John Gower shooting the world, a sphere of earth, air, and water (from a manuscript of his works ca. 1400). The text reads: Ad mundum mitto mea iacula dumque sagitto At ubi iustus erit nulla sagitta ferit Sed male viventes hos vulnero transgredientes Conscius ergo sibi se speculetur ibi (As I shoot I send at the world these my bolts And where the just shall be no arrow may hit But those living wicked lives, the transgressors I aim to harm Thus may in this work those conscious amongst you observe themselves as they truly are)