422 THE CENTU11Y, 



The Stone-bow was the Prodd ; probably the 

 Slurbowe was furnished with a barrel through a slit, 

 in which the string slided, when the trigger was 

 pulled. Three kinds are mentioned by Du Cange. 

 See Fosbroke s Encyclopaedia of Antiquities, 8vo. 1840. 



Bishop Wilkins, treating on Catapultee in his Ma- 

 tJiematicall Magick, 1648, observes that their usual form 

 was u after the manner of great bows placed on car 

 riages, and wound up by the strength of several 

 persons ;&quot; adding : &quot; These were sometimes framed 

 for the discharging of two or three arrows together/ 



As the Marquis wrote the Century in 1655, only seven 

 years after Wilkins publication, it is not at all unlikely 

 that he seriously contemplated the contriving of a 

 most useful warlike implement ; and this appears the 

 more reasonable when we find the worthy and learned 

 prelate advancing, as it appeared to him, cogent 

 reasons in his 19th chapter, in favour of the &quot; Military- 

 offensive engines used amongst the ancients,&quot; as com 

 pared to cannon ; gravely summing up his observations 

 with the remark &quot; that the force of these Engines does 

 rather exceed than come short of our gun-powder 

 inventions.&quot; Then again on the ground of expense 

 he shows an advantage in favour of Ballistae and 

 Catapultee. Thus : &quot; the price of these gun-powder 

 instruments is extremely expensive.&quot; This is proved 

 from &quot;a whole Gannon weighing commonly 8,000 

 pounds, a half Cannon 5,000, a Culverin 4,500, a 

 Demi-culverin 3,000,&quot; which &quot; must needs be very 

 costly,&quot; amounting &quot; to several hundred pounds,&quot; for 

 which sum &quot; at least 10 of the ancient timber made 

 engines might be purchased&quot;! 



Then their transport was a serious matter, for &quot; a 

 whole Cannon does require at the least 90 men, or 16 

 horses,&quot; and so in proportion for others. But the 



