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sure those be wiser men, which couete to shoote wyde than those whiche couete to hit the prycke. TOX. Why so I pray you. PHIL. Because to shote wyde is a thynge possyble, and therfore as you saye youre selfe, of euery wyse mã to be folowed. And as for hittinge ye prick, bycause it is vnpossible, it were a vaine thynge to go aboute it: but in good sadnesse Toxophile thus you se that a man might go throghe all craftes and sciences, and proue that anye man in his science coueteth that which he shal neuer gette. TOX. By my trouth (as you saye) I can not denye, but they do so: but why and wherfore they shulde do so, I can not learne. PHILO. I wyll tell you, euerye crafte and science standeth in two thynges: in Knowing of his crafte, & Working of his crafte: For perfyte knowlege bringeth a man to perfyte workyng This knowe Paynters, karuers, Taylours, shomakers, and all other craftes men, to be true. Nowe, in euery crafte, there is a perfite excellencie, which may be better knowen in a mannes mynde, then folowed in a mannes dede: This perfytenesse, bycause it is generally layed as a brode wyde example afore al mě, no one particuler man is able to compasse it: and as it is generall to al men, so it is perpetuall for al time whiche proueth it a thynge for man vnpossible: although not for the capacitie of our thinkyng whiche is heauenly, yet surelye for the habilitie of our workyng whyche is worldlye.

God gyueth not full perfytenesse to one man (sayth Tullie) lest if one man had all in any one science, ther De. Inuen. 2 shoulde be nothyng lefte for an other. Yet God suffereth vs to haue the perfyt knowledge of it, that such a knowledge dilligently folowed, might bring forth accordyng as a man doth labour, perfyte woorkyng. And who is he, that in learnynge to wryte, woulde forsake an excellent example, and folowe a worse? Therfore seing perfytenesse it selfe is an example for vs, let euerye man studye howe he maye come nye it, which is a poynt of wysdome, not reason with God why he may not attaine vnto it, which is vayne curosite. TOX. Surely this is gaily said Philologe, but yet this one thinge I am afraide of, lest this perfitnesse which you speke on wil discourage men to take any thynge in hande, bycause afore they begin, they know, they shal neuer come to an ende. And thus dispayre shall dispatche, euen at the fyrste entrynge in, many a good

man his purpose and intente. And I thinke both you your selfe, & al other men to, woulde counte it mere folie for a man to tell hym whome he teacheth, that he shal neuer optaine that, whyche he would fainest learne. And therfore this same hyghe and perfite waye of teachyng let vs leue it to hygher matters, and as for shootynge it shalbe content with a meaner waye well ynoughe. PHI. Where as you saye yt this hye perfitnesse will discorage me, bycause they knowe, they shall neuer attayne vnto it, I am sure cleane contrarie there is nothynge in the world shall incourage men more than it. And whye? For where a man seith, that though a nother man be neuer so excellente, yet it is possible for hym selfe to be better, what payne or labour wyl that man refuse to take? yf the game be onse wonne, no mā wyl set forth hys foote to ronne. And thus perfitnesse beynge so hyghe a thynge that men maye looke at it, not come to it, and beynge so plentifull and indifferent to euerye bodye that the plentifulnesse of it maye prouoke all men to labor, bycause it hath ynoughe for all me, the indifferencye of it shall encourage euerye one to take more paine than hys fellowe, bycause euerye man is rewarded accordyng to his nye comyng, and yet whych is moste meruel of al, ye more men take of it, the more they leue behynd for other, as Socrates dyd in wysdome, and Cicero in eloquens, whereby other hath not lacked, but hathe fared a greate deele ye better. And thus perfitnesse it selfe bycause it is neuer obteyned, euen therfore only doth it cause so many men to be so well sene & perfite in many matters, as they be. But where as you thynke yt it were fondnesse to teache a man to shoote, in lokyng at the most perfitnesse in it, but rather woulde haue a manne go some other way to worke, I trust no wyse man wyl discomend that way, except he thincke himselfe wyser than Tullye, whiche doeth playnlye saye, that yf he teached any maner of De Orat. 3. crafte as he dyd Rhetorike he would labor to bringe a man to the knowlege of the moost perfitnesse of it, whyche knowlege should euer more leade and gyde a manne to do that thynge well whiche he went aboute. Whych waye in al maner of learnyng to be best, Plato dothe also declare in Euthydemus, of whome Tullie learned it as he dyd many other thynges mo. And thus you se Toxophile by what reasons and by whose authorite I do require of you this waye in teachynge

me to shoote, which waye I praye you withoute any more delaye shew me as far forth as you haue noted and marked. TOX. You cal me to a thyng Philologe which I am lothe to do. And yet yf I do it not beinge but a smale matter as you thynke, you wyll lacke frendeshyp in me, yf I take it in hande and not bring it to passe as you woulde haue it, you myghte thyncke great wat of wysdome in me.

But aduyse you, seing ye wyll nedes haue it so, the blame shalbe yours, as well as myne: yours for puttynge vpon me so instauntlye, myne in receyuynge so fondly a greater burthen then I am able to beare. Therfore I, more wyllynge to fulfyll your mynde, than hopyng to accomplysh that which you loke for, shall speake of it, not as a master of shotynge, but as one not altogyther ignoraunt in shotynge. And one thynge I am glad of, the sunne drawinge downe so fast into the west, shall compell me to drawe a pace to the ende of our matter, so that his darkenesse shall somethyng cloke myne ignoraunce. And bycause you knowe the orderynge of a matter better then I Aske me generallye of it, and I

shall particularly answere to it. PHI.

Very gladly Toxophile: for so

by ordre, those thynges

whiche I woulde

knowe, you shal

tell the bet

ter: and
those

thynges

whiche you shall tell, I

shall remembre

the better.

PHILOL

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HILOL. What is the cheyfe poynte in shootynge, that euerye manne laboureth to come to? TOX. To hyt the marke. PHI. Howe manye thynges are required to make a man euer more hyt the marke? TOX. Twoo. PHI. Whiche twoo ? TOX. Shotinge streyght and kepynge of a lengthe. PHIL. Howe shoulde a manne shoote strayght, & howe shulde a man kepe a length? TOX. In knowynge and hauynge thinges, belongynge to shootyng: and whan they be knowen and had, in well handlynge of them: whereof some belong to shotyng strayght, some to keping of a legth, some commonly to them bothe, as shall be tolde seuerally of them, in place conuenient. PHI. Thynges belongyng to shotyng, whyche be they? TOX. All thinges be outwarde, and some be instrumentes for euery sere archer to brynge with him, proper for his owne vse: other thynges be generall to euery man, as the place and tyme serueth. PHI. which be instrumētes? TOX. Bracer, shotynggloue, stryng, bowe & shafte. PHI. Whiche be general to all men? TOX. The wether and the marke, yet the marke is euer vnder the rule of the wether. PHI. wherin standeth well handlynge of thynges? TOX. All togyther wythin a man him selfe, some handlynge is proper to instrumentes, some to the wether, somme to the marke, some is within a man hym selfe. PHI. what handlyng is proper to the Instrumentes. TOX. Standynge, nockyng, drawyng, holdyng, lowsing, wherby cometh fayre shotynge, whiche neyther belong to wynde nor wether, nor yet to the marke, for in a rayne and at no marke, a man may shote a fayre shoote. PHI. well sayde, what handlynge belongeth to the

wether? TOX. Knowyng of his wynde, with hym, agaynst hym, syde wynd, ful syde wind, syde wynde quarter with him, syde wynde quarter agaynste hym, and so forthe. PHI. well than go to, what handlynge belongeth to the marke? TOX. To marke his standyng, to shote compasse, to draw euermore lyke, to lowse euermore lyke, to consyder the nature of the pricke, in hylles & dales, in strayte planes and winding places, & also to espy his marke. PHI. Very well done. And what is onely within a man hym selfe? TOX. Good heede gyuynge, and auoydynge all affections: whiche thynges oftentymes do marre and make all. And these thynges spoken of me generally and brefely, yf they be wel knowen, had, and handled, shall brynge a man to suche shootynge, as fewe or none euer yet came vnto, but surely yf he misse in any one of the, he can neuer hyt the marke, and in the more he doth misse, the farther he shoteth from his marke. But as in all other matters the fyrst steppe or stayre to be good, is to know a mannes faulte, and than to amende it, and he that wyl not knowe his faulte, shall neuer amende it. PHI. You speake nowe Toxophile, euen as I wold haue you to speake: But lette vs returne agayne vnto our matter, and those thynges whyche you haue packed vp, in so shorte a roume, we wyll lowse the forthe, and take euery pyece as it were in our hande and looke more narowlye vpon it. TOX. I am content, but we wyll rydde them as fast as we can, bycause the sunne goeth so faste downe, and yet somewhat muste needes be sayde of euerye one of them. PHI. well sayde, and I trowe we beganne wyth those thynges whiche be instrumentes, whereof the fyrste, as I suppose, was the Braser. TOX. Litle is to be sayd of the braser. A bracer serueth for two causes, one to saue his arme from the strype of the strynge, and his doublet from wearynge, and the other is, that the strynge glydynge sharpelye & quicklye of the bracer, maye make the sharper shoote. For if the strynge shoulde lyght vpon the bare sleue, the strengthe of the shoote shoulde stoppe and dye there. But it is best by my iudgemente, to gyue the bowe so muche bent, that the strynge neede neuer touche a mannes arme, and so shoulde a man nede no bracer as I knowe manye good Archers, whiche occupye none. In a bracer a man muste take hede of .iii. thinges, yt it haue no nayles in it, that it haue no bucles,

Bracer.

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