Roger Ascham Toxophilus 1545

ut

lulius Pollux maketh mencion of cer- Pollux. 7.
tayne kindes of heades for war which beare Psal- *•
fyre in them, and fcripture alfo fpeaketh fomwhat of
the fame. Herodotus doth tell a won-
derfull pollicy to be done by Xerxes what ero' raD"
tyme he befeged the great Toure in Athenes : He
made his Archers binde there fhafte heades aboute
wyth towe, and than fet it on fyre and fhoote them,
whych thyng done by many Archers fet all the places
on fyre, whych were of matter to burne; and befydes
that dafed the men wythin, fo yat they knewe not
whyther to turne them. But to make an ende of all
heades forwarre I woulde wyihe that the head makers
of Englande fhoulde make their fheafe arrowe heades
more harder poynted then they be: for I my felfe haue
fene of late fuch heades fet vpon fheafe Arrowes, as ye
officers yf they had fene them woulde not haue bene
content wyth all.

Now as concernyng heades for pryckyng, which is
oure purpofe, there be dyuerfe kyndes,fome be blonte
heades, fome fharpe, fome both blonte and fliarpe.
The blont heades men vfe bycaufe they perceaue
them to be good, to kepe a lengthe wyth all, they
kepe a good lengthe, bycaufe a man poulethe them no
ferder at one tyme than at another. For in felynge
the plompe ende alwayes equallye he may lowfe them.
Yet in. a winde, and agaynfle the wynd the wether hath
fo much power on the brode end, yat no man can
kepe no iure lengthe, wyth fuch a heade, Therfore a
blont hede in a caulme or downe a wind is very good,
0'therwyfe none worfe.

Sharpe heades at the ende wythout anye fhoulders
(I call that the moulder in a heade whyche a mans
finger fhall feele afore it come to the poynte) wyll
perche quycklye throughe a wynde, but yet it hath. ii.
difcommodities, the one that it wyll kepe no lengthe,
it kepeth no lengthe, bycaufe no manne can poule it
certaynly as far one tyme as at an other: it is not
drawen certaynlye fo far one tyme as at an other,