Page:Outlines of European History.djvu/458

 388 Outlines of European History gone to the trouble and expense of shutting himself up in those dreary, cold, stone rooms, behind walls from ten to twenty feet thick. We can picture the great hall of the castle crowded with the armed followers of the master of the house, ready to fight for him when he wished to make war on a neighbor; or if he himself were attacked, they would rush to the little windows and shoot arrows at those who tried to approach, or Fig. 153. Machine for Hurling Stones This was a medieval device for throwing stones and bolts of iron, which were often heated red hot before they were fired. It consisted of a great bow {A) and the beam {B)^ which was drawn back by the windlass {C) turned by a crank applied at the point (Z>). Then a stone was put in the pocket [F] and the trigger pulled by means of the string [E). This let the beam fly up with a bang against the bumper, and the missile went sailing against the wall or over it among the defenders of the castle The Roman castrum pour lighted pitch or melted lead down on their enemies if they were so bold as to get close enough to the walls. The Romans had been accustomed to build walls around their camps, and a walled camp was called castrum ; and in such names as Rochester, Winchester, Gloucester, Worcester, we have reminders of the fact that these towns were once for- tresses. These camps, however, were all gover?iment fortifica^ tions and did not belong to private individuals.