ARCHERS, a kind of militia or soldiery armed
with bows and arrows. The word is formed of arcus,
"a bow;" whence arcarius, and even arquis, and ar-
quites, as they are also denominated in the corrupt
state of the Latin tongue.
Archers were much employed in former times; but
they are now laid aside, excepting in Turkey and some
of the eastern countries; where there are companies of
archers still subsisting in their armies, and with which
they did terrible execution at the battle of Lepanto.—
As an exercise, the practice of archery is still kept up
in many places. See the article ARCHERY.
In France, the officers who attend the lieutenants de
police and provosts, to make captures, seizures, arrests,
&c. are called archers; though their arms be only hal-
berds or carbines. In this sense they say, the archers
of the grand prevost de l'hotel; of the prevost des mar-
chands; the city archers; the archers de guet, or of
the watch, &c.—Small parties of archers, called
also gens de maréchaussée, are continually patrolling on
the great roads, to secure them against robbers.—The
carriages of Lyons, &c. are always escorted by a party
of archers. To the diligence of these archers or mar-
shall's men, it is partly owing, that persons now travel
in all parts of France in the utmost security; there be-
ing fewer robberies on the highway in that whole king-
dom in a year than about London in a week.