The longbow won this important battle and perhaps changed the course of history.

Sixteen different times the French attacked, and each time they were met by the speeding arrows of the English. Once the French reached the English lines, and then it was that King Edward was asked to send help. But it was not needed.

By midnight the French army had been badly beaten. The English longbow had won the day! Thousands of French dead were left on the field, but only 50 English archers fell. This battle did much to establish England as a great military power.

While as a weapon of war the bow has long been out of date, archery is still a thrilling and healthful sport today. No doubt in your own state there is an annual tournament designed to give the best archers a chance to show what they can do with the weapon of Robin Hood. All over the country archery clubs meet regularly to compare equipment and shoot. Just what do these archers see in the sport? Why does it hold their interest year after year? Why arc more and more people every year learning how to shoot properly and send an arrow whistling toward the goal?

One reason why archery is such a fascinating sport is the romance behind it. For centuries the bow has been a faithful companion to man. People in almost every part of the world have used this weapon to protect themselves and to secure food. Students of history have found evidence of the bow among the early Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, Persians, Assyrians, Turks, and Eskimos. No doubt you know the important part that the bow and arrow played in the life of the American Indian.

No one knows just when the bow and arrow were invented. Those who make a study of the story of mankind before there was any written record, men known as archaeologists, estimate that the bow was used as early as fifty thousand years ago. A written record of the bow would fill several books, and would make interesting reading.

No doubt the first bow was made from a simple bent stick tied with a string slightly shorter than the stick. In European countries, an elastic wood such as yew was most commonly used. However, the Eskimos, who did not have much wood from which to choose, found it necessary to make their bow from brittle driftwood. They wrapped it with rawhide to make it stronger. The early Greeks made bows from two horns of a mountain goat fastened in the center. This is the kind of bow you see in the pictures of Eros (Cupid) to this day.

As you would expect, a weapon that has been so important in the history of man is mentioned many times in our great literature. In the Bible, there are over 150 references to the bow and arrow. Roman legends and Greek mythology have extensive references to the weapon. Shakespeare himself was an archer and refers to the sport with his usual accuracy. In one instance he says, "At the Duke's oak we meet, hold, or cut bowstring." In Shakespeare's time, when archery was popular and even required, it was customary to "cut the bowstring" of those who were tardy at some appointment. Also, we must not forget the legends of William Tell and Robin Hood as being an important part of the romance of archery.

There are many common phrases in use today that had their beginning in the sport of archery. For example, "straight as an arrow" is a phrase you are likely to hear any day.

The leadership of some nations can be attributed to their skill in warfare and this, in turn, can be attributed in many cases to the development of some one weapon or method of attack. The Greeks developed the solid ranks of the phalanx, in which the soldiers carried shields and very long spears. The Romans perfected the use of the sword. Mostly, however, the Romans relied upon their discipline and the ease with which they could move their battalions from one part of the battleground to another. It was the longbow which first gave the English their supremacy in warfare. As we have already discovered, it was the perfection of the longbow and its skillful use that won the battle of Crecy.

A Roman Archer.

Some historians have even gone so far as to say that the British Empire as we know it today would not exist but for the longbow and the cloth-yard shaft, an arrow which measured the length of the old cloth-yard. "O Lord, preserve us from the English archers," was a prayer uttered all over France during the Hundred Years' War, of which the battle of Crecy was a part. And it was not only the French; the Flemings, Genoese, and Spaniards also dreaded the skillful English bowmen. The British armies used the bow as a weapon until 1590.

Since the battle of Crecy the British have had an amazing career of successful military and naval warfare. Following the Roman example, the British have used this ability to conquer and in many cases colonize vast territories. Now the English-speaking people either occupy or control a large part of the earth's surface. So when you pull a bow and watch an arrow in its flight, think of the battle of Crecy.

Archery was a serious business as well as a sport for our ancestors. Skill in the use of the bow and arrow meant food, clothing, and in many instances safety and success in war. Regular archery practice was part of the daily life of a youth, and remained a part of his work until the end of his days. To the English, who used the bow almost solely as a weapon, the important things were shooting farther, faster, and more accurately than their enemies. Archery practice was not only encouraged, it was actually enforced by English kings from the time of Edward I in 1275 until the reign of Henry VIII in 1545, when firearms took the place of the bow as a weapon. It is interesting to note, however, that the bow was replaced only gradually by the gun. The early guns were crude and awkward as well as scarce.

An Early English Bowman.