BOOK IX. 363 



when it is necessary. The wooden handle is seven palms long, or even longer, 

 in order that it may extend outside ; one-half of this handle, two palms 

 wide and one thick, is glued to the end of the board and fastened with pegs 

 covered with glue ; the other half projects beyond the board, and is rounded 

 and seven digits thick. Besides this, to the handle and to the board is fixed 

 a cleat two feet long, as many palms wide and one palm thick, and to the under 

 side of the same board, at a distance of three palms from the end, is fixed 

 another cleat two feet long, in order that the board may sustain the force 

 of distension and compression ; these two cleats are glued to the board, and 

 are fastened to it with pegs covered with glue. 



The lower bellows-board, like the upper, is made of two pieces of pine 

 and of two strips of linden wood, all glued together ; it is of the same width 

 and thickness as the upper board, but is a cubit longer, this extension being 

 part of the head of which I have more to say a little later. This lower bellows- 

 board has an air-hole and an iron ring. The air-hole is about a cubit distant 

 from the posterior end, and it is midway between the sides of the bellows- 

 board, and is a foot long and three palms wide ; it is divided into equal 

 parts by a small rib which forms part of the board, and is not cut from it ; 

 this rib is a palm long and one-third of a digit wide. The flap of the air- 

 hole is a foot and three digits long, three palms and as many digits wide ; 

 it is a thin board covered with goat skin, the hairy part of which is turned 

 toward the ground. There is fixed to ore end of the flap, with small iron 

 nails, one-half of a doubled piece of leather a palm wide and as long as the 

 flap is wide ; the other half of the leather, which is behind the flap, is twice 

 perforated, as is also the bellows-board, and these perforations are seven 

 digits apart. Passing through these a string is tied on the under side of the 

 board ; and thus the flap when tied to the board does not fall away. In this 

 manner are made the flap and the air-hole, so when the bellows are distended 

 the flap opens, when compressed it closes. At a distance of about a foot 

 beyond the air-hole a slightly elliptical iron ring, two palms long and one 

 wide, is fastened by means of an iron staple to the under part of the bellows- 

 board ; it is at a distance of three palms from the back of the bellows. In 

 order that the lower bellows-board may remain stationary, a wooden bolt is 

 driven into the ring, after it penetrates through the hole in the transverse 

 supporting plank which forms part of the frame for the bellows. There are 

 some who dispense with the ring and fasten the bellows-board to the frame 

 with two iron screws something like nails. 



The bows are placed between the two boards and are of the same length 

 as the upper board. They are both made of four pieces of linden wood three 

 digits thick, of which the two long ones are seven digits wide at the back and 

 two and a half at the front ; the third piece, which is at the back, is two 

 palms wide. The ends of the bows are a little more than a digit thick, and are 

 mortised to the long pieces, and both having been bored through, wooden 

 pegs covered with glue are fixed in the holes ; they are thus joined and glued 

 to the long pieces. Each of the ends is bowed (arcuatur) to meet the end of 

 the long part of the bow, whence its name " bow " originated. The fourth 



