242 
THE CALIVER. 
A contemporary military writer, Sir John Smythe, gives 
his opinion that the term was derived from “ the height of 
the bullet”— i.e. the bore. He says, “ The caliver is only a 
harquebuse ; savinge, that it is of greater circuite, or bullet, 
than the other is of; wherefore the Frenchman doth call it a 
piece de calibre , which is as much as to saie, a piece of bigger 
circuite.* I would that all harquebuses throughout the field 
should be of one caliver and height, to the intent that every 
soldier on the lack of bullets might use his fellows’ bullets.” 
There are two specimens in the Tower Collection, of a 
caliver and a musket of the sixteenth century, from 
Penshurst Place, Kent. The length of the former (here 
figured) is 4 ft. 10 in., the latter 5 ft. 5^ in.J* 
Notwithstanding the “ bigger circuite,” the musket was 
considered twice as efficient in its effects, and Sir Roger 
Williams corroborates the fact, admitting the advantage 
possessed by the caliver of being more rapidly discharged. 
“ The calivers may say they will discharge two shot for 
one, but cannot denie that one musket-shot doth more hurt 
than two calivers’ shot.” { 
* “An Answer to the Opinion of Captain Barwicke.” (Harl. MSS., No. 4,685.) 
+ Their numbers, in Mr. Hewitt’s official Tower Catalogue, are j| and 
+ “ Brief Discourse of War, 1590.” 
