better for the Captaines for they should not be so condemned as they are of the countrey nor of their souldiers and some very wrongfully and who would for so small gaine incurre the losse of his honour or reputation but thus they shall neither liue themselues nor be able to rewarde their souldiers As if I wished them not larger pay and w ih honester conditions And as if they did vse to reward their men or that belonged to them it is the General that should do it vpon their report not they When a Citati milites nominatim stipendium ad nomen singulis persolutum Liu. 28. Scipio paide his souldiers in Spaine euery man receiued himselfe his due paye man by man Which was the continual practise of the b Stipendium praesens omnibus militibus dabatur Liu. 23. Romanes That I likewise confirmed by the example of Porsena the captaine of the Hetruscians who stoode by c Liu. 2. while euery man receiued his stipend Guicciardin disputing and weying the causes why the Frenchmen in the expedition of Charles the 8. into the kingdome of Naples so easily preuailed alleageth this for principall that the Kings souldiers were payed by the kings Officers and not as the Italian vse was by the Captaines For which cause now at length also the Spaniard weary of this abuse appointeth certaine Officers to pay euery souldier according to the a They call them Pagadores moster roll and diuers controllers of these paymasters This I thinke to be the best meanes to remedy the want of pay the fraude of Officers the disorders of souldiers and coruption of false mosters whereby many Princes haue bene greatly abused are like to be further if order be not taken Before Pauy the b Guicciar li. 15 French king Francis had not halfe the number of souldiers that were vpon his moster bookes which was the principall cause of the ruine of the army and of the taking of the king as Guicciardin affirmeth The same was the ruine of the army of Iulio the 2. before c Guicciar lib. 9. Gemuolo and causeth many to presume further then reason thinking their strength greater diuers to detest warres the disorders are so great This I thought necessary to speake concerning pay more perhaps then some will like But the commiseration I haue of poore souldiers and detestation I had of disorders that haue happened vpon this cause in the seruice where I haue bene and feare of worse haue extorted these complaints from me yet not to hurt any particular God is my witnes but generally to do my countrey good if I could to admonish those whom it concerneth to looke better vnto it hereafter CHAP. IIII. Part. 10. Wherein is declared that there is no hope of good successe in warres without a full army and force sufficient THose that know with what difficultie miserie Officers are wont to pay 4. or 5. M. men haue good cause to thinke it a matter very difficult to mainteine 30. or 40. M. and many percase will wonder what I meane to perswade the leuy of a full army seeing the vnwillingnes and vnreadines of this age in sending forth and furnishing any small number of men But notwithstanding the imagination of the first or wonderment of the second both the lawes and practise of armes doeth teach vs that to obteine victorie and to subdue our enemies a iust and full army must be employed and that small numbers of men doe rather feede the warres then end them rather anger the enemy then hurt him The Lacedemonians before the Peloponnensian warre consulting with the oracle by what meanes they might best preuaile against their enemies receiued this answere that the meanes to ouercome was to vse a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thucid. 1. their full strength For if an army be a perfect body as the Athenian captaine Iphicrates was wont to say it must haue the iust proportion of partes and iust complement or els it will be monstrous and not able to doe the actions exspected of such a body The Romanes therefore as in other things so in this excelled that they neuer dealt with any enemie but with a full army If the power of the enemie were great they employed a Consulare army consisting of 4. legions of citizens beside the aide of their associates if lesse they vsed but two legions with the ayde of their friendes The greatest force that they vsually employed were two Consular armies ioyned together The number was diuers as the legions were greater or lesser full or imperfect but their greatest force amounted not past to 50. thousand their middle to 24. thousand their least to 12 or 15. thousand or thereaboutes Lesse number I doe not reade that they vsed in any seruice and therefore proceeding with sufficient force I maruell not if their successe were according It is the vse of all nations neither the French in their expeditious into Italy nor the Spaniard into France or Italy vseth to send lesse then a iust army The Duke of Alua beside 12. or 13. M. Almaines and those of the Low countries brought with him 9000. Spaniards and Italians when first he came into that countrey It is no good nor profitable course to send 4. or 5. thousand against what soeuer enemie If to famish they are too many if to fight too fewe Double that number is neither able to keepe the field nor to besiege any citie nor almost able to doe any enterprise of warre vnlesse it be to defend some place for some fewe dayes in the end to giue it ouer being in despaire of succour Our proceedings in France Flanders if mother reason wil pes wade vs may teach vs that this number is too little the effectes doe declare my speach to be true The b Thucid. 1. Lacedaemonians so long as they sent small numbers of men against the Athenians could doe no good against them but did hurt to themselues Small force doeth rather nourish and kindle the warres then extinguish them euen as a fewe drops sprinckled on the fixe doeth make the same to burne more bright and as much water powred on the fire doeth quench the same so a sufficient army maketh an end of brawles or at least bringeth them to triall Nay further a sufficient force doeth not only worke greater effect but also is lesse chargeable then warres made by these slender supplies It may percase seem a paradoxe to some but reason experience doth proue it true These warres of our times they haue no ende but where a sufficient armie goeth there is an end eyther one way or other There is no end of charge in lingring warres in these if the armie preuaile the victorie mainteineth the same if it be ouercome then is there an end of that armie and charge The burthen is onely in the setting of the same out and mainteyning of it in the meane while But will some say the hazard were great Let
the warre betwixt the Romanes and them and of the sacke of Corinth Friderick Barbarosse for a scorne offered him by them of Milan besieged and tooke their Citie the first quarrell betweene the e Liu. Romanes and Veians grewe vpon a proud answere which the Veian Senate made And deare it cost the Rhodians that taking part with Perseus they abused the Romanes in their insolent termes The slaughter of the Romane ambassadours was the first cause that moued them to warre vpon gentius-Gentius-king of Illyrium and aggrauated the wrath of the Romanes against the Veians and caused Caesar to sacke diuers cities of the f Bel. Gal. 6. Armoricans The rebellion of subiects against their lawfull Princes is also a sufficient cause to arme the prince against them he carieth not the sword for other purpose but to represse the wicked and rebellious king Dauid prosecuted not onely the rebell Ziba but also his owne sonne Absaloâ— that rose against him the Romanes suppressed the seditious Gracchi Saturninus and Catiline and iust cause had our Princes to subdue by armes the seditious route that vnder the leading of Iacke Cade Iacke Strawe Kette and other rebels rose against their liege and soueraigne Princes for although rebels and pyrats and robbers are not accompted among the number of lawfull enemies which the Romans called hostes legitimos nor did enioy the a ff De captiu L. hostes right nor were to be vsed as enemies in lawfull warres yet is the force vsed against them most lawfull Moreouer it is a lawfull and iust cause for a prince or nation to arme their people in defence of their associates or such as flie vnto them for succour being vniustly oppressed Deliuer those sayth the wise man that are drawne to death those that are wronged sayth b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist rhet ad Alexandr Aristotle not onely may but ought for their honors sake to arme in defence of themselues their allyes and friends and to helpe their associates being oppressed Cicero in his bookes de rep alloweth those warres to be lawfull that are made aut pro fide aut pro salute that is eyther for our owne defence or for defence of our friendes whome wee are bound by promise to helpe and as well doeth he c Offic. 1. charge them with iniustice that repell not iniurie when they are able as those that doe wrong themselues And if we giue credit to Saint d Fortitudo quae per bella tuetur à Barbaris patriam vel defendit infirmos vel à latronibus socios plena iustitia est Ambros de offic Ambrose valiant men that defend their countrey from barbarous people and protect the weake and shielde their associates from such as would spoyle them doe the office of true iustice for defence of their e Populus Rom. sociis defendendis terrarum omnium potitus est Cic. de rep 3. confederates the Romanes receiued this reward that they became the lordes of the world the Romanes had no other cause to enterprise the warre against the f Visum est Campanos deditos noÌ„ prodi Liu. 7. Samnites but for the defence of the Campanians which were vniustly vexed had yeelded themselues into their protection The first Carthaginian warres had no other originall but for the defence of the Mamertines for the same cause likewise did they send defiance to Philip g Romani infensi Philippo ob infidam erga socios pacem Liu. 31. ob iniurias arma illata sociis populi Rom. belluÌ„ indictum Liu. 31. king of Macedonia for that he vexed and iniuried their confederates in Greece Iosua protected the Gibeonites requiring his ayde from the conspiracie of the kings of the Cananites the forsaking of our associates friends h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thucid. 1. Sthenelaidas the Spartian calleth treason and disuadeth the Spartans from committing any such offence the Romanes were a Saguntinos crules us quam Poenus hostis prodidit vos soci prodidistis L. 1.25 accused of treason for that they abandoned their confederates the Saguntines being besieged by Annibal for which fault they endured the penance of sixteene yeeres warres in Italy neither was any thing more infamous in Charles of Burgundy his actions then his colde defence of his associat the duke of Britaine Philip of Commines accuseth Lewes the 11. for abandoning his confederats of Liege Caesar b Verebarut Caesar ne Gallâ—â—ota deliceret h Gergouia capta nullum in annor praesidâ—m elleâ— Caes 7. bel Gal. least all his associates in France should forsake him was driuen with great hazard to succour his friends besieged in Gergouia the duke of Normandy yonger brother to Lewes the 11. ouerthrewe his owne estate departing from the association of Charles duke of Burgundy wherefore we haue not onely iust cause to warrant our proceedings against the Spaniard in defence of our confederates of France and the lowe Countries but also necessarie reasons to moue vs to prosecute matters more forcibly vnlesse we meane to engage our honour and neglect our owne estate what wisdome or honour it was to refuse them that yeelded themselues before the surrender of Antwerpe vnto the duke of Parma I report me to those that know those mysteries sure nowe that we haue begunne to assist them of Holland and Zeland it is neither honour nor safetie so to mince at the matter or to go backe whatsoeuer we call our doings it wil be as the king of Spaine will take it if euer be haue power to be iudge the onely meanes to marre and crosse his sentence is with great forces to withstand so mightie a Prince and not longer to dally Breach of couenants likewise is numbred among the iust causes of warres we put on armes saith c Plat. in Alcibiad one eyther being deceiued by our enemies that performe not promise or being constreyned the Romanes began their warres with Perseus king of d Liu. 42. Macedonia vpon occasion of breach of the articles of peace made before betwixt his father and them and for the like cause also renewed their warres with them of Carthage and for the same cause warres haue bene opened betwixt vs and the Scots as at Muscleborough fielde vpon the deniall of the Scottish Queene promised to king Edward and betweene the French and vs. Many wise princes haue an eye to their neighbours greatnesse and perceiuing how preiudiciall their encrochments may proue vnto theÌ„ haue iust cause to withstand them Lewis the 11. sent ayde to the Switzers Duke of Lorreine against Charles Duke of Burgundy hauing no other cause then the suspicion and feare of his greatnes The true a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thucid. 1. cause of the Peloponesian warre against them of Athens was the suspicion and feare that their neighbours had of their power and greatnes And yet that cause was not once mentioned The Princes and States of Italy of long time haue had a secret
argoletiers are to take heede that they come not neere the lances of the enemy lest they make holes in their horses sides if no worse Where the enemy is in disorder there al sorts of horsemen may do seruice At Cerisoles after that the shot had made way in the enemies battell the French entred with their horse among them and ouerthrew them Pikes are the onely defence of footemen against horsemen if they be taken in plaine ground Yet doe I not thinke it good that there should be such numbers of pikes in our armies as is vsed For that vse excepted which I spake of I see no other great profite they haue For execution is seldome doone by pikes Sometime I grant pikes do charge other pikes but it is not the piquier that maketh the slaughter In woodes and shrubbie or brushie groundes these kinde of long weapons are vnprofitable and vnweldie The Germanes by the disaduantage of their long pikes d being taken in such ground were ouerthrowen by Germanicus and the Romane targettiers In straites likewise when souldiers come to lay handes and haue prize ech on other long pikes cannot a Longae hast 〈◊〉 in syluis inter virgulta non tam aptae quam pila haerentia corpori tegmina gladij Tacit. 2. not be a Nec minor Germanis animus sed genere pugnae armorum superabantur cum ingens multitudo arctis locis praelongas hastas non protenderet nō colligeret Tacit. annal 2. managed as the experience of the Romanes fighting against the Germanes and Macedonians armed with long weapons teacheth vs. Further the assailants in assaults of townes and forts haue small vse of them For there is no vse of horsemen there greatly against which pikes are good neither do the defendants greatly vse them saue in the breach Pikemen are too heauie armed to pursue others and without shot they cannot well garde themselues either against shot or targets At Muscleborough field a fewe shot opened the Scottish squadrons of pikes for those that folowing after inuested them And likewise did the French arquebuziers at Cerisoles deale with the lancequenets among whose battelles making lanes they gaue entrance to the horsemen that presently charged them And so little defence there is in that weapon that not onely the Biscaine buckelers entred within them at the battaile of b In the dayes of Lewis the 12. of France Rauenna where they made a foule tailliada and slaughter but also the Counte of Carmignola dismounting himselfe and his company entred among the squadrons of the Switzers pikes and cut them in peeces in an other encounter in Lombardie The Romanes dealing with the c Sarissae Macedonicae Macedonian pikes both in the warres with Philip and Perseus kings of Macedonia and of Antiochus king of a great part of Asia neuer feared to enter vpon them with their targets nor made reckoning of that weapon And not without cause For who seeth not the strength and effect of the pike being in the point that as soone as targettiers or other armed men enter among pikes the piquiers throwe downe their pikes and take them to their other weapons the Portugalles did perceiue by the experience of that fight with the Moores where Sebastian their king was slaine that fewer pikes would haue serued and other weapons done better effects The Switzers that are for the most part piquiers will not march anie whither without their companies of shot attending on them for their garde At Moncontour the Almaine piquiers abandoned of their shot were miserably shot to death most of them For this cause I would haue onely so many pikes as woulde serue for the defence of the army against the enemies horse The Frenchmen haue but ten pikes to euery companie of shot which is too little yea and sometimes they haue no pikes at all But he is abused that maketh the French precedentes and examples to followe in any practice of warre The first rankes of pikes woulde bee armed with corsalets of caliuer proofe on the breast from the twelfth ranke backeward and inward it is sufficient if they haue anie armes or iackes of male Brassats and other peeces of armes except the head-peece gorgeron and corsalet I thinke to be more then they can eyther wel march with or fight with The Frenchmen in time past had some called a Cruppellarii cōtinuo ferri teg mine inferendis ictibus inhabiles dolabtis securibus à Romani◠caeduntur Tac. 3. Cruppellarii by Tacitus that were armed as they saie de cap en pied at which the Romane souldiers laughed For that they were vnable by reason of the weight of their armes eyther to strike the enemie or to defend themselues Therefore did they hew them downe with billes and pollaxes The pike I would haue if it might be of Spanish Ash and betwixt twentie and two and twentie foote long and by his side euerie piquier would haue sword and dagger and a dagge at his girdle especially in the vtmost ranks The number of targettiers I woulde haue encreased Not onely of such as haue targets of proofe which are vsed of those that stand in the first rankes but also of those that haue light targets These would be made of wood either hooped or barred with yron It would be three foote and a halfe in length for that was the measure of the Romane shield two foot a half in breadth in forme ouall A kinde of armes now disused but most excellent in all seruices saue against horsemen in the plaine field Against archers targets are a sure defence and dangerous to the enemy after that men come to close b Liu. 27. Scipio with his targetters cut the Carthaginian archers and slingars in peeces c Romani tela densatis excipiunt scutis Liu. 28. Targets are a good defence against stones in an assault and whatsoeuer is throwen from hand The same are very effectuall against shot A small number of targetters if once they come to reach shot with their swordes put great numbers of them out of the field Put case that some come shorte yet sure not manie considering that onely the first rankes of shot can discharge and that all doe not hit and few mortally especially if the first targets be of proofe and the men march resolutely to the charge Neither can shot retire where many of them are in the field nor saue thēselues in any place but targetters wil come to them Targetters also are mortall to the pikemen as not onely the Romanes dealing with the Macodonian and Germane pikes but also the Biskaines with their bucklers in the battell of Rauenna and Cirignola declared Targettiers in execution are singular and ready and light if their targets be light in following the chase They may be vsed in all seruices and all groundes In assaults of townes and in sallies in fighting in open field and in streites in woodes and in hils in retraites and in chases there is
victuallas ni a impedir los conductores dellos ni a romper o quemar los molinos villas granias cazare y lugares de la comarca ni compre victuallas fuerae de las plaças qu◠para venderlas fuerē senna ladas y despues deapreciadas per los officiales Spanish gouernement such spoilers are seuerely punished and victuals both well saued and reasonably rated Neither are victuals onely to be looked vnto but also corne-mils and houses and granges that may serue for the vse of the army streames of water are to be kept cleane not onely for the vse of men but of cattell also These lawes being wel obserued and prouision made not only of victuals things necessary for the whole but also of phisick places of ease for the sick hurt I would wel hope that matters would proceed in better order among souldiers thē they haue done heretofore CHAP. XXI Part. 5. Wherein a forme of lawes especially concerning sea causes and ships going in publike seruice of the Prince is prescribed 1_THe ordinary practise and laws of warre concerning religion and the state also concerning obedience and peaceable conuersation betwixt fellows which haue course in seruice at land shal be obserued likewise at sea respect being alwayes had to the diuers circumstances which are diuers in either 2 The execution of iustice at sea appertaineth to the Generall or chiefe captaine with his counsell if a ship be seuered from the rest of the company then the punishment of faults that may not be differred belongeth to the captaine with the aduise of the most apparent men in the ship Prouided that no execution be done at sea contrary to the lawes of armes nor that such as offend and escape at sea do escape at land also especially where the fault is heinous For which cause those that haue iurisdiction at sea are to haue their iurisdiction cōtinued at land vntil such time as offences be punished 3 No ship shall go foorth vpon publike seruice without sufficient ordonance armes souldiers mariners munition victualles surgeons and other necessary furniture 4 No man shall sell away the armes tacle artillerie victualles or munitions belonging to the ship vpon paine of death 5 Whatsoeuer ship hauing directions to come to a place certaine shall not keepe course if it be possible nor come thither so soone as the winde wil serue the captaine and master and those that are in fault shal suffer death for it 6 Whosoeuer shall motion to do contrary to the Generals direction so long as there is possibilitie or meanes to folow it shall suffer imprisonment for the same and if he persuade the company so that the ship goeth another way both he and those that willingly yeeld to him shal suffer death for their disobedience 7 Whatsoeuer captaine or other doth boord a ship of the enemies without direction or reasonable cause or when commandement is giuen or a signe made of fight doth see a ship boarded vpon one side and doth not if he be able board her on the other side or at least do what hurt he can to the said shippe shall be dismissed from his charge and suffer such further punishment as the General shal thinke meete 8 Euery particular person shal execute his charge imposed vpō him in the ship where he is placed vpon paine of imprisonment 9 No souldier nor other whē the enemy attempteth to board our ship shal abandon his standing vpon paine of death 10 No souldier nor other appointed to board the enemies ship seeing his fellowes entred shal draw backe or resuse to folowe in his turne and order vpon paine of death 11 No man shal breake open his fellowes or others caban or coffer nor shal take any thing thence or from their persons or hide any thing that is not his vpon paine of death 12 He that neglecteth his watch or sleepeth leauing a candle or match light or any fire in any place and putteth it not out shall be put into the bilbowes and haue further punishment as the offence shall deserue 13 When a ship shall be taken then shal the spoile be brought to persons deputed by the Generall or Captaine And whosoeuer shal hide any thing of valew from their knowledge shal not onely loose the same but his share of the rest also Notes vpon the former lawes 1 The ordinary practice c. How many voyages haue bin broken of late time for want of gouernement euery one that is acquainted with sea causes that haue passed of late vnderstandeth Nothing therefore is more requisit then that such as go in those seruices that hereafter shal be attempted should haue both authority to do iustice a forme of proceeding set before them For this cause I haue made this light and as it were first draught that men of wisedome experience seeing what is wanting therein may adde more and bring the same to more perfection Those lawes that concerne treacheries against the prince and state or against the Generall or else concerne mutinies disobedience braules murders or else are common in seruice at land and sea I haue not here set downe for auoyding vnnecessary repetitions Yet are they no lesse necessary at sea then at land And therefore let them be borrowed thence that no militarie disorder nor other offence escape vnpunished 2 The execution of iustice c. The want of this consideration hath bin cause that many notorious treasons and villenies haue escaped without punishmēt I wil not name particulars for that my meaning is rather to prouide against future disorders then to haue the sword drawne for matters forepassed Onely let there bee heereafter care that such as go to sea may be furnished with authoritie to do iustice that rules be set downe that they may know what to doe 3 No ship shal c. The Admirall of France in time of peace at home hath speciall care of this matter In ciuill warres all things are in garboile He putteth into men of war the tenth man and is at a tenth of the charge and deserueth a tenth of the a Popelliniere in a treatise concerning the admitaltie of France prise Which many do wonder how in our daies certaine officers contrarie to all custome do come to challenge especially in goods taken by reprisall Where if law might take place neither the taker nor other ought to haue more then hath beene taken from him in forraine countries But if men will needes haue a tenth yet let them haue a tenth of the care that ships may go foorth well furnished that they be not lost and the land disfurnished in time of seruice 4 No man shall sell c. Euery gunner and petite officer in the Queenes ships can tell the mysterie of this law I woulde it were so wel knowne how we might meete with their filcheries The best means is to looke to matters narrowly and to punish such companions as offend seuerely 5 Whatsoeuer ship c. As at land
to resist prouided to prosecute iniuries contrariwise the peaceable and inconsideratiue are a spoile and praye to their neighbors The careles and peaceable people of b Judges 18. Laish were easily oppressed by the children of Dan. so seely foules are a praye vnto the egles and rauening birdes suppose we should yeeld vnto ouer enemies any thing which in reason they can desire yet is that no meanes for vs to obteine peace for those that c veterem sâ—rendo iniuriam inuitas nouaÌ„ Lin. lâ—b endure one iniurie doe but giue courage vnto their enemies to offer an other and oftentimes the d hostes sibi aliquid dedi postulant vt illud sit ad reliqua agenda gradus Tacit. annal enemie desireth somewhat to be yelden to him that the same may be a steppe to further matters the bitch that desired of the shepheard as it is in the apologue a couch where to litter when her whelpes were growen great began not onely to defend that place as her owne but also to encroche more and to offer diuers iniuries vnto the shepheard the best therefore is to resist betime and though we doe not resist yet it is wisedome to be prouided for no time ought to be spent of wise gouernours in delights of peace before that matters be setled for the execution of warres It was one of the greatest commendations that Liuy giueth to Philopoemen that riding by the way Liui. 35. and in common talke his most common argument was vpon matters of warre which made him so skilfull in those matters much more therefore ought wee to consult and prouide for wars being heretofore openly defied inuaded now very hardly threatned by the Spaniard his nauie came in hostile maner vpon our coast his commissions giuen to his captaines declare that he holdeth vs for enemies his subiectes haue exercised diuers actes of hostilitie in taking our goodes imprisoning and ransomming our persons neither doth any Spaniard thinke but that such as are by the Popes bull excommunicat for heretikes are open enemies and may be inuaded without other defiance And if we did not likewise account the Spaniards to bee our enemies why haue wee sent our shippes to spoyle their countrey why haue we taken their persons and their goodes why doe wee assiste the enemies of Spaine and withstand the Kings proceedings wherein we may That warres are not proclaimed it skilleth not For warres saith a Bellum aut indicitur aut geritur Cic. offic 1. Tullie are eyther proclaymed or made without proclamation Neither can it passe for payment that some distinguish assistance from confederacie and colour all our doings at sea vnder the name of reprisals if the king of Spaine shall euer bee able to requite vs hee will well let vs vnderstand how litle our distinctions will helpe vs and will vse vs as enemies Perdicca King of b Thucid. 2. Macedonia although associate with the Athenians yet for that vnder hand hee ayded their enemies bought it deare as soone as his doubling came to be espied neither doe I thinke that wee shall escape better cheape if which God forbid the Spaniard shoulde at any time be iudge Wherefore seeing there is no other way to escape his malice but by force and armes let vs consider what course is best for the enterprising and prosecuting of warres which being helde of the Romanes at the first by c Disciplina militaris iam inde ab initiis vrbis tradita per manus in artis perpetuis praeceptis ordinatae modum venerat Liu. lib. 9. custome at length grew to Art was administred by certaine precepts by which they grew victorious not only ouer their neighbors but also ouer the greatest part of the worlde by obseruance whereof diuers ancient and later Captaines haue wonne to themselues perpetuall fame and which if it might be recalled would nowe also worke the same effectes Some percase will mislike this treatise as all other of like argument for that they suppose that skill in armes is rather to be learned by practise then rule and that all such discourses are vaine conceites and supposalles of men more able to speake then performe and true it is that as in all other things so in this especially speculation is nothing worth without practise among the Romanes the a Iuuentus in castris per laborem vsu militiaâ—â— discebat Salust coniur Catil youth did learne the Arte of warre by practise and labour in the field but what notorious follie is it to condemne Arte and reason because practise doth manie things oft times without reason or Arte and what man that liketh the effectes can iustly condemne the causes now then seeing as practise dependeth vpon certaine reasons and rules and is often vncertaine by reason that the same hath not the same groundes at all times let no man condemne rules and the reasons of warrelike proceedings in respect of his owne experience and knowledge for although a man shoulde be trayned vp in warres from his infancie yet can hee not knowe all the reasons of warre by his owne experience Wherefore admit a mans experience bee neuer so great yet shall hee learne much by reading of Military discourses more then euer his owne experience could teach him therefore did Scipio and Caesar and other famous captaines spend much time in reading of ancient deedes of Armes and Tully reporteth of b Cum totum iter nauigationem consumpsisset partim in percunctando à peritis partim in rebus gestis legendis in Asiam factus imperator venit cum esseâ— Roma profectus rei militaris rudis Cic. Academ 4. Lucullus that albeit his practise in Armes was not great yet by reading and questioning with those that had skill he grew in short time to be most skilfull if Xenophon had not learned more by reading then practise hee coulde neuer haue perfourmed so many duties of an excellent Captaine as hee shewed in leading of the Greekes so long a iourney and deliuering them from so many assaultes of their aduersaries in their returne from their voyage with Cyrus a Alphonsus a king of Spaine confessed de reb Alph. that by bookes he learned both the practise and lawes of armes Yea Selim the barbarous Emperour of Turkes as their histories witnesse was much conuersant and skilfull in Caesars commentaries translated into Arabicke and read diligently the histories conteyning the famous deedes of his ancestours he must be very arrogant that would say that the reading of Frontinus Vegetius Liuy Caesar Xenophon and other ancient histories and discourses of deedes of armes both of Greekes and Romanes could profite nothing nor adde any thing to his owne experience and meere follie it is where men may haue rules to followe there to rush in at all aduentures La Noue his discourses are much esteemed of men well experimented in armes but double commendation had he deserued if as he hath set downe certeine pointes of his
knowledge so he had deliuered all the orders and proceedings of warres and confirmed the same with examples of famous captaines and reasons of art rather then with such 〈◊〉 examples as he vseth Neither is it reason that the labours of all shoulde be measured by the presumption of some which write of matters of which they neuer had experience as Nicholas Machiauell and Robert Valturius a certaine Italian pedant which neuer had seene the field and some others which spend whole bookes in talking of the diuers formes of battels some like starres some like sheares some like sawes and some like winde-mill sailes which neuer haue vse but in mosters and leaue the most necessary points of warre in preparing for the warres choice of souldiors marching encamping fighting retiring besieging or defending of townes ambuscades stratagemes and such like necessary factions of armes Wherfore seeing I neither commend speculation without practise nor tread in the steppes of others but therein make supply where they are defectiue I trust my labours shall haue fauourable reading the rather for that they are not gathered by vaine speculation but proceede from him that hath had but too much experience in the disorderly warres of our time and hath no other respect then the redresse of disorders and the honour of his country It may be these rules should haue had more weight if they had proceeded from some great commaunder or man of auctoritie for of all men they deserue most credite that are both writers and doers themselues in which respect I do aboue all honor Caesar among the Romanes and Xenophon among the Greekes and of late writers Francis Guicciardin a man employed in great matters as for Iouius and Sabellicus and some others that I will not name for that they were al ignorant of matters of warre they make many very improbable ridiculous reports which no man of iudgement coulde allowe but what if men of authoritie haue not or will not or percase for their manifold distractions and busines cannot will not those that knowe not things themselues heare the same reported by others great wise men in time past haue not disdained to followe the aduise of simple men a Salust bel Iugurth Marius by the aduertisement of a common souldiour wanne a strong castle in Numidia b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph. exp Cyr. 4. Xenophon did not except the time of his refection or when he tooke his rest but admitted euery man that could giue him any important intelligēce to his speech Charles the last Duke of Burgundy refusing to heare a prisoner that craued audience c Phil. Comin lib. 7. fell into the traps of Campobacho his treason and doing all things vpon his owne head without admitting any relation or councell of others was defeated by the Switzers and by them miserably slaine at Nancy And if the chambers of some great commaunders in our time had not beene so straitly kept they could not haue beene so ignorant of the state of the enemy and of their owne forces and all addresses of warres as they were wherefore seeing I doe neither speake by speculation or heare-say nor rest vpon mine owne opinion nor desire any thing of mine to be beleeued further then the same is confirmed by the example of those against whom no exception can iustly be taken I trust that these either rules or aduertisements of mine shall not lightly be regarded But may some reply what do the examples of the ancient Romanes and Greekes and their proceedings in wars cōcerne vs whose practise stile in wars is so farre different these men imagine by reason of the vse of artillery lately inuented that the reasons rules of armes are changed and that the Romanes if they liued in our times would be new to seeke but they are much abused for the generall rules are alwayes the same there is and alwayes hath beene but one order of prouiding proceeding marching fighting retiring encamping besieging and defending of places and I doe not thinke but if any could recall or woulde practise the reasons and rules which the ancient Romans vsed hee should greatly preuaile if there be any speciall difference the same shal be noted in his proper place if then the ancient a agitatū in concilio est ut si quādo seuero imperio vllum bellum administratū esset tunc vti disciplina militaris ad priscos redigeretur mores Liui. 8. Romanes thought it their best course in their most dangerous warres to returne to their old discipline of armes and if b Flor. 58. Scipio coulde not ouercome the Numantins nor c Salust bel Iug. Metellus Iugurtha nor d Tacit. Corbulo the Parthians before they had setled their gouernement according to the ancient practise of armes let vs not disdaine to follow the examples of such great captaines and wise men in reforming of present errours and disorders according to the true and loyall practise of armes Hard I know it will be to returne backe for customes inueterate are not easily rooted out and desire of money hath corrupted many mens mindes without pay prouision the souldier is starued the warre is slacked and what hope haue souldiers either of better prouision or pay without these things how can the souldier march fight or keepe other orders of warre who wil aduenture without praise or reward who will serue his countrey when he seeth in most countries those aduāced soonest that spoile their country most to enrich themselues for this cause some vnworthy the name of Captaines make gaine of their places and souldiers refuse all extraordinary labour and valiant captains and souldiers are slenderly considered and lawes of armes lie silent for that there is none to execute them and few that know them for this cause and such like I had almost beene discouraged from writing this discourse and among others that keepe themselues for better times and liue an obscure life determined to settle my selfe for what hope could I haue of better seeing in all places all things bend to worse many seeke to enioy the pleasures of peace none maketh any prouision for warre souldiers neglect discipline of armes no reckoning is made in any place of braue souldiers captaines are employed onely for necessitie rewards come slowly only those are esteemed that haue mony The only hope that susteineth me and hath thus farre in these my endeuours auanced mee is grounded vpon that expectation which all this nation hath of your heroical actions God hath placed your Lordship as it were on a high stage in this estate neuer man had greater fauour of the beholders nor was more likely to obtaine a singular applause of the people all mens eyes are fixed vpon you to see what effectes will follow those vertues and noble partes the which already haue made your name honourable as others choose ease so your Lordship hath folowed the wearisome trauailes of warres by your owne experience in the seruice of
the Low Countries of Portugall and France you both vnderstand the practise of armes and the wants of the souldiors the generall hope of al souldiors nay of al that loue their countrey is that your Lordship which so wel vnderstandeth the common disorders of the warres and the great importance of them and hath so great fauour and meanes by reason of your auctoritie to correct them wil one day be a meane to see them in some part redressed all those parts which are required of a sufficient generall do seeme to florish and shew forth themselues in your doings and promise these things in your behalfe Through disorder of some ignorance in others to speake nothing of pinching false reckonings hitherto her Maiestie hath not bene resolued to bring into the field a sufficient armie and those small forces if I may so call such smal troupes that haue bene employed in diuers seruices haue wanted much of their necessary prouisions not that the charge is so great that it could not be borne nor for that her care was lesse then is conuenient for if the same order were abroad that is at home why may not this countrey mainteine thirty or fourty thousand abroad that mainteineth so many millions at home men do not spend more nor eate more abroad then at home but the reason why a sufficient army is hardly mainteined is because there wanteth good directions and orders and punishment of bad dealing some impute the fault to griedy mens insatiable couetousnes which like a goulfe wil neuer be filled but that is not all nor the greatest disorder others thinke it impossible for this Realme to beare the infinite charge of an army but why should not this whole kingdome be able to mainteine 30. thousand in pay when as the citie of Rome the territory being not past ten miles in breadth in that warre which the same had with the a Liui. lib. 8. 9. Latins sent forth ten legions which being full at that time amounted to 40000. foote beside horsmen but what should I speake of Rome the mistres of the world for warlike discipline when as the Cities of Athens and Sparta nay the townes of Thebes Corinth Argos and diuers other in Greece Italy mainteined great armies both at home abroad vpon their owne charges who seeth not then that the cause of these calamities and disorders is want of militarie knowledge and not want of meanes and that as disorder want of reward and punishment is cause that our enterprises are so easily dissolued and vanish of themselues so order and gouernement in ancient times were causes of their happy successe and would also make our affaires succeede the better I neede not seeke farre to finde examples for proofe of this matter seeing the good gouernment of Edward the first that so long warred in Scotland of Edward the third and Henry the fift and eight that were so victorious in France aforde vs such store if then the griedines of some were restreined with sharpe punishment men of heroical spirits not tainted with the base desire of gaine were allured with honor preferment to take vpon them the charge of matters if such were chosen for commanders as haue nothing before their eyes but honor and the enlargement of the commonwealth and all men were resolued to bestow more in iron and steele then in silkes and veluets and golden coates and most things were gouerned by lawe and order of warre and not by fauour and partialitie or which is worse by money in summe if true and ancient discipline of armes were either restored or setled among souldiers I would not doubt but that this Countrey would be able not onely to mainteine a sufficient strength of men but that we should also recouer the ancient glory of the English nation spread farre abroad in France Spaine and other countreys in time past now blemished only with some mens misgouernment Wherefore seeing it hath pleased God not only to make your Lordship acquainted but also partaker of the common calamities of souldiers and giuen you fauour and accesse to her Maiestie in whom it lyeth to reforme these abuses as you haue hitherto employed your person and goods in the seruice of her and your countrey so I beseech you cease not vntill such time as you haue accomplished the redresse of these disorders these are they that without any one stroke of the enemie haue broken our enterprises it is not the courage of the Spaniard nor force of the Dutch nor brauerie of the French that hath frustrated our late attemptes neither doeth force so often ouerthrow armies in fielde as daliance irresolution and delay then through niggardise and good husbandry want of pay and necessarie furniture thirdly presumption and want of strength and sufficient force and lastly those abuses which through want haue crept into armies of late time for pitie could not be corrected for what conscience is it to punish those that spoyle and wander abroad when if they should not thus doe they should sterue for hunger if a Generall haue sufficient force and prouision it is his fault if he doe nothing if he want either force or pay then it is their fault that should haue sent him foorth better prouided many doe great wrong to our Generals in the Portugall expedition when they impute the fault to them God knoweth that with such slender prouision nothing could be done more others that are more deepely to be charged for breaking that enterprise yea and famishing of many poore soules lye hid and I thinke meane not to answere vntill such time as God shall call them before his tribunall seate there to answere once for all If any meanes could bee deuised that abuses of imprests and false musters and accounts taken away loyall captaines might be chosen and poore souldiers be well furnished and that matters might proceed with speede and resolution and more force bee ioyned together I would then hope there would be some seruice done without forces cōuenient what reason hath any to hope for better for as a little water sprinkled on the fire doth make the same more to flame and sparkle so small supplies doe rather kindle and nourish warres then ende them or exstinguish them The onely meanes to redresse both these and all other disorders consisteth in the restoring and by sharpe punishment mainteining of true militarie discipline and orders Without this as a discrazied body is easily dissolued without outward force so an armie though neuer so great without one blow of the enemie is broken and scattered without doing any effect With exercise of armes and obseruance of true discipline of war great enterprises most happily are atchieued The a Romani sibi orbem subegerunt armorum exercitatione disciplina castrorum vsuque militiae Veget. de re mil. Romanes did subdue the world by the exercise of armes and their orders of encamping and practise of warre Neither did they excell the
b Quintilian in milit Mar. Germanes and Danes in multitude nor the Carthaginians nor kings of Macedonia and Asia in wealth but in strict obseruance of the discipline of armes Nor could the Spaniards haue done such things as they haue of late but that they excell others in the obseruance of militarie discipline Neither were it possible that the Turkes should haue preuailed so much against Christians but that they reward vertue highly and punish disorders seuerely and keepe a strict order in the gouernment of their campe armie If then we either desire or will hope for good successe in martiall affaires nay if wee meane to mainteine our state and our reputation of force we must obserue militarie and martiall orders Which if once by your Lordships meanes I might see restored which I doe hope then would I not feare either the malice or power or riches of the Spaniard or other forreine enemie of this state This therefore is the thing which especially I commend to your care which indeede is the cause of the whole countrey and ought to be the care of all that loue the honour peace and prosperitie of the same For confirmation of your Lordships iudgement that well knoweth more then I can say and for direction to such as be ignorant I haue as neere as I could described the right course true discipline of armes confirmed by ancient later precedents of most expert warriors and because it so pleased your Lordship published the same I haue likewise set downe not only the proceedings but also the causes and necessary prouisions of warres without which all order is vaine and all proceeding without effect The same I haue consecrated to my countries honour vnder the fauour of your honourable name Vouchsafe therefore my good Lord to accept this my simple goodwil not worthy the name of a gift Yet is it all which I haue wonne not onely by long obseruation but also by dangerous experience both in France Italy Flanders and Portugall It grieued me not a litle being in her Maiesties seruice to see such confusion among vs but much more that our wants were such that wee could not execute lawes The causes I haue declared before The redresse I haue set downe in the discourse following after The which for that your L. seemed to like the same and for that I doe thinke it may be profitable to my countriemen and fellowes in armes that stil continue that profession I thought it good vnder the shadow of your honorable fauour to communicate to others Partly delayes and presumption and partly disorder and misgouernment and partly want of necessary prouisions doth more hurt oftentimes then the enemies open force Of all disorders the onely remedie and medicine is as I haue saide true discipline of armes which I haue here to my vttermost skill and endeuour declared and with diuers examples of most renowmed Captaines confirmed against whose doings many may percase repugne but none can take iust exceptions I would once I might see the same put in execution vnder your Lordships gouernance for what auayleth knowledge of law without execution practise if not yet shall I wish all honour and good to those that shal endeuour to put orders in execution If any good come of my labours the same is wholly to be ascribed to your Lordship whose singular fauour towards me both at home and abroade gaue me first occasion leisure and meanes to write these discourses if none yet I trust indifferent men will accept my good meaning My purpose was if my experience hauing nowe almost ceassed from all such wearisome trauailes could doe others good to affoord them all the helpe I could and also to giue my countrey aduertisements concerning such matters as are very important requisite to be generally knowen that order may be taken in time The successe I commit to God the care to your Lordship and others whom it concerneth beseeching the Almightie that is Lord of armies and gouern our of all our actions so to direct the affaires of state vnder the gouernance of our gracious Soueraigne to giue that fauour to your endeuours that the glory of the English nation by your noble deedes may be increased the blemishes of our proceedings in warres washed away and all good orders restored Your Lordships most bounden and willing Matth. Sutcliffe ⧠To the Reader MAny doe wonder some complaine and those that haue least interest if so bee they haue any loue to their Countrey they cannot chuse but lament that in those warlike actions which of late yeeres haue bene attempted publikely the successe hath beene so slender the losse of men so great the charge so burdensome and the proceedings and effects so contrary to antiquitie and as naturall affection leadeth them I doubt not but many are inquisitiue and desirous to know the causes And to say trueth good it were that the true causes of disorders were publikely knowne that not onely those that are wrongfully charged may be cleared but that those that laugh in others griefes and rise out of the common ruines might be knowen and rewarded at least that the causes of former disorders may bee remoued and that such prouision and order as hath beene hitherto wanting may in time to come and in time also be better supplied For this cause I haue framed this discourse Wherein when thou shalt see what is required in the orderly proceeding and managing of warres thou maiest easily see what we wanted and I feare me shal want vnlesse it please God to touch mens hearts with a more zelous care of their countries honour hereafter I doe not meane any one speciall man more then others God is my witnesse What soeuer he is that by delayes irresolution niggardise rapine cowardise trechery and other villeny abuseth his prince and country let him not thinke that I aime particularly at his person but at delayes irresolution niggardise rapine briberie cowardise trechery want of skill and such other abuses I haue no meaning to touch any thing that may sound to any mans hurt or disgrace And therefore although I haue store of domesticall examples yet haue I chosen rather to exemplifie abuses by forreine histories My purpose is to doe good to all without hurt to any particulars vnlesse percase those that liue vpon pillage doe account the common good to be their priuate hurt when the meanes of their gaine shall be taken from them If then thou desirest to see the causes of former losses or els wishest to know how breaches of former time may be repayred behold but this treatise wherein as thou shalt see the good successe of all those that proceeded orderly and like men of warre so thou mayest also see that those that haue neglected discipline of armes and warlike proceeding haue had euents and successe according to their deseruing Now to the intent thou maiest the better both addresse thy affaires if thou hast any charge in warres and vnderstand the
state with force and by what other meanes wee can Most iust cause therefore had the Romanes to make warres vpon the Gaules vpon Annibal vpon the Daues and other barbarous nations that came to take away their country from them like cause had the Greeks to withstand the Persians other barbarous people that by armes would haue conquered them and depriued them of their country and liberty the same cause did the ancient Britons defend against the Romanes Saxons Danes and Normans though not with like successe And seeing of late time the Spaniard came vpon our coast with fire and sword menacing the English nation with all the calamities that follow such inuasions I thinke no man will deny but we haue iust cause to put on armes in defence of our countrey religion liues liberties and lawes in this case not onely our cause is iust but the warre is of necessity to be vndertaken which greatly helpeth the iustice of our cause for as the captaine of b Iustum bellum quibus necessarium pia arma quibus nulla nisi in armis relinquitur salus Liu. 9. Samnites said in like case that warre is iust whereto we are inforced and with good consâ—â—nce may we take armes when there is no safety for vs but in armes It is likewise lawfull to represse pirats and publique robbers by force of armes if they will not yeeld themselues to be tried by order of common iustice They are enemies of peace ciuil gouernment and by the lawes defyed and proclaimed as publike enemies of states their bodies may be taken and their goodes spoiled as in warres with other nations The warres made by the Romanes against Spartacus who assembling a mutinous route of rebelles and hindred al trade was iust and necessary in this c ff de iust iure L. fureÌ„ ad L. Corn. de sicar L. itaque case because such do rise and assaile vs vpon a sodaine the law of nature giueth warrant of defence without publike commandement or commission neither is it onely lawful to cleare the sea of pyrates but also honorable d Thucid. Minos made his name famous for that he cleared the sea of pyrats and opened the way for marchants which fact also procured great commendation to Pompey the Great Moreouer if our country be wasted and spoiled and our goods taken away by forreiners it is lawful by force and armes to seeke for restitution if otherwise it cannot be obtained Tully a Quod rebus repetitis geritur offic 1. accompteth that warre iust that is made after demand of things wrongfully taken vniustly deteined these quarrels often fal out betwixt borderers the b Romulus Albanis bellum in tulit quod eorum dictator nollet res raptas reddete Dion Hal. lib. antiq 3. Romans for this cause made diuers roades vpon the Sabins Volscians Albans and others their neighbors Tullus Hostilius had no other causes of his warres against the same people This hath bene the beginning of many contentions betwixt vs and the Scots of the warres betwixt the c Liu. 1. Romans and Sabins there was no other cause but the spoile of the Roman marchants among other causes of the third warres of the d Flor. Epir. Romanes against the Carthaginians the taking of certaine shippes and spoiling of certaine Marchants is alledged as principall The Switzers beganne their braules with the Duke of e Phil. Commin Burgundy for a loade of skinnes taken away by the Countie of Romont likewise it is where at a sodaine roade our goodes are spoyled or driuen away and deteined from vs. for which cause the Romanes warred vpon the f TarquinieÌ„sibus rebus nequicquaÌ„ repetitis quod agrum Rom. populati essent bellum indictum Liu. 7. Hetruscians diuers of their neighbors Iust cause therefore haue wee also in this respect to make warres vpon the Spaniard that without destance of warre stayed our shippes and our marchants and spoiled their goodes were not mens minds â—â—oled and almost frozen with feare and age these iniuries would inflame them howsoeuer it is men ought not to stay vntill the flames of our country enflame them In this case those that first offend do giue iust cause of warres not those that seeke restitution by armes as is euident g Liu. 1. by the example of the Romanes and Albans where the first iniury being offered by the Albans made inst the cause of the Romanes Yet if things taken away be offered againe and satisfaction be promised to bee made for wrongs done it is not iustice nor reason further to prosecute the quarrel begunne it seemeth not reason saieth h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thucid 1. Archidamus to prosecute him by force that submitteth himselfe to order of lawe and commonly those that refuse reason when it is offered come afterward to wish they had taken it when they can not haue it The French disdaining and scorning the great offers made by the blacke Prince were shamefully by him ouerthrowne at the fielde of Poytiers The i Non suae redditae res non alienae accumulatae satis erant Liu. 9. Romanes refusing the satisfaction made by the Samnites receiued a notable disgrace being by composition disarmed to saue their liues at the streites of Caudium and Philip of Commines conceiueth that Charles duke of Burgundy prospered neuer the better for that he refused the humble submission and satisfaction of the Switzers desiring peace at his hands The iniurie that is done to the subiects redoundeth to the Prince and reproches and contumelies done to ambassadours and messengers returne vpon those that send them both these things minister lawfull cause for Princes states to take armes in hand The Romanes with sharpe wars prosecuted a Appian Alexandr Mithridates for that by one generall proclamation he had caused diuers of their people to be massacred in Asia the same cause armed them against the Latines and Volscians The Volscians againe inuaded the Romans for that reprochfully their people were commaunded out of the Citie at the time of their b Liui. 3. publike games The Heduans rebelled against Caesar vpon c Caes bel Gal. 7. conceit of some wrong offred to their people in the campe of the Romanes And among al causes of warres betwixt Princes this is commonly inserted for one that either their subiects are slaine or wronged as appeareth both in the beginnings of the Romane warres against the kings of Macedonia and also against the people of Carthage and the same was the common pretense of the d Froissart French to inuade vs when we held Gascoigne Guienne and Normandy Yet more neere doth it touch a Prince when his ambassadours are violated forasmuch as that iniurie is thought to be offered to his owne person Therefore did Dauid warre vpon the children of Ammon for the villeny they offered his ambassadors The shamefull reproche which the Corinthians offered the Romane ambassadours was the cause of
league amongst them to moderate the excessiue power of the king of Spaine in that coūtrey if at any time he should go about to encroche vpon any one of them Herein consisted the speciall b Guicciard hist lib. 1. commendation of the great wisedome of Laurence Medici the elder that during his time he kept all the states of Italy as it were in equall ballance not suffering any to passe their ancient limits And I doubt not but our gouernours in the defence of the lowe Countries haue a speciall regard that the king of Spaine settle not himselfe in the quiet possession of Holland Zeland and the rest least that enioying so many commodious portes ships mariners and commodities he might percase afterward make that a steppe to stride ouer or at least to looke ouer into England As c Vt quisque ab oppresso proximus sit per omnes velut continens incendium peruadet Liu. 37. euery nation is neere to those that are subdued so will the fire once enflamed embrace it and so passe ouer to the rest as Antiochus said to Prusias perswading him in time to withstand the Romanes The Romanes perceiuing that the Samnites after they had subdued the d Liu. 7. Sidicins intended to warre vpon their next neighbours the Campanians they delayed the matter no longer nor suffered them to proceede further time it is therefore for Christian Princes to awake and iust cause they haue to withstand the encrochments of the king of Spaine that vnder pretence of the Romish religion eniambeth vpon al his neighbours vnlesse they will be swallowed vp in the vnsatiable gulfe of the ambitions tyrannie of the Spanish nation Last of all whosoeuer adhereth to our enemies and aideth them with men munitions and victuals against vs they are also our enemies and giue vs iust cause of warre against them this cause moued the Romanes to defie the e Latinis quod eorum iuuentus hostibus mixta populata esset Rom. agros bellā indictum Liu. lib. 6. 7. Latines that ayded their enemies and the same is reckened among the causes of their warres against Philip king f Liu. 31. of Macedonia for he did not only aide the Carthaginians with men but also ioyned with Annibal in league against the Romanes No iust cause therefore haue our neighbours to complaine that we haue stayed their shippes that caried victuals munitions and other commodities to the Spaniard There is no fault but one that as we haue stayed some so we haue dismissed others and haue not made prise of al by Publike authoritie and that those of the lowe Countries do commonly trade into Spaine for whose sake the quarrell is vndertaken with Spaine The Romanes as in the treatise of peace they comprised their owne confederates so in denouncing of warres they defied their enemies and their associates as is euident in that forme of defiance which they published against a cum Antiocho rege quique eiu sectā secuti sunr bellum initum Liui. 36. Antiochus Which the Greekes also obserued in the Peloponnesian warres made not onely against the principals but also all their adherents And it is the b Memoires de Fr. common forme of defiances vsed at this day As for warres vndertaken through c Libido dominandi causa belli Salust coniur Catil ambition and anger and such like affections they are vniust and the causes vnlawfull neither are they to be excused that forced by strong hand out of their owne countrey doe seeke by violence to possesse that which belongeth to others For this cause the Romanes resisted with such force the Gaules Germanes Danes Gothes and others that came to dwell in Italy And although such wanderers haue had good successe in diuers countreys by reason of the sinnes of the inhabitants as the Saxons Picts Danes and Normans in this land the Franks Burguignions and Normans in Gaule the Lombards Gothes in Italy and Spaine yet was not the cause of their warres iust for euery one is to holde him to his owne lot vnlesse the countrey be waste and dispeopled which countrey God giueth to these that can possesse it and therefore did the Sueuians iniuriously forbid any to dwell in their waste borders and the Spaniards haue no reason by force and lawe to keepe other nations out of the Indies which notwithstanding themselues are not able to people Yet to make iust d What beside the cause is to be respected in lawfull warres warres it is not sufficient only that the cause be iust but that they be enterprised first by those that haue soueraigne authoritie secondly that they be not begun especially by those that inuade others without demaund of restitution or satisfaction or denunciation and last of all that they be not prosecuted with barbarous crueltie The first point is expresly set downe in termes in the Romane lawes allowed by consent of all nations The e C. quid culpatur 23. qu. 1. Canons doe also confirme the same And if it were in others power great inconueniences would ensue It is a speciall marke of soueraintie to haue power of warre peace In Liuy these formes are very vsuall Praenestinis ex S.C. populi iussu bellū indictum est And againe ex auctoritate patrum populus Palaepolitanis bellum fieri iussit The wars of the Romans against the a Liu. 21.31.41 Carthaginians Philip Antiochus Perseus and others were not enterprised but by auctoritie of the people which in that state had soueraigne commandement in those times Him that beganne any braules or made peace with forreine nations of his owne priuate head b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato 12. delegib Plato in his common wealth adiudgeth worthie of death And therefore did Hanno giue counsell to the Carthaginians that they should deliuer vp Annibal to the Romanes for that he had begunne the warres against them without publike authoritie Those that offended in this case by the c ff Ad L. Iul. maiest L. vnic C. vt armorum vsus lawes of the Romanes were in case of treason Marcellus vpon that ground building his reasons would haue perswaded the Senate to deliuer d Caes de bel ciu 1. Caesar to the Gaules And so scrupulous haue some men beene in this Realme in stirring without commission that they doubted whether without commaundement they might leuy forces to represse rebels This percase might seeme too scrupulous but they thought it better to be too slowe then too forward For they e Hostes sunt quibus publicè bellū indicitur reliqui sunt latrunculi praedones L. hostes ff de captiu are onely to be accompted publike enemies in warre who by those that haue supreme auctoritie are declared enemies If any vpon priuate motion fall on spoyling they are but theeues and robbers sayth Vlpian And this saith f cont Faust Manich. Augustine is the order of nature best agreeing with the peace of states that the
councill and auctoritie to make warres should rest in Princes That warres are to be denounced on the assaylants side diuers reasons perswade vs. g Nullum bellum est iustum nisi quod aut rebus repetitis geritur aut antè denunciarum est indictum Cic. offic 1. There is a iustice in warres to be obserued sayth Tully which iustice requireth that warres be eyther denounced or made after deniall of things demaunded that haue beene vniustly taken from vs. He speaketh of warres made by those that inuade others For to defend our selues without more wordes is lawfull by the lawes both of nature and nations and very ridiculous it were to threaten those that haue begun to strike vs already Those therefore that thinke we haue no warres with the Spaniard because they haue not heard them proclaimed are like to those that will not ward or strike an enemie that commeth vpon them without saying beware Caesar minding to assayle Ariouistus sent a h Caesar perlegatos bellum indixit Ariouisto de bel gal L. 1. defiance to him before hand When Annibal came with an huge army into Italy the Romanes defended themselues without spending time about denouncing or threatning of warres Otherwise those that first begin warres doe vse first to speake before they strike which was not only the course of antiquitie but also of later times Onely the king of Spaine hath thought it lawfull vnder colour of treatie of peace without any defiance to cut our throtes if he could It may be he taketh the Popes excōmunicatiō against that Prince people of this land for a sufficient denuntiation or warrant to inuade vs without other circumstance This he learned of Alphonsus a Castro that determineth warres a Li. 2. de iust haeret puniend against heretikes to be lawfull which he taketh to be defied by auctoritie of the Canon And in his determination b Aial de iur bel lib. 1. Baltazar Aiala a great man among the Spaniards resteth no maruell if they obserue no solemnities in warres against vs whō they hold for heretikes hauing already determined that faith c Concil constant and promise is not to be performed vnto heretikes I neede not to describe the forme wordes vsed in defiances He that will reade the forme in time past vsed by the Romanes let him peruse d Lib. 16. c. 4. Aulus Gellius Later formes are reported in later histories much talked of by Heralds that claime that to be part of their office But litle seemeth it materiall to know that formes of defiances seeing in these times neither forme nor substance is strictly in this behalfe obserued Onely thus much Princes messengers that goe vpon this arrand of defiance are to take heede first that they passe not the words of their cōmission secondly that they vse no words of reproch or scorne It is reported that Frācis the 1. king of France would not heare the Herald sent him from Charles the 5. with defiance before he had caused a gibet to be erected to put him in mind what he should haue if he kept not himselfe within compasse In executing of wars this precept must diligently be had in remembrance that there be no crueltie vsed There is moderation euen in the executiō of iustice not onely in other actions of warre And Caesar in his victory against Pompei cōmanded his souldiers to spare the Romanes to delight in blood is signe of a sauage nature e Con. Faust The desire of doing hurt and crueltie in execution a mind also implacable and sauage is iustly blamed in warres saith S. Augustine those that yeeld themselues are not to be slaine Galba for that he slewe the Lusitanians after that he had taken them vpon composition was iustly therefore accused by Cato It is no victory to kil an enemie disarmed nor iustice to kill our prisoners in colde blood The execution done in the Generals chamber vpon the prisoners after the battel of Cognac an 1569. did greatly blemish his honor Who doth not detest the f Histoire de troubl de Fr. executions that haue bin done vpon men disarmed after cōpositiō at Mailè Mucidan diuers other places during these late troubles of Frāce yet may not prisoners vpon this libertie presume to abuse or attempt any matter against those that haue taken them for then they deserue no fauour Caesars souldiers at a Hirt de bel Hisp Munda in Spaine vnderstanding that if the Townesmen sallyed out vpō them their prisoners would charge them vpon their backes were forced to massacre them likewise were the English forced to kill their prisoners after the battell of Poytiers fearing least they should vse some trechecie when the enemie made shewe to assayle them b Que ningun soldado mate muger ninno vieio ni person inhabil aunque sea en la furia del vincer so pena de la vida ni ponga la mano in tales personas Sancho de Londono Women children and old folkes by the orders of warre obserued nowe in the Spanish campe are exempted from the souldiers furie in the sacke of Townes The present French king deserueth great prayse for suffering the poore and impotent people of Paris to passe through his armie although it were much to his preiudice practice of armes required percase other rigour as appeareth by the crueltie executed by Caesars souldiers at Auaricum and the Sea townes of France on such kind of people thereby to make the besieged eyther sooner to yeelde or to spend their victuals but this best beseemed a Christian king The Turkes saue such for slaues Christians therefore ought to doe that for conscience which Turkes doe for gaine Of this discourse this is the summe that those c What warres are lawfull warres are iust and lawfull which are made by the soueraigne Magistrate for lawfull and iust causes being both orderly denounced in cas◠requisite moderatly prosecuted to the end that iustice may be done and an assured peace obteined In which case it is lawfull for any man with good conscience to serue in warres but if the warres be notoriously vniust let euery man take heede howe hee embrewe his handes in innocent blood The Christian souldiers that serued Iulian the Apostat would not drawe their swordes against Christians although they willingly serued him against all others Yet doe I not make priuate men iudges of Princes factes but what neede any iudgment where the facte is euident and who shall answere for men that execute Princes wicked commaundements before Christes tribunall seate if the iniustice of warres be not notorious the subiect is bound to pay and serue and the guilt shall be laide to his charge that commaundeth him to serue A good man may serue sayth d August lib. 22. con Faust Man c. 7. Saint Augustine vnder a sacrilegious Prince where the iniustice of the commandement shall bind the Prince as the duetie of obedience doth make the souldier innocent
theÌ„ their insufficiencie Lewis Sforsa passing ouer diuers men of accompt reposed all his trust in c Guicciar lib. 4. Galeaz Sanseuerin a man of small desert Leo the 10. for kinred sake woulde needes employe Lorence Medici in his warres with the Duke of Vrbin both which spedde alike Which examples with diuers other of our time which I will not mention least any man might thinke himselfe interessed thereby may moue vs to haue more care what Generals we doe employe in such seruices In other matters albeit fauour may take place yet sure least ought it to swaye in choyse of the General Nothing is more dangerous then the euill successe of warres What reason therefore haue Princes to chuse d Summo periculo summus quaerendus imperator vt summo periculo summus gubernator Liu. lib. 24. weake men Gouernours of greatest matters in warres seeing as in Sea causes men in greatest dangers are woont to make choyse of most skilfull Masters and Pilots Or what impudencie is it for a man to take charge of a Shippe that cannot see but by others eyes nor iudge but by others direction And why not likewise may they be e Impudentem gubernatorem imperatorem esse qui cum alienis oculis ei omnia agenda sint postulet sibi aliorum capita ac fortunas committi Liu. 26. accompted shamelesse that take vpon them the charge of mens liues and goodes which haue no iudgement but by others report and direction Of the weakenesse of Generals proceede contentions betwixt the chiefe commaunders delayes needelesse expenses disorders disgraces and the ouerthrowe of Armies and States And more shall an armie of Harts doe guided by a f Plutarch Lyon then an armie of Lyons ledde by a fearefull Hart. Caesars g Caes comment bel gal 5. inuincible olde souldiers were ouercome by the cowardise of Sabinus their leader yet such was the skill of Caesar that he could vse young souldiers and obteine great victories by small forces Marcellus with the reliques of the Romane armie ouerthrowne at Canne gaue vnto Annibal a great repulse The Romanes vnder the leading of C. Martius Coriolanus h Volsci duce Martio Coriolano vincentes ostenderunt ducibus potiùs quà m exercitu rem Rom. supetiorem â—â—sse Liu. ouercame the Volscians when the same man exiled vpon displeasure against his Countrey tooke on him to leade the Volscians they diuers times preuailed against the Romanes Which sheweth what moment a skilfull captaine bringeth towarde the obteyning of victorie And in the warres which the Romanes had against the Latines the forces being equall yet the Romanes preuailed by the good direction of their Generall Fabius whose gouernment was such that all men confessed as a Liu. 9. Liuy reporteth that what side soeuer should haue had him for their leader the same must needes haue preuailed In the battell of the Romanes against b Pyrrhus non Epirotae tomanos vicit Fabritius Plutar. apophth Pyrrhus king of Epeirus nowe Albany Fabritius acknowledged that they were ouercome onely by the skill of Pyrrhus more then by the force of his armie And contrariwise little accompt is to be made of an armie that wanteth direction Caesar feared not as himselfe c De bel ciu lib. 1. reporteth the olde companies of Spaine although otherwise much to be esteemed because he knewe their Generals Petreius Afranius to be men of no merite nor skill I haue my self heard some Spaniards greatly complain of the defectes of the Duke of Medina Sidonia the Generall of their Nauy when they came vpon our coast And although God was the authour yet I doubt not but that was some good meanes of their euill successe Wherefore if Princes looke for good successe in their warres let them without affection and partialitie make choise of a sufficient Generall religious skilfull couragious and adorned with such vertues both for warre and peace as the importance of the matters which he manageth requireth In a Generall first I require religion for if the Gentiles did suppose that those affaires succeeded best vnto them which they d Ab Ioue principium Arat. Phaenom began in Gods name shame it were for Christians to haue a worse conceit of that matter And if all other matters sure the hazardes of warre require religion in the chiefe directors God he is Lord of Hostes and giuer of victories and sure it is not probable he will giue it to those that aske it not at his handes God prescribed certaine exercises of religioÌ„ to his people in their wars before them he would haue the Priestes to sound certaine siluer Trumpets Constantine had all exercises of religion in his campe and so proued most victorious The Spaniards in their warres assigne to euery Tertio or Regiment certaine Priestes What should I speake of those that make profession of religion seeing the e Xenoph. exped Cyr. 1. Greekes did seldome attempt any dangerous seruice but their captaines first consulted with their gods f Cic. de Natur. deor Cicero doeth attribute the good successe which the Romanes had in their warres to the religious care they had of the obseruance of holy ceremonies and religion Whatsoeuer mishap came vnto their State or Armie they ascribed the same likewise to the neglect or contempt of religion They esteemed that to be the cause of their ouerthrowe at a Liu. 5. Allia by the Gaules at b Liu. 2.2 Thrasimene by Annibal and in diuers other vnfortunate incounters Machiauels diuinitie that thinketh religion in men of warre foolerie and proposeth that impious Atheist Caesar Borgia for a paterne to a Prince that aspireth to be great to be followed was detested euen of the barbarous nations which in warres attempted nothing but with religious ceremonies as Tacitus and Caesar declare in the Gaules and Germanes and Herodotus and Thucidides in the Thracians and barbarous people Wherefore let the Generall be religious and a mainteiner of religion and forbid blasphemies and other impieties too too common in the common sort if hee expect the fauour of God and good successe in his affaires The Generall ought further to haue knowledge and iudgement in matters of warre The same is the speciall and most proper ornament of a General in c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist polit li. 5. c. 9. whom the same is more respected then all other morall vertues C. Fabritus in the dangerous warres the Romanes had against Pyrrhus in labouring that d Aul. gel l. 4. c. 8. Cornelius a man rauinous but very expert in warre might be chosen Consull or Generall declareth that the skill and experience of a valiant Captaine couereth other faultes This knowledge and iudgement hath many branches the Generall ought to vnderstand as well the enemies estate as his owne he ought to knowe what forces and what prouision of armes horses carriages victuals and other furniture and munition will be sufficient and howe he is to haue the same he
ought to take heede of the enemies trappes to knowe howe to marche or e Imperatorij muneris est castris locum capere coÌ„meatus expedire ab insidijs praecanere tempus pugnae eligere aciem instruere subsidijs firmare Liu. 9. lodge safely howe to fight with aduantage where to employe horsemen where shotte where other sortes of weapons and to vnderstand the aduantages of all sortes of groundes he hought to vnderstand the times when to fight and advantages of weather and Sunne he ought not to be ignorant of any stratageme of warre nor of treaties and conditions of truce or peace least as our auncesters in time past did he loose by sleight that which before he had wonne by force finally in defending or besieging of Townes in assaultes escaladaes drawing of trenches mines making of batteries forcing or defending of passages of riuers or straytes he may not be ignorant of any point of warre proposing to him selfe the example of Iulius Caesar a man in all faites of armes most skifull Whose iudgement was such that a Hirt. de bel African sitting still in his Tent in his campe at Ruspina hee knewe what the enemie would doe or could doe and prescribed what was to be done against him And deigned not to looke out when Scipio made shewe to assault his campe This knowledge bringeth with it consideration and foresight Both which ought to bee in the General that least hee want things necessarie this least he runne into the snares layd for him by the enemie Of Aemilus b Aemilius dies noctesque intentus ea sola quae adid bellum pertinerent animo agitabat Liu. 4.4 Paulus it is reported that being chosen General for the warres in Macedonia his minde was wholy bent on that seruice so that he gaue himselfe no rest neither night nor day Captaines in c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Diodor. Si cal warres must looke both forward and backward and euery way whence any danger or aduantage is toward For in warres d Non licetin bello bis peccare euery error in mortall Many doe more matters by sleight then by force Charles the fifth e Froissart of France did more represse the force of the English nation by practice then by force The Lacedemonians when their leaders preuailed f Plutarch gainst their enemies by counsell and stratagemes sacrificed an oxe when by open force a cocke onley The next vertue required in a Generall is g Virtutes imperatoris praecipuae labor in negotiis fortitudo in periculis industria in agendo celeritas in conficiendo consilium in prouidendo Cic. pro leg Manil. courage and speede to execute that which is wisely determined For vented counsels and vented wine doe foorthwith loose all good tasle And cowardly captaines discourage valiant men that suppose the danger to be as great as their leaders take it h Caes bel ciu 1. Domitius had no sooner determined with himselfe to flie away from Corfinium but the souldiers lost courage The cowardise of Crassus the i Appain bel Parth. rich gaue occasion to the great ouerthrowe which the Romanes had giuen them by the Parthians The faint heart of Titurius Sabinus charged by k Cas bel gal 5. Ambiorix made his souldiers faint Contrariwise resolute men giue courage to their souldiers and restore battels almost lost Caesars couragious heart occasioned the victorie against Pompeyes sonnes at Munda King Richard the third had almost hazarded the matter at the iourney of Bosworth if hee had but had three hundred men like him selfe the field had beene his But because his cause was not good it pleased not God to giue him the meanes l Iugurtha praelio strenuus erat bonus coÌ„silio quod difficile est nam alterum ex prouidentia tâ—morem altâ—rum ex audacia plerumque temeritatem efficit Salust bel Iuguâ— Iugurtha is by Salust commended both for prowesse and counsell Nothing doeth more auaile in warres then the example of the General He is a cowardly companion that dareth not to doe as he seeth his Generall doe Valerius Coruinus vsed no other incouragement to his souldiers then this that they should a Facta mea non dicta sequi volo nec disciplinam sed exemplum à me petere Liu. 7. imitate not his wordes but his deedes and do as they sawe him to giue them an example Not that the Generall ought lightly to hazard his person for that were great temeritie or vexe himselfe with labour for that were vaine but that hee ought to shewe himselfe alwayes couragious in dangers and forwarde in labours No lawes nor precepts can doe herein more then the Generals example The Romanes folowed b Lucan Cato through the drye and hotte sandes of Barbary and shame made Xenophons souldiers march vp the hill seeing him goe before them Neither hath any thing more animated the French Kings souldiers of late then the example of so valiant a Prince leading them They that haue skill and resolution in matters of warre cannot chuse if God be pleased but haue good successe and authoritie For what man wisely laying his plot and resolutely executing the same can fayle of his expectation or want an honourable reputation both with his owne men and with the enemie c Foelicitas rerum gestarum exercitus beneuolentiaÌ„ imperatoribus res aduersae odium conciliant Caes de bel ciu lib. 7. And therefore what neede precepts of these matters which is deede are rather in the power of others then of our selues and followe of those vertues which before I haue spoken of There are also other vertues required in a Generall which although they be not so necessarie as the former yet for the execution of matters are very requisite and profitable as namely iustice liberalitie courtesie clemencie temperance and loyaltie Iustice is an ornament both in warre and peace well beseeming all Gouernours but especially the Gouernours of armies It is profitable to reteine the good willes of our associates necessary for the winning of the good will of our owne souldiers The same hath vse as well in respect of enemies as friendes The Faliscians besieged by Camillus moued rather with the opinion of his iustice that sent backe vnto them the Schoolemaster that deliuered into his handes the youth of the Citie then by force yeelded their Citie vnto him Pyrrhus did neuer offer to treate of peace before the Romanes had sent him backe that traytour that offered for a certaine summe of money to empoyson him d Iustè non minus quà m fortiter bella gerimus Liu. lib. 5. Warres are to bee gouerned not by crueltie but by iustice When a Cic. offic 1. Pausanias in the Peloponnesian warre dealt rigorously with his associats they al forsooke him Which also happened to the Athenians in the same warre for like cause And who doth not hate the Spaniard that seldome suffereth men of qualitie that come in his power
vntill they had money They rebelde against Lewis Sforza and solde the e Guicciar li. 13. poore Duke for Crownes The mercenary souldiers of Laurence Medici and Frances Maria did spoyle the Marquisat of Ancona worse then if they had bene enemies For these causes the French king f Guicciardin Lewis the xii said it was better to be without Switzers then to haue them And in the ende Francis the first trayning 7. legions or regiments of his owne people determined to vse no other souldiers then of his owne nation the troubles of that kingdome I thinke are cause that the order was left off Those therfore that would employ mony vpon French or Dutch rather theÌ„ vpon their own souldiers should but dishonor their natioÌ„ hurt the state or affeeble their people bring g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist polit the Prince in distrust with his subiects without cause Such meÌ„ in time past were thought to haue tyrannical conceirs wish that neither the natiue souldier should rise in honour nor wealth nor any subiect become better practised in warres and all to the ende that they may growe rich them selues and swallow downe the spoyles of their Countrey without feare of accompts or controlement And many do thinke that if the English had but had that treasure and fauour that the Hie Dutch haue had this State had bene better assured and the enemie better cooled and more honorable seruice performed CHAP. IIII Part. 9. Of the souldiers pay BVt forasuiuch as neither strangers nor subiects can be long mainteined without pay because it wil auayle vs nothing to leuy souldiers vnlesse wee pay them mainteine them therefore before we passe any further let vs put those that haue the gouernmeÌ„t of warres coÌ„mitted vnto them in minde that some order be taken for the paiment of the souldiers For want of pay many disorders be committed many opportunities pretermitted It is not possible considering first the pouerty of the common souldier and then their small number that eyther they can liue of themselues or winne any thing from the enemy For want of pay they spoyle their friends and associates yea their companions and commit many outrages and who can execute iustice vpon them that eyther must famish or liue vpon spoyle For want of pay they sell their armes their clothes they growe sicke weake and vnprofitabe Contrariwise if they had their pay iustice might with more reason bee executed and their persons armes and clothes be kept in better estate and many enterprises executed that by weakenesse want of the souldiers are broken Lautreck riding post came in good time himselfe to haue setled the affaires of a Guicciar li. 14. Milan if the 300. thousande Crownes which were promised by the French king to bee sent presently after him had likewise come in poste For want of pay the souldiers disbanded for want of pay occasioned by I know not what friuolous delay the Dutchie of Milan was lost by the French Souldiers are not payd with promises nor wordes The slow prouision of money was the cause likewise of the rashe enterprise and ouerthrow of the French at the b Tardità di proueder denari causa de larotta de Francesi à la Bicâ—cca Guiccia 14. Bicock in Lombardy The miserable niggardise and slow dispatch of the Cardinall c Guicciar 3. San. Malo Treasurer to Charles the 8. of France which deferd necessary paymentes beyond all reason set all the affaires of the French in the kingdome of Naples in disorder as Guicciardin testifieth and the very things themselues declared A very slowe d Gente d'arme â—ardi di pagamenti caminauonâ— lentamente Guicciar li. 3. marche it is that souldiers without pay doe make Guicciardin speaking of the enterprise of Naples by Lautreck sayth that the same was hindered by nothing more then by delayes of pay while such summes as should haue bene deliuered before hand were payde him by piecemeale and out of time A man cannot in this kind vse too great expedition and diligence nothing can be more hurtful herein then auarice and delay Further many mutinies disorders proceede of this only cause I neede not confirme it by examples seeing there is none that hath followed the profession of armes any time but knoweth it by his owne experience Contrariwise due pay doeth binde the souldiers hearts to the Generall as Liuy declareth in the example a Annibal largè partiendo praedaÌ„ stipendia praeterita cum fide exoluendo cunctos ciuium suorum sociorumque animos in se sirmat Liu. 21. of Annibal Without pay souldiers can neither do seruice nor mainteine them selues in strength nor scarce liue With their b Hinc vestes arma tentoria Tacit 1. in Polyb 6. pay they finde them selues victuals clothes armes with the same they succour them selues in sickenes and when they are hurt This was the vse in ancient time and is now practised also For this cause all warlike Nations haue had due care that their souldiers might be orderly payd c Liu. 2. Porsena when the pay day came sate by while all his souldiers one by one receiued their pay For that end they appointed d Tacit. annal 11. Tresurers to attend on the Generall and to pay the army That Generals should then attend the pleasure of Tresurers was as a thing monstrous in nature When the Romanes could not otherwise prouide for their souldiers the Senate decreed that the e Aurea argentea templotuÌ„ ornamenta quae Numa consecrauerat ne militibus stipendium deesset conflata sunt Val. Max. l. 7. c. 6. ornaments of gold and siluer which Numa Pompilius had consecrate should be made into money that they might be payd This was iu the time of Marius When the common wealth of Rome had no mony the charge was layd vpon rich men f Liu. 24. proportionally The Nobilitie and Gentry brought in and lent sufficient Some of the wealthiest in the neede of the State serued without pay The g Hirt. de bel Alexandr Alexandrians in the warres against Caesar by assigning to euery man of abilitie certaine souldiers to be kept mainteined the warres against him And generally such order was takeÌ„ among all nations for pay of the souldiers that in all stories Greeke and Latin I scarce read of any one mutiny for want of pay Some will percase reply and say that there is no comparison betwixt the people of Rome and vs. And that it was an easie matter for that great Empire to pay their souldiers which to vs is so hard and grieuous some conceiue that their souldiers were content with lesse pay and others deeme that the charge of warres is nowe greater then in those times matters vtterly mistaken For not onely the Romanes but also the Athenians Thebans Samnites Aequians Volscians Hernicans Sabines and many other small States in comparison of this kingdome mainteined and paid great armies many
yeeres Yea when the a Liu. li. 9. 10. State and Territory of Rome was not the third part of England in bignesse yet did the same mainteine one army against the Samnites another in a contrary quarter against the Hetruscians and the third at home against such of their neighbours as were not perfectly to be trusted The pay all things considered was then rather bigger then lesser in respect of our times The b Decem in dies assibus anima corpus aestimatur Tacit. 1. It is a Roman souldiers speech there pay of the Romanes was for euery day a piece of money which they called Denarium for that it conteined decemasses Although I confesse that afterward the value of that Coyne was enhaunced that wayeth of our money vii d or thereaboutes as both Budey testifieth and I haue tried by waying diuers of the Coynes which I haue seene in Italy and other where The pay of the Athenian souldiers amounted to a piece of money which they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for euery day So that both the pay of the Greekes and Romanes came to one reckoning for Denarius Romanus and the Athenian Drachma by c Alciat de ponderib mensur accompt both of Marchants and Physitions weyed alike and was of one value That the Athenian pay amounted to so much as I haue sayd Thucidides shal witnesse who saith that the garrison of d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thucid. 3.88 Steph. Potidaea had euery man one Drachma for himselfe and another for his esquire that waited on him dayly Consider the prices of things nowe you shall finde that their pay was greater then either ours which giue commonly viii d a day or the Spanish pay which is iii Duckats a moneth for a man beside their Ventajas as they call them That the charge of warres is now greater then in time past is but an improbable surmise For wherein ariseth the charge of an army nowe but in victuals armes clothes horses cariages and such like which were no lesse chargeable in time past then now powder wee haue nowe and artillerie which in time past was not found out but the charge of their engins and the things about them which nowe we neede not nor vse was no lesse chargeable to them So that if we had that order and proceeding which they had there is no doubt but wee are as well able to mainteine an armie as they Why a sufficient armie should not bee mainteined and paid I see no reason but want of military discipline For seeing this land mainteineth so many millions at home there is no reason but the same should mainteine 30. or 40. thousand of the same number abroad if right discipline of armes were practised The charge of an army is most in meate and apperell But in these things men spend no lesse at home then abroad I doe thinke that albeit this land wanted money yet if the army were well supplyed with victuals and clothes by the Princes Officers that a great armie might sufficiently be payd For that money that should be deliuered to the souldier would most of it come backe for victuals and clothes of which this land God be thanked hath no want The expenses of munitions and armes and other matters are in respect of this charge nothing But what should I talke of this course when there wanteth neither money nor other thing but good orders well executed The reuenues of the Crowne the contributions of the subiects and ayde of our friendes are not so simple but that there may be found maintenance sufficient if mens good willes and loyal dealing were not wanting Besides these if our armie were sufficient to fight with the enemie I would thinke there were want of skill or good order if the same did not aswell liue vpon the enemies spoyles as the Princes pay Clearchus a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph exped Cyr. 1. mainteined his souldiers by the contribution of the cities of Hellespont where they lay The Romanes transporting an army into Asia so wisely did the Generall proceede that he mainteined the same with the spoyles of the Countrey and writ backe to the Senate that for that yeere he needed neither b Liu. 40. prouision nor pay for the victorie gaue his armie sufficient But before Princes bring such a matter to passe many disorders are to be redressed men desirous of honour are to be appointed Officers the rapines and filcheries of former times and hereafter to by strict Auditors and Commissioners are to be sifted out and seuerely punished as matters that disorder all armies c Auaritia di commessarij regij fraudando il re ne pagamenti di soldati cagione della rotta di Garigliano Guicciar lib. 6. Guicciardin shewerh it by the confusion that was in the French army at Gariglian by the default and fraude of the kings Officers for pay If those that kill a woman or a child of no great reckoning deserue death what doe they deserue that are the cause of the death of many valiant souldiers and betray the Realme and their Prince into the handes of the enemie through their fraude filcherie and delayes the abuses in musters must also be redressed Wherein I vnderstand that Gouernours of late haue bene carefull and set downe many good orders but all commeth to this passe that the Captaines shall pay their souldiers which doeth promise no good effect in this matter It is a notorious abuse to giue the pay of the common souldier to the Centurion or Captaine of euery band neuer vsed by the Romanes nor other nation It first came in among the Italians about two hundred and fiftie or two hundred yeeres agone in their scambling warres among themselues The reason was for that the Prince that had warres hired the Captaine out of some other State and the Captaine he hired such souldiers as he could get So that the Prince dealing with the Capatine must pay him and the Captaine must pay his souldiers Which reason now ceasing there is no cause why the abuse should continue Further there are certaine dead payes allowed to the captaine vnder colour whereof I doubt not but they will passe many dead men or such as neuer were in mosters It is asmuch as if he should be alowed to defraude a Prince a litle so it be but in sixe dead payes But better it were and more honorable if the Prince did allowe the Captaine an honourable and sufficient pay and make others the paymasters It is not possible nowe that matters should in these cases be redressed seeing such as haue interest in the gaine are made controllers of the offence Were it not better to pay euery souldier by the poll better I say for the Prince For if the souldiers acquitance moster booke pay-masters and controllers accounts agree he cannot lightly be defrauded either of his money or of his numbers better for the common souldier for he shall haue his due Yea
bellū foret Fabius per Soranum agrum Decius per Sidicinum legiones duxit Liu. 10. Samnites led foorth their armies diuers wayes whereby the enemy being made vncertain of their comming could not preuent them nor depriue them of prouision Finally it is not possible for an army to enter any countrey but the same shall finde some weary of the present gouernement and desirous of innouation which may bee induced to helpe to furnish it with necessary prouision Caesar in his warres against the Heluetians and Ariouistus had his prouision from the Heduans in his iourney into Belgium from those of Rheimes Arriuing here in Britaine he found both partisans and prouision sufficient Neither are the times nowe changed In all estates there are some malcontents and many desirous of alterations If desire of innouation worke nothing yet if our army haue good successe the same shall procure vs friendes and meanes After Annibals victory at Cannae most of the subiectes of the Romanes reuolted and tooke part with him When the Frenchmen inuaded the b Guicciar lib. ◠15. kingdome of Naples the countrey either folowed them or tooke against them as they had prosperous or bad successe And if that our successe in Portugalll had bene good there is no doubt but that all the country would haue reuolted from the Spaniardes The Generall aboue all things is to haue regarde that hee spend no time vainely Opportunitie to doe great matters seldome offereth it selfe the second time By all meanes the enemy is to be prouoked to fight while our army is strong and his souldiers yong and vnexercised Annibal had more paine at the first to bring the Romans to fight then to ouercome them If the enemy refuse to fight he is to be pursued into some towne or straite or else by besieging of some strong place driuen to come to succour the same All the countrey doth followe the successe of the chiefe citie yet forasmuch as it is not sufficient to take vnlesse we keepe the same there is no lesse care to bee taken in fortifying and furnishing a towne taken then in taking the same Unlesse wee meane to loose our prize as the c Guicciard French did Nouara in the dayes of Lewis the twelth for want of prouision and good order Those that haue followed this course haue done great matters as is euident by the examples of Caesar Scipio Annibal the rest eyther failed of victory or could not maintaine their conquest I will not specifie it by our expeditions into France Portugal Flanders For that might be odious Although those that are wise by that which we wanted may see what we ought to haue had and done But I will rather vse forraine examples The enterprise of a Guicciard Lautrecke in the kingdome of Naples was broken by niggardly expenses slender preparatiues slowe proceeding couetousnesse of officers disorder and want of care about victualles and other prouisions The like disorder in the times of Charles the eight of France made the French to loose the kingdome of Naples which but lately before they had wonne Some of the chiefe gouernours spent their time in pleasures others minded nothing but spoyle they furnished not their townes with victualles nor with souldiers they pursued not the enemy so but that they suffered him to gather strength againe Neither may we impute the losse of Normandy Gascoigne and Guienne to other causes then to disorders in warres want of succour and supply and too much credulitie in trusting the French and presumption in hoping for successe without meanes But may some say to what end tendeth al this discourse seing mē now a daies are so farre from inuading their enemies that some can be content to leaue their friends languishing for want of help which are ioyned neere vnto them both by bond of religion and couenant and what hope is there that such shall giue the charge on others seeing they suffer the fire so neere their owne doores true it is that gouernours haue not beene so forward as some would haue wished and percase as some thinke their honour and the profite of their state required yet haue not matters beene so carelesly neglected as is surmised But suppose they had yet I hope the same course will not alwayes be continued nor that the discipline of armes shall foreuer be neglected of commanders There are yet a number left of the posteritie of those that haue made the name of the English nation famous in France Flanders Spaine and other countries and many do now beginne to mislike and condemne former disorders If at anie time such men may be heard or folowed I doubt not but that this discourse may be put in practise and such aduertisements heard and accepted more gratefully To annoy our enemies and procure our own safetie there is no better course then to translate warres frō our own doores into the enemies countrie Whatsoeuer wil be performed I thought it myduety not to conceale that which I thought not onely profitable but necessary for my countries honour as God willing by many reasons I shall shew vnto you CHAP. V. Part. 2. Wherein is prooued that it is farre better for the English nation things standing as now they do to inuade the Spaniard or any other enemy in his owne country then to receiue their assault and invasion here at home or to stay vntill we do see the enemy on our owne coast MAny there are I doubt not of a contrary minde but especially those that enioy honour wealth and ease These commonly vesire peace and detest warres and against such enterprises alleadge these reasons they say wee haue neither towne nor port in Spaine to receiue vs that the way thither is long and vncertaine by reason of contrarietie of windes and that it will be hard to remedie anie disorder that shall fall out in our army by reason of the distance of the place they alleadge further that we haue no friendes nor confederates in the countrey and that it will be more difficult to subdue the Spaniard in his countrey then abroad for euery man doeth 3 Ante ora patrū ante alta moenia Troiae The Troians were most venturous Virg. fight most valiantly when his wife and children and his owne landes and goodes are in his sight Lastly they suppose that the number of the enemies will be such as that an armie shall bee wearied with killing them On the other side if wee attend the Spaniardes comming hither say they they shall haue all obese things to make against them and wee all things fauorable for vs men municious and victuals sufficient our wines children country in our sight safe places to retrait vnto As Anteus wrastling with Hercules so oft as he touched the earth receiued new strength after his fall so they that in their owne countrey do◠fall rise againe very easily A 5 Tit. Quintius vsed this similitude to dissuade the Achaeans frō forreine warres Liu.
may hurt vs. Sometime the enemy by a feined retrayt is drawen into blinde trenches set with sharp stakes and couered with earth boughs hurdles or vnder walles or banks where our shot lieth ready for him or els into any place of disaduantage which was the ruine of Cyrus his army by Tomyris Queene of Scithia and diuers others that like blinde men folow where their enemies leade them In summe whatsoeuer tendeth to deceiue and abuse the enemy or to incourage giue aduantage to our own souldiers the same ought wise leaders to deuise practice Prouided alway that they neither breake othe nor promise nor offend against piety or the lawes of nations Let such vile facts be practiced of Turks Spaniards that hire wicked men to kill Princes and mainteine no othe or promise further then their profit requireth Such Histories doe feine c Persidia plusquam Punica Annibal to haue bene and diuers of the Carthaginians and d Plutarch Lysander Lysander among the Greekes that tooke pleasure in deceiuing of men with great othes as some take ioy to deceiue children with small toyes The proceedings of the Romanes were farre otherwise They disalowed his fact that would haue betrayed Falisci and sent him bound to Pyrrhus that for money promised to empoyson him Neither did e Val. max. lib. 8. c. 9. Cepio the Romane winne any credit by hyring the Lusitanians to kill their Captaine Viriat This practice of killing the Spaniards learn of certaine bastardly Italians a degenerate ofspring and race issuing of the vagrant natiōs of Lombards Gothes Vandales and of f Liu. 41. Perseus that had murtherers hyred for wages to kil whom he should appoint would haue practiced his trechery vpon the Romans a man of a base disposition and vnworthy so noble a kingdome Those stragegemes commonly take effect that are practiced in matters least feared That which no man careth for is neglected and least can that be g Ad id quod ne timeatur fortuna facit minimè turi sunt homines quia quod neglexeris incautum atque apertum habeas Liu. 25. auoyded which is least feared as sayth Cyrus by diuerting the riuer entred Babylon a way that no mā looked for him Scipio passing the lake tooke new Carthage Great are the effects that are wrought by deuises and surprises but they are discreetly to be gouerned least going about to deceiue the enemy we be our selues abused intrapped by double practice as the a Tratato dop pio Italians cal it So was b Anno 1569. Guerchy and his company ouertaken in the practice about the towne of Bourges where diuers braue men lost their liues while the enemy that knew the practice was ready to receiue them to their losse King Edward the 3. vnderstanding of a plot layd by the captaine of S. c Froissart Omar for the recouery of Calais newly by him wonne turned the same vpon the heads of those that should haue executed it surprised those that would haue surprised others Those therefore that in stratagemes politike surprises folow the example of others let them see that their case be like their strength equall that the matter be handled cunningly executed presently And that the times be wel measured that they come neither too soone nor too late in which case their enterprise vanisheth to nothing d Of ambushes Ambushes likewise well placed and managed woorke the enemie great displeasures not onely in cutting off straglers and such as go on forraging but also in troubling an army marching or fighting Annibal in passing the Alpes lost diuers of his souldiers by the incursions of the people of the Mountaines rising out of their holes charging his army vpon aduantages Sempronius as hath bene shewed drawne into an ambush was slaine with his company The like happened to Marcellus the Consull going to view the side of a hill not farre off But of this point I haue already brought examples sufficient where I discoursed of the danger of those that marche in the enemies countrey without diligent discouery Ambushes wel layd that our souldiers may rise out of them suddenly charge the enemy on the back or sides as he is fighting are yee more dangerous then those wherein he is charged marching By the same Romulus ouerthrew the Fidenians for placing part of his men in ambush in certaine thickets and vnder certain hilles neere the town prouoking the enemy to come forth of the towne he drew him along after him vntill such time as hee was against the ambush c Trahuntur ad locum insidiarū inde subito exorti Romani transuersam inuadunt bostium aciem Liu. 7. Where turning backe vpon him and causing those that lay in ambush to charge him on the sides hee cutte many of the Fidenians in peeces Annibal before he encountred the Romanes at Trebia hid certaine a Mago Numidaeque simul latebras eorum improuida prouida praeterlata acies est exorti à tergo ingentem tumultum ac terrorem fecere Liu. 21. horsemen in the marishes and bushes neere to the places where the armies were to ioyne Whence rising vpon a sudden as the army of the Romanes passed by them they made a great tumult and slaughter and were in part cause of the victory With the like practice he entrapped the Romane army at the lake Thrasimene Behind the hilles vpon the side of the place where he saw the encounter would be he placed diuers light armed and beyond the playne he caused his horsemen to lurke in the valleyes So that Flaminius was no sooner come to the charge but he saw his enemy in front on his sides and on his backe b Liu. 35. Philopoemen charging the enemy with his light armed and afterwarde causing his men to flie backe while the enemyranne disorderly after the chase hee receiued his owne men within the distances of his armed men and with them cut in peeces those that folowed Demosthenes not the Orator but a Captaine that liued during the Peloponnesian warre fearing lest the enemy that in number farre passed him would compasse him round about and charge him on the backe in a certaine valley and bushy ground nere the place where the enemy made shew to giue the charge ranged both armed men and e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thucid. 3. archers which in the ioyning of the battel rising out of their places should charge the enemy vpon the backe d Caes bel gal 1. Caesar by taking the top of the hill where the Heluetians lay encamped with part of his force had giuen them a greater ouerthrow then hee did but that the mistaking of his men made him loose that aduantage It is the part of a wise leader when hee pursueth or coasteth the enemy to take the aduantage of woods valleys hils strayts riuers and in all places to lay traps for him that hee may neither marche nor
fight nor lodge without danger But yet in dressing of Ambushes he is to take great heede first that the enemy haue no notice of his purpose so prouide against him For by this means traps theÌ„selues are oft entrapped c Caes bel gal 8. Corbey of Beauois lying in waite where he supposed Caesars souldiers would come to seeke prouision was himselfe and his company cut in peeces by a greater number then he looked for which Caesar sent thither hauing intelligence of the matter before hand Secondly those that lie in ambush must rise suddenly and execute speedily and courageously least the enemy putting himselfe in order and gathering courage giue them more then they came for Labienus had placed certaine felowes in ambush that should haue charged a Hiâ—t de bel Afric Caesars army as the same passed by but they came foorth so faintly irresolutely that Caesars horsemen before they could doe any thing had hewen them in peeces Thirdly let them beware least while they thinke to doe the feat the rest of the enemies come on their backes before they can dispatch The b Liu. 41. Dardanians had well hoped to haue executed a part of the Macedonian army which they charged vpon the backe as it passed through the countrey but before they were aware they were them selues charged by them that folowed after and were taken as they say betweene the hammer and anuill and well beaten Fourthly when a part of the army is sent to lie in ambush the rest of the army ought to haue correspondence with it that as those that rise vp in ambush doe charge the enemy one way so the rest of the army may charge him another way and alwayes be ready to succour their men Which if they of c Caes bel gal 8. Beauois had considered they had not suffered their best men to haue bene cut in peeces without reliefe The reason that Ambushes doe preuaile so much are diuers first the terrour that the same strike the enemies minde withall comming vpon them vpon the sudden secondly the disorder and confusion that is in the enemies army surprised suddenly and thirdly the vantage of ground which they chuse and the weaknes of the enemy where they charge him Therefore let all valiant souldiers to whom such executions are committed beware how they protract time or loose their aduantage or by vntimely noyse or stirre giue notice of their purpose to the enemy or by stirring before the time cause the enemy to retire before he come within danger By reason whereof I haue seen some my selfe but haue heard of many more enterprises that haue come to nothing CHAP. XIIII Wherein is shewed how the enemy being vanquished the victory is to be vsed and the conquest mainteined HI therto we haue declared by what meanes the enemy may be vanquished in open fielde a marke whereat all valiant Captaines aime and whereunto they addresse all their actions and â—ounsels Yet all consisteth not so in victory but that they deserue farre more commendation that can vse it to purpose and mainteine that which they winne a Vincere scis Annibal victoria vâ—i nescis saâ—de Maherbal vnto him Liu. 22. Annibal had the happe to ouercome the Romanes in diuers battels but he had not the wisdome or happe to vse the victory And diuers great victories hath God giuen to our nation against the Frenchmen and many partes of France haue our ancesters possessed but we could not vse our time nor Gods graces nor at this day haue we so much grounde in France as to builde a fishers cabane in Therefore seeing it is a miserable thing to say we haue had when wee haue not and b Non minor est virtus quà m quaetere parta tueri wise men no lesse consider how they may keepe them winne let vs see if God would so much fauour vs as to suffer vs to winne any thing hereafter how the victory may be vsed and our purchase assured Least as the Spaniard foyled by sea An. 1588. escaped without pursuite or memorable losse saue of some shippes so hee or any other might escape againe so good cheape and continually returne to inuade vs with hope of victory at the least without feare of pursuite or great losse Either the enemies army is altogether vanquished and dispersed or els some good part there of is retyred entire and whole In both these cases what course the Generall is to take let vs nowe consider beginning with the latter If the enemy be not so vanquished but that some part of his army remaineth sound or at least vnbroken then is the Generall to follow him and vrge him while the terrour of the late affright is not yet out of his minde Caesar hauing obteined a great victory against the Heluetians c Caes debel gal 1. ceased not to pursue the remaynder so long vntill all yeelded And afterward hauing foyled Vercingetorix in the fielde and caused him to retire with the rest of his army hee did not d Caes debel gal 7. leaue him vntill hee had forced him to take Alexia for his defence nor then neither vntill such time as he had the towne and all within it yeelded to his mercy e Caes debel ciu â— Vanquishing Pompey in open fielde he would not suffer him to take Sanctuary in his campe but droue him thence and rested not vntill he had taken his flight nor before the reliques of his army that fledde to the hilles thereby had yeelded being cut from water Gaston de Fois hauing foyled the Spaniards at Rauenna did like a man of iudgement follow the reliques of the enemies army the reason hee had no successe was for that hee charged the pikes with his horsemen which should haue bene done with shot and with small forces auanced himselfe too farre forward being so euill followed which cost him his life If he had charged them with shot and taken the way before them with his horse or staied vntill he had taken them at aduantage in some straite where they could not haue kept their rankes or cut betweene them and their victuals without many blowes they had bene forced to yeelde Scipio after he had vanquished Asdrubal in Spaine and driuen him to retraite he so followed him with his horsemen that the man could finde no rest vntill he came vnto the vtmost coast of Spaine Those that after they haue victorie giue themselues either to pleasures or to rest for a small rest purchase to themselues great labour and sometime losse If a Caes de bel cin 3. Pompey after he had giuen Caesar two repulses at Dyrrhachium had vrged the reliques of his armie not yet being recouered from their late affright his successe had bene farre better The Carthaginians not pursuing their victorie in b Liu. 24. Spaine after the death of the two Scipioes but suffering the reliques of their armies not onely to breath but also to gather head were themselues ouercome not
that they be not easily filled a Duae legiones semper pro castris excubabant Caes bel Gal. 7. Caesar lying before Auaricum kept two legions alwaies ready in armes to defend his works against the sudden sallies of the Townesmen And such was his garde and watchfulnes in his sieges that albeit the b Caes bel Gal. 2. Aduaticans that were another time by him besieged presuming vpon his securitie had thought during the treatie of peace to force him to breake vp his siege by a sally yet he had men sufficient ready to repel them The Romanes neither in time of warre nor truce day nor night were so secure or negligent but that alwaies they kept good garde and watch Those that there in proceeded weakely or negligently haue endangered themselues bene oft times forced to rise without doing any thing Lewis the c Philip Comines 11 of France and Charles of Burgundy lying in the suburbes of Liege a towne by them besieged without either good watch or stronge garde or defence escaped very narrowly taking by them that sallied in the night out of the towne Amilcar d Polyb. besieging a towne in Sicily was taken in his campe by those that sallied out vpon him in the night which if his fortification had bene good or his watch diligent could not haue happened The e Thucid. 5. Athenians besieging Amphipolis lying without sufficient defence or watch were defeated by Brasidas the Spartan By like negligence succour victuals entred into Naples besieged by Lautreck into Poytiers besieged by the Protestants into Rochel besieged by the French king after the massacre anno 1573. Philip of Macedonia lying before Apollonia without suspicion or defence against the enemies sallies was forced to rise yea and to runne forced by the Townesmen aided by certeine Romanes Francis the French king was taken and his army defeated before Pauy by those that came to the succour of the towne which could not haue happened if he had laien within any sufficient trenches or had but well garded the waies and passages Trebonius lying before Massilia hauing his workes and engins almost destroied and fired by the Townesmen during the treatie of composition teacheth vs not so to trust the enemie at any time but that we haue a sure garde and diligent watch That is the onely remedie against sallies from within and succours from without Further as we are by this meanes to proceede against the enemy besieged so are we to take heede that by want or disorder among our selues we be not forced to depart with scorne Caesar sate downe before no towne but he knewe howe and where to haue victuals and all prouision necessary for a siege The a Capua obsideri caepta quaequeue in eam rem opus erant comportabantur Casilinum frumentum conuectū ad vulturni ostium castellum communitum vt mare flumen in potestate essent Liui 25. Romanes going to besiege Capua prouided corne and all things necessary and tooke such order that both by sea and land they had supplies cōming to them Caesar at the siege of Massilia caused al stuffe necessary to be brought into his campe neither victuals nor engins nor instruments to worke withall nor any thing was wanting In all sieges the Romanes proceeded very orderly both in their prouision and gouernment Their men lay dry in tents strong within defenses they had meate and victuals the sicke and hurt had reliefe But in our times and also in ancient time for want of gouernement in these cases many calamities haue happened and many sieges haue bene broken In the late siege of Rochel the kings souldiers for want of victuals were famished for want of things necessary and good gouernement sickenes grewe among them The same was the cause of the ruine of the army of Protestants before Poytiers of Lautrecks enterprise against Naples Charles duke of Burgundy lying before Nancey discontinued his battry for want of pouder in the meane while succours came that raysed his siege The siege of Charitè Anno 1569 was raysed because the Kings souldiers sate downe before it before they had sufficient prouision with them b Qu. Cur. lib. 4. Amyntas lying before Memphis was discomfited and driuen to raise his siege for that his men were ranging about the countrey when they should haue bene ready to defend their campe and repell the enemie The same error was committed by Francis the first of France before Pauy who suffring his men to disband and straggle abroade diminished his forces so that he was not able to resist the enemy that came vpon him In winter if that souldiers do not lye drie in their trenches and lodgings and haue fire the weather and season forceth them to rayse their siege This broke the enterprise of the English against Zutphan anno 1567. The same incommodities forced c Guicciard lib. 5. Caesar Borgia to rise from before Faenza well beaten with winter raine and foule weather Therefore ought wise Generals before they sit downe to besiege any towne to consider the time and to examine whether he hath sufficient force and prouision to effect such a matter d Multa magnis ducibus vt non aggredienda sic non deserenda Liui. 24. Many things are not to be attempted of wise leaders yet being once begunne are not lightly to be giuen ouer as Marcellus said The towne of Secca in the kingdome of Naples being besieged and not taken by the French assured that whole state vnto Cōsaluo as saith e Guicciard lib. 6. Guicciardine The checke we had at Coronna in our voyage of Portugall did not a litle discourage vs. a Perseuerantia in omni genere militiae maximè tamen in obsidendis vrbibus necessaria est quatum plerasque munitionibus ac naturali situ inexpugnabiles fame sitique ipsum tempus vincit expugnatque Veget. Perseuerance and constancie in euery action of warre preuaileth much but most in the sieges of cities as is euident by the great patience and constancie of Caesars souldiers in the siege of Auaricum and Alexia For many townes that by naturall situation are inexpugnable by hunger and thirst and want of things necessary are taken in continuance of time That the Generall may both prouide sufficiently and know perfitly how to encounter the enemy it is requisite that hee not onely haue intelligence of his proceedings within the towne but also of his succours comming without For that cause hee is not onely to haue his espials and discouerers abroade but also if hee can his intelligences within The b Guicciard succours that came to Florence were by this meanes defeated or euer they came neere The Generall ought alwayes to be watchfull yet shall these intelligences hurt him nothing That his victuals and prouision may come to him safely the Generall that besiegeth any place is to place garrisons in conuenient distances from his campe and to haue his horsemen to encounter such
out without danger Which expedition and resolution of the assaylants did so amaze the townsmen that presently they began to fall to composition Thus wee see howe those that proceede carefully diligently resolutely and according to the practice of warre doe seldome fayle of their purpose but either by siege surprise or assault they take the townes which they beset Townes that cannot be taken neither by sleight nor force at the first yet by continuance and perseuerance may be taken at the last by one meanes or other especially if they be weakened in one or two sallyes Annibal by a deuise causing the Locrians to sally out of their towne cut betweene them and their safety and by taking them made the rest to yeelde Hee would haue trained out those that garded the Castle of Tarentum by laying a bayt for them but they were too wise Romulus by a feined retrayt drawing the Fidenians some prety distance from the towne cut most of them in peeces and pursuing the rest entred Pelle Melle with them into the towne Many other stratagemes may be deuised whereby townes may be forced or surprised but seeing the generall reasons are apparent by this which I haue sayd now I will turne my speech to those that aduerse euents driue to defend them selues within townes For practice of warre doeth teach vs not only to force others but also where the enemy pursueth vs to defend our selues CHAP. XVII Wherein certaine obseruations are set downe good to be practiced for the defence and good gouernment of a towne or place besieged battered or assaulted SEeing as places are taken either by want through long siege or by intelligence and trechery or els by force those to whom Princes commit their garde are diligently to encounter these things with prouision of things necessary first then with watchfulnes care and lastly by strength of men walles They that take on them to defend townes neither well prouided nor fenced howsoeuer they shew therein courage yet doe they shewe no iote of wisedome in it for oft times they cast away themselues and hurt their Prince and countrey both in the losse of so many men in giuing courage to the enemy And better it were for them to conuey them selues into some place of safety or to yeelde then to holde out without reason In which case the Prince cannot blame them if they prouide for them selues The Romanes not being able to defend certaine townes of Apulia and Lucania against Annibal gaue them licence to prouide for them selues by composition Which also the French kings in the victories of the English nation in France permitted to their people a Cas de bel ciu 1. Domitius was blamed by Pompey for that he rashly engaged himselfe and his company in Corfinium without his commandement It was the losse of many braue men and a great preiudice to the cause Dandelot hanged vp a certain coÌ„panion that refused to deliuer vp a paltry castle without view of the canon albeit he saw the army of the Protestants And in deede lesse fauour doeth the practice of armes yeeld to those that vnable to defend them selues wil notwithstanding holde out vntill they be forced b Se ipsos conseruaturum dixit Caesar si priusquam aries murum tetigisset se dedissent Caes de bel gal 2. Caesar did not easily spare them that helde out vntill hee had shaken their walles those that otherwise yeelded he vsed with all clemency The first consideration therefore of him that hath a town committed to his gouernment ought to be whether the same may possibly be defended against the force that coÌ„meth against it or no. For c Nec temerè suscipienda eotuÌ„ defensio est quae tueri non potes nec temerè deserenda quae tueri potes Liu. 34. as we are not rashly to abandon a town that may be defended so we are not ignorantly to take vpon vs the defence of towns not tenable The Romans while Annibal ranged vp down Italy burnt those townes which they could not defend the like did Philip of Macedonia The a Cetera praâ—ldiis firmââ—unt Liu. 34. rest they kept with strong garrisons b Liu. Antiochus did foolishly in abandoning Lysimachia which for the prouision strength that was in the place might haue holden the army of the Romans at bay one whole yere The like error did c Transâ—untibâ—â— Romanis claustra à fronte tergo deseruit Liu. 44. 45. Perseus king of Macedonia coÌ„mit who seeing the Romans approch forsooke those strayts which if he had kept he might haue shut them in both behinde before Likewise are the Gaules taxed by d Caes bel gal 7. Vercingetorix for that contrary to his opinion commandement they would needes defend AuaricuÌ„ against Caesar Some do commend the French that in the defence of paltry townes of late yeeres haue willingly hazarded them selues as they did in the defence of Dorat in Limages Lusignen in Poitou Bray vpon Seyne Nogent such like which haue bene taken diuers of them by assault only of shot but they had deserued more commendation if they had not lost them selues in the end Let those therefore that purpose to winne honor by their actions consider what townes may be garded what not what are difficult to garde before they take on them to garde them Great cities are hardly defended against a great force that is able to strayt them keep them from victuals other necessaries That Paris hath holden out of late time the weaknes of their aduersaries their great succours are cause Gant likewise in the dayes of Edward the 3. held out against the Earles of Flanders a long time But the reason was because he could not besiege so great a city but if that such cities may be kept from victuals they can not long endure it When the Protestants in An. 1567. did but hinder the repayre of the countrey people to Paris the city was in extremity farre greater it was in being besieged by this King For such infinite numbers of people no prouision can serue any long time The e Caes bel gal 7. Gaules and f Caes bel gal â— Belgians thought to oppresse Caesar with multitude But when they were come together they saw that such numbers could not be mainteined with victuals therfore not being fought withal were forced to scatter of theÌ„selues But against a smal force great cities are most strong For neither can they be straited of victuals by reason of their multitude of men nor can they be takeÌ„ by assault being so wel able to defend the breach and repaire it So that to a great force great cities are easy to be taken to a small army that can not without danger compasse the same about they are impregnable Contrariwise small piles or castles hardly resist a great force First for that there is no roome within to make retrenchments or defences against the enemies
Com. the 11. Charles duke of Burgundy betweene Edward the 4. the same Lewis and the associats of them two Peace or rather truce was made for 9. yeres the conditions on the French kings part were that he should pay certaine crownes that the Dolphin of France should marry king Edward the 4. his daughter and haue part of Guienne for the maintenance of the two yong married folks But other assurance then othe there passed none Thus the French could feede vs stil with faire wordes buy out our aduantage with a few crownes therefore litle regarded our forces The Carthaginians ioyning in league with Hierome king of Sicile agreed together that after they should haue expulsed the Romans out of Sicile they should diuide the country according to certaine limits agreed vpon betwixt them Like agreement passed betwixt Annibal Philip king of Macedonia concerning their future conquest In the meane time they both couenanted to oppugne the Romans both by sea and land with all their force The g Data vltrò citroque fide cosdē amicos inimicosque habituros iureiurando affirmatur Liu. 29. Carthaginians entred with Syphax into a stricter bond of friendship and both promised eche to other to haue the same for friends and enemies Sometime it falleth out that a mighty Prince or nation doeth for some opportunity or help expected ioyne in league with those that in power are inferior to them Wherein albeit the conditions be not equal vpon both sides yet the weaker neither paieth tribute nor looseth any commodity or liberty So the Romanes ioyned in amity with Attalus Eumenes and the Rodians and in Italy with them of Caere and other townes the Kings of England with the Dukes of Brittein the Kings of Spaine with some weake Princes in Italy In which agreements the weake side had neede to vse great caution that vnder colour of ayd it be not oppressed as the Dukes of Brittein by the French Sforza Duke of Milan by Charles the 5. the States of the Low countrey by king Philip and his Predecessors Dukes of Burgundy The Capuans made peace with Annibal on these conditions that no foreiner either in warre abroad or in peace at home should haue any iurisdiction ouer a citizen of a Liu. 23. Capua that no citizen of Capua should be forced to serue in warres or to beare office against his will nor should be subiect to any other lawes then those of his owne countrey Those that are either equall or inferior in force eche to other doe sometime ioyne in league defensiue sometime in offensiue also against such as are enemies to either and that either with all their forces or with some numbers of souldiers specified them also either payde of those that send them or those that vse them Some nations for feare of their enemies do yeeld them selues into the protection of others with certaine couenants as they b Guicciar li. 3. of Pisa did first to the French king afterward to the Venetians as the Duke of Ghelderland did to the French king In this case as the receiuer doeth binde him selfe to defend those that yeeld them selues into his armes so they either binde them selues to pay money or to do him seruice or to deliuer him vp certaine townes No mā is bound to refuse the protection of others vnlesse it be specially couenanted nay it is a dishonor not to protect those that are wrongfully oppressed much more to abandon those whom they haue takē vpon thē to defend c Guicciar li. 8. Lewis the 12. is taxed for his base minde for that he couenāted to receiue none into protectiō that were the subiects or did depend vpon Iulio the 2. And for that he much more forsook the lord of a Guicciar lib. 5. Piombino Likewise are the Florentins blamed for that they abandoned the house of Riarij at the request of the Pope Contrariwise the Romans in nothing deserue commendation more then that they defended all those that fled to them for protection And in nothing did they dishonor themselues more then in that they were so flow in succouring the Saguntins Neither doe Princes only free States couenant ech with other but also subiects with their Princes Princes with their subiects as the Arragonians with the Spanish king the Protestants of France with the French king Wherein if they proceede no further then to require ech of other that which the lawes of nations require it is more tolerable But that the subiects should prescribe lawes to their soueraigne Princes binde them to inconueniences it sauoureth rather of force then loyaltie and that Princes hestes should be obeyed against reason proceedeth of tyranny neither can any assurance be made of such agreements That couenants of peace association may be wel conceiued and made Princes others are dililgently to consider vnto whom they commit the managing of such affaires to furnish them with good instructions and those likewise are to haue regard that they passe not their commission instructions Without commission no man vnder the degree of those that rule in souerainty is to make peace or league The people of b Liu. Rome held not them selues bound with the treaty made at Caudium or Numantia being made without their autority Princes in the choyce of Ambassadors do respect Nobility are led sometime by fauour but the euent sheweth that wisdome experience vertue are rather to be regarded c Phil. Commin Lewis the 11. sent Oliuer somtime his barber to them of Gant and to the yong Duchesse of Burgundy but the man was heard with scorne and returned without effect Ambassadors and messengers betwixt Princes States are priuiledged by the lawes of all nations insomuch that among the points of weapons such men are suffered to passe safe The Romanes not onely reuenged sharply the death of their Ambassadours slayne by the d Liu. 4. Fidenians and e Florus Illyrians but also the scorne done vnto them by them of Corinth f 2. Reg. 20. King Dauid warred vpon the children of Ammon for no other cause but for an abuse offerd to his messengers g Phil. Comm. Charles Duke of Burgundy put all the garrison of the Castle of Nele to the sword for that they killed his messenger sent to them to treat with them of peace And albeit some do patiently digest al abuses offred to their messengers by the Spaniard who deigned not to giue thē audience yet the Romans a Liu. 42. tooke the matter very heinously at the hands of Perseus king of Macedonia The death of b Quò diligentiùs in reliquum tempus ius Legatorum à barbaris conseruaretur omnem senatum Caesar necauit reliquos sub corona vendidit Caes bel gal 3. Caesars messengers sent to a city vpon the sea coast of Frauce cost all the chiefe of the citizens their liues The rest of that towne Ceasar sold