Phi. What handlyng is proper to the Instrumentes?
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ox. Standynge, nockjmg, drawyng, holdyng, loosing,wherby commeth fayre shotynge, whiche neyther belong towynde nor 'wether, nor yet to the marke, for in a rayne andat no marke, a man may shote a fayre shoote. Phi. Well sayde, what handlynge belongeth to thewether? Tox. Knowyng of his wynde, with hym, agaynst hym,syde wynd, full syde wind, syde wynde quarter with him,syde wynde quarter agaynste hym, and so forthe. Phi. Well then go to, what handlynge belongeth to themarke? Tox. To marke his standyng, to shoote compasse, to drawevermore lyke, to loose evermore lyke, to consyder the na-ture of the pricke, in hylles and dales, in strayte planes andwinding places, and also to espy his marke. Phi. Very well done. And what is onely within a manhymselfe? Tox. Good heede givynge, and avoydynge all affections :whiche thynges oftentymes do marre and make all. Andthese thynges spoken of me generally and brefely, yf theybe wel knowen, had, and handled, shall brynge a man tosuche shootynge, as fewe or none ever yet came unto, butsurely yf he misse in any one of them, he can never hyt themarke, and in the more he doth misse, the farther he shot-eth from his marke. But as in all other matters the fyrststeppe or stayre to be good, is to know a mannes faulte, andthen to amende it, and he that wyl not knowe his faulte,shall never amende it. Phi. You speake now Toxophile, even as I wold have youto speake : But lette us retume agayne unto our matter, andthose thjmges whyche you have packed up, in so shorte aroome, we wyll loose them forthe, and take every piece as itwere in our hande and looke more narowlye upon it. Tox. I am content, but we wyll rydde them as fast as wecan, bycause the sunne goeth so faste downe, and yet some-what muste needes be sayde of everye one of them. Phi. Well sayde, and I trowe we beganne wyth thosethynges whiche be instrumentes, whereof the fyrste, as Isuppose, was the bracer.
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