Roger Ascham Toxophilus 1545

.120 HCajMyfyttut. 38.

the nocke breakes for lytlenefle, or when the ftrynge
Qyppes wythoute the nocke for wydeneffe, than you
poule it to your eare and lettes it go, ' which muft
nedes breake the fhafte at the leafle, and putte flringe
and bowe and al in ieopardy, bycaufe the flrength of the
bowe hath nothynge in it to flop the violence of it

Thys kynde of breakynge is moofle periloufe for the
flanders by, for in fuch a cafe you fhall fe fometyme
the ende of a bow flye a hoole fcore from a man, and
that moofl commonly, as I haue marked oft the vpper
ende of the bowe. The bowe is drawne to far. il
wayes. Eyther when you take a longer fhafte then
your owne, or els when you fhyfte your hand to low or
to hye for fhootynge far. Thys waye pouleth the backe
in funder, and then the bowe fleethe in manye peces.

So when you fe a bowe broken, hauynge the bellye
rifen vp both wayes or tone, the flringe brake it.
When it is broken in twoo peces in a maner euen of and
fpecyallye in the vpper ende, the fhafte nocke brake it.

When the backe is pouled a funder in manye peeces
to farre drawynge, brake it.

Thefe tokens eyther alwayes be trewe or els verye
feldome myfTe.

The fourthe thyng that breketh a bow is fretes,
whych make a bowe redye and apte to Freate

breake by any of the. iii. wayes afore reateSl

fayde. Freetes be in a fhaft as well as in a bowe,
and they be muche lyke a Canker, crepynge and en-
creafynge in thofe. places in a bowe, whyche be
weaker then other. And for thys purpofe muft your
bowe be well trymmed and piked of a conning man
that it may come rounde in trew compaffe euery
where. For freetes you muft beware, yf youre bow
haue a knot in the backe, left the places whyche be
nexte it, be not alowed flrong ynoughe to bere with
the knotte, or elles the flronge knotte fhall freate the
weake places nexte it Freates be fyrfl litle pinchefe,
the whych when you perceaue, pike the places about
the pinches, to make them fomewhat weker, and a.s