BOW {arcus), a weapon of offence, made of wood, horn, or other elastic' matter, which, being strongly bent by means of a string fastened to its two ends, throws out an allow with great force in suddenly recovering its natural state. It is also called the long-bow, by way of distinction from the cross-bow or arbalest.

The bow is the most ancient and the most universal of all weapons. It has been found to obtain amongst the most barbarous and remote tribes, and it is an invention at once so obvious and so simple that no nation has missed it. *

The use of the bow and arrow was first abolished in France under Louis XI. and in their place were introduced the Swiss arms, that is, the halberd, pike, and broadsword. The long-bow was formerly in great vogue in England; most of our victories in France were acquired by it, and many laws were made to regulate and encourage its use.' The parliament under Henry VIII. complain “of the disuse of the long-bow, heretofore the safe-guard and defence of this kingdom, and the dread and terror of its enemies.”

The, art of using bows is called archery and those practised therein are denominated archers or bowmen. See Arciiér γ. !

. The strength of a bow may be calculated on this principle, that its spring, or the power whereby it restores itself to ĩts natural position, is always proportional to the diśtanéë or space it is removed therefrom.

The most barbarous* nations often excel in fabricating those* things which they have the greatest necessity for in the common offices of life. The Laplanders, who support themselves almost entirely by hunting, have an art of making bows which we, in these more genial parts of the world, never arrived at. Their bow is constructed of two pieces of tough and strong wood, shaved down to the same size, and flattened on each side; the two flat sides of the pieces being brought closely and evenly together, and then joined by means of a glue made of the skins of perch, Waich they make superior in strength to ours. The two pieces, when once united in this manner, never separate, and the bow is of much more force to expel the arrow than it could possibly have been under the same dimensions if formed only of one piece.

Among the ancients, the bow-string was made of horse hair, and hence called hw«; though Homer’s bow-strings were frequently made of hides cut into small thongs, whence roξα βοuα. The ’ uppermost part of the bow, to which the string was fastened, wŭs called κt>ξωvη, being com-mohly made of gold, -and the last thing towards finishing the bow. The Grecian boWs were frequently' beahtified' with gold or Silver, whence aurei arcus, and the ep th et of Aξγt>ξοτo^o i bestoWed on Apollo. But the matter of which they were ordinarily composed seems to have been wood, although they were anciently, Scythian-like, made of horn, f as appears from the description of the bow of Pandarus in Homer.' , λ ' ’ A l’ .v⅛ . » > ⅞⅝ t

The invention' of the bow i s usually ascribed to Apolloí and it was communicated to the primitive inhabitants of Crete who are sāid to'haVè been the’first of mortals that understood’the u⅛e of bows and arrows. Accordingly;' even in later’ages, the Cretan bows were tan.OuS⅛ and preferred by the Greeks to all others. Some, however, prè-ferred to honour Perśes, the son of Perseus, as the inventor of the bow; while others ascribe it to Scythus, son of Jupiter, and progenitoι of the Scythians, who Were excellent in this art, and by many reputed the first masters of it. From them it was derived by the Grecians, some of whose ancient nobility were instructed by the Scythians in the use of the bow, which in those days passed for*a most princely education. It was first introduced into the Roman army during the second Punic war.

The Scythian bow was famous for its incurvation, which distinguished it from the bows of Greece and other nations, being so great as to form a half moon or semicircle; and hence the shepherd in Athenaeus, describing the letters in Theseus’s name, and expressing each of them by some apposite resemblance, compares the third to the Scythian bow, meaning not the more modern character Σ, but the ancient C, which is semicircular, and bears the third place in the name of the hero, ΘHCEVC, as spelt in ancient Greek. -

Cross-Bow is also called arbalest or arbalet, which word is derived from arbalista, or rather arcubalista, “ a bow with a sling.” The arbalet consists of a steel bow set in a shaft of wood, furnished with a string and a trigger; and it is bent with a piece of iron fitted for that purpose. It serves to project bullets, large arrows, darts, and other m⅛ i siles. The ancients had large machines for throwing many arrows at once, called axbalets or balisrae. ' Bow, in Ship-Building. See Ship-Building. » > Bow-Net or Bow-wheel, an engine for catching fish, chiefly lobsters and craw-fish. It is made of two rourfd wicker baskets, pointed at the end, one of which is thrust into the other; while at the mouth is a little rim, four or five inches broad, and bent somewhat inwards. It is also used for catching sparrows. Ό

Bow-Line or Bowling, a rope fastened near the middlè of the leech, or perpendicular edge of the square sails, by three or four subordinate parts called bridles. It is only used when the wind is so unfavourable that the sails must be all braced sideways, or close hauled to the wind, i In this situation the bow-lines are employed to keep the weather or windward edges of the principal sails tight, forward, and steady, without which they would always be shivering, and rendered incapable of service. To cZsecAE the bow-line is to slacken it when the wind becomes large. rti Bow-Pieces are the pieces of ordnance at the bow : of a ship. ' ’ ' ,χ Bow-Bearer, an inferior officer of the forest, who is sworn to make inquisition of all trespasses against vert or venison, and to attach offenders. ∙* i < z L j