The history of the worthies of England who for parts and learning have been eminent in the several counties : together with an historical narrative of the native commodities and rarities in each county / endeavoured by Thomas Fuller.

Armory.

I place this before the Mint, because of Solon his Speech to Croesus that he that hath the best Steel will command all his Gold and Silver. Here many justly admire at the pro∣digeous greatnesse of some ancient Corslets. If Tully, seeing a little man wearing a long Sword, said pleasantly, that he was alligatus gladio, tyed to his Sword, surely at the Sight hereof he would conclude Wearers imprisoned in their arms. This hath put men on many Conjectures, some collecting hence the Strength and Stature of the Former ages, far above ours. Others parrallel them with the Shields left by Alexander to lye in India, purposely to possesse posterity with an untruth, about the proportion of the persons of his Soldiers. If I may interpose my conjecture (and if he may speak of John of Gaunt, who never fought in his armour) I conceive those Arms so signally great, not made to march in (as too ponderous for any under a Gyant) but to stand therein in a breach where they might be serviceable.

Nor can a general diminution of Mens strength be justly inferred from the Dispropor∣tion of Arms in our and former ages. I say General Diminution, seeing all ages even in

the same Country have produced some of greater some of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Dimensions. For if we compare the common Armour used Three hundred years since (and yet extant in the Tower) with ours of Modern use, no such sensible difference will be found betwixt them, as should argue an Universal decay. It is confessed that their Arrows exceeded ours both in bigness and length. But a * 1.1 learned Author 〈◊〉〈◊〉 this rather to their continual practice in shooting from their Infancy, then to their strength and Stature: so that it is rather Difuse, then disability in our age, that we cannot shoot the like, and since the Invention of Guns, the Light use we make of Arrows, have made them the lighter in the making.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Dr. Hac will in his Apology pag. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.