[22] These were probably balistas, as Ammianus Marcellinus writes of the catapult, ‘An engine of this kind placed on a stone wall shatters whatever is beneath it, not by its weight but by the violence of its shock when discharged.’ Among our earlier English kings Edward I. was the best versed in projectile weapons large and small, including crossbows and longbows. In the Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland, an account is given of his ‘War-wolf,’ a siege engine in the construction of which he was much interested and which was no doubt a trebuchet. This machine was of immense strength and size, and took fifty carpenters and five foremen a long time to complete. Edward designed it for the siege of Stirling, whither its parts were sent by land and by sea. Sir Walter de Bedewyne, writing to a friend on July 20, 1304 (see Calendar of State Documents relating to Scotland), says: ‘As for news, Stirling Castle was absolutely surrendered to the King without conditions this Monday, St. Margaret’s Day, but the King wills it that none of his people enter the castle till it is struck with his “War-wolf,” and that those within the castle defend themselves from the said “War-wolf” as best they can.’ From this it is evident that Edward, having constructed his ‘War-wolf’ to cast heavy stones into the castle of Stirling to induce its garrison to surrender, was much disappointed by their capitulation before he had an opportunity of testing the power of his new weapon. [Page 34] One of the last occasions on which the trebuchet was used with success is described by Guillet in his ‘Life of Mahomet II.’[23] This author writes: ‘At the siege of Rhodes in 1480, the Turks set up a battery of sixteen great cannon, but the Christians successfully opposed the cannon with a counter-battery of new invention.[24] [23] Guillet de Saint George, born about 1625, died 1705. His _Life of Mahomet II._ was published in 1681. He was the author of several other works, including one on riding, warfare and navigation, termed the _Gentleman’s Dictionary_. The best edition of this book is in English and has many very curious illustrations. It is dated 1705. [24] Called a new invention because the old siege engine of which this one (probably a trebuchet) was a reproduction had previously been laid aside for many years. ‘An engineer, aided by the most skilful carpenters in the besieged town, made an engine that cast pieces of stone of a terrible size. The execution wrought by this engine prevented the enemy from pushing forward the work of their approaches, destroyed their breastworks, discovered their mines, and filled with carnage the troops that came within range of it.’