ARCHER Y. 
more modern form was that represented in fig. 10. Plate 1 . 
annexed ; and is charged with the malleolus, or combuf- 
tible arrow. In the middle of the bow-ftock, at A, was 
inferted a Small round piece of iron, reprefented in Jig. 11. 
It was on this nut, or lock, that the String was held when 
they charged the bow. '1 his was fixed in the hock by a 
Screw palling through its centre, and on which it freely 
turned. The notch C, aroSe above the Surface of the 
Hock on its upper Side, and the firing was received into it 
when drawn up. B .Jig. 10. represents a trigger, the end 
oS which was inSerted into the notch D, Jig. n. and pre¬ 
vented it from moving while the nut held the firing; but, 
on being prelled, (as it turned on a pin,) the end was dif- 
placed from the notch, and the nut turned round by the 
force of the firing, which it fet at liberty, and projected 
the arrow. 
The arrows (hot from crofs-bows were called quarrels, 
or bolts. They were ufually headed with a large Square 
pyramid of iron, but had Sometimes _other forms given to 
them. Inficad of feathers, the quarrels were Sometimes 
trimmed with plates of brafs or iron. One Species of quar¬ 
rel, which was called in French the viretcv, from its Spin¬ 
ning round as it puffed through the air, was made as our 
common arrows are at prefent, with the feathers fet on a 
little curved ; but it is probable that that method of pla¬ 
cing the feathers was not in general nfed in the fifteenth 
century, the period in which the vireton is mod fpoken 
of, or a particular name would have been unneceffary. 
An Engli111 phrafe, (as Mr. Barrington obferves,) origi¬ 
nated from the ufe of the bolt: “ I have fiiot my bolt,” 
is a faying which intimates an attempt having been made 
in Some way. An example of this expreflion occurs in 
Langtoft’s Chronicle, where an Effay on Stonehenge is en¬ 
titled, “ A Fool’s Bolt Soon fiiot at Stonage.” 
It was cuftomary among thofe who pradtifed with the 
crofs-bow to have a mark, which they called a popinjay, 
formed like a parrot, and which was fufpertded in the air. 
Stowe, in his “ Survey of London,” fays, The crofs-bow 
makers rented Tazel-Clofe, near Moorfields, for the ptir- 
pofe of exercifing themfelves with that weapon at the 
popinjay. The practice lias been very ancient in France, 
and appears, from P. Daniel, to have been inftituted as 
early as the reign of Philip I. The crofs-bow, as it is ca¬ 
pable of being managed with greater accuracy than the 
long-bow, has been at all times ufed in the chace ; and, 
even long after the condrudtion of the mufket, was highly 
improved; the - Silent discharge of the arbalift, rendered it 
more valuable in the purfuit of timorous animals, than any 
other weapon. It was formerly, and perhaps is at prefent, 
in ufe, for the purpofe of killing deer ; and gentlemen of¬ 
ten amufe themfelves by (hooting bullets at rooks and rab¬ 
bits, which Some can Strike with wonderful dexterity. For 
killing birds, there was a particular kind of arrow, having 
a ball of wood at the end of it, and which was named the, 
bird-bolt. This arrow had often, befides the ball, an iron 
-point which projected before it, and with which the (mailer 
animals were transfixed. 
No circumftance, perhaps, illuftrates fo well the accu¬ 
racy with which the crofs-bow was formerly (hot, as the fol¬ 
lowing paffage in Wood’s Bowman’s Glory. “ On March 
the 2 \ fi, 1661, four hundred archers, with their hows and 
arrows, made a fplendid and glorious (how in Hide-Parke, 
with flying colours and crofs-bows to guard them. Sir 
Gilbert Talbot, Bart, was their Colonel, Sir Edward Hun- 
gerford, Knight of the Bath, their Lieutenant Colonel, 
Mr. Donne was their Major. Great was the appearance 
both of the nobility, gentry, and commonalty. Several of 
the archers (hot near twenty lcore yards, within the com- 
pafs of a hat, with their crofs-bows ; and many of them, to 
the amazement of the fpedtators, hit the mark. There 
were three (bowers of w hi filing-arrows. So great was tire 
delight, and fo pleafmg the exercife, that three regiments 
of foot laid down their arms to come to fee it.” Bowman's 
Glory , p. 73. Such were the early feats of the royal archers 
of St.-George, or prefent Artillery-Company. 
The annexed Archery-Plate 1 . reprefents the different 
kinds of bows we have been deferibing ; which are as 
follow Fig. 1. The Perlian bow, conftmeted of the horns 
of the antelope. 2. The curved or indented bow of Ota- 
heite, and of the Efkimaux bordering on Hudfon’s Bay. 
3. The bow of the Amazons. 4. The Dacian, or fwan 
and dragon headed bow. 5. The Tartarian bow, (hewing 
its inflected figure when unftrung. 6. The Saxon bow. 
7. The Roman bow. 8. The Grecian bow. 9. The Eng- 
li(h long-bow. 10. The arbalift, or crofs-bow, loaded 
with a malleolus, or combullible arrow, n. The nut or 
lock of the crofs-bow. 12, and 13. The corytus, or cafes 
for carrying the bow. 14. An archer fhooting with a dou¬ 
ble-firing bow. 15. A Cretan archer bending his bow. 
Among thofe who have excelled in the ufe and manage¬ 
ment of the bow, the emperors Domitian and Commodus 
are particularly celebrated. It is reported of Domitian, 
that he would often place boys in the Circus at (ome dif- 
tance from him, and as they held out their hands, and 
feparated their fingers, he would (hoot an arrow through 
either fpace, without injury to the hand of him who added 
target. The feals attributed to Commodus are numerous; 
and he appears to have been one of the mod expert archers 
recorded in hiftory. It is (aid by Herodian, that his hand 
was unerring both with the javelin and with the bow; and 
that the moft experienced Parthian archers yielded to his 
luperior (kill. He would kill all kinds of animals in the 
amphitheatre by way of exercife, and to (hew the fteadi- 
nefs of his arm. But it is obferved, that he, in thefe cafes, 
generally preferred to (hew his art, rather than his courage ; 
as he fecured himfelf on a place elevated beyond tire reach 
of any attack which might have happened from his oppo¬ 
nents. Stags, lions, panthers, and all lpecies of beads, 
fell without number by his hand; nor was a lecond arrow 
neceffary, for every wound proved mortal. He would ftrilee 
an animal in any particular point he wifiied with the great- 
eft accuracy,,in the head, or in the heart. A panther was 
fometimes let loofe in the Circus where a criminal was 
placed ; and juft as the animal, was going to feize the cul¬ 
prit, he would drive an arrow fo opportunely, that the 
man (bould efcape unhurt. An hundred lions have been 
introduced at the fame time upon the Arena, and with 
an hundred (hafts he would lay them lifelefs; He caul’ed 
arrows to be made with heads curved in a femicircular 
figure, and with thefe he could cut oft' the neck of an 
oftrich running in full fpeed. This feat is, perhaps, the 
moft difficult of the whole number, the oftrich being ex¬ 
tremely fwift of foot, and having a neck of (mail magni¬ 
tude. Herodian obferves alfo, that when the emperor 
amputated the head of one of thefe animals', tire (iroke 
fevered the parts fo inftantaneoufly, that the body fome¬ 
times proceeded feveral paces, as if (fill living, the motion 
not being immediately checked. 
An anecdote recorded of a perfon whofe name was 
After, has immortalized him as one of the moft expert of 
archers. He poffeffed fuch (kill with his bow, that as he 
faw Philip of Macedon among his troops, he wrote upon 
an arrow which he intended to (hoot at that king, “After 
fends Philip a deadly arrow ;” and, having difeharged it, 
ftruck the right eye of Philip : but, although the wound 
was not mortal, it deprived him of light on that fide. A 
very extraordinary, and perhaps in war one of the moft 
ufeful archers, is fpoken ot by Zofifnus, in his account of 
the battle between Conftantius and Magentius, at Murfa. 
This foldier, whofe name was Menelaus, pofteffed the art 
of (hooting three arrows from his bow at one difeharge, 
and with them could ftrike three different perfons. By 
this fkilful expedient, fays the hiftorian, he killed a great 
number of thofe who oppofed him ; and the enemy, it 
might almoft be faid, were defeated by a lingle archer. 
Unfortunately, however, this valuable man at laft fell by 
the hand of Romulus, a general of the army of Magen¬ 
tius, whom he had firft wounded by an arrow. It appears 
probable, that birds formerly were often killed by arrows, 
as the circumftance is hinted by feveral authors. Diodo¬ 
rus 
