n respect of their corslets, will
not let, in open skirmish, if any leisure serve, to turn up their tails
and cry: "Shoot, English!" and all because our strong shooting is decayed
and laid in bed. But, if some of our Englishmen now lived that served King
Edward the Third in his wars with France, the breech of such a varlet
should have been nailed to his bum with one arrow, and another feathered
in his bowels before he should have turned about to see who shot the
first. But, as our shooting is thus in manner utterly decayed among us one
way, so our countrymen wax skilful in sundry other points, as in shooting
in small pieces, the caliver, the handling of the pike, in the several
uses whereof they are become very expert.

Our armour differeth not from that of other nations, and therefore
consisteth of corslets, almaine rivets, shirts of mail, jacks quilted and
covered over with leather, fustian, or canvas, over thick plates of iron
that are sewed in the same, and of which there is no town or village that
hath not her convenient furniture. The said armour and munition likewise
is kept in one several place of every town, appointed by the consent of
the whole parish, where it is always ready to be had and worn within an
hour's warning. Sometimes also it is occupied when it pleaseth the
magistrate either to view the able men, and take note of the well-keeping
of the same, or finally to see those that are enrolled to exercise each
one his several weapon, at the charge of the townsmen of each parish,
according to his appointment. Certes there is almost no village so poor in
England (be it never so small) that hath not sufficient furniture in a
readiness to set forth three or four soldiers, as one archer, one gunner,
one pike, and a billman at the least. No, there is not so much wanting as
their very liveries and caps, which are least to be accounted of, if any
haste required: so that, if this good order may continue, it shall be
impossible for the sudden enemy to find us unprovided. As for able men for
service, thanked be God! we are not without good store; for, by the
musters taken 1574 and 1575, our number amounted to 1,172,674, and yet
were they not so narrowly taken but that a third part of this like
multitude was left unbilled and uncalled. What store of munition and
armour the queen's majesty had in her storehouses it lieth not in me to
yield account, sith I suppose the same to be infinite. And whereas it was
commonly said