A Timeline history of the Violin Bow - from c. 1600 - 1800

Playford's A Brief Introduction to the Skill of Musick went through a total of eighteen editions between 1654 and 1730. Playford himself was more a publisher than a practical musician, but his brief Introduction proved an immensely successful and apparently influential tutor, covering a myriad of topics from basic theory to instrumental instruction. While Playford himself might not have been a violinist, he must have had the information from a practising professional. (The images displayed here are from the 6th edition, 1671.)

His instructions on bowing are unfortunately backwards - he has simply copied the paragraph as it appeared in the chapter on playing the treble Viol, and has apparently forgotten to switch "up" and "down".
 
He continues with an explanation of ornamentation, followed by some simple tunes, but nothing more for us here.