220 THE KING'S MIRROR 



speak further about the equipment of men who fight 

 on horseback; there are, however, other weapons which 

 a mounted warrior may use, if he wishes; among these 

 are the " horn bow " * and the weaker crossbow, which 

 a man can easily draw even when on horseback, and 

 certain other weapons, too, if he should want them. 



XXXIX 



MILITARY ENGINES 



Son. Inasmuch as you seem to think that you have 

 described most of the weapons which are convenient to 

 have in naval warfare or in fighting on horseback, I will 

 now ask you to say something about those which you 

 think are most effective in besieging or defending castles. 



Father. All the weapons that we have just discussed 

 as useful on ships or on horseback can also be used in 

 attacking and defending castles; but there are many 

 other kinds. If one is to attack a castle with the weapons 

 which I have enumerated, he will also have need of 

 trebuckets : f a few powerful ones with which to throw 

 large rocks against stone walls to determine whether 

 they are able to resist such violent blows, and weaker 

 trebuckets for throwing missiles over the walls to de- 

 molish the houses within the castle. But if one is unable 

 to break down or shatter a stone wall with trebuckets, 



* Little seems to be known about the hornbow. Captain Blom finds it men- 

 tioned in the Latin sources as balista cornea or balista cum cornu. Aarbogerfor 

 nordisk Oldkyndighed, 1867, 100-101. Falk believes that it was a bow which 

 was reinforced on the inner side with horn. Altnordische Waffenkunde, 91-92. 

 f The trebucket (French trebuchef) was a siege engine which came into use in 

 the twelfth century; it was worked by counterpoises. For a description see 

 Oman, Art of War, 143-144; Aarboger for nordisk Oldkyndighed, 1867, 103- 

 104; Falk, Altnordische Waffenkunde, 193-194. 



