A bibliography of English military books up to 1642 and of ...

Amen."
omnipotenti,
:
46. Fifteen-ninety. Smythe, Sir John.
Certain |
Discourses, written by Sir John Smythe, Knight
|
Concerning the formes and effects of diuers sorts of weapons,
|
I
and other verie important matters Militarie, greatlie mis-
|
taken
by
I
diuers of our men of warre in these daies ; and|
chiefly, of the Mosquet, the Caliuer and the Long-bow ; |
As
also, of the great sufficiencie, excellencie, and wonderful
|
efFe6ts of Archers : With many notable
|
examples
and other
particularities, by him presen-
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ted to the Nobilitie of this
Realme, & published for |
the benefite of this his natiue
Countrie of England. At London, Printed by Richard
| \ Johnesy
at the signe of the Rose and Crowne neere Holburne
\ |
Bridge.
I. Maij. 1590.
I
Quarto.
Collation. Tp., *i.—Ded., *2-4, **, ***, A, (a)i ; 16 fF.—Authors consulted,
(a)2.—Err., (a)22.—Pious ejaculation on last page, in large roman
type: "Honor & gloria in excelsis Deo,
|
incomprehensibile.
|
|
—R.H.
sempiterno, &
|
:
" Certen Discourses, written by Sir
John Smythe, Knight."—Nums. to fF.—Sigs. in 4% *, *, ***, A, (a), B-
O2 ;
(a) has 2 fF.—The suppression of this book within a fortnight of its publication
has made it rare. I have seen a copy in a bookseller's cat. of 1889
described as "a fine copy, binding by Bedford," price £2 is.
There is another copy in the B.M. identical in all respe6ls, save that the
"Ejaculation" is in italic; "amen" in roman. The pag. in both copies is
faulty, but with the exception of p. 32, numbered 23, the mistakes do not
occur on the same fF.
Copies. B.M. ; Roy. Art. Inst. ; Lambeth.
Contents. This is commonly called the " Book on Weapons." Smythe,
in the Proeme, attacks the disorderly proceedings of certain officers at home,
following: among the records of the city of Leicester is an order from the Lord
Lieutenant of the county, the Earl of Huntingdon, dated April 29th, 1598, for levying
forty men ; which order states, that in the time of the former Earl " for the 500
trayned soldiars in this Countie Levyed, the Town of Leicester was then charged w*"^
the furnishing of fFortie men, viz. xij Calivers, iiij Muskits, xj ' Bowes and Arrowes ',
viij Corsletts and pikes and v bills ; Nowe theire Lordships' pleasures are that all the
Bowes and Arrowes and bills generally must be refused, and supplied only with musketts,
and viij Corsletts w**" pikes." (See " Proc. Leicester Lit. and Phil. Soc," 1855.
Paper by Wm. Kelly.)
40