the first ranke without advancing giues fire in the place they stand in and speedily as may be yet orderly falls away all the rankes doing the same successiuely one after another Thus much of the armes and exercise of the foote The horse ensue The order and discipline holden in Horse-troopes or in the Cavalry THE Caualry hath for his Cheife the Generall the Lieutenant Generall and the Comissary generall To the Cavalry there is a Quarter-master generall and a Prouost generall belonging the Iustice resorteth to the Councell generall of warre of the Army The Cavalry is of two sorts Har quebusiers and Curassiers The first haue for defensiue armes the Curace pistoll proofe and a light head-peece For offensiue the Carbine of 3 foote 3 inches length and the bore of 20 bullets in the pound and Pistolls like vnto the Curassiers The Curassiers haue for defensiue Armes a compleat armour the Curace pistoll proofe For offen siue two pistolls hauing the barrell of 26 inches in length and the bore of 36 bullets in the pound See the figure of Armes For the order in Regiments the 40 Companies entertained by the States doe make eleuen Regiments The Regiment of the Generall hath alwaies the Vantgard the others alternatiuely and by turnes and he that hath it this day the next day after hath the Reare the rest following in the same sort Those which command the Regiments are called Coronells The Regiments are compounded of 3 or 4 Companies of 3 at the least and the Coronells Company marcheth alwaies on the left wing of the Regiment The Captaines receiue orders from their Coronells as these from the Commissary Generall All the Companies are diuided in 3 equall parts which are called Squadrons and distributed to the three chiefe officers Captaine Cornett and Lieutenant hauing each of them adioyned an old Souldier which they doe know to bee of more desert called a Corporall Marching in the field euery Officer marcheth at the head of his Squadron the Lieutenant excepted which marcheth behind with the Quartermaster and the third Corporall at the head of the Lieutenants Squadron The Companies are diuided by files and rankes the file 5 deepe and no more how strong soeuer the Company be They obserue that in marching in battaile they must be close together and to doe the Motions there must be 6 foote distance from one Horseman to another The Companies being in battaile there must be 25 paces distance left between euery Company and 50 betwixt euery Regiment at the least The exercise of Armes for the Cavalry To open the Squadron you must first open the rankes and after the files To close the Squadron you must first close the files and after the rankes There be two sorts of distances betwixt the files the one close and the other open In the Close there must be no distance or intervalls betwixt the files to the open there must be 6 foote betwixt euery file Likewise there must be two sorts of distances betwixt the rankes the Close which must be without intervall or streete and the Open which must be six foote distance In a march it must be vnderstood that the rankes must neuer be more opened then the open distance of 6 foote And to the end that the Troope may march in good order and obserue well their distance betwixt the rankes without that the last may be forced to runne or goe to fast there must be heed taken that so soone as the first rankes begin to march all the Troope and the Reare also at one time march The words of Command are Open your Rankes Open your files Stand right in your rankes Stand right in your files To the right hand As you were So the left hand As you were To the right hand about To the left hand as you were To the left hand about To the right hand as you were Files to the right hand countermarch Files to the left hand countermarch To the right or left hand as you were Rankes to the right hand countermarch Rankes to the left hand countermarch Close your files Close your rankes To the right hand wheele To the left hand wheele Faults escaped in the Booke PAg. 2. in the margent beneath for Spartionem read Spartianus Pag. 9 lin 20. for was were lin 31. for Bircanna Bircenna and in the marg lin 40. for Dipnoseph Dipnosoph pag. 10. lin 26. in marg for Adrian Arrian p. 14. l. 11. in marg for Dipnoseph Dipnosoph p. 15 l. 18. for Marsilians Massilians p 17. l. 47. for pluimes Plumes p. 18. l 49 for conceited by conceitedly p. 20. l. 45. for Thureo Thureoi lin 48. dele full p. 22. l. for Those These l. 11. for Ochanes Ochane l. 32. dele Then p. 23. l. 12. for Divarates Divarates p. 27. l. for immitation imitation p. 2â— l. 11. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 17. dele That p. 29. l. 4. for quiety quietly l. 25. slinges slingers p. 30. l. 35. in marg Analast Analact p. 31. l. 13. put in it p. 32. l 29. 33. for bellys bellies p. 33. l. 35. 38. 41. for Sotridas Soteridas p 34 l. 3. for forceble forcible l 19. Popana Popana 29. vnfailable vnfailible l. 42 dele once for all p. 35. l. 42. reduct reduce p 36. l. 40. in marg de bett de bell p. 39. l. 17. strok strooke p. 44. l. 12. in marg Enometis Enomâ—tis 24. Enomotarches Enomotarches 31. 33. Prucestes Peucestes lin 47. after Patricius a full point p. 49. l. 27. Bathera Batheia 40 liptismos leptismos p. 50 l. 14. after supported a full point 34. easily easily p. 53 l. 6. Prataxis Protaxis pag. 55. l. 35. for hauing giuing pag. 56. l. 18. sure safe lin 32 37. Ansetaus Ansetaus 41. Then They. 46. a full point after through p. 57. l. 31. betwixt the and examples put former p. 58. l. 2. Pharnabarus Pharnabazus l. 18. after Mâ—nomachy a full point 37. the â—hem 48. after number a full point p 59. l. 6. speedely speedily 36. motion motions 39. 40. your you 41. after forme a full point p 60 l. 16. fiâ—th fifth 18. after may be set the figure 2. 28. after sort dele as and for 2 read 4. p. 61. l. 18. never neither p. 62. l. 23. after Lydians a full point p. 63. l. 15. for 500 5000. lin 22. for 800 8000. p 66. l. 26. for 500 400. lin 25. read when it is greatest in Xenophon hath no more then 100. pag. 68. l. 35. besides to preterâ—it p. 70. l. 40. fight read marching p. 72. l. 1. after Sunne set read and. l. 37. for of p. 75. l. 19. 27. Lochagie Lochagi l. 32. Pempedarches Pempadarchs p. 78. l. 2. 4. of on p. 79. l. 11. for fourth third p. 80. l. 29. insert after an Army that c. â—oreth disorderly lin 47 after 21. insert foote pag. 82. lin Target Targets lin 30. for 6130. read 6144. pag 84. l. 14. Philopomen Philopoemen p. 87. l. 36. Quintus Quintius
you are farre superior so in vertues worthy of your birth and yeares and in all hopefull expectations are you nothing inferior to Adrian It may please your Highnesse to regard him with a gratious eye and to esteeme the Presentor of him your faithfull bedesman that will not cease to pray to the mighty God of hosts to giue you conquest ouer all your enemies From my Garrison at Woudrichem in Holland the 20 of September 1616. Your Highnesse most humbly deuoted IO BINGHAM THE TACTICKS OF AELIAN or art of embattailing an army after the Grecian manner THE Grecian arte of embattailing an army most mightie Augustus Cesar Adrian the antiquitie whereof reacheth back to the age wherein Homer lyved hath beene committed to wryting by many whose skill in the Mathematicks was not reputed equal with myne whereby I was induced to thinke it possible for me soe to deliver the groundes therof that posteritie should rather regard and esteeme my labors then theirs that before me haue handled the same argument But weighing againe myn own ignorance for I must confesse a truth in that skill practise of armes which is now in esteeme among the Romaines I was by feare with-held from reviving a science half dead as it were and since the invention of that other by your auncestors altogeather out of request and vnregarded NotwithstandiÌ„ng comming afterward to Formie to doe my dutie to the 1 Emperour Nerva your maiesties father It was my fortune to spend sometime with 2 Frontine a man of Consular digniÌ„tie and of great reputacion by reason of his experience in militarie affaires and after conference with him perceiving he imparted no lesse studie to the Grecian then to the Romaine discipline of armes I began not to despise that of the Grecians conceiving that Frontine would not so much affect it if hee thought it inferiour to the Romaine Having therefore in times past framed a project of this worke but yet not daring then to publish it in regard of 3 your majesties incomparable valour and experience which make you famous aboue all Generalâ—s without exception that euer were I haue of late taken it againe in hand finished it being if I deceaue not my self a worke both worthy to be accompted of of sufficiencie especially with such as are studious of the arte to obscure the credit of the auncient Tacticks For in respect of the perspicuitie I dare bouldlie affirme the reader shall more advantage himselfe by this little volume then by al their writings such is the order and methode I haue followed Howbeit I durst scarcely offer it to your majestie who haue beene Generall of so greate warres least happily it proue too too slender a present altogether vnworthy of your sacred viewe And yet if your majestie shall bee pleased to thinke of it as of a Greekish Theorie or a various discourse it may bee it will giue you some little delight the rather because you may therin behold 4 Alexander the Macedons manner of marshalling his fields And for that I am not ignorant of your majesties more weightie affaires I haue reparted it into chapters to the end you may without reading the booke in few wordes take the somme of that which is to bee delivered and without losse of time find the places you are desirous to peruse Notes THe Tacticks As Taxis in a general sence signifieth order so Tacticos is as much as perteyning to order but specially taken it signifieth parteyning to order of a battaile or to the embattailing of an army Here of the arte of embattailing an army is called Tacticè and hee that is skillful and experienced in that arte Tacticos Vegetius nameth him magistrum armorum and the books written of the arte Tactica And that this is the true signification of the word may appeare by Xenophons Cyropaedia where the arte Tactick is distinguished from the arte Imperatory or arte of a Generall Hee induceth Cyrus in a discourse with his father speaking thus In the end you asked mee what my master taught mee when hee professed to teach the art Imperatory And when I answered the Tacticks you smiled and asked particulerly what the Tacticks availed without provision of thinges necessary to liue by what without preservacion of health what without knowledge of arts invented for the vse of warre what without obedience so that you plainely shewed that the Tacticks are but a small portion of the arte Imperatory or of commanding an army Thus Xenophon making a difference between the arte Imperatory the arte Tactick And in other place hee speaketh yet more particulerly Cyrus sayd hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it not the duty of a Tactick to enlarge onely or to stretch out in 〈◊〉 the front of his Phalange or to drawe it out in depth or to reduce it from a winge to a Phalange or to countermarche readily the enemy shewing himselfe on the right or left hand or in the rear but to diuide it when need is to place euery part for most advantage to leade it on speedily when occasion is of prevention Yet sometimes in a gener all signification books entreating of the whole arte of warr are called Tacticks as the Constitutions military of the Emperour Leo are entituled Tactica Leonis perhaps of the best parte because the arte of embattailing an army hath alwayes been esteemed the chiefest point of skill in a Generall Howbeit Aelian in his title of this booke taketh Tacticè in the streighter signification as appeareth by the definitions he alleageth out of Aenaeas and Polibius of whome the first defineth the art Tactick to bee a science of warlick motion with whome also Leo agreeth the other to bee a skill whereby a man taking a multitude serviceable ordereth it into files and bodies and instructeth it sufficiently in all thinges apperteining to warre Which two definitions comprehend in fewe words the argument of the whole booke For first Aelian intreatcth of levieng of arming men then of filing next of joyning files and making bodies after of ordering the whole Phalange or battaile further of motions requisit to affront the enemy whersoever he giveth on whether in front flank or reare lastly of marching and of the sondry formes of battailes carieng with them advantage of charging or repulsing the enemy in your marche He that will further vnder stand the boundes of this arte let him reade in the 21. chapter of Leo the 58. section 1 The Emperour Nerva your maiesties Father The Emperour Nerva here mentioned was not Nerva Cocceius whoe succeeded Domitian but Vlpius Traianus who was also called Nerva because he was adopted by Nerva Cocceius succeeded in the Empire And where Aelian termeth him Adrians father indeed Adrian pretended he was Traians sonne by adoption But Dio plainely denieth it Spartian saith some reported hee was adopted by the faction of Plotina Traians wife by substituting one to speake with a faint voice as if it had beene Traian vpon
side And as the middle section divideth the Phalange in two parts which are called wings so this section spoken of by Suidas being in the middest of the wing divided the wing into two parts To call a Phalangarchie which is a body consisting of foure thowsand and ninty six men a section is I confesse an vnproper speach but tolerable notwithstanding considering that the whole fourefolde Phalange is composed of the foure Phalangarchies and that the section of the right-wing beginneth at the left hand file or inward point of the right hand Phalangarchie and endeth at the right hand file of the second Phalangarchie And wee are not to expect the same exactnesse of speach from souldiers that is common to men skillfull in the liberall sciences Souldiers that professe action haue theire end if they bee vnderstood of those they commande Artiâ—tes are contemned that clothe not the precepts of theire arts with elegant fitt and exact termes Seeing then the beginning of the section of the wing is at the flanke of the first Phalangarchie on either side of the Phalange wee may after a sort terme the Phalangarchie a section of the wing because it boundeth the section At least by this place of Suidas wee may gather that there was an intervall in either wing which in reason ought to bee in the middest of the wing and to lye betwixt the two Phalangarchies For so many there are in one wing Polybius telleth of Philopaemen that fighting against Machanidas the Tyrant of Lacedaemon after hee had placed the light-armed the Lanciers and Illyrians ioyntly in one front hee added in the same right line the Phalange distinguished into bodies according to Merarchies and divided by severall distances I translate Speiredon distinguished into bodyes because Speira signifieth a militarie body amongst the Graecians and is by the Graecians that wrote the Roman historie vsed sometime for a Legion and sometime for a Cohort And it seemeth that Spiredon is heere by Polybius put in the same sence that Eis Speiran is by Plutarch who mentioning the reformation touching affaires militarie whâ—h the same Philopaemen brought in amongst the Achaians writeth thus theire manner and forme of embattailing was not vsually parcelled out Eis Speiran that is as I interprete it in severall bodies but vsing a Phalange which had neither protension of pikes nor closing of targets in front as the Macedonian manner is they were easily foiled and broken by the enemy The meaning of Plutarch is as I conceiue that the Achaians in former times vsed to order theire Phalange in a continued length without intervalls which Philopoemen reformed and taught them to make divisions by intervalls And the practise of Philopoemen is the best interpreter of his owne counsell to the Achaians This practise Polybius setteth downe to bee the division of his Phalange Kata tele speiredon en diastemasi into bodies distinguished by intervalls according to Merarchies Polybius also to shewe what bodies they were vseth the word Tele which I translate Merarchies having my warant out of Aelian who saith a Merarchie consisteth of two Chiliarchies and conteineth two thowsand and fourty eight men and a hundred and twenty foure files and addeth that it is of some called a Telos and the leader a Telarch A man may doubt seeing Philopaemen made an intervall betwixt every Merarchie whether hee made seven divisions or no For in Aelians Phalange there are eight Merarchies betwixt every of which if a distance were there must needs arise seven intervalls To cleare this doubt wee must vnderstand that the Phalanges of the Graecians were not alwaies of the same number as I noted before Aelians and the Macedonian Phalange consisted of sixteen thowsand and odde Antigonus had but ten thowsand Demetrius eleuen thowsand Other had more the Lacedâ—monians lesse and likewise the Graecians for the most part And it seemeth the Phalange of Philopaemen was no more then eight thowsand and odde in which number there are but foure Merarchies As Aelians Phalange comprehending sixteen thowsand and odde wherein are foure Phalangarchies hath likewise three divisions by Phalangarchies And yet in this Phalange of Philopaemen if you account the file to haue but eight men as the most Graecians vsed in theire files to haue these foure Merarchies will possesse as much ground in front as the Phalangarchies of Aelians Phalange doe the file being sixteen Neither is it new to figure out the bodies greater or lesse according to the number of the Phalange Leo commandeth his Generall when the number will not reach to sixteen thowsand the number of the ould Phalange to hould notwithstanding sixteen men in a file and to divide his Phalange into foure equall parts by intervalls excepting some few which hee would haue reserved for other vses To conclude Aelian him self seemeth to acknowledge more sections then one when in the tenth Chapter of this booke hee speaketh of the middle section mese apotome For this word middle being a relatiue can not bee vnderstood with out two other at least which are placed on either side And all the figures that I haue seene of a fourefold Phalange allowe three sections and no more that is to saie one in the middest and the other two in the wings What the distance and dimension of these sections ought to bee I finde not set downe But if I might haue leaue to coniecture I would thinke they ought to bee large enough for a troupe of horse framed wedge-wise after the Macedonian manner to passe through the last ranke whereof being fifteen as appeareth in the twenty chapter of this booke and the horse placed in the reare of the light-armed it is needfull if vpon any occasion they were to bee drawen through to serue in the front the distance of the section should bee sufficient to giue them passage with out disorder And I am the rather confirmed in this opinion because I see the intervalls betwixt the Roman maniples so proportioned that the Principes might passe through those of the Hastati and the Triarij through those of the Principes But I proportioned out the intervalls to the horse not to the light-armed for that the light-armed â—ay bee divided into severall bodies without inconvenience but any breaking of the horse-wedge breedeth a confusion in the whole troupe Yet where a troupe of horse may finde way there may a Centurie or Colours of light-armed finde also way 6 The light-armed are placed after The light-armed were diversly placed sometimes before the front of the Phalange which kind of placing is afterward called Prataxis sometimes on the wings and it is called Hypotaxis sometimes betwixt the files of the armed fronting in a right line with them and it was called Entaxis sometimes in the reare after the Phalange which was called Epitaxis All these are spoken of by Aelian heereafter in this booke There is another kinde of placing the light-armed when they are throwne into the midst of the battaile being
said are the files of the Phalange But if the conueniency be obserued it will not seeme impertinent For all the Leaders being in front therefore are they called Leaders because they precede and the rest follow it makes both a gallant shew and that rancke being as it were the edge of our battaile not only serues to hew a sunder and rent a pieces the forces of our enemie But also standeth as an assured bulwarke of defence before the rest of the Armie that followeth And it is well noted by Leo that the multitude of Commanders in orderly diuisions both signifies that there are many worthy and valiant men in the armie And is a meanes to keep the Souldiers in greater obedience and to giue vndoubted effect to all directions Of what qualitie and disposition those Leaders ought to be you may see in the fourth Chapter of Leos Tactickes Onely I will adde that as they are higher in dignity so ought they in vertue and valour exceede those that are vnder their command 1 A Dilochy Consists of two files for so signifies the word Dilochia and the Leader is called a Dilochite 2 A Tetrarchy Of foure files and the Leader is called a Tetrach one that hath the command of foure files And here I must once more admonish that in the words of diuers signification we must not weigh what is the proper signification but how they are vsed in this Art and booke For the word Tetrarch signifieth sometimes a King as Hesychius hath and Deiotarus in Tully is called a Tetrarch and Herode in the Gospell who both are commonly knowne for Kings Thessaly likewise was diuided into 4. Principalities Thessaliotis Pthiotis Pelasgiotis and Astiotis whereof euery one was named a Tetrarchy Onely the difference is that a Tetrarch being a King or a Gouernour signifies him that hath the gouernment of the fourth part of the land for a Tetrarchy is the gouernment of the fourth part But a Tetrarchy in Aelian signifies a body military consisting of foure parts 4. files and the Tetrarch commands not ouer one alone but ouer all the 4. parts 3 A Taxis As the word Tetrarchy is diuersly taken so is Taxis likewise For sometimes it imports Order in a generall signification as I noted before Sometimes the order of a battaile sometimes a company of any kinde of Souldiers foote or horse as Taxis Peltastarum Taxis Equitum Sometimes a single Phalange as in Arrian mention is made of Taxis Ooeni Taxis Perdiccae and Taxis Meleagri c. who were Phalangarches as the story sheweth i Sometimes for all the armed as Taxis Phalangitarum Sometimes a rancke of men standing embattailed as in Thucidides who discribing the battell of the Lacedemonians saith the front which he calleth the first rancke teen proteen Taxin consisted of 448. But in a more speciall signification it is taken for a band of Souldiers And in that signification the number varieth In Xenophon it comprehendeth a hundred men What the number of the Athenian Taxis was I finde not deliuered by any Writer That they had Taxiarchs Polyenus sheweth plainely And if a man with leaue might gesse I would imagine their Taxis consisted of 250 men For I finde in the same place of Polyenus that they had Chiliarchies Pentecosiarchies Taxies and Lochagies I haue before shewed that Lochos in Xenophon is made sometimes of aboue 100. men Out of which may be inferred with probability that Taxis being the next degree aboue the Lochagie hath the double number or more The rather because a Chiliarchy hauing in it a 1000. the Penticosiarchy must haue 500. and by likelihood the Taxis 250. as being the next office vnder the Pentecosiarchy But whatsoeuer the Taxis of the Athenians or of other people was Aelian maketh his Taxis vp with 128 men and 8. files which is a double number to the Tetrarchy With whom Suidas agreeth giuing 2. Tetrarchies to a Taxis and saith it consists of 128 men The Commander of the Taxis is called a Taxiarch as the Commander of the Tetrarchy is a Tetrarch Here I am to note by the way that the Interpreter of Xenophon translateth Taxiarcha the Commander of a Cohort wher 's Taxis in the straighter signification cannot be taken for a Cohort because a Cohort differeth much in number hauing in it at the least 500. and odde men where the Taxis when it is greatest hath no more then 128. And Polybius saith plainely that spira is the Greeke word that fully expresseth the Romane Cohort 4 A Syntagma The word commeth of Syntasso or Syntatto to place together and a Syntagma is a body compounded of many parts artificially put together But it may be taken for anybody in the armie Diodorus reports of Dionysius the elder That after he had diuided his whole Armie which had in it 30000 into three parts he imployed two against the Carthaginian Campe in diuers manner himselfe tooke the Syntagma or third part which consisted of mercenary Souldiers and led against that quarter of the campe which had the Engins Aelian also vseth the word diuerslie For he calles the whole armie by the name of Syntagmata in the plurall number and sometimes Syntagma in the singular And further giues the same name to a file Suidas likewise discribing the length of a Phalange saith it is the first rancke Syntagma of file Leaders which stretcheth forth in a right line from winge to winge Whereby appeareth that which the Logitians affirme which I touched before that there are more things then names of things And that fit names cannot be giuen to all The names that haue beene giuen by antiquity to expresse the seuerall bodies of the Phalange are to be reteined by vs as proper enough to signifie the thing they meant Neither are we to vary from them vnlesse we our selues can inuent better The Syntagma that Aelian here mentioneth is framed of two Taxies that is of 16. files of 256 men The Commander of it is named a Syntagmatarch And where he addeth it is called of some a Xenagy we are to vnderstand that Xenagos was he amongst the Grecians that had the command of a band of strangers as he that leuied strangers was called Xenologos and the band it selfe was called a Xenagy Why the Syntagma should haue the appellation of Xenagy I cannot diuine vnlesse the reason were because it was about the number wherof strangers made their companies that serued amongst the Graecians And I thinke and shall till better information that the body of the light armed called a Xenagy mentioned hereafter had that name likewise for the same reason Now of all the bodies in this Chapter mentioned there is none that commeth so neere the companies vsed at this day as doth the Syntagma for excepting that our numbers differre and are in diuers places more or lesse the offices of each are alike You haue in