THE CROSSBOW.
The Latin equivalent is _arcus balistarius_ or _balista manualis_.
The weapon does not appear on the Bayeux tapestry, but the Princess
Anna Comnena, who calls it “tzangara,” mentions it as forming part of
the armament of the Crusaders, late in the eleventh century; and that
it was in use by English and French soldiers in the twelfth century
is shown by a bull of Pope Innocent II. in 1139, which fulminates
against its barbarity, and only sanctions its use in warfare with the
infidel, meaning thereby all nations still unconverted to Christianity.
Such prohibitions were, however, soon brushed aside, like others
of a similar character both before and since. Guillaume Guiart,
writing towards the end of the thirteenth century in the _Branche des
Royaux Leguages_, mentions the weapon as being in use at the battle
of “Haringues” in 1297. The first form was a simple hand crossbow,
which consisted of a steel bow let into a stock which was strung for
use by the action of the left foot and right hand, and discharged
by a trigger, which probably gave rise to the lock of the hand-gun.
During the second half of the thirteenth century various mechanical
contrivances were adopted, which, while materially increasing the
projective power, rendered the weapon much more unwieldy. The crossbow
was in constant use during the fourteenth century, when the Genoese
made it a speciality, and the services of these mercenaries were in
great request in the wars of the period; it was, however, never a
favourite weapon in England. At the battle of Creçy the English army
used the longbow, while the French king had a body of six thousand
Genoese crossbowmen in his pay, but these were unavailable by reason
of the rain. The English archer could shoot twelve arrows while the
crossbowman discharged his three quarrels, for it took so long to
wind up the “moulinet”; the crossbow had, however, the advantage of
a lower trajectory; moreover, the longbow was much lighter and more
portable, besides being more easily preserved from the action of damp,
than its crossbow confrère. It does not seem that the extreme range of
the crossbow has been accurately determined, but it certainly did not
exceed three hundred yards. Part of the light cavalry of the thirteenth
and fourteenth centuries consisted of mounted crossbowmen.
The introduction of the pavise, a large shield kept propped up before
the archer, was a great protection against missiles; and a miniature
from Froissart, in the Bibl. Nat. de Paris, shows crossbowmen shielded
in this manner. According to a manuscript in the British Museum, the
Genoese crossbowman wore a jacket with long sleeves, an iron helm,
brassards, and greaves.
The steel used in the construction of crossbows was of the strongest
and most elastic kind. An enactment in the reign of Henry VII. forbade
the use of the crossbow under severe penalties, and in the sixteenth
century crossbows were mostly used for the defence of fortresses, and
on warships.
The windlass crossbow, called _à tour_ by the French, was largely used
at Agincourt, and the form of that time continued practically the same
for centuries; indeed, up to early in the seventeenth, bows on this
model were made at Malines, in Belgium, by a “confrérie de tir.” The
author has one of these bows in his possession, and it is, he believes,
the exact counterpart of the Agincourt bow.
[Illustration: Fig. 47.--Crossbows and Quarrels.]
The projectiles are usually called quarrels, and are in great
variety of form, but shorter and thicker than arrows for the longbow;
several specimens were found at Tannenberg, dismantled in 1399, and
the complement for a crossbowman was fifty. Quarrels for the arbelest
were called “muschettæ,” hence the word musket; but there is some doubt
whether it was not the missiles of the “scorpion” that were termed thus.
A picture in the National Gallery shows how the common stirrup crossbow
was bent _ad unum pedem_: the bowman places his foot in the stirrup,
a cord is then fixed to the butt of the stock, the other end being
attached to the waistbelt; the cord runs on a pulley, and the bow
is bent by raising the body. The crossbowman wore a “brigandine” or
stuff tunic, lined with strips of steel, besides his “half plates.”
Illustrations of most of the varieties of the crossbow are given in
Fig. 47.
THE GOATSFOOT CROSSBOW.
This bow is bent by a lever of two branches, called the goatsfoot, one
of which is provided with forks, which grasp the string, while the
other pulls it back. It was used by horsemen.
THE LATCH CROSSBOW (ARBELETE À CRIC).
This kind, which is very heavy, was used specially in the defence of
fortified places. It probably got its name from the trigger, which is
formed like a latch, and is manipulated by a cog-wheel, and a notched
bar called a cric. This bar has hooks at the top which grasp the
string, and a handle turned by the hand of the archer winds up the
“moulinet” or winch, drawing the string which bends the bow, and the
tackle is slipped on to the stock from the bottom, which passes through
a thick hemp or iron loop. This variety was much used by the Germans,
and is probably the “latch,” although it is far from certain that the
term did not apply to the “cranequin.” There are also barrel crossbows,
and some with a pistol in combination.
THE WINDLASS CROSSBOW (ARBALETE À CRANEQUIN).
This bow is furnished with double cordage and a set of pulleys near the
bottom of the stock, and another set placed just below the bowstring;
strong cords run along the pulleys, and these are drawn taut by a small
detachable windlass, which is adjustable to the bottom end of the
stock, while hooks connected with the top pulleys grasp the bowstring.
As soon as the bow has been bent by the action of the windlass, the
tackle is removed. The top end of the stock is furnished with an iron
stirrup, through which the archer thrusts his foot in order to obtain
the necessary purchase for bending the bow. This type of bow was
used at Agincourt, and it was greatly depended on in the defence of
beleaguered places. It was also called “Arbalete à tour,” because the
part to be fixed to the stock was often embattled like a tower, and the
windlass was named “la clef” or “cranequin.” This bow has a much longer
catch than the “goatsfoot.”
THE PRODD.
This bow is light, and was used mostly in the chase. It shot
principally pebbles, but also bullets. The French called it “arbalete à
jalet.” A small prodd in the author’s possession was used for shooting
game, and would seem to date from late in the sixteenth or early in the
seventeenth century. It takes its name from two upright pins of iron,
across the top of which a thread is drawn with a bead in the centre,
which required to be brought into line with the notch observable on
the top of the adjustable arch placed above the trigger for sighting
purposes. The cord of this bow is double, and is kept taut by beads
placed there for the purpose of leaving a cavity in which to place the
pebble or bullet for discharge. A vast amount of artistic skill was
often applied in the decoration of crossbows, which has been specially
alluded to in the opening remarks. The prodd was often used by women.