Re: Sagittarius and crossbow

[Jim Gillogly <jim@xxxxxxx>]

Brian Eric Farnell wrote:
> For what it's worth, the Church did forbid it's use, with the
> exception that it could be used against Moslems.  Maybe that
> would help localize the MS origins.  I would assume whoever
> chose to draw a crossbow in the hands of the archer thought it
> quite a normal type of bow.  Maybe the MS originated in the Holy
> land.  The Templars, for instance, were often quite proficient
> at Arabic and employed Arabic scribes.  That might explain the
> Middle Eastern flavor to the script that accompanies the very
> Western looking illustrations.

It seems to me one doesn't need to go to the Middle East to find
Islam in that era -- wasn't Elizabeth Bathory's Transylvania
under Ottoman control?  This is also well before the siege of
Vienna, which was rather close to the front lines for quite a
while, if I recall.

-- 
	Jim Gillogly
	Mersday, 12 Afterlithe S.R. 2000, 03:46
	12.19.7.6.6, 13 Cimi 9 Tzec, Ninth Lord of Night