tifyolt at £Ijrr0ttn3. 139

the fhafte, ynoughe to fyll the head withall, or when it
is neyther to little nor yet to greate. If there be any
faulte in any of thefe poyntes, ye head whan it lyghteth
on any hard flone or grounde wil be in ieoperdy.
eyther of breakynge, or els otherwyfe hurtynge. Stop-
pynge of heades eyther wyth leade, or any thynge els,
ihall not nede now, bycaufe euery filuer fpone, or
fhowldred head is flopped of it felfe. Shorte heades be
better than longe: For firfte the longe head is worfe
for the maker, to fyle ftrayght compace euery waye:
agayne it is worfe for the fletcher to fet ftrayght on:
thyrdlye it is alwayes in more ieoperdie of breakinge,
whan it is on. And nowe I trowe Philologe, we haue
done as concernynge all Inftrumentes belongyng to
Ihootynge, which e euery fere archer ought, to prouyde for
hym felfe. And there remayneth. ii. thynges behinde,
whiche be generall or common to euery man the
Wether and the Marke, but bicaufe they be fo knit
wyth fhootynge ftrayght, or kepynge of a lengthe, I
wyll deferre them to that place, and now we will come,
(God wyllyng) to handle oure inflrumentes, the thing
that euery man defireth to do wel.

3|{)i If you can teache me fo well to handle thefe
inflrumentes as you haue defcribed them, I fuppofe I
lhalbe an archer good ynough.

2Eox, To learne any thing (as you knowe better than
I Philologe) and fpeciallye to do a thing with a mannes
handes, mufl be done if a man woulde be excellent, in
his youthe. Yonge trees in gardens, which lacke al
fenfes, and beafles without reafon, when they be yong,
may with handling and teaching, be brought to won-
derfull thynges. And this is not onely true in natural
thinges, but in artificiall thinges to, as the potter moft
connyngly doth cafl his pottes whan his claye is fofte
and workable, and waxe taketh printe whan it is
warme, and leathie weke, not whan claye and waxe be
hard and oulde : and euen fo, euery e man in his youthe,
bothe with witte and body is mofle apte and pliable
to receyue any cunnyng that fhulde be taught hym.