ARC 
Englifh at thofe times; but it was found neceflary by 
Edward to enforce the practice of archery during the 
peace which followed, as the foldiers rather attended to 
other amulifnents than to archery. During the reign of 
Richard II. little is recorded with refpeft to the bow. 
We find, however, from Hollinglhea'd, that a number of 
archers were lent, at the requeft of the Genoefe, to afiift 
them againft the Saracens on the coaft of Barbary ; and 
that they performed Come wonderful exploits with their 
long-bow. From a palTage in Stowe, we find Richard II. 
to have had a very numerous guard of archers; and in 
the reign of Henry IV. a memorable vidtory was gained 
over the Scots near Halidowne-hill, in the year 1402, by 
lord Percie’s archers. The earl of Douglas, w ho com¬ 
manded the Scotch army in that aftion, enraged to fee his 
men falling thick around him by fiiowers of arrows, and 
trading to the goodnefs of his armour, accompanied by 
about eighty lords, knights, and gentlemen, in complete 
armour, rallied forward, and attacked the Englilh archers 
fvvord in hand. But he had foon reafon to repent his 
rafiinefs. The Englilh arrows were fo lharp and ffrong, 
and difeharged with fo much force, that no armour could 
repel them. The earl of Douglas, after receiving five 
wounds, was made prifoner; and all his brave companions 
were either killed or taken. Philip de Comines acknow¬ 
ledges, what our own writers albert, that the Englifli ar¬ 
chers excelled thofe of every other nation ; and Sir John 
Fortefcue fays, “ that the might of the realme of England 
ftandyth upon archers.” The fuperior dexterity of their 
archers gave the Englifli a great advantage over rlieir ene¬ 
mies the French and Scots.- The French depended chiefly 
on their men at arms, and the Scots on their pike-men ; 
but the ranks of both were often thinned and thrown into 
diforder by flights of arrows before they could reach 
their enemies. 
The battle of Agincourt, which happened in the year 
1415, under Henry V. is the next fignal viftery aferibed 
to the Englifli archers, who deltroyed a great number of 
the French cavalry by their yard-long arrows. This, in¬ 
deed, feems the laft very important aftion in which archery 
is much fpoken of; and, although the life of it was con¬ 
tinued through feveral fucceeding reigns, it feems to have 
been cultivated more for diverfion than for real military 
fervice. It is faid, that James I. of Scotland, during his 
long confinement in England, in the beginning of the fif¬ 
teenth century, was fo (truck with the fpirit and gallantry 
of the Englifh archers, that, on returning to his own coun¬ 
try, he eflabliflied the Royal Company of Edinburgh Bow¬ 
men, which fubfifts at the prefent day; and almoft all the 
Scottifli nobility and perlons of rank are members of it. 
As an amufement, archery was extremely fafhionable in 
the time of Henry VIII. and Hollingfhead reports, that 
that prince fliot as well as any of his guard. Edward VI. 
is alfo faid, by Mr. Barrington, to have been very fond 
of the exercife. Charles I. appears to have amufed him- 
felf in this way alfo; and is reprefented in the frontifpiece 
of Markham’s Art of Archery, (1634,) in the attitude and 
drefs of a bowman. He likewife ilined a proclamation to 
the lord-mayor and privy-council, to prevent the fields 
near London from being fo inclofed as “to interrupt the 
neceflary and profitable exercife of (hooting.” During 
the reigns of Charles II. and James II. the amufement 
was continued ; and the former fometimes attended at ex¬ 
hibitions of (hooting. As to the diftance to which an ar¬ 
row could be (hot from the long-bow, that niuft neceflarily 
have depended much on the (Length and Height of the 
archer; but in general the diltance was reckoned from 
eleven to twelve lcore yards. 
The exadt time in which the bow became difufed in war 
by the Englifh, perhaps cannot be fixed. P. Daniel men¬ 
tions, that arrows were (hot by the Englifh at the ifle of 
Rhe, in 1627. Mr. Grofe informs 11s, that, in 1643, the 
earl of EfTex ifl'ued a precept “ for (lining up all well- 
affefted people by benevolence, towards the railing of a 
company of archers for the fervice of the king (Charles I.) 
Vol. II. No. 57. 
H E R Y. 57 
and the parliament.” And, in a pamphlet, fays the fame 
author, which was printed anno 1664, giving an account 
of the fuccefs of the marquis of Montrofe againft the Scots, 
bowmen are repeatedly mentioned. Neade, in the reign 
of Charles I. obtained a commifiion under the great feal, 
wherein he and his fon were empowered to teach the com¬ 
bined management of the pike and the bow ; which (hews 
that archery was not laid afide at this period. Indeed 
Mr. Grofe afferts, that the long-bow continued to be in 
eflimation among the Englifli for more than,two centu¬ 
ries after gun-powder was introduced ; which probably 
arofe from mufkets being at firft very cumberfome and 
unwieldy. 
As early as the beginning of the twelfth century, a law 
was inflituted with refpeft to the practice of archery, which 
freed from the charge of murder any one who, in prafti- 
(ing with arrows or darts, fhouid kill a perfon (landing 
near. This is the firft regulation to be found in our annals; 
and it appears to have been overlooked by Mr. Barrington 
and Mr. Grofe. Till the time of Edward III. no law 
leems to have palled in this kingdom with refpeft to ar¬ 
chery. This prince, however, found it neceifary to enjoin 
the practice of the bow, by two mandates during liis reign ; 
and, in the reign of Richard II. an aft was made to com¬ 
pel all feryants to (hoot on Sundays and holidays. From 
this time many laws were enacted, of which the following 
is a fummary. The 7 Henry IV. ordains, that the heads of 
arrows (hall in future be well boiled and brazed, and har¬ 
dened at the points with fteel ; under the pain of the for¬ 
feiture of all inch heads otherwife manufactured, and im- 
prifonment to the makers : all arrow-heads to be marked 
with the maker’s name. Henry V. ordered the (heriffs of 
leveral counties to procure feathers from the wings of 
geefe, picking fix from each goofe. Two feathers in an 
arrow were to be white, and one brown or grey ; and this 
difference in colour informed the archer in an inftant how 
to place the arrow. In the time of Edward IV. an aft 
palled, ordaining every Engliftiman to have a bow of his 
own height; and butts were ordered to be put up in every 
townlliip, for the inhabitants to lhoot at on feaft days; and, 
if any neglefted, the penalty of one halfpenny was incurred. 
An aft of 1 Richard III. complains, that by the feditious 
confederacy of Lombards ufing divers ports of this realm, 
the bovv-ftaves were raifed to an outrageous price ; that is 
to fay, to eight pounds an hundred, where they were 
wont to be fold at forty (hillings. This aft therefore pro¬ 
vides, that ten bow-ftaves (ball be imported with every 
butt of Malmfey or Tyre wines, brought by the merchants 
trading from Venice into this land, under a penalty of 
thirteen (hillings and four-pence, for every butt ot the 
faid wines, in cafe of negleft. 
In the 33 Henry VIII. we have a ftatute of complaint 
on account of the decay of this art. It orddins, that all 
men under fixty, except fpiritual men, juftices, &c. lhall 
ufe fhooting with the long-bow, and (hall have a bow and 
arrows ready continually in their lioufe. And that every 
perfon, having a man-child or men-children in his lioufe, 
(hall provide a bow and two lhafts for every fuch man- 
child, being feven years old and upwards, till of the age 
of thirteen, in order to promote ihooting. And if a maf- 
ter or father permit his fervants or children, being feven- 
teen years of age, to lack a bow and arrows for the fpacc 
of a month, the faid mailer or father (hall forfeit fix and 
eight-pence for every offence. Alfo every fervant upwards 
of feventeen and under lixty years of age, lhall pay fix 
and eight-pence if he be without a bow and four arrows 
for one month. The inhabitants of every city, town, and 
place, are ordered by this aft to erect butts, and ufe (hoot¬ 
ing on holidays, and at every other convenient time. 
In this reign, alfo, the praftice of archery feems to have 
been enforced from the pulpit. In a fermon of biftiop La¬ 
timer, preached before the king, after condemning the 
vices of the age, he concludes thus: “ The art of (hutynge 
hath ben in tymes pad much eftemed in this realme ; it is 
a gyft of God, that he hath geven us to excel] all other 
nadons 
