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— John Milton

Say, Heavenly Muse, shall not thy sacred vein 15

Afford a present to the Infant God?

Hast thou no verse, no hymn, or solemn strain,

To welcome him to this his new abode,

…

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Able to be tolerated or allowed; satisfactory or suitable for a particular purpose or situation.

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46 ROGER ASCHAM

40 lines
Sir Philip Sidney·1554–1586
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eecyngeof ashafte with brasell and holie, or other heavywoodes, is to make the ende compasse heavy with the fethersin &ying, for the stedfaster shotyng. For if the ende wereplumpe heavy wyth lead and the wood nexte it lyghte, thehead ende woulde ever be downwardes, and never flyestrayght. Two poyntes in peering be ynough, lest the moystnes ofthe earthe enter to moche into the peecinge, and so leusethe glue. Therefore many poyntes be more pleasaunt to theeye, than profitable for the use. Summe use to peece theyr shaftes in the nocke wythbrasel, or holye, to counterwey, with the head, and I havesene summe for the same purpose, bore an hole alytle bineththe nocke, and put leade in it. But yet none of these wayesbe anye thing needful at al, for ye nature of a fether inflpng, if a man marke it well, is able to bear up a wonderfulweyght: and I thinke suche peecing came up first, thus:whan a good Archer hath broken a good shafte, in thefethers, and for the fantasie he hath had to it, he is lothe toleese it, and therfore doeth he peece it. And than by andby other eyther bycause it is gaye, or elles because theywyll have a shafte lyke a good archer, cutteth theyre holeshaftes, and peeceth them agayne : A thynge by my judge-ment, more costlye than nedefuU. And thus have you heard what wood, what f asshion, whatnockynge, what peecynge a stele muste have. Nowe folow-eth the fetherynge. Phi. I woulde never have thought you could have saydhalfe so muche of a stele, and I thynke as concemyng thetitle fether and the playne head, there is but lytle to saye. Tox. Lytle, yes trulye : for there is no one thing, in alshoting, so moche to be loked on as the fether. For f3n:stea question maye be asked, whether any other thing besyde afether, be fit for a shaft or no? if a fether onelye be fit,whether a goofe fether onely, or no? yf a goofe fether bebest, then whether there be any diflJerence, as concemyngethe fether of an oulde goose, and a yonge goose : a gander,or a goose : a f ennye goose, or a uplandish goose. Againewhich is best fether in any goose, the ryght wing or the leftwing, the pinion fether, or any other fether : a why te, blacke,
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