1908] on Ancient and Medimval Weafons. 338 



The Balista was like a great cross-bow, and differed from the 

 catapult in that it had two arms, each working in its separate coil of 

 twisted hair or hide. 



The arms of the balista were connected by a rope, which acted as 

 a bow-string. This rope, or bow-string as it may be termed, was 

 pulled back by a windlass along the stock of the machine, the stock 

 resembling that of a giant cross-bow. The rope or bow-string was 

 secured by a catch, that was freed by a hand-lever which acted as a 

 trigger. 



The balista discharged great feathered arrows in the form of 

 javelins, of several pounds in weight. 



The Trebuchet was worked by means of an immense weight, and 

 not by a coil of twisted cordage in a high state of tension. This 

 engine consisted of a framework in which was pivoted, at about one- 

 third of its length, a great arm or beam of wood. At the end of the 

 arm nearest to the pivot a huge weight was hinged, and at the other 

 end of the arm a sling was fitted. The weight caused the arm to 

 retain a perpendicular position, the sling being at the upper extremity 

 of the arm. When the engine was prepared for action, the upper 

 end of the arm was pulled down, by from fifty to a hundred men, to 

 a catch in the framework till the sling rested on the ground . The weight 

 at the other extremity of the arm was then naturally lifted upwards and 

 suspended in mid-air. When the catch which secured the sling 



end of the arm was released, tbis end of the arm swung up with great 

 force into its original perpendicular position, owing to the counterpoising 

 weight at its other end falling by gravity. In this way the missile 



was projected from the sling as if from a gigantic hand and arm. The 

 trebuchet is said to have been a French invention, and did not appear 

 in Continental warfare till about the twelfth century, though I con- 

 sider it was known in some form or other by the Arabs long before 

 it was seen in Europe. The use of the catapult and balista having 

 been much neglected by the later Romans, and the art of manu- 

 facturing the coils of twisted cordage so necessary to their effective- 

 ness having been almost forgotten, the trebuchet supplanted the two 

 older engines. 



One reason in favour of the trebuchet was that it could cast 

 stones of from 800 lb. to 400 lb. in Aveight, or far heavier than those 

 thrown by the most powerful catapults, its projectiles being thus so 

 heavy that they beat down towers and walls and formed breaches for 

 the besiegers to pass through. The size of the missile cast by a 

 trebuchet was merely governed by the weight of the counterpoise 

 that was the means of propelling it. Trebuchets with counterpoise 

 weights of from 18,000 to 20,000 lb., and more, were used. 



It has been calculated that one of these engines, with an arm 

 50 feet long and a counterpoise of 20,000 lb. could hurl a stone 

 300 lb. in weight to a distance of 350 yards. 



We have, indeed, well authenticated accounts of trebuchets casting 



