HERON [SON] OF CTESIBIUS original: "HERONIS CTESIBII"

English Translation from Greek	English Translation from Latin
...bends stubbornly, it requires a greater power than the pull produced by the hand. To address this, they devised something of this sort. For let the aforementioned bow be A B C D, having the curving ends, A B C D, stiffer than can be drawn by the human hand. Now the * of the bow string is A B. To the bow, at the middle of its inner curve, let a slider kanōn; a wooden guide or ruler EFGH be attached, having on its upper surface a dovetail-shaped original: "pelekinoidē," literally "shaped like an axe-head" groove KL. To this, let a "male" piece of equal length be fitted, having on its upper surface another slider joined to it, filling the entire length and width of the EFGH slider, and having on its upper surface a central rounded hollow of the same length as the dovetail KL, in which the bolt original: "belos" is placed. On the remaining part of it near the EF section, on the upper surface of the top slider, let there be two upright iron "mouths" brackets or sockets for a trigger mechanism fixed and connected at their lower parts, a short distance from one another. Between these, let an iron "finger" a trigger claw be placed, bent downwards from the parts of the slider near L, and let it be split at the bent end.	...hand traction is applied. To meet this difficulty, they devised something of this sort. For let the Bow itself, of which we have spoken, be ABCD, having extremities AD [and] CB which curve, stiffer than can be drawn by the traction of a human hand; but let the string of the Bow be AB. Furthermore, let a ruler be attached to the bow at the middle of its curved line, EFGH, which, on its upper surface, has a dovetail-jointed original: "securiclatu," from securis, axe channel, KL. To this, a "male" piece should be fitted of equal length, on whose top surface another ruler is attached, which fills both the length and width of the [lower] EFGH; and on this top surface, through the middle, let it have a rounded cavity, equal in length to the dovetail channel KL, in which the bolt original: "telum" itself is placed. In its remaining part near EF, on its upper surface of the top ruler, let two certain iron "mouths" be fixed, standing upright; connected at their lower parts, and a little distance from each other. Between these, however, let there be an iron finger, recurved toward the lower parts from the sections of the ruler at L, and let it be split at the very end which is curved.

English Translation from Greek

English Translation from Latin

...bends stubbornly, it requires a greater power than the pull produced by the hand. To address this, they devised something of this sort. For let the aforementioned bow be A B C D, having the curving ends, A B C D, stiffer than can be drawn by the human hand. Now the * of the bow string is A B. To the bow, at the middle of its inner curve, let a slider kanōn; a wooden guide or ruler EFGH be attached, having on its upper surface a dovetail-shaped original: "pelekinoidē," literally "shaped like an axe-head" groove KL. To this, let a "male" piece of equal length be fitted, having on its upper surface another slider joined to it, filling the entire length and width of the EFGH slider, and having on its upper surface a central rounded hollow of the same length as the dovetail KL, in which the bolt original: "belos" is placed. On the remaining part of it near the EF section, on the upper surface of the top slider, let there be two upright iron "mouths" brackets or sockets for a trigger mechanism fixed and connected at their lower parts, a short distance from one another. Between these, let an iron "finger" a trigger claw be placed, bent downwards from the parts of the slider near L, and let it be split at the bent end.

...hand traction is applied. To meet this difficulty, they devised something of this sort. For let the Bow itself, of which we have spoken, be ABCD, having extremities AD [and] CB which curve, stiffer than can be drawn by the traction of a human hand; but let the string of the Bow be AB. Furthermore, let a ruler be attached to the bow at the middle of its curved line, EFGH, which, on its upper surface, has a dovetail-jointed original: "securiclatu," from securis, axe channel, KL. To this, a "male" piece should be fitted of equal length, on whose top surface another ruler is attached, which fills both the length and width of the [lower] EFGH; and on this top surface, through the middle, let it have a rounded cavity, equal in length to the dovetail channel KL, in which the bolt original: "telum" itself is placed. In its remaining part near EF, on its upper surface of the top ruler, let two certain iron "mouths" be fixed, standing upright; connected at their lower parts, and a little distance from each other. Between these, however, let there be an iron finger, recurved toward the lower parts from the sections of the ruler at L, and let it be split at the very end which is curved.