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A39331
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The compleat body of the art military ... divided into three books, the first containing the postures of the pike and musket ... the second comprehending twelve exercises ... the third setting forth the drawing up and exercising of regiments ... illustrated with varietie of figures of battail ... / by Richard Elton.
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Elton, Richard, fl. 1650.
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1650
(1650)
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Wing E653; ESTC R24314
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241,863
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247
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utriusque Horti Stratiotici Militaris Officialium unus Johannes Hunnings For his much respected Friend and old fellow Souldier Major RICHARD ELTON ENcomiums cannot add unto the prayse Of those that much deserve their Works will rayse Themselves a Name as this great Work of thine With no small pains the which thou makest to shine Renowned Elton loe in thee I finde Bellona's Casket opened and the minde That Mars himself enjoy'd for what thou know'st That others may obtein therefore let all Who do desire to learn Rules Martiall Peruse this Compleat body where they 'l finde That which delights the Fancy please the Minde In Facings Doublings Wheelings with their Distance Both Open Close to us he gives assistance He doth direct new Figures for to rayse Preceding times knew not but these our days New Forms of Battail shown with each their Firings With Rules to guide in Onsets and Retirings Thus have we Elton's skill here brought to light Which none can it obscure no not dark night Of Envies rage can blur what he hath done But he shall shine as glorious as the Sun Thomas Walker Captain To my honoured Friend Major Richard Elton YOur Book needs not my Plaudit it to sell It is enough if but your name it tell Who sees its Front and doth it understand Must needs condemn himself or prayse your hand More could I say and would but more to say Were to light candles to the Sun-shine day For such as read and do it not advance Of Envy do it or of Ignorance John Brett Captain To the Authour his much valued Friend Major Richard Elton LEt them that undertake to prayse a book Not on the Title but the matter look To ground their judgment on For to commend The Work because th' Author is our Friend Is an obsequious flattery and doth yield Some savour of the Court none of the Field From depth of knowledge then we ought to rayse The high expressions of deserved prayse But then with equall knowledge if we can Judge and declare the merits of a man The envious will say when we have shown The Authors worth we publicate our own But let those Momi talk This work of yours Heroick ELTON all assaults endures And all convinceth of Detractions part And shortly will the Ignorant convert And make them Souldiers too so sweet and plain Your Demonstrations are that they will gain Myriads of men now to bear arms that bore Nothing but onely shapes of men before Of Cock-braind Militasters store there are That do pretend skill in the book of War Can Military Discipline express In words of art and windy flourishes Big looks and language lowder than the Drum As knowing more than your Compendium When silly Vapours they nere read or saw More than the Statutes of the Martiall Law Such now must cast the feathers of their pride And here if docible be edified Here 's the true art of Arms. Jehovah grant That as 't is like we shall no Souldiers want The Practise of it onely may extend To settle Right and Peace That 's Wars true end Abraham Stanion Captain To the worthy Authour of the Art Military T' Was said of old that arms do silence Laws And learning by their rude illiterate aws The Proverb lyes for courting in one sheet The Souldier and the Scholler here do â—eet The Sword and Pen Mars doe's himself commense Doctor of War and doe's not more incense Then teach to fight and by his learned Bands An Areopagus midst of Athens stands And by a new found happy union Parnassus and the Campaigne are made one Whence quickly tutor'd from that sacred Rise The Souldier may descend and exercise Till now we did but butcher Victories And were but sloven Deaths-men whil'st our eyes Were wanting to our hands we fell upon A Miscellaneous Execution So that it griev'd the slain that they must die Without a method and disorderly But now we have attain'd the handsome skill By order method and by rule to kill From which we owe the beauties of our death The features of our wounds to you whose breath Formed into this your polemick word Makes you th' Amanuensâ—s of the Sword And as when Cadmus Serpents teeth did sow A crop of armed men from thence did grow So from this learned issue of your brains We may behold to spring well order'd Trains Of exact Myrmidons and as at the sound Of Orpheus harp all the unweildy round Of Lyons Bears and Tygors learn't to meet Well order'd measures with obedient feet Such is your book at whose most sober word The hand the foot the Musket Pike and sword Those livelesse lumps of steel do act and use Obediently the Motions you infuse We read the Persian chivalry was such As teaches Elephants in a slender touch Of brideling art most orderly to storm Liking their strength like bears into a form So the rude multitude whose strength would be A ruine to themselves through Anarchy Bad Masters but good servants are made good By you most regularly to let blood Order's the soul of things then souldiers are The body but your book the soul of War Mars thus conjoyned with Phoebus some may fear Hor. mil. Menc Sans Thunderbolts will transcend Jupiter Sam. Jervis Captain To my Ingenious Friend Major RICHARD ELTON RIch Jems best prayse Themselves 't is understood The Bush is useless where the Wine is good How do they erre who with their looser Rime Prophane thy Prose and with the adulterate Lime Of wit erect some Parapet or Port To raise their Fancie equall to Thy Fort. This Crime 's collaterall mine who strive to raise And mix my Ivy with thy glorious Bays Whose Branches in thy learned Book do spread Themselves in Garlands to impale Thine Head How durst I then draw one Excentrique Line Or thus Intrench upon this Work of Thine This Work of Thine whose well composed Page Shall strike amazement in the aemulous Age Such as their Captive judgements shall surprize And force their eares do Homage to their eyes Imperious Style which can at once advance Our towring thoughts and strike them in a Trance How happily hast Thou Improv'd thy Parts Who art Proficient both in Arms and Arts Mars and Minerva who are counted two Divided essences both joyn in You Whiles Practick and the Theorick Arts appear In You their Center and their proper Sphear But stay Thy Prayse Dear Friend needs heer no more Than Gold in Peru or a Map on shore They that would know thee better let um look Upon these Leaves and read Thee in Thy Book William Short Captain To his ever honoured Friend Major RICHARD ELTON MAny have fanci'd to themselves that this Is the Worlds leaden age and think it is Far worse with all mens wits then with the time That they live in but cleerly from this crime Thou hast redeem'd us no man ever writ Better of Martiall Discipline for it Thou rightly hast display'd in th' Compleat Body Of th' famous and renown'd Art
Military Here did I finde that which did please me better Then could another Indie's every letter To me 's an Orient Pearl and all thy words Are silver Mines in short thy book affords So vast a treasure that I dare fore-tell It will long flourish without parallel The postures of the Pike and Musket thou Dost teach with their conformities and how The dignities of Ranks and Files must be Stated in giving each his due degree Of Martiall Honour with their sev'rall Motions As Facings Doublings Wheelings and quaint Notions Of Firings who ever yet did see Such Motions ELTON as are done by thee It caus'd my admiration when I found How thy luxuriant wit disdaining bound Did vary it's Experiments upon A single File hence I went viewing on To thy twelve Exercises thy setting forth The drawing up of Reg'ments a thing of worth Neer to be rightly valu'd forming Brigades Placing artillery with other aides To Martiall Discipline but heer 's too much To out-vie all our ancients had but such Brave rules been taught Achilles sure less far Then twice five yeers had end'd the Trojan War William Johnson Captain To his much honored and ever renowned Friend Richard Elton Serjeant Major Anagram RICHARDUS ELTON I HELD ARTS CROUN Distic To honour Art and eke my Name renown Mars condiscends to say I held Arts Croun Acrostichon Rich in thy Art brave ELTON lo thy Fame Is crown'd above to eternize thy Name Can this thy Work be carped at let none Have such a Thought t is Momus carps alone Away away let Silence be the word Read ere thou censure this Work doth afford Delight and Skill even to the knowingst men Unto the weaker sort lo here thy Pen Such Rules lays down in Battail and Retreat Each one is made as this thy work compleat Leave then thy Work with us now thou hast done The Fame thereof doth crown thee Mars his Son Of all that merit worth o◠Art would gain None holds the Crown but Elton by his pain John Walker Lievtenant To his much honor'd friend Serjeant Major Richard Elton IF Authors ancient and of modern days Justly by us deserved have much prayse Who of the Military art have writ And for to honour them it was thought fit Then much more thon brave Elton who hast showne Such skill in these thy labours as yet none E're saw before for hereby men may learn A skilfull Artist rightly to discern Here thou hast taught us how to use alike The Postures of the Musket and the Pike How every man his place may truly know And how of Files a Body great doth grow But why do I endevour for to show Thy worth my pen to do it is too slow I only can admire thee and will leave it To some brave English Homers pens to do it Then Fame by them thy glory loude shall rayse And trumpet out thy just deserved prayse That so the World may at no time forgit How by thy worth thou hast advantag'd it Richard Hobby On the COMPLEAT BODY of the ART MILITARY composed by my Good Friend Major RICHARD ELTON I Was no Poet born nor ere could mount the Muses sacred Hill or reach their Fount o swoop thereof and come a Poet thence Prithee my Genius then tell me from whence is it I have this my new whiffling Gale for Meterizing it is hence men faile * Seldom have Archetypes of this Nature been perused by any but who have been impuls'd to put to their Approbationall or Commendatory Verses Witnesse the Books of Sir Thomas Kelly Ward Barriff and not a few more seldome of such a Trade-winde when they passe the Point of Mars ' is or Bellona's place Or can't one tho he would endight so nigh (a) Files call'd by Grecians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Romans VERSUS Possibly from an old fashion of Writeing the Words of a Verse not to the side of but under one another Martiall Verses but he shall versifie The Influence came from that pure breath that bid thee write and from the fertile blasts that did blow from that Quarter of the World where those of Good Deserts are Honour'd not with Prose bur measur'd scanned lines and Voices that can tune it and their Numbers modulate Where it is held a crime to talk about Meriting Works and not to Rhyme-it-out 'T is thence Go forward now and Warble forth this Book 's rich Contents and therein it 's worth The Pike's and Musket's Postures with their (b) How much concerning the right Handling true Vse of that famously succesfull engine for Arrows the Bow was laid-down in that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spoken of 2 Sam. 11. 18 I ken not But Bows and Arrows would be of speciall Service in the hands of our meerly defensive Picquiers For by these Feathery weapons they might annoy those who by fiery ones too oft directing destructive Bullets against subjective Stands have shamefully laid low abundance of Proper-men And I remember I have read in the Book call'd Londons Artillery of some fights where Archers have put Gun men to flight Use and necessary Motions which conduce as Media's to attain them Those Wayes best most ready safe short easie comeliest (c) A Metonymie so generally approved that the Name Picquiers or Pike-men is rarely heard given to them though those who carry Musquets are commonly called Mousquettiers The Pikes and Muskettiers conformity in Posturing Places of Dignity ordained so that all the parts are deck't with men of equall worth and like respect And to en-body them the joyning Files flank-wise effecting Ranks the Band compiles Due Distances whereby just PARALLEL Rank keeps to Rank and File to File as well when they do Ope Close Move as when they Stand and save their Even-ning Straightning Post-command * I speak freely To bid the Company after every Motion to even Ranks and streighten Files speaks no lesse than the Commander extream fond Or them very untoward Me thinks they are Shameing-words Faceings no more nor fewer than you see th' in-ner and out-ter Sides and Angles bee Lengthning or Strengthning Doubling Files or Ranks Battell Front Reer both one or both the Flanks (d) We read of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saltatio Pyrrhica A Daunce in order of Battell taught by Pyrrhus to his Souldiers Plin. lib. 2. cap. 16. Without doubt the Motions were not unlike those at the Coraean Laconic Macedonian Evolutions Yet I can't but think that in those days they were more nimble at them than in these and did 'm Galiard-like frollickly From the Noise which durante motione their Armes made the Dance was epitheted Bellicrepa Daunce-like Counter-Marches Wheelings (e) Wheelings are the most Nice Motions of all and if they may be so exprest Solicitous Coagitations That Angular-man who is as the Hinge of the Motion moving so much slower than the other Corner end of the same Rank to which he ever-and-anon casts an eye as it hath a larger compasse to