Positions vvherin those primitiue circumstances be examined, which are necessarie for the training vp of children, either for skill in their booke, or health in their bodie. VVritten by Richard Mulcaster, master of the schoole erected in London anno. 1561. in the parish of Sainct Laurence Povvntneie, by the vvorshipfull companie of the merchaunt tailers of the said citie

Chapter 26. Of Shooting.

THe physicians seeme to commend shooting for the vse of health sufficiently, in that they make Apollo & AEsculapius the presidentes and protectors of Archerie, which both be the greatest gods, & chiefest patrones of ther owne professiō. And that it is a thing to be beloued, & liked, what argument is there that can be alleadged of comparable force to that of Cupide himselfe, which in the matter of loue, doth bend with his bow, and enamour with his arrow? But in sadnes to say enough of this exercise in few wordes, which no wordes can praise e∣nough for the commodities which it bringeth to the health of the body: as it hath bene vsed by diuers nations, in diuerse sortes, both on horsebacke and on foote, both for peace and warre, for healthfull exercise and pleasant pastime: so none ei∣ther now doth vse it, or heretofore hath vsed it, more to health, and bettering of the body then our owne countrimen do. As if it were a thing somewhat naturall to Ilandes, bycause they of Crete and Cyprus in olde stories, they of the Indian Ilandes in new stories are noted also for neare Shooting, strong Darting, and streight Slinging, whereof the Balear Ilandes seeme to take their name. Nay by all auncient monumentes Shooting should seeme to be both the eldest, and the vsuallest defence in figh∣ting a farre of, which though it haue now, & tofore haue had great place in the fielde for warfare: yet hath it a great deale better place in our fields for wellfare: and therefore the more, because it consisteth both of the best exercises, and the best ef∣fectes of the best exercises. For he that shooteth in the free and open fields may chuse, whether betweene his markes he will runne or walke, daunce or leape, hallow or sing or do some∣what

els, which belōgeth to the other, either vehemēt or gētle exercises. And whereas hunting on foote is so much praised, what mouing of the body hath the foote hunter in hilles & da∣les, which the rouing Archer hath not in varietie of growndes? Is his naturall heate more stirred then the Archers is? Is his appetite better then the Archers is though the prouerbe helpe the hungrie hunter? Nay in both these the Archer hath the vantange. For both his howers be much better to eate, and all his mouing is more at his choice: because the hunter must follow his game of necessitie, the Archer neede not but at his owne leasure. For his pastime wil tary stil, till he come to it, the hunters game is glad to get from him. In fine what good is there in any particular exercise, either to helpe natural heat, or to cleare the body, or to prouoke appetite, or to fine the senses, or to strēgthen the sinewes, or to better all partes, which is not altogither in this one exercise? Onely regard to vse it in a meane doth warrant the archer from daunger to himselfe: & an eye to looke about, doth defende the passager from perill by him. I could here speake much, if it were not to much, to say e∣uē so much in such a thing, being so faire a pastime, so pleasant to al people, so profitable to most, so familiar to our country, so euery where in eye, so knowne a defence, such a meane to offende, as there is no man but knoweth it to be a preseruatiue to health, and therefore well to be numbred among the tray∣ning exercises. And chiefly as it is vsed in this Iland, wherein the rouing must nedes be the best and most healthful, both for varieties of motion in diuersities of soile, & by vsing all arche∣ry, in exercising one kinde. For in rouing, you may vse either the butte, or the pricke by the way for your marke, as your pleasure shalbe. This exercise do I like best generally of any rownde stirring without the dores, vpon the causes before al∣leadged, which if I did not, that worthy man our late and lear-countrieman maister Askam would be halfe angrie with me, though he were of a milde disposition, who both for trayning the Archer to his bow, & the scholler to his booke, hath shew∣ed him selfe a cunning Archer, and a skilfull maister.

In the middest of so many earnest matters, I may be allowed to entermingle one, which hath a relice of mirth, for in praysing of

Archerie, as a principall exercise, to the preseruing of health, how can I but prayse them, who professe it throughly, & main∣taine it nobly, the friendly and franke fellowship of prince Ar∣thurs knightes in and about the citie of London, which of late yeares haue so reuiued the exercise, so countenaūced the artifi∣cers, so enflamed emulation, as in thēselues for frindly meting, in workemen for good gayning, in companies for earnest com∣paring, it is almost growne to an orderly discipline, to cherishe louing society, to enrich labouring pouertie, to maintaine ho∣nest actiuity, which their so encouraging the vnder trauel∣lours, and so encreasing the healthfull traine, if I had sacred to silence, would not my good freind in the citie maister Hewgh Offly, and the same my noble fellow in that order Syr Launce∣lot, at our next meeting, haue giuē me a sowre nodde, being the chiefe furtherer of the fact, which I commend, and the famosest knight, of the fellowship, which I am of? Nay would not euen prince Arthur himselfe maister Thomas Smith, and the whole table, of those wel known knights, & most actiue Archers haue layd in their chaleng against their fellow knight, if speaking of their pastime I should haue spared their names? whereunto I am easily led, bycause the exercise deseruing such praise, they that loue so praiseworthie a thing neither can of them selues, neither ought at my hand to be hudled vp in silence.