estates were held by the service of delivering a cross-bow and thread to
make the string, when the king passed through certain districts. These you
will find in Blount's Tenures and Jacob's Law Dictionary.[2]

We find that the pay of a cross-bowman, in the reign of Edward II., was
sixpence _per diem_.[3] Few notices of archery are, however, upon record
till an order by Edward III. in the 15th year of his reign, to the
sheriffs of most of the English counties, to provide bows and arrows for
the intended war against France: these orders, however, relate to the
long-bow. In the famous battle of Crecy, fought in 1346, our chroniclers
state that we had 2,800 archers, who were opposed to about the same number
of the French; which, together with a circumstance to be immediately
mentioned, seems to prove that by this time we used the long-bow whilst
the French archers shot with the arbalest. The circumstance alluded to is
as follows:--Previously to the engagement there fell a heavy rain, which
is said to have much damaged the bows of the French, or rather the strings
of them. Now, the long-bow, when unstrung, may be conveniently covered, so
as to prevent the rain injuring it; nor is there scarcely any addition to
the weight from a case; whereas the arbalest is of a most inconvenient
form to be sheltered from the weather. It is also stated[4] that, at Crecy,
"the Genoese archers, fatigued by their heavy cross-bows, in a sultry and
tempestuous march, rushed forward with loud cries to attack the English
bowmen, who were the strength of Edward's army. These last stood still;
even on the second charge they stirred not one foot! When they got within
shot of their foes, they let fly their arrows so quickly that they came
like snow. The Genoese fled, and some of the heavy-armed troops were
involved in their confusion." At Crecy the English ascribed their victory
to their archers. The battle of Poictiers, fought in 1356, was gained by
the same means. In 1417, Henry V. attributed his splendid victory at
Agincourt to the archers, and directed the sheriffs of many counties to