WHatsoever I have formerly spoken in praise of the Bowe , which I know to bee most worthy , yet I would not have the curious to mistake me , and thinke in it I derogate from other Weapons , and so call me a King Harry Captaine , or a man of an old Edition , out of date in these refined times , where nothing is excellent , but that which is least excellent , Folly and Selfe-opinion ; No , I am farre from such censuring , for I acknowledge th● Pike and Musquet to bee the elde● Brethren in Warre , and the Weapons wherewith I have both commanded and beene commanded al● my life in the Warres : neythe● dare I carry a thought eyther t● weaken their power , or decreas● their number , my wish is , that hi● Majesty had for every ten an hundred . But when I looke into th● state of the Kingdome , to whic● my place in severall Countye● calles me , I finde there is a sele●● and choyse company cull'd out 〈◊〉 every Shire , which are called th● Cautionary or trayned Band , an● which are armed with Pike an● Musquet , yet with that difficult and vnpreparednesse , that authority her selfe cannot deny , but if sod●ine and vnlookt for alaru● should rayse them , few Countyes would boast of absolute perfection , but allow them ( as they should ●e ) compleat in every thing be●onging vnto them , yet they are but ●n handfull , and not to compare with the vnarmed , one in an hun●red ; If then , to these Trayned ●ands , there were an equall ●umber or a much greater of well ●isciplined Bowe-men , doubtlesse ●●ey would bee found of great vse , ●nd not onely gaine glory to the ●ingdome , but feare and amaze●ent to all those which durst to ●tempt vs : And that this is , a ●orke most necessary and most ea●e , without charge , trouble , or o●er difficulty , thus I approve it .

First , for the necessity , it is ●●owne to all those which eyther ●●ow vs , have heard of vs , or have ●lt vs ; that we are a potent , valiant , and daring Nation : not trusting vnto walled Towns , Castles , Fort● or concealed Stratagems , but vnto the God of Battailes , a goo●● Cause , and well manag'd Armes so that what Enemy soever wil● seeke vs , shall finde ●s in the ope● field , where a Battaile must ever b● made the Arbitrator of our goo●● or evill Fortune . If then , the chanc● of one day must decide our contro●versie , what better Art can bee v●sed in that extremity , then the Ar● of Multiplication , or bringing 〈◊〉 most Multitudes to fight withou● disorder ; for , according to the Pre●verbe , Many hands make lig●● worke ▪ and albe a few may pre●vayle through the vertue of Discipline , yet more will do more good if Valour and Wisedome bee no● wanting , as thus for example ; ● Battaile is to be fought , and 〈◊〉 King brings into the Field 20000. ●●●ed with Pyke and Musquet , to ●●●ng a greater number with those ●eapons is difficult or hurtfull , ey●●er through the want of Armes , or ●e necessity of other places : If ●en , there bee 10000. strong and ●ell exercised Bowe-men to joyne ●●to them , can any man be so sot●h as not to conceiue what terror ●●d amazement those Showers of ●●rrowes will bring to the Enemy , ●t this bee judg'd by them that ●●ve seene the affright in Battailes , ●r mine owne part , I cannot but ●●nceive it a worke of great neces●●●y , excellent vse , and infinite pro●●able both to the King , and his Kingdomes .

Now touching the easie accom●lishment of this worke , without ●arge or vexation , or so much as ●grumbling to the common people ▪ it may thus ( if his Majesti● please ) be effected .

There are ( or at least there ough● to be ) in every City , Towne , Ham●let and Village , a certaine sele● Company of the best and able● men both for person and estat● which should amount to a doub● number , or more then those whic● are called the Trayned men , as thu● If in a Towne there be one Train● man , then there , should be two● three of these : if two Trayned m● then foure , five , or sixe of these , a●cording to the ability and popul●rity of the place , and these bee cal●led Supplies , because from the● the Trained Bands are supplyed a● re-enforced vpon every alteratio● Change , death , old-age , or any ● ther necessary avoydance ; No● these Supplyes are bound to a●pearance at all Musters , as well as t● ●rayned Bands and doe so , but ha●ng giuen in their names , they de●art away without any exercise or ●ilitary instruction , and so spend ●ut the rest of the day eyther in the ●lehouse or some other place ●here they laugh at those which ●re taking paines and busie to be ●structed ; So that when they ●ome to be called into the band ●emselues , their Ignorance is so ●reat , that they hurt both them●elues and others .

Now , if it would please his Ma●estie , or those to whom he hath ●ispensed such authoritie , to com●and , that these Supplies should ●iue their attendance with Bowes , ●rrowes & Palizadoes , or Staues , ●ssuming the likenes of the Paliza●oe & so to be exercised with the ●rayned Bands which carrie Pike ●Musquet ; This Benefit would arise from such proceedings . First , a Glory to the Band by augmentation of their numbers , an expertnes in the Souldier , by his acquaintince withall manner of weapons , and ● dexteritie of Body , by the vse and knowledge of euery Military motion ; For , allow the Bow to be as despised a thing as either Envie or Ignorance would haue it , yet out of this discipline the Bowman shal learne these most necessary lessons : First , all manner of Marches & Countermarches , Turnings & returnings ; Wheelings imbattailings , doublings , and deductings , distance of place , how to Charge , Retyre , and how to giue showers or volleys vpon all occasions , the posture of the Bow and Arrow , which hath affinitie with the Musquer , and the postures of the Palizadoe , which is a good conduct to the Pike , he shall learne the beatings of the Drum , all words of Command , the power of his superior Officers , and indeed what not , that belongs to an ordinarie Souldier ; So that when any of them shall be called into the trayned Band to handle other weapons , they will be found so skilfull and expert , that there can be no feare either of Confusion or disorder , and where his Maiesty hath one souldier now , he will then haue two or a greater Number .

Now if I shall be questioned touching the mixture of these seuerall weapons , the Pike , the Musquet , and the Bow , or in what sort they may be imbattayled without disorder or hinderance of one weapon with another ; I answer , that albe there are a world of more worthy Souldiers which can better demonstrate these things then my selfe , yet this is mine Opinion , and thus I conceiue it may be done both easily and profitably . In the dayes of Queen Elizabeth of thrice happy and blessed memory , when the vse of the Musquet was newly brought from beyond the Seas into this Kingdome , and the vertue thereof found and approued ; yet was the weapon so scarce to be had , workemen so slow , and new alterations so vnpleasant , that the State was compelled to compound their Bands of three seuerall weapons , the Pike , Musquet , and the Harquebush , or Calliuer , as I am able to shew by sundry lists , both of mine owne and others . But after the expence of some small time , by the care of the Lords Liuetenants , and the diligence of their Deputies , the Bands were reduced into that estate wherein now they stand , which is , Pike , and Musquet only , and the Harquebush cast off . Now instead of the Harquebush , and as the Harquebush , so would I haue the Bow imployed , and as the Musquet doth wing the Pike ; So I would haue the Bow to wing the Musquet , obseruing to keepe the numbers so iust and constant , that one weapon might not intermixe with another , but as three distinct and seueral bodies , ( howeuer joyned in one Battalia ) to be separated and disposed at the pleasure of the Commander ; and because the Bow is a more ready and quicker Weapon of discharge then the Musquet , the Captaine may by doubling and redoubling , eyther Ranks or Fyles , make his showers of arrowes greater or lesse , according to the aduantage of ground , the strength of his numbers , or the approach of the Enemie .

Many other things might be added to this little beginning , which were much to tedious to handle in this place ; because , I onely desire but to open a little narrow way to a great deale of profit for the kingdome , which if it shall please Authority to accept and second , both my selfe and many others , much more worthy then my selfe , will bee ready with our vttermost endeauours to make good this proiect ; Besides , the now almost halfe lost Societies of Bowyers and Fletchers , will get a little warmth and , both praise their God , and pray for theyr King , from whom these good things issue . Not that the Countries or Souldiers shall bee forc'd to any new charge or cost , by which extraordinary gaine may redound vnto them , but that the wholsome Lawes of the Kingdome ( which bindeth euery man to be master of a Bow and Arrowes ) may be a little awakened . And so I returne againe to the Art of Archerie , and the true knowledge with vse of the Bow and Arrow , and all things else depending vpon them .

THe Bracer giueth the least scope to my discourse , because it is an Instrument of no potent validitie , yet such an one as may not be omitted ; therefore you shall vnderstand , that the Bracer serueth for two purposes , the one to saue the arme from the stripe of the String , and his doublet from wearing ; and the other , that the String glyding sharply and quickly of the Bracer may make the sharper shoote , for if the string should light vpon the bare sleeue , the strength of the shoote would stop and dye there ; yet it is the best in my Indgement , to giue the Bow so much Bent , that the string ●eed neuer come neare or touch ●he mans Arme , and so should a man need no Bracer , as I know ma●y good Archers which seldome or neuer vse them , but it is not a Rule for generall Imitation ; because euery mans apparell is not of one fashion , nor euery one that fulnesse of Iudgement , that those which are continually and dayly exercised in the same haue .

In a Bracer , a man must take heed of three things ; First , that it haue no Nayles in it , then that it haue no Buckles ; and lastly , that the laces wherewith it is fastned be without Tags or Aglets ; For the Nayles will sheare the string in sunder before a man be aware , and so put his Bow into hazard , and the Buckles , Tags or Aglets , will ( when a man least suspects it ) raze and scratch his Bow , a thing both vncomely to behold , and dangerous for the weapon .

These Bracers are made for the most part of Spanish-leather , the smooth-side outward , and they be the best , sometimes of Spanish-leather and the flesh side outward , and they are both good and tollerable , and others are made of hard , stiffe but smooth Bend-leather , and they be the worst and most dangerous , And thus much is spoken of the Bracer .

THe Bow-String though it be but a little thing to the eye , and but a small twine in the hand , yet it is a thing of high esteeme and worthy of a mans best circumspection , onely the infelicitie is , that in this Instrument a man is forc'd to put all his confidence in the honesty of the String-maker , and surely , the String-maker ought more diligently to be looked vnto by appoynted officers , then eyther Bowyer or Fletcher ; because they may deceiue a simple man with more ease . An euill String breaketh many a good Bow , yea no other thing halfe so many ; In warre if a string breake , the man is lost and is no man , for his weapon is gone ; and though he haue two strings put on at once , yet he shall haue small leasure and lesse roome to bend his bow ; and therefore , God send honest String-makers both for Peace and Warre .

Touching what a String ought to be made on , as whether of good hempe ( according to our now moderne practise ) or of fine Flaxe or Silke , I leaue it to the decyssion of the String-maker , of whom we must buy them who are most conuersant with the vertues of euery seuerall substance .

Eustathius vpon this verse in Homer — Twang quoth the Bow , and twang quoth the String , out quickly the Shaft flew — doth tell , that in old time , they made theyr Bow-strings of Bullockes th armes , or Guts , which they twyned together as they doe Ropes , or as they doe great Harp-strings , or other like strings for great Instruments , which occasioned them to giue a great twang .