THE SCENE: Engineering-inclined medievalists may enjoy this passage describing a 12th Century French siege engine.
THE TEXT: One after another, engines of ware were made ready for the overthrow of the stronghold. A lofty machine towering three stories high over the combatants was raised up, and its elevation above the castle prevented the enemy archers and crossbowmen of the front line on the inside from moving about or even being seen. This tight confinement, without relief day or night, made it impossible for them to maintain their positions. Wisely seeking shelter in holes in the ground, they found protection for themselves and set ambushes from which their archers could fire. They were awaiting a deadly attack from the combatants on the top of the engine. A wooden bridge was attached to the towering machine; it reached out at a height that would enable it to be let down a little above the oak wall and thus provide easy entry into the castle for those coming across it. But men experienced in these matters stuck out various wooden staves to tumble the bridge and those on it down into ditches planted with sharp stakes cleverly hidden with straw.
– The Deeds of Louis the Fat, Suger, 12th Century AD
