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General >> Project Goliath - The History of The Sling >> Cestros-Bill
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Message started by Fundibularius on Jun 18th, 2009 at 5:41am

Title: Cestros-Bill
Post by Fundibularius on Jun 18th, 2009 at 5:41am
Even among scholars, it has not been widely known that Shakespeare himself was an experienced slinger. His "slings an arrows of outrageous fortune" (Hamlet, 3, 1) point to the fact that he preferrably used something like a cestrosphendon.

It must have been a family tradition. His ancestors (and he himself) suffered from severe dependency on strong beer. Without it, their hands became kind of tremulous while slinging darts (or "speares", as they were commonly called in Stratford), hence the family name.

;)

Title: Re: Cestros-Bill
Post by Aussie on Jun 19th, 2009 at 5:48pm
Are you sure the reference is to slung arrows ie. darts? I have always assumed it merely means slingstones and ordinary arrows, especially as England and Wales have always had a strong tradition of shooting longbows.

Title: Re: Cestros-Bill
Post by Fundibularius on Jun 19th, 2009 at 6:50pm
You are certainly right with the slingstones and the bows.

The truth is that I made the whole cestros thing up. I only had the Hamlet quote in mind, and then everything else followed. The post probably should have been in the other topics subforum, not here. Sorry! :-[

Title: Re: Cestros-Bill
Post by winkleried on Jun 21st, 2009 at 6:59pm
For what has been considered the Frumpy, grumpy subforum of the site I thank we need something every so often to Lighten up the mood here. But let's not make a habit of it OK :)

Marc Adkins

[quote author=Fundibularius link=1245318118/0#2 date=1245451842]You are certainly right with the slingstones and the bows.

The truth is that I made the whole cestros thing up. I only had the Hamlet quote in mind, and then everything else followed. The post probably should have been in the other topics subforum, not here. Sorry! :-[/quote]

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