Pashley, Robert: Travels in Crete (Band 2) (Cambridge und London, 1837)

254) bows used in the seventeenth century. [chap.

cut off the nose or ears. " Hz ont les longues barbes en
si grande recommandation que les contraindre a icelles
raire, ou copper, leur est vn supplice et ignominie, non
moindre que si on leur faisoit copper le ne, ou les oreilles.
Et de fait pour lors que i' estois en ladite ville, ie vizi
condemner vn Candiot, qui auoit done vn coup de flesclic
a vn autre, a auoir la barbe abbatue et raise en place
publique'1.'"

Not only was the bow common in the sixteenth
century5, but wounds from arrows are frequently men-
tioned in the details of the siege of Candia, which took
place only a hundred and fifty-five years ago. In speak-
ing of the Sfakians, Foscarini says (in 1596), that they
always carried their bow and quiver, and were most
excellent archers: " Vanno sempre con V arco sulle
spalle et al fianco con un carcasso pieno di frezze, tiratc
da loro ecccllentissimamente, come molti anco sono eccel-
lentissimi archibusieri.,, Garzoni also mentions the diffi-
culties encountered by the Venetians when they attempted
to replace the ancient bow by a modern innovation6.

Another article of dress sometimes used by the Cre-
tans is a very short cloak, falling only a little below the
girdle. This I suppose to resemble the Kretikon, men-
tioned by Eupolis7 and Aristophanes", and stated by

4 Thevet, Cosmographie de Levant, Chap. viii. fol. 26.

5 Belon, Singularitez etc. Fol. 0. " Ce n'est pas a tort que les Cretcs
fluent anciennement dediez a Diane: car encore pour le iour d'huy suyuant
ceste antiquite, s'adonnent par vn instinct naturel, et des leur enfance, a tirer
l'arc Scythique: et mesmement vn petit enfant du berseau courrousse' et
pleurant, s'appaise en luy monstrant seulement vn arc, ou luy baillant vne
flesche en la main." The expression " Tare Scythique" calls to mind the
passage of Diodorus Sicultjs, v. 'A<f>' ijs aWia? itiaXiara irapd tois
Kp?/a-if cfyjXwardai Ti|f To^tKjjy, Kai to to^ov ^kvQlkoii duofiaa'Brjvai.
On tlie Cretan archers, sec the passages of ancient authors collected by
Meuhsius, Creta, pp. 177—180. c See below, Appendix I.

7 Eupolis, in Photius, Lex. Vol. i. p. 178.

Ou irdvv Tft^u
fjtxjfa^ ejuot tout, dua(3a\cT to KpijTtKov;

8 Abistovhanes, Thesm. 730.

Su de to K.pi]tlkou
dirucvdi t«x™c,