Hansard, in the _Book of Archery_, writes of the Persian beauties of the Harem, who were permitted to amuse themselves with Archery. These oriental bow meetings he says, "take place within the recesses of the Royal Gardens where, their black-bearded tyrant and a bevy of female attendants excepted, no spectators are allowed to be present. The butts consist of moistened sand enclosed in a wooden frame, and beaten into a hard compact mass. These are set up in a slanting direction at the boundary of some verdant alley, where the over-hanging branches of vine and orange tree exclude the fierceness of an Eastern Sun. Consistent with that gorgeous taste so prevalent throughout the East, the whole exterior of this butt is covered with elegant scroll work and patterns of flowers. Gold and silver intermingled with various pigments of the most brilliant hues, are lavishly employed to produce this effect. A female Abyssinian slave stands beside the mark, provided with a large round pebble, to form and preserve an unbroken hollow in the centre, and at this cavity every arrow is directed. She repeats the operation several times whilst her mistresses are shooting: for the triumph of Persian archery consists not merely in a central shot, but also in making the arrow penetrate deeply into the sand at every discharge." Still more striking are the words of a French traveller named Gentil, who speaks of a race of Amazons, seen by him in the retinue of an Indian Prince. They were about a hundred in number, were well paid, lived in the Palace, and accompanied the Prince when he hunted, or formed his body guard in time of war. There are Prints and Records dating from the fourteenth century, which show the fondness of the English women for sports. We find them in the field with the men, sometimes taking part in shooting at the animals as they were driven past them, and proving themselves no mean markswomen. They are said often to have conducted a hunt entirely by themselves, "winding the horn, rousing the game," and following it without any help from the opposite sex. Strutt tells us that on these occasions, some of them went so far as to wear divided skirts and sit their horses like men, but we do not hear that the fashion became general. [Illustration: _From a Harleian MS. in the British Museum._] John Yonge, Somerset Herald, who attended Margaret Tudor, the daughter of Henry VII., on her journey to Scotland for her marriage to James IV., states under the date Alnwick, 27th July, 1503: "Two mylle from the sayd place, the sayd Erle (Northumberland) cam and mett hyr well accompayned, and brought hyr thorough hys park, when she kylde a Buk with hyr bow." In Sir II. Nicolas' _Household Expenses of Henry VIII._ we find these entries: May, 1530. Itm the same day paid to Scawsely for bowys, arrowys, shafts, brode hedds, bracer, and shooting glove for my Lady Anne xxxiijs iijd.