Upon a time being in the Kings Summer Parlour, who was desirous to bee partaker of some novelty which hee had never seene, there instantly appeared upon the Table a paire of Butts and Whites in the middle to shoote at, where suddenly came in sixe dapper and pert fellows like Archers, in stature not above a foote high, and all other members accordingly proportioned, their bowes were of the side bones of an overgrowne pike, their strings of a small slevy silke, no bigger then the thred of a Cob∣web, their arrowes lesse then pick-tooths, feathered with the wings of small Flyes, and hea∣ded with the points of Spanish Needles, who made a shew as if they were to shoote a match three to three, and roundly they went about it: in the middle of their Game, there was a shot which rested doubtfull, which as it appeared, the Gamesters could not well decide: then Mer∣lin called to one of the servants (who had something a big nose) that stood by, and bade him measure to the marke, and give it to the best: To which whilst he stooped, and inclined his face, the better to umpire the matter, one of the Pigmey Archers who had an arrow to shoote, delivered it from his bow, and shot him quite through the nose, at which he started, and the King heartily laughed: (for there was no room to be seene) and the Butts with the Archers together disappeared.

The life of Merlin, Sirnamed Ambrosius