making but little ufe of it, fuch in- archers, headed by Fitz Obern, King Harold was wounded in the eye by, an arrow from one of thefe Norman bows, and was foon after flain by fome who confidered his death as the molt important fruit of their victory.

ftruments were not common till the coming of the Saxons, who (according to Veritegan) firft brought them into general ufe in this land, and they most like had the knowledge thereof from their ancestors, the Scythians, who are before mentioned as excellent archers.

Camden thus fpeaks of archery: "Amongst all the English artillery, archery challengeth the pre-eminency as peculiar to our nation, as the Sarif fa was to the Macedonians, the Gefa to the old Gauls, the Framea to the Germans, the Mochæra to the Greeks; first thewed to the English by Danes, brought in by the Normans, continued by their fucceffors, to the great glory of England in atchieving honourable victories."

The bows ufed by the English were long bows and cross bows: the long bow confifted of a single piece of wood, commonly yew, four or five feet long, the ftring of finews or guts of animals: the arrows ufed with thefe bows were about a yard long, of light wood, headed with iron, and trimmed with feathers.

The cross bow was of steel, paffing through a stock of wood, upon which it was charged; the arrows fhot from thefe were short, and made of iron, with a pyramidical point. They fometimes fhot ftones from thele inftru

ments.

The bow was not confined to martial purposes alone, but it was alfo ufed in fporting; for birding there was a particular kind of arrow, cal. led a bird-bolt. We read that Godfrey of Bullogne, broached three fwallows upon his arrow at one fhot, when he commanded in the Holy-land, which being a thing very remarkable,he took the three birds for his coat of arms,

I cannot discover that the English had any number of bowmen at the memorable battle of Haltings; but the Normans we are told had a confiderable number of excellent

King William the conqueror was an admirable archer, and was fo ftrong, that none but himself could bend the bow he ufed. There is this curious poetic charter relating to archery extant in feveral of our hiftorians;

I William King,

In the third year of my reign,
Give to the Norman Hunter,
To me that art dear,.
The Hop and the Hoptown,
And all the bounds up and down
Under the earth to Hell,
Above the earth to Heaven,
From me and mine,

To thee and thine,
As good and as fair,
As ever mine were:

To witness that this is footh,
I bite the wax with my tooth,
Before Jugge, Maud and Margery,
And my youngest fon Henry:
For a bow and a broad arrow,
When I come to hunt upon Yarrow.

At the glorious battle of Crefcy, the French had among them a body of Genoese archers, who at that time were reckoned excellent in the use of the bow; thefe having their bow-ftrings moiftened with rain, their arrows fell fhort for want of the ufual elafticity. It is alfo recorded that the English had many bowmen, and the victory was chiefly owing to their valour and care in keeping their weapons dry.

The English at the battle of Poictiers made good ufe of their arrows; and many other battles have been gained by the fkill and valour of the English archers.

At the battle of Hallidown Hill, the Scots had 10,000 men; the Percies of Northumberland erpofed them.

Speed

ambush darkened the air with their arrows, few of which were thot in vain ; at the fame time the main battle advancing, with fuch courage had the king's words infpired them, that though before they could fcarcely bend their bows, they were now able to draw their yard-long arrows to the head. The French horfe charged the archers, who fixed their flakes, and retiring behind them, were fecure, and

The

Speed gives us this defcription of the battle: The chief feat was wrought by the English archers, who firft with their ftiff, clofe, and cruel ftorms of arrows, made their enem es footmen break; and when the noble Douglas defcended to the charge, with his choicest bands, him.elf being in a moft rich and excellently tempered armour, and the r.ft fingularly well appointed; the Lord Percie's archers making a retreat, did withal deliver their dead-nude terrible faughter of their enely arrows, tam vividé, tam animofé, tam gravitér, (faith our monk) fo lively, fo courageoufly, lo grievously, that they ran through the men of arms, bored the helmets, pierced their very fwords, beat their lances to the earth, and eafily fhot thofe who were more fightly armed, through and through. There were taken prifoners, the Earl of Douglas himfelf (who, notwithftanding his armour of the beft proof, had five wounds and loft an eye,) Murdake Steward, Earl of Fife (eldet fon to Robert Duke of Albany,) George Earl of Angus, the Earls of Murray and Orkney, the Lords Montgomery, Erfkin, and Grange, with about fourfcore Knights, befides Ef quires and Gentlemen."

mies. the greater part of whofe troops
turned their backs and fled.
battle was a fhort time maintained
by the French general and leaders,
who courageoufly died, like men,
on their enemies points, rather
than dihonourably retreat. Before
evening the field was clear, and no
enemy to be seen.

In the battle of Bofworth, between King Richard III. and the Earl of Richmond, afterwards King Henry the Seventh, there were bowmen on both fides, who were ranged in front, and began the battle; the Duke of Norfolk commanded thefe on the fide of King Richard, and the Earl of Oxford was captain of the Earl's archers. In Bolworth field was found, not many years fince, the ftock of a crofs bow curio fly carved; the figure of which is engraved in the Gentle-, man's Magazine.

King Henry the Seventh inftituted a band of archers to guard his perfon,. under the title of Yeomen of the Guard. This band is at prefent eftib-, lifhed; but they are now armed with fwords and a kind of halberts, of bows-Still, to keep up the memoBery of their predecefors fkill, they annually practife fhooting with bow and arrows.

At the battle of Agincourt, King Henry commanded two hundred bowmen to plant themielves in a meadow fecured by a ditch and under cover of bushes, having takes poiated at each end to plant against the approaches of the horses. The reft of his army he ranged in array, placing the men at arms in the main body, and the archers on each fide; the vanguard, confifling folly of archers, was led by the Duke of York. fore the battle began, the king fpoke thefe words: "Worthy foldiers, and faithful companions, we are now going into the field of honour, exert your felves to the utmof, that ages may know what the bow, lance, axe, and fword, can do in the hands-of valiant men." When he had done, the army gave a fhout, and the archers in the

lead

The Royal Company of Archers in the month of Auguft 1790, shot. on the banks of the Tweed for the ancient arrow belonging to the town of Peebles, when Lord Elibank gain

The battle (which happened at Flod-
den field) was bloody, and termi-
hated in the total defeat of the Scots,
whofe King, with the Archbishop of
St Andrews, two Abbots, twelve
Earls, and feventeen Lords, were flained the prize.
in the battle.

The ufe of the bow has, fince the invention of gunpowder, gradually decreafed; but archery has lately been drawn from obscurity, by focieties of the nobility and gentry, who honotir the memory of their ancestors fo far as to patronize a fcience by which they attain fo much renown.

The first dawn of modern fociety of Archers was, upwards of twenty years ago, inftituted under the title of Finsbury Archers, now obfolete : not more than two of the members are at present in being; one of which, Mr Conftable, is at prefent confidered as Father of Archers; and if numerous prize arrows, &c. won by him, ought to confer that title, it is undoubtedly his.

The late Sir Afhton Lever was the caufe of the revival of the fcience, and the fociety of Toxophilites owe their origin to him. Many other inftitututions rofe under different titles, as, the Hatfield Archers, under the patronage of Lady Salisbury; the Royal British Bowmen, which fociety fhot for the prizes given by His Royal High nefs the Prince of Wales, on the 3d of Sept. 1790. The ladies prize, a gold medallion, was won by Lady Cunliff; and the gentleman's, a filver bugle horn, was gained by R. Hefketh, Efq.

The Caledonian, or Edinborough Archers (the most numerous of any fociety, being above nine hundred in number), at whofe grand match in 1789 Lord Aylesford attended; and the fame of his dexterity was blown fo high, that the Caledonian band dreaded the iffue of the encounter. Mr Gray, the writer to the fignet, who is an incomparable shot, won the prize,

Cc Voz. XIV. No. 81.

The Loyal Archers affembled on St George's day, at Lewisham, to contelt for the prize, which was won by W. Fofter, Efq.

The Yorkshire Archers, at their September meeting, fhot for their medals; the gold medal was gained by W. Lee, Efq; and the two Gilver medals by J. Dixon, and J. P. Neville, Efqrs. The Countefs of Mexbro prefided as patronefs, and Earl Fitzwilliam as patron.

The Bowmen of Chevy Chace are a fociety formed in Northumberland; the patron, the Duke of that county, who prefented them with a filver arrow.

Other focieties bear the following appellations:

Robert Ketish Bowmen,
Robin Hood Powmen,
John of Gaunt Bowmen,
Woodmen of Arden,
Woodmen of Hornfey,
Henault Foresters,
Surry Archers,

Southampton Archers;

and feveral others, which I omit, not through defign, but want of informa tion.

The annual meeting of all the Archers in England is held on Blackheath.

The only books published on Archery (my friend informed me of) are, Wood's Bowman's Glory, and Afcam's Toxophilus; the former about a century ago, the latter near thirty years.

The manufactory for implements of Archery is at Leicefter Houfe, established by Mr Waring.

This extract from the rules and orders of one of the above focieties will ferve as a general defcription of their uniform.

"Tha

Infiance of the Tyranny exercifed by Henry the VIII. in a Letter to Sir Ralf

Lure*.

From "Lodge's Illuftrations of British History, &c."

body, whereby he might fomewhat be inftructed of the difference between the fitting quietly in his house, and the travel and danger which others dayly do fuftain, whereby he hath been hitherto maintained in the fame; and for this purpose his grace hath thought good to fend him unto your fchool, as you shall perceive by fuch letters as he fhall deliver unto you, there to serve as a foldier, and yet both he and his men, at his own charge, requiring you, not only as you fhall have occafion, to fend forth to any

place for the doing of any enterprize upon the enemies, to caufe him to ride forth to the fame, and tó dò in all things as other foldiers are appointed to do without refpect, but alfo to beltow him in fuch a place in garrifon as he may feel what pains other poor foldiers abide abroad in the king's fervice, and know the fmart of his folly and sturdy difobedience. Finally, you must use him in all things after the fharp discipline military of the northern wars. And thus, &c.'

Reflections on the late Profpect of a War with Ruffia.

ALTHOUGH the late differen- ferving the balance of power in Euces of Great Britain with Ruf- rope, appears on examination to be a fa appear now likely to be deter- mere political bugbear, calculated for mined, as reafon and found policy the meridian of the English, whofe fhould dictate, without having recourfe purfes are ever open for a minifter to the rash and fatal expedient of com- who keeps their minds in terror and mencing hoftilities,--yet, as thefe alarm. Ruffia is, and ever must be, kingdoms have but lately and criti- a most useful ally, but can never be cally efcaped, engaging in a war con- a dangerous rival to Great Britain. trary to their cleareft interefts, as well The infular fituation of all her Euroas to every principle becoming a free pean dominions renders them anafand enlightened people, a few ob- failable by the most powerful land forfervatious on the avowed purpofe, and ces,-while her fleets, riding trium probable confequences of the officious phant over the ocean, mock all idea mediation of the allied Courts with of fear from the naval power of EuRuffia in favour of the Turkish Em- rope if combined. Secure in her impire, cannot be uninterefting to any pregnable fituation,-invulnerable on perfon of a liberal mind, and more every fid, and incapable of injury trom efpecially to an Englishman, who external violence, her only motive for feels for the honour of his country, engaging in a war is, or ought to be, to and whofe heart glows with enlarged vindicate her honour, or to protect and and general benevolence. Little in- extend her commerce. But neither her deed need be advanced to prove the commerce nor her honour now calls unpopularity of a war with Ruffiia.— on her in their defence. Her frien fhip very refpectable minority in the is fought, nay courted by Ruta, and House of Commons on that important the interefts of her comtience are maqueftion, fupported by numerous ad- nifeftly oppofed to a war in which dreffes from without, are a fufficient much may be loft, and nothing can indication of the public opinion-while be gained. The ftrong remontranthe abfurdity and bad policy of fuch ces from n any of the moft refp Clable a measure are amply expofed by the trading towns, who all declare the unanswerable arguments which have comerce with Ruffia to be more lubeen urged by its opponents. The crative to England than that with any ftenfible, yet flimfy pretext of pre- other nation in Europe, are decifive