Middletown transcript., 1883-01-19
DRAWING THE CRoss-Bow.

most deadly of all the missile weapons
before the perfecting of firearms. The
Spaniards brought it to the greatest de,
gree of efficiency, but the French and
English also made very fine cross-bows.
The stocks of some cross-bows are
straight, others are crooked, somewhat
after the shape of the stock of gun.
A great many of these weapons had
wooden bows which were made of yew-
wood, but more had steel lathes. The
arrows of the cross-bow were called
quarrels, or bolts. They were shorter,
thicker and heavier than the arrows of
the English long-bow. The place in
the cross-bow where the string is fast
ened when it is pulled back, ready to
shoot, is called the nut. From the nut
to the fore end of the stock the wood is
followed out, so that, when quarrel
is placed in position for firing, it does
not touch the stock, except at the tip of
its notch and the point where it lies on
the fore end. The trigger works easily
on a pivot, causing the nut to free the
string, whereupon the bow discharges
the quarrel.
The history of the cross-bow is very
interesting. You will find that Rich
ard the Lion-hearted was a great cross
bowman. He used to carry a very
strong arbalist (the old name for cross
bow with him wherever he vent
Even on his long expedition to Pales-
tine against the Saracans, his favorite
weapon was his constant companion.
At the siege Of Ascalon, he is said to
have aimed his quarrels so skillfully
that many an armed warrior on the
high walls was pierced through and
through.
The steel bolts fired from the strong.
est cross-bows would crash through any
but the very finest armor. There are
breast plates and helmets of steel, pre-
served among British antiquities, which
have been pierced by quarrels. have
read in old books, written in French
and Spanish, all about how these ter
rible weapons were made and used.
Richard was killed by a quarrel from
a French cross-bow.
A plowman in the province of Com
piegne unearthed a gold statuette of
Minerva, a most valuable thing. This
he divided, sending one-half to Richard,
and keeping the other half himself.
But, you know, in those days king
wanted everything. Richards lion
heart could not brook to divide trea-
sure with one of his vassals. So he
peremptorily demanded the other half
of the treasure, which being refused, he
called together small army and went
to lay siege to the strong castle of
Chalus, in Normandy, wherein the
treasure was said to be hidden. But it
was dear expedition for the bold king.
A famous cross-bowman by the name
of Bertram de Jourdan, standing on the
tall turret of the castle, saw Richard
riding around in the plain below and
took steady aim at him. This Bertram
de Jourdan had cause to hate the king,
for Richard had killed his two brothers
with his own hand. So when he pressed
the trigger of his powerful cross-bow he |
sent a hiss Of revenge along with the
steel-headed quarrel. Richard heard
the keen twang of the bow-string and
bent low over the bow of his saddle,
but the arrow struck him in the shoul-
der and he died of the wound. So, you
see, he would have done better to leave
that gold alone. However, his men
stormed the castle and brought Bertram
de Jourdan before him while he lay dy-
ing. Richard was too noble to mis-
treat prisoner, so he gave the cross
bowman a magnificent present and
ordered him to be set at liberty. But
one Marcadee, an infamous brute, who
was next in command to Richard, as
soon as the king was dead ordered De
Jourdan to be fayed alive and hung up
for the yultures to eat.
In the year HOO, William IL, sur
named Rufus, famous king of Eng
land, and a son of the conqueror, was
killed by cross-bow bolt in the forest
at Charningham, accidentally, it is said,
by Sir Walter Tyrrel, his bow-bearer.
A nephew of King Rufus had been
killed in May of the same year by a
like mishap. But the deeds done with
the cross-bow are not all so bloody and
terrible. From very early date in the
history of France companies of cross
bowmen have existed, among which
those at Lisle, Roulaix, Lennoy, Co.
mines, LIE Guesnoy, and Valenciennes
may be mentioned as prominent. That
at Roulaix was instituted by Pierre de
Roulaix, in 1491, a year before America
was discovered by Columbus. The
members of these societies shot at tar
gets and marks of various kinds, and |
their meetings were often the occasion
for great pomp and splendor. Many of |
these companies have been suppressed |
by law in comparatively recent times. |
In England, have read, as far back
as the reign Of William Rufus, laws
were passed forbidding the use of the
arbalist, except by persons having es-
pecial royal permit. This was because
the closs-bow, particularly the kind
with a Windlass attachment to draw
the string, was so destructive to the
kings deer. You will at once see the
great advantage the arbalist gave to
hunts1ren wi1o USED it it instteasii Of tt the
long-bow; for he could shoot from any
tangled thicket where a loLg-bowman
could not use his weapon at all. Then, |
foo r. rn0nirod uoorc Of yof;o,,4 ,,,,c 49,. |