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— William Blake

Does the Eagle know what is in the pit?

Or wilt thou go ask the Mole:

Can Wisdom be put in a silver rod?

Or Love in a golden bowl?

…

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noun

One who, or that which, accelerates.

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THE SCHOOLB OF SHOOTYNGE 39

40 lines
Sir Philip Sidney·1554–1586
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ne wap, or put croked on, or shome in sundre wyth anevell nocke, or suffered to tarye over longe on. Whan thestryng fayles the bowe muste nedes breake, and speciallyin the myddes; because bothe the endes have nothyng tostop them ; but whippes so far backe, that the belly mustnedes violentlye rise up, the whyche you shall well perceyrein bendyng of a bowe backward. Therfore a bowe thatfoloweth the stryngeis least hurt with breakyng of strynges.By the shafte a bowe is broken ether when it is to short,and so you set it in your bow or when the nocke breakes forlytlenesse, or when the strynge slyppes wythoute the nockefor wydenesse, than you poule it to your eare and lettes it go,which must nedes breake the shafte at the leaste, and puttestringe and bowe and al in jeopardy, by cause the strength ofthe bowe hath nothynge in it to stop the violence of it. Thys kjmde of breakynge is mooste perilouse for thestanders by, for in such a case you shall se sometyme theende of a bow flye a hoole score from a man, and that moostcommonly, as I have marked oft the upper ende of the bowe.The bowe is drawne to far. ii. ways. Eyther when youtake a longer shafte then your owne, or els when you shyfteyour hand to low or to hye for shootynge far. Thys wayepouleth the backe in sunder, and then the bowe fleethe inmanye peces. So when you se a bowe broken, havynge the bellye risenup both wayes or tone, the stringe brake it. When it isbroken in twoo peces in a maner even of and specyallye inthe upper ende, the shafte nocke brake it. When the backe is pouled a sunder in manye peeces tofarre drawynge, brake it. These tokens eyther alwayes be trewe or els verye seldomemysse. The fourthe thjmg that breketh a bow is fretes, whychmake a bowe redye and apte to breake by any of the. iii.wayes afore sayde. Freetes be in a shaft as well as in abowe, and they be muche lyke a Canker, crepynge and en-creasjmge in those places in a bowe, whyche be weaker thenother. And for thys purpose must your bowe be welltrymmed and piked of a conning man that it may comerounde in trew compasse every where. For freetes you
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