Here is, I hope, an exhaustive list of every published English writer who commented on the bow vs. musket debate up until the start of the English Civil War. Included is a short summary of their position and a link, if available, to a transcription.
Barnabe Riche, A Right Exelent and Pleasaunt Dialogue, 1574
“The shotte shall be able to preiudice the Archer, who shal not be able to shoote halfe the grounde towardes him agayne. Farther when the Shotte shal take advantage almost in everi ground to shrowd himselfe, where the Archer must remaine an open mark uppon the plaine or els to occupy his Bow to smal efect…. Archers maye do verye good seruice, althoughe it be not to incounter with shotte.”
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A10718.0001.001?view=toc
Thomas Styward, The Pathwaie to Martiall Discipline, 1582
“These bands of archers being brought to service by the callevers, although that the callevers be counted to be of greater force then they be of, & the archers be not used in the field so much as they have bene, yet having light shafts made to shoot 12, or 14, score, may kepe their place shooting altogither over the heads of the caleevers, to the blemishing and very great anoie of the enemie.”
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A13122.0001.001?view=toc
Roger Williams, Briefe Discourse of Warre, 1590
“Bow men [are] the worst shot used in these days… I persuade my selfe five hundred musketers are more serviceable than fifteene hundred bow-men.”
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A15466.0001.001?view=toc
John Smythe, Certain Discourses, 1590
“The Long Bowes (which our such men of warre have so much condemned) being in the hands of such soldiers Archers as can well use them, are weapons of singular advantage and effect for battailes and great encounters, both against horsemen and footmen, and chieflie being so evill armed, as all Nations in these our daies both on horsebacke and on foot are, because that the Bowe is a weapon wonderfull readie in all seasons, both of faire & foule weather (which Mosquets and Harquebuzes are not) and doth wound, gall and kill both horses and men, if the arrowes doo light upon anie disarmed parts of them.”
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A12567.0001.001?view=toc
Thomas Digges, An Arithmetical Warlike Treatise Named Stratioticos, 1590
Not to be confused with Digges’s 1579 book, An Arithmetical Militarie Treatise
“If I should place any weapon within the bodie of my battaile but Pikes onely, it should be long bowes, who may in deede when the Pikes are couched, play over their heads upon their enimies faces w’out any danger to their fellowes, which no other shot in truth can wel do, but Bowes only.”
No free transcription available
William Garrard, The Arte of Warre, 1591
“The Archer serves to small purpose, but when he is shadowed with some Trench or Bulwarke free from harabuse or musket shot: In that lying a band of Hargabusiers, he doth second them in any invading onset, and then a whole flight of Arrowes, so that they be light and able to flie above twelve score, will mercilously gaule any maine battaile of footmen or Squadron of horsmen…. Unless necessitie constraine, and that harabusiers be wanting, Archers may well be spared.”
Gyles Clayton, The Aprooved order of Martiall discipline, 1591
“Wee use not the weapons which hath beene used in olde time, as Cros-bowes, long bows, black Billes, with such other like weapons.”
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A18959.0001.001?view=toc
Matthew Sutcliffe, The Practice, Proceedings, and Lawes of armes, 1593
“Archers in assaults, and defence of townses cannot do like service to mosquetiers, and calivers, for neyther can they hit so right, nor so mortally. In pight fields I thinke them nothing inferiour to them [In fixed fields think bows are not inferior to firearms], for being armed with jackes, as they shoulde bee, when they come to gripes, they drive the shot to his feete, and shooting manie rankes one over an others head twelve arrowes shall fall before one boullet”
No free transcription.
Humfrey Barwick, A Breefe Discourse, 1594
“I never sawe any slaine out right with an arrowe, and but with Quarels few, but with Harquebuze and Pistoll shot, I have been at severall times, where 20000. hath beene slaine outright, besides manie wounded and maimed.”
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A05277.0001.001?view=toc
John Smythe, Certen instructions, observations and orders militarie, 1594
This book is much longer than Smythe’s previous work, and he goes into much greater detail of how he would wish his hypothetical archers to be commanded and deployed. Smythe also proposes a plan for equipping mounted crossbowers and archers.
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A12568.0001.001
R.S., A Briefe Treatise, To prooue the necessitie and excellence of the vse of archerie, 1596
This small pamphlet is not very interesting as it merely summarizes the arguments of John Smythe, quoting him at length.
Access to the transcription requires a login.
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A11250.0001.001?view=toc
Barnabe Riche, A Martial Conference, 1598
Riche revisits the bow vs. gun issue after 24 years. In that time, he has become even less charitable towards the bow. Although Riche goes into as much depth as Smythe and Barwick, unfortunately this work has received no attention, despite being a more enjoyable read due to the many jokes Riche inserts throughout.
“With three or foure hundred musketiers they would displace two thousand Archers, and without any manner of danger to themselves, by reason of their farre shooting.”
Access to the transcription requires a login.
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A10710.0001.001?view=toc
Robert Barret, The Theorike and Practike of Moderne Warres, 1598
“They may shoot thicke, but to small performance, except (as I said) upon naked men or horse. But should there be led but eight hundred perfect hargubusiers, or sixe hundred good musketiers against your thousand bowmen, I thinke your bowmen would be forced to forsake their ground… and moreover a vollie of musket or hargubuze goeth with more terrour, fury, and execution, then doth your vollie of arrowes.”
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A04863.0001.001
Barnabe Riche, The Fruites of long Experience, 1604
This is sort of a second part to A Martial Conference, and Riche does not go into as much length on the longbow debate as he did in his previous book, choosing instead to focus on other military matters.
“For our ancient English weapon the Long-bow, I am sure there be manie that would gladlie maintaine the excellency of theat… yet for my part I could wish they were but half so effectual as some ignorant men would willingly persuade.”
John Bingham, Tactics of Aelian, 1616
“And surely it may not bee denied, that the force of fireweapons of our time doth farre exceed the height of all old inventions for anoyeng the enemy. And, when I have given them the first place, I will not doubt to give the second to bowes and arrowes being so farre from casting them of, that I would rather follow the wisdome of the Graecians; whoe albeit they esteemed arrowes the best flieng weapons, yet thought it not amisse to hold in use slinges, and dartes.”
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A05855.0001.001
William Neade, The Double-Armed Man, 1625
Neade invented a bow which could be fastened onto a pike. That way, the pikemen would have something to do while the musketeers were shooting at each other. Effectively, bowmen could be added to the brigade without reducing the number of pikes or muskets. The concept was embraced by King Charles I.
“Wheresoever the Pike or the Musket are servicable, there will the bow be servicable also. Besides, in raine or moist weather the Bow is usefull: Also with our showers of arrowes we can shoot into any Towne, Castle, Fort or Trench, as likewise to shoot fire-workes.”
Requires login
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/B14921.0001.001
Thomas Kellie, Pallas Armata, 1627
“This Bow is verie steadable in warlike service, and although the use thereof is almost quite extinguished by the furious execution which the Musquet appeareth to make, yet I will prove it to surpasse the Musquet in manie respects.”
Requires login
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A68294.0001.001
Anon, A New Invention of Shooting Fireshafts in Long-bowes, 1628
The author argues that the practice of armoring pikemen was wasteful, as armor couldn’t stop a musket bullet, and pikes almost never encountered one another in those days. Money saved on corslets could instead be spent on longbows to shoot fireworks, which the author argues would be more useful, as they could support the musketeers by shooting over their heads.
“I seek not to perswade the use of Bowes in steed of Guns, but that by due accouplement of both, ore hands might in lesse roome bee brought to fight at once; a part of chiefest excellence in marshalling of men.”
William Neade, Obiections against the vse of the bovv vvith the pike: and the answers thereunto, 1630
I haven’t gotten a look at this one yet. It would be interesting to know what the objections to the double-armed man concept were. Whatever they were, there must have been some validity to them, as the double-armed man saw very little service.
Requires login
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/B14920.0001.001
Gervase Markham, The Art of Archerie, 1634
By this time England had completely replaced the smaller harquebuses and calivers with the larger and more powerful muskets. Markham wished that bows be reintroduced to fill the role which harquebuses once had, to wing the muskets as the muskets winged the pikes.
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A06902.0001.001
William Barriffe, Military discipline, 1635
“Notwithstan∣ding, if one halfe of them had bowes fastened unto their Pikes (being able and well practised men) they might, whilest the Muskettiers are in firing, be dealing of their doles about: and although their arrowes did not happen to wound mortally, yet the whisteling noyse, the terrour of the sight, and the severall hurts (which could not chuse but be many) would be a great abatement to the stoutest courages.”
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A04919.0001.001?rgn=main;view=toc
