Infantry in the Middle Ages heavy toll on the English invaders of their lands. Adapted by the English, the longbow was nevertheless a difficult weapon to master, requiring long years of use and practice. Even bow construction was extended, sometimes taking as much as four years for seasoned staves to be prepared and shaped for final deployment. A skilled longbowman could shoot 12 arrows a minute, a rate of fire superior to competing weapons like the crossbow or early gunpowder weapons. The nearest competitor to the longbow was the much more expensive crossbow or Arbalest, used often by urban militias and mercenary forces. It required
A Weapon Called the Word A Weapon Called the Word A Weapon Called the Word was the debut full-length album by the Levellers, released in April 1990. The album contains re-recorded tracks from the band's first two E.P. recordings: "Carry Me E.P." (upon which the tracks "Carry Me" and "England My Home" were originally released) and "Outside/Inside E.P." (which contained "Outside/Inside", "Barrel of the Gun" and "I Have No Answers"). The band did not re-record the track "The Last Days Of Winter" from the "Carry Me E.P." despite the fact the album's title "A Weapon Called The Word" is taken from that song. Two versions