fought close to the very same towne where that Rape and Murder had been committed Plutarch affirming that the Gods were impatient to suffer any longer their delay of Justice 6. The Omission of Justice by Cicero and some other Senators upon Iulius Caesar that was of the Conspiracie of h Catilina was the cause of the losse of the Romanes Libertie and of the miserable end of Cicero and of the greater part of those Romane Senators 7. The Omission of Justice by i Henry the fourth King of France upon the whole Societie of Jesuites inhabiting his dominions for an attempt made upon his sacred Person by a Student of their Societie was the cause he was three years after perfidiously murdered by their instigation by that horrid Paricide Ravilliac 8. The deniall of Justice by the Inhabitants of k Gibeah for the Murder committed upon the Levites Concubine was the cause of the death of forty thousand Israelites and of the utter extermination of the Tribe of Benjamine six hundred men only excepted 9. The Indulgence of Eli to his two l sonnes Hophni and Phineas was the cause of his suddaine death of the miserable end of his sonnes and of this heavie curse upon his Posteritie I have sworne saith the Lord unto the house of Eli that the wickednesse of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever 10. The Omission of Justice by King m David upon Amnon his sonne for the Rape of Tamar was the cause of the Murder of Amnon of the rebellion and of the miserable end of Absalom 11. The Omission of Justice by King n David upon the house of Saul because he had contrarie to the Oath of the People of Israel destroyed the greater part of the Gibeonites was the cause of three yeares famine in Israel that ceased not before Justice had been executed upon seven men of the house of Saul 12. The Omission of Justice by o Ahab upon Benhadad was the cause of his death and of this fearefull denunciation against him Thus saith the Lord because thou hast let goe out of thy hands a man whom I had appointed to die thy life shall goe for his life and thy people for his people For the second of the benefits that accrew by the speedy and unpartiall execution of Justice 1. A certaine King of the Locresians having made a Law against p Adultery That whosoever should be convinced of it should have both his eyes put out His onely Sonne being the first he immediately caused his sonnes left eye and his own right eye to be put out before all his Subjects to authorize his Law and to execute Justice for which he was reverenced beloved and honoured by all men in his life time and is in these dayes admired for his unpartiall execution of Justice 2. Lucius q Iunius Brutus first Consul of the Romanes having been informed that two of his sonnes divers of his Nephewes and many young noble men had conspired to deliver up the City of Rome to Tarquinius he caused them to be apprehended sate with the Judges at their Triall and being convinced accompanied them to the block perswading the executioner to rid the world speedily of such Traitours to their Countrey and so by this unpartiall Justice of his he preserved his Common-weale and was so beloved and honoured of his Citizens that the Romane Ladies mourned a whole yeare for his death 3. Titus r Manlius Generall of the Romanes having caused to be proclaimed thorow his Army that none upon paine of death should fight against any of the Latines their enemies that were incamped within a mile of the Romanes Camp his sonne being appointed the next day to discover with a Troope of horse the posture of the enemie was challenged by a Chiefe Officer of the enemies horse to a single fight that came also to discover the Posture of the Romanes but he refused the Challenge because of his fathers Command yet being overcome by the insolencie of his enemie that accused him of cowardize he advanced before his Troope and fought with him slew him and carried away his Horse and Armes and was conducted with a great part of the Army in a Triumphant manner into the Camp But comming into his fathers Tent he was apprehended tried and executed in the presence of his father notwithstanding the great intreaty of the Officers of the Army Titus Manltus answering either I must by the naturall compassion of a father overthrow for ever the Military Discipline of the Romanes in pardoning my son so great an offence or by an unpartiall Justice preferre the good of my Countrey to my sonnes life This unpartiall Justice of his upon so valiant a son although it seemed rigorous to the younger sort yet the ancient Senators did greatly commend it for it fell out to be very profitable to the Romane Common-weale because it maintained their Discipline in force for a long time untill Scipio his dayes the which was revived again by this noble action following 4. Publius Scipio Generall of a great Army of the Romanes in Spaine having in a manner finished the warres and reduced that Kingdome under the Romans yoke fell sick at new Carthage upon the report of his perillous sicknesse eight thousand Romane souldiers that lay in an intrenched Camp neare to the river Succo some twenty miles distance from Carthage to preserve the confederate Counties from the incursions of the enemies began to mutiny for their pay and some licentious souldiers among them fomented the same and after they had driven away their Colonels and Captaines that opposed their rebellious actions they made choice of Albinus Calenus and Atrius Vmber two licentious common souldiers for their Commanders in Chiefe and entertained correspondencie with Mandonius and Iudibilis the Generals of the enemie and so fell a plundering their associated Counties hoping to inrich themselves without danger upon the report of their Generals death but s Scipio being somewhat recovered and past danger he sent presently six well-affected Colonels to informe them of his recovery and to perswade them to submit themselves to his mercy whereupon they began to consult what they should doe to prevent their ruine and so resolved to leave their Armes in their Camp and to goe to Carthage for their pay and to recover their Generals favour disdaining any longer to submit themselves so low as to be at the beck of two such base and ambitious fellowes as Albinus and Atrius whereupon Scipio being acquainted of their resolution fained to undertake a designe and caused his forces and carriages to advance out of towne to free the mutiners of all suspition onely commanded some trusty souldiers to welcome the Heads of them and under colour of complement to goe along with them to their lodging by which meanes they were all apprehended and fettered that night and in the morning caused all the rest to be summoned to appeare before his Tribunal
whole Kingdome And this is the originall secondary cause of our state divisions from whence arose that unparalelled generall division and Antipathie of affections afore spoken of But these state divisions are not them that I purpose to speak of but only of those that raign and are fomented in the Religious partie and in all members of it of what degree soever And this proceeds specially from diversity of opinions in matter of Religion as I have said already in another place which is a greater signe that the wrath of God is greatly inflamed against us for it is against the course of nature against the Lawes of Nations and against the Principles of Religion That those that protest to fight for the true reformed Religion The Priviledges of Parliament The Lawes of the land And the Libertie of the Subjects should endeavour as much as it is possible for them to ruinate all these things at a blow by their daily contentions grounded many times upon punctilloes of vanity which they term honour But it is a vain and a carnall one and not a reall or Spirituall for the true and spirituall Honour is to be lowly and humble in our own eyes for the more we are such the more honourable we are before God and religious men Moreover every time we contend and hinder the Cause by our contentions everytime we breake our vowes and the solemne Covenant we have made lately before our God But to restraine or appease if it be possible these generall Contentions I will prove by Instances what danger there is to foment them first between particulars and families Secondly between Common-weales and lastly between Kingdomes and Empires 1. The envie and contention that Satan fomented betweene Cain and a Abel and between Romulus and b Remus was the cause the two elder brethren murdred their two younger brethren 2. The envie murmures and contentions fomented by Satan in the hearts of the sonnes of Laban was the cause that Iacob departed from c Laban and returned discontented to Canaan with all his substance 3. The spirit of division and contention that Satan infused by the permission of God betweene Abimelech and the men of Shechem because of the murder of the threescore and ten sons of d Zerubbabel was the cause of Abimelechs shamefull end and of the utter destruction of the men of Shechem 4. The contentions that were fomented in Carthage between Amilicar and e Hano and their families was the cause of the desolation and ruine of their Common-weales 5. The contentions that grew from a triviall occasion and fomented by the envie and ambition that raigned in f Marius and Sylla filled the City of Rome and all Italy with murders and bloud 6. The contentions fomented between Pompeius and g Caesar by their ambition and pride inflamed the fire of a cruell Civill warre in Europa Asia and Affrica 7. The contentions increased by favourites and factious Courtiers between h Augustus Caesar and Marcus Antonius divided the world into two parties and filled the same with miseries and desolations 8. The contentions and divisions that were fomented between the i Emperours of Constantinople and their adjacent neighbours the Christian Princes was the cause of the losse of the East parts of the world and that the two Empires of Trebisonde and of Constantinople were reduced to the eternall dishonour of all Christendome under the insulting yoke of the Barbarous Turkes 9. The contentions fomented betweene the House of Austria and the Houses of Valois and k Bourbon have been and are still the cause of great effusion of Christian bloud and for no other cause but for the Precedencie and an ambitious desire of Superiority 10. The ambitious contentions of the Houses of l Orleance and of Bourgundy were the cause of the murder of two Dukes and of the death of many thousand men 11. The contentions fomented between the Houses of m Lancaster and York were the cause of the death of the greater part of the English Nobility and of the desolation of many Counties of this Kingdome 12. The contention fomented in Fance by the Spanish faction between the Royalist and the Catholike n League and of late yeares in Germany have been the cause of the death of divers millions of Christians whose lives might have been better imployed to destroy the enemies of Christendome But because the emulations contentions and the Antipathy of affections betweene Commanders in Chiefe are very dangerous I will shew here by instances that other Nations have to their cost as well as we found that it is perillous and destructive to a state to employ two Commanders in Chiefe in one and the same designe or Service if there be an Antipathy of affections between them 1. The emulation and contention that was naturally between o Appius Claudius and Lucius Volumnius Generals of the Romanes had like to have overthrowne their Common-weale if it had not been suddenly prevented by the Senate 2. The emulation and contention that grew between Fabius Maximus Generall and p Munitius the Master of his Horse had beene fatall to the Romanes if Fabius for the good and love of his Countrey had not with admirable humility and meeknesse endured the affronts of Munitius and relieved him in his eminent danger rather then let him perish to vindicate himselfe 3. The emulation and contention that was fomenced by some factious men betweene the two French Generals sent into Italy by Lewis the twelfth the Lord q Aubigni and the Lord Trivulce had been the cause of the losse of all Lombardia for what the one built with one hand the other flung downe with another If that wise King hearing of it had not presently sent them as far distant one from another as Picardy is distant from Lombardia The Antipathie of affections and the contentions that had been fomented formerly between the r Admirall de Villars and the Duke of Boullion when he first sided with the League and the other with the Royalists But being at that time all reconciled and united under the Service of Henry the fourth King of France They were with equall Authority and Power sent by the King to besiege Douclance and to over-runne and waste the Countie of Artois the Spaniards dominion but meeting a strong Army of the enemies they came to a fight wherein the Admirall furiously and valiantly ingaged himself so deep with a Regiment of horse in the midst of the Battalia of the enemies hoping it seemes to be as well seconded by the Duke that he was slaine and the greater part of this Regiment His death and want of reliefe being imputed to proceed from the sparkes of the fire of the former division of affections that were not utterly quenched in the brest of the Duke And so for a private vindication a great part of the French Army was routed and the siege of Dourlance retarded Many other Instances
this perseverance You acknowledge will they say in your last Chapter that our Civill warre is the greatest evill and the most dreadfull judgement of God that could fall upon this nation And notwithstanding you perswade us to persevere in it and complaine that the want of our perseverance in it is the cause of the spinning out of this war which seemes a paradox to us because we conceive the lesse we persevere in it the sooner we shall have an end of it I answer that I do not perswade any to persevere in this war to the end to prolong the same but to endeavour by a constant Perseverance in Armes to obtaine by Gods favour a blessed peace from which we are deprived yeare after yeare by our want of perseverance in Military actions as it shall be proved in this Chapter Neither doe I complaine onely that it is the cause of the spinning out of our miseries But do also wish that my head were full of d water and mine eyes a fountain of teares that I might weep day and night for the desolations that this unnaturall war and this want hath brought already upon this Nation The which to redresse if it be possible I will endeavour to prove that a constant perseverance in all professions is the way to attain to honour in this life to peace in this world and to eternall blisse in the life to come If a tradesman be indued with this gift of a constant perseverance in his trade he will excell all others in excellencie of worke If a merchant be indued with this gift he will excell all other merchants in wealth and commerce if a student be indued with this gift he will excell his fellowes and will attaine to great promotion before them If a Statesman be indued with this gift he will excell in Policy and reasons of State all his fellow Councellours If a simple Christian be indued with this gift of a constant perseverance in the wayes of Righteousnesse he will excell the learned Doctors in the power of Godlinesse and dive deeper in the Mysterie of our Salvation and in the Resolutions of difficult cases of Conscience then they shall If a Commander in Chiefe be indued with this gift above others he will excell all other Commanders of that age in Martiall exploits As it shall appeare by these great Commanders hereafter expressed because they persevered in Arms from their youth to the end of their lives Publius e Scipio rescued his father in a battell out of the enemies hand at fifteen yeares of age and at five and twenty he was Generall in Chiefe for the Romanes in Spaine and in Affrica f Hannibal was sent from Carthage into Spaine to be trained up in Armes under Asdrubal Generall of the Carthaginians at nine yeares of age g Pompeius the great appeased a mutiny in his fathers Camp at fifteen yeares of age and triumphed at Europe Asia and Affrica before he was thirty yeares of age Alexander the h great conquered the greater part of the world before he was three and thirty yeares of age i Caesar was a Commander in Chief at two and twenty yeares of age and for his active and constant Perseverance in Armes he excelled all the Commanders that ever were to this day k Henry the fourth King of France was sent to the Protestant Army at eighteen years of age and was their Commander in Chiefe at two and twenty Gustavus the last King of Sweden was trained up in Armes very young under his father and persevered constantly in Military exploits in Polonia Lituania Prussia and in Germany till he was slaine in the second battell of Lipsick And so all these admirable Commanders crowned their heads with Military Trophees by a constant perseverance in Armes But these following perished or blemished their reputation by their discontinuance in Military exploits m Marcus Antonius the competitor of Augustus Caesar in the Empire for want of this constant perseverance in Armes was surprised by the activitie of Augustus his Army defeated and he himselfe inforced to fly to Alexandria where he slew himselfe The Noble Prince of Transilvania n Sigismundus Battor that was in his youth the Bulwarke of Christendome against the Turkish Invasions and had defeated in open field Sinan Bassa the Grand Visier of the Ottoman Emperour for want of this constant Perseverance in Armes made over his Principality of Transilvania for a petty Countie in Slesia and a yearly revenew to the Emperour Rodolphus to the great blemish of his former reputation and to the incredible losse of Christendome o Henry the third King of France by his discontinuance in Armes lost the honour he had obtained in his youth in Military exploits and was inforced to give over the managing of his Army to the Duke of Guise and to some others of his Abbettors of the House of Lorraine whereby he came to be so despised of his Nobility and of his meanest Subjects that they grew so impious as to plot and combine in his own court the Catholique League that endeavoured to dis-throne this indulgent King but their plot being prevented by the death of the Duke of Guise they caused him to be perfidiously murdred by a Jacobin Friar The victorious Army of p Hannibal was utterly overthrowne for want of Perseverance in Armes for in stead to keepe the same in their Winter Camp as his use was he lodged them in the lascivious City of Capua whereby they became so effeminate that they lost by it their former valour and could never be reduced againe to their austere Military Discipline And for this reason did q Marius and divers other wise Commanders of the Romans keepe their Armies in their Winter Camps farre from any Citie or Market Townes that they might exercise their souldiers in the austere labours of war and rather then they should be idle for idlenesse breeds licentiousnesse they kept them at work in digging deep channels to come out of one River into another to inrich the Countrey by Navigation This point deserves to be taken into consideration by them in Authoritie that the Winter quarter of our Army may be placed upon the enemies Counties and as far distant from the City of London as may be for it is the bane of our Officers and souldiers because they grow licentious and effeminate by their swilling and drinking in the City all the Winter time whereas if they lay constantly in their Winter quarter farre from the City and in the enemies Counties they would be constrained to be in action and this would inable them in the perseverance of the austere labours of war and greatly preserve our Counties that are now wasted by our owne Armies and by degrees would reduce the enemies to that smallor circumference of ground of which I have spokē of before Now we may conceive by all these Instances how necessary it is for us to obtaine this constant perseverance in
Armes that hath three degrees 1. The slow 2. The swift 3. The moderate and constant The slow is irksome and of no performance the swift is fiery dangerous and of no continuance but the moderate and constant carries the Bell away and this is the degree of Perseverance that we should endeavour to attaine because the want of it is the cause of the spinning out of this unnaturall war but it is altogether unknowne to us but the slow and the swift are too familiar with us The slow is seen in our tedious marches and preparations and the swift appeares in our fights and skirmishes that are fierce and fiery but of no greater continuance then the fire of thornes under a Pot. r Sertorius a wise Commander of the Romanes that was constrained to fly into Spain to avoid the tyrannicall proceedings of Sylla to induce his Army that was composed of raw souldiers to this constant and moderate perseverance in war I speake of caused a strong and a weak horse to be brought before them and commanded one of his strongest souldiers to endeavour to pull off the weakest horse taile at a pull but being derided by the Army for his vaine attempt Sertorius charged a young youth to pull haire by haire the taile off the strong horse and so by degrees pulled the same quite away in a short time whereupon Sertorius spake thus to his Army If you persevere constantly in your Military attempts it will be as impossible for the Romanes to overcome you as it was for this strong souldier to pull off this weake horse taile at a Pull but if you fight by fits and then lye still as your Method is It will be as easie for the Romanes by their constant perseverance in Armes to reduce you under their yoke as it was for this youth to pull away by degrees this strong horses taile This Metaphor cannot be applied in a more seasonable time then this for our warre may properly be compared to barley-breake players for after they have by their swift running brought in some of their opposites that were issued out of their Centry they breathe and rest themselves for halfe an houre together and so goe to it againe Even so if we have obtained by Gods favour some victory we breath and rest our selves so long till our enemies have recruited their routed Armies stronger then ever they were before The Lord was pleased to fight for us at Keinton at Newbery and neare to Winchester but for want of this constant perseverance in war I speake of we made no use at all of these three victories And yet such goodly Trees according to the rules of war should not come without fruits I meane without the reducing of some Counties or strong holds of the enemies our Commanders can by Gods favour overcome their enemies as well as Hannibal but we lack a * Maharbell a Master of their horse to tell them they can make no use of their victories And as it is with our Armies so is it with the forces of our Garrison townes in the greater parts of our Counties for if they have by Gods blessing defeated the Forces of one of the enemies garrisons and greatly weakned the same in stead to make use of their victory and suddenly according as the rules of war doe require to besiege and to begirt with strong trenches that towne and to endeavour by storming and violent assaults to carry it away while the defendants are amazed and weakly manned because of their last blow They retreat homeward breathe and rest themselves for three months together and then they will endeavour to have another bout Or will it may be undertake to besiege that towne when there is no probability to take the same because it is better provided then ever it was and so are inforced to come off with the same reputation as the besiegers of Basing and Banbury have done Surely this is not the way to conduce this war to a speedy and a blessed period but rather to spinne out the same untill the Kingdome be consumed It must be upon a constant perseverance in Armes that we must relye upon for to obtain a blessed peace it is not thirty threescore or an hundred or two hundred horse taken in this or that skirmish that will give an issue to these warres that is as a little oyle cast into the fireto inflame it the more The Counties are to be freed of these garrisons and all the fire of this war is to be driven into a small circumference of ground by potent Armies that it may be the sooner quenched and our advantages in war are to be followed close at the heeles for it is more dangerous for souldiers to play with the advantages of war then it is for children to play with sharpe edged tooles s Hannibal lost himself and his Common-weale by this kinde of play and Monsteur de t Lautrec and a great part of the French Nobility came to a miserable end by it in the Kingdome of Naples and many other more And therefore the ancient Romans held it for a speciall honour if they were speedy in their expeditions of war and Titus u Livius in his Decades doth purposely record the names of divers Dictators that delivered their Countrie in sixteen twenty and thirty dayes of perillous war that would require so many yeares in these spinning times of ours for their greater glory And since it is the end of the work that crownes the head of the workman and that the triumph could not be obtained by the ancient Roman Generals before the war they undertook was ended by armes or by a firme peace I doe therefore wonder that our Commanders in Chiefe doe not endeavour to attaine to this honour to be called after God the deliverers of their Countrie And specially since they fight for the advancement of Gods glory his sacred Majesties just prerogatives the Priviledges of Parliament and their own liberties x Solon being demanded by Croesus King of Lydia which of all the Citizens of Athens had in his opinion lived and died most happily he named a Citizen of Athens that had lived vertuously and died valiantly fighting in a battell for the defence of the liberty of his Countrey Now if this heathen did repute him happy that lived and died thus our Commanders Officers and Souldiers have better grounds to be perswaded that they shall be eternally blessed if they live religiously and die valiantly in the defence of the cause they have in hand And this assurance should in my opinion be a great motive to induce them to expedite this war and to conjoyn with their constant perseverance in armes the spirituall perseverance that I now come to speake of for the first will not availe without the second that is of a higher nature and of greater concernment then the Civill Politicke and Military as much as the Salvation of mens soules is more precious and more excellent
growne more opulent in wealth then all other Nations in Christendome This may seeme a paradox to some yet it is most certain for although the French are extraordinarily burdened with taxes yet because the Countrie men are freed from plundering and pillaging and their cattell and corne secured and trades men set at worke and the commerce of all manner of Commodities in request to furnish the great Armies they entertaine upon the enemies frontiers the money of their contributions remaineth in the Kingdome as it goes out of one hand for taxes and contributions so it comes in on the other for the great utterance they have of all their Commodities But alas it is cleane contrary in this Civill and Unnaturall Warre of ours for the trading and commerce is utterly decaid in the City and in all the Boroughs and Market Townes of the Kingdome most of the Countrey people are plundered of their moneys goods and cattell the Gentlemen have their grounds cast up upon their hands although they pay all charges and abate halfe their rent and no redresse to be had and the Sequestrations of the one side or the other bring them to penury and disable them be they never so willing to contribute any longer to this warre by which meanes this Kingdome is likely to fall into an incurable consumption because of three pernicious qualities besides the miseries above-said that pertaine to her alone and not to other Civill warres 1. It is of a consuming nature 2. It is accompanied with an unparalelled infidelity 3. It is of an unknowne Method I. For her consuming nature it may justly be compared to the Hectick Feaver that consumes not onely the flesh of all the members of the body but also by degrees the vitall spirits the radicall humours and the very marrow in the bones of her patients untill she hath brought them to their grave more like an Anatomy then a Corps Or like unto a fire kindled in a house seated in one of the corners of a long street the flames of which fire being driven by a violent wind along that row of houses doth at last consume the whole street for want of pulling down speedily three or foure houses next to that house that was first of all set on fire to stop the flames of it to proceed any further Even so the flames of the fire of this unnaturall warre that brake forth in the North was driven by the violent winds of jealousie and discontent into the North West and then to the South West and at last to the furthest part of the West and so by degrees hath consumed already three parts of the Kingdome and left in the other part but a small degree of vitall spirits for want of pulling down three or foure houses to stop the flame of it from going any further I meane for want of such Counsell as was given to g Charles the seventh King of France by his wise Counsellours that he should give over to quench the fire of the Civill contentions fomented between the Houses of Orleance and Burgundy that had almost consumed his Kingdome into the hands of Justice at the request of Philip Duke of Burgundy some of his Favourites that had their hands in the murder of his father to which Counsell he condescended unto although this murder had been committed with his assent whereby such a firme reconciliation was procured between these two Houses that it fell out to be the secondary Cause of the restoring of that desolated Kingdome into its former flourishing Estate Or for want after the Noble Ambassage and the humble Petitions of the Honourable Houses had been rejected to have sent speedily a thousand horse in the North untill a strong Army had been sent to stop the flames of this fire to goe beyond the River of Trent But by our accustomed delayes and the small forces that were sent to Woster the fire of this Unnaturall Warre hath spread it selfe as it is to be seen at this present day and is like to spread further and to consume the rest if God in his Mercy prevent it not and induce the Honourable Houses to change the Method of this lingring and destructive Warre II. For the unparallelled infidelity of some of the Agents of one of the partiés all the Civill warres of the ancient Greeks and Romanes or of the moderne intestine warres of the French and the Germane Nation cannot produce so much infidelity and apostacy as may be collected out of these three yeares warre For where they sided at the first they remained constant to the last in that party and never deserted the same untill an Accommodation was procured Nay divers of them have sealed their constancie with their h death rather then to accept of their liberty upon condition to serve against their party But divers of ours that make show to fight for Religion more then for pay betray the trust reposed in them and doe us more mischiefe then any of the contrary party And it is no wonder for Christian Runagadoes are more cruell to Christians then the naturall Turks and the Protestant Apostates are greater enemies to the godly then the professed Papists and the hypocriticall Saints are more violent against the true Power of Godlinesse then the Prince of darknesse The cause of this infidelity may proceed 1. From the toleration of divers religions for men that are not well grounded in the true Principles of Religion are never cautious of their wayes and will betray their own fathers for money 2. From the great Clemencie of the Honourable Houses for if the perfidious Synons of the North had been severely punished so many Iudasses would not have been found in the West to procure that blow that we have received there lately Clemencie is an Heroicall vertue but infidelitie is incapable of it because it is so pernicious a seed that except it be pulled up by the root it will over-grow the garden of the Common-weale 3. From the partiall election of our politick and Military Officers that are for the greater part preferred by favour and not for their sincerity in Religion or for their integrity and wisdome in politick or Civill affaires nor for their valour or experience in Martiall exploits but for feare to displease or to please some in Authoritie and that is the reason why we have so many weake Committees in the City and in our Counties and so many unexpert Commanders and Officers in our Armies that dare not look the enemies in the face nor know not how to leade a Troope of horse to a charge nor set a Company of foot in a posture of defence And these are they that out of timiditie inconstancie and for want of experience in warlike affaires spinne out this unnaturall Warre by surrendring of places of great concernement that will prove deare favours unto us The remedy of this is to punish severely the Synons of these dayes and to imitate in our elections the method and
proofe and are to march within two yards of the Musquetteers as it is here prickt downe Now these three reserves are to march within three yards one of another that if the first give ground the second may succeed and so the third but if it get ground they are to presse on Now the nineteene Musquetteers of every reserve having fired their Musquets are to wheele about to shelter themselves behinde the Pikemen for to charge their Musquets againe And the Pike-men are to advance in their place to second the f Rondachiers and to make good the breach untill the other reserve comes up to the breach if in case the Rondachiers were tired or some of them wounded Now on both sides of the breach there are fresh Regiments or Companies of Musquetteers to be placed for to second these reserves in case they loose ground or to enter furiously the breach if the enemies loose it for it is continuance and constancy that carries it away in assaults for the besiegers being foure to one will by continuance tire the defendants as it came to passe at the siege of Malte In a word if our breaches were made so broad and our men so well armed and this order observed I make no question but our men would go on like Lions but when they are to enter into Coney-holes in stead of breaches and have no armour of proofe to withstand the Musquet shot and the Pikes of the Defendants it is no marvell if they turne their backes and come off with dishonour now if there be two breaches or more made by Mines or by the storming of the Canon they are all to be entered at one instant for the greater diversion of the enemies forces and besides these breaches it is wisedome to have two hundred Ladders ready and commandement to be made they should be placed as farre distant from the breaches as they can that fresh souldiers may get up upon the rampier and so wheele about to fall upon the backes of the enemies while they defend the breaches for by this stratageme Scipio tooke the strong City of new g Carthage in one day notwithstanding it had a garrison of eight thousand men within it Now I returne to the seventh difference of our Method of warre 7. In our stratagemes of warre The stratagemes of warre increase according to the acute ingenuity of Commanders and are very usefull to reduce strong holds or to preserve an Army if it be over-powred or brought in narrow wayes or in necessity of Provisions Now of all the ancient Commanders Caesar Hannibal have exceeded all others in stratagemes of war 1. Caesar being constrained by a storme at Sea to land near to a garrison Towne of the enemies called h Adrumet seated upon the coast of Affrica with onely three hundred horse and three thousand foot used such admirable stratagemes of warre that he defended himselfe so valiantly against the potent Army of Juba of Scipio and of Labiennus that they could not force him in his Camp nor streighten him frō provisions but he continued there three moneths untill new supplies came to him from Sicilia and then he took the field and by stratagemes more then by valour defeated them although their Armies exceeded his foure for one 2. Hannibal being in Italy was led by the ignorance or the infidelity of his guides into a valley incompassed with high mountaines where he was presently invironed by Fabius i Maximus Army And there he had perished with his Army if he had not found out this stratageme of war to free himselfe He caused some dry Bavins of shreds of Vines to be fastned between the hornes of two thousand oxen that he led along with him for the provision of his Army and at the beginning of the night commanded his souldiers to set them all at an instant on fire and to drive the said oxen with violence up the narrow passages of the mountaines at which strange sight the Romanes that guarded them were so amazed that they all run away for feare and so opened a passage for him and his Army to passe without impediment 3. k Henry the fifth King of England being incompassed by an Army of the French near to Agincourt exceeding his Army foure for one commanded his souldiers to dig in the night great and deepe trenches round about his Camp and to stick in them long pointed stakes and then to fill them againe up as lightly as they could with the loose earth by which stratageme the French Army was utterly defeated for the French horse coming in the morning furiously to fall upon the English Camp they fell upō one anothers backs in these hallow grounded trenches where the English Archers slew them at their pleasure 4. Charles the eighth King of France at his returne from the Conquest of the Kingdome of Naples was incompassed by an Army of all the confederated Princes of Italy exceeding in number his Army three for one as he came downe the Mountaines of the Alpelins neare to l Farnone where he had perished and all his Army for want of provisions if he had not by a stratageme freed himselfe from the strait he was in by commanding over night that all his Ordnance carriages and baggage should be placed at the breake of day in the midst of his foot and that his horse should equally be divided into two Brigades the one for the Van and the other for the reare and himselfe riding in the front of his Van charged the enemies so furiously that he broke thorow their Army slew divers thousands of them and opened a passage for himselfe and all his Army to returne into France without impediment Now had we not beene so barren in stratagemes of war as we are our Army in Cornwall had as well as these come out of their straits with honour and reputation for it was inferiour to all these But as I have said heretofore It was Gods pleasure it should be so to humble us by that blow 2. Strong holds that would require long sieges may be reduced by a stratageme of warre in an houres time m Montluc having intelligence by his Scouts that the Governour of a strong Castle seated upon the lake of Canstance did usually goe to recreate himselfe at a farme house of his within two miles of his Castle placed an ambush to intrap him that tooke him and brought him before his Castle gate and by threatning to strike off his head from his shoulders the Castle was yeelded and surrendred up A good memorandum for some of our Governours that goe a hunting with five or six horse and indanger themselves and their garrison to be surprized by the enemies 2. The Governour of Dorlance took the strong City of Amiens with this stratageme he laid an Ambush in the night time within halfe a mile of the City of two thousand foot and of a thousand horse and sent sixe Waggons laden with Hay under
which Hay were six armed souldiers in every one of the Waggons and upon the last Waggons two souldiers disguised like countrey-men having some baskets full of Wall-Nuts and commanded them they should not come to the City before the opening of the gates where being come the Souldiers of the Court of Guard knowing some of the Carters by sight suffered the Waggons to enter without driving a Pike as the rules of War require thorow the midst of their Loads of Hay and the last Waggon staid still in the midst of the gate to hinder that the Percullis might not be let downe faining something was amisse at his n Waggon and then the disguised souldiers let willingly one of their baskets of Wal-Nuts fall down whereupon all the souldiers of the Court of Guard forsooke their Armes and ranne to the gate to scramble for these Nuts But in the meane time the armed souldiers of the enemies leapt out of the Waggons and slew them all secured the gate and did let in their Ambush and so possessed themselves of the City before the Governour could gather Forces to oppose them 3. The strong garrison Towne of Breda was taken also by the stratageme of a small Ship laden with Turffes under which were hidden a Commander and twenty armed Souldiers and this o Ship being suffered to enter the Towne after it had been carelesly searched The Commander and his souldiers tooke their opportunity in the dead time of the night to fall upon a Court of Guard next to the gate where their land Ambush was laid and slew all the souldiers of it secured the gate and let in their Ambush that possessed themselves of the Towne 4. For to prove the antiquity of the Stratagemes of War it is recorded that p Ai and q Gibeah two strong Cities of the Amorites were surprized by ambushes that were laid in a hallow attending when the enemies should come forth for to enter and set them on fire and to fall upon the backs of the Inhabitants of them whereby they were utterly destroyed And hereupon I conclude that our barrennesse in stratagemes of warre is one of the causes of the spinning out of this Unnaturall Warre For many of the enemies garrisons might be taken with small charges if the Governours of ours were as active and as much experienced in stratagemes of warre as other nations are 8. In the true Maximes of warre As it is impossible for a Christian that is not instructed in the true Principles of Religion to receive any consolation at all of his Progresse in Christianity because the further he goes on upon erroneous Principles the lesse are his comforts Even so according to humane Reason there is small hope for us to see a speedy and a blessed issue of this warre since we observe not the true Maximes of warre and specially these two following 1. It is dangerous for Generals of Armies to divide their forces in small parties as it shall appeare by instances 1. r Petus Generall of the Emperour Nero was defeated in Armenia because he had dispersed his Army in severall parties 2. s Cicinna Generall of the Emperour Vitelius was routed by the Othonnians because he had divided his Army into small parties and did not march all in one body 3. t Valans another Generall of the Emperour Vitellius was routed and his Army defeated by Antonius Primus Generall of the Emperour Vespasianus because he had divided his Army into small Brigades 4. u Lucius Apronius was defeated and his Army utterly routed by the Frizelanders because he did not set upon them with his whole Army but by intermission with small parties 5. The French Army that was sent in the yeare 1497. to recover Genua was defeated saith Guichardin because the French Generall had divided his Army and marched in three bodies 6. Monsieur de la Noüe in his Annotations upon the same passage of Guichardin saith that an Army divided into small Brigades except they be in sight one of another is like to a river that is divided into divers channels that is fordable anywhere Even so an Army that marcheth not in a full body is easily routed and defeated for as it was impossible for y Cyrus to take the City of Babylon before he had divided the great river of Euphrates into divers small channels so is it almost impossible for to defeat a potent army if it march close in one body because it is like a roaring flood that drives all before it But small forces cannot performe any considerable service because of their imbecility and doe rather consume the Counties where they are then free them from the oppression of their enemies For Instance if we consider what the weak the divided and the independant Forces of the Counties of North-hampton Warwicke Darby Nottingham Rutland and Leicester have done since the beginning of this warre we shall finde they have onely wasted themselves upon a defensive posture and have not hitherto freed their Counties of any of the enemies garrisons that like so many leeches suck their bloud and will consume them by degrees like a lingering fire that consumes a blocke of Timber Except it pleaseth God to infuse into the hearts of the Honourable Houses to reduce all their forces into two potent Armies the one for to endeavour to drive the flames of the fire of this unnaturall war in as small a circumference of ground as may be for the smaller it shall be the easier it will be quenched and the sooner shall a blessed peace be obtained And the other to endeavour to cleare all the Counties one after another of the enemies garrisons for they are the fomenters of this war and the virulent humour of our Hectick feaver because they revive the fire of discord every where and recruite suddenly the dispersed Armies of the enemie Now the blessed fruits that the conjunction of three Armies into one hath produced this Summer should in my opinion induce the Honourable Houses to change this destructive Method of warre to embrace this I speake of for according to huumane reason the rules of war and our late experience it is like to prove more successefull because we see that the dividing of our Army this yeare into two bodies hath annihilated this Summers worke whereas if it had kept it selfe in one body it had in all probability freed the City from the fear of the South-west garrisons of the enemies and driven the flames of the fire of this unnaturall war into the Westerne parts And so by the omission of this Maxime of war the z harvest is past and the Summer is ended and yet we are not saved c. Now I come to the second that is of greater concernment then the first viz. That peace is the end of war and that no war can have a blessed end except the principall end of it tend to peace And that the fittest season for a state to tender propositions of