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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	ability_n	able_a	strength_n	31	3	6.4949	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64804	Military and maritine [sic] discipline in three books.	Venn, Thomas. Military observations.	1672 (1672)	Wing V192; ESTC R25827	403,413	588

increase of Honour here and what may be merited for you to make you glorious in the world to come subscribing in the quality of July 29. 1671. Your Humble Servant Tho. Venn TO THE Truly Generous Gentlemen and CITIZENS of LONDON Practising Armes in the Artillery Garden Gentlemen ALthough I am a stranger to you I must declare to the world that what I know in this Art Military I received as it were from your breast from some who were Leaders in your ground And 't is a grief to me that I live at such a distance from you as not to be of your number the least amongst you being of ability to be Commanders in Chief when ever his MAJESTY may require it There is in you strength enough to shield a just cause and a Royal cause is able to advance your power give me leave to tell you there can be nothing done by you without it it is that which giveth strength and sinewes to all your motions Gentlemen you may see by my other Epistles what Authors I have made use of Elton and if you find some of the words of Command one and the same with others late before me I could not help it for this was finished as to the Commands and directions above four or five years now last past and in all that time I never saw any thing of the Gentlemans nor his latter piece as yet This you 'l find to be but methodical collections for the young Country Souldier and in our rural exercises they can draw up but twelve files in which I am stinted to a very small number for so great a work if there were a proportionableness in the Armes the figures would have been better yet not in the least presuming to teach you but I hope with your favourable constructions you will allow it useful for us in the Country although your abilities may teach the world ten times more I aim'd at nothing but to shew how necessary the readyness and use of Armes is and of men to be well exercised in them Which hath been a benefit to Republicks as History and experience hath made to appear for what Nation hath not found safety in the expert use of them and in the neglect thereof ruin I hope there are none of you so disloyal as not to obey your Princes Commands in Order to which I cannot but Commend your close order to his Religion and not to be at open distances it is that which will make your obedience free your affections settled your selves renowned and as I may in some part say the peace of the Kingdom secured I humbly crave your pardons for my boldness and grant me not only to be in the number of the well wishers to this Art but also to the prosperity of your ground and I shall alwayes subscribe March 1671. Yours Tho. Venn TO ALL MY FELLOW-OFFICERS SOULDIERS AND LOVING COUNTRY-MEN To whom the Exercise of ARMES Is delightful Gentlemen and Fellow Souldiers ALlthough there are discouragements enough to make you negligent in the exercise of Armes not only to see this Art so little countenanced but our late Enemies by sitting still grow rich and the Royal Sons of Mars in all their labours not able with one hand to wash the other yet this one thing in making our selves capable to do our Gracious King and Country service should be the chiefest motive to labour after the Theorick part of this Art by which we shall be the better able to perform the Practick when we shall be called thereunto But lest these few Collectives might meet with some objections why that I should treat of the Horse in the first place when Antiquity alloweth the precedency thereof to the Infantry It was not to raise a dispute amongst the Novists but I leave such to enquire of the precedencies in a Council of War and who taking place there will resolve them And it is well known to most of you I was a Commander of Horse my self and then having finished my weak thoughts as to the Exercise thereof which being viewed by some Gentlemen of our Country I was desired by them to set out likewise some few Collections for the young foot Souldier It is true there have been many Books printed of this Art in our past ages and some in our present and as Solomon saith of making many Books there is no end yet if it had not been for Books this Art might have been buried in oblivion And if I should set out at full how all that we practise is not only borrowed from Antiquity but most of the very words of Command are kept still in use it would be too large and it being not my business I shall acquiesce with what I intended for my private use but being as I have declared requested hereunto When London was burnt 1666. Sept. 3d. c. and now fearing that most of our books are consumed by fire I am further perswaded to put these introductives to publick view Let me perswade you fellow Souldiers although you meet with many discouragements and scoffs in your Country although taxes lie heavy upon you and your allowances do not answer your moderate expences nay although not your due for your time spent herein yet go on for I will boldly tell you that practical knowledge in this Art is the highest step to preferment We read among the Romans of Lucullus and in our latter age of M. Spinola who through maturity of judgement and great Learning became Generals as soon as Souldiers Intimating that it is the Prerogative of Princes to be born leaders of Armies But others must expect to ascend this Mountain of Honour by many and difficult stepps Therefore first lay a foundation of honest fame labouring after the practice of private vertues Then orderly proceeding to signalize thy selfe by some publique atchievements which I doubt not but every generous spirit will endeavour the ascention thereof you may be assured that passing once the brunt of it even to the hazzard of life it self you 'l find delightful pleasures in following the exercises of this Art Military Who is it that shall think so despicably of a Souldier or his profession so base as some have so accounted them When they that are the sons of Mars and have the true form of Military Discipline are highly to be esteemed as honourable and as necessary members in a Kingdome such as no Kingdome can be without It is honourable because it is compassed about with such reasons as that the contemners thereof by the judicious are much reproved for that State that is not able to stand it out in Armes against the rage of intestine and forraign violence is sure to fall into the hands of the destroyer How can any particular interest preserve it self without it I will boldly say that the Despisers of the use of Armes are not only disloyal to their Prince but destructive to themselves What are the Laws and Civil Orders without defence

were but once suffered to land and have firm footing Which imagination groweth for want of skill and judgment in Martial actions and therefore we seek to prevent that by a desperate and disorderly fight which we might more safely remedy by a defensive and less dangerous course as may appear by the examples of a weak Ship and a battered Town which both by suffering themselves to be entered and assaulted the one by her close fights the other by new intrenchments do give the entered Enemy the greater foyle even then when they think themselves possest of all Besides a King that is in his own Country may be supplied with infinite Numbers of Pioniers who in few hours may rear earth works to triple his force against an Invadour as is well known to him that is a Souldier whereof he should be utterly deprived by that most barbarous custome heretofore used and yet maintained I mean of that disorderly running down to the Sea side to give an Invading Enemy battel at his first landing What reason had Spain to attempt the Conquest and subversion of this Realm but that they presumed The only hope of an invador is to prevaile by Battel we would assuredly rely upon our old Custom of giving them Battel at their landing which if we should do there would be great likelihood first that we should lose the same and next having lost the Battel I fear that the subversion of this famous Island would ensue For an aspiring King that hath a great faction within a Contry may presume beforehand to carry the same if he be assured that the people thereof will give him battel at his first landing Therfore if you will avoid an Invasion and the danger of a Conquest let it be known to the world that it is an error whereby you might imbrace those advantages and the benefit that our Country affords and you shall undoubtedly avoid the trouble of the first and be free from the danger of the last Scanderbegg against the Turk We read that Scanderbegge never theless that he expected the Invasion of so puissant an Enemy as was the Turk thought it not good to leave any great Army of Force to give him Battel but only certain select bands or Companies of Foot with Troops of Horse the foot too lightly armed causing all the frontiers to withdraw themselves their Cattel Corn and Substance into the strong and fortyfied places of the Country did with such select forces face the Enemy on the frontiers by keeping of streights passages making suddain attempts in the night such other times as by Spies he found the Enemy careless and so with a few people or small force by time famine and expences he wearied the Enemy and caused him to retire that otherwise in Battel might have gotten the victory and so in short time commanded the whole Country Wherefore I would not wish any Prince to adventure his Kingdom that way unless he be weary of the same Battel being the only thing for an Invadour to seek and on the contrary for the invaded to avoid and shun for the one doth hazzard but his people and hath a lot to win a Kingdom and the other in losing of the Battel endangereth his Crown The Opponent disalloweth of a confused disorderly running down to the Sea side and yet would fight with them in their landing which is a thing impossible For if you tarry time to put men in order which you must of necessity do by reason of the Countries slack assembly then will the Enemy land in the mean time and frustrate your purpose unless you were made acquainted long beforehand when and where he intended to land and where you may make your supposed Trenches you have declared to lodge your men in There be some also that conceive a great advantage of the Enemies weakness coming from the Sea and of their landing out of Boates disorderly which when it shall happen to come to trial it will easily appear how far they are deceived of both for who knoweth not that even all men coming near the shore and smelling land become well and sound again of their Sea sickness Also what numbers of men will be landed at one instant in Boats Gallies and other Vessels of small draught and that safe enough those that have been imployed in like actions can testifie And as touching Rocks Shelves contrary Winds c. which is said may fight for us we must not build upon such uncertainties for an Enemy will beforehand so set down and lay his plot where he will make his descent as that none of all those accidents shall give any impedement to the same What other advantages our Country men may have either of their Courage or goodness of their cause Strength and courage availeth much being joyned with skill and order to dispose of them without knowledge and order how to dispose thereof will rather be an occasion of their overthrow than means of the Victory But especially a few to fight against many disordered against ordered Countrey men against experienced Souldiers the odds that the Enemy hath of you therein will be much greater than your imagined advantages And albeit that I confess our Country men have a shew of desire to fight as having as great natural help of strength courage and ability as any other Nation yet can it not be denied but that in the Artificial we must needs be defective for want of use and Practice therefore not to be suffered to run down to the Sea side in that confused and accustomed manner unless it might be done with a compleat number of choyce men conducted by a skilful leader that knoweth how to make his fight upon the best advantages and to retire them orderly again to their least hurt and discouragement otherwse I do altogether disallow of that general repair to the Sea side But rather to make your assemblies five or six miles distant with all your Foot forces and to attend them in the plaines with your Horse for whatsoever men resolve with themselves before hand and what minds soever they may seem to put on when they shall be driven to make their wayes through the vollies of shot having never been acquainted with the game before it may either make them pinch courtesie through the strangeness thereof or at least having tasted of that sauce and finding it bitter may spread rumours to discourage a whole Army for oftentimes the same and bruite of a repulse maketh others as fearful that but hear of it as those that have been in the Action and born the blows themselves How unlikely then it is that you should profit your selves by that means or impeach your Enemy may easily appear But let us come to examples for it is not sufficient to say by experience of former invasions c. not alledging any Where can it be remembered that a strong Enemy proffering to land hath been prevented by the Frontier forces I