Roger Ascham Toxophilus 1545

fhall come to hande ftrokes, hath euer redy, eyther at
his backe hangyng, or els in his next felowes hande a
leaden maule, or fuche lyke weapon, to beate downe
his enemyes withall.

3Pfjt. Well 2fo^//<?,feingthatthofe examples whiche
I had thought to haue ben cleane agaynfL footing, you
haue thus turned to the hygh prayfe of fhotinge: and
all this prayfe that you haue now fayd on it, is rather
come in by me than fought for of you : let me heare
I praye you nowe, thole examples whiche you haue
marked of fhotyng your felfe: whereby you are, and
thinke to perfuade other, yat fhoting is fo good in warre.

2C0X. Examples furely I haue marked very many :
from the begynning of tyme had in memorie of wryt-
yng, throughout all commune wealthes, and Empires
of the worlde: wherof the moofte part I wyll paffe
ouer, left I fhoulde be tedioufe: yet fome I wyll
touche, bycaufe they be notable, bothe for me to tell
and you to heare.

And bycaufe the ftorye of the lewes is for the tyme
mooft auncient, for the truthe moofte credible, it fhalbe
moofl fitte to begynne with them. And although I
knowe that God is the onely gyuer of vidlorie, and not
the weapons, for all flrength and victorie (fayth ludas
Machabeus) cometh from heauen: Yet
furely flrong weapons be the inftrumentes ' *' *

wherwith god doth ouercome yat parte, gt*

which he wil haue ouerthrown. For God *®

is well pleafed wyth wyfe and wittie feates of warre :
As in metinge of enemies, for trufe takyng, to haue
priuilye in a buftiment harnell men layd
for feare of treafon, as ludas Machabeus Mach> 2' I4'
dyd wyth Nicanor Demetrius capitayne: And to haue
engines of warre to beate downe cities with all: and
to haue fcout watche amonges our enemyes to knowe
their counfayles, as the noble captaine
lonathas brother to ludas Machabeus did ac ' *' "'
in the cpuntrie of Amathie agamft the mighty hofte of
Demetrius. And befyde al this, god is pleafed to haue