3.16. Of armour and munition. Chap. 16.
Of armour and munition. Chap. 16.
Compare 1577 edition:
1 _HOw well or how stronglie our
countrie hath beene fur|nished in times past with
ar|mor and artillerie, it lieth not in me as of my
selfe to make rehersall. Yet that it lacked both in
the late time of quéen Marie, not onlie the
experi|ence of mine elders, but also the talke of
certeine Spaniards not yet forgotten, did leaue some
mani|fest notice. Upon the first
I néed not stand, for few will denie it. For the
second I haue heard, that when one of the greatest
péeres of Spaine espied our na|kednesse in this
behalfe, and did solemnelie vtter in no obscure place,
that it should be an easie matter in short time to
conquer England, bicause it wanted armor, his words
were then not so rashlie vttered, as they were
politikelie noted. For albeit that for the present
time their efficacie was dissembled, and femblance
made as though he spake but merilie, yet at the verie enterance of this our gratious
quéene vnto the possession of the crowne, they were so
prouidentlie called to remembrance, and such spée|die
reformation sought of all hands for the redresse of
this inconuenience, that our countrie was sooner
furnished with armour and munition, from diuerse parts
of the maine (beside great plentie that was forged
here at home) than our enimies could get
vn|derstanding of anie such prouision to be made. By
this policie also was the no small hope
conceiued by Spaniards vtterlie
cut off, who of open fréends being now become our
secret enimies, and thereto watching a time wherein to
atchieue some heauie exploit against vs and our
countrie, did there vpon change their purposes,
whereby England obteined rest, that otherwise might
haue béene sure of sharpe and cruell wars. Thus a
Spanish word vttered by one man at one time, ouerthrew
or at the least wise hindered sundrie priuie practises
of manie at ano|ther. In times past the chéefe force
of England con|sisted in their long
bowes. But now we haue in ma|ner generallie giuen ouer
that kind of artillerie, and for long bowes in déed
doo practise to shoot compasse for our pastime: which
kind of shooting can neuer yéeld anie smart stroke,
nor beat downe our eni|mies, as our countrie men were
woont to doo at eue|rie time of néed. Certes the
Frenchmen and Rut|ters deriding our new archerie in
respect of their corslets, will not let in open
skirmish, if anie leisure serue, to turne vp their
tailes and crie; Shoote Eng|lish,
and all bicause our strong shooting is decaied and
laid in bed. But if some of our Englishmen now liued
that serued king Edward the third in his warres with
France, the bréech of such a varlet should haue beene
nailed to his bum with one arrow, and an other
fethered in his bowels, before he should haue turned
about to sée who shot the first. But as our shooting
is thus in manner vtterlie de|caied among vs one waie,
so our countrie men wex skilfull in sundrie other
points, as in shooting in small péeces, the caliuer,
and handling of the pike, in the seuerall vses whereof
they are become verie expert.
Compare 1577 edition:
1 Our armour differeth not from that of other na|tions,
and therefore consisteth of corslets, almai [...]e
riuets, shirts of maile, iackes quilted and couered
ouer with leather, fustian, or canuas, ouer thicke
plates of iron that are sowed in the same, &
of which there is no towne or village that hath not
hir con|uenient furniture. The said armour and
munition likewise is kept in one seuerall place of
euerie towne, appointed by the consent of the whole
parish, where it is alwaies readie to be had and worne
within an houres warning. Sometime also it is
oc|cupied, when it pleaseth the magistrate either to
view the able men, & take note of the well
kéeping of the same, or finallie to sée those that are
inrolled to exercise each one his seuerall weapon, at
the charge of the townesmen of each parish according
to his appointment. Certes there is almost no village
so poore in England (be it neuer so small) that hath
not sufficient furniture in a readinesse to set foorth
thrée or foure soldiors, as one archer, one gunner,
one pike, & a bilman at the least. No there is
not so much wanting as their verie liueries and caps,
which are least to be accounted of, if anie hast
requi|red: so that if this good order may continue, it
shall be vnpossible for the sudden enimie to find vs
vn|prouided. As for able men for seruice, thanked be
God, we are not without good store, for by the
mu|sters taken 1574 and 1575, our number amounted to
1172674, and yet were they not so narrowlie ta|ken,
but that a third part of this like multitude was left
vnbilled and vncalled. What store of munition and
armour the quéenes maiestie hath in hir store|houses,
it lieth not in me to yéeld account, sith I suppose
the same to be infinit. And whereas it was commonlie
said after the losse of Calis, that Eng|land should
neuer recouer the store of ordinance there lest and
lost: that same is at this time prooued false, sith
euen some of the same persons doo now confesse, that
this land was neuer better furnished with these things
in anie kings daies that reigned since the conquest.
The names of our greatest ordi|nance are
commonlie these.
-
Robinet, whose weight is two hundred
pounds, and it hath one inch and a quarter within
the mouth.
-
Falconet weigheth fiue hundred pounds,
and his widenesse is two inches within the mouth.
-
Falcon hath eight hundred pounds, and
two in|ches and a halfe within the mouth.
-
Minion poiseth eleauen hundred pounds,
and hath thrée inches and a quarter within the
mouth.
-
Sacre hath fiftéene hundred poundes,
and is three inches and a halfe wide in the mouth.
-
Demie Culuerijn weigheth three thousand
pounds, and hath foure inches and a halfe within the
mouth.
-
Culuerijn hath foure thousand pounds,
and fiue inches and an halfe within the mouth.
-
Demie Canon six thousand pounds, and
six in|ches and an halfe within the mouth.
-
Canon seauen thousand pounds, and eight
inches within the mouth.
-
E. Canon eight thousand pounds, and
seauen in|ches within the mouth.
-
Basiliske 9000 pounds, eight inches,
and thrée quarters within the mouth. By which
proportions also it is easie to come by the weight
of euerie shot, how manie scores it doth flée at
point blanke, how much pouder is to be had to the
same, & finallie how manie inches in height
ech bullet ought to carrie.
EEBO page image 199
The names of the greatest
ordinance. |
|
Weight of the shot. |
Scores of cariage. |
Pounds of pouder. |
Height of bullet. |
Robinet. |
hath |
1. li. |
0 |
½ |
1 |
Falconet. |
2. li. |
14 |
2 |
1 2/4 |
Falcon. |
2. ½. |
16 |
2 ½ |
2 ¼ |
Minion. |
4. ½. |
17 |
4 ½ |
3 |
Sacre. |
5 |
18 |
5 |
3 ¼ |
Demie Culuerijn. |
9 |
20 |
9 |
4 |
Culuerijn. |
18 |
25 |
18 |
5 ¼ |
Demie canon. |
30 |
38 |
28 |
6 ¼ |
Canon. |
60 |
20 |
44 |
7 ¾ |
E. Canon. |
42 |
20 |
20 |
6 ¾ |
Basiliske. |
60 |
21 |
60 |
8 ¼ |
Compare 1577 edition:
1 I might here take iust occasion to speake of the
princes armories. But what shall it néed? sith the
whole realme is hir armorie, and therefore hir
fur|niture infinit. The Turke had one gun made by one
Orban a Dane, the caster of his ordinance, which could
not be drawen to the siege of
Constan|tinople, but by seauentie
yokes of oxen, and two thousand men; he had two other
there also whose shot poised aboue two talents in
weight, made by the same Orban. But to procéed. As for
the armories of some of the nobilitie (whereof I also
haue séene a part) they are so well furnished, that
within some one barons custodie I haue séene thrée
score or a hundred corslets at once, beside caliuers,
hand|guns, bowes, sheffes of arrowes, pikes, bils,
pol|axes, flaskes, touchboxes, targets, &c:
the verie sight wherof appalled my
courage. What would the wea|ring of some of them doo
then (trow you) if I should be inforced to vse one of
them in the field? But thanked be God, our peaceable
daies are such, as no man hath anie great cause to
occupie them at all, but onelie taketh good leisure to
haue them in a rea|dinesse, and therefore both high
and lowe in Eng|land
Cymbalae pro galeis pro scutis
tympana [...] pulsant.
I would write here also of our maner of
going to the warres, but what
hath the long blacke gowne to doo with glistering
armour? what sound acquain|tance can there be betwixt
Mars and the Muses?
[...]
or how should a man write anie thing to the
pur|pose of that wherewith he is nothing acquainted?
This neuerthelesse will I adde of things at home, that
seldome shall you sée anie of my countriemen aboue
eightéene or twentie yéeres old to go without a dagger
at the least at his backe or by his side, al|though
they be aged burgesses or magistrates of
a|nie citie, who in appeerance
are most exempt from brabling and contention. Our
nobilitie weare com|monlie swords or rapiers with
their daggers, as dooth euerie common seruing man also
that follow|eth his lord and master. Some desperate
cutters we haue in like sort, which carrie two daggers
or two rapiers in a sheath alwaies about them,
wherewith in euerie dronken fraie they are knowen to
worke much mischiefe; their swords & daggers
also are of a great length, and longer than the like
vsed in anie other countrie,
whereby ech one pretendeth to haue the more aduantage
of his enimie. But as manie orders haue béene taken
for the intollerable length of these weapons; so I sée
as yet small redresse: but where the cause thereof
doth rest, in sooth for my part I wote not. I might
here speake of the excessiue staues which diuerse that
trauell by the waie doo car|rie vpon their shoulders,
whereof some are twelue or thirtéene foote long,
beside the pike of twelue in|ches: but as they are
commonlie suspected of ho|nest men to be theeues and
robbers, or at the least|wise scarse true men which
beare them; so by reason of this and the like
suspicious weapons, the honest traueller is now
inforced to ride with a case of dags at his sadle bow,
or with some pretie short snapper, whereby he may
deale with them further off in his owne defense before
he come within the danger of these weapons. Finallie,
no man trauelleth by the waie without his sword, or
some such weapon, with vs; except the minister, who
cõmonlie weareth none at all, vnlesse it be a dagger
or hanger at his side. Seldome also are they or anie
other waifaring men robbed without the consent of the
chamberleine, tapster, or ostler where they bait
& lie, who féeling at their alighting whether
their capcases or budgets be of anie weight or not, by
taking them downe from their sadles, or otherwise see
their store in drawing of their purses, do by and by
giue intimation to some one or other attendant dailie
in the yard or house, or dwelling hard by vpon such
matches, whether the preie be worth the following or
no. If it be for their turne, then the gentleman
peraduenture is asked which waie he trauelleth, and
whether it please him to haue another ghest to beare
him companie at supper, who rideth the same waie in
the morning that he doth, or not. And thus if he admit
him or be glad of his acquaintance, the cheate is
halfe wrought. And often it is séene that the new
ghest shall be robbed with the old, onelie to colour
out the matter and kéepe him from suspicion.
Some|times when they knowe which waie the passen|ger
trauelleth, they will either go before and lie in wait
for him, or else come galloping apace after, wherby
they will be sure, if he ride not the stronger, to be
fingering with his purse. And these are some of the
policies of such shrews or close booted gentle|men as
lie in wait for fat booties by the high waies, and
which are most commonlie practised in the win|ter
season about the feast of Christmas, when ser|uing men
and vnthriftie gentlemen want monie to plaie at the
dice and cards, lewdlie spending in such wise
whatsoeuer they haue wickedlie gotten, till some of
them sharplie set vpon their cheuisances, be trussed
vp in a Tiburne tippet, which happeneth vnto them
commonlie before they come to middle age. Wherby it
appéereth that some sort of youth will off haue his
swinge, although it be in a halter.
I might also intreat of our old maner of warfare vsed
in and before the time of Cesar, when as the cheefe
brunt of our fight was in Essedis or wagons;
but this I also passe ouer, noting neuerthelesse out
of Propertius, that our said wagons were
gorgeous and gailie painted, which he setteth downe in
these foure verses insuing, Arethusae ad Lycotam,
lib. 4. eleg. 3.
Te modò viderunt iteratos Bactra per ortus,
Te modò munito Sericus hostis equo,
Hiberníque Getae, pictóque Brittannia curru,
Vstus & Eoa discolor Indus aqua.