Roger Ascham Toxophilus 1545

147

ynge after his armes, as though he woulde helpe his
ihafte to flye. An other writhes or runneth a fyde, to
poule in his fhafte flrayght. One lifteth vp his heele,
and fo holdeth his foote flill, as longe as his ihafte
flyeth. An other cafteth his arme backewarde after
the lowfe. And an other fwynges hys bowe aboute
hym, as it were a man with a ftaffe to make roume in
a game place. And manye other faultes there be,
whiche nowe come not to my remembraunce. Thus
as you haue hearde, manye archers wyth marrynge
theyr face and countenaunce, wyth other partes, of
theyr bodye, as it were menne that ihoulde daunce an-
tiques, be farre from the comelye porte in fhootynge,
whiche he that woulde be excellent mufte looke for.

Of thefe faultes I haue verie many my felfe, but I
talke not of my fhootynge, but of the generall nature
of fhootynge. Nowe ymagin an Archer that is cleane
wythout al thefe faultes and I am fure euerye man
would be delyted to fe hym fhoote.

And althoughe fuche a perfyte cumlyneffe can not
be expreffed wyth any precepte of teachyng, as Cicero
and other learned menne do faye, yet I wyll fpeake
(accordyng to my lytle knowlege) that thing in it,
whych yf you folowe, althoughe you mall not be
wythout fault, yet your fault fhal neyther quickly be
perceued, nor yet greatly rebuked of them that ftande
by. Standyng, nockyng, drawyng, holdyng, lowfyng,
done as they Ihoulde be done, make fayre fhootynge.

The fyrfte poynte is when a man fhoulde mote, to
take fuche footyng and ftandyng as fhal be Stand
both cumlye to the eye and profitable to ^ ynse"
hys vfe,fettyng hys countenaunce and al the other partes
of hys bodye after fuche a behauiour and porte, that
bothe al hys ftrengthe may be employed to hys owne
mooft a[d]uantage, and hys moot made and handled
to other mens pleafure and delyte. A man muft not
go to haflely to it, for that is ramneffe, nor yet make
to much to do about it, for yat is curiofitie, ye one
fote muft not flande to far from the other, lefle he
ftoupe to muche whyche is vnfemelye, nor yet to nere