ancient bows kindly lent me by Mr. A. Hill
for the purpose of illustrating these pages are several bows of a
much earlier date, yet having the _cambre_ most pronounced and, in
some examples, extremely elegant.

Not being a scientist, I do not know how to omit these evidences of
advance at such an early date from my writings on this subject,
although I feel that by not doing so I am rendering this section of
the work far from clear.

As a matter of fact clearness in what we can ascertain of the bow's
history is a quality conspicuous by its absence; a condition
doubtless due to the varying capacities of early bow makers, some of
whom may have continued to make antiquated types whilst others of
greater talent were anticipating in a measure the results of Tourte's
genius and observation. It has been observed in other branches of the
world's progress that many have groped in the right direction for a
space until there came one Genius who grasped, almost by intuition,
the various requirements and produced the perfect work beyond which
no man could go.

Entering upon the seventeenth century I now abandon the use of
pictorial records of bows in favour of drawings and photographs made
from actual specimens now in existence.

In Fig. 25 I give the heads of three remarkably interesting bows. I
have drawn them the exact size of the originals. The first is most
primitive throughout, though having an ingeniously contrived nut of
which I shall speak more fully further on. The length of this bow is
nearly 23 in.; the distance from the inside surface of the stick at
the heel to the hair is 3/4 in., and the width of the hair is 1/4 in.

[Illustration: FIG. 25.]

The second bow is extremely elegant, although useless as a bow: note
the grace of the long peak. It is seldom that one finds these peaks
so well preserved as many have been first broken and then cut down to
remove the unsightly jagged end. The dimensions of this bow
are:--Total length, 28-1/8 in.; length of hair, 23-1/4 in.; distance
of hair from stick at heel, 3/4 in.; breadth of hair 1/4 in. The nut
is on the same principle as the preceding one.

The third bow may be late seventeenth or early eighteenth century
work. It is beautifully fluted throughout its entire length, the
lower third having an extra raised line between the fluting. It is
remarkable inasmuch as it has a movable nut working with a screw as
in the modern bow and also a distinct _cambre_. The inward dev