Roger Ascham Toxophilus 1545

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together, lefle he ftande to flreyght vp, for fo a man fhall
neyther vfe hys flrengthe well, nor yet flande fledfaftlye.

The meane betwyxt bothe mufl be kept, a thing
more pleafaunte to behoulde when it is done, than eafie
to be taught howe it ihoulde be done.

To nocke well is the eafieft poynte of all, and there
in is no cunninge,but onelyedylygente hede Nock
gyuyng, to fet hys mafte neyther to hye nor oc ynge"
to lowe, but euen flreyght ouertwharte hys bowe, Vn-
conflante nockynge raaketh a man leefe hys lengthe.

And befydes that, yf the fhafte hande be hye and
the bowe hande lowe, or contrarie, bothe the bowe is
in ieopardye of brekynge, and the fhafte, yf it be lytle,
wyll Hart: yf it be great it wyll hobble. Nocke the
cocke fether vpward alwayes as I toulde you when I
defcribed the fether. And be fure alwayes yat your
flringe flip not out of the nocke, for then al is in
ieopardye of breakynge.

Drawynge well is the beft parte of D
mootyng. Men in oulde tyme vfed other rawynge.
maner of drawynge than we do. They vfed to drawe
low at the breft, to the ryght pap and no farther, and this
to be trew is playne in Homer, where he defcrybeth
Pandarus fhootynge. iiiad. 4.

Vp to the pap hisftnnge dyd he pul> hisjhafte to the hard heed.

The noble women of Scythia vfed the fame fafhyon
of mootyng low at the breil, and bicaufe there lefte
pap hindred theyr ihootynge at the lowfe they cut it
of when they were yonge, and therfore be they called
in lackynge theyr pap Amazones. Nowe a dayes
contrarye wyfe we drawe to the ryghte eare and not to
the pap. Whether the olde waye in drawynge low to
the pap, or the new way to draw a loft to procopius
the eare be better, an excellente wryter in Hlst pers
Greke called Procopius doth faye hys mynde, fhewyng
yat the oulde fafhyon in drawing to ye pap was
nought of no pithe, and therfore faith Procopius: is
Artyllarye difprayfed in Homer whych calleth it
v. I. Weake and able to do no good. Draw-