Page:VCH Sussex 1.djvu/605

 POLITICAL HISTORY 150 recruits were raised for the Low Countries in 1587/ but now all attention was concentrated on the defence of the realm from the threat- ened Spanish invasion. In August, 1586, there had been rumours of a landing of the French in Sussex, and measures had been hastily taken to meet them.^ Again, just a year later, Lord Buckhurst was ordered to put the county in a state of defence, a small supply of ordnance, six pieces only, being granted for the purpose/ The total number of ' able men,' between the ages of sixteen and sixty, available for the defence of the county at this time was between six and seven thousand. In 1559 the muster roll showed 6,252 ;* in 1569 the total was 6,919, and included 1,876 archers, 4,533 pike and bill men, and 510 harquebussiers ;° in 1574 the total had gone down to 6,727, and the number of archers had fallen to 1,491, though by way of compensation the harquebussiers had doubled their numbers." The archers continued to decrease, and in 1584 the council, hearing that archery was much decayed, ordered that special care should in future be taken of its maintenance.' They did not, however, underrate the value of firearms, and at the same time sent Captain John Vaughan to super- intend the Sussex musters, and especially the shooting practice.^ Orders were also given that, to avoid the great expense of maintaining the full force of militia, 2,000 of the most efficient men should be picked out and trained in shooting, but with as sparing a use as possible of the powder, to provide which a fund was to be raised in the county." The method of training suggested was for a halberd to be set up in an open spot, and the men to pass in file, ' or as we term it in rancke as wild geese,' and as they pass to make as though they would fire. After a few trials it would be easy to see which of them had any notion of handling their weapons, and would repay further training. They were then to be taught skirmishing, how to carry their piece without endan- gering themselves or their neighbours, and how to put in the match. The next stage was actual firing, first with ' false fires,' that is to say with priming only, to accustom them to the flash, then with a half charge, and finally with the bullet. This scheme was nicely calculated to save powder, and also to encourage many who ' by reason of the churlishness of their peeces and not being made acquainted therewith by degrees are ever after so discouraged as eyther they wincke or pull their heads from the peece whereby they take no perfect levill but shoote at random. ''" Corporals were to be appointed to every twenty men, and were to cause them to practise at butts erected in some convenient place, the targets being one yard and a half broad, and the range one hundred and fifty paces." Whether any regular uniform existed at this time may be doubted, though the Hastings troops were ordered to be clad ' in cassockes of blewe clothe.'" In 1593, when 150 men were required ' Acts of P.C. XV. 118. 2 Ibid. xiv. 212. 3 Cal. S.P. Dom. Eliz. cciii. 14, 17, 18. * Ibid. vi. 64. 6 Ibid. li. 20. » Ibid, xcviii. 12. ' Harl. MS. 703, f. 13. ^ ibid. f. 14. ^ ibid, and f. 15. •0 Ibid. f. 16. " Ibid. ff. 34-6. " Ibid. f. 38. 517