and therefore fuperior in the use of arms, which are forcible only in proportion to the strength with which they are handled, but the national practice of shooting for pleasure or for prizes, by which every man was inured to archery from his infancy, gave us infuperable advantage, the bow requiring more practice to skilful use than any other inftrument of offence.

Fire-arms were then in their infancy; and though battering-pieces had been fome time in ufe, I know not whether any foldiers were armed with hand-guns when the "Toxophilus" was first published. They were foon after ufed by the Spanish troops, whom other nations made hafte to imitate: but how little they could yet effect, will be understood from the account given by the ingenious author of the "Exer"cife for the Norfolk Militia."

"The first mufkets were very heavy, and could "not be fired without a reft; they had match-locks, "and barrels of a wide bore, that carried a large "ball and charge of powder, and did execution at a greater diftance.

"The musketeers on a march carried only their "refts and ammunition, and had boys to bear their "mufkets after them, for which they were allowed great additional pay.

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They were very flow in loading, not only by "reafon of the unwieldiness of the pieces, and be"cause they carried the powder and balls feparate, "but from the time it took to prepare and adjust "the match; fo that their fire was not near fo brifk

as ours is now. Afterwards a lighter kind of "match-lock mufket came into ufe, and they car"ried their ammunition in bandeliers, which were

"broad

"broad belts that came over the fhoulder, to which "were hung feveral little cafes of wood covered with "leather, each containing a charge of powder; the "balls they carried loofe in a pouch; and they had "alfo a priming-horn hanging by their fide.

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"The old English writers call those large mufkets "calivers the harquebuze was a lighter piece, that "could be fired without a reft. The match-lock "was fired by a match fixed by a kind of tongs in "the ferpentine or cock, which, by pulling the trigger, was brought down with great quickness upon "the priming in the pan; over which there was a "fliding cover, which was drawn back by the hand juft at the time of firing. There was a great deal "of nicety and care required to fit the match properly to the cock, fo as to come down exactly "true on the priming, to blow the afhes from the "coal, and to guard the pan from the sparks that "fell from it. A great deal of time was also loft in "taking it out of the cock, and returning it between "the fingers of the left hand every time that the piece was fired; and wet weather often rendered "the matches ufelefs."

While this was the ftate of fire-arms, and this ftate continued among us to the civil war with very little improvement, it is no wonder that the long-bow was preferred by Sir Thomas Smith, who wrote of the choice of weapons in the reign of queen Elizabeth, when the use of the bow ftill continued, though the musket was gradually prevailing. Sir John Hayward, a writer yet later, has, in his Hiftory of the Norman kings, endeavoured to evince the fuperiority of the archer to the musketeer: however, in the long peace

peace of king James, the bow was wholly forgotten. Guns have from that time been the weapons of the English, as of other nations, and, as they are now improved, are certainly more efficacious.

Afcham had yet another reafon, if not for writing his book, at least for presenting it to king Henry. England was not then what it may be now juftly termed, the capital of literature; and therefore those who afpired to fuperior degrees of excellence, thought it neceffary to travel into other countries. The purfe of Afcham was not equal to the expence of peregrination; and therefore he hoped to have it augmented by a penfion. Nor was he wholly difappointed; for the king rewarded him with an yearly payment of ten pounds.

A pension of ten pounds granted by a king of England to a man of letters, appears to modern readers fo contemptible a benefaction, that it is not unworthy of enquiry what might be its value at that time, and how much Afcham might be enriched by it. Nothing is more uncertain than the estimation of wealth by denominated money; the precious metals never retain long the fame proportion to real commodities, and the fame names in different ages do not imply the fame quantity of metal; fo that it is equally difficult to know how much money was contained in any nominal fum, and to find what any supposed quantity of gold or filver would purchase; both which are neceffary to the commenfuration of money, or the adjustment of proportion between the fame fums at different periods of time.

A numeral pound in king Henry's time contained, as how, twenty fhillings; and therefore it must be

inquired

inquired what twenty fhillings could perform. Breadcorn is the moft certain ftandard of the neceffaries of life. Wheat was. generally fold at that time for one fhilling the bufhel; if therefore we take five fhillings the bufhel for the current price, ten pounds were equivalent to fifty. But here is danger of a fallacy. It may be doubted whether wheat was the general bread-corn of that age; and if rye, barley, or oats, were the common food, and wheat, as I suspect, only a delicacy, the value of wheat will not regulate the price of other things. This doubt however is in favour of Afcham; for if we raise the worth of wheat, we raise that of his penfion.

In

But the value of money has another variation, which we are still lefs able to afcertain: the rules of custom, or the different needs of artificial life, make that revenue little at one time which is great at another. Men are rich and poor, not only in proportion to what they have, but to what they want. fome ages, not only neceffaries are cheaper, but fewer things are neceffary. In the age of Afcham, most of the elegancies and expences of our prefent fashions were unknown: commerce had not yet diftributed fuperfluity through the lower claffes of the people, and the character of a ftudent implied frugality, and required no fplendour to fupport it. His penfion, therefore, reckoning together the wants which he could supply, and the wants from which he was exempt, may be eftimated, in my opinion, at more than one hundred pounds a year; which, added to the income of his fellowship, put him far enough above diftrefs.

This was an year of good fortune to Afcham. He was chofen orator to the univerfity on the removal of Sir John Cheke to court, where he was made tutor to prince Edward. A man once diftinguished foon gains admirers. Afcham was now received to notice by many of the nobility, and by great ladies, among whom it was then the fashion to ftudy the ancient languages. Lee, archbishop of York, allowed him an yearly penfion; how much we are not told. He was probably about this time employed in teaching many illuftrious perfons to write a fine hand; and, among others, Henry and Charles, dukes of Suffolk, the princess Elizabeth, and prince Edward.

Henry VIII. died two years after, and a reformation of religion being now openly profecuted by king Edward and his council, Afcham, who was known to favour it, had a new grant of his penfion, and continued at Cambridge, where he lived in great familiarity with Bucer, who had been called from Germany to the profefforfhip of divinity. But his retirement was foon at an end; for in 1548 his pupil Grindal, the mafter of the princess Elizabeth, died, and the princess, who had already fome acquaintance with Afcham, called him from his college to direct her ftudies. He obeyed the fummons, as we may easily believe, with readinefs, and for two years inftructed her with great diligence; but then, being difgufted either at her or her domefticks, perhaps eager for another change of life, he left her without her confent, and returned to the university. Of this precipitation he long repented; and, as thofe who are not accustomed to difrefpect cannot eafily forgive