434 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1936 



the weight of the pull and also allowed him to exert the full power 

 of his legs and back in the draw. As the steel bow developed in 

 thickness and strength better spanning mechanisms were invented. 

 The windlass was one of these, and consisted of sets of pulleys and 

 ropes wound up by a pair of handles fixed to the back of the stock. 

 Another was the "goat's foot", which, acting on the principle of the 

 lever, pried back the bowstring. This was the only satisfactory 

 mechanical spanner for mounted crossbowmen. 



In warfare the crossbow had its advantages and disadvantages in 

 relation to the plain bow. It had more range and power, shot a 

 more deadly missile, could be sighted more accurately, and be drawn 

 ahead of time and fired on an instant's notice. On the other hand, 

 it was cumbersome, frequently weighing up to 16 pounds, and it 

 could not be repeatedly drawn and fired rapidly. Therefore, the per- 

 fected crossbow of the Middle Ages was at its best in defending a 

 fortress wdiere it could be aimed from a parapet, drawn in a small 

 space, and where its tremendous power, range, and accuracy made it 

 a superb weapon for defense. The longbow excelled in open battle, 

 for the archer could shoot half a dozen arrows while the crossbowman 

 was drawing his bow and fixing his bolt for the next shot. This was 

 strikingly proved in the Battle of Crecy in 1346, where, on an open 

 field, the English longbowmen won a decisive victory over the pick 

 of European crossbowmen, the Genoese. 



Toward the end of the fifteenth century, just when the crossbow 

 was beginning to give place to the arquebus as a military weapon, 

 there was developed the elaborate sporting crossbow with its mechan- 

 ical spanner known as the "cranequin." A beautiful specimen, prob- 

 ably dating around 1550, is seen in the National Museum collection 

 (pi. 5, fig. 1). It was too expensive and too slow for military use, 

 but was popular for a century and a half among sportsmen. In 

 hunting larger game they much preferred this silent and reliable 

 weapon to the noisy and erratic hand gun. 



Many other parts of the crossbow, such as the sights, trigger, arrow 

 groove, and various types of arrows and bolts, underwent technical 

 development, too. Space does not allow more than a mention of the 

 "prodd" or "arbalete a jalet", a two-stringed crossbow for shooting 

 stones and pellets, introduced about 1500." Concurrently there 

 appeared the "slurbow" in which the stock was mounted with a 

 wooden or metal barrel to hold the missile, and slotted lengthwise 

 for the string. (A primitive slurbow from Simalur Island, south 

 of Sumatra, is figured on pi. 1, fig. 2.) 



" The National Museum contains specimons of the plain pellet bow, without a stock, 

 from Slam. Oddly enough this two-stringed pellet bow is also used by the natives of 

 South America. 



