the

Philistines, being mighty bowman, and Jonathan his son with him, that was so good a shooter as the scripture said, that he never shot a shaft in vain, and that the kingdom after Saul's death came unto David. The first statute and law that ever David made after he was king was this, that all the children of Israel should learn to shoot, according to a law made many a day before that time, for the setting out of shooting, as it is written, said the scripture, in Libro Gistorium, which book we have not now. And thus we see plainly what great use of shooting, and what provision even from the beginning of the world for shooting was among the Jews. The Ethiopians, which inhabit the farthest part south in the world, are wonderful bowmen,

insomuch that when Cambyses, king of Persia, being in Egypt, sent certain ambassadors into Ethiopia to the king there with many great gifts, the king of Ethiopia perceiving them to be as spies, took them up sharply, and blamed Cambyses greatly for such unjust enterprises. But after that he had princely entertained them, he sent for a bow and bent it and drew it, and then unbent it again, and said unto the ambassadors, You shall commend me to Cambyses, and give him this bow from me, and bid him, when any Persian can shoot in this bow, let him set upon the Ethiopians. In the meanwhile, let him give thanks unto God, which doth not put in the Ethiopians' minds

to conquer any other man's land. This bow, when it came among the Persians, never one man in such an infinite host, as Herodotus does say, could stir the string, save only Smerdis, the brother of Cambyses, which stirred it two fingers and no further. For which act Cambyses had such envy at him that he afterwards slew him, as doth appear in the story. Sissostris, the most mighty king that ever was in Egypt, overcame a great part of the world, and that, by archers. He subdued the Arabians, the Jews, the Assyrians, he went further into Scythia than any man else. He overcame Thracia, even to the borders of Germany. And in token, how he overcame all men, he set up in many places great images to his own likeness, having in the one hand a bow, in the other a sharp-headed shaft, that men might know what

weapon his host used in conquering so many people. Cyrus counted as a god among the Gentiles for his nobleness and facility in war. Yet, at the last, when he set upon the Massagitanis, which people never went without their bone or their quiver, neither in war nor peace, he and all his were slain, and that by shooting as appeareth in the story. Polycrates, the prince of Samos, a very little isle, was lord over all the Greek seas, and withstood the power of the Persians only by the help of a thousand archers. The people of Scythia, of all other men, loved and used most shooting. The whole riches and household stuff of a man in Scythia was a yoke of oxen, a plough,

his nag and his dog, his bow, and his quiver. Which quiver was covered with the skin of a man, which he took or slew first in battle? The Scythians were to be invincible by reason of their shooting, the great voyages of so many noble conquerors spent in that country. country in vain doth well prove, but specially that of Darius, the mighty king of Persia, which, when he had tarried there a great space and done no good, but had forwiried his host with travail and hunger, at last the men of Scythia sent an ambassador with four gifts, a bird, a frog, a mouse, and five shafts. Darius, marvelling at the strangeness of the gifts, asked the messenger

what they signified. The messenger answered that he had no further commandment, but only to deliver his gifts, and return again with all speed. But I am sure, said he, you Persians, for your great wisdom, can soon bolt out what they mean. When the messenger was gone home, every man began to say his verdict. Darius' judgment was this, that the Scythians gave over into the Persian hands their lives, their whole power both by land and sea, signifying by the mouse the earth, by the frog, the water in which they both live, by the bird their lives which live in the air, by the shaft, their whole power and empire that was maintained always by shooting. Gubrius, a noble and wise captain among the Persians, was of a clean, contrary mind, saying,

nay, not so, but the Scythians mean thus by their gifts, that, except we get a us wings and fly into the air like birds, or run into the holes of the earth like mice, or else lie lurking in fens and marshes like frogs, we shall never return home again, before we be utterly undone by their shafts, which sentence sank so sore into their hearts that Darius, with all speed possible, break up his camp and got himself homeward. Yet how much the Persians themselves set by shooting, whereby they increased their empire so much, doth appear by three manifest reasons. First, that they brought up their youth in the school of shooting under twenty years of age,

as diverse noble Greek authors do say. Again, because the noble king Darius thought himself to be praised by nothing so much as to be counted a good shooter, as doth appear by his sepulchre, wherein he caused to be written this sentence. Darius the king lieth buried here, that in shooting and riding had never peer, Thirdly, the coin of the Persians, both gold and silver, had the arms of Persia upon it, as is customarily used in other realms, and that was a bow and arrows. By the witch feet they declared how much they set by them. The Grecians also, but especially the noble Athenians, had all their strength lying

in artillery, and for that purpose the city of Athens had a thousand men which were only archers in daily wages to watch and keep the city from all jeopardy and sudden days. danger. Which archers also should carry to prison and ward any misdoer at the commandment of the High Officers, as plainly does appear in Plato. And surely the bowman of Athens did wonderful feats in many battles, but especially when Demosthenes, the valiant captain, slew and took prisoner all the Lacedaemonians beside the city of Pylos, where Nestor sometime was laud. The shafts went so thick that day, said Thucydides. that no man could see their enemies.

A Lacedaemonian taken prisoner was asked of one at Athens, whether they were stout fellows that were slain or no of the Lacedaemonians. He answered nothing else but this, make much of those shafts of yours, for they know neither stout nor unstout, meaning thereby that no man,

though he were never so stout, came in their walk that escaped without death. Herodotus describing the mighty host of Xerxes, especially doth mark out what bows and shafts they used, signifying that therein lay their chief strength. And at the same time, Atossa, mother of Xerxes, wife to Darius and daughter of Cyrus, doth inquire, as Isculus showeth in a tragedy, of a certain messenger that came from Xerxes host, what strong and fearful bows the Grecians used, whereby it is plain that artillery was the thing wherein both Europe and Asia in those days trusted most upon. The best part of Alexander's

host were archers, as plainly does appear by Arianas and other that wrote his life. And those so strong archers that they only, sundry times, overcame their enemies afore any other needed to fight, as was seen in the battle which Nyakas, one of Alexander's captains, had beside the River Tomeron. And therefore, as concerning all these kingdoms and commonwealth, I may conclude, with this sentence of Pliny, whose words be, as I suppose thus, if any man would remember the Ethiopians, Egyptians, Arabians, their men of Indy, of Scythia, so many people in the east of the Samaritans and all the kingdoms of the Parthians, he shall well perceive half the parts of the world to live in subjection, overcome by the might and power of shooting. In the

Commonwealth of Rome, which exceeded all other in virtue, nobleness, and dominion, little mention is made of shooting, not because it was little used amongst them, but rather because it was so necessary and common that it was thought a thing not necessary or required of any man to be spoken upon. As if a man should describe a great feast, he would not once name bread, although it be most common and necessary of all, but surely if a feast, being never so great lacked bread, or had fusty and naughty bread, all the other dainties should be unsavory and little regarded, and then would men talk of the commodity of bread when they lack it, and would not once name it afore when they had it. And even so did the Romans as concerning shooting.

Seldom is shooting named, and yet it did the most good in war, as did appear very plainly in that battle which Scipio Africanus had with Numantinus in Spain, whom he could never overcome before he set bowmen amongst his horsemen, by whose might they were clean vanquished. Again, Tiberius, fighting with Arminus and Inguomirus, princes of Germany, had one wing of archers on horseback, another of archers on foot. By whose might the Germans was slain downright, and so scattered and beat out of the field that the chase lasted ten miles. The Germans came up into trees for fear, but the Romans did fetch them down with their shafts, as they had been birds, in which battle the Romans lost few or none, as doth appear in the history.

But, as I began to say, the Romans did not so much praise the goodness of shooting when they had it as when they did lament the lack of it when they wanted it. As Leo V, the 5th, the noble emperor doth plainly testify in sundry places in those books which he wrote in Greek of the slights and policies of war. Philologists said, Surely of that book I have not heard before. And how came you to the sight of it? End of Book 1, Part 4.

Book 1, Part 5 of Toxophilus by Roger Asham. This Librevox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Clive Caterall. Toxophilus Book 1, Part 5. Toxophilus said, The book is rare, truly. But this last year, when Master Cheek translated the said book out of Greek into

Latin to the king's majesty, he, of his gentleness, would have me very often his chamber, and for the familiarity that I had with him, more than any other, would suffer me to read of it when I would. The witch thing to do, surely I was very desirous and glad, because of the excellent handling of all things that ever he taketh in hand. And verily, philology, as oft as I remember the departing of that man from the university, which thing I do not seldom, so often do I well, perceive our most help and furtherance to learning to have gone away with him. For by the great commodity that we took in hearing him read privately in his chamber, all Homer, Sophocles and Euripides, Herodotus, Eucydides, Xenophon,

Isocrates and Plato, we feel the great discommodity in not hearing of him, Aristotle and Demosthenes, which two authors, with all diligence, last of all, he thought to have read to unto us. And when I consider how many men he succoured with his house, help and his aid to abide here for learning, and how all men were provoked and stirred up by his counsel and daily example how they should come to learning. Surely I perceive that sentence of Plato to be true which saith, that there is nothing better in any commonwealth than there should be always one or other excellent passing men, whose life and virtue should pluck forward the will,

diligence, labour and hope of all other, that following his footsteps they might come to the same end, whereunto labour, learning and virtue had conveyed him before. The great hindrance of learning in lacking this man greatly I should lament if this discommodity of ours were not joined with a commodity and health of the whole realm. For which purpose our noble king, full of wisdom, called up this excellent man, full of learning, to teach noble Prince Edward,

an office full of hope, comfort and solace to all true hearts of England, for whom all England doth daily pray that he, passing his tutor in learning and knowledge, following his father in wisdom and felicity, according to that example which is set before his eyes, may so set out and maintain God's word to the abolishment of all papestry, the confusion of all heresy, and thus he, feared of his enemies, loved of all his subjects, may bring to his own glory immortal fame and memory, to this realm, wealth, honour, and felicity, to try and to true and unfeigned religion, perpetual peace, concord, and unity. But to return to shooting again, what Leo saith of shooting among the Romans, his words be so much for the praise of shooting, and the book also so rare to be gotten, that I learned the places by heart, which be, as I suppose, even thus. First, in his sixth book, as concerning what harness is best, let all the youth of Rome be compelled to use shooting either more or less, and always to bear their bow and their quiver about with them,

until they be eleven years old. For, since shooting was neglected and decayed among the Romans, many a battle and field have been lost. Again, in the 11th book and 50th chapter, I call that by books and chapters which the Greek book divideeth by chapters and paragraphs, let your soldiers have their weapons well appointed and trim. but above all other things regard most shooting, and therefore let men, when there is no war, use shooting at home.

For leaving off only of shooting hath brought in ruin and decay the whole empire of Rome. Afterward he commandeth again his captain by these words, Arm your host as I have appointed you, but specially with bow and arrows plenty. For shooting is a thing of much might and power in war, and chiefly against the Saracens and Turks, which people hath all their hope of victory in their bows and shafts. Besides all this, in another place he writeth thus to his captain. Artillery is easy to be prepared, and in time of great need, a thing most profitable.

Therefore we straightly command you to make proclamation to all men under our dominion, which be either in war or peace, to all cities, boroughs and towns, and finally to all manner of men, that every single to all manner of men, that every single, see a person have bow and shafts of his own, and every house beside this to have a standing bearing bow and forty shafts for all needs, and that they exercise themselves in halts, hills and dales, plains and woods, for all manner of chances in war. How much shooting was used among the old Romans, and what means noble captains and emperors made to have it increase among them, and what hurt came by the decay of it, these words of Leo the Emperor, which, in a manner I

have rehearsed word for word plainly doth declare. And yet, shooting, although they never set so much by it, was never so good with them, as it is now in England. Which thing to be true is very probable in that Leo doth say that he would have his soldiers take off their arrowheads, and one shoot at another for their exercise. Which play, if English archers used, I think they should find small play and less pleasure in it at all. The great upper hand maintained always in war by artillery doth appear very plainly by this reason also, that when the Spaniards, Frenchmen and Germans, Greeks, Macedonians, and Egyptians, each country using one singular weapon, for which they were

greatly feared in war, as the Spanish lances, the French geysa, the German fremere, the Grecian Macchera, the Macedonian Sarissa, yet could they not escape but be sub-earedes, to the Empire of Rome. When the Parthians, having all that hope in artillery, gave no place to them, but overcame the Romans oftener than the Romans them, and kept battle with them many a hundred year, and slew the rich Crassus and his son, with many a stout Roman more with their bows, they drove Marcus Antonius over the hills of Medea in Armenia to his great shame and reproach. They slew Julianus the apostate and Antoninus Caracalla. They hailed in perpetu, and Antoninus Caracalla. They held in perpetual prison the most noble emperor Valerian, in despite of all the Romans and many other princes which wrote for his deliverance, as Bell Solis called King of Kings, Valerius King of Caducea, Arthur Besdez, King of Armenia, and many other princes more, whom the Parthians, by reason of their artillery, regarded never one wit.

And thus, with the Romans, I may conclude that the borders of their empire were not at the sunrising and sunsetting, as Tully-sets. seth, but so far they went as artillery would have them leave. For, I think, all the ground that they had, either northward further than the borders of Scythia, or eastward, further than the borders of Parthia, a man might have bought with a small deal of money, of which thing surely shooting was the cause. For the same country of Scythia, the Goths, Huns, and Vandalians came with the same weapons of artillery, as Paulus Dachonest, say, and so bereft Rome of her emperor, empire by fire, spoil and waste. So that in such a learned city was left scarce one man behind, that had learning or leisure to leave in writing to them which should come after,

how was so noble an empire, in so shook a while, by a rabble of banished bondmen, without all order and policy, save on their natural and daily exercise in artillery, was brought to such thraldom and ruin. After them the Turks, having another name but yet the same people, born in Scythia, brought up only in artillery, by the same weapon have subdued and bereft from the Christian men, all Asia and Africa to speak upon, and the most noble countries of Europe, to the great diminishing of Christ his religion, to the great reproach of cowardice of all Christianity, a manifest token of God's high wrath and displeasure over the sin of the world, but especially amongst Christian men, which, be on sleep, may drunk with the fruits of the flesh,

as infidelity, disobedience to God's word, and heresy grudge, ill-will, strife, open battle, and privy envy, covetousness, oppression, and unmercifulness, with innumerable sorts of unspeakable daily bordery, which things, surely, if God hold not his holy hand over us and pluck us from them, will bring us to a more Turkishness, and more beastly bluntly, barbarousness, as calling ill things good and good things ill, condemning of knowledge and learning, setting at naught and having for a fable God and his high providence, will bring us, I say, to a more ungracious Turkishness, if more Turkishness can be than this, than if the Turks

had sworn to bring all Turkey against us. For these fruits surely must needs spring of such seed, and such effects need follow of such a cause, if reason, true, and God be not altered, but as there want to be? For surely no Turkish power can overthrow us, if Turkish life do not cast us down before. If God were with us, it booted not the Turk to be against us. But our unfaithful, sinful living, which is the Turk's mother, and hath brought him up hitherto, must needs turn God from us, because sin and he hath no fellowship together. If we banished ill-living out of Christendom, I am sure the Turk should not only not overcome us, but scarce have a hole to run into in his own country.

But Christendom, now, I may tell you, philology, is much like a man that hath an itch on him, and lieth drunk also in his bed. And though a thief come to the door, and heaveth at it to come in and slay him, yet he lieth in his bed, having more pleasure to lie in a slumber, and scratch himself where itcheth, even to the hard bone, than he hath readiness to rise up lustily, and drive him away that would rob him and slay him. But I trust, Christ will so lighten and lift up Christian men's eyes that they shall not sleep to death, nor that the Turk, Christ's open enemy, shall ever boast that he hath quite overthrown us. But as I began to tell you, shooting is the chief thing

wherewith God suffereth the Turk to punish our naughty living with all. The youth there is brought up in shooting. His privy guard for his own person is Bowman. The might of their shooting is well known of the Spaniards, which at the town called Newcastle and Illyrica, were quite slain up of the Turks' arrows when the Spaniards had no use of their guns by reason of the rain. And now, last of all, the Emperor, His Majesty himself,

at the city of Argya in Africa, had his host sore handled with the Turks' arrows, when his guns were quite dispatched, and stood him no service because of the rain that fell. Whereas, in such a chance of rain, if he had had bowmen, surely their shot might peradventure have been a little hindered, but quite dispatched and marred it could never have been.

But as for the Turks, I am weary to talk of them, partly because I hate them, and partly because I am. am now affectioned even as it were a man that had been long wandering in strange countries, and would fain be at home to see how will his own friends prosper and lead their life. And surely, me think, I am very merry at my heart to remember how I shall find at home in England amongst Englishmen, partly by histories of them that have gone off for us, again by experience of them which we know and live with us. As great noble feats of war done by artillery as ever was done at any

time in any other Commonwealth. And here I must needs to remember a certain Frenchman called Textor that writeth a book which he named Officiana, wherein he weaveth up many broken-ended matters, and sets out much riff-raff, pelfry, trumpery, baggage, and beggary wear, clamped up of one that would seem to be fitter for a shop, indeed, than to write any book. and amongst all other ill-packed-up matters, he thrusts up in a heap together all the good shooters that have ever been in the world, as he set himself. And yet I try a philology, that all the examples which I now, by chance, have rehearsed out of the best authors both in Greek and Latin. Textor hath but two of them, which too, surely, if they were to reckon again, I would not

once name them, partly because they were very naughty persons. and shooting so much the worse because they loved it, as Domitian and Commodus the emperors. Partly because Textor hath them in his book, on whom I looked by chance in the bookbinder shop, thinking of no such matter. And one thing I will say to you, philologist, that if I were disposed to do it, and you had the leisure to hear it, I could soon do as Textor doth, and reckon up such a rabble of shooters that be named here and there in poets, as would hold us talking whilst tomorrow.

But my purpose was not to make mention of those which were feigned of poets for their pleasure, but of such as were proved in histories for a truth. But why I bring in textor was this. At last, when he hath reckoned all shooters that he can, he said thus, Petrus Crenitus, writeth, that the Scots, which dwell beyond England, be very excellent shooters, and the best bowman in war. This sentence, whether Cronitis wrote it more lewdly of ignorance,

or Textor confirmeth it more peevishly of envy, may be called in question and doubt. But this surely I do know very well, that Textor hath both read in Gaginus the French history, and also hath heard his father or grandfather talk, except perchance he was born and bred in a cloister, after that sort of the shooting of Englishmen, that Textor needed not to have gone so peevishly beyond England for shooting. But this surely I do know very well, that Textor hath both read

in Gaguinus the French history, and also hath heard his father or grandfather talk, except perchance he was born and bred in a cloister. After that sort of the shooting of Englishmen, that Textor needed not to have gone so peevishly beyond England for shooting, but might not very soon, even in the first town of Kent, have found such plenty of shooting as is not in all the realm of Scotland again. The Scots surely be good men of war in their own feats as can be, but as for shooting, they neither can use it for any profit, nor yet will challenge it for any praise, although Master Textor of his gentleness would give it them. Textor needed not to have filled up his book with such lies, if he had read the

history of Scotland, which Johannes Major doth write, wherein he might have learned that when James Stewart, the first of that name, are the Parliament holding at St. Johnstown, or Perthie, commanding under pain of a great forfeit that every Scot should learn to shoot. Yet neither the love of their country, the fear of their enemies, the avoiding of punishment, nor the receiving of any profit that might come by it, could make them to be good archers, which be unapt and unfit thereunto by God's providence and nature. Therefore, the Scots themselves prove textor a liar, both with authority and also daily experience, and by a certain proverb that they have amongst them in their communication,

whereby they give the whole praise of shooting honestly to Englishmen, saying thus, that every English archer beareth under his girdle twenty-four Scots. But to let Textor and the Scots go, yet one thing would I wish for the Scots, and that is this, that seeing one God, one faith, one compass of the sea, one land and country, one tongue in speaking, one manner and trade in living, like courage and stomach in war, like quickness of wit to learning, hath made England and Scotland both one, they would suffer them no longer to be two. But Clean give over the Pope, which seeketh none other thing, as many a noble and wise, Scottish man doth know, but to feed up dissension and parties betwixt them and us, procuring that

thing to be two, which God's nature and reason would have one. How profitable such an atonement were for Scotland, both Johannes Major and Hector Bertius, which wrote the Scots chronicles, do tell, and also all the gentlemen of Scotland, with the poor commonality, do well know. So that there is nothing that stoppeth this matter, save only a few friars and such-like. which, with the dregs of our English papistry lurking amongst them, study nothing else but to brew battle and strife betwixt both the people, whereby only they hope to maintain their papistical kingdom to the destruction of the noble blood of Scotland, that then they may with authority do that which neither noble man nor poor man in Scotland yet doth know. And as Scottish men and Englishmen be not enemies by nature, but by custom, not by our goodwill, but by their own

folly, which should take more honour in being coupled to England than we should take profit in being joined to Scotland. Wales, being heady and rebelling many years against us, lay wild, untilled, uninhabited, without law, justice, civility, and order. And there was, amongst them more stealing than true dealing, more surety for them that studied to be naught, than quietness for them that laboured to be good. When now, thank to be God and noble England, there is no country better inhabited, more civil, more diligent in honest crafts, to get both true and plentiful living with all. And this felicity, my mind giveth me, shall chance also to Scotland by the godly wisdom of our most noble prince King Henry VIII,

by whom God hath wrought more wonderful things than ever by any prince before, as banishing the Bishop of Rome and heresy, bringing to light God's word and verity, establishing such justice and equity through every part of this realm as never was seen afore. To such a prince of such a wisdom, God hath reserved this most noble sentiment. Whereby neither we shall be any more troubled, nor the Scots with their best country any more destroyed, nor the sea which God ordain profitable for both, shall from either be any more stopped, to the great quietness, wealth and felicity of all the people dwelling in this isle, to the high renown and praise of our most noble king,

to the fear of all manner of nations that owe ill-will to either country, to the high pleasure of God, which, as he is one, and hateth all divisions, so is he best of all pleased to see things which be wide and amiss brought to peace and atonement. But textor, I beshrew him, hath almost brought us from our communication of shooting. Now, sir, by my judgment, the artillery of England far exceedeth all other realms. But yet one thing I doubt, and long have surely in that point doubted, when, or by whom, shooting was first brought into England. And for the same purpose, as I was once in company with Sir Thomas Elliot Knight, which, surely for his learning in all kind of knowledge,

brought much worship to all the nobility of England, I was so bold to ask him, if he at any time had marked anything as concerning the bringing in of shooting into England. He answered me gently again. He had a work in hand which he nameth de rebus memorabilius Anglii, which I trust we shall see in print shortly. And, for the accomplishment of that book, he had read and perused over many old monuments of England. And in seeking for that purpose, he marked this of shooting in an exceeding old chronicle. The witch had no name, that what time as the Saxons came first into this realm, in King Vortiga's days, when they had been here a while, and at last began to fall out with the

Britons, they troubled and subdued the Britons with nothing so much as with their bow and shafts, which weapons being strange had not seen here before was wonderful, terrible unto them. And this beginning I can think very well to be true. But now, as concerning many examples for the praise of English archers in war, surely I will not be long in a matter that no man doubteth in, and those few that I will name shall either be proved by the history of our enemies, or us done by men that now live. King Edward III, at the Battle of Cressy against Philip the French king, as Gaguinus the French historiographer plainly doth tell, slew that day all the nobility of France, only with his archers. Such like battle also for

fought the noble black prince Edward, beside Poitiers, where John the French king, with his son, and in a manner all the peers of France were taken, beside thirty thousand which that day were slain, and very few Englishmen by reason of their bows. King Henry V, a prince peerless and most victorious conqueror of all that ever died yet in this part of the world, at the Battle of D'Agincourt, with seven thousand fighting men, and yet many of them sick, being such arches as the Chronicle Seth that most of them drew a yard, slew all the chivalry of France to that number of forty thousand and more, and lost not past 26 Englishmen. The bloody civil war of England betwixt the house of York and Lancaster, where shafts flew of both sides to the destruction of

many a yeoman of England, whom foreign battles could never have subdued. Both I will pass over, for the pitifulness of it, and yet may we highly praise God in the remembrance of it, seeing he, for his providence, hath sewn it together those two noble houses with so noble and pleasant a flower. The excellent Prince Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, for whose good prosperity with all his noble family, all English hearts, daily doth pray, with Bowman of England slew King Jamie, with many a noble Scot, even Brant, against Flodden Hill, in which he was a man, battle the stout archers of Cheshire and Lancashire, for one day bestowed to the death for their prince and country-sake, hath gotten immortal name and praise for ever.

The fear only of English archers hath done more wonderful things than ever I read in any history Greek or Latin, and most wonderful of all now of late, beside Carlisle, betwixt Esk and Levin at Sunday Sykes, where the whole nobility of Scotland, for fear of the Arches of England, next the stroke of God, as both English and Scottish men that were present told me, were drowned and taken prisoners. Nor that noble act also, which, although it be almost lost by time, cometh not behind in worthiness, which my singular good friend and master, Sir William Walgrave, and Sir George Somerset did, with a few archers to the number, as it is said of sixteen,

at the turnpike beside Hamys, where they turned with so few archers, so much, many Frenchmen to flight, and turned out so many of their jacks, which turn turned all France to shame and reproach, and those two noble knights to perpetual praise and fame. And thus you see, philology, in all countries, Asia, Africa and Europe, in India, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Jewry, Parthia, Persia, Greece and Italy, Scythia, Turkey and England, from the beginning of the world, even to this day that shooting hath had the chief stroke in war. Philologists said, These examples, surely, apt for the praise of shooting, not feigned by poets, but proved by true histories, distinct by time and order, hath delighted me exceeding much. But yet bethink

that all this praise belongeth to strong shooting, and drawing of mighty bows, not to pricking and near-shooting, for which cause you and many others both love and you shooting. Oxofilus said, ever more philology, you will have some overthwart reason to draw forth more communication withal, but nevertheless, you shall perceive, if you will, that use of pricking and desire of near-shooting at home are the only causes of strong shooting in war, and why? For you see that the strongest men do not draw always the strongest shot, Which thing proveth that drawing strong Lieth not so much in the strength of man

As in the use of shooting And experience teacheth the same in other things For you shall see a weak smith Which will with a lipe and turning of his arm Take up a bar of iron That another man, thrice as strong, cannot stir. And a strong man, not used to shoot, hath his arms, breast and shoulders

And other parts wherewith he should draw strongly one hindering and stopping another, even as a dozen strong horses, not used to the cart, lets and troubles one another. And so the more strong man, not used to shoot, shoots most unhandsomely, and yet if a strong man, with use of shooting, could apply all the parts of his body together

to their most strength, then should he both draw stronger than other, and also shoot better than other? But now a strong man, not used to shoot, At a gurd can heave up and pluck in sunder many a good bow, as wild horses at a brunt doth race and pluck in pieces many a strong cart. And thus strong men, without use, can do nothing in shooting to any purpose, neither in war nor peace.

But if they happen to shoot, yet they have done within a shot or two, when a weak man that is used to shoot shall serve for all times and purposes, and shall shoot ten shafts against the others four, and draw them up to the point every time, and shoot them to the most advantage, drawing and withdrawing his shaft when he list, marking at one man, yet let driving at another man. Which things in a set battle,

although a man shall not always use, yet in bickering and at overthwart meetings, when few archers be together, they do most good for all. Again, he that is not used to shoot shall evermore with untowardness of holding his bow and knocking his shaft, not looking to his string betime, put his bow always in jeopardy of breaking, and then he were better to be at home. Moreover, he shall shoot very few shafts, and those full unhandsomely.

Some not half drawn, some too high and some too low, nor he cannot drive a shot at a time, nor stop a shot at a need, but out must it, and very oft to evil proof. Philologists said, And that is best I try in war To let it go and not to stop it. Toxophilus said, No, not so, but some time to hold a shaft at the head,

which, if they be but few archers, doth more good with the fear of it, than it should do if it was shot with a stroke of it. Philologist said, That is a wonder to me, that the fear of a displeasure should do more harm than the displeasure itself. Toxophilus said,

Yes, you know that a man which feareth to be banished out of his country can neither be merry, eat, drink, nor sleep for fear. Yet when he is banished, indeed, he sleepeth and eateth as well as any other. And many men, doubting and fearing whether they should die or no, even for very fear of death, preventeth themselves with a more bitter death than the other death should have been indeed. And thus fear is ever worse than the thing feared. as is prettily proved by the communication of Cyrus and Tigranes, the king's son of Armenia in Xenophon. Philologists said, I grant, Toxophilay, that the use of shooting maketh a man draw strong to shoot at most advantage, to keep his gear which is no small thing in war,

but yet me think that the customable shooting at home, especially at butts and pricks, make nothing at all for strong shooting, which doth most good in war. Therefore, I suppose, if men should use to go into the fields and learn to shoot mightily strong shots and never care for any mark at all, they should do much better. Toxophilus said, The truth is, that fashion, much used, would do much good. But this is to be feared, lest that way could not provoke men to use much shooting, because there should be little pleasure in it. and that in shooting is best that provoketh a man to use the shooting most. For much use maketh men to shoot both strong and well,

which two things in shooting every man doth desire. And the chief maintainer of use in anything is comparison and honest contention. For when a man striveth to be better than another, he will gladly use that thing, though it be never so painful wherein he would excel. Which thing Aristotle very prettily doth note, saying, Where is comparison, there is victory? Where is victory, there is pleasure.

And where is pleasure, no man careth what labour or pain he taketh, Because of the praise and pleasure that he shall have in doing better than other men. Again, you know, Hesodius, writeeth to his brother Percy's, That all craftsmen, by contending one honestly with another, do increase their cunning with their substance. And therefore, in London and other great cities, men of one craft most commonly dwell together, because in honest striving together, who shall do best,

every one may wax both cunninger and richer. So likewise in shooting, to make matches to assemble archers together, to contend who shall shoot best and win the game, increases the use of shooting wonderfully amongst men. End of Book 1, Part 5. Book 1, Part 6 of Toxophilus. This Librevox recording is in the public domain, recording by Clive Caterall.

Toxophilus by Roger Asham, edited by J.A. Giles. Book 1, Part 6. Philologists said, Of use, you speak very much, Toxophilae, but I am sure in all other matters, use can do nothing without two other things to be joined. with it. One is a natural aptness to a thing, the other is a true way or knowledge how to do the thing, to which two, if use be joined as third fellow of them three, precedeth perfectness

and excellency. If a man lack the first two, aptness and cunning, use can do little good at all. For he that would be an orator, and is nothing naturally fit for it, that is to say, lacketh a good wit and memory, lacketh a good voice, can't. and body, and other such like, yea, if he had all these things, and knew not what, how, where, when, nor to whom he should speak, surely the use of speaking would bring out none other fruit but plain folly and babbling. So that use is the last and the least necessary of all three, yet nothing can be done excellently without them all three. And therefore, Toxophilae, I myself, because I never knew whether I was apt for shooting or no, nor never

a new way how I should learn to shoot, I have not used to shoot. And so I think five hundred more in England do beside me. And surely, if I knew that I were apt and that you would teach me how to shoot, I would become an archer, and the rather because of the good communication which I have had with you this day of shooting. Toxophilus said, aptness, knowledge, and use, even as you say, make all things perfect. Apptness is the first and chiefest thing, without which the other two do no good at all. Knowledge doth increase all manner of aptness, both less and more. Use, said Cicero, is far above all teaching. And thus they all three must be had to do anything very well, and if anyone be away whatsoever is done is done very meanly.

Apptness is the gift of nature, knowledge is gotten by the help of other. Use lath in our own diligence and labour, so that aptness and use be ours and within us, through nature and labour, knowledge not ours, but coming by other, and therefore most diligently of all men to be sought for. How these three things stand with the artillery of England, a word or two I will say. All Englishmen generally be apt for shooting, and how? Like as that ground is plentiful and fruitful, which, without any tilling, bringeth out corn, as for example if a man should go to the mill or market with corn, and happen to spill some in the way, yet it would take root and grow, because the soil is so good. So England may be thought very fruitful and apt to bring out

shooters, where children even from the cradle love it, and young men, without any teaching, so diligently use it. Again, likewise as good ground, well-tilled and well-husbanded, bringeth out great plenty of big-eared corn and good to the fall. So if the youth of England, being apt of itself to shoot, were taught and learned how to shoot, the archers of England should not only be a great deal of ranker and more than they be, but also a good deal bigger and stronger archers than they be. This commodity should follow also. If the youth of England were taught to shoot, that even as ploughing of a good ground for wheat does not only make it meat for the seed, but also riveth and plucketh up by the roots, all thistles, brambles, and weeds,

which grow of their own accord to the destruction of both corn and ground. Even so should the teaching of youth to shoot not only make them shoot well, but also pluck away by the roots all other desires to naughty pastimes, as dicing, carding, and bowling, which without any teaching are used everywhere to the great harm of all youth of this realm. And likewise, as burning of thistles and diligent weeding them out of the corn, doth not half so much rid them as when the ground is fallowed and tilled for good grain, as I have heard many good husbandmen say,

even so neither hot punishment nor yet diligence searching out of such unthriftiness by the officers shall so thoroughly weed these ungracious games out of the realm as occupying and bringing up youth in shooting and other honest pastime. Thirdly, as a ground which is apt for corn and also will tilled for corn, yet if a man let it lie still and do not occupy it three or four year, but then will sow it, if it be wheat, said Columella, it will turn into rye. So if a man be never so apt to shoot,

nor never so well taught in his youth to shoot, yet if he give it over and not used to shoot, truly when he shall be either compelled in wartime for his country's sake, or else provoked at home for his pleasure's sake to fall to his bow, he shall become of a fair archer, a stark squirter and dribber. Therefore, in shooting, as in all other things, there can neither be many in number nor excellent indeed, except that these three things, aptness, knowledge, and use, go together. Philologists said, very well said Toxophilae, and I promise you I agree to this judgment of yours together, and therefore I count a little marvel why Englishmen bring no more help to shooting, than nature itself giveth them. For you see that even children be put to their

own shifts in shooting, having nothing taught them, but that they may choose and chance to shoot ill rather than well, unaptly sooner than fitly, untowardly more easily than will favouredly, which thing causeth many never to begin to shoot, and more to leave it off when they have begun, and most of all to shoot both worse and weaker than they might shoot if they were taught. But, peradventure, some men will say that, with use of shooting, a man shall learn to shoot. True it is, he shall learn, but what shall he learn? Mary, to shoot naughtily. For all use, in all things, if it be not stayed by cunning, will very easily bring a man to do the thing,

whatsoever he goeth about, with much ill-favouredness and deformity. Which thing, how much harm it doth in learning, both Krasis excellently doth prove in telling. and I myself have experience in my little shooting. And therefore, Toxophilae, you must needs grant me that either Englishmen do ill in not joining knowledge of shooting to use, or else there is no knowledge or cunning which can be gathered of shooting. Toxophilus said,

A learning to shoot is little regarded in England for this consideration. Because men be so apt by nature, they have a great ready forwardness and will to use it, although no man teach them, although no man bid them. And so, with their own courage, they run headlong on it, And shoot they ill, shoot they well, great heed they take not. And in very deed, aptness with use, may do somewhat without knowledge,

but not the tenth part, if so be they joined with knowledge. Which three things be separate, as you see, not of their own kind, but through the negligence of men which coupled them not together. And where ye doubt whether there can be gathered any knowledge or art in shooting or no, surely I think that a man, being well exercised in it, and somewhat honestly learned with all, might soon, with diligent observing and marking the whole nature of shooting, find out, as it were, an art of it, as arts in other matters have been found out afore. Seeing that shooting standeth by those things, which may both be thoroughly perceived and perfectly

known, and such that never fails but be ever certain, belonging to one most perfect end. as shooting straight and keeping of a length bring a man to hit the mark, the chief end in shooting, which two things a man may attain unto by diligent use and well-handling those instruments which belong unto them. Therefore, I cannot see but their life hid in the nature of shooting and art, which by noting and observing of him that is exercised in it, if he be anything learned at all, may be taught to the great furtherance of artillery throughout all this realm, And truly I marvel greatly that Englishmen would never yet seek for the art of shooting, seeing they be so apt unto it, so praised of their friends, so feared of their enemies for it.

Vagetius would have masters appointed which should teach the youth to shoot fair. Leo, the emperor of Rome, showeth the same custom to have been always among the old Romans. Which custom of teaching youth to shoot, said he, after it was omitted and little heed taken of, brought the whole empire of Rome to great ruin. Scholar Pershika, that is the school of the Persians, appointed to bring up youth whilst they were 20-year-old in shooting, is as notably known in histories as the empire of the Persians. Which school, as doth appear in Cornelius Tacitus,

as soon as they gave over and fell to other idle pastimes, brought both them and the Parthians under the subjection of the Romans. Plato would have common masters and stipends for to teach youth to shoot, and for the same purpose he would have a broad field near every city made common for men to use shooting in, which saying the more reasonably it is spoken of Plato, the more unreasonable is their deed which would ditch up those fields privately for their own profit, which lithe open generally for the common use. Men by such goods be made richer, not honester, Seth Tully.

If men can be persuaded to have shooting taught, this authority which followeth will persuade them, or else none, and that is, as I have said once before, of King David, whose first act and ordinance was after he was king, that all Judea should learn to shoot. If shooting could speak, she would accuse England of unkindness and slothfulness, of unkindness towards her because she being left to a little blind use,

lacks her best maintainer, which is cunning, of slothfulness towards their own self, because they are content with that which aptness and use doth grant them in shooting, and will seek for no knowledge, as other noble commonwealths have done. And the justlier shooting might make this complaint, saying that of fence and weapons there is made an art, a thing in no wise to be compared in shooting. For of fence, almost every town there is not only masters to teach it, with his provosts, ushers, scholars, and other names of art and school,

but there hath not failed also which hath diligently and favourably written it, and is set out in print that every man may read it. What discommodity doth come by the lack of knowledge in shooting, it were overlong to rehearse. For many that have been apt and loved shooting, because they knew not which way to hold to come to shooting, have clean turned themselves from shooting. And I may tell you philology, the lack of teaching to shoot in England

causeth very many men to play with the king's acts, as a man did once, either with the mayor of London or York, I cannot tell whether, which did command by proclamation every man in the city to hang a lantern with a candle afore his door, which thing the man did, but he did not light it. And so many buy bows because of the act, but yet they should not. not of evil will, but because they know not how to shoot. But to conclude of this matter, in shooting, as in all other things, aptness is the first and chief thing,

which if it be a way, neither cunning nor use doth any good at all. As the Scots and Frenchmen, with knowledge and use of shooting, shall become good archers, when a cunning shipwright shall make a strong ship of a sallow tree, or when a husbandman shall become rich with sowing wheat on Newmarket Heath. Cunning must be had, both to set out and amend nature, and also to oversee and correct use. Which use, if it be not led and governed with cunning, shall sooner go amiss than straight? Use maketh perfectness in doing that thing wherein to nature maketh a man apt, and knowledge maketh a man cunning before, so that it is not so doubtful which of them three

hath most stroking shooting, as it is plain and evident that all three must be had in excellent shooting. Philologists said, for this communication, Toxophilé, I am very glad, and that for mine own sake, because I trust now to become a shooter. And indeed, I thought of four Englishmen most apt for shooting, and I saw them daily use shooting, but yet I never found none that would talk of any knowledge whereby a man might come to shooting. Therefore, I trust that you, by the use you have had in shooting, have so thoroughly marked and noted the nature of it, that you can teach me, as it were, by a trade or way, how to come to it. Toxophilus said,

I grant I have used shooting meatly well that I might have marked it well enough if I had been diligent. But my much shooting hath caused me study little, so that thereby I lack learning, which should set out the art or way in anything. And you know that I was never so well seen in the posteriorums of Aristotle as to invent and search out general demonstrations for the setting forth of any new science. Yet, by my troth, if you will, I will go with you into the fields at any time and tell you as much as I can, or else you may stand some time at the pricks, and look on them which shoot best, and so learn. Philologist said, How little you have looked of Aristotle, and how much learning you have lost by shooting, I cannot tell.

But this I would say, and if I loved you never so ill, that you had been occupied in somewhat else besides shooting. But to our purpose, as I will not require a trade in shooting to be taught me, after the subtlety of Aristotle. Even so do I not agree with you at this point that you would have me learn to shoot with looking on them which shoot best, for so I know I should never come to shoot meanly. For in shooting, as in all other things which be gotten by teaching, there must be showed a way and a path which will lead a man to the best and chiefest point which is in shooting, which you do mark yourself well enough, and uttered it also in your communication, when you said there lay hid in the nature of shooting a certain way, which, well-perceived and thoroughly known,

would bring a man without any wandering to the best end in shooting, which you called hitting of the brick. Therefore I would refer all my shooting to that end which is best, and so should I come the sooner to some mean. That which is best hath no fault, nor cannot be amended. So show me best shooting, not the best shooter, which, if he be never so good, yet hath he many a-fault, easily of any man to be espied, and therefore marvel not if I require to follow that example which is without fault, rather than that which hath so many faults. And this way every wise man doth follow in teaching any manner of thing. As Aristotle, when he teacheth a man to be good, he sits not before him Socrates' life,

which was the best man, but a chief goodness itself, according to which he would have a man direct his life." Toxophilus said, This way which you require of me, Philology, is too hard for me, and too high for a shooter to talk on. And taken, as I suppose, out of the midst of philosophy, to search out the perfect end of anything, the which perfect end to find out, Seth Tully, is the hardest thing in the world. The only occasion and cause why so many sects of philosophers hath been always in learning.

And although, as Cicero Seth, a man may imagine and dream in his mind for perfect end in anything, yet there is no experience nor use of it, nor was never seen yet amongst men. As always to heal the sick, ever more to lead a ship, without danger, at all times to hit the prick, shall no physician, no shipmaster, no shooter ever do. And Aristotle saith that in all deeds there are two points to be marked, possibility and excellency. But chiefly a wise man must follow and lay hand on possibility, for fear he lose both. Therefore, seeing that which is most perfect and best in shooting, as always to hit the brick, was never seen nor heard tell on yet amongst men, but only imagined and thought upon in a man

his mind, methink this is the wisest counsel, and best for us to follow. Rather that which a man may come unto, than that which is impossible to be attained to, lest justly that saying of the wise made Ismeni in Sophocles may be verified on us. A fool is he that takes in hand he cannot end. Philologists said, well, if the perfect end of other matters had been as perfectly known as the perfect end of shooting is, there had never been so many sects of philosophers as there be, for in shooting both men and boy is of one opinion that always to hit the prick is the most perfect end that can be imagined, so that we shall not need greatly content in this matter. But now, sir, where as you think that a man, in learning to shoot or anything else,

should rather wisely follow possibility than vainly seek for perfect excellency, surely I will prove that every wise man that wisely would learn anything shall chiefly garb out that whereunto he knoweth well he shall never come. And you yourself, I suppose, shall confess the same to be the best way in teaching if you will answer me to those things which I will ask of you. Toxophila said, and that I will gladly, both because I think it impossible for you to prove it, and also because I desire to hear what you can say in it.

Philologists said, The study of a good physician, Toxophilae, I try to be to know all diseases and all medicines fit for them. Toxophilus said, it is so indeed. Philologist said, Because I suppose he would gladly, at all time, heal all diseases of all men. Toxophilus said,

Yea, truly. Philologist said, A good purpose, surely. But was there ever physician yet among so many which hath laboured in this study, that at all times could heal all diseases? Toxophilus said, no, truly, nor I think never shall be. Philologist said, then physicians, belike, study for that which none of them cometh unto. But in learning of fence, I pray you, what is that which men most labour for? for. Toxophilus said, that they may hit another, I trow, and never take blow thyself.

Philologists said, You say truth, and I am sure every one of them would fain do so whatsoever he playeth. But was there ever any of them so cunning yet, which at one time or other hath not been touched? Toxophila said, the best of them all is glad sometimes to escape with a blow. Philologists said, Then in fence also men are taught to go about that thing which the best of them all knoweth he shall never attain unto. Moreover, you that be shooters, I pray you, what mean you when you take so great heed to keep your standing, to shoot compass, to look on your mark so diligently, to cast up grass divers times, and other things more you know better than I? What would you

do, then, I pray you? Toxophilus said, hit the mark if we could. Philologist said, and doth every man go about to hit the mark at every shot. Toxophila said, by my troth I trousseau, and as for myself, I am sure I do. Philologist said, but all men do not hit it at all times. Toxophila said, no, truly, for that were a wonder. Philologist said, can any man hit it at all times? Toxophilus said, No man, verily. Philologists said,

Then be likely to hit the prick always is impossible, for that is called impossible which is in no man his power to do. Toxophilus said, Unpossible indeed. Philologist said, But to shoot wide and far of the mark is a thing possible. Toxophilus said, no man will deny that. Philologist said,

But yet to hit the mark always were an excellent thing. Toxophila said, Excellent, surely. Philologist said, then I am sure those be wiser men which covered to shoot wide than those which covered to hit the brick. Toxophila said, Why so, I pray you? Philologist said, because to shoot wide is a thing possible, and therefore, as you say yourself, of every wise man to be followed. And as for hitting the prick, because it is impossible, it were a vain thing to go about it in good sadness, Toxophilae. Tocofilay. Thus you see that a man might go through all crafts and sciences, and prove

that any man in his science coveteth that which he shall never get." Toxophilus said, By my trough, as you say, I cannot deny but they do so. But why and wherefore they should do so I cannot learn. Philologist said, I will tell you, every craft and science standeth in two things, in knowing of his craft and working of his craft, and working of of his craft. For perfect knowledge bringeth a man to perfect working. This know painters, carvers, tailors, shoemakers, and all other craftsmen to be true. Now in every craft there is a perfect excellency which may be better known in a man's mind than followed in a man's deed. This perfectness, because it is generally laid as a broad, wide example of all men, no one particular man

is able to compass it. And as it is general to all men, so it is perpetual for all time, which proveth it a thing for man impossible. Although not for the capacity of our thinking, which is heavenly, yet surely for the ability of our working, which is worldly. God giveth not full perfectness to one man, said Tully, lest if one man had all in any one's science, there should be nothing left for another. Yet God suffereth us to have the perfect not knowledge of it, that such a knowledge diligently followed, might bring forth, according as a man doth labour, perfect working. And who is he that in learning to write would forsake an excellent example and follow a worse?

Therefore, seeing perfectness itself is an example for us. Let every man study how we may come nigh it, which is a point of wisdom, not reason with God why he may not attain unto it, which is in vain curiosity. Sophilus said, Surely this is gaily, said philology, but yet this one thing I'm afraid of, lest this perfectness which you speak on will discourage men to take anything in hand,

because, before they begin, they know they shall never come to an end. And thus despair shall dispatch, even at the first entering it, many a good man his purpose and intent. And I think both you yourself, and all other men too, would count it mere folly for a man to tell him whom he teacheth,

that he shall never obtain that which, he would faintest learn. And therefore this same high and perfect way of teaching, higher matters, and as for shooting, it shall be content with a meaner way well enough. Philologists said, whereas you say that this high perfectness will discourage men because they know they shall never attain unto it, I am sure, clean contrary, there is nothing in the world shall encourage men more than it. And why? For where a man seeth, that, though another man be never so excellent, yet it is possible for himself to be better, what pain or labour will that man refuse to take? If the gain be once won, no man will set forth his foot to run, and thus perfectness,

being so high a thing that men may look at it, not come to it, and being so plentiful and indifferent to everybody that the plentifulness of it may provoke all men to labour, because it hath enough for all men, the indifference of it shall encourage everyone to take more pain than his fellow, because every man is rewarded according to his nigh coming. And yet, which is most marvel of all, the more men take of it, the more they leave behind for other, as Socrates did in wisdom and Cicero in eloquence, whereby other hath not lacked,

but hath fared a great deal the better, and thus perfectness itself, because it is never obtained, even therefore only doth it cause so many men to be well seen and perfect in many matters as they be. But whereas, you think that it were fondness to teach a man to shoot in looking at the most perfectness in it, but rather would have a man go some other way to work.

I trust no wise man will discommend that way, except he think himself wiser than Tully, which doth plainly say, that if he teacheth any manner of craft, as he did rhetoric, he would labour to bring a man to the knowledge of the most perfectness of it, which knowledge would ever more lead and guide a man to do that thing well which he went about. Which way, in all manner of learning to be best, Plato also doth declare in Euthydemus, of whom Tully learned it, as he did many other things more. And thus you see, Toxophilae, by what reasons and by whose authority I do require of you this way in teaching me to shoot? Which way I pray you, without any more delay, show me as far

forth as you have noted and marked? Toxophilus said, You call me to a thing, philology, which I am loath to do, and yet if I do it not, Being but a small matter as you think, you will lack friendship in me. If I take it in hand and not bring it to pass as you would have it, you might think a great deal want of wisdom in me. But I advise you, seeing you will needs have it so, the blame shall be yours as well as mine, yours for putting upon me so instantly,

mine for receiving so fondly a greater burden than I am able to bear. Therefore, I, more willing to fulfil your mind than hoping to accomplish that which you look for, shall speak of it, not as a master of shooting, but as one not altogether ignorant in shooting. And one thing I am glad of, the sun drawing down so fast in the West, shall compel me to draw a pace to the end of our matter, so that his darkness shall something cloak mine ignorance.

And because you know the ordering of a matter better than I, ask me generally of it, and I shall particularly answer to it. Philologists said, very gladly, toxophily, for so by order those things which I would know you shall tell the better, and those things which you shall tell I shall remember the better. End of Book 1. Book 2 Part 1 of Toxophilus This Librevox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Clive Caterall

Toxophilus by Roger Asham Edited by J. A. Giles Book 2, Part 1 Philologist said, what is the chief point in shooting that every man labroth to come to. Toxophilus said, to hit the mark. Philologists said, how many things are required to make a man evermore hit the mark? Toxophilus said too.

Philogius said, which too? Toxophilus said, shooting straight and keeping of a length. Philologist said, how should a man shoot straight and how should a man keep a length? Toxophilus said, In knowing and having things belonging to shooting, and when they be known and had in well-handling of them, whereof some belong to shooting straight, some to keeping of a length, some commonly to them both, as shall be told severally of them in place convenient. Philologists said, things belonging to shooting, which be they. Toxophila said, All things be outward, and some be instruments for every single,

see Archer to bring with him, proper for his own use. Other things be general to every man, as the place in time serveth. Philologists said, which be instruments. Toxophilus said, Bracer, shooting glove, string, bow and shaft. Philologist said, which be general to all men. Toxophilus said, The weather and the mark, yet the mark is ever under the rule of the weather. Philologists said, Wherein standeth well handling of things? Toxophila said, Altogether within a man himself.

Some handling is proper to instruments, some to the weather, some to the mark, some is within a man himself. Philologist said, What handling is proper to the instruments? Toxophilus said, Standing, knocking, drawing, holding,

loosing, whereby cometh fair shooting, which neither belong to wind nor weather, nor yet to the mark, for in a rain and at no mark a man may shoot a fair shot. Philologists said, well said, what handling belongeth to the weather? Toxophilus said, knowing of his wind, with him, against him, side wind, full side wind, side wind quarter with him, sidewind quarter against him, and so forth. Philologists said, "'Will then, go to, what handling belongeth to the mark?'

Toxophilus said, "'To mark his standing, to shoot compass, To draw ever more like, to loose ever more like, To consider the nature of the prick, In hills and dales, in straight plains and winding places, And also to espy his mark. Philologist said, Very well done, and what is only within a man himself?

Toxophilus said, Good heed-giving, and avoiding all affections, which things oftentimes do mar and make all. And these things spoken of me generally and briefly, if they be well known, had and handled, shall bring a man to such shooting as few or none ever yet come unto. But surely, if he miss in any one of them, he can never hit the mark. And in the more he doth miss the father he shooteth from his mark. But, as in all other matters, the first step or stare to be good is to know a man's fault and then to amend it, and he that will not know his fault shall never amend it. Philologists said, You speak now, Toxophilae, even as I would have you speak.

But let us return again unto our matter, and those things which you have packed up in so shorter room we will loose them forth and take every piece, as it were, in our hand, and look more narrowly upon it. Toxophilus said, I am content, but we'll rid them as fast as we can, because the sun goeth so fast down, and yet somewhat must needs be said of every one of them.

Philologists said, well said, and I try we begin with those things which be instruments, whereof the first, as I suppose, was the bracer. Toxophilus said, little is to be said of the bracer. A bracer serveth for two causes, one to save his arm from the stripe of the string,

and is double it from wearing, and the other is that the string, gliding sharply and quickly off the bracer, may make the sharper shot. For, if the string should light upon the bare sleeve, the strength of the chute should stop and die there. But it is best, by my judgment, to give the bow so much bent that the string need never touch a man's arm, and so should a man need no bracer, as I know many good archers which occupy none.

In a bracer, a man must take heed of three things, that it had no nails in it, that it had no buckles, that it be fast on with laces without egglets. For the nails will shear insunder a man's string before he beware, and so put his bow in jeopardy. Buckles and aglets, at unawares, shall raise his bow, a thing both evil for the sight and perilous for fretting. And thus a bracer is only had for this purpose that the string may have ready passage. Philologist said, In my bracer I am cunning enough, but what say you of the shooting glove?

Toxophilus said, A shooting glove is chiefly for to save a man's fingers from hurting, that he may be able to bear the sharp string to the uttermost of his strength. And when a man shooteth, the might of his shot lieeth in the foremost finger and on the ringman, for the middle finger which is the longest,

like a lubber starteth back, and beareth no weight of the string in a manner at all. Therefore the two other fingers must have thicker leather, and that must have thickest of all whereon a man looseth most, and for sure loosing the foremost finger is most apt, because it holdeth best, and for that purpose nature hath, as a man would say, yoke it with the thumb. Leather, if it be next to man's skin, will sweat, wax hard and chafe. Therefore scarlet, for the softness of it and thickness withal, is good to sew within a man's

glove. If that will not serve, but yet your finger hurteth, he must take a searing cloth made of fine virgin wax and dears sew it, and put next to your finger, and so on with your glove. If yet you feel your finger pinched, leave shooting, both because then you shall shoot nought, and again by little and little hurting your finger, you shall make it long and long too, or you shoot again. A new glove plucks many shoots, because the string goeth not freely off, and therefore the fingers must be cut short and trimmed with some ointment that the string may glide well away. Some with holding in the knock of their shaft too hard

rub the skin off their fingers. For this there be two remedies, one to have a goose quill splited and sewed against the knocking betwixt the lining and the leather, which shall help the shoot much too. The other way is to have some roll of leather sewed betwixt his fingers at the setting on of the fingers,

which shall keep his fingers so in sunder, that they shall not hold the knock so fast as they did. The shooting glove hath a purse, which shall serve to put fine linen cloth and wax in, two necessary things for a shooter. Some men use gloves or other such-like thing on their bow hand for chafing because they hold so hard. But that cometh commonly when a bow is not round,

but somewhat square. Fine wax shall do very well in such a case to lay where a man holdeth his bow. And thus much is concerning your glove. And these things, although they be trifles, yet because you be but a young shooter, I would not leave them out. Philologist said, and so you shall do me most pleasure. The string, I try to be next.

Toxophilus said, the next indeed, a thing though it be little, yet not a little to be regarded. But herein you must be content to put your trust in honest stringers. And surely stringers ought more diligently to be looked upon by the officers than either Boeer or Fletcher, because they may deceive a simple man the more easier. An ill string breaketh many a good bow, nor no other thing half so many. In war, if a string break the man is lost, and is no man for his weapon is gone.

And although he have two strings put on at once, yet he shall have small leisure and less room to bend his bow. Therefore, God send us good stringers, both for war and peace. Now, what a string ought to be made on, whether of good hemp, as they do nowadays, or of flax or of silk, I leave that to the judgment of stringers, of whom we must buy them. Eustathius upon this verse of Homer. Twang quoth the bow, and twang quoth the string, out quickly the shaft flew.

Doth tell that in old times they made their bow-strings of bullock's thermies, which they twine together as they do ropes, and therefore they made a great twang. Bow strings also hath been made of the hair of an horse-tail, called for the matter of them, hippias, as doth appear in many good authors of the Greek tongue. Great strings and little strings be for divers purposes. The great string is more surer for the bow, more stable to prick withal, but slower for the cast. The little string is clean contrary, not so sure, therefore to be taken heed of, lest with long tarrying on it break your bow. fit to shoot far than apt to prick near. Therefore, when you know the nature of both big and

little, you must fit your bow accordingly to the occasion of your shooting. In stringing of your bow, though this place be rather to the handling than to the thing itself, because the thing and the handling of the thing be so joined together I must need sometimes couple the one with the other. You must mark the fit length of your bow. For if the string be too short, the bending will give, and the last slip and so put the bow in jeopardy. If it be long, the bending must needs be in the small of the string, which being sore-twined must need snap in sunder to the destruction of many good bows. Moreover, you must look that your bow be well-knocked,

for fear the sharpness of the horn shear asunder the string, and that chancedeth oft when in bending the string hath but one whap to strengthen it withal. You must mark also to set your string straight on, or else the one end shall writhe contrary to the other, and so break your bow. When the string beginneth never so little to wear, trust it not, but away with it, for it is an ill-saved halfpenny that costs a man a crown. Thus you see how many jeopardies hangeth over the silly poor bow by reason only of the string, as when the string is short, when it is long, when either of the knocks be nought, when it is, when it is, when it is, it hath but one whap, and when it tarrieth overlong on. Philologists said, I see well it is no marvel though so many bows be broken. Toxophilus said, bows be broken twice as many ways besides these. But again, in stringing your bow, you must look for much bend or little bend, for they be

clean contrary. The little bend hath but one commodity, which is in shooting faster and farther shoot, and the cause thereof is because the string hath so far a passage or it part with the shaft. The great bend hath many commodities, for it maketh easier shooting, the bow being half-drawn before. It needeth no bracer, for the string stoppeth before it come at the arm. It will not so soon hit a man's sleeve or other gear, by the same reason. It hurteth not the shaft feather, as the low bend doth. It suffereth a man better to espy his mark. Therefore let your bow have a good big bend, a shaftment and two fingers at the least,

for these which I have spoken of. Philologists said, the bracer, glove and string be done. Now you must come to the bow, the chief instrument of all. Toxophilus said, diverse countries and times have used always diverse bows

and of diverse fashions. Hornbows are used in some places now and were used also in Homer's days. For Pandarus's bow, the best shooter among all the Trojans, was made of two goat-horns joined together. The length whereof, said Homer, was sixteen hand-breaths, not far differing from the length of our bows. Scripture maketh mention of brass bows.

Iron bows and steel bows have been of long time, and also now are used among the Turks, and yet they must needs be unprofitable. for if brass, iron or steel have their own strength and pith in them, they be far above man's strength. And if they be made meat for man's strength, their pith is nothing worth to shoot any shoot withal.

The Ethiopians had bows of palm-tree, which seemed to be very strong, but we have none experience of them. The length of them was four cubits. The men of Indy had their bows made of a reed, which was of a great strength, And no marvel, though bow and shafts were made thereof, for the reeds be so great in Indy, as Herodotus said,

that of every joint of a reed a man may make a fisher's boat. These bows, said Arianas in Alexander's life, gave so great a stroke that no harness or buckler, though it were never so strong, could withstand it. The length of such a bow was even with the length of him that used it. The Lysteans used bows made of a tree called in Latin, cornice. As concerning the name of it in English, I can soon approve that other men call it false than I can tell the right name of it myself. This wood is as hard as horn, and very fit for shafts,

as shall be told after. Ovid showeth that Cirinja, the nymph, and one of the maidens of Diana, had a bow of this wood, whereby the poet meaneth that it was very excellent to make bows off. As for Brazil, Elm, Witch and Ash, experience doth prove them to be but mean for bows. And so to conclude, you, of all other things, is that whereof perfect shooting would have a bow-made. This would, as it is now general and common amongst Englishmen, so hath it continued from a long time, and had in most price for bows amongst the Romans, as doth appear in this half-verse of Virgil. Taxi Torquenta in Arcus You fit for a bow to be made on

Now as I say A bow of you must be had for perfect shooting at the pricks Which mark, because it is certain And most certain rules may be given of it Shall serve for our communication at this time A good bow is known Much what as good counsel is known By the end and proof of it

And yet a bow and good counsel May be made both better and worse by well or ill handling of them as oftentimes chanceth. And as a man both must and will take counsel of a wise and honest man, though he see not the end of it, so a shooter must, of necessity trust an honest and good bowyer for a bow, afore he know the proof of it. And as a wise man will take plenty of counsel or forehand, whatsoever need, so a shooter should have always three or four bows in store whatsoever chance.

Philologists said, But if I trust bowers always, sometime I'm like to be deceived. Toxophilus said, Therefore shall I tell you some tokens in a bow That you shall be the seldomer deceived? If you come into a shop And find a bow that is small, long,

Heavy and strong, lying straight, not winding, Not marred with Notgall, Windshake, Whem, fret or pinch, Buy that bow of my warrant. The best colour of a bow. bow that I find, is when the back and the belly in working be much what after one manner, for such oftentimes in wearing to prove like virgin wax or gold, having a fine long grain,

even from the one end of the bow to the other. The short grain, although such prove well sometime, are for the most part brittle. Of the making of the bow I will not greatly meddle, lest I should seem to enter into another man's occupation, which I can no skill of. Yet I would desire all bowiers to season their staves well, to work them and sink them well, to give them heats convenient and tillerings plenty, for thereby they should both get themselves a good name, and a good name increaseeth a man's profit much, and also do great commodity to the whole realm. If any man do offend in this point, I'm afraid they may be those journeymen, which labour more speedily to make many bows for their money's sake than they work diligently to make good bows

for the Commonwealth's sake, not laying before their eyes this wise proverb, soon enough, if well enough. Wherewith every honest handicraftsman should measure, as it were with the rule, his work withal. He that is a journeyman and rideth upon another man's horse, if he ride an honest pace, no man will disallow him. If he make post-haste, both he that owneth the horse, and he, peradventure also that afterward shall buy the horse, may chance to curse him. Such hastiness, I'm afraid, may also be found amongst some of them which, throughout the realm, in diverse places, work the king's artillery for war, thinking if they get a bow or a sheaf of arrows to some fashion, they'd be good enough for bearing gear. And thus that weapon which is the chief defence of the realm, very oft doth little service to him that should use it, because it is so negligently wrought of him that should make it. When truly I suppose that neither the bow can be too good, and chief wood, nor yet too well-seasoned

or truly made, with heatings and tillerings, neither the shaft too good wood, or too thoroughly wrought, with the best pinion feathers that can be gotten, wherewith a man shall serve his prince, defend his country, and save himself from his enemy. And I trust no man will be angry with me for speaking thus, but to those which find themselves touched therein, which which ought rather to be angry with themselves for doing so than to be miscontent with me for saying so. And in no case they ought to be displeased with me, seeing this is spoken also after that sort, not for the noting of any person severally, but for the amending of everyone generally. But turn we again to know a good shooting bow for our purpose.

Every bow is either made of a bow of a plant or of the bowl of a tree. The bow commonly is very knotty and full of pins, weak of small pith, and soon will follow the string, and seldom weareth to any fair colour. Yet for children and young beginners it may serve well enough. The plant proveth many times well, if it be of a good and clean growth, and for the pith of it is quick enough to cast, and to a ply and bow far before it break, as all other young things do. The bowl of the tree is cleanest without knot or pin, having a fast and hard wood, by reason of his full growth, strong and mighty of cast, and best for a bow, if the staves be cloven and be afterwards wrought, not overthwart the wood, but as the grain and straight growing of the wood

leadeth a man, or else by all reason it must soon break, and that in many shivers. This must be considered in the rough wood, and when the bow-staves be overwrought and fashioned, For in dressing and piking it up for the bow, it is too late to look for it. But yet in these points, as I said before, you must trust an honest bowyer to put a good bow in your hand, somewhat looking yourself to these tokens I showed you. And you must not stick for a groat or twelvepence more than another man would give, if it be a good bow. For a good bow twice paid for is better than an ill-bow once broken.

Thus a shooter must begin, not at the making of his bow like a boya, but at the buyer. of his bow, like an archer. And when his bow is bought and brought home, before he trust much upon it, let him try and trim it after this sort. Take your bow into the field, shoot in him, sink him with dead heavy shouts, look where he cometh most, provide for that place betimes, lest it pinch and so fret. When you have thus shot in him, and perceived good shooting wood in him, he must have him again to a good, cunning, and trusty workman. which shall cut him shorter, and pike him, and dress him fitter, and make him come round compass everywhere, and whipping at the ends, but with discretion, lest he whip in sunder, or else

fret sooner than he is whereof. He must also lay him straight if he be cast, or otherwise need require, and, if he be flat made, gather him round, and so shall he both shoot the faster for far-shooting, and also the surer for near-pricking. Philologists said, what if I come into a shop and spy out a bow, which shall both then please me very well when I buy him, and be also very fit and meat for me when I shoot in him, so that he be both weak enough for easy shooting, and also quick and speedy enough for far casting? Then, I would think, I shall need no more business with him, but be content with him, and use him well enough, and so by that means avoid both great trouble and also some cost,

which you cunning archers very often put yourselves unto. Being very Englishmen, never cease piddling about your bow and shouts when they be well, but either with shortening and piking your bows, or else with new feathering, piecing and heading your shouts, can never be done until they be stark gnaught. Toxophilus said,

Well, philology, surely, if I have any judgment at all in shooting, it is no very good token in a bow whereof nothing when it is new and fresh need to be cut away. Even as Cicroseth of a young man's wit and style, which you know better than I, for every new thing must always have more than it needeth, or else it will not wax better and better, but ever decay and be worse and worse. New ale, if it run not over the barrel when it is new toned,

will soon lose his pith and his head afore he be long drawn on, and likewise as that colt, which at the first taking up needeth little breaking and handling, but is fit and gentle enough for the saddle, seldom or never proveth well. Even so that bow, which at the first buying, without any more proof and trimming, is fit and easy to shoot in, shall neither be profitable to last long, nor yet pleasant to shoot well. And therefore, as a young horse, full of courage, with handling and breaking, is brought unto a sure pace and going, so shall a new bow, fresh and quick of cast, by sinking and cutting be brought to a steadfast shooting.

And an easy and gentle bow, when it is new, is not much unlike a soft-spirited boy when he is young, but yet, as of an unruly boy with right handling, proveth oftenest of all a well-ordered man, so of an unfit and stuffish bow, with good trimming, must needs follow always a steadfast shooting-bow. And such a perfect bow which never well deceive a man, except a man deceive it, must be had for that perfect end which you look for in shooting. Philologists said, Well, Toxophilus, I see well you be cunninger in this gear than I,

but put case that I have three or four such good bows, piked and dressed as you now speak of, yet I do remember that many learned men do say that it is easier to get a good thing than to save and keep a good thing. Wherefore, if you can teach me as concerning that point, you have set aside me plentifully as concerning a bow, End of Book 2, Part 2. Book 2, Part 2 of Toxophilus by Roger Asham.

This Librevox recording is in the public domain, recording by Clive Caterall. Toxophilus by Roger Asham, edited by J.A. Giles. Book 2, Part 2. Philolius said, Well, Toxophilae, I see well you be cunninger in this gear than I. but put case that I have three or four such good bows, piked and dressed as you now speak of. Yet do I remember that many learned men do say that it is easier to get a good thing than to save and keep a good thing. Wherefore, if you can teach me as concerning that point, you have satisfied me plentifully as concerning a bow. Toxophilus said,

Truly, it was the next thing I would have come unto, for so the matter lay. When you have brought your bow to such a point as I speak of, then you must have a herden or woollen cloth waxed, wherewith every day you must rub and chafe your bow, to let shine and glitter withal. Which thing shall cause it both to be clean, well-favoured, goodly of colour, and shall also bring, as it were, a crust over it,

that is to say, shall make it everywhere on the outside so slippery and hard that neither any wet or weather can enter to hurt it. nor yet any fret or pinch be able to bite upon it, but that you shall do it great wrong before you break it. This must be done oftentimes, but especially when you come from shooting. Beware also when you shoot of your shaft-heads dagger knives or aglates, lest they raise your bow, a thing, as I said before, both unseemly to look on and also dangerous for threats.

Take heed also of misty and dankish days, which shall hurt a bow more than any rain, for then you must either always rub it, or else leave shooting. Your bow-case, this I did not promise to speak of, because it is without the nature of shooting, or else I should trouble me with other things infinite more, yet seeing as it is a safeguard for the bow, something I will say of it. Your bow-case, I say, if you ride forth, must neither be too wide for your bows, for so shall one clap upon another, and hurt them, nor yet so straight that scarce they can be thrust in, for that would lay them on side and wind them.

A bow-case of leather is not the best, for that is oftentimes moist, which hurteth the bows very much. Therefore I have seen good shooters which would have, for every bow, a seer-case made of woolen cloth. And then you may put three or four of them, so cased, into a leather case, if you will. This woollen case shall both keep them in sunder, and also keep a bow in his full strength that it never give for any weather. At home these woodcases be very good for bows to stand in, but take heed that your bows

stand not too near a stone wall, for that will make him moist and weak, nor yet too near any fire, for that will make him short and brittle. And thus much as concerning the saving and keeping of your bow, now you shall hear what things you must avoid for fear of breaking your bow. A shooter chaneth to break his bow commonly four ways, by the string, by the shaft, by drawing too far, and by frets. By the string, as I said before, when the string is either too short, too long, not surely put on, with one whap or put crooked on, or short.

in sunder with an evil knock, or suffered to tarry overlong on. When the string fails, the bow must needs break, and especially in the middle, because both the ends have nothing to stop them, but whips so far back that the belly must needs violently rise up, the which you shall well perceive in bending of a bow backward. Therefore a bow that followeth the string is less hurt by the breaking of strings. By the shaft a bow is broken, either when it is too short, and so you set it in your bow, when the knock breaks for littleness, when the string slips without the knock for wideness, then you pull it to your ear, and lets it go, which must needs break the shaft at the least,

and put the string and bow all in jeopardy, because the strength of the bow hath nothing in it to stop the violence of it. This kind of breaking is most perilous for the standers-by, for in such a case you will see sometime the end of a bow fly a whole score from a man, and that most commonly, as I have marked off, the upper end of the bow. A bow is drawn too far in two ways, either when you take a longer shaft than your own, or else when you shift your hand too low or too high for shooting far. This way pulleth the back in sunder, and then the bow flyeth in many

pieces. So, when you see a bow broken, having the belly risen up both ways or tone, the string break it. When it is broken in two pieces, in a manner even off, and especially in the upper end, the shaft knock break it. When the back is pulled asunder in many pieces, too far drawing break it. These tokens either always be true or else very seldom miss. The fourth thing that breaketh a bow is frets, which make a bow ready and apt to break by any of the three ways aforesaid. Fretts be in a shaft as well as in a bow, and they be much like a canker, creeping and increasing in those places in a bow which be weaker than other.

For this purpose must your bow be well trimmed and piked of a cunning man, that it may come round in true compass everywhere. For frets, you must beware if your bow have a knot in the back, lest the places which be next it be not allowed strong enough to bear with the knot, or as the strong knot shall fret the weak places next it. Fretts be first little pinches, the which, when you perceive, pike the places about the pinches, to make them somewhat weaker, and as well coming as where it pinched,

and so the pinches shall die, and never increase further into great threats, Fretts begin many times in a pin, for there the good wood is corrupted that it must needs be weak, and because it is weak, therefore it frets. Good bowers, therefore, do raise every pin, and allow it more wood for fear of fretting. Again, bows most commonly fret under the hand, not so much as some men suppose for the moisture of the hand as for the heat of the hand. The nature of heat, said Aristotle, is to loose and not to knit fast. And the more looser, the more weaker, for more weaker, the readier to fret. A bow is not well made, which hath not wood plenty in the hand.

For if the ends of the bow be stourish, or a man's hand anything hot, the belly must need soon fret. Remedy for frets to any purpose I never heard tell of any, but only to make the fretted place as strong or stronger than any other. To fill up the fret with little shivers of a quill and glue, as some say will do well, by reason must be stark gnawed. For put the case the fret did cease then, yet the cause which made it fret are for, that is weakness of the place,

because it has not taken away, must needs make it fret again. As for cutting out of frets, with all manner of piecing of bows, I will clean exclude from perfect shooting. For pieced bows be much like old houses, which be more chargeable to repair than commodious to dwell in. And again, to swaddle a bow much about with bands

very seldom doth any good, except it be to keep down a spell in the back. Otherwise bands either need not, when the bow is anything worth, or else boot not, when it is marred and past best. And although I know mean and poor shooters, will use pieced and banded bows sometime because they are not able to get better when they would, yet I am sure if they consider it well,

they shall find it both less charge and more pleasure to bestow at any time a couple of shillings of a new bow than to bestow ten pence of piecing an old bow. For better is cost upon something worth than expense upon nothing worth. And this, I speak also, because you would have me refer to all perfectness in shooting. Moreover, there is another thing which will soon cause a bow to be broken by one of these three ways which be first spoken of, and that is shooting in winter where there is any frost.

Frost is whereshoever is any waterish humour, as is in all woods, either more or less, and you know that all things frozen and icy will rather break than bend. Yet, if a man must needs shoot at any such time, let him take his bow and bring it to the fire, and there, by little and little, rub and chafe it with a waxed cloth, which will bring it to that point that he may shoot safely enough in it. This rubbing with wax, as I said before, is a great sucker against all wet and moistures. In the fields also, in going betwixt the bricks, either with your hand or else with a cloth, you must keep your bow in such a temper. And thus much as concerning your bow, first to know what wood is best for a bow, then to choose a bow, after to trim a bow, again to keep it in goodness. Last of all, how to save it from all harm and evilness.

And although many men can say more of a bow, yet I trust these things be true and almost sufficient for the knowledge of a perfect bow." Philologist said, surely I believe so, and yet I could have heard you talk longer on it, although I cannot see what may be said more of it. Therefore, except you will pause a while, you may go forth to a shaft." said, what shafts were made of in old time, authors do not so manifestly show as of bows. Herodotus doth tell that in the flood of Nylas there was a beast called a water horse, of whose skin, after it was dried, the Egyptians made shafts and darts on.

The tree called Cornus was so common to make shafts of, that in good authors of the Latin tongue, Cornus is taken for a shaft, as in Seneca and that place of Virgil, Volet Italacornus, Yet of all things that ever I marked of old authors, either Greek or Latin, for shafts to be made of, there is nothing so common as reeds. Herodotus, in describing the mighty host of Xerxes, doth tell that three great countries used shafts made of a reed, the Ethiopians, the Lyceans, whose shafts lacked feathers, whereat I marvel most of all, and the men of Indy. The shafts of Indy were very long, yod and a half as I amethers.

Arianeus doth say, or in the least a yard, as Q Curtius doth say, and therefore they gave the greater stripe. But yet, because they were so long, they were the more unhandsome and less profitable to men of Indy, as Curtis doth tell. In Crete and Italy, they used to have their shafts of reed also. The best reed for shafts grew in Indy, and in Rhenus, a flood of Italy. But because such shafts been either easy for Englishmen to get, and if they were gotten, scarce profitable for them to use, I will let them pass, and speak of those shafts which Englishmen at this day most commonly do approve and allow. A shaft hath three principal parts, the steely, the feathers and the head, whereof everyone must be severally spoken of. Stilies be made of divers woods as Brazil, service

tree, turkey wood, alder, fustic, blackthorn, sugar chest, beach, hard beam, elder, birch, asp, ash, sallow and oak. These woods, as they be most commonly used, so they be most fit to be used. Yet some one fit at another for divers men's shooting, as should be told afterward. And in this point, as in a bow, you must trust an honest Fletcher. Nevertheless, although I cannot teach you to make a bow or a shaft, which belongeth to a boya and a Fletcher to come to their living, yet will I show you some to-o-ckelers-lawful, to know a bow and a shaft, which pertaineth to an archer to come to a good shooting. A steely must be well seasoned for casting, and it must be made as the grain lieth,

and as it groweth, or else it will never fly clean, as cloth cut overthwart and against the wool can never hose a man clean. A knotty steely may be suffered in a big shaft, but for a little shaft it is nothing fit, both because it will never fly far, and besides that it is ever in danger of breaking, it flyeth not far because the strength of a chute is hindered and stopped at the knot. Even as a stone cast into a plain, even still water will make the water move a great space. Yet, if there be any whirling plat in the water, the moving ceaseth when it cometh at the whirling plat, which is not much unlike a knot in the shaft, if it be considered well. So everything as it is plain and straight of his

own nature, so is it fittest for far moving. Therefore, a steely which is hard to stand in a bow without knot, and straight, I mean not artificially straight as the Fletcher doth make it, but naturally straight as it groweth in the wood, is best to make shaft of, either to go clean, fly far, or stand surely in any weather. Now how big, how small, how heavy, how light, how long, how short a shaft should be particularly for every man, seeing we must talk of the general nature of shooting, cannot be told. No more than you rhetoricians can appoint any one kind of words of sentences of figures fit for every matter. But even as the man and the matter requireth, so the fit is to be used. Therefore, as concerning those contraries in a shaft,

every man must avoid them and draw to the mean of them, which mean is best in all things. Yet, if a man happened to offend in any of the extremes, it is better to offend in want and scantness than in too much and outrageous exceeding. As it is better to have a shaft a little too short than over long, somewhat too light than over lumpish, a little too small than a great deal too big. Which thing is not only truly set in shooting, but in all of the short. all other things that ever man goeth about, as in eating, talking, and all other things like, which matter was once excellently disputed upon in the schools you know when.

And to offend in these contraries come with much, if men take not heed, through the kind of wood whereof the shaft is made. For some wood belongs to the exceeding part, some to the scant part, some to the mean, as Brazil, turkey-wood, fustic, sugar-chest and such, like, make dead heavy, lumpish hobbling shafts. Again, alder, blackthorn, servistry, beech, elder, asp, and sallow, either for their weakness or lightness, make hollow starting, studding gadding shafts. But birch, hardbeam, some oak and some ash, being both strong enough to stand in a bow, and also light enough to fly far, a best for a mean, which is to be be sought out in everything. And although I know that some men shoot so strong that the dead woods

be light enough for them, and others some so weak that the loose woods be likewise for them big enough, yet generally, for the most part of men, the mean is the best. And so to conclude, that is always best for a man which is meatest for him. Thus no wood of his own nature is either too light or too heavy, but as the shooter is himself which doth you. use it. For that shaft which one year for a man is too light and scudding, for the self-same man the next year may chance to be heavy and hobbling. Therefore cannot I express, except generally, which is the best wood for a shaft, but let every man, when he knoweth his own strength and the nature of every wood, provide and fit himself thereafter. Yet as concerning sheaf arrows

for war, as I suppose, it were better to make them of good ash and not of Asp, as they be nowadays. For of all other woods that ever I proved, ash being big is swiftest, and again heavy to give the greatest stripe withal, which Asp shall not do. What heaviness doth in a stripe, every man by experience can tell. Therefore ash being both swifter and heavier, is more fit for she-f arrows than Asp, and thus much for the best wood for shafts. Again, likewise, as no one wood can be greatly meet for all kinds of shafts, no more can one fashion of the steely be fit for every shooter. For those that be little-breasted and big towards the head, called by their likeness, taper fashion, resh-grown, and of some merry

fellows, bob-tails, be fit for them which shoot underhand, because they shoot with a soft loose, and stresses not a shaft much in the breast where the weight of the bow lieth, as he may perceive by the wearing of every shaft. Again, the big breasted shaft is fit for him which shooteth right afore him, or else the breast being weak should never withstand that strong pithy kind of shooting. Thus the underhand must have a small breast to go clean away out of the bow, the forehand must have a big breast to bear the great might of the bow. The shaft must be made round, nothing flat, without gall or wham for this purpose.

For because roundness, whether you take example in heaven or in earth, is fittest shape and form both for fast shooting and also for soon piercing of anything, and therefore Aristotle said that nature hath made the rain to be round, because it should the easier enter through the air. The knock of the shaft is diversely made, for some be great and full, some handsome and little, some wide, some narrow, some deep, some shallow, some round, some long, some with one knock, and some with a double knock. Whereof, every one hath his property. The great and full knock may be well felt, and many ways they save a shaft from breaking. The handsome and little knock will go clean away from the hand. The wide knock is nought,

both for breaking of the shaft and also for sudden slipping out of the string when the narrow knock doth avoid both these harms. The deep and long knock is good in war for sure keeping in of the string. The shallow and round knock is best for our purpose in pricking, for clean deliverance of a shoot. And double knocking is used for double surety of the shaft, and thus far as concerning the whole steely. Pacing of a shaft with Brazil and holly.

or rather heavy woods, is to make the end compass heavy with the feathers in flying for the steadfaster shooting. For if the end were plump heavy with lead, and the wood next it light, the head end would ever be downwards and never fly straight. Two points in piecing be enough, lest the moisteness of the earth entered too much into the piecing, and so loose the glue. Therefore many points be more pleasant to the eye than profitable for the use. Some used to piece their shafts in the knock with Brazil or holly to counterweight with the head, and I have seen some, for the same purpose, bore a hole little beneath the knock, and put lead in it. But yet none of these ways be anything needful at all. For the nature of a feather in flying, if a man mark it well,

is able to bear up a wonderful weight. And I think such piecing came up first thus, when a good Archer hath broken a good shaft in the feathers, and for the fantasy he hath had to it, he is loath to lose it, and therefore doth he piece it. And then, by and by, other, either because it is gay, or else because they will have a shaft like a good archer, cutteth their whole shouts, and peaceth them again, a thing, by my judgment, more costly than needful. And thus have you heard what wood, what fashion, what knocking, what piecing, a steely must have. have. Now followeth the feathering. Philologists said, I would never have thought you could have said half so much of a steely, and yet I think as concerning the little feather and the plain head,

there is but little to say. Toxophilus said, little, yes, truly, for there is no one thing in all shooting so much to be looked on as the feather. For, first a question may be asked, whether any other thing beside a feather be fit for a shaft or no. If a feather only be fit, whether a goose feather only or no. If a goose feather be best, then whether there be any difference as concerning the feather of an old goose and a young goose. A gander or a goose. A fanny goose or an uplandish goose.

Again, which is best feather in any goose, the right wing or the left wing, the pinion feather or any other feather? A white, black or grey feather. Thirdly, in setting on of your feather, whether it is paired or drawn with a thick rib or a thin rib, the rib is the hard quill which divided the feather. A long feather better or a short. Set on near the knock, or far from the knock, set on straight or somewhat bowing, and whether one or two feathers run on the bow.

In cauling or shearing, whether high or low, with a somewhat swine-backed, I must use shooter's words, or saddle-backed, with a round or square shorn, and whether a shaft at any time ought to be plucked, and how to be plucked. End of Book 2, Part 2. Book 2 Part 3 of Toxophilus by Roger Asham, edited by J. A. Giles. This Librevox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Clive Caterall Toxophilus by Roger Asham

Book 2, Part 3 Philologists said, Surely Toxophilae, I think many Fletches, although daily they have these things in use, if they were asked suddenly, what would they say of a feather? They could not say so much. But I pray you,

let me hear you more at large express those things in a feather the which you packed up in so narrow a room. And first, whether any other thing may be used for a feather or not. Toxophila said, That was the first point, indeed. And because there followeth many after, I will higher pace over them,

as one that had many a mile to ride. Shafts to have had always feathers, Pliny in Latin and Julius Pollux in Greek, do plainly show. Yet only the Lyceans I read in Herodotus, to have used shafts without feathers. Only a feather is fit for a shaft for two causes. First, because it is leath, weak to give place to the bow,

then because it is of that nature that it will start up after the bow. So plate, wood or horn cannot serve because they will not give place. Again, cloth, paper or parchment cannot serve because they will not rise after the bow. Therefore, a feather is only meat, because it only will do both. Now, to look on the feathers of all manner of birds, you shall see some so low, weak, and short, some so coarse, sture and hard, and the ribs so brickle, thin, and narrow, that it can neither be drawn, paired, nor yet will set on, that except it be a swan for a dead shaft,

as I know some good archers have used, or a duck for a flight, which lasts but one shot. There is no feather but only of a goose that hath all commodities in it. And truly, at a short butt, which someone doth use, the peacock feather does seldom keep up the shaft, either right or level, it is so rough and heavy, so that many men which have taken them up for gainers, hath laid them down again for profit. Thus, for our purpose, the goose is the best feather for the best shooter." Philologist said, No, that is not so, for the best shooter that ever was used other feathers. Toxophilus said,

Yay, are you so cunning in shooting? I pray you, who was that? Philologist said, Hercules, which had his shafts feathered with eagle's feathers, as is so dearest, I say. Toxophilus said, well, as for Hercules, seeing neither water nor land, heaven nor hell, could scarce content him to abide in, it was no marvel, though a silly poor goose feather

could not please him to shoot with all. And again, as for eagles, they fly so high and build so far off that they'd be very hard to come by. Yet welfare the gentle goose, which bringeth to a man, even to his door, so many exceeding commodities. For the goose is man's comfort in war and in peace,

sleeping and waking. What praise soever is given, to shooting, the goose may challenge the best part in it. How well doth she make a man fair at his table? How easily does she make a man lie in his bed? How fit, even as her feathers be only for shooting, so be her quills fit only for writing." Philologist said, Indeed, Toxophilae, that is the best praise you gave to a goose yet. And surely I would have said you had been to blame if you had over-skipped it. Toxophilus said, The Romans, I try of philology.

not so much because a goose with crying saved their capital and headtower with their golden Jupiter, as Propertius doth say very prettily in this verse, and Ceres et tutum voce fuse yeovem, id est. Thieves on a knight had stolen Jupiter, had a goose not cackled. Did make a golden goose and set her in atop of the capitolium, and appointed also the censors to allow out of the common hutch yearly stipends for the finding of certain geese? The Romans did not, I say, give all this honour to a goose for that good deed only, but for other infinite more, which come daily to a man by geese. And surely, if I should declaim in the praise

of any manner of beast living, I would choose a goose. But the goose hath made us flee too far from our matter. Now, sir, you have heard how a feather must be had, that a goose feather only, it followeth of a young goose and an old, and the residue belongeth to a feather. Which thing I will shortly course over, whereof, when you know the properties, you may fit your shafts according to your shooting. Which rule you must observe in all other things, too, because no one fashion or quantity can be fit for every man, no more than a shoe or a coat can be.

The old goose feather is stiff and strong, good for a wind and fittest for a dead shaft. The young goose feather is weak and fine, best for a swift shaft, and it must be culled at the first shearing somewhat high, for with shooting it will settle and fall very much. The same thing, although not so much, is to be considered in a goose and a gander. A fennie goose, even as her flesh is blacker, stura, unwholesomeer, so is her feather, for the same cause, coarser, stura, and rougher. and therefore I have heard very good Fletches say that the second feather in some place is better than the pinion in other sum. And betwixt the wings is little difference, but that you must have divers shafts of one flight

feathered with divers wings, for divers winds, for if the wind and feather go both one way, the shaft will be carried too much. The pinion feathers, as it hath the first place in the wing, so it hath the first place in the wing, so it hath the first place in good feathering. You may know it before it be paired by a bought which is in it, and again when it is cold by the thinness above and the thickness at the ground, and also by the stiffness and fineness, which will carry a shaft better, faster, and further,

even as a fine sailcloth of the ship. The colour of the feather is least to be regarded, yet somewhat to be looked on. For a good white you have sometimes an ill grey. yet surely it standeth with good reason to have the cock-feather black or grey, as it were to give a man warning to knock right. The cock-feather is called that which standeth above in right knocking, which, if you do not observe, the other feathers must needs run on the bow, and so mar your shot. And thus far of the goodness and choice of your feather, now followeth the setting on. wherein you must look that your feathers be not drawn for hastiness, but paired even and straight with diligence.

The Fletcher draws the feather when it hath but one swap, as it were, with his knife, and then planeth it a little with rubbing it over his knife. He pareth it when he taketh leisure, and heed to make every part of the rib apt to stand straight and even upon the steely. This thing, if a man take not heed on, he may chance have caused to say so of his Fletcher, as in dressing of meat is commonly said of cooks, and that is that God send us a good feathers, but the devil naughty fletches. If any Fletchers heard me say thus,

they would not be angry with me, except they were ill-fletches. And yet, by reason, those Fletchers too ought rather to amend themselves for doing ill than be angry with me for saying truth. The rib in a stiff feather may be thinner, for so it will stand cleaner on, but in a weak feather you must leave a thicker rib,

or else if the rib, which is the foundation and ground, wherein nature hath set every cleft of the feather, be taken too near the feather. It must needs follow that the feather shall fall and droop down, even as any herb doth which hath his root too near taken on with a spade. The length and shortness of the feather serveth for divers shouts, as a long feather for a long, heavy or big shaft,

the short feather for the contrary. Again the short may stand farther, the longer nearer the knock. Your feather must stand almost straight on, but yet after that sort which it may turn round in flying. And here reconsider the wonderful nature of shooting, which standeth altogether by that fashion which is most apt for quick moving, and that is by roundness. For first the bow must be gathered round,

In drawing it must come round compass, the string must be round, the steely must be round, the best knock round, the feather shorn somewhat round, the shaft in flying must turn round, and if it fly far, it flyeth a round compass, for either above or beneath a round compass hindereth in flying. Moreover, both the Fletcher in making your shaft, and you in knocking your shaft, must take heed that two feathers equally run on the bow, for if one feather alone run on the bow, it shall quickly be worn, and should not be able to match the other feathers, and again at the loose, if the shaft be light, it will start, if it be heavy, it will hobble, and thus as concerning

setting on of your feather. Now of cowling. To shear a shaft high or low must be as the shaft is, heavier light, great or little, long or short. The swine-backed fashion makeeth the shaft deader, for it gathereth more air than the saddle-backed, and therefore the saddle-back is surer for danger of weather, and fitter for smooth flying. Again, to shear a shaft round, as they will want sometimes to do, or after the triangle fashion, which is much used nowadays, both be good. For roundness is apt for flying of his own nature, and all manner of triangle fashion, the sharp point going before, is also naturally apt for quick entering. And therefore, said Cicero, that cranes, taught by nature, observe in flying a triangle

fashion always, because it is so apt to pierce and go through the air withal. Last of all, plucking of feathers is naught, for there is no surety in it. Therefore let every archer have such shafts that he may both know them and trust them at every change of weather. Yet if they must needs be plucked, pluck them as little as can be, for so shall they be the less unconstant. And thus I have knit up in a shorter room as I could the best feathers, feathering, and cowling of a shaft."

Philologist said, I think surely you have so taken up the matter with you that you have left nothing behind you. Now you have brought a shaft to the head, which, if it were on, we had done us concerning all instruments belonging to shooting. Toxophilus said, Necessity, the inventor of all goodness, as all authors in a manner do say, amongst all other things made it of strong matter to last better. Last of all invented a shaft head, first save the end from breaking, then it made it sharp to stick better. After, it made it of strong matter to last better. Last of all, experience and wisdom of men hath brought it to such a perfectness that there is no one thing so profitable belonging to artillery, either to strike a man's enemy soarer in war, or to shoot nearer the

mark at home, than as a fit head for both purposes. For if a shaft like a head, it is worth nothing for neither use. Therefore, seeing heads be so necessary, they must have necessity be well looked upon. Heads for war of long time hath been made not only of divers matters, but also of divers fashions. The Trojans had heads of iron, as this verse spoken of Pandarus showeth. Up to the pap, his string did he pull, his shaft to the hard iron. The Grecians had heads of brass, as Ulysses shafts were headed when he slew Antoninus and the other wooers of Penelope. Quite through a door flew a shaft with a brass head. It is plain in Homer when Menelaus was wounded of Pandarus's shafts, the heads were not

glued on, but tied on with a string, as the commentaries in Greek plainly tell. And therefore shooters at that time used to carry their shafts without heads until they occupied them, and then set on a hat. As it appeared in Homer, the 21st Book of Odyssey, where Penelope brought Ulysses bow down amongst the gentleman which had come on wooing to her, that he which was able to bend it and draw it might enjoy her. And after her followed a maid, said Homer, carrying a bag full of heads, both of iron and brass. The men of Scythia used heads of brass, the men of Indy used heads of iron. The Ethiopians used heads of a sharp, hard stone,

as both Herodotus and Pollux do tell. The Germans, as Cornelius Tacitus doth say, had their shafts headed with bone, and many countries, both of old time and now, use heads of horn. But, of all other, iron and steel must needs be the fittest for heads. Julius Pollux calleth otherwise than we do,

where the feathers be the head, and that which we call the head, he calleth the point. Fashion of heads is divers, and that of old time, two manner of arrowheads, Seth Pollux, was used in old time. The one he called Okinos, describing it thus, having two points or barbs, looking backward to the steely and the feathers, which surely we call in English a broad arrowhead or a swallow-tail. The other he called Glockis, having two points sort of. stretching forward, and this Englishmen do call a fork head. Both these two kinds of heads were used in Homer's days, for Tusa used forked heads, saying thus to Agamemnon, eight good shafts have I shot sithi came, each one with a fork head. Pandarus heads and Ulysses heads were broad arrowheads,

as a man may learn in Homer that would be curious in knowing that matter. Hercules used forked heads, but yet they had three points or forks, when other men's had but two. The Parthians, at that great battle where they slew Rich Crassus and his son, used broad arrowheads, which struck so sore that the Romans could not pull them out again. Commodus, the emperor, used forked heads, whose fashion Herodian doth lively and naturally describe, saying that they were like the shape of a new moon, wherewith he would smite off the head of a bird and never miss. Other fashion of heads have I not read on. Our English heads be better in war than either forked heads or broad arrowheads.

For first, the end being lighter, they flay a great deal the faster, and by the same reason giveeth a far sore a stripe. Yay, and I suppose if the same little barbs which they have were clean put away, there should be far better. For this every man doth grant that a shaft, as long as it flyeth, turns, and when it leaveth turning, it leaveth going any further. And everything that enters by a turning and boring fashion, the more flatter it is, the worse it enters.

As a knife, though it be sharp, yet because of the edges, will not bore so well as a bodkin, for every round thing enters best, and therefore nature, said Aristotle, made the raindrops round for quick piercing the air. Thus either shafts turn not in flying, or else our flat arrowheads stop the shaft in entering. Philologists said,

But yet, Toxophily, to hold your communication a little, I suppose the flat head is better, both because it maketh a greater hole and because it sticks faster in. Toxophila said, These two reasons, as they be both true, so they be both nought. For first, the less hole, if it be deep,

is the worst to heal again. When a man shooteth at his enemy, he desireth rather that it should enter far than stick fast. For what remedy is it, I pray you, for him which is smitten with a deep wound, to pull out the shaft quickly, except it be to haste his death speedily. Thus heads which make a little hole and deep

be better in war than those which make a great hole and stick fast in. Julius Pollux maketh mention of certain kinds of heads for war, which bear fire in them, and scripture also speaketh somewhat of the same. Herodotus doth tell a wonderful policy to be done by Xerxes, what time he besieged the great tower in Athens. He made his archers bind their shaft heads about with towel, and then set it on fire and shoot them. Which thing done by many archers set all the places on fire which were of matter to burn? and besides that, dazed the men within, so that they knew not whether to turn them.

But to make an end of all heads of war, I would wish that the head-makers of England should make their sheaf- arrow-heads more harder pointed than they be, for I myself have seen of late such heads set upon sheaf-arrows as the officers, if they had seen them, would not have been content with all. Now, as concerning heads for pricking, which is our purpose, there be divers kind, Some be blunt heads, some sharp, some both blunt and sharp. The blunt heads men use because they perceive them to be good to keep a length with all. They keep a good length because a man pulleth them no further at one time than at another, for in feeling the plump end always equally, he may lose them.

Yet in a wind and against the wind, the weather hath so much power on the broad end that no man can keep no sure length with such a head. Therefore, a blunt head in a calm or down a wind is very good, otherwise none worse. Sharp heads at the end, without any shoulders, I call that the shoulder in a head which a man's finger shall feel afore it comes to the point. We'll perch quickly through the wind, yet it hath two discommodities, the one that it will keep no length. It keepeth no because no man can pull it certainly as far one time as at another. It is not drawn certainly so far one time as at another because it lacketh shouldering, wherewith, as with a sure token, a man might be warned when to loose. And also because men are afraid of the sharp point

for setting it in the bow. The second in commodity is, when it is lighted on the ground, the small point shall at every time be in jeopardy of hurting which thing of all other will soonest make the shaft lose the length. Now, when blunt heads be good to keep a length with all, yet naught for a wind, sharp heads good to perch the weather with all, yet naught for a length, certain headmakers dwelling in London, perceiving the commodity of both kind of heads joined with a discommodity, invented new files and other instruments wherewith they brought heads for pricking to such a perfectness that all the commodities of the two heads should be put in one head

without any discommodity at all. They made a certain kind of heads which men call high-rigged, creased, or shouldered heads, or silver-spoon heads, for a certain likeness that such heads have with the knob-end of some silver spoons. These heads be good both to keep a length with all and also to perch a wind with all.

To keep a length with all because a man may certainly pull it to the shouldering every shoot and no further, to perch a wind withal, because the point, from the shoulder forward, breaketh the weather, as all other sharp things do. So the blunt shoulder serveth for a sure length-keeping, the point also is ever fit for a rough and greater weather-piercing, and thus much as shortly as I could as concerning heads both for war and peace. Philologists said

That there is no cunning as concerning setting on of the head Toxophilus said, well remembered But that point belongeth to Fletches Yet you may desire him to set your head full on and close on Full on is when the wood is beat hard up to the end Or stopping of the head Close on is where there is left wood on every side The shaft enough to fill up the head with all

Or when it is neither too little nor yet too great. If there be any fault in any of these points, the head, when it lighteth on any hard stone or ground, will be in jeopardy either of breaking or else otherwise hurting. Stopping of heads, either with lead or anything, shall not need now, because every silver spoon or shouldered head is stopped itself. Short heads be better than long. For the first, the long head is worse for the maker to file straight compass every way,

Again, it is worse for the Fletcher to set straight on. Thirdly, it is always in more jeopardy of breaking when it is on. And now, I trow, philology, we have done as concerning all instruments belonging to shooting, which every sear-archer ought to provide for himself. And there remaineth two things behind which be general or common to every man, the weather and the mark. But because they be so knit with shooting straight or keeping of a length, I will defer them to that place.

and now we will come, God willing, to handle our instruments, the thing that every man desireth to do well. Philologists said, If you teach me so well to handle these instruments as you have described them, I suppose I shall be an archer good enough. Toxophilus said, To learn anything, as you know better than I, Philology, and specially to do a thing with a man's hands,

must be done if a man would be excellent in his youth. young trees in gardens which lack all senses and beasts without reason when they be young may with handling and teaching be brought to wonderful things. And this is not only true in natural things, but in artificial things too, as the potter most cunningly doth cast his pots when his clay is soft and workable, and wax taketh print when it is warm and leathy, weak, not when clay and wax be hard and old. and even so every man in his youth, both with wit and body, is most apt and pliable to receive any cunning that should be taught him. This communication of teaching youth maketh me remember the right worshipful and my singular good master,

Sir Humphrey Wingfield, to whom, next God, I ought to refer, for his manifold benefits bestowed on me the poor talent of learning, which God hath lent me. And for his sake do I owe my service to all other, of the name and noble house of the wingfields, both in word and deed. This worshipful man hath ever loved and used to have many children brought up in learning in his house, amongst whom I myself was one, for whom, at term times he would bring down from

London both bow and shafts, and when they should play, he would go with them himself into the field, and see them should, and he that shot fairest would have the best bow and shafts, and he that shot ill-favouredly should be mocked of his fellows till he shot better. Would to God all England had used, or would use, to lay the foundation after the example of this worshipful man in bringing up children in the book and the bow, by which two things the whole Commonwealth, both in peace and war, is chiefly ruled and defended with all.

But to our purpose, he that must come to this high perfectness in shooting which we speak of, must needs begin to learn it in his youth. The emitting of which thing in England both makeeth few shooters, and also every man that is a shooter, shoot worse than he might if he were taught. Philologists said, even as I know that this is true which you say, even so, Toxophilae, have you quite discouraged me, and draw my mind clean from shooting? Seeing by this reason no man that hath not used it in his youth can be excellent in it. And I suppose the same reason would discourage many other more, if they heard you talk after this sort."

Toxophilus said, This thing, philology, shall discourage no man that is wise, for I will prove that wisdom may work the same thing in a man that nature doth in a child. A child, by three things, is brought to excellency, by aptness, desire, and fear. Aptness maketh him pliable like wax to be formed and fashioned, even as a man will have him. Desire to be as good or better than his fellows, and fear of them whom he is under will cause him to take great labour and pain, with diligent heed in learning anything, whereof proceedeth at the last, excellency and perfectness. A man may, by wisdom in learning anything,

and specially to shoot, have three like commodities also, whereby he may, as it were, become young again, and so attain to excellency. For, as a child is apt by natural youth, so a man by using, at the first, weak bows, far underneath his strength, shall be as pliable and ready to be taught fair shooting as any child, and daily use of the same shall both keep him in fair shooting, and also, at the last, bring him to strong shooting. And instead of the fervent desire which provoketh a child to be better than his fellow, let a man be as much stirred up with shamefacedness to be worse than all other. And the same place that fear hath in a child to compel him to take pain, the same hath love of shooting in a man, to cause him forsake

no labour, without which no man nor child can be excellent. And thus whatsoever a child may be taught by aptness, desire and fear, the same thing in shooting may a man be taught by weak bows, shamefacedness, and love. And hereby you may see that this is true which Cicero saith, that a man, by use, may be brought to a new nature. And this I dare be bold to say that any man which will wisely begin and constantly persevere in this trade of learning to shoot shall attain to perfectness therein. Philologist said, this communication, Toxophilae doth please me very well. And now I perceive, that most generally and chiefly youth must be taught to shoot, and secondarily no man is debarred

therefrom except it be more through his own negligence, because he will not learn than any disability because he cannot learn. Therefore, seeing I will be glad to follow your counsel in choosing my bow and other instruments, and also am ashamed that I can shoot no better than I can. Moreover, having such a love toward shooting, by your good reasons today, that I will forsake no labour in the exercise of the same, I beseech you imagine that we had both bow and shafts here, and teach me how I should handle them, and one thing I desire you, make me as fair an archer as you can. For this I am sure, in learning all other matters, nothing is brought to the most profitable use,

which is not handled after the most comely fashion. As master's offence have no stroke fit, either to hit another, or ask to defend himself which is not joined with a wonderful comeliness. A cook cannot chop his herbs, neither quickly nor handsomely, except he keeps such a measure with his chopping knives as would delight a man both to see him and hear him.

Every handcraftsman that works best for his own profit works most seemly to other man's sight. again in building a house, in making a ship, every part the more handsomely they be joined for profit and last, the more comely they be fashioned to every man's sight and eye. Nature itself taught men to join always well-favouredness with profitability. As in a man, that joint or peace which is by chance deprived of his comeliness, the same is also debarred of his use and profitability. And he that is goggle-eyed and looks a squint, hath both his countenance clean marred,

And his sight sore blemished, And so in all other members like. Moreover, what time of the year bringeth most profit with it for man's use, The same also covereth, and decketh both earth and trees, With most commonness for man's pleasure. And that time which taketh away the pleasure of the ground carryeth with him, also the profit of the ground, as every man by experience knoweth in hard and rough winters. Some things there be which have no other end but only comeliness, as painting and dancing. And virtue itself is nothing else but comeliness, as all philosophers to agree in opinion.

Therefore, seeing that which is best done in any matters is always most comely done, as both Plato and Cicero in many places do prove, and daily, experienced doth teach in other things, I pray you, as I said before, teach me to shoot as fair, well-favouredly as you can imagine. End of Book 2, Part 3. Book 2 Part 4 of Toxophilus by Roger Asham, edited by J.A. Giles. This Librevox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Clive Caterall. Toxophilus by Roger Asham, Book 2, Part 4.

Toxophilus said, "'Truly, philology, as you prove very well in other matters, the best shooting is always the most comely shooting. But this you know as well as I, that Crassus showeth in Cicero, that as cummliness is the chief point, and must be sought for in all things, so comeliness only can never be taught in any art or craft,

but may be perceived well when it is done, not described how it should be done. Yet, nevertheless, to come to it, there be many ways, which wise men have assayed in other matters, as if a man would follow in learning to shoot fair the noble painter Zyuxes in painting Helena, which, to make his image beautiful, did choose out five of the fairest maids in all the country about, and in beholding them conceived and drew out such an image that it far exceeded all other, because the comeliness of them all was brought into one most perfect comeliness. So likewise in shooting,

If a man would set before his eyes five or six of the fairest archers that ever he saw shoot, and of one learned to stand, of another to draw, of another to loose, and so take of every man what every man could do best, I dare say he should come to such a comeliness as never man came to yet. As for an example, if the most comely point in shooting that Hugh Prophet the king's servant hath, and as my friends Thomas and Ralph Cantrell doth use, with the most seemly fashions, that three or four excellent arches have beside, were all joined in one, I am sure all men would wonder at the excellency of it.

And this is one way to learn to shoot fair. Philologist said, this is very well, truly, but I pray you teach me somewhat of shooting fair yourself. Toxophilus said, I can teach you to shoot fair, even as Socrates taught a man once to know God, for when he asked him what was God? "'Nay,' said he, "'I can tell you better what God is not. "'As God is not ill, God is unspeakable, unsearchable, and so forth. "'Even likewise can I say of fair shooting,

"'it hath not this discommodity with it, nor that discommodity. "'And at last a man may so shift all the discommodities from shooting "'that shall be left nothing behind but fair shooting.' "'And to do this the better, you must remember how that I told you "'when I described generally the whole nature of shooting, that fair shooting comes from these things of standing, knocking, drawing, holding, and loosing. The which I will go over as shortly as I can, describing the discommodities that men commonly use in all parts of their bodies, that you, if you fault in any such, may know it, and so go

about to amend it. Faults in arches do exceed the number of arches which come to use of shooting without teaching. and custom, separated from knowledge and learning, doth not only hurt shooting, but the most weighty things in the world beside. And therefore I marvel much at those people which be the maintainers of uses without knowledge, having no other word in their mouth but this, use, use, custom, custom. Such men, more willful than wise, besides other discommodities, take all place and occasion from all amendment. And to this I speak generally of use and custom. Which thing, if a learned man had it in hand that would apply it to any one matter, he might

handle it wonderfully. But as for shooting, use is the only cause of all faults in it, and therefore children more easily and sooner may be taught to shoot excellently than men, because children may be taught to shoot well at the first. Men have more pain to unlearn their ill uses than they have labour afterward to come to good shooting. All the discommodities which ill custom hath graft in archers can I be quickly pulled out, nor yet soon reckoned of me there be so many.

Some shooteth his head forward, as though he would bite the mark. Another stareth with his eyes, as though they would fly out. Another winketh one eye, and looketh with the other. Some make a face with writhing their mouth and countenance, so as they were doing, you want what? Another blareth out his tongue, another biteth his lips, another holdeth his neck awry. In drawing some fit such a compass as though the would turn about and bless all the field. Others heave their hand now up, now down, that a man

cannot discern whereat they would shoot. Another waggeth the upper end of his bow one way, the nether end, another way. Another will stand pointing his shaft at the mark a good while, and by and by he will give him a whip, and away or a man with it. Another maketh such a wrestling with his gear as though he were able to shoot no more as long as he lived. Another draweth softly to the midst, and by and by it is gone. He cannot know how. Another draweth his shaft low at the breast, as though he would shoot at a roving mark, and by and by he lifted his arm up, prick height. Another maketh a wrenching with his back, as though a man pinched him behind. Another cowereth down, and layeth out his buttocks as though

he would shoot at crows. Another seteth forth his left leg and draweth back with head and shoulders, as though he pulled at a rope, or else were afraid of the mark. Another draweth his shaft well, until within two fingers of the head, and then he stayeth a little to look at his mark, and that done pulleth it up to the head and loosedeth. Which way, although some excellent arches do use, yet surely it is a fault, and a good men's faults are not to be followed. Some men draw too far, some too short, some too slowly and some too quickly, some hold over long, some let go over soon, some set their shaft on the ground and fetcheth him upward, another pointed up towards the sky, and so bringeth him downwards.

Once I saw a man which used a bracer on his cheek, or else he had scratched all the skin off the one side of his face with the drawing hand. Another I saw, which, at every shot, after the loose, lifted up his right leg so far that he was ever in jeopardy of falling. Some stamp forward, and some leap backward. All these faults be either in the drawing or at the loose, with many other more which you may easily perceive and so go about to avoid them. Now, afterward, when the shaft is gone, men have many faults which evil custom have brought them to, and especially in crying after the shaft, and speaking words scarce honest for such an honest pastime.

Such words be very tokens of an ill mind, and manifest signs of a man that is subject to immeasurable affections. Good men's ears do abhor them. and an honest man therefore will avoid them. And besides those which must needs have their tongue thus walking, other men use other faults, as some will take their bow and writhe and wrench it to pull in his shaft when it flyeth wide, as if he drove a cart. Some will give two or three strides forward, dancing and hopping after his shaft as long as it flyeth, as though he were a madman. Some which fear to be too far gone run backward, as it were to pull his shaft back.

Another runneth forward when he feareth to be short, heaving after his arms as though he would help his shaft to fly. Another wriths or runneth aside to pull his shaft straight. One lifteth up his heel, and so holdeth his foot still as long as his shaft flyeth. Another casteth his arm backward after the loose, and another swings his bow about him, as it were a man with a shaft to make room in a game place. And many other faults there be, which now come not to my remembrance. Thus, as you have heard, many archers, with marring their face and countenance, with other parts of their body, as it were men that would dance antics, be far from the comely part in shooting, which he that would be excellent must look for.

Of these faults I have very many myself, but I talk not of my shooting, but of the general nature of shooting. Now imagine an archer that is clean without all these faults, and I am sure every man would be delighted to see him shoot. And although such a perfect comeliness cannot be expressed with any preceptive teaching, as Cicero and other learned men do say, yet I will speak, according to my little knowledge, that thing in it which, if you follow, although you shall not be without fault, yet your fault shall neither quickly be perceived,

nor yet greatly rebutte of them that stand by. Standing, knocking, drawing, holding, loosing, done as they should be done, make fair shooting. The first point is, when a man should shoot to take such a footing and standing, as shall be both comely to the eye and profitable to his use, setting his countenance and all the other parts of his body after such a behaviour in port that both all his strength may be employed to his own most advantage, and his shoot made and handle to other men's pleasure and delight.

A man must not go too hastily to it, for that is rashness, nor yet make too much to do about it, for that is curiosity. The one foot must not stand too far from the other lest he stoop too much, which is unseemly, nor yet too near together, lest he stand too straight up, for so a man shall neither use his strength well, nor yet stand steadfastly. The mean betwixt both must be kept, a thing more pleasant to behold when it is done, than easy to be taught how it should be done. To knock well is the easiest point of all, and therein is no cunning, but only diligent heed-giving,

set his shaft neither too high nor too low, but even straight overthwart his bow. Unconstant knocking maketh a man lose his length, and besides that, if the shaft hand be high and the bow hand low, or contrary, both the bows in jeopardy of breaking, and the shaft, if it be little, will start. If it be great, it will hobble. Knock the cock-feather upward, always, as I told you when I described the feather, and be sure always that your strings slip not out of the knock, for then all as in jeopardy of breaking. Drawing well is the best part of shooting. Men in old time used other manner of drawing than we do. They used to draw low at the breast to the right pap, and no further. And this, to be true, is plain in Homer, and he describeth Pandarus shooting. Up to the pap his

string did he pull, his shaft to the hard head. The noble women of Scythia used the same fashion of shooting low at the breast, and because their left pap hindered their shooting at the loose, they cut it off when they were young, and therefore they be called, in lacking their pap, Amazonis. Nowadays, contrary-wise, we draw to the right ear, and not to the pap. Whether the old way in drawing low to the pap, or the new way to draw a loft to the ear be better, an excellent writer in Greek called Procopius doth say his mind, showing that the old-fashioned in drawing to the pap was naught of no piff. and therefore, Seth Procopius, is artillery disbraised in Homer, which call it Otitonon,

i.e. weak, and able to do no good. Drawing to the ear, he praiseseth greatly, whereby men shoot both stronger and longer. Drawing, therefore, to the ear is better than to draw to the breast. And one thing cometh into my remembrance now, philology, when I speak of drawing, that I never read of other kind of shooting than drawing the man's hand either to the breast or ear. This thing have I sought for in Homer, Herodotus and Plutarch, and therefore I marvel how crossbows came up first, of which, I am sure, a man shall find little mention made in any good author. Leo the Emperor would have his soldiers draw quickly in war,

for that maketh a shaft fly a pace. In shooting at the pricks, hasty and quick drawing is neither sure nor yet comely. Therefore to draw easily and uniformly, that is for to say, not wagging your hand now upward, now downward, but always after one fashion, until he come to the rig or shouldering of the head, is best both for profit and seemliness. Holding must not be long, for it both putteth the bow in jeopardy, and also marroth a man's chute. It must be so little that it may be perceived better in a man's mind when it is done, than seen with a man's eyes when it is in doing.

Loosing must be much like, so quick and hard, that it be without all goods, so soft and gentle that the shaft fly not as it was sent out of a bow-case. The mean betwixt both, which is perfect loosing, is not so hard to be followed in shooting as it is to be described in teaching, for clean loosing you must take heed of hitting anything about you. And for the same purpose, Leo the Emperor would have all archers in war to have both their heads polled and their beards shaven, thus the hair of their heads should stop the sight of the eye, and the hair of their beards hinder the course of the string. And these precepts, I am sure, philology, if you follow in standing, knocking, drawing,

holding, and loosing, should bring you at the last to excellent fair shooting. Philologists said, all these things toxophily, although I both now perceive them thoroughly, and also will remember them diligently, yet, tomorrow or some other day, when you have leisure, we will go to the pricks, and put them by little and little in extent. experience. For teaching not followed, doth even as much good as books never looked upon. But now, seeing you have taught me to shoot fair, I pray you to tell me somewhat how I should shoot near, lest that proverb might be said justly of me some time. He shoots like a gentleman, fair, and far off. Toxophilus said, He that can shoot fair lacketh nothing but shooting straight

and keeping of a length, whereof cometh hitting of the mark, the end both of shooting, and also of this are communication. The handling of the weather and the mark, because they belong to shooting straight and keeping of a length, I will join them together, showing what things belong to keeping of a length and what to shooting straight.

The greatest enemy of shooting is the wind and the weather, whereby true keeping a length is chiefly hindered. If this thing were not, men by teaching might be brought to wonderful near shooting. It is no marvel if the little, poor shaft, being sent alone so high into the air, into a great rage of weather, one wind tossing it that way, another this way, it is no marvel, I say, that it lose the length, and miss that place where the shooter had thought to have found it. Greater matters than shooting

are under the rule and will of the weather, as sailing on the sea. And likewise as in sailing, the chief point of a good master is to know the tokens of change of weather, the course of the winds, that thereby he may better come to the haven. Even so the best property of a good shooter is to know the nature of the winds with him and against him, and thereby he may the nearer shoot at his mark. Wise masters, when they cannot win the best haven,

they are glad of the next. Good shooters also, that cannot, when they would hit the mark, will labour to come as nigh as they can. All things in this world be unperfect and unconstant. Therefore let every man acknowledge his own weakness in all matters, great and small, weighty and merry, and glorify him in whom only perfect perfectness is. But now, sir, he that will at all adventures use the seas, knowing no more what is to be done in a tempest than in a calm, shall soon become a merchant of eelskins.

So that shoot to which putteth no difference but shooteth in all alike, in rough weather and fair, shall always put his winnings in his eyes. Little boats and thin boards cannot endure the rage of a tempest. Weak bows and light sharts cannot stand in a rough wind. And likewise as a blind man which should go to a place where he had never been before that hath but one straight way to it, and of either side holes and pits to fall into. Now falleth into this hole, and then into that hole, and never cometh to his journey's end, but wandereth always here and there,

and farther and farther off. So that archer which ignorantly shooteth, Considering neither fair nor foul, Standing nor knocking, Feather nor head, drawing nor loosing, Nor any compass, Shall always shoot short and gone, Wide and far off,

And never come near except perchance He stumble sometimes on the mark. For ignorance is nothing else, But mere blindness. A master of a ship First learneth to know the coming of a tempest, The nature of it, And how to behave himself in it,

either with changing his course, or pulling down his high tops and broad sails, being glad to eschew as much of the weather as he can. Even so, a good archer will first, with diligent use and marking the weather, learn to know the nature of the wind, and with wisdom will measure in his mind how much it will alter his shot, either in length-keeping or else in straight shooting. And so, with changing his standing or taking another shaft, the which he knoweth perfectly to be better for his purpose, either because it is lower feathered, or else because it is of a better wing, will so handle with discretion his shot, that he shall seem rather to have the weather under his rule by good heed-giving than the weather to rule his shaft by any sudden changing.

Therefore, in shooting there is as much difference betwixt an archer that is a good weatherman, and another that knoweth and marketh nothing, as is betwixt a blind man and he that can see. Thus, as concerning the weather, a perfect archer must first learn to know the sure flight of his shouts, that he may be bold always to trust them. Then must he learn by daily experience all manner of kinds of weather, the tokens of it when it will come, the nature of it when it is come, the diversity and altering of it when it changeth, the decrease and diminishing of it when it ceaseth.

Thirdly, these things known, and every shot diligently marked, then must a man compare always the weather and his footing together, and with discretion measure them so that whatsoever the weather shall take away from his shoot, the same shall just footing restore again to his shoot. This thing well known and discreetly handled in shooting bringeth more profit and commendation and praise to an archer than any other thing besides. He that would know perfectly the wind and weather was put differences betwixt times,

for diversity of time causeth diversity of weather, as in the whole year, springtime, summer, fall of the leaf and winter. Likewise, in one day, morning, noontide, afternoon, and even tide, both alter the weather and change a man's bow with the strength of man also. And to know that this is so is enough for a shooter and artillery, not to search the cause why it should be so, which belongeth to a learned man and philosophy. In considering the time of the year, a wise archer will follow a good shipman. In winter and rough weather, small boats and little pinks forsake the seas, and at one time of the year no galleys come abroad. So likewise, weak archers, using small and hollow shards, with bows of Littlepeth, must be

content to give place for a time. And this, I do not say either to discourage any weak shooter, for likewise, as there is no better ship than galleys be in a soft and a calm sea, so no man shooteth cumlia or nearer his mark than some weak archers do in a fair and clear day. Thus every archer must know not only what bow and shaft is fittest for him to shoot with all, but also what time and season is best for him to shoot in. And surely, in all other matters too, among all degrees of men, there is no man which doth anything either more discreetly for his commendation, or yet more profitable for his advantage, than he which will know

perfectly for what matter, and for what time, he is most apt and fit. If men would go about matters which they should do, and be fit for, not such things which willfully they desire, and yet be unfit for, verily, greater matters in the Commonwealth than shooting would be in better case than they be. This ignorance in men which know not for what time and to what thing they be fit causes some wish to be rich for whom it were better a great deal to be poor, other to be meddling in every man's matters for whom it were more honesty to be quiet and still. Some to desire to be in court, which be born and fitter rather for the cart.

Some to be masters and rule other, which never yet began to rule themselves. Some always to jangle and talk which rather should hear and keep silence. Some to be priests which were fitter to be clerks. And this perverse judgment of the world, when men measure themselves amiss, bringeth much disorder and great unseemliness to the whole body of the Commonwealth. As if a man should wear his hose upon his head, or a woman go with a sword and buckler, every man would take it as a great uncomeliness, although it be but a trifle in respect to the other. This perverse judgment of men hindereth nothing so much as learning,

because commonly those which be unfittest for learning be chiefly set to learning, as if a man nowadays have two sons, the one impotent, weak, sickly, lisping, stuttering and stammering, or having any misshapen his body, what does the father of such one commonly say? This boy is fit for nothing else but is set to learning and make a priest of. As who would say the outcasts of the world, having neither countenance, tongue nor wit, for of a perverse body cometh commonly a perverse mind, be good enough to make those men of, which shall be appointed to preach God's holy word, and minister his blessed sacraments, besides other most weighty matters in the Commonwealth put off-times and worthily to learned men's

discretion and charge, when rather such an office, so high indignity, so godly in administration, should be committed to no man which should not have a countenance full of comeliness to allure good men, a body full of manly authority to fear ill men, a wit apt for all learning, with tongue and voice able to persuade all men. And although a few such men as these can be found in a commonwealth, yet surely a godly disposed man will both in his mind think fit, and with all his study labour to get such men as I speak of, or rather better, if better, can be gotten, for such an high administration which is most properly appointed

to God's own matters and businesses. This perverse judgment of fathers, as concerning the fitness and unfitness of their children, causes the Commonwealth to have many unfit ministers, and seeing that ministers be, as a man would say, say, instruments wherewith the commonwealth doth work all her matters withal. I marvel how it chantseth that a poor shoemaker has so much wit that he will prepare no instrument for his science,

neither knife nor all nor nothing else, which is not very fit for him. The Commonwealth can be content to take, at a fond father's hand, the riffraff of the world, to make those instruments of, wherewithal, she should work the highest matters under heaven. And surely an all of lead is not so unprofitable in a shoemaker's shop, As an unfit minister made of gross metal is unseemly in the Commonwealth. Fathers in old time among the noble Persians might not do with their children as they thought good,

but as the judgment of the Commonwealth always thought best. This fault of fathers bringeth many a blot with it to the great deformity of the Commonwealth. And here surely I can praise gentlewomen, which have always at hand their glasses, to see if anything be amiss, and so will amend it. Yet the Commonwealth, Having the glass of knowledge in every man's hand, doth see such uncomeliness in it, and yet winketh at it. This fault, at many such like, might be soon wiped away if fathers would bestow their children

on that thing always, whereunto nature hath ordained them most apt and fit. For if youth be grafted straight and not awry, the whole commonwealth will flourish thereafter. When this is done, then must every man begin to be more readily to amend himself than to check another, measuring their matters with that wise proverb of Apollo, know thyself. That is to say, learn to know what thou art able, fit, and apt unto, and follow that.

This thing should be both comely to the Commonwealth, and most profitable for everyone, as doth appear very well in all wise men's deeds, and specially, to turn to our communication again, in shooting, where wise archers have always their instruments fit for their strength, and wait evermore such time and weather as is most agreeable to their gear. Therefore, if the weather be too sore and unfit for your shooting, leave off that day, and wait a better season, for he is a fool that will not go where necessity driveeth. End of Book 2, Part 4.

Book 2 Part 5 of Toxophilus by Roger Asham, edited by J. A. Giles. This Librevox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Clive Caterall Toxophilus, book two, part five. Philologist said, This communication of yours pleased me so well, Toxophilae, that surely I was not hasty to call you to describe forth the weather,

but with all my heart would have suffered you yet to have stood longer in this matter. For these things touched of you by chance, the way, be far above the matter itself, by whose occasion the other were brought in. Toxophilus said, weighty matters they be indeed, and fit both in another place to be spoken, and of another man than I am to be handled. And because mean men must meddle with mean matters, I will go forward in describing the weather as concerning shooting. And as I told you before, in the whole year, springtime, summer, fall of the leaf and

winter, and in one day, morning, noontime, afternoon, and even tide, altereth the course of the weather, the pith of the bow, the strength of the man. And in every one of these times the weather altereth, a sometime windy, sometime calm, sometime cloudy, sometime clear, sometime hot, sometime cold, the wind, sometime moisty and thick, sometime dry and smooth. A little wind in a moisty day stoppeth the shaft more than a good whisking wind in a clear day. Yay, and I have seen when there hath been no wind at all, the air so misty and thick that both the marks have been wonderful great. And once when the plague was in Cambridge, the downwind twelve score mark, for the space of three weeks, was thirteen score and an half, and into the wind, being not very great,

a great deal above fourteen score. The wind is sometime plain up and down, which is commonly most certain, and requiresth least knowledge wherein a mean shooter with mean gear, if he can shoot home, may make best shrift. A side wind trieth an archer and good gear very much. Sometime it bloweth aloft, sometime hard by the ground. Sometime it bloweth by blasts, and sometime it continueth all in one. Sometime full sidewind, sometime quarter with him, and more, and likewise against him, as a man with casting up light grass, or else if he take good heed, shall sensibly learn by experience. To see the wind with a man his eyes, it is impossible, the nature of it is so fine and subtle, yet this experience of the wind had I once

myself, and that was in the great snow that fell four years ago. I rode in the highway between top cliff upon swale and boroughbridge, the way being somewhat trodden before by wayfaring men. The fields on both sides were plain and lay almost yard deep with snow. The night afore had been a little frost, so that the snow was hard and crusted above. That morning the sun shone bright and clear, the wind was whistling aloft and sharp, according to the time of year. The snow in the highway lay loose and trodden with horses' feet, so as the wind blew it took the loose snow with it, and made it so slide upon the snow in the field, which was hard and crusted by reason of the frost overnight,

that thereby I might see very well the whole nature of the wind as it blew that day, and I had a great delight and pleasure to mark it, which maketh me now far better to remember it. Sometime the wind would be not past two yards broad, and so it would carry the snow as far as I could see. Another time the snow would blow over half the field at once. Sometime the snow would tumble softly, and by and by it would fly wonderfully fast. And this I perceived also, that the wind goeth by streams, and not hold together,

for I should see one stream within a score on me, and then the space of two score, no snow would stir. But after so much quantity of a ground, another stream of snow at the same time should be carried likewise, but not equally, for the one should stand still when the other flew apace, and so continue somewhat swiftlyer, sometimes slower, sometimes narrower, as far as I could see. Nor it flew not straight, but sometime it crooked this way, sometime that way, and sometime it ran about in a compass, and sometime the snow would be lift clean from the ground up to the air, and by and by it would be all clapped to the ground as though there had been no wind at all. Straightway it rise and fly again. And that which was the most marvel of all, at one time two drifts of snow flew,

the one out of the west into the east, the other out of the north into the east. And I saw two winds, by reason of the snow, the one cross over the other, as it had been two highways. And again I should hear the wind blow in the air where nothing was stirred at the ground. And when all was still where I rode, not very far from me, the snow should be lifted wonderfully. This experience made me more marvel at the nature of the wind than it made me cunning in the knowledge of the wind. But yet thereby I learned perfectly that it is no marvel at all, though men in wind lose their length in shooting, seeing so many ways the wind is so variable in blowing. But seeing that a master of a ship, be he never so cunning, by the uncertainty of the wind, looseth many times both life and goods, surely it is no wonder, though, a right good archer, by the self-same wind.

So variable in his own nature, so insensible to our nature, lose many a shoot and game. The more uncertain and deceivable the wind is, the more heed must a wise archer give to know the guiles of it. He that doth mistrust is seldom beguiled. For although thereby he shall not attain to that which is best, yet by these means he shall at least avoid that which is worst. Beside, all these kinds of winds, you must take heed if you see any cloud of appear, and gather by little and little against you, or else if a shower of rain be like to come upon you, for then both the driving of the weather and the thickening of the air increaseseth the mark. When, after the shower, all things are contrary clear and calm,

and the mark, for the most part, new to begin again. You must take heed also if ever you shoot where one of the marks, or both, stands a little short of a high wall, for there you may be easily beguiled. If you take grass and cast it up to see how the wind stands, many times you should suppose to shoot down the wind when you shoot clean against the wind. And a good reason why. For the wind which cometh indeed against you, redoundeth back again at the wall, and whirleth back to the prick, and a little farther, and then turneth again even as a vehement water doth against a rock or on high bray. Which example of water, as it is more sensible to man's eyes, so it is never a wit the truer

than this of the wind? So that the grass cast up shall flee that way which indeed is the longer mark, and deceive quickly a shooter that is not aware of it. This experience had I once myself at Norwich in the chapel field within the walls, and this way I used in shooting at those marks. When I was in the midway betwixt the marks, which was an open place, there I took a feather or a little light grass, and so as well as I could learned how the wind stood. That done, I went to the prick as fast as I could, and according as I had found the wind when I was in the midway,

so I was fain to be content to make the best of my shoot that I could. Even such an other experience had I, in a manner at York, had the pricks lying betwixt the castle and ooze side. And although you smile, philology, to hear me tell my own fondness, yet seeing me, will needs have me teach you somewhat in shooting, I must need sometimes tell you of mine own experience. And the better I may do so, because Hippocrates, in teaching physics, use very much the same way. Take heed also when you shoot near the sea coast, although you be two or three miles from the sea, for there diligent marking shall espy in the most clear day, wonderful changing. The same is to be considered likewise by a river-side, especially if it

ebb and flow, where he that taketh diligent heed of the tide and weather, shall likely take away all that he shooteth for. And thus of the nature of winds and weather, according to my marking, you have heard philology. And hereafter you shall mark far more yourself if you take heed. And the weather thus marked, as I told you before, you must take heed of your standing, and thereby you may win as much as you shall lose by the weather. Philologist said, I see well it is no marvel, though a man miss many times in shooting, saying the weather is so unconstant in blowing. But yet there is one thing which many archers use that shall cause a man have less need to mark the weather, and that is aim-giving. Toxophilus said,

Of giving aim, I cannot tell well what I should say, for in a strange place it taketh away all occasion of foul game, which is the only praise of it. Yet, by my judgment, it hinderseth the knowledge of shooting, and maketh men more negligent. The witch is a dismayes. Though aim be given, yet take heed, for at another man's shot you cannot well take aim, nor at your own neither because the weather will alter even in a minute, and at the one mark, and not at the other, and trouble your shaft in the air, when you shall perceive no wind of the ground, as I myself have seen shafts tumble aloft in a very fair day. There may be a fault also in drawing or loosing, and many things more, which altogether are required to keep a just length.

But to go forward, the next point after the marking of your weather, as the taking of your standing, and in a side wind you must stand somewhat cross into the wind, for so shall you shoot the surer. When you have taken good footing, then must you look at your shaft, that no earth nor wet be left upon it, for so should it lose the length. You must look at the head also, lest it have had any stripe at the last shoot. A stripe upon a stone many times will both mar the head crook the shaft and hurt the feather, whereof the least of them will cause a man to lose his length. For such things which chance every shot,

many archers used to have some place made in their coat fit for a little file, a stone, a hunfish skin, and a cloth to dress the shaft fit again at all needs. This must a man look to ever when he taketh up his shaft, and the head may be made too smooth, which will cause it to fly too far. When your shaft is fit, then you must take your bow even in the midst, or else you shall both lose your length and put your bow in jeopardy of breaking. Knocking just is next, which is much of the same nature. Then draw equally, loose equally, with holding your hand ever one height to keep true compass.

To look at your shaft head at the loose is the greatest help to keep a length that can be, which thing yet hindereth excellent shooting because a man cannot shoot straight perfectly, except you look at his mark. If I should shoot at a line, and not at a mark, I would always look at my shaft end. But of this thing somewhat afterward. Now, if you mark the weather diligently, keep your standing justly, hold and knock truly, draw and loose equally, and keep your compass certainly.

You shall never miss of your length. Philologist said, then there is nothing behind to make me hit the mark, but only shooting straight." Toxuffler said, No, truly, and I first will tell you what shifts archers are found to shoot straight, then what is the best way to shoot straight. As the weather belongeth specially to keeping a length, yet a sidewind belongeth also to shoot straight,

even so the nature of the prick is to shoot straight. The length or shortness of the mark is always under the rule of the weather, yet somewhat there is in the mark worthy to be marked of an archer. If the pricks stand of a straight, plain ground, they be the best to shoot at. If the marks stand on a hillside or the ground be unequal with pits

and turning ways betwixt the marks, a man's eye shall think that to be straight, which is crooked. The experience of this thing is seen in painting, the cause of it is known by learning, and it is enough for an archer to mark it and take heed of it. The chief cause why men cannot shoot straight is because they look at their shaft,

and this fault cometh because a man is not taught to shoot when he is young. If he learn to shoot by himself, he is afraid to pull the shaft through the bow, and therefore looketh always at his shaft. Ill-use confirmeth this fault as it doth many more, and men continue the longer in this fault because it is so good to keep a length with all. And yet, to shoot straight, they have a lot of it. invented some ways to aspire a tree or a hill beyond the mark, or else to have some notable thing betwixt the marks. I once saw a good archer, which did cast off his gear and laid his quiver

with it, even in the midway betwixt the pricks. Some thought he did it for safeguard of his gear. I suppose he did it to shoot straight with all. Other men used to espy some mark almost a bow-wide of the prick, and then go about to keep himself on the hand that that prick is on, which thing how much good it doth, a man will not believe that doth not prove it. Other, and those very good archers, in drawing look at the mark until they come almost to the head, then they look at their shaft, but at the very loose, with a second sight, they find their mark again. This way, and all other are four of me rehearsed, are but shifts, and not to be followed in shooting straight. For having a man's eye always on his mark is the only way to shoot straight. Yay, and I suppose,

so ready and easier way, if it be learned in youth, and confirmed with use, that a man shall never miss therein. Men doubt yet in looking at the mark what way is best, whether betwixt the bow and the string, above or beneath his hand, and many ways more. Yet it maketh no great matter which way a man look at his mark if it be joined with comely shooting. The diversity of men's standing and drawing causeseth diverse men to look at their mark in diverse ways, yet they all lead a man's hand to shoot straight if nothing else stop. So that comeliness is the only judge of best looking at the mark. Some men wonder why, in casting a man's eye at the mark, the hand should go straight.

Surely if he considered the nature of a man's eye, he would not wonder at it. For this I am certain of, that no servant to his master, no child to his father is so obedient as every joint and peace of the body is to do whatever the eye bids. The eye is the guide, the ruler and the succourer of all the other parts. The hand, the foot, and other members dare do nothing without the eye, as doth appear on the night and dark corners. The eye is the very tongue wherewith wit and reason doth speak to every part of the body, and the wit doth not so soon signify a thing by the eye as every part is ready to follow, or rather prevent the bidding of the eye. This is plain in many things, but most evident

in fence and fighting, as I have heard men say. There, every part, standing in fear to have a blow, runs to the eye for help, as young children do to their mother. The foot, the hand, and all waiteth upon the eye. If the eye bid the hand either bear off or smite, or the foot either go forward or backward, it doth so. And that which is most wonder of all, the one man looks steadfastly at the other man's eye and not at his hand, will even, as it were, read in his eye where he purposeth to smite next, for the eye is nothing else but a certain window for wit to shoot out her head at. This wonderful work of God, in making all the members so obedient to the eye, is a pleasant thing to remember and look upon. Therefore, an archer may

be sure in learning to look at his mark when he is young, always to shoot straight. The things that hinder a man which looketh at his mark to shoot straight be these. A side wind, a bow either too strong or us too weak, an ill arm, when a feather runneth on the bow too much, a big breasted shaft for him that shooteth underhand, because it will hobble, a little breasted shaft for him that shooteth above the hand, because it will start. A pair of winding bricks, and many other things more which you shall mark yourself, and as you know them, so learn to amend them. If a man would leave to look at his shaft and learn to look at his mark, he may use this way, which a good shooter told me once that he did. Let him take his bow on the night,

and shoot at two lights, and there he shall be compelled to look always at his mark, and never at his shaft. This thing once or twice used will cause him forsake looking at his shaft. Yet let him take heed of setting his shaft in the bow. Thus philology, to shoot straight is the least mastery of all if a man order himself thereafter in his youth. And as for keeping a length, I am sure the rules which I gave you will never deceive you, so that there shall lack nothing either of hitting the mark always, or else very near shooting, except the fault be only in your own self, which may come in two ways, either in having a faint heart or courage, or else in suffering yourself overmuch to be led with affection. If a man's mind fail him, the body, which

is ruled by the mind, can never do his duty. If lack of courage were not, men might do more masteries than they do, as doth appear in leaping and vaulting. All affections, and especially anger, hurteth both mind and body. The mind is blind thereby, and if the mind be blind, it cannot rule the body right. The body, both blood and bone, as they say, is brought out of his right course by anger, whereby a man lacketh his right strength. and therefore he cannot shoot well. If these things be avoided, whereof I will speak no more,

both because they belong not properly to shooting, and also you can teach me better than I am you, and all the precepts which I have given you diligently marked, no doubt you shall shoot as well as ever man did by the grace of God. This communication handled of me philology, as I know well not perfectly, yet as I suppose truly you must take in good worth, wherein, if divers things do not altogether please you, thank yourself, which would have me rather

fault in mere fully, to take that thing in hand which I was not able to perform than by any honest shamefacedness with say your request and mind, which I know well I have not satisfied. But yet, I will think this labour of mine be better bestowed if tomorrow, or some other day when you have leisure, you will spend as much time with me here in this same place, in entreating the question de originate animi, and the joining of it, with the body, that I may know how far Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics have waded in it. Philologists said, How you have handled this matter, Toxophilae, I may not well tell you myself now,

but for your gentleness and goodwill towards learning and shooting, I will be content to show you any pleasure whensoever you will. And now the sun is down, and therefore, if it please you, we will go home and drink in my chamber, and there I will tell you plainly what I think of this communication, and also what day we will point at your request for the other matter to meet here again. End of Book 2 Part 5. End of Toxophilus by Roger Asham.