THE CALIVER. 241 



" ' Put me a caliver in Wart's hands/ says Falstaff, 

 reviewing his recruits, meaning thereby that Wart, who 

 was a weak, undersized fellow, was not capable of manag- 

 ing a heavier weapon. It was sometimes called arquebuse 

 de calibre, and was in fact an arquebus of specified bore, 

 having derived its name from the corruption of calibre 

 into caliver. ' I remember,' writes Edmund York, an 

 officer who had served in the Netherlands, and was ap- 

 pointed by the Privy Council to report on the best mode 

 of organizing the militia of London, in expectation of the 

 Spanish invasion, ' when I was first brought up in Pie- 

 mount, in the Countie of Brisack's Regiment of the old 

 Bandes, we had our particular calibre of Harquebuze to 

 our Regiment, both that for one bullett should serve all the 

 harquebuses of our Regiment, as for that our Collonell 

 would not be deceaved of his armes ; of which worde 

 Calibre, came first that unapt term we used to call a har- 

 quebuze a calliver, which is the height of the bullett, and 

 not of the piece. Before the battell of Mountgunter 

 (Moncontour, A.D. 1569) the Prynces of the Religion 

 caused seven thousand harquebuzes to be made, all of one 

 calibre, which were called Harquebuze du calibre de Mon- 

 sieur le Prince. So as, I think, some man not understand- 

 ing French brought hither the name of the height of the 

 bullet of the piece ; which worde calibre is yet contynued 

 with our good cannoniers.' "* 



* See the Report in Maitland s " Hist, of London," p. 594. 



I I 



