to escape and hath deuised a kind of proscription by which he offereth wages and rewards to such as will kill or empoison princes or others whom he maligneth and proscribeth without iustice the discipline of warre cannot be maintained neither hath the valiant reward without it nor the coward punishment Therefore had the Romans especial regard of iustice And iustice had in their camps a speciall b That place was called Principia Ius dicebat in principiis Liu. 28. place where it was administred Little needeth it that I declare how necessary liberalitie is in warres that both in peace and at all times hath such efficacie to attract mens fauours The souldiers dare aduenture any thing where there is large reward c Magni animi magnis honoribus fiunt Liu. 4. Nothing doth more stirre vp valiant minds then great honors d Eo impenditur labor periculuÌ„ vnde emolumentum honos speratur Liu. 4. Euery man bestoweth labor where he looketh for profit and reward Therefore had the Romanes most valiant souldiers for that they were most liberall in their rewardes Among them as their Generall Decius said the highest places and e Non generis sed virtutis est praemium Liu. 7. honors were giuen to valiant men for their vertue and prowesse not to cowards for their nobilitie or gentry They f Militem iis artibus fecerat periculi laboris auidum viz. By liberalitie Liu. 9. by their liberalitie made their souldiers forward in labour and danger The Captains of the Romanes although poore themselues yet enriched their souldiers Publicola Valerius and Menenius Agrippa were in their time great coÌ„manders yet did they not leaue behind them so much as to discharge their funerals But they enriched the state and left behind them a fame of vertue that will neuer decay Caesar g Caes bel ciu 3. with his great liberality had his souldiers so obsequent that in those ciuill warres which he had against Pompey and others few or none could be allured by any promises to forsake him whereas infinite of the enemies did daily reuolt and flie vnto him The Turks in warres are most venturous for that they know they shall haue great recompense for well doing He that first mounted the walles of Constantinople was afterward made Bascha And Ochiali of a poore mariner for his valiant seruice was made Admirall of the Turkes nauy and one of his counsell The hope that the Spaniards haue of their increase of pay which they call Ventaias and of preferment to higher places doth much encourage them to aduenture And what is the reason that so few doe hazard themselues in these dayes but this that the reward of hurts and long seruice is for the most part disgrace and beggarie the Generall hath no means to reward the valiant pillers and spoilers waxe rich and purchase valiant souldiers die naked and are vsed as abiects If a pot of golde were offered vnto them they would not refuse it as did a Cic. offic 1. Fabritius the Romane captaine but some would rather sell their father their countrey yea and soule rather then forgo it Nothing is more hurtefull to the proceedings of warres then miserable niggardise Although a captaine were endued with all other vertues yet this one fault would either suppresse them or disgrace them They woulde but b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thucid 2. serue him to make all things more saleable as said Pericles c Praeceps Annibalis in auaritiam animus ad spolianda inclinans quae non poterat tueri foedum consilium dedit cum inceptu tum exitu Liu. 26. Annibal for that through couetousnes he fell to spoile his associats did alienate al their good willes Perseus the king of Macedonia sparing of his mony d Liu. 44. lost himselfe and his kingdome where if he would haue beene at any charge he might haue had the ayde of thirtie thousand Gaules most valiant men to serue him against the Romanes e Phi. Commin 5 Frederike the emperour the last of that name was of euery one contemned and abused for that they knew that he would rather incurre any disgrace then spend any mony f Constat potuisse conciliari animos militum quantulacunque parci senis liberalitate Tacit. lib. Hist 17. Galba the emperour might haue reteined the good wil of his souldiers with any small cost or expense bestowed vpon them but it was a death to him to spend mony Therefore was he forsaken of his souldiers and slaine of his enemy While men either haue not mony or will not spend it vpon necessary prouision before hand captaines want souldies souldiers want armes victuals munitions of warre and all things necessary Nay they want will and courage For what courage can men haue when there is no hope of rewarde By this g Auaritia fidem probitatem ceterasque bonas artes subuertit pro his superbiam crudelitatem does negligere omnia venalia habere docuit Salust coniur Cat. meanes all military discipline is disordered souldiers famished forward men impouerished the honor of military profession stained and vnworthy persons and greedy gulles that lie fatting and purchasing at home enriched with the spoiles of their countrey This was the first occasion of the ruine of Rome that all thinges were there set to sale it was the ouerthrow of the state of the h Largitionis praedaeque dulcedine priuati coÌ„modi sensus malorum publicoruÌ„ adimebatur Liu. 1. de Gabiis Gabians and I feare will be the bane of England if it be lawfull here also to do as others did without controlment The Generall would likewise be courteous clement and gentle Nothing doth more please the common souldier This was a special commendation of Charles the fift but borrowed from antiquity Caesar a Cic. pro Marcel among other his vertues had this commendation singular of affability and courtesie to his souldiers of clemency to ward his enemies b Veste habituque vix a gregario miliâ—e discrepans Tacit. 18. Vespasian by this meanes obtained the fauor of his souldiers and Titus c Tacit. 21. his sonne was their speciall delite d Germanicus circumire saucios vulnera intuens alium spe asium gloria cunctos alloquio cura sibique praelio â—irmabat Tacit annal 1. Germanicus with his care for his souldiers and his courteous speech bound them to loue him The sauage mindes of mutins are e Obsequio mitigantur animi Liu. oftentimes mitigated with faire wordes when no rigour could otherwise tame or pacifie them Contrariwise nothing doth more hurt sometimes then the vntimely rigour and austerity of the Generall Charles Duke of Burgundy in his latter time grew so austere and peremptory that no man durst councell him any thing or contrary him The same as Philip f Phil. Com. li. 7. Commines testifieth was his vtter ruine g Liu. 4. Posthumius for his rigour was stoned to
enemie wholly vanquished a Turbasset vtique nouissimum agmen Liu. 22. Annibal pursuing the Romanes after his victorie at Trebia had sure ouertaken them and disordered their rierward had not the Numidian horsemen turned aside to spoyle the campe of the Romanes And in the time of the Emperours of Rome the Germanes had giuen the b Obstitit vincentibus prauum inter ipsos certamen hoste omisso spolia consectandi Tacit. 20. Romanes a mightie ouerthrowe if leauing them they had not contended among themselues who shoulde first goe to spoyle But howe so euer it was in auncient time the disorder of souldiers in this point is such that with no lawes nor penalties they canne bee kept from following the spoyle which oftentimes maketh them a spoyle to their enemies The French at Guingast had put the Dutch to flight and were almost in possession of the victorie but while they ranne after the spoyle the enemie rallied himselfe and charging them afresh did extorce the victorie out of their handes and put them to flight At c Guicciar li. 2. Taro the Italians had foyled the French returning out of the kingdome of Naples but that in the beginning of the victorie they fell to spoyle the baggage which was the cause of their owne spoyle and ruine The same was the cause of the escape of the d Guicciar lib. 8. French and losse of the Venetians at Treui Gaston de fois at the taking of Brescia made proclamation that vpon paine of death no man shoulde fall to spoyle before licence giuen yet coulde hee not keepe his souldiers fingers in temper The more dangerous effectes doe ensue of this disorder the greater care ought the Generall to haue to preuent it CHAP. XII Part. 2. Wherein the vse of horsemen pikes halberdes and other such weapons also of targets small shotte archers and great ordonance is declared THat which before I promised concerning the vse of horsemen and diuers weapons that is nowe to be performed A matter of great importance and aduantage if it be well considered and therefore not to be omitted You that knowe the traine of armes yeelde here the testimonie of your experience to this discourse and if you heare any cauill against it yet let not such as neuer marched further then out of the kitchin or from the dresser into the hall or parlour censure that which they vnderstand not Horsemen among the Romanes were al of one sort barded horses with men all armed mounted on them they vsed not If they vsed any archers on horsebacke they were beholding to other natiōs for them Nowe vse of late times hath brought in diuers sortes of them which according to their armes and furniture haue diuers names Some horse are barded others without bardes The Frenchmen of armes in time past vsed barded horses for feare of our arrowes Nowe since archerie is not so much reckoned of and bardes are but a weake defence against shotte lanciers leauing their bardes are armed much like to the Albanian stradiots Vpon the borders betwixt vs and the Scots horsemen haue staues for the purpose and for their armes iackes of male The Dutch Reitres although well armed for the most part yet seldome vse lances or staues or other weapon then pistoles and mazes at their saddle bowe Beside these there is an other sort of horsemen lately come in vse We call them carbines pedrinals or argoletiers which vse firelocke peeces on horsebacke and are cōmonly armed to the proofe of their piece Horsemen in warres are most necessary in diuers respects With them we range and spoile the enemies countrey with them we fetch in victuals for our selues with them we discouer the enemies proceedings with them we bridle his courses and stop his forragers with them we both helpe to foyle him in open fielde and pursue him flying from vs. a Caes bel gal 7. Caesar by the enemies horse alwayes coasting him and ready to charge his forragers was driuen to great extremitie for want of victuals In b Hirt. de bel Afric Afrike likewise being a plaine countrey he suffered many algaradaes by the enemies horsemen often charging him and cutting off his victuals If Pompey had not rashly aduentured to fight with Caesar by his horsemen wherein he farre passed him he had famished his armie The Greekes in their returne frō their voyage with Cyrus by experience learned what incommodities followe them that march without horse in the enemies countrey And this is the vse of horsemen out of fight to witte to cut off the enemie from victuals to keepe him short to discouer his proceedings to cut off straglers and to fetche in victuals and prouision for our owne armie Which he that is strong in horsemen cannot want In fighting with the enemie there are diuers vses of horsemen If we charge him on the sides or backe we stop his march as before I haue shewed With a fewe horsemen any number of shotte taken in open fielde may be disordered The Protestants in the encounter at S. Gemme in a Hist de troubl de Fr. li. 13. Poitou with a few horsemen defeated diuers olde companies of shotte led by Puigalliard That was the ruine of the Prince of Parmaes ayde sent to the Duke of Mayne by the horsemen of the present French king by Dreux an 1589. No number of short weapons can resist the carriere of horse in a plaine ground The Sabines saith b Ab equitibus repentè inuectis turbati sunt ordines Sabinorum Liu. 1. Liuy were put out of their araie being suddenly charged by the Romane horsemen The Volscians and c In media primùm acie vinci coepti qua praemissus equitatus turbauerat ordines Liu. 3. Aequians after long fight beganne to giue ground after that the horesemen had broken their array by charging them in the midbattell The force of horesemen for their violence is called a d Procella equestris Liu. 30. tempest The Romane e Dictator immisso equitatu cùm antesignanos hostium turbaffet legionum signa properè inferri iussit Liu. 4. Generall perceiuing the weakenes of the enemies battel by charging them with his horsemen did disorder all to the ensignes after which entrance made he cut the rest in pieces with his armed men The Corinthians in a certaine battell hauing put the f Thucid. 3. Athenian footemen to flight were accoyled and ouerthrowen by a fewe horsemen The reason that the horsemen preuailed so much in time past were two first they seldome vsed any long weapons but targets and iauelins for the most part secondly they did then vse to charge with their horsemen when they sawe the footemen out of array and not otherwise if they did wisely g Reliquos omnes equites nostri consecuti interfecerunt Caes bel gal 1. This is therefore an other vse of horsemen in the battel to charge those that are already disordred The fourth and last vse of them is to execute and
death of his owne souldiers which also happened to Cinna whose vntimely austerity was the ruine of their affaires Alexander if to his great valiantnesse hee had ioyned affabilitie and clemency he had not in the end growen odious to his owne souldiers Who doth not detest Annibal for his great crueltie Temperance is a vertue that shineth in peace especially yet hath it no small vse in the middest of warres and being wanting in a captaine doth make him want so much of perfection For how is it like that hee can gouerne others well that cannot rule himselfe nor his affection or who can looke for modestie and sobrietie in the souldiers where the Captaine is giuen to wine or women and spendeth his time in riot and excesse let this vertue therefore be added to the garland of an absolute Captaines perfections h Liu. 25. Scipio by restoring a faire woman to her husband Allucius wonne to himselfe the heart not onely of that man but also of the womans friends and diuers Spaniardes And i Xenoph. paed Cyr. Cyrus bound Abradata vnto him for sparing his wife Panthea k Quint. Curt. Alexander is renowmed among posterity for his continency toward the wife and daughters of Darius Like coÌ„mendation though in another subiect doth l Plutarch in Epaminond Epaminondas deserue who wheÌ„ his citizeÌ„s did feast riot walked soberly about the wall of Thebes to see that the enemy made no attempt against the city Nothing doth more hurt or hinder the proceedings of wars then riot and intemperancy Annibals souldiers were ouercome with the delights of Capua whom the Romanes with force could not subdue Antiochus in the midst of his preparatiues falling in loue spent a winter in making of a match so lost time and opportunitie to transport his army into Italy as Annibal aduised him The French grew odious to them of Sicilia by reason of their insolencies which gaue them cause to rebell and to murder them al in one euening The intemperance of the enemy giueth many opportunities to those that be watchful a Liu. 8. Cales was taken while the citizens lay drunken in a solemne feast The same was the destruction of Troy Marcellus perceiuing the negligent gard which the Syracusans made on a feast day at night surprised the towne by escalade The b Alphons de Vlloa Turkes took Zeresana a strong town in Sclauony vpon Shrouetuesday at night when the townesmen after their maner of their carneuall being drunke were carelesse and secure Much more therefore behoueth it the General to watch to be sober temperate and careful These vertues are singularly commended in a Generall yet may I not forget desire of true honor loue of the countrey and loyalty toward the Prince and Which vnlesse a Generall haue al other excellencies do rather make him suspected then commend him For who can trust him that hath intelligence with the enemy or receiueth pensioÌ„ from him The French men do merily scoffe at some great men of our nation that haue beene pensioners of the French Kings c Philip Comin and whose acquittances are extant in their Eschequer I would to God the guise were now euery where left C. Fabritius dwelling in a smoky house refused a great masse of gold presented vnto him by the Samnites How much more then ought they to haue care of their honor that dwell in the sight of the world in gorgeous houses that great men for a paltry pension should sell their honor it is intollerable For the loue of their country diuers in time past deuoted themselues to death as the two Decii as Curtius as Mutius Sceuola as Codrus as Leonidas and infinit others Is the race of them now extinct that so fewe of that sort are in our age and country to be found If we consider ancient times we shall finde that those great men whose memories continue vnto our times were endued both with these and many other vertues d Sueton. in vit Caes Plutarch C. Caesar in his actions was most consideratiue in hazard and danger most resolute in executions speedy oppressing his enemies oft times before the newes of his comming were heard painfull in labour in dangers watchfull in diet sober a liberall rewarder of valiant men a good iusticer where neede required if al his vertues were in a Generall what should be wanting beside religion This Generall I propose to all those that desire honor to imitate so neere as they can The honorable parts of Camillus Valer. Coruinus 〈◊〉 Scipio are no lesse to be set before the eies of Capteins Annibal among the Africans deserueth special price He was in his time subtil cautelous skilfull in al faits of armes He was very skilful that could escape his snares Laborious he was and watchfull and speedy and a strict obseruer of military orders Of a Cato parsimonia vigiliis labore cum vltimis militum certabat Liu. 34. Cato it is reported that in parsimony watching and labours hee contended to passe the common â—ouldiers Of the yonger Cato b Monstrabat tolerare labores Lucan Lucan giueth this testimony that in the painfull march thorow the desarts of Affrike he by his patience and example shewed what others were to do These things were in the old Romane captains and as I suppose in those that succeeded them c Acer militae anteire agmen locum castris capere noctu diuque consilio ac si res posceret manu hostibus obniti c. Tacit. annal 18. Vespasian is commended for a man of courage in fight skil in incamping and taking the aduantage of the ground Night and day he broke the enemies purposes oft by counsel sometime by force in diet apparel he was moderate scarce could you know him from a common souldier comparable with antiquitie if couetousnes had not blemished or rather defaced his other vertues By such men the Romane empire grew great by wants and vice of the Generals the same receiued many ouerthrowes Claudius d Polyb. who being captaine the Romanes were ouercome at sea in the first wars with Carthage was a contemner of religion ignorant of matters of warre simple and cowardly Flaminius that was slaine with his army by Annibal at the lake Thrasymene was irreligious rash vnskilful impetuous vnprouident Varro that occasioned the great slaughter of the Romanes at Cannae was a man of no merit nor iudgement wilful and vnexpert in matters of warre Crassus the rich seeking too greedily after spoyle was not aware in what country he marched before bee saw himselfe inclosed by the enemies Looke the latter emperours you shal not find in many of them any thing worthy commendation Maximinus a cruell tirant in matters of warre and state was vnskilfull Such were most of the rest e E cubiculo lectulo iubebat quicquid hosti conduceret Tacit 20. Such captaines he calleth Ignaua animalia Ordeonius that was ouerthrowne by the Germans being in
Consul in the Macedonian warre seizing a e Praesidium ibi imposuit Nam erat oppidum opportunum ad impetus in Macedoniam faciendos Liu. 31. towne that lay fitly against Macedonia did put garrison in it and from thence made diuers attempts against the Macedonians Antiochus f Liu. 45. purposing to inuade Aegypt furnished Pelusium which is the kay of that countrey with sufficient garrison Yet before the army be brought in sight of the enemy the same is to bee refreshed certaine dayes whether it bee of their trauailes by land in their march or iactation and disease at sea g Liu. 21. Annibal before hee brought foorth his army to fight with the Romanes in Italy caused the same to refresh and rest it selfe diuers dayes after his wearisome iourney through the Alpes And likewise returning out of Italie into Afrike to defend his Countrey against Scipio hee h Paucos dies ad reficiendum militem ex iactatione maritima sumpsit Liu. 30. refreshed his men certayne dayes of their trauaile at sea before he marched against the enemy Whether the country be knowen to the General or not yet ought be not to march without diligeÌ„t discouerers sent before at any time least of all when hee commeth into a strange country all enemy Wherefore after hee hath setled his matters in the towne or port which hee hath seased and refreshed his men let him then send forth espials and discouerers to vnderstand the site of the countrey and proceedings of the enemy a Annibal consulis consilia atque animum situÌ„ regionum itineraque explorauit Liu 22. Annibal before he incountred with Flaminius the Romane Generall sent before him certaine men to espy his purposes and to view the situation of the countrey and the wayes which he was to trauaile It is the practise of all wise Generalles The Romanes neglecting to make this discouery were enclosed at Caudium by the Samnites and shamefully ouercome and Annibal himselfe trusting an ignorant guide was almost intrapped at Cales by Fabius Curio b Caes de bel ciu l. 2. marching in the sandes of Afrike without knowledge of the enemies power or the disaduantage of the country being drie and plaine was ouerthrowen together with his whole army by the Numidian horsemen of Iuba Appius c Appius Boiorum agros populans inexplorato riullisque stationibus sirmatis caesus cum legionibus Liu. 31. spoyling the country of the Boyans without espiall sent before guards placed in conuenient distances was himselfe slaine together with his company The meanes to escape these trappes and ambushes is viligent espiall and discouery If our army do march farre vp into the countrey then is diligent heede to be taken that the enemy do not cut betweene vs and our succours or victuallers For fauour whereof wee are to assure our selues of the passages and to place garrisons in conuenient distances Caesar distributed tenne thousand d Caes bel gal 7. quo expeditiore re frumenâ—â—rià vteretur Heduans in diuers townes and fortes vpon the way that his victualles might come to his army with safety He tooke Vellaunodunum that lay upon the way lest the enemy might stop the passage The towne of e Liu. 28. Astapa in Spaine was taken and ruinated by L. Martius for that the garrison of the enemies there did spoyle the confederates of the Romanes and intercept the victuallers that came to the army The same course did f Caes de bel ciu lib. 3. Caesar take for the brideling of the enemy and assurance of his victualles in his warres against Pompey But because nothing is more to be feared of an army transported into a strange country then want of victuals therfore must the Generals mind be intentiue and carefull not only for the g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph. Cyr. paed 1. present but also for the future time He may not thinke that hee shall alwayes finde corne and prouision in the country especially if the enemy vnderstand the traine of warres Caesar found the same by experience in his warres in France when the enemy burned the country before him When the Persian king vnderstood the intention of Cyrus to be to depriue him of his crowne he sent a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph. exped Cyr. 1. horsemen before to burne all things that might profitably serue the enemy And in the inuasion which Annibal made in Italy Fabius caused all the prouision that might serue for an army to be either spoyled or brought into strong townes in all places neere where Annibal and his company passed Therefore is it requisite that store of horses and carriages go along with the army for carriage of victualles munitions and other necessaries Cyrus b Xenoph. exped Cyr. 1. had foure hundred wagons laden with prouision beside those that belonged to particulars When in the country nothing is to be found then may this serue Further for fetching in of victualles the army ought to haue a sufficient strength of horsemen seconded with troupes of footemen for their retraite Annibal at one roade in Italy beside infinite cattell tooke foure thousand horses notwithstanding the strict commaundement of the Romanes that all things should be brought into strong holdes Whatsoeuer prouision may be found the same is to be saued and conueyed into those places that best may be defended and serue fittest for the prouision of our army c Salapiarn frumentum ex agris Metapontino Heracleensâ— comportat Annibal Liu. 24. Annibal brought all the corne and prouision which he found in the territorie of Metapontus and Heraclea into Salapia After that d Liu. 29. Scipio in his expedition in Afrike had taken Vtica he caused all the prouision and corne that could be found in the country to be carried thither and to be laid vp in store The same course did Quintius take in his warres against Nabis the tyrant and Caesar in his inuasion of this e Caef. bel gal 4. frumentum comportat Iland If the country where our army passeth doe not furnish vs with victualles the same is vtterly to be ruinated and burned Which if the countrey people do perceiue either for feare or for hope they will succour vs. f Liu 38. Manlius inuading the Gallogrecians forced all those countries where hee passed to compound for feare of spoyle For like dreade the Frenchmen where the English army g Froissart passed in the dayes of Edward the third did supplie the same with necessarie prouision It is a shame saieth h Cyr. paed 1. Xenophon for him that hath a sufficient army not to bee able to get victualles and things necessarie for the same If the enemie shall spoyle one countrey as looking for our forces that way yet shall it be hard for him to spoile the whole vnlesse hee meane to famish his owne people also The Romanes against the a Quò expeditiores commeatus essent incertior hostis quà venturum
For there is no defence nor fortification such but it may be passed where there is none to defend it and garde it Before our souldiers disarme and euery man goe to his lodging both gardes and sentinels would be placed and not as some vse afterward those that offend in either of these pointes doe for the most part receiue sharp penance The d Ardeates Camillo duce castra Gallorâ—m intuta neglectaque ab omni parte nacti inuadunt nusquam praelium vbique caedes Liu. 5. Ardeatians led by Camillus finding the campe of the Gaules that a litle before had sacked Rome without either watch or sufficient defence slew them downe right without any resistance Philip king of Macedonia lying before Apollonia without either watch or good garde was forced to raise his e Liu. 24. fiege and had diuers of his men slaine by a very few sallying out of the towne in the night The negligent watch and garde of Syphax gaue opportunitie to f Liu. 29. Scipio in the night to enter his campe and fire the same and to make a great slaughter of his men The like security in Nabis his campe gaue entrance to Philopoemen captaine of the Achaeans who fired the tentes and slew his men before they could make head or wel vnderstood their danger The g Liu. 41. Romanes that lay in campe in Istria without feare therefore neither kept good watch nor garde were suddenly surprised by certaine Gaules and driuen to runne for their liues The army of the Capuans resting in their lodgings quietly were slaine by the a Liu. 23. Romanes that inuaded them in the night and tooke them without trenche sentinel or corps de garde The like aduantage Curio vsing against the b Caes bel ciu 2. Numidians that lay dispersed without defence or watch fell vpon them in the night and slew them Neither is it now lesse dangerous then in time past Don Pedro el cruel king of Spaine was slaine with his company by his base brother c Froissate Henriques taking him in the night vnprouided and lying without watch or defence The same negligence was the ruine of the Protestants at Donzerre An. 1569. and of the Spaniards at Corbueil An. 1590. and hath occasioned and brought to passe many surprises which otherwise could neuer haue taken effect The d Guicciar lib. â— Marques of Mantoua and other gentlemen for want of good sentinels were taken by the Venetian stradiots at Scala where they went to refresh them selues It is an easy marter to shewe this also by our owne harmes but that I would we should rather reforme our disorders by calamities of others then shame to heare our selues reprooued and therefore defend them The e What is required in assuring our lodging meanes to assure our selues and to deterre our enemies from these enterprises are these first good banks trenches barriquades palissadaes and such like defences secondly strong gardes wel placed thirdly good sentinels in conuenient distances within the ring of the campe good scoutes on horsebacke foote without fourthly good orders of the campe that no stranger nor person vnknowen lurke in any lodging or other place to discouer our secrets nor that our company lodge disioyned farre asunder the prouision that is to be made is of tentes and all instruments that serue vs for such fortification Where the Captaine is carefull to see these things done and the souldiers willing to labour and take paynes to doe them it is not possible to hurt the army especially â—â—ere the same is strong and in good estate But if the enemy be very â—â—ong and our company weake for number or otherwise and no helpe can come vnto vs then if the enemy doe assault vs in our lodgings so violently that wee are not able long to defende them our last remedy is to drawe our men together towarde the issues of our lodging and so to sally out and to charge the enemy vpon the backe in all places where he maketh resistance The suddennes of this execution if it be done resolutely cannot but worke great effects Ser. a Subitò cruptione omnibus portis facta neque cognoscendi neque sui colligendi hostibus facultateÌ„ relinquunt Caes bel gal 3. Sulpitius being not able to defend his campe any longer against the multitude of the mountaine people that assaulted it sallied forth vpon a sudden at all the gates thereof and surprising his enemies on a sudden made a great carnage of them put the rest to flight The same course did Caesar put in practice at the siege of Alexia where not being able to defend his trenches and workes against the multitude of the enemies that in all partes assaulted him at length b Caes bel gal 7. gathering his men together fallied foorth vpon them not giuing them so much as any time to take breath much lesse to gather their forces together and slew infinite multitudes of them being euery where dispersed and seeking rather to enter in then to defend them selues without But this is not but in time of necessitie to be executed and when we haue no other meanes of defence otherwise it is good safe fighting behinde a banke or other defence Wherefore as at all times so especially in the nightes and carelesse times of others it behoueth the Generall to bee c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homer carefull for his people With care watchfulnesse and labour great enterprises may be atchieued if want hurt vs not and without care and labour neither great nor litle can be done with commendation nor can any army either marche safely or rest safely CHAP. X. Wherein is shewed that as the assaylants being entred into the enemies countrey are to seeke that the matter may be tryed by battell in open fielde so the defendants without great aduantage are to auoyde the Generall tryall and by what meanes eche of them may effect their seuerall purposes HE that entreth the enemies countrey without purpose to fight and hazard let him henceforth keepe his head d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homer Iâ—â—ad warme at home and interteine Ladies Such aduentures are for resolute and hardy men as courage doeth pricke such valiant men forward so their owne profit requireth and necessitie forceth them so soone as they can to come to triall The sooner the better it wil be for them at the first their men are strong their munitions and armes whole and good of victualles and all things necessary they haue sufficient if they haue not the greater is their error Further their men are couragious and full of stomacke and contrariwise the enemy is neither prouided sufficiently of souldiers nor furniture of warre especially if he looke not for it neither is he so resolute to fight And what courage can he haue seeing his countrey flaming round about him that this ought to be the purpose of such as inuade others not only the example of
Annibal who by all meanes prouoked the Romanes to come to fight with him but also of the Romanes inuading the Macedonians of Caesar warring in France and folowing of Pompey into Epeirus and of our Kings transporting their forces into France and generally of all that euer knewe the trade of warre doeth teach vs. To force the enemy to accept that which willingly hee would shun the meanes are these first to pursue him with all conuenient speed If thy horsmen doe once ouertake any part of his army either he must stay to succor his men or els must he leaue them to thy mercy if hee haue so many a Eques carpeâ—â— do nouisâ—imos premendoque iniquis ad transitum locis agmen detinuit Liu. 8. stayes thou canst not chuse but ouertake him To depart farre away from thee is to yeelde the countrey into thy hands then which it were better to hazard many mens liues Caesar by b Caes bel gal 1. this meanes drew the Heluetians backe to fight with him which they would gladly haue passed and by the c Caes bel gal 2. same he so galled the Belgians that they were constreined to fight with disaduantage d Caes bel â—iu â— Afranius would gladly haue recouered the hie countreys with his army but Caesar did so trouble his marche with his horse men that vnlesse he meant to flye he could not runne from him without fighting He that flyeth long before thee without fighting he abandoneth a great countrey without fighting to be spoyled of thee Secondly if the enemy hath any courage by ranging and spoyling and firing whatsoeuer thou canst not saue for thine owne vse thou shalt either drawe him foorth into the fielde or breake his heart By that meanes the e Cos vastandâ—â— maximè agâ—is hostem ad conferoÌ„da propius castra dimicandumque acie exciuir Liu. 2. Romanes forced the Volscians and others to come downe from the hilles into euen ground and to defend their countrey from rauage and spoyle And although another time the force and prouision of the Romane army made the enemies to shut them selues vp within their walles as most safe for them yet when they sawe the spoyles and f Populatione agrorum inceÌ„dâ—js villarum coegit eos egâ—edi vâ—be Liu 5. flames of their countrey they coulde not continue their former deliberation but were forced to come forth and fight When Villages g populando atque vrendo recâ—â— hostium sataque in aciem extraâ—â— Liu. 8. are fired and the corne and the countrey spoyled he must be either very cowardly or very hard hearted that is not drawen foorth to fight Flaminius the Romane Consull could not endure to see the fires which Annibal kindled in Hetruria but would needes succour the countrey and fight with the enemy whatsoeuer it cost him Who can endure to see the enemy to rage spoyle without restraint or who can restreine him without fight The Frenchmen although alwayes vnwilling to deale with the English nation vpon euen hand yet haue bene diuers times forced thereto by vs what with indignitie to see their countrey spoyled and what with feare of further losse and what with necessitie to defend their country Albeit Fabius could in his time endure to see the rauage and spoyle of his countrey yet all haue not that singular patience If neither by celeritie thou canst ouertake the enemy nor by spoyles of the countrey moue him to defend the same yet will hee neuer endure vntill thou hast taken some of his principall cities Shame and necessitie wil in the end force him to come to their succour When the a Post quam Romulum castra ponere ad vrbem necedere VeieÌ„tes accepere egressi sunt obuià m vt potiùs acie decernerent quà m inclusi de tectis moenibusque dimicarent Liu. 1. Veians being beaten before refused to encounter the Romanes in the fielde any more yet when they perceiued that the Romanes made toward their citie they came foorth chusing rather to trye it in playne fielde then to be pend vp and fight for their houses and walles b Metellus vbi se dolis fatigari videt neque ab hoste copiam pugnandi fieri Zamam statuit oppugnate ratus Iugurtham subsidio suis venturum Salust bel Iugurth Metellus forced Iugurtha to come into the fielde by besieging Zama a citie which he specially fauoured albeit hee knew him selfe inferior in strength to the Romanes By like meanes Caesar in Afrike forced c Scipio ad necessitatem adductus dimicandi ne per summum dedecus Thapsitanos rebus suis fidissimos Virgilium amitteret Hirt. de bel Afric Scipio to bring his forces into euen ground least loosing a citie of importance that fauoured him and a Captaine of name hee should dishonor himselfe Philip de Valoys to raise the siege of Calais brought with him the power of France King Edward the third might haue fought with him if hee had would but hee would not fight with him but vpon aduantage The Protestants Anno 1567. by straiting the citie of Paris of victuals forced the king to send a power against them to fight with them Vnwise were they that not vnderstanding this had sent away a great part of their forces which might in that battell which was fought at Saint Denys had greatly ayded them to obteine the victorie If the siege of Poytiers An. 1569. had continued any longer then it did the King should haue bene forced to fight with the Protestants that besieged it But there was no neede that a Kings power should beat them whom want so many disorders had beaten before But if the Generall of the enemies forces be enforced to take a towne for his safegarde much more behoueth it them to come forth into the fielde to relieve him if he be besieged The whole power of France came before a Caes bel gal 7. Alexia to disengage Vercingetorix their Generall there besieged by Caesar Whosoeuer hee is that can be content to loose a citie and refuseth to come to fight with his enemy cannot long endure The reason that the Prince of Orenge so long helde out against the Spaniard was the tyranny of the enemy whom the people could not endure certaine small supplyes that came out of England and the Princes good will to helpe such townes as were distressed the best he could and last of all the libertie of the sea which the enemy could not take from him On the other side the defendants taking a contrary course for the safety of them selues and their countrey ought as much as they can to linger and weary the enemy and not to fight without manifest aduantage This course the Romanes tooke and found to be best not only against Annibal but also against other Barbarous nations that came to inuade them The same did experience teach the Gaules and Briteins to be best against Caesar And the generall practice of warre hath nowe confirmed it
for a precept to be folowed in such cases When b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thucid. 2. Sitacles King of Thracia inuaded the Macedonians the countrey people not being able to resist fled into strong cities and holdes and as occasion aduantage was offered from thence issued to fight with him as they could Many c Multa bella impetu valida peâ— taedia moâ—as euanuerunt praesertim vbi non est prouisum frumentum nec maiores expectaâ—a copiae Tacit. annal 18. warres that haue bene violent at the first brunt by delayes and tedious lingering haue come to nothing sayth Tacitus And therefore neuer is it good to fight with those that want prouision and looke for no further supply When the Gaules with great forces came into Italy some would haue had the Romane Generall to fight with them foorthwith but the d Dictatori neutiquam placebat cum nulla cogeret res fortunae â—o committere adversus hostem quem tempus deâ—eriorem indies locus alienâ—s faceret sine praeparato commâ—atu sine siâ—mo munimento morantem ad hoc â—js animis corporibusque quorum omnis in impetâ—vis esset parua eadem languesceret mora his coÌ„siliis dictator bellum trahebat Liu. 7. Generall thought it more wisedome to protract time His reasons were for that he dealt with an enemy which euery day waxed weaker by reason he was in another couÌ„trey had dayly more and more hinderances comming vpon him further neither had hee prouision nor towne of retraite therefore must needs be wearied with delayes and decay of himselfe and great folly sayd he were it to fight with men when they are stroÌ„g when they may deale with them when they are weake feeble When Caesar sent Crassus into Aquitany with part of his army to subdue the countrey the enemy being taught by experience would not come into open field but a Duces consuetudine populi Romani loca capere castra munire commeatibus nostros intercludere institâ—unt Romanos se rei frumentarâ—ae inopia recipientes impeditos agmimine sub sarcinis insirmiore animo adoriri cogitant Caes bel gal 3. began to take places of aduantage to fortifie his campe to keepe Crassus from victuals when the army for want should retire then he meant to charge the same being laden with baggage and out of aray in the marche That which Liuy sayth of the b Boij gens ad morae taedium minimè patiens dilapsi sunt Boyans we finde it true in many Northren nations they are impatient of delayes and if they be not fought withall doe scatter of them selues Those that fight with such enemies are like to those that hope to quench fire by throwing on of wood when as if the fire be not supplyed with wood it will goe out of it selfe And therefore our ancesters that haue fought with the Scots haue done valiantly but wisdome would haue perswaded them to let them dissolue of them selues The Romanes by their haste in fighting with Annibal receiued three great ouerthrowes and brought them selues within very litle of their ruine Pompey when he might haue ruinated Caesars army for want of victuals aduenturing to fight at the request of his army ouerthrew himselfe The way to weary the enemy without fight is first with an army consisting most of horsemen shot targets and halberdiers lightly armed to coast him a farre off next to spoyle the countrey where hee passeth and to bring all the cattell corne and prouision that may any way serue his turne into strong townes thirdly to store the townes of warre with prouision and assure them with strong garrisons fourthly to cut the bridges ouer great riuers and to sease all narow and straite passages The army that coasteth the enemy although it may not ioyne battell with him in euen ground yet hath many necessary vses and without it all other impediments are easily passed the same doth bridle the enemies courses that he dare not diuide his army to send the same on foraging It keepeth victuals from him and him from victuals it defendeth the straits and passages of riuers it succoureth such townes as are besieged it is ready to charge the enemy vpon all aduantages The Athenians c Thucid. 3. not being able to fight with the army of the Lacedemonians that came against them tooke this course for their defence they brought their people and all that they had into the citie placed gardes at passages and cut of the straglers with their horsemen Which course d Caes bel gal 7. Vercingetorix also vsed against Caesar in France hee burned the countrey droue away all the cattell kept the passages of riuers The e Custodias ad ripas Ligeris disponere equitatumque omnibus locis ostentare caeperunt Caes bel gal 7. Heduans reuolting from Caesar kept the banks of Loyre with gardes and in all places where the Romanes came charged them with their horsemen But of this matter I haue spoken sufficient where I shewed what trauerses made against the enemie are most effectuall Now I am to shew how the enemie is to be wearied without fight the meanes I haue set downe But this caution thou must vse further that thou keepe thy selfe and thy companie alwayes on the higher ground and take heede that the enemie doe not entrap thee nor compasse thee about Fabius in the warres of the Romanes against Annibal in Italie and Licinius in the warres against Asdrubal in Spaine haue by their example shewed thee what thou art to doe and how warilie thou art to garde thy selfe and to watch thy enemie These precepts haue vse in all countreys with whatsoeuer enemie thou dealest but especiallie where the countrey is full of hils woodes straites and great riuers and also where by force is neere equall to the enemie But if thy power be slender or if thy countrey bee playne and open then presume not to come neere the enemie for thou canst not auoyd but either thou must flie or fight The a Fuga se longinqua ab hosse tutati sunt Galli Liu. 6. Gaules pursued by Camillus seeing themselues vnable to fight with him had no other meanes to auoyd fight but to flie farre from him Neither could Asdrubal haue escaped from b Liu. 27. Scipio but that he fled with his armie from him into the vtmost coast of Spaine After that c Vercingetorix ne contra suam voluntatem dimicare cogeretur magnis iâ—ineribus antecessit Caes bel Gal. 7 Caesar had once passed the riuer of Allier which was betweene him the enemie Vercingetorix was coÌ„strained to go farre before least he might be constrained to fight agaynst his will For where the armies come neere each to other in eauen ground it is hard for the one to auoyd fight where the other seeketh it Antonie forced Cassius to fight at Philippi albeit he auoided it what he could and had the vantage both of ground and trenches The
h Maxima pars ab equitibus in flumen acti sunt Liu. 1. pursue those that are put to flight But those that leade horsemen are to proceede with great caution they may not charge pikemen standing resolutely together The price of their folly that did otherwise our men did somewhat vnderstand at Muscleborough field Neither may they charge shot or archers that haue a defence either of a trench or a hedge or a wall or certaine rankes of pikes before them For in the case they make them selues markes to the enemie whom they cannot come at Further they had better charge the enemie disarrayed by shotte or other weapons then when the armie standeth close together For against an armie well empaled with pikes yea with halberds close set and well backed with shotte horse cannot preuaile whatsoeuer a certaine a Histoire de troubl de Fr. l. 2. French man in his glorious stile vaunteth of the strength of the French men of armes Against men out of order in open fielde horsemen worke great effectes and so no doubt they haue done in these late disorderly braules of France and did alwayes among b Arist polit barbarous nations which fought out of order But against an army well ordered they can do but little And any small impediment doth make them vnseruiceable The Romanes although their pikes were not halfe so long as ours yet did they not feare any numbers of horse Against the Macedonian pikes the Persian horse could doe no seruice Neither will the French horsemen looke vpon our pikes well backed with musquets if they be wise notwithstanding their great crakes Nay our archers at Agincourt fielde founde them not so rough in handling as they would seeme Horsemen therefore in all expeditions I accompt very requisite for the causes aboue rehearsed and for that without them albeit we could foyle the enemie yet we cannot kill many nor preuaile against him that is swifter of foote then we as c Xenoph. exped Cy. 2. Clearchus both said and proued by experience in the warres against Artaxerxes At the bridge of Burgos in Galicia where the Spaniards ranne so lightly before vs we felt what want we had of horse Of horsemen I thinke it requisite also to haue some part lances some light armed like to our borderers and some carbines The barded horsemē both for their heauines great charge I thinke not very needefull When Lucullus his men were much afraide of Tygranes his barded d Plutarch in Lucullo horses he willed them to be of good cheere for that there was more labour in spoyling them being so armed then in foyling thē they were so vnweldy And so it came to passe For I neuer read that euer they did any seruice but in diuers places that they were foiled e Xenoph. exped Cyr. 1. Cyrus had diuers barded horses in his iourney against his brother but there is not any mentiō of any seruice that they did Darius had multitudes of them in the encounter betwixt him and Alexander a Arrian exped Alex. 3. at Arbela and Antiochus in the battell against b Liu. Scipio but scarce did they giue one blowe to hinder the course of the enemies victorie The armour of the c Cataphracti inhabiles ad resurgendum humi dilabentes caduntur Tac. annal 17 man and the horse is so heauie and so boisterous that if they fall there they lye stopping the way to those that come after Neither can they auoide it but many shall lye vpon the ground especially if the pikes stand close and be well flanked or backed with mosquettiers shooting ouer their heades If we haue fewe horsemen or not so many that wee may therewith match the enemie we are then to followe the prudent deuise of Caesar both here in Briteine and in Afrike and Greece shewed him by valiant men before him Before Capua the Romanes not being able to match the enemie with horse seconded their men with certeine lusty young men armed lightly and weaponed with short pikes Which while their men were at the charge did so gall the enemie with their pikes that presently they turned visage Caesar by reason that his shippes wherein his horse were helde not their course comming into this Iland had onely 30. horse yet foyling the enemie with his footemen with those fewe horses and the lustiest of his young men he so pursued them that many remained behinde their company In Afrike likewise he susteined the charge of the enemies horsemen with his footemen and after that he had made them turne their backes did so charge them with some fewe horsemen which he had that they had no desire to returne thither againe Seconding his horsemen with certaine halfe pikes lightly armed he not only repelled Pompeis horsemen in Albany and Scipioes in Afrike but also vanquished their forces By the same d Caes bel gal 7. deuise before time he foyled 7000. Gaules well horsed with a very fewe of his owne ayded and seconded by his footemen e Xenoph. exped Eyr 3. Xenophon charging the enemie that would haue fled from him with a few carriage horses shewed vnto vs that bad horses serue for a shift to follow the chace and run better then good footemen In the warres of Naples 12. Italian horsemen fighting in steccato as they call it with so many Frenchmen the Italians f Guicciard 1. preuailed by this meanes In the place where they met the Italians let fal certain iauelins which those that were first vnhorsed by the French tooke vp ioyning with their companions striking the French in the faces preuailed against them The Admirall of France at the encounter of S. Denis by Paris being ouermatched by the enemy in horsemen placed behinde euery company a company of shot which following the horsemen going an easy trot to the charge vpon the approch of the enemy auanced themselues forward and discharged so thicke and full vpon him that all his companie came not to the charge and those that came were more gentle in handling then otherwise they would haue beene This may serue those that are inferior to the enemy in horsemen For this nation I trust this discourse is needelesse For albeit we haue hitherto had great want of horsemen in our expeditions in France Flanders and Portugal yet there is no reason that this land should want hereafter hauing such meanes There onely wanteth liberall mindes and good order that some part of that is now spent in surfet silkes golden laces and other vanities may be employed in keeping horses for seruice Lances and Carbines haue like vse in following the victory and chase But while the enemy standeth lances are best employed against shot and carbines against pikes But yet must they take heed how they do inuest them In discouering the enemy and fetching in of victualles and brideling the enemies forragers both lances and carbins and archebuziers on horsebacke would be ioyned together But carbins and
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
appointed to scale in all places of easie accesse The same wil trouble the enemy much and diuert his forces In scaling this rule is to be obserued that while the targettiers goe to the walles the shot beate them that stand vpon the walles That there may be supply where neede is the whole army at the time of the assault is to be brought into armes and euerie man to haue his charge assigned Some to defend the lodgings against anie sodaine stirres some to discouer others to stand in their places appointed eyther to pursue the victorie or to fauour the retraite of their fellowes or to go where they shal be appointed The more force is employed the weaker will be the enemies resistance Those that purpose to preuaile by assault are to cōsider further both time place other circūstances To giue the assault that time is most proper whē the enemy is least prouided which cōmonly is at the dawning of the day or at noone time In the a Liu. siege of Heraclea the assailants making fained shews 2. or 3. days of cōming to the assalt yet doing nothing made the defendants so secure that whē they came indeed with al their forces they found them vnready so entred In the place where wee purpose to shew out vtmost force there least noise and shew is to be made and contrariwise greatest stirre where we meane to do least a Hirt. de bel Alexand Caesar making shewe to enter at the place of easiest accesse tooke the campe of the Alexandrians scaling it where they least looked for any such matter That the enemy haue no time to consider our men are to go resolutely to the assault not as Monlucs men did at the siege of b Hist de troubl de Fr. Niort who going to the breach paused being entred the ditch Likewise there ought to be good correspondence that the towne may be scaled and assaulted at the breach both together and that euery parte may be well seconded and supplied If eyther the breach or walles be wonne there let them that enter stay vntil so many be entred as may serue to force the towne and so placing others to garde the entrance and to receiue the rest of their company let them march in good order some to the market place others to the bulworkes and not seuer themselues before their whole companie or so many as is requisite be within the towne c Caes de bel gal 7. Caesar taking Auaricum by scale would not suffer his men to descend into the towne before hee had filled the walles with men If the enemy make resistance in the streetes the houses are to bee fired neere them By this meanes d Liu. 2. Coriolanus made way for his men in the taking of Corioli and the Spaniards cleared the streets in the sacke of Antwerpe If they shewe themselues obstinate they are to be compassed round about and so dealt withall vpon aduantage e Liu. Camillus making proclamation that no man shoulde bee slaine that laide downe his armes tooke a certaine towne which he had entred quietly which otherwise without great slaughter he could not haue obtained Before that euery man in the towne hath laid downe his armes the towne be possessed quietly no man is to be suffered to disband or enter houses or to seeke pillage The last care of the General is how to make vse of the towne that is wonne If he meane to keepe it then ought hee diligently to repaire the breaches and to saue the victuals lay them vp in store with the rest of the spoile to reward those that best deserue If hee meane not to keepe it yet ought he to saue that which may be for the vse of the army to ruinate the walles to fire the towne that the fame serue no more for a nest for the enemy to rest in The f Guicciar hist Duke of Orleance neglecting this care no sooner had taken Nouara but he lost it againe for want of victuals Corbueil in France of late taken by the Prince of Parma not hauing the breach repaired was shortlie after recouered by surprise by the kings side Small townes such especially as haue no great ordonance or no places where to employ it are taken by zapping or digging downe the walles especially if they be hie and without terrasses behind By this a Sub musculo milites vectibus infima saxa turris hostium conuellunt Caes de bel ciu 2. meanes Caesars souldiers ruinated the walles of Massilia and b Annibal 500. Afros cum dolabris ad subruendum ab imo murum mittit Liu. 21. Annibal made a way into Saguntum But before they approch the walles lest the enemy dig their sides with shot or throwe downe stones vpon them the enemy is to be beaten from the wall with shot and the souldiers to be couered with mantellets of wood on the sides ouer the head Then with crows of iron they are al along the wall to pul out the lowest stones lest the same fal on them to vnderprop it with wood The same when al is finished is by gunpouder to be fired By this meanes the townesmen of Sancerre An. 1572. recouered the castle from certaine traitors that were there entred c Hist de troubl de Fr. Bordet in the siege of Chartres An. 1568. wan a corner of a raueline That the breach be not repaired by them within the assailants are to make thēselues ready to go to the assault in that order which before I haue prescribed That this course in sieges surprises and assaults is according to the true practise of armes although in part hath bene shewed yet now shall it further be confirmed and those that haue done otherwise by their euill successe and euill proceeding refuted and their course reprooued d Liu. 24. Annibal pretending to goe to sacrifice at the lake of Auerne did presently go to assault Puteoli and in our times the Prince of Parma making a faire shew as if he meant to besiege Ostend did sodainely sit downe before Scluse This practise is good in this and in all enterprises of warre For thereby the enemy being made vncertaine his forces are deriued an other way and his care diuerted from that which should principally be cared for The Protestants of France Anno 1568. purposing to besiege e Hist de troubl de Fr. An golesme sent Montgomery before with certaine troupes of horsemen to hinder the accesse of victuals to the towne But farre better they had done if before they came with their whole forces they had not discouered their purpose For in the meane time the townesmen prepared and strengthned themselues in the siege and taking of Saguntum Annibal proceeded in this sort a Liu. 21. He enuironed the towne round with trenches by zapping and diuers engins he made a breach in the assault fresh men succeeded them that were hurt and wearied vntill
yet they would needs loose some of them going out to sâ—irmish with the enemie Oftentimes subtill enemies drawing out the townesmen by deuises doe make them come short home as I declared by the practise of Romulus against the Fidenians of Annibal against the Locrians At Nola b Liu. 23. drawing out the townesmen he circumuented a braue troupe of horsemen in an ambush laid for them Sallies therefore are to be made onely when we haue men sufficient and doe see the enemies negligence or other aduantage c Diaphanes Achaeus stationem Antiochi regis ad Pergamum inuadens semisomnem nullis stratis equis aut peditibus paratis fudit Liu. 37. Diaphanes sallying out of Pergamus vpon a corps de gard placed by Antiochus before the towne at such time as the same was negligent cut the same in pieces By opportune sallies many sieges haue bene raised as I declared by the example of Philip lying before Apollonia Souldiers that sallie vpon aduantage doe hinder the approches of the enemie so that he is to win inch after inch but wheÌ„they sallie let them take heed first that they go not too farre least they be drawen into ambush and secondly that they haue some behind to fauour their retrait as Aluarus Sandze obserued in his sallies vpon the Mores in defending a fort in Zerbe Before that the enemie approcheth the Gouernour is to cause all houses and villages neere the towne to be ruinated and fired and all the wood and timber as neere as may be either to be brought into the towne or spoyled Lamentable I confesse it will be to the country but who would not rather spoyle such things then suffer the enemie to vse them against himselfe In stopping of the enemies approches let him vse this course first if there be any narow wayes which the enemie must passe before hee can come before the towne let them bee well trenched and garded when the same cannot longer be garded for feare least the enemie cut betwixt the corps de gard and the towne let them then retire make head in the d The Italians call it Via coperta couert way behind the counterscarpe not onely for the defence thereof but also for defence of the playne before the towne especiallie of that place where the enemie meaneth to range his pieces for the batterie For defence whereof likewise both the great ordonance from the bulwarkes and other shot from the walles are to be imploied In case the enemie by his negligence giue occasion either in the euening or in the night hee may make a sallie vpon those that labour about the plaÌ„ting of the ordonance the gabions If the enemie be so strong that hee is able to take away the a The counterscarpe is the banke that is made all along without the ditch of the fortresse counterscarpe then by traines and b Casemates are defences of earth within ditches or trenches where the souldiers lie couered to shoote at those that present themselues vnto them casemates in the ditch by sallies and shot from the bulwarkes and wals he is to defend his ditch so long as hee can And last of all being beaten out of the ditch his last hope is in the defence of his wals and bulwarkes sustaining them with good terrasses of earth and when they are beaten downe repairing them and when no longer they can be defended by making retrenchments behind them For defence of a breach this course is good and commonly vsed First all along where the enemie maketh his batterie let there bee presently vpon the first shot a retrenchment made the deeper the ditch is and the higher the banke is raysed the better the worke prooueth vpon the banke or els behind the banke let some pieces be placed in counterbatterie In houses neere adioyning and vpon the banke let the small shot be disposed chicke Against the enemies artillerie that beateth in flanke let there be an high terrasse of earth raised On both sides of the breach in places conuenient the armed men are to be placed to repell such as escape the shot If the place haue bulwarkes or towers that looke along the ditch from thence the enemie is to be galled vpon the flankes as they enter the ditch if there be none then mounts or terrasses are to be raysed in such places as most commodiouslie wee may looke into the ditch and toward the breach Walles or bankes are to be cast vp beneath the breach in the ditch Lastly if store of men will permit it a sallie of targetters and other armed men is to bee made out of the towne vpon the sides of those that are vpon the counterscarpe or within the ditch which no doubt will make the enemie make more speed to returne This or the like proceeding both ancient and later practise of warre hath taught vs in the defence of townes besieged and assaulted The Plataeans besieged hauing set order for their prouision and the gouernement of their people to repell the enemies force raysed their walles higher in that part where the enemie made shew to assaile them All along the mount which the enemie built without they made a new wall within their olde When the a Thucid. 2. enemie went about to smother them and to burne their engines vpon the wall they defended themselues with their archerie and slingers and quenched the fire with water and earth and when they could no longer defend the towne in a tempestuous night they passed ouer the banke which the enemie raysed against them The Massilians when they perceiued Caesars intention to besiege them b Frumenti quod inuentum est in publicum conferunt Caes bel Ciu. 1. prouided souldiers brought corne out of the countrey into the citie erected workehouses for armes brought their prouision into the publike store repaired their walles trimmed vp their ships When the enemie began to force them they defended themselues by diuers sallies and engines fitted on the wals The like diligence did the Gaules vse agaynst Caesar besieging Auaricum they frustrated his engines with hookes c Laqueis falces auet tebant Caes bel Gal. 7. and other engines they caused his mount to sinke by vndermining Vpon the wals they made diuers towers by diuers sallies they hindered his workes his mines they opened with crosse mines and filled with great stones The like did the Prenestins d Transuersis cuniculis hostium cuniculos excipiebant Liu. 23. against Annibal Against escalades the e Caes bel Gal. 2. Aduaticans besieged by Caesar placed great stones and pieces of timber vpon the walles and likewise they of f Zamenses saxa voluere sudes pila picem sulphure taedam mixtamardenti mittebant Salust bel Iugurth Zama to resist the enemies assault Vpon those that set the ladders to the walles tumbled downe stones and pieces of timber and cast vpon them pitch brimstone and shot and cast dartes at them In the defence of new
nauibus erant scaphas circummisit vt ex omnibus nauibus gubernatores magistri nauium bini milites in forûm conuenirent ad mandata accipienda Li. 29 ready to depart then is direction to be giuē vnto the chiefe of euery ship either by word of mouth orin writing sealed to be opened at the sea That the enemie do not meete vs or crosse vs at sea we are to vnderstād by our espials where his shipping lieth what it is in what readines To come vpon the sudden the best course is as soone as we descrie land and see where we are to stay vntill the shutting of the euening and then to make toward the hauen or harbor If the weather be faire there is no danger Neither did the Romanes euer doubt to come on the coast in the night Laelius lāded at b Liu. 29. Hippo in the night c Liu. 31. Claudius lurking behind a promōtory so long as it was light landed his men in the euening and tooke Chalcis before day And some thinke we might haue sped better at Coronna if we had either entred in the euening or not discouered our selues so long before we entred Neither are braue d Formidolosum dictitans imperatori quo prohibentur plerunque conatus honesti Tacit. annal actions hindred by anything more then by pretence of feare The more expedition that is vsed in landing the greater execution is cōmonly done and the longer it is delaied the more time the enemie hath to resist or rather to runne away and conuey away his goods If we meane to do any great executiō our force must be the greater The Romanes emploied not in such enterprises lesse then an army but if we might land but 4000. foote and 200. horse leauing gard sufficient for our shippes I would thinke to doe some great matter with them Yet that we may speede the better it were good to resolue and giue direction before we depart from our countrey who should land first and what euery man should doe presently vpon landing Being landed wee are to proceede in order according to the practice of warre sending our espials before placing corps de gard in conuenient places to defend those that are ranging about to fetchin spoile The e Romani palati praeda graues interficiuntur ad naues compelluntur Liu. 27. Romanes marching dissolutely after their landing in Afrike and thinking their comming thither was onely to spoile and not to fight were discharged of their burthens driuen to their ships with losse Another time wandring vp and downe without f Cum multa caede foeda fugaretrò ad naues compulsisunt Liu. 22. care or feare they were drawen into an ambush and driuen backe to their shippes with great slaughter and shamefull flight Which mischiefe cannot happen to those that forecast dangers and go strong and dispatch quickly and prouide for their retrait As did Laelius and others whose examples I haue propoūded to be imitated in like enterprises Those that do not aswel prouide that their men may retire safely and be orderly shipped as that they may go forth orderly seldome escape danger or losse Therefore is there a defence to be made at the landing and certaine bankes trenches to be cast that our men may safely retire within them from them quietly without tumult take shipping repelling those the come to charge them At a Alexandrinis imminentibus nullus dabatur in naues receptus Hirt. de bel Alex. Alexandria when Caesars men being driuen frō their ground would haue fled to their ships they came so fast that they sunke the botes that were ready to receiue them so that fewe escaped saue such as could swimme the enemie pressed so fast vpon them and so litle order there was to fauour their retrait that was not looked for The like disorder b Caes bel ciu 2. happened to the remnant of Curioes souldiers in Afrike If they would haue gone orderly and quietly euery man might haue bin shipped because they striued the botemen were afraid to set their botes to the shore Although no enemie vrge vs yet great losse happeneth by such tumults as is euident by the tumultuous c Liu. 41. retrait of Appius his souldiers that ranne to their ships and were drowned many of them by their haste whē the enemie whō they feared folowed not Further we are to appoint a time whē euery man is to retire to his ships that no company stay to long And aboue althings we are to prouide that our ships stand safely both against the attempts of the enemie the force of the weather and to giue order in case they be forced before our returne to wey ancre where to meete vs. If the enemie can either burne our ships or botes or if there be not correspondence betwixt those at land and those at sea they both incurre a manifest danger therefore we are to chuse a safe place of landing to keepe a diligent strōg gard The Carthaginiās being charged by the Romanes while their men were at shore were ouer throwen at sea Neither did it helpe them that their men were in the port For while they hasted to get on bord to prouide themselues to fight d Omnia praeproperè agendo militum apparatu nautica ministeria impediuntur trepidatione nautarum capere aptare arm◠miles prohibetur Liu. 22. the souldiers hindred the mariners the mariners crossed the souldiers all was out of order Neuer therfore ought the ships to be left without sufficient defence The e Liu. 10. Greekes that went vp the riuer of Pò to seeke spoile were defeated by the pesants of the countrey for that going on land they left their botes in the riuer without defence or gard which being seased they were cut from their retrait Didius a Hirt. de bel Hispanico Caesars admirall in Spaine burnt Pompeis ships left without gard while he his men were gone on shore to feteh in water other prouisiō So he that escaped Caesars hands in the ouerthrow at Munda was here ouertaken by his owne negligence The same b Ibidem happened to Didius himself also For fearing no enemie at sea cōming himself his cōpany on land his ships were suddēly fired by certaine Lusitaniās that before had serued Pompey by whō also himselfe and his company was slaine Neither ought we to enter any hauen or harbour where the enemie may barre vs in or take vs single as we goe out The c Thucid. 3. Athenians taking the mouth of the harbour at Pylos shut in the nauy of the Lacedemonians so that it did them no seruice The same stratageme the Lacedemonians put in practise against the Athenians in Sicile For taking the d Thucid. 5. mouth of the hauen of Syracusae where al their nauy did lie they draue them in the end to forsake their ships which was the beginning
was commanded Some spared not their owne friendes no nor sonnes neglecting their commandements This generall rule therefore is to be obserued strictly and the offenders to be punished Neither may they or others make c Que si algun soldado hiriere a algun officiale especialmente su superior muera porello resistance against those officers that punish them for their offences Yet on the other side I doe not authorise rash braines to kill or hurt their souldiers There is difference betweene correction and killing By the orders of the Spaniards he that killeth his souldier disorderly dieth for it By commandements in this place are not vnderstood euery captaines priuate pleasures but orderly directions in time of seruice 2 No captaine nor officer c. No man may returne into his countrey without licence but captaines least of all for example sake For if this were lawfull it were not possible to keepe an army together Such as stay frō their garrison are to seeke when they should lead their company to the charge giue iust occasion of this law 3 All souldiers c. These are next in degree to those that flie out of the field For when they should fight then like traitorous cowards they hide themselues and therefore deserue equall punishment with those that flie 4 No captaine nor officer c. A farre greater fault it is that souldiers seldome haue that pay that their prince alloweth But yet may not those capteines officers be excused which of that which is comming to them do cut off some part and pinch them of the rest by diuers fraudes and deuises After that a Stipendio equites fraudātes Caesarem veriti transsugerunt Caes bel Ciu. 3. Caesar had notice how Roscillus and AEgus two captaines of horsemen had defrauded their men of their pay and taken from them their partes of the spoile as soone as they perceiued it fearing punishment they fled to the enemy 5 No captaine nor other c. Many are the incommodities that come of false mosters The prince is defrauded the army weakned seruice neglected opportunity giuen to the enemy Neither is there any thing that in our times more dishonoreth captaines and officers then the suspicion had of some in this behalfe The army of Iulio the second being in the moster b Guicciard l. 9. rolles double the number that it was indeed could doe nothing of those enterprises that were intended The abuse of mosters was the ruine of c Guicciard l. 15. Francis the first before Pauy Guicciardine reporteth that foure thousand d Guicciard l. 17. Suitzers were mostred and payd for sixe thousand and that Lansqueners seldome are halfe so many as are conteined in the moster rolles of which ensueth the spoile of princes without any effect done in seruice This abuse was not knowen in ancient time which maketh me much woonder that no man goeth about to remooue it and more that those that should reforme it in some places doe suffer captaines to haue certeine dead payes which is a meanes to mainteine it and couer it To remedy this abuse there are two meanes first to allow captaines honourable maintenance and to pay euery souldier by the poll as the e Liu. 28. Romanes did and as the Spaniards doe that haue their Pagadores or Paymasters for this purpose the next is that the Generall cause all the army to be mostred at once and all those that giue in false numbers or commit any abuse heerein to be punished most seuerely By the lawes of France they suffer death No captaine lieutenant c. This law may percase to some seeme needlesse for who would thinke that any man woulde come into the field to fight without armes but he that hath seene the disorder in warres in this point and considered how many captaines lieutenants sergeants which are the brauest men of their companies do come without armes defensiue into the field will acknowledge I doubt not that it is more then necessary to be thought vpon and redressed As it is now they onely leade men to fight and when they come neere conuey themselues out of the braule letting their souldiers fight if they will In time past centurions and their options or lieutenants were the first and principall men of their rankes and the strength of the battel and by the vantage of their armes preuailed against their enemies Would not then so many braue captaines lieutenants and sergeants now adde a great strength to the armie if they stoode in their rankes well armed Now standing out of array they serue for nothing but for cyphres in the ioyning of the battell vnlesse it be to giue euill example and to trouble others The Spaniardes at mosters pay none but such as present themselues before their officers with their armes and furniture If then in mosters armes are to be shewed sure more requisit it is that men should come armed into the field For what reason hath he to reproue and checke his souldiers for casting away or loosing their armes that hath no sufficient armes himselfe 7 No souldier nor other c. For want of sufficient markes and cognisances oft times souldiers of one side hurt their fellowes especially where diuers nations serue together This was the death of Ponsenac diuers braue men an 1569. slaine by their fellowes in a skirmish in France and is cause of many disorders Diligently therefore is this point to be looked vnto especially where the enemy and wee speake both one language Pompey himselfe for want of ready pronouncing the worde had like to haue bin slaine of one of his owne souldiers in the warres against Settorius in Spaine For this cause the Protestants in these late troubles in France wore white cassakes and the Dutch that came in their aide scarfes of colours of their Generall 8 No captaine officer c. Of this cause proceede many quarels among captaines and diuers fraudes in mosters and disobedience of souldiers to their superiors Which cannot be auoided if offending one captaine they may finde protection shelter vnder another Therfore both the receiuers they that are receiued deserue to be punished By the orders of the Spanish campe the captaine looseth his place the souldier is banished offending herein Among the Romanes such abuses were not vsuall But if so be the souldier be euill intreated of his captaine or the seruant by his master then vpon proofe the lord marshall or iudge marshal is to set order 9 Captaines officers of cōpanies c. For that the souldiers are oft times charged while their captaines are absent and therupon fly or commit some other error as men without gouernment therefore are a Que se Huuieren de Leuar vanderas a las guardias vayan los capitanes officiales y◠soldados con todas sus armas en orden pena de castigo arbitrario capteins officers to watch with their companies and to see that their soldiers depart not the place nor
should be dispersed in villages when the enemie is at hande and cabines are not so soone built nor is stuffe in all places to bee founde to builde them with The Romanes to euery hundred had both cariages and tents assigned For want whereof our souldiers are seldome well lodged especially in marching and yet are they long about it And where they lye by reason of their cutting downe of woods they leaue marks of their being there many yeeres after Without spades mattocks axes baskets and such like instruments the souldier can neither enclose his enemie nor fortifie himselfe and therefore as very necessary things are such instruments to be prouided as also whatsoeuer is necessary for passing of riuers assalting of townes and other faites of armes I neede not make mention of horses of seruice seeing euery man knoweth what difficulties an armie destitute of horsemen susteineth That which shal be sufficient shal be spoken when we come to speake of horsemen Onely now I will admonish Gentlemen to haue more care of keeping races of horses because in case of present necessitie they that haue them not of their owne shall hardly obteine them of others The last thing that I am here to speake of is first to bee thought of I meane prouision of victuals without which men can neither liue in warres nor in peace It is a faint fight that hungersterued souldiers doe make In a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph. exp Cyr. 1. warres without things necessary there is neither vse of souldier nor captaine He that b Qui frumentuÌ„ neçessariumque cômeatum non parat vincitur sine ferro Veget. lib. 3. c. 26. prouideth not victuals beforehand is ouercome without drawing of a sword Against other mischiefes there are remedies but there is no wrastling against hunger Want driueth men to their wittes end When the Lacedemonian souldiers were straited their Generall writ thus to the Magistrates the c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. souldiers are sterued for hunger what shall we do The two d Liui. 23. Scipioes writ to the Romane Senate that without supply of victuals their army must needes dissolue And Caesar e Caes bel Gal. 7. told his souldiers that were determined to retrayte that without their cariages where their victuals were they could no furthâ—r doe seruice against the enemie And therefore victuals must be had ready it is too late to seeke for them in Villages when the hungry souldier is ready to sterue Caesar f Re frumentaria comparata castra mouet bel gal 2. would not once moue towarde the enemie before he had his prouision with him g De obsessione non priùs agendum consticuit quam rem frumentariam expedisset Caes com bel gal lib. 7. Nor would he resolue to besiege any towne before he had taken order for sufficient victuals for his army His vse h Vbi instabat dies quo die frumentum militibus metiri oporceret Caes com 1. 6. bel gal was to deuide victuals to euery company for certaine dayes beforehand The garrison townes of the Romanes were furnished with wheat vineger bacon barley and straw for a yeere beforehand as Capitolinus sheweth in the life of Gordian The reason is laide downe by Tacitus that i Vtaduersus moras obsidionis annuis copiis firmentur Tacit. annal they might be stored with prouision against long sieges The Colonies which were peopled with Romanes and placed as gardes and propugnacles against their enemies were stored with all things necessary How our souldiers were furnished in Flanders and Portugall I report me to their knowledge that endured those seruices Beeing no better furnished it is not to be marueiled â—hough they kept no better order k Disciplinam seruare non potest ieiunus exercitus Cassiod 4. Var. lect c. 13. Hungry souldiers are hardly kept within the compasse of lawes The belly as is commonly sayde in this case hath no eares The cause of all such miseries in warres are diuers first want of care and good proceeding then niggardise and miserie thirdly fraude and deceite last of all impunitie Which are not to be redressed but with contrary proceeding and folowing the precedents of ancient warriers The Romanes gaue to their Generall both treasure and authoritie sufficient to prouide things necessary for the army They brought victuals into the army sufficient and for feare of want layde vp abundance in garners and storehouses in strong places neere to the countrey where their army soiourned Opposing their forces against Annibal they chose a Liu. 21. Clastidium for their storehouse Caesar in the wars against theÌ„ of Auuergne brought all his prouision to b Caes bel gal 7. Nouiodune because it lay neere The Romanes caused their ships of victuals to discharge at c Eo omnes ex Italia oneâ—ariae naues dirigebant cursum Liu. l. 37. Chios in their warres against Antiochus He chose Lysimachia for the place of his store For the warres of d Liu. l. 44. Macedonia they made their prouision in Thessaly e Caesar câ—rtis locis horrea constituit frumentum conquirâ— iussit de bel ciu 3. Caesar had his garners in conuenient places to supply his army in his warres against Pompey Pompey brought all his prouision to Dyrrhachium Asdrubal entring f Fines hostium ingrediens frumentum commeatusque in vrbem Asenam conuexit Liu. 23. Spaine caried all the victuals and store of the countrey into Asena and Scipio likewise landing g Horrea noua aedificata veteâ—a á Scipione repleta frumento ex population bus commeatu Siculo Liui. 29. in Afrike made newe storehouses and filled both new and olde partly with victuals sent out of Sicile and partly with those which hee got by the spoile of the countrey When a strong army commeth into any countrey it is no masterie for the same to finde h Formidine populationis obsides frumentum aalia quae vsui forent affatim praebita Salust bel Iugurth victuals forrage either by feare or force But the companies sent into France and Flanders being so weake it was no marnell if they pined being pend vp or confined within some garrison the enemie being alwayes stronger without For the assurance of our victuals that come vnto vs garisons would be placed in conuenient distances Caesar in the warres with the i PedituÌ„ 10000. sibi celeriter mitti voluit quò expeditiore re frumentaria vteretur Caes bel Gal. 7. Auuergnacs vsed 10. thousand Heduans to this purpose Neither would he suffer any k Vellaunodunum ne quem post se hostem relinqueret quo expeditiore refrumentaria vteretur oppugnare instituit ibidem towne to remaine vntaken betwixt him and his victuals For the fetching in of victuals a conuenient power of horsemen would be sent forth seconded with footemen to forrage and range the countrey Besides this the army would haue diuers cariages laden with
the ancient Britons hee vnderstoode the estate of the countrey and had great helpe to atchieue his purpose against it While they of the citie of a Phil. Comin Dinant suffered themselues to be disioyned from their associates of Liege Charles Duke of Burgundy did easily ouercome them If Lewis the xi of France had not separated and broken the league first betweene the Duke of Burgundy and the Dukes of Britaine and Normandy and afterward betwixt king Edward the fourth and the Duke of Burgundy he could not haue escaped with so litle losse nor vanquished his enemies with so great gaine We haue also domesticall examples of the same but too many and which I cannot without some griefe remember not with dint of sword nor open force but with secret practices with our associates and friendes in France the French tooke not onely Normandy but also Gascoyne and Guienne from the English nation And neuer omitting any opportunitie to trouble vs they wrought much woe vnto this land in the dayes of King Iohn by furthering and procuring the reuolt of the Nobilitie Neither can any estate continue that hath his partes deuided For as one sayth it falleth out that while euery man looking to his owne present safetie a Dum pugnant singuli vincuntur omnes Tacit. suffereth his friendes to fight single all are ouercome By this means the Spaniard hath so much preuailed in the Low countreys and the people haue hurt themselues For disioyning their counsailes and forces and refusing the b Resusans le secours des estrangers Hist de troubl de Fran. lib. 1. ayde of strangers they are for the most part a spoyle vnto the enemie And if we would haue vsed greater force and more diligence in withdrawing from the Spaniard his associates and subiects of Portugall of the Ilands and of the Low countreys hee would haue bene long ere this very gentle to deale withall But some wise men as they say haue not onely not sought to cause his subiects to reuolt but haue refused and still refuse to receiue them that holde out their hands crauing helpe of friends and long since are weary of the Spanish tyranny As for those that suppose the Spaniards to haue such holde of all the countreys which nowe they possesse and of the inhabitants thereof that we should but loose labour in attempting their reuolt they seeme to be ignorant not onely of the state of his countreys and of the Spanish gouernement but also of the nature of things It is well knowen with what discontentment and grudge both the Portugals and those of the Lowe countreys doe serue the Spaniard The Portugals were ready to receiue vs at our last expedition thither and would haue declared themselues further if they had perceiued that wee had bene able to defend them against the Spaniard The state of Milan is holden more by force then by loue or good title They of Naples and Sicile haue by many signes declared their great discontentment of the Spanish yoke The Indians would reuolt if they knewe which way In all countreys there are euer some that either for hope or hatred desire change of state Annibal after that hee had once or twise beaten the Romanes in Italy did afterwarde mainteine the warres for the most part with the aydes of that countrey And Caesar vsed the strength of the Gaules against the rest of the nation Vpon the first ouerthrow which Scipio gaue to the Carthaginians in Affrike he caused most of the countrey to turne enemie against them Neither may we thinke that the state of Spaine is in this point better then other nations especially seeing the stirres in Aragon and Grenade beside many other offers in Castile doe declare that there are among them many mal-contents The Spaniard doubteth not to finde many such among vs but it were to be wished that we would rather make triall first whether there were any such to be found in Spaine When the French made their expeditions into a Guicciard Hist Naples they found great aydes in the countrey some also beside exspectation Why then should Spaine differ from Italy But while we seeke to augment our forces with the succours of our associates and friendes we are not so to rely vpon them but that we prepare sufficient forces of our owne nation both to resist the enemie and if neede be to commaund our associates therein folowing the wise proceedings of the Romanes that neuer would admit a greater number of associates then they had of their citizens in their army and had alwayes an eye that they practised not with the enemie In this as in b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epicharm other points to distrust is a great point of wisedome The Scipioes did trust but too much to the aydes of the Celtiberians in Spaine For being abandoned by them they were exposed naked and vnprouided to the mercy of their enemies c Liu. 1. Tullius Hostilius did deale more wisely For although hee had the succours of the Albans with him yet had hee force sufficient to vanquish his enemis without them If not he had farre worse speeded For in the middes of the battell he was forsaken by them The d Guicciard Hift. Switzers that came in ayde of Lewis Sforza solde him into the handes of Lewis the xij at Nouara and did not onely forsake him And of late yeres the Protestants that eame out of Germany vnder the guidance of the Dukes of Bouillion were in their greatest neede forsaken of the Lansknights that came to ayde them I neede not labour inueh to prooue this seeing the great expenses that by the French and others hane beene wasted vpon the Almains of late time doe teach vs howe little vse or hope there is of the ayde of that nation Of all those that folowe our ensignes and ioyne together with vs those are least to be trusted that are lately reuolted Good it were to trie such and then to trust them Two a Guicciardio Spaniards feining them selues fugitiues in the warres betwixt the Spaniards and the Venetians attempted to kill Aluian the Venetian Generall The like was attempted by certaine Turks against Scanderbeg The Numidians that reuolted to the Romans a litle before their battel with Annibal at Cannae made a great flaughter among the Romanes after the battell ioyued Maureuell that runagate pretending to forsake the enemie vpon some displeasure would haue slaine the Admirall but when he sawe howe that could not be done without euident danger he slew Mouy a valiant gentleman and so returned againe to the enemie Neuer any did wholy rely vpon his associates especially such as were newly come vnto him without losse or danger Good it had bene for vs not to haue looked for so much at the Portugales hands as we did it may be they would haue assisted vs if we had bene the stronger but euery one treadeth on those that are throwen vnder foote and thrusteth forward those that are falling
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
olde guise of the Romanes exercised his souldiers at all idle times albeit many of them were expert in warres Much more therefore ought we to exercise our young souldiers and that first in fat̄tes of actiuities as running leaping throwing wrastling secondly in the vse of their weapon that both singly by themselues euery man also in company thirdly in marching and keeping of rankes and other exercises of warre By these exercises the souldiers obteine three commidities the body is first made actiue and strong and fit for labour souldiers also learne to march in their armes to carry some weight to run to work in trenches and other necessary fortification without which neither can the souldier rest safely in his campe nor so easily preuaile against the enemie in the fielde Caesar did no lesse preuaile against the Gaules with the mattocke and spade then with the sword In a short time he made huge trenches and mountes such as the a Cae. bel gal 2. enemie wondred at Now because we haue forgotten the true practise of warre our souldiers refuse to worke and Princes vse the helpe of pioners insomuch that hardly we see that brought to passe in a moneth which Caesar could effect in fewe houres The Romanes from their youth exercised their bodies in running leaping wrastling swimming Coruinus the Romane captaine in his youth in these exercises was b In ludo militari cum velocitatis viriū certamen esset ceteris par Liu. 7. equall to the best By this c Ferebant dimidiati mensis cibaria vallum Cic Tuscul qu. 2. exercise they were made able to carry beside their armes halfe a moneths victuals and certaine stakes Secondly euery souldier is made acquainted and cunning with the weapon wherewith he serueth The shot learneth to charge and discharge redily and at marke The piquier how to vse his pike both against footemen and borsemen the halbardier vnderstandeth the vse of his halberd both to defend to strike his enemie the targetter how to manage his sword and target and euery one learneth the vse of sword and dagger for that they are common weapons Without skill men oft times wearie themselues breake their weapons hurt not their enemie The d Discebant Romani tractarescutum obliquis ictibus venientia tela deflectere Veget. l. 1. c. 4 Romane youthes learned first to vse the target or shield and sword for that was their most cōmon armes and howe with slent blowes to breake the force of their enemies weapons or dartes Afterward they practised the vse of all other sortes of weapons And as absurd it is for a souldier to take on him that name not knowing the vse of his armes as for an ignorant person to call himselfe an artificer and yet not to know the vse of the tooles of his occupation Lastly by learning vnderstanding the arrayes iust distances of horsemen footemen the standings of all sortes of weapons and the differences in marching fighting retiring according to diuers sortes of groundes how to march to the assalt or defence of a Towne or place which may be shewed them by those that are good leaders Souldiers may learne howe to place themselues vpon an instant and not as I haue seene done runne away or runne vp downe like men amazed they may also vnderstand how to cake aduantage of the enemie howe to rally themselues being disordered and in what place euery kind of weapon is to be sorted employed with most aduantage In summe array order may both better be kept more easily repayred without which a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist polit armes haue no vse And as well can an armie march or fight being out of array as a body doe the functions of the body hauing the partes out of frame There is certainely nothing b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph. oeconomic more beautifull in the eyes of friendes then an armie set in order neither is any thing more fearefull to the enemie But this cannot be done without instruction and exercise of which I hope our gouernours will haue more care hereafter But may some say what neede so many wordes in these matters especially if we consider both the charge labour that hath bin spent in trayning of souldiers within our Realme of late time men able as some thinke to encounter the most florshing armie in Christendome against whom I haue no purpose to speake Nay I wish with al my heart they were so strong and ready as is imagined Onely I thought good to shewe first the defectes in our trayning which I would wish were supplied and our men better instructed and next howe little trust there is to be put in trayned men that neuer sawe enemie vnlesse there be many olde souldiers mingled among them In trayning of souldiers therefore in places where I haue bin these wants I haue obserued First the souldiers are not alwayes best chosen secondly their bodies are not exercised as they should be thirdly they are not taught the vse of their seuerall weapons Fewe teach souldiers the right vse of the piece and none the vse of the pike halberd and sworde and target Fourthly the men are rather wearied in marching vp and downe and wheeling in ringes and filing of rankes which are to no vse in fighting then instructed howe to take their places in marching in fighting assalting retiring or other deede of armes Fifthly there is seldome or neuer sufficient companie brought together so that men may conceiue the reasons of the places of euery sort of weapons horsemen are seldome seene in traynings of souldiers So that hardly can any conceiue howe things should stand by any thing that is shewed Lastly such for the most part vpon some cōmendation of some great mans letters are employed in teaching our souldiers as either neuer went to the schoole of armes or know very little themselues So that I see no other effect of training men then expense of time powder And for mine owne part I wish rather to haue men neuer exercised then in this sort trayned But were they better trained then they are yet are we not to put too great trust in them The Venetians making reckoning of the trayned men of their state which are such like as ours are were abused saith a Guicciar lib. 8. Guicciardin and ouerthrowen And b Confidauano Piu Chenon si doueua ne fanti d'ordonnanza del su◠dominio i Fiorentini Però non si prouedeuan di soldadi e sercitati Guicciar lib. 11. euill were the Florentines apaid trusting in their trayned souldiers The same being appointed to the garde of Prato a Towne of their dominion seeing but two Spaniards to mount vpō a litle breach threwe downe their weapons and ranne as fast as they might out of the Towne Generally there is no trust in yong souldiers A small c Pluris facienda est parua veteranorum manus quà m indocta
Romanes had had like care his country had not beene taken from him in his absence by Masinissa and Laelius Hee is not wise that seeking to strike his enemy lieth open himselfe But because warres spend both men and victuals and other prouisions especially where there is made great resistance wee must not onely thinke to send sufficient at the first but also cause the same to be supplied in time Nothing did cause Anniball to c Negando supplementum vos retraxistis saide Annibal to the Senate of Carthage Liu. 30. leaue his hold in Italy but want of succour and supplie The slownesse of d Hist de bel Afric Caesars supplies after his army transported into Afrike made him loose many aduantages and sustaine diuers losses I will not say what hurt want of supplie did vs in the Portugall action whhen it may be imputed rather to presumption that wee went foorth vnfurnished then to want of care that wee had no supply in time For wher to could supply haue serued where the whole was through want disordered before for guarde of shippes of carriage and assurance of the army the whole nauy where the passage is by sea is to be furnished and to saile in warrelike sort e Caes de bel ciu lib. 3. Caesar for that hee was driuen to passe his army in certaine Marchant shippes without guard of shippes of warre lost diuers of his souldiers sayling into Greece King Edward the third passing his army into France sailed in that warrelike sorte that encountring the French nauy at Scluce hee obtained a famous victory If the passage be not cleared by shippes of warre keeping the seas it is to be feared least the enemy lying in wait intercept diuers of our shippes and men passing betweene as hath often happened in the passage betweene England and the Low countries within these few yeares And as at sea so by land likewise the waie is to be cleared that no enemy bee lefte vpon our backes The Generrall being ready to set saile with all his company either by ticket sealed or else word of mouth hee is to declare to what port he will haue his company to bend their course to the ende that such as by tempest are seuered at sea may yet afterwarde meete at a port f Caesar tabellis signatis solebat dicere quem in loâ—â—m petiturus esset Hirt. de bel Afric Caesar vsed tickets g Liu. 29. Scipio sailing into Afrike calling two of euery ship declared what he would haue them do and whither to set their course Cato hauing all his ships and men together being ready to set saile for a Cato nauibus contractis edixit ad portum Pyrenei sequerentur Liu. 34. Spaine caused proclamation to bee made that all his shippes should direct their course to the porte neere the Pyreneies which I suppose was Emporia Because Caesar gaue not like direction in his voiages into Albany against Pompey and Afrike against Scipio he sustained diuers losses And in the voyage of Portugal such as lost sight of the fleet either returned or went to Rochel being vncertaine whither to go That the nauy faile not of the port euery ship is to haue a good pilot The better and more certainely the Generall vnderstandeth the state of the enemies country the ports and defences thereof and proceedings of the enemy the more certaine direction he shal be able to giue And therefore as at all times hee ought by his espialles to vnderstand what the enemy doth and what hee prepareth so in this time especially when hee goeth about to transporte an armie into his countrey For this cause b Caesar antequaÌ„ in Britanniam traijceret Volusenum qui omnia exploraret praemittit Caes bel gal 4. Caesar sent Commius and Volusenus into this Iland the one to vnderstand the state of the people the other to view the coast and sound the Ports Cato before hee went against the enemie in Spaine sent his espialles to vnderstand the number the place and proceeding of his armie After the arriuall of the nauy in the enemies countrey the first care of the Generall ought to be to seize vpon some commodious port towne or harbour and to fortifie the same that both his shipping may be safe there and that both succours and victualles may safely come thither and last of all that both from thence hee may safely proceede in his action and haue a safe retraite in a storme Caesar landing his men in Afrike fortified c Hirt. de bel Afric Ruspina and by trenches and bankes made it both a good harbour for shippes and a safe lodging for his army The same was practised before of Scipio who landing neere a point of land in Afrike did first make fortifications in that place But afterward perceiuing that Vtica thereby was more commodious hee tooke the towne and made that a d Eandem sedem ad cetera exequenda habituâ—us erat Liu. 29. castle of retrait from the land and an accesse for his shippes from sea and a place commodious for dispatch of other marters The reasons that moued Scipio to take newe Carthage in Spaine were these that hee might haue a conueient porte for accesse of his shippes and a commodious storehouse for his prouisions of warre Annibal made many attempts against a Liu. lib. 23. Naples and Nola that he might vse them for the same purposes lying commodiously for those that come out of his countrey Neither had Edward the third other respect in his long siege of Caleis but that he might haue a commodious port for his shipping on that side These causes at this present haue moued the Spaniardes that lately haue set foote in Brytaine to fortifie Hannebon and Bluet Little did the Macedonians vnderstand the practise of warre that taking b Liu. 31. Chalcis a very opportune port for their warres in Greece left the same without fortification or garrison That the nauy be not idle the Generall after he hath landed his men is to employ the same in ranging the coast fetching in of victualles and annoying the enemy both by land and sea Unlesse the same be at sea the enemy wil depriue him of succours and victualles Therein let him follow the precedent of Scipio in Spaine of Caesar in Afrike Those that inuade the enemy by land likewise are to seize some towne neere the enemy which may serue them for a fortresse whither to retire and whence to sally out The c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thucid. 1. Persians inuading Greece vsed the towne of Thebes as a retraite and propugnacle against the Greekes The Lacedemonians to straite the Athenians fortified Eleusis a bourgh in the territorie of the Athenians d Oringis arx fuit Asdrubalis ad excursiones circa in mediterraneos populos faciendas Liu. Asdrubal vsed the towne of Oringis in Spaine as a fortresse from whence hee made roades into the midland countrey thereabout Sulpitius the Romane
snayle so long as hee keepeth himselfe within his shell is defensed when he putteth out his head he lyeth open to danger So they that in their owne countrey may liue safe by making enterprises abroad oft times receiue blowes and alwayes lie open to danger The 6 Thucid. Athenians were vtterly ouerthrowen in Sicile that before that were well able to defend them selues at home And diuers great armies of Germans and Gaules inuincible if they had bene in their owne countreys were ruinated attempting to inuade forreine countreys Which reasons howsoeuer they seeme plausible in the eares of those that in matters of warres proceede like snayles and care not for any disgrace or future danger so they may enioy present ease yet are built on false grounds and matters mistaken For if we might safely rest at home I thinke him not wise nor sober that would seeke trouble abroad But seeing we can not haue peace the Spaniard hauing begun warres and threatning the destruction of our state the question is whether is better for vs to stay vntill he come vpon vs or to begin with him and seeke him in his owne countrey I say this is best my reasons are these He that first chargeth his enemie hath many aduantages it is his great foly if hee be not well prouided of souldiers mariners armes shippes horses and all prouisions for the warres hee may make choyce where to charge the enemy and proceedeth simply if he doe not there beginne where hee findeth his enemy weakest and most vnprouided He may make likewise choyce of his times take opportunities 7 Con le preuentioni diuersioni si vincono le guerre Guicciar lib. 1. Victorie is obteined by preuention and by the same warres are oft times diuerted as Alphonsus king of Naples sayd but practiced not For if hee had not lingred matters and had met the enemie in the way he had not so easily bene driuen out of his state No man obteineth better conditions of peace then he that first striketh Contrariwise dangerous it is to let the enemie come vpon vs. as 8 Malum nascens facilè opprimitur Inuereratum fit plerunque robustius Cic. Philip. diseases so the attempts and proceedings of the enemy at the first are easily stopped and both in time are strengthened and confirmed And oft times of light beginnings as 9 Tacit. annal 4. Tacitus sayth great troubles arise If thou 10 Veterem feâ—eÌ„do iniuriam inuitas nouam Liu. suffer one iniurie thou doest but giue thy enemy courage to offer thee another The enemy doeth oft times trie our patience and seeing vs patiently to endure iniuries as 12 Liu. 1. Ancus Martius sayd doeth contemne vs. And to 13 Latinos quasinihil non concedentibus Romanis ferociores fecit Liu. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thucid 1. yeelde in one thing doeth giue the enemy courage to aske more Nothing doeth procure more enemies then patience and 14 Liu. 6. contempt Warre is like a fire if it proceede it embraceth whatsoeuer is neere as the Campamans sayd If 15 Liu. 7. Alexander king of Epeirus comming in succour of the Lucanians had had good successe the Romanes should haue felt his force therefore did they vse at the first to preuent matters Vndestanding that Philip king of Macedonia made preparations to come ouer into Italy they tooke paynes to meete him in his owne Countrey Likewise did they preuent the attemptes of Antiochus Which course if they had taken when Annibal first besieged 16 Cunctati Saguntinis opem ferre de Italia dimicauimus sayd a certaine Romane Senator Saguntum they had deriued the warres into Spaine and escaped the storme which Annibals army brought into Italy Those that feare to assayle the enemy vpon 17 Cauete ne spe pacis perpetuam pacem amittatis Cic. Philip. 7. hope of peace loose oft times peace for euer Tully feared it seeing the Romanes proceede so coldly against Antony and the issue prooued it true The obiect on s that are made are of no moment for admit we neither haue Port nor towne nor friende in the Spanish Dominions yet armes and victory procure all these The coast can neuer be so well garded but that an army may alwayes haue accesse to some Port or landing place or other The Romanes landed diuers times in Afrike during the warres with Carthage and spoyled their townes and countrey nay Caesar landed his army in Epeirus when the enemy with an army prepared helde all the Port townes The Athenians made diuers descentes into Peloponesus notwithstanding the diligent garde that the enemy made Who seeth not then howe easy it is to sease a Port or to land in Spaine the countrey being almost without garde of souldiers if any man doubted before yet since the voyage into Portugal I thinke there is none will make question of that matter Neither did Scipio doubt for want of Portes or friendes to sayle into Afrike or the Persians into Greece or other to inuade his enemy For armes procure friendes and winne Portes so that had we no friends in Spaine yet what resoluce man would refuse to goe against such enemies much more therefore nowe seeing the Portugals are discontent with the Spanish gouernment and Spaine is so stored with men of foreine nations and diuers malcontents As for the distance it is nothing where there is no resistance by the way And what reason haue we to accompt Spaine farre when the Romanes doubted not to transport their armies not onely into Afrike and Spaine but also into Asia which is a farre longer cut If winde and weather serue in three dayes and three dightes the voyage may be perforified The difficulty of supplyes may easily be holpen with prouision made beforehand If the army goe into Spaine well stored there is no such haste of supply but that it may come in good time Why not into Spaine from England as well as from Rome into Spaine Afrike Asia yea and Britein But the Spaniards are valiant at home and will not giue ground fighting for their Countrey wiues and children As if the Romanes a more warrelike and valiant people did not giue ground to Annibals army in Italy and as if the Gaules were not vanquished in diuers battels by Caesar and the Spaniards in time past by the Carthaginians and Romanes and since that by the Gothes and Mores yea and by the Portugales also their neighbours And not onely our ancesters in the dayes of Edward the third and Richard the second but wee our selues also haue had triall of that enemie both in Galicia and Portugal Hee that 19 Maior spes est maiorque animus inferentis vim quám arcencis Liu. 21. commeth to inuade others fighteth with greater courage then those that are inuaded by the testimonie of Annibal and proofe of experience 20 Illis ignauis esselicet qui receptum habent vobis necesse est fortibus viris esse Liu. 21. They that haue
are commaunded and onely to see those that follow them where they march to do their dueties which consent vnlesse it be obserued these inconueniences will ensue By contrarie commaundements there will fall out confusion and contention and many captaines lieutenants and serieants will walke out of order and much time will be spent in setting of men in their places which euery souldier ought to doe of himselfe The great ordonance being parted betwixt the vantgard battell and rereward sometime is drawen in head of the a So was it at the battell of Moncontour and in the battell betwixt the Conte Egmont and Thermes by Graueling pikes of euerie battell but for that it must needes trouble those that would march on to fight with the enemie farre better it were if all the great ordonance were drawen on the sides of the vantgard as oft as the enemie made shew of charge and then drawen vpon some hill or some other place of aduauntage In the field it doeth more trouble then seruice the effectes of it is but noyse and foolerie onelie that small townes should not make resistance it is drawen along and also for the vse that it hath in sieges and batteries Concerning the baggage and those seruants and boyes that attend vpon the same and such as follow the armie as merchants or victualers rather to gaine then to fight this rule is generally to be obserued that the same be placed betweene the bataillions so that in a charge the same may best be defended and yet not trouble the araie of the armie The same is to be placed where there is least danger The Greekes returning from the battell betwixt Cyrus b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph. exped Cyr. 2. and Artaxerxes being coasted and pursued by the enemie placed their cariages neere the riuer along which they marched and their armed men toward the enemie Caesar marching a Caes bel gal 2. against the Neruians after three partes of foure of his whole forces placed his baggage being garded with the other fourth part following behind At other times when there was lesse suspition of the enemie euery legion marched by it selfe and the baggage thereof after b Praecedunt cohortes sequitur prima legio medijs impedimentis sinistrum latus 19. legio c. Tacit. 2. Germanicus after certaine chosen troupes placed the first regiment or legion and after that hee caused the baggage to follow garded on either side and behind with the rest of the armie If our baggage and impediments be great so much as may be spared is to be left in some strong towne Or if the enemie bee behind The c Caes de bel ciu 3. baggage togither with our hurt men is to bee sent before into some place of safetie as Caesar practised in his retraite from Dyrrhachium This is the common course which is I thinke also best for an armie to vse in marching But if the enemie make countenance or rather doe begin to charge any part of the same then that part which is neerest him is to be made the head or vantgard the other two parts of the armie are to be drawen the one on the right hand the other on the left If the enemie come on front then the rankes of the auantgard are to bee doubled or multiplied according to the capacitie of the ground The battell and rierward are to be drawen vp the one toward the left hand the other toward the right or els one part is to bee drawen vp vntill the same bee equall of front with the auantgard and the other beyng deuided into battaillions to serue for supplie where neede is The shot is to bee placed part in front and the rest on the sides and without them ought horsemen to take their standing expecting their aduauntage and the commaundement of their leaders But if our horsemen bee few and not able to match the enemies cauallerie let them not bee to farre aduaunced vnlesse they bee seconded with shot and halfe pikes armed à le legiere but rather let them bee reserued to chase the enemie beyng foyled by the footemen and placed betweene either ground of aduauntage or battaillions of pikes And this if it be done of those that haue skill ye shall neither heare noise nor see confusion nor time spent about it The souldiers of Caesar beyng suddenly charged by the d Caes de bel gal 2. Neruians as they were newlie come to their lodging did euerie man presently set himselfe in aray to fight And Annibal had so taught his souldiers that euery one issuing out of his lodging coulde fall in aray of himselfe either being ready to fight or to marche And why might not our souldiers also be so instructed and exercised that they might doe the like but some want care some skill and some both Some percase will aske Who gaue me auctoritie to prescribe which are very simple not to see that I prescribe nothing of mine owne but onely declare the auncient practise of warre and proceeding of most famous warriers The Romanes vsed this course and so did the Greekes and Carthaginians First marched the light horse then the light armed after them the armed men The baggage was placed in the midst of the armie This order did Caesar oserue in his marche against the a Caes bel gal 1. Heluetians b Caes Bel. gal 2. Belgians and in c Caes bel Ciu. 1. Spaine against Afranius and Petreius The same did d Liui. 21. Annibal practise in his marching all along Italy The same course for the most part is obserued of those that haue skill in our times but that the differences of groundes and diuers conditions of mens armies make them alter some circumstances Metellus e Metellus cum expeditis cohortibus item funditorum sagittaâ—iorum lecta manu apud primos erat in postremo C. Marius cum equitibus curabat in vtruÌ„que latus auxiliarios equites permistos velites dispertiuerat Salust bel Iugurth marching against Iugurtha placed first certaine choise companies of slingers and archers and after them troupes of armed men without impediments or baggage there himselfe commaunded C. Marius folowed with the horsemen vpon both sides he placed horsemen and light armed of his associats mingled among them guided by certaine captaines of horse the legions marched in the midst Xenophon for that a square battaile in straites is easily disordered did deuide the square into f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph exped Cyr. 3. companies which knowing their places in the square marched few in a ranke in straits and in open ground came into their aray againe His horse and slingers he cast out on the front and sides Corbulo so g Corbulo viae pariter pugnae composuerat exercitum latere dextro 3 legio sinistro 6 incedebat medijs decumanorum delectis recepta inter ordines impedimenta teâ—gum mille equites tuebantur in coâ—nibus pedes sagittaâ—ius câ—tera manus
Liui. 6. Romane Consul hauing receiued newes that some of his company would be defeated without present succour and not reteining the messenger fell into an ambush layde for him The most assured way of intelligence is by espials secretly sent or discouerers approching the enemie Annibal f Liuy 30. returning out of Italy to defend his owne countrey against Scipio sent diuers espials into his campe g Pro perfugis speculandi gratia in Caesaris castra mittit Hirt. de bel Afric Scipio in the warres of Caesar in Afrike sent two Getulians to espie Caesars campe disguised as fugitiues But because such persons cannot long stay there without being discouered therefore sometimes vnder colour of parley and sometime vnder colour of buying or selling or other busines souldiers disguised like marchants espie out the enemies proceeding Scipio while the treatie of peace continued betwixt him and h Liui. 29. Syphax sent diuers captaines in slaues apparel which wandering about the enemies campe discouered the accesses and issues of it which being reported to Scipio gaue him the meanes to charge Syphax in the night being quiet and safe as he conceiued in his lodging i Scipio cum equitatu iaculatoribúsque expeditis profectus ad castra hostium exque propinquo copias quantae cuius generis essēt speculandas obuius fit Annibali ipsi cum equitibus ad exploranda circa loca progresso Liui. 21. Scipio this mans father before the battel with Annibal at Trebia drew foorth his horsemen and light armed to view Annibals campe Annibal for the same purpose came against him with other horsmen But because this maner of discouery cannot be made without force therefore did a Equitatum omnem ad numerum 4000 praemittit qui videant quas in partes hostes iter faciant Caes bel Gal. 1. Caesar pursuing the Heluetians send all his horsemen in number 4000 to see what wayes the enemies marched The b Histoir de trou de Franc. lib. 9. Admirall of France hauing receiued some losse in the plaines of S. Clere anno 1569 for want of good espiall sent certeine horsemen to the number of sixteene which going nere and taking some prisoners might vnderstand the enemies resolution but because they were so few they were beaten backe before they could see any thing and returned without effect Yet we thinke we doe much when we send foorth sixe or seuen horsemen badly mounted for some do rashly proceed without them but both courses are contrary to the practise of warre The view of the countrey well described in cards both teach a wise Generall many thinges for there he may see the tract of riuers the distances of places the rising of hilles and many such opportunities The c Mouerat senatum maximè maris terrarumque regionis eius situm demonstrando Liu. 32. Romanes in ancient time vsed when they consulted of any action to view the situation of the countrey layed before them The Counte of Purlitia in his aduertisements to Ferdinand the Emperour and Don Sancho de Londonno stand vpon the same as a necessary point for by view of regions described many thinges appeare that otherwise cannot be conceiued But much better may the countrey be discouered if men of iudgement go before with the horsemen to view the same and to follow the traces of the enemies those that obserue this course both go returne safely Marcellus d Exploratò cunfirmisque praesidijs tuto receptu praedatum ierat Liu. 23. searching out the lurking holes of the enemy and placing strong gards in places conuenient returned safely from forraging the countrey They that march forward blindely without either view of the countrey or knowledge of the enemies proceedinges are subiect to many mishaps The Romane armie at the straits of Caudium compassed in by the enemy on euery side complaineth that like e Non ducem locorum fuisse non exploratorem belluarum modo caecos in foueam missos Liu. 9. brute beastes going on without guide or espiall they were carried headlong as it were into a pit f Liu. 31. Appius spoiling the countrey of the Boians without either discouery or standes of men well placed was drawen into an ambush and slaine together with his army This one point neglected cost many of the Romanes their liues in the warres with Annibal Marcus Marcellus going himselfe with a small company to view the countrey was himselfe drawne into ambush and slaine g Vocula nec aduentum hostium explorauit eoque simul egressus victusque Tacit. 20. Vocula charging the enemy without knowledge of his forces was assoone slaine as he went fast out of his lodging to fight with him The Counte of Aremberge by the brauery of the Spaniard forced to passe the Hist de troubl de Fr. l. 1. riuer before he knew the strength of the enemy which seemed not great was defeated with his company by the Counte Lodwike The Admirals vantgard was broken in the plaines of S. Clere an 1569 b Ibidem lib. 9. for that the same did bluntly charge the enemy of whose forces and number the same was ignorant The carelesse march of Mouuans and Pierregourde that were charged before they vnderstood of the enemies approch was cause of their ouerthrow and hath also both vnto the enemy and to vs wrought many calamities in the Low countries which those that escaped narrowly may remember and can report Dangerous therefore it is to march by night especially in countries vnknowen and where the enemies proceedinges are vnknowen Asdrubal c Liu. 27. in the night lost his guide his way and wearied himselfe and being the next day forced to fight was ouercome by the Romanes at the riuer of Metaurus Puygalliard in these late troubles of France marching all night most of his troupes lost their way the rest the day following were defeated at S. Gemme by a very few Protestants Those that escape by policy out of straits as Annibal did at Cales and Asdrubal in Spaine he driuing away the corps de gard by feare of fire the other escaping during parley of yeelding and likewise they that haue had good successe charging the enemy at all aduentures haue bene more happy then wise Those therefore that march against their enemies are to discouer the countrey and affaires of the enemy diligently and to shun night marches but if necessity force them thereunto yet wisedome admonisheth them to vnderstand the enemies doings perfectly to procure sure guides and to keepe them fast to march close together now and then to make alta that those that lagge may come vp by sure marks to know frends frō enemies and to giue certeine perfect directions Which course while d Liu. 25. Martius did holde in Spaine Scipio in Afrike he ouercame the Carthaginians and dislodged them twise e Liu. 29. Scipio foiled Syphax and burnt his campe and slew his people in the night The countrey and proceeding of the
enemy discouered let vs next consider the differences of groundes The plaine champion country is to be chosen of those that desire to fight and are stronger then the enemy Those that are vnwilling to fight let them shunne such ground so much as they can therein there is no feare of ambushes nor impediment to breake the aray of the army which in this ground is no lesse to be obserued in marching then in fighting The champion countrey being without hedges or ditches is aduantageous for horsemen whose force in that ground without a hedge of resolute pikes of no number of other armes can well be susteined Two thousand a Cohortes 4 câ—tratorum à Caesaris equitibus in planitie depreheÌ„sae concisae sunt Caes bel Ciu. 1. targetters ouertaken by Caesars horsemen vpon a plaine were all cut in pieces neither could Afranius their Generall succor them b Curio ex locis superioribus copias deducens à Iubae equitatu circumfusus occiditur Caes de bel Ciu. 2. Curio Caesars lieutenant in Afrike leauing the aduantages of the hilles and descending downe into the plaines being compassed about with Iubaes caualery was slaine together with his army Caesar hauing great aduantage against Afranius and Petreius in his horsemen did force them for their safegard to forsake the plaines For how can can an army c Eques leuisque armatura nunc ab tergo nunc ab lateribus occurrendo fatigabat morabaturque Liu. 28. march in the plaines so long as the enemy with his horsemen and light armed chargeth the same now on the sides and then on the backe Caesar marching in Afrike where he was inferior to the enemy in horse was much by their charges encombred and hindred in his march The Romanes d Equitatu melior erat Poenus ob id campi patentes quales sunt inter Padum Alpesque bello gerendo Romanis apti non erant Liu. 21. perceiuing Annibals strength in horse yeelded to him the plaines and kept themselues vpon the higher grounds If therefore we desire to keepe the plaines we must prouide a competent force of horsemen to match the enemies if we be weake in horse let vs keepe our places of aduantages but if necessity force vs to march through plaine and open countries then must wee make head against the horsemen with our pikes and mosquets disposing our army so that not onely the footmen but the horsemen also may haue succour of the battaillions of pikes and shotte Caesar by this meanes repulsed the enemies horse in the plaines of Afrike and charging them with some few horse seconded with halfe pikes put them to the gallop If our horsemen be not too much inferiour to the enemy then if wee mingle some shotte and halfe pikes lightly armed with doublets plated or other light armour among them and second them with some battaillions of pikes wee need not greatly feare to encounter the enemies horsemen By this e Liu. 26. mixture and aray the Romanes ouerthrew the Capuan horsemen in the siege of Capua which before that they durst not vpon euen hand encounter Afranius had no other meanes to breake the charge of Caesars f Caesaris equitatu Afranianos premente expeditae cohortes extremum agmen claudebant Caes bel Ciu. 1. horsemen pursuing him in Spaine but by opposing against them in the rierward certeine companies of halfe pikes lightly armed and ready not being laden with baggage By this onely deuice Caesar with 2000 horse all weried and faint put 7000 of a Caes de bel Ciuil lib. 3. Pompeyes horsemen to flight for no horsemen will endure the point of the halberd or halfe pike The Prince b Histoire de troubl de France of Condey in the encounter at S. Denis in these late troubles of France assigning to euery company of horse a company of shot which should discharge when the enemy came to charge the Princes horse by this deuice preuailed against the enemy which otherwise he was not able to encounter Wooddy countries and thicke bushes are not to be passed either with our horse or pikes before we haue cleared them with our shot and targetters and short weapons for as in those groundes horse for that they cannot there fetch their carreire and pikes by reason of their length are vnseruiceable so they are exposed to the shot of the enemy which in such places commonly lie hidden The c Tacit. Annal. Romanes taking the Germanes with their long pikes in a certein wooddy couÌ„trey taught them that such groundes were not for them Caesar pursuing his enemies into d Caes bel gal 2. the wooddes would not follow them before the wayes were made and the woods cut downe Hilles and straits are yet more difficult to passe then woods for in woods short weapons and shot may do seruice in hilles and straits possessed by the enemy neither horsemen nor pikes nor any sort of weapons can do seruice but with great disaduantage In surmounting whereof these cautions are to be vsed first that we do not enter a strait before we haue assured our selues of an issue either before or behinde or at least on the sides The e Liu. 9. Romanes not vsing this caution entring the strait at Caudium were so compassed in by the enemy on euery side that they could neither goe forward nor backeward but must there compound for their liues Cornelius the f Liu. 7. consul had likewise bene entrapped and compassed about in a valley by the Samnites if that Decius a valiant man with certeine troupes had not taken the hill aboue their heades and driuen them from thence by his owne danger opening a passage to the rest of the army If we be not assured to force the enemy before vs yet let vs assure our selues of the highest groundes both behinde and vpon the sides of the army and keepe them vntill the passage before be opened Which course Annibal taught vs by his example passing the Alpes and the Pyrenean mountaines Being g Liu. 22. brought into a strait by the mistaking of his guide he forced the passage in the night and deliuered his armie safe out Cyrus perceiuing the danger of his armie in passing the straites and hils of Cilicia taken and kept by the enemie remooued him thence by sending certaine troupes farre about another way to charge him on the backe In passing of mountaines garded by the enemie we are further to take heed that our companies doe not march vp to the hill directly before that our shot and light armed haue either taken the higher ground if any be or els some euen ground either vpon the sides or the backes of the enemie Annibal a Liu. 21. perceiuing that the inhabitants of the Alpes had seased the passages in the night time marching vp with the lustiest yong men hee had tooke the ground aboue their heads and so draue them from the places which otherwise by rolling downe of stones might haue
hurt his men and stopped their passage When Philip the king of Macedonia had lodged his armie by the banke of the riuer Aous and at the foote of certaine mightie mountains the Romane Generall by the direction of a shepeheard vnderstanding the site of the b Deleri exercitus Philippi potuit sed equitem angustiae â—ocorúmque asperitas peditem aâ—morum grauitas impedijt Liu. 32. ground sent foure thousand targetters about the hils and comming vpon his backe draue him from his ground and had vtterly defeated his armie had not the roughnesse and straightnesse of the ground hindered the carriere of his horsmen and the weight of their armes the speed of the footemen The Persians did driue Leonidas from the straites of Thermopylae by comming vpon his backe and taking the vpper ground which likewise was done by the Romane Generall Acilius when Antiochus kept the same straites to stop the proceeding of the Romane armie In all their expeditions through the mountaines of c Liu. 32. 46. Thessalie and Athamanie the Romanes passed without any losse into Macedonie for that they alwayes tooke the tops of the hils with their light armed before they suffered their armie to descend into the valleis Xenophon returning into his countrey through the hils of the Carduchians to passe them safely tooke this course d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph. exped Cyr. 4. His companie he deuided equallie into two partes whereof if the first were stopped the second auancing it selfe forward another way wanne the hill and draue the enemies from their ground if the enemie made head against the second then did the first compasse the hill while that part held the enemies in breath The araie of the armie in passing of hils and straites is diuers from the common order of marching for here not the horsemen but shot and light armed targetters and short weapons march first and serue to discouer the enemie they also gard both the sides and backe of the armie next them march the horsemen and pikes with the baggage and great ordonance in the midst Diuers are the dangers and difficulties which an armie is subiect vnto passing of great riuers where there is no bridge nor easie foord no lesse to be considered then other impediments opposed against an armie marching for here the enemie commonly maketh head against vs here he lieth in waite either to charge vs in front or on the backe our forces being diuided and one part not able to succour the other If we bee driuen to fight in the riuer or as soâ—ne as we come on the other side our armes and clothes being wet doe hinder vs and tyre vs. If our armie passe by boates it is to bee feared least the enemie comming downe the riuer with greater vessels and boates then wee haue doe diuide our companie likewise and take away our meanes to passe bridges are broken with great waters yea with great barges and pieces of timber sent downe the riuer and falling ouerthwart them a Belgas nostri in flumine aggressi magnam corum partem conciderunt Caes bel Gal. 2. Caesar charging the Belgians as they passed a riuer cut a number of them in pieces The Spaniards that forced to passe a riuer in the pursuite of b Liu. 21. Annibal were likewise slayne in the midst of it by his horsemen returning backe vpon them and finding them in disorder When the c Inopinantes impeditos aggressus magnam eorum partem concidit Caes bel Gal. 1. Heluetians were all passed the riuer of Soane saue a fourth part Caesar setting vpon them that remained and looked for no such thing discomfited and killed the most of them d Caes bel Gal. 7. Labienus suffering them of Treuers to passe the riuer betwixt him and them before they were halfe passed set vpon them and ouerthrew them before the rest could passe Those e Hist de troubl de Fr. l. 9. Protestants likewise which for want of meanes could not passe so soone as their fellowes were defeated at the passage of Dordonne anno 1569. Hard it is and dangerous to passe a riuer where there is an armie on the other side readie to debate and denie the passage The f Heluetij nauibus iunctis ratibúsque compluribus factis alij vadis Rodani perruÌ„pere conati operis munitione militum concursu â—elis repulsi Caes bel Gal. 1. Heluetians at foordes and by boates often attempted to passe the riuer of Rone but what with the height of the bankes and trenches made and force of men they were repulsed Therefore in passing of great riuers the Generals had need to proceed discreetly and to looke both forward and backward that whether he passe by foords or by bridges made for the purpose or by boates or peeces of timber bound together or skinnes blowne full of winde or howsoeuer he loose none of his companie nor be troubled as men are that are taken vnprouided King Edward the third passed the riuer of Some at a foord notwithstanding the resistance made by the French but if withall he had passed ouer some thousand or two thousand archers which by appointment might haue come vpon the backe of the enemie the passage of the riuer had bene more easie and the defence of the enemie and escape more difficult for by that meanes Annibal defeated the Gaules in the passage of Rone For making she we to passe by force those companies that he had sent about an other way came vpon their backes and cut many of them in peeces The Admirall of France anno 1569 when he could not force the garde at Port de Pile by reason of the Gabions and Barriquadals vnder which the enemies shot lay couered sought and found a passage a litle aboue the place which the enemie had no sooner espied but he left his stand without any great intreatie The Prince of Orenge anno 1568 breaking the force of the streame of the riuer of Mosa by placing horses ouerthwart founde meanes to passe his armie ouer before the enemie knewe where he would passe There is no riuer but lightly higher or lower it may be foorded a Xenoph. exp cyr 3. Xenophon with his companie not being able otherwise to passe the riuer of Tygris yet marching vp towards the head of it founde a foorde b Fossis Caesar Sycorim auertens vadum fecit Caes bel ciu l. 1. Caesar by deepe trenches deriuing part of the riuer of Sycoris in Spaine made the rest so shallowe that the souldiers might wade ouer it Where the enemie doeth fortifie the bankes on the other side and deny vs passage there some part of the armie is to be sent about some other way to come vpon the enemies backes and to open the passage for the rest Annibal when the Gaules stopped him the passage of Rone in the night sent Hanno away with part of his armie which marching that night fiue and twentie miles vp the riuer and finding no
resistance vpon boates brought with him and timber bound together passed his men which making a signe to Annibal that they were passed came vpon the backes of the enemie at such time as Annibal was ready to passe in front c Caes bel Gal. 7. Caesar when by force he could not passe the riuer of Allier in France the enemie still coasting him on the other side cunningly leauing two legions behinde a wood and marching away with the rest of his army when the enemy followed him those that remained behinde hauing boates and things ready passed suddenly and made a bridge ouer the riuer so that the rest of Caesars army returning passed also at ease Neither could the enemie remedy it being drawne so farre from the place a Labienus magno tumultu aduersa Sequana partem copiarum ducens naues aliquot nactus in alio loco exercitum tâ—a luxit Caes bel Gal. 7. Labienus by like practise passed the riuer of Seyne notwithstanding the enemies gard and opposition part of his army he led vp against the riuer of Seyne in the night with great noise which the enemy hearing followed thinking that all his army had bene there In the meane while certeine chosen companies left behinde passed the riuer in great silence in boates made of purpose which taking the banke gaue passage to their fellowes returning Aemilius Paulus with a skirmish busying the mindes of the Macedonians at the same time sent certeine companies about the hils to passe there the riuer of Enipeus which comming on the enemies backes caused them speedily to dissodge and leaue the passage Caesar at b Nauibus ex leui materia viminibus corio contextis 22. millia denectis legione traducta collem occupat munit pontémque facit Caes bel ciu 1. another time when he could not passe the riuer of Sycoris at a foord made certeine boates of twigs and light timber and couered them with leather In those boates caried 22 miles off in one night he passed a regiment tooke a hill and fortified it and there made a bridge for the passing of the rest of the armie In the warres of Charles the 5 against the Protestants in Germany the c Sleidan Spaniards pursuing the Duke of Saxony passed with their horsemen at a foord and diuers of the rest swimming ouer the Elbe with their swords in their mouthes seased the boates that were tied on the other side and by that meanes passed ouer their fellowes The d Lusitani sine vtribus ad exercitus non eunt Caes bel ciu 1. Lusitanians in time past did seldome goe into the warres without girdles of skinnes which being blowne full of wind they easily passed any riuer The Germanes when no way they could force e Caes bel Gal. 4. a passage ouer the riuer of Rhein feined as if they returned into their owne countrey but hauing marched three daies iourney they ridde backe so farre in one night and comming backe vpon a sudden found the countrey peoples boates tied at the riuer side in which they passed themselues and sent backe the boates to passe the rest of the company Where the enemy maketh no resistance there it is easie to passe by boate yet the practise of warre requireth that either for quicke dispatch a bridge be made or els that trenches be made vpon the riuer side both for defence of those that passe first and for those that stay last and also that boates may passe and repasse safely vnder the fauour of some pieces placed on the bankes How a bridge may be made a Caes Bel gal 4. Caesar hath taught vs by the example of that which he made ouer Rhein Take two posts long or short according to the depth of the riuer and couple them two foote asunder and so driue them downe with a rammer leaning somewhat towards two other such posts so ioyned and driuen downe 30 or 40 foote aboue them in the riuer which fastened together with other timber below couered with square beames are the foundation of the bridge Vpon diuers such couples laying timber and couering the same with planks and hurdles and straw the armie hath meanes to passe I thinke there is no carpenter but he knoweth this kinde of worke and therefore the rest I referre to his occupation and workemanship The bridge being made great care is to be taken that the same be not broken as it happened to the bridge made by the Protestants ouer Garonne Anno 1569 caried away by timber wooden milles sent downe against it Which had not happened if either defences had bene made aboue or els a broade place left in the bridge for such things to passe Sometimes bridges are made of boats fastened with cables and stayed with ancres Such a bridge was made by the Prince of Parma ouer the riuer of Scald and also by the Protestants ouer the riuer of Garronne 1569. At the siege of Poytiers the same yere the Protestants made a bridge ouer the water vpon emptie pipes bound fast together with ropes Mouuans to assure his passage ouer the riuer of Rone dressed there a litle fort on the banke where some artillery being placed beat the fregates that would haue hindered the passage and defended the fort against such as would haue disturbed them in passing from the land The same course was also practised by Montbrune and diuers others But as the Generall is to haue care to passe toward the enemie so he is to haue care that he may repasse againe Therefore did Caesar passing ouer Rhine build two forts at either ende of the bridge one to assure himselfe a passage The Romane Emperour Crassus passing the riuer of Euphrates if hee had had the like care more of his armie percase might haue returned then did It was likewise a great error in the Counte Aremberge that passing the riuer he had no regard to assure himselfe of the bridge which being taken froÌ„ him by the enemie he was slaine with most of his company and depriued of retrait The aray of an army passing of riuers is much according to the opposition made by the enemie if none be made the common order is sufficient If the enemie she we himselfe the great ordonance is to be drawne to the banke on the sides of the army other shot likewise if they will reach so farre to the entent the enemie may be forced to giue place If the riuer be gueable let the shot marche on the sides the targets in front seconded with pikes the horsemen may follow in the midst And when the other side is assured then are the impediments and great ordonance to be passed the rest of the army following afterward the backe being armed as the front If the riuer be not to be passed at a forde then a part of our army being sent about to winne some more easie passage when that is ready to come on the enemies backs certaine boates with some small pieces in the
noses of them and furnished with shot and targets are first to set forward with equall front and after them other boates laden with piquiers are to folow the ordonance and impediments must come in the midst and the rest of the army afterward But in passing of plaines woods straites mountaines or riuers there is no course more effectual then to vse expedition celeritie In all practises of warre the same is most auaileable For by this meanes the danger is often passed before the enemie be ready to withstande vs. a Caes bel gal 7. Caesar by his expedition had woÌ„derful successe in al his affaires He passed the hils of Auuergne before the enemy had any suspition of his coÌ„ming He passed his army in one day ouer the riuer of Soan which the Heluetians could not do in many By the same he preuented b Caes bel ciu 1. al Pompeyes preparatiues and draue his enemies out of Italy before they had any respit giuen them to take breath c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph. exped Cyr. 3. Xenophon taking the tops of the hils before the enemie looked for him passed great dangers with great ease Montgomery in his iourney into Bearne vsed that speede that before the enemies were assembled to resist him he had passed all the riuers straites and mountaines which were in his way No marueile therefore if they do nothing that make such intollerable delayes in all things Loyterers are taken in trappe and made often to flye because they will not runne The army of Afranius in Spaine being nere to the hils where they might haue escaped Caesars hands and marched safely delayed time and suffred Caesars army to come betwixt them and their safetie which was the ruine of that company Yet if the heauens should be ruinated some as it should seeme would not mend their pace CHAP. VII Part. 1. Wherein is declared what trauerses and oppositions the defendants are to make that thereby they may stoppe or hinder the progresse and march of the enemy THis may be vnderstood in part by that which hath bene said already For seeing the difficulties that hinder the proceeding of an army are either wants and weaknesse in it selfe or oppositions made by the enemy that taking the aduantages of hilles or wooddes or straits or riuers is alwayes ready to hurt or hinder it who seeth not that the stronger our oppositions are the slower will the army be able to proceed The principall meanes to breake the course of an army ranging vp and downe the countrey is want of prouision This was the course that Fabius vsed against Annibal in Italy To effect this strait order is to be taken that the a Edictum proponebatur vt quioê° oppida castellaque immunita essent in loca tuta commigrarent ex agris quoque vti demigrarent omnes regionis eius qua Annibal iturus esset tectis priùs incensis ac frugibus corruptis ne cuius rei copia esset Liu. 22. people saue themselues in places of strength and that thither also they conuey their corne prouision and cattell whatsoeuer cannot be carried away the same is to be burned and spoiled all along where the enemy commeth Which order Fabius caused to be proclamed and obserued in the warres in Italy with Annibal b Liu. Philip king of Macedonia not being able to defend the townes countrey of Thessalia transported the people into other places the townes villages he burnt the corne he laid vp safe the cattell he caused to be driuen into places of strength c Pabulatione commeatu Vercing etorix equitatu abuÌ„dans Caesarem prohibere conatus est Caes bel Gal. 7. Vercingetorix the captain of the Gaules seeing himselfe no way able to match Caesars army in open field yet by spoiling the country burning whatsoeuer might be coÌ„modious for the enemy draue him to great extremities and percase had done more if that the necessity of poore people hope to defend townes of no strength had not spared much that should haue bene spoiled The Greeks that returned froÌ„ the voyage of Cyrus into Persia were by nothing hurt more then by the wilfulnesse of the people through whose countries they passed which burning their prouision which they coulde not saue made them go far about suffer great want The duke of Alua had not bene so easily rid of the army which the prince of Orenge brought into the Low countries if he had not without compassion spoiled the country forced him to returne for feare of hunger The duke of Aumale likewise did spoile the country where the Almaines that came to ayd the Protestauts anno 1569 passed If pitie of the poore and fauor of friends will permit vs to execute this without respect there is nothing more auâ—â—lable against a strong enemy for whatsoeuer prouision the euemy bringeth with him yet if he finde no supply in the countrey he cannot long coÌ„tinue there a Adeoque inopia est coactus Annibal vt nisi tum fugâ—â— speciem abeâ—ndo timâ—isset Galliam repetituâ—us suerit Liu. 22. Fabius by following this course brought Annibal with his victorious army into those straits that had it not bene for shame and danger that would haue followed him by flying he would haue returned backe into France Lest the enemy range too farre abroad he is to be restreined with strong garrisons placed in cownes defensible and with a power of horsemen these will intercept straglers and garrisons sallying vpon outriders will keepe them in order It is not the point of a wise Generall to leaue the enemy vpon his backe b Repressus remotus Lucterius quod intrare intra praesidia periculosum putabat Caes Bel. Gal. 7. Lucterius the French capteine would willingly haue spoiled the countrey of the Romans in France but he stayed himselfe fearing to enter among the garrison townes which hee could not doe without apparant danger Caesar c VellaunodunuÌ„ ne quem post se hostem relinqueret oppugnare instituit Caes Bel. Gal. 7. besieged Vellaunodunum that lay in his way for feare the garrison of the enemy left there might doe him some annoyance The army of the Protestants anno 1569 retiring out of Poitou into Gascoigne thence into Dauphinè receiued many algarades of the enemies garrisons in the countrey where they passed but nothing doth keepe the enemy straiter nor more hinder his march then a power of horsemen galling him continually on the sides and watching all opportunities By them d Caes Bel. Gal. 7. Vercingetorix kept Caesars forragers very short Cassiuellanus with his e Pabulatores essedarijs aggressus ne latiùs vagarentur continuit Caes Bel. Gal. 5. essedarians that fought in charets kept the Romanes from going farre on forraging the countrey and f Frumentatum exeunti Annibali diuersis locis opportunè aderat Liu. 22. Fabius with his horsemen meeting at euery turne with such as Annibal had sent out to fetch in
corne and other prouision made them returne many times short home So long as horsemen do hang vpon the sides and taile of an army they make but a slow march Caesar sending his horsemen before to charge the enemies last troups did so trouble them that he ouertooke the g Caes Bel. Gal. 1. Heluetians and h Omnem equitatum qui nouissimuÌ„ agmen moraretur praemisit Caes Bel. Gal. 2. Belgians in France Afranius his army in Spaine although they had gotten farre before him himselfe and his army were so molested by the horsemen of i Hirti de bel Afric Scipio in Afrike that in foure houres he could not march much aboue an hundred paces being driuen to stay and receiue euery charge and stirre as also befell the Romans an other time a Ad crebros â—quitum velitum tumultus signa consistebant Liu. 28. encountring the enemie in his marche The French horsemen that coasted the Almaines that anno 1569. came in aide of the Protestants of France kept them from stragling but if they had bin more and durst haue charged them they had staied them longer in their iourney For if the first marche while those that are behinde fight then are these left to the butcherie as it happened to the b Caes de bel gal 2. Belgians pursued by Caesar Further such straites and hilles as the enemie is to passe if he meane to enter further into the Countrey are to be garded and the wayes to be trenched that both our men may haue a couer and the enemie more difficultie in forcing the passage Leonidas to stoppe the Persian army kept the straites of Thermopylae which was also practised by Antiochus against the Romanes Philip c Liu. 32. purposing to stop the Romane army at the straite of Aous trenched the passage and on the higher ground placed archers and slingers and the rest of his army in conuenient places But it succeeded not for that he suffered the enemie not onely to take the higher ground but also to come on his backe Which also was the ruine of Leonidas and Antiochus Those therefore that keepe hilles and passages are to take heede of three dangers the first that they suffer not the enemie to take the higher ground the second that they doe not so lye open that the enemie may come on their backes and thirdly that their company be not vnable to abide the enemies force or to defende the grounde committed to their charge For in this case those that seeke to stoppe other are often taken in trappe themselues especially if they lye not strong nor looke well to their garde If the enemie enter into a strayte which hath but two or three issues take those issues and garde them strongly and thou hast the enemie enclosed as it were in a nette So were the Romanes enclosed at Caudium and compassed in before and behinde on the sides But take heede that thy garde be strong and watchfull least the same be forced and all thy labour frustrated as happened to Fabius hauing enclosed Annibal at Cales by the weakenesse of the corps de garde placed on the hill Calicula If the king of Macedonia had placed strong garisons in the straites of Athamany and Thessaly and shewed himselfe in head of the Romanes they could d Ne Romani abnuunt se magna clade pugnaturos Liu. 42. neuer haue issued thence without great slaughter and losse There is no greater tryall of a captaine then in the taking of the aduantage of grounds And therefore let him proceede wisely and cause his men to worke diligently that his trenches be sufficient and well furnished with stones and shotte and all things necessarie And especially that he be not enclosed nor beaten from the higher ground Woods are a good couer for any enterprise and therefore wise captaines therein doe place such companies of souldiers as may eyther charge the enemie passing through or by them Yet let them take heede that they haue a place of retrait there that going about to hurt others they be not cutte in pieces themselues The surest defence against the enemies proceeding is a riuer not to be forded ouer but the bridges are to be broken and the botes to be taken from the other side and the bankes where they are most lowe and easy to be raysed with earth and fensed with stakes and the same to be garded with a competent force both of horsemen and footemen with their sconces in coÌ„uenient places By this meanes a Caes bel gal 1. Caesar kept the Heluetians at a baye and stopped them from passing the riuer of Rone notwithstanding their diuers attemptes both by night day the b Praesidia disponebant quibus locis videbatur pontesque rescindebant fluminuÌ„ Liu. 22. Romanes stopped the outcourses of Annibal Which course if the French king had taken the Protestants had not so easely retired from the battell of S. Dennis c Hist de troubl â—e Fr. l. 3. anno 1567 nor had they passed so many Riuers nor taken so many Townes so easely But neither were the Townes garded with souldiers nor the bridges broken nor the bankes garded In garding of Fordes great care is to be taken first that the enemie passe not ouer some other way and so come on our backes secondly that he force not our garde This is preuented by good fortification and that by diligent watch and sufficient number of men He that looketh not to these things is fitter to keepe goslings then the passages of Riuers By these meanes an army is slopped or at least hurt and hindred But for that men are hardely induced to fire their owne goods and fewe men can endure the lamentable flames of his countrey and without a sufficient force of men all other meanes to stoppe an enemie are nothing let there first be a sufficient armie leuied and opposed against the enemie not that I would haue the same to hazard lightly or come to the triall but for that he that hath an army ready may take all aduantages of Hilles Straites Woods and Riuers and cut off such as wander abroade and execute that which priuate men will not doe in spoyling where the enemie is to passe as the practice of Armes requireth a L. Portius Licinius per locâ— alta ducendo exercitum cum modò insideret angustos saltus vt transituÌ„ clauderet modo ab latere aut tergo carperet agmen ludificatus est Asdrubalem omnibus belli artibus Liu. 27. L. Licinius though inferiour in force to Asdrubal in Spaine yet taking the aduantage of hilles and straytes and nowe charging the enemie on the sides then on the backes practised on him all the precepts of warre for which he deserued great commendation The proceeding of Monsieur the French kings brother and lieutenant that disbanded his souldiers and sent them into garrison when he should haue resisted the Almaines that came to succour the Protestants anno
1569. and kept the fielde doeth contrariwise deserue reproofe as contrary to the practice of warre and profite of his Prince For if that Poytiers had not arrested the Protestants and susteined the siege contrary to expectation there had ensued great losse to his partie In the meane while what reason had he to suffer the enemie to spoyle the countrey at his pleasure CHAP. VII Part. 2. Wherein he speaketh of forraging and stopping the enemies forragers HOwe the whole armie may marche assured and what the same is to feare in marching I haue already spoken sufficient The same rules may also serue for direction to those that are sent foorth to spoyle the Countrey and to fetche in corne and forrage For whatsoeuer the Generall is eyther to obserue or to feare in his whole armie the same is he that leadeth a part thereof out to forrage to obserue and to feare He must see that his companie keepe good arraye that they straggle not from the grosse of his troupes He is further to haue good intelligence and espiall vpon the enemies proceeding In passing of Plaines Woods Hilles Straytes and Riuers he is to vse more diligence for that his strength is the lesse Likewise he is to consider that as he goeth safely forward so he may also haue a sure retraite if necessitie force him to returne backward Further he is to make appointment where to meete with the rest of the army that the same be not diuided when the enemie is ready to charge b Caes bel gal 4. Caesar charging the Germanes while their horsemen and some troupes of footemen were gone abroade vpon spoyle found them farre more easie to bee dealt withal a Caes bel ciu 3. Domitius sent by Caesar vpon forrage if he had not mette with the rest of the army vpon an instant could not so wel haue escaped out of a manifest danger the whole enemies power being at hand ready to charge him That he may doe that wherefore he goeth he is to carry with him sithes sicles hookes axes and all necessary instruments and to bring that he findeth safe away he is also to haue with him store of horses and carriages For what auaileth it to finde corne and prouision vnlesse the same be carried away to our vses And little deserue they to haue things necessarie that will not fetche them The b Socordia negligeÌ„tia Campanorum in vehiculis contrahendis ad frumeÌ„rum comportandum rem ab HaÌ„none compositam turbauit famemque quae secuta est fecit Liu. 25. Capuans being in distresse for want of victuals and being willed by Annibal to send carriages to fetche sufficient did send so fewe that it was nothing to relieue their neede Afterward they wished like opportunitie to be offered againe but in vaine For within short time after they were forced by famine to yeelde vp their Citie That his men be not disturbed in their worke by the sudden assaults of the enemie let him place gardes in places conuenient for befence of those that goe abroade and worke In this respect the proceeding of c Marcellus explorato cùm firmisque praesidijs tuto receptu praedatum ierat Liu. 23. Marcellus that wise leader deserueth well to be followed For in no place did he goe before he had diligently discouered the same and assured his retraite and those that wrought by standes of men fitly placed Appius d Appius cum subitarijs legionibus ad popuâ—andum Boiorum agrum nec exploraâ—ò nec stationibus firmis profectus cum legionibus caesus est Liu. 31. ruinated himselfe and his armie for that without search of the countrey and order vsed in such cases he suffered his men to wander vp and downe more mindfull of spoile then of their owne safety The e Liu. 42. forragers of the Romanes marching without suspicion or order or sufficient defence were easely ouerthrowen by Perseus king of Macedonia This hath beene the ruine of many armies not onely of small companies and wil be if better order be not taken It is a common course of the enemie with hope of spoile to bring the army into distresse Therefore let no man be so greedy of spoile but that he see before into the danger and albeit there appeare no danger yet let him keepe most of his troupes in armes that he be not ouerwhelmed with sudden danger The prouision that is to be founde is diligently to be saued and laide vp in those Townes that we doe holde as in part before hath bin declared By this meanes Annibal mainteyned his army by others labours And much more we might haue done then we did if in our iourney into Portugal we could haue saued that we found in Galicia The cattell may he driuen along with the armie and ought to be distributed frugally as our neede requireth But as he is to spoile his enemie so he is diligently to take heede that he couche not his friendes and associates which wrought Annibal much woe But what lawe against necessitie Seeing then that those that marche in the enemies countrey if they proceede wisely may not onely hurt their enemies but also mainteine themselues at the countries charge it behoueth the Generall to be watchfull to keepe order and neuer to say had I wist For he that is entrapped hardly breaketh the snares To auoide danger nothing is better then celeritie and expedition of which I will nowe speake more particularly CHAP. VIII Wherein is prooued that nothing in warres is more aduantageous then expedition or any thing more hurtfull then delayes I Haue shewed this in part already But the detestation that I haue of the delayes of our times and daliance commonly vsed in martiall affaires by those that want skill together with the exceeding losses and dangers that Princes haue incurred and shall further incurre thereby it there be no redresse hath so affected me that although I haue spoken much and often thereof yet I suppose I can neuer say ynough To number all the commodities of expedition or the hurtes of delayes in matters of warre it is not possible though I shoulde speake of them continually those which come to my minde presently I thought good to lay downe in this place Through expedition the enemie is taken vnprouided those places that are opportune for vs are seased where the enemie is most open there haue we commoditie to charge him the malice of the enemie is preuented our speede giueth vs all leysure to prouide our confederates and friendes that stand in feare of inuasion are assured matters are spedde with little charge and good successe Caesar a Caes bel gal 2. hearing of the conspiracie of the Belgians by suddein coÌ„ming vpon them disordered all their counsels and remedied the mischiefe before it was ripe Another great conspiracie of all b Caes bel gal 7. France he dissolued by his speede in taking the heads single before their forces were ioyned Neither the deapth of Winter nor height of
Romanes had ouerthrowen them For which small iourney one of the company told them that the a Pro paulula via magnaÌ„ mercedem Liu. 8. Romanes would make them pay deare Delayes of times vsed by Cecinna Tacitus b Per varias moras prima prodidit hostibuâ— tempora belli Tac. 18. calleth becraying of opportunitie c Inutil i cunctatione agendi teÌ„pora consultando consumpsit Tacit. 19. Fabius Valens going against Vespasians army with hurtfull delayes spent times of seruice in vnprofitable consultations The Athenians not stopping the proceedings of Philip of Macedonia at the first suffered him to grow so strong that all Greece could not in the end withstand his force I pray God that delayes of Christian Princes to resist Philip of Spaine doe not worke like effect in our times Delaies are not good in any time of seruice The times of d Non expectant belli tempora moras dilationes imperatoruÌ„ Liu. 31. warre doe not attend vpon the captaines or counsels pleasures Occasion e Si in occasionis momento cuius praeteruolat opportunitas cunctatus fueris nequicquam mox amissam querà ris Liu. 25. presenteth it selfe vnto them vpon a sudden but if thou embracest it not it passeth without returning though oft thou wish for it againe All which notwithstanding in our times deliberations in matters of warre are flowe the arrestes vncertaine the executions vaine They are like the globe of Saturne that finisheth his course but once in 30. yeeres That which others in time past called loosing of time some call winning of time and that which proceedeth either froÌ„ feare or couetousnes that they begin nothing that will they haue to proceede froÌ„ wisdome and maturity Fabius complained that the yeere passed while the f Nobis in apparatu ipso ac tantùm inchoantibus res annus circumagitur Liu. 24. Romanes were in their preparatiues against Annibal what would he say now if he liued to see some men neither prepare nor beginne any thing To excuse themselues they beare men in hand that they stay to see how matters will fall out and when the king of Spaine will die Vnto whom I say for answere as one of the AtheniaÌ„s said sometime that they that looke for the g Qui euentus expectamus praeda victoris erimus Liu. 32. eueÌ„ts of warre are coÌ„monly a spoile to the conqueror This course is that which as Pontius the Samnite said neither winneth friendship nor doth hurt to the enemie Those that are slowe to helpe others must looke for slowe friendship at others hands in their neede But say they still stay It is not good to be too rash h Vnus homo nobis cunctando restituit rem Ennius Fabius by his staied proceeding restored the Romane Empire to the auncient estate that was shaken by others hastie heady rashnesse Then which example there is nothing can worse fit them Fabius in his time was a wise and resolute coÌ„mander ripe in counsell speedy in execution Annibal could turne nowhere but he was by him al his deuises he speedily preueÌ„ted Onely for this he was accompted flow that hee woulde not rashly venture the Romane Empire vpon one battell Yet when his collegue Minutius was in danger hee was ready to succour him He differred not to prouide an army nor to furnish it he would not suffer the enemy to do what he list What these men are and what they do I list not to report neither is it necessary being so wel knowen I pray God that as in other things so in this also they be not vnlike Fabius For he restored that which was shaken these are rather like to shake that which is sound by their cold delayes CHAP. IX Of orders to be obserued for the good gouernement and assurance of the campe or lodgings of the army AS in diuers other pointes so in the lodging of our army wee are farre declined from the true practice of armes The name of Campe remayneth but the thing is quite decayed and gone Seldome doth the army lie in the field vnlesse it be in the sieges of townes Wherein notwithstanding we bestow so many as we can in houses and villages In marching for the most part the companies are distributed in diuers villages and that three or foure miles asunder if not more The lodgings are seldome fenced vnlesse it be with a barriquade or barrier or small trench ouerthwart the wayes The watch is not so strong nor so diligent as it shoulde bee the confusion and noise is great the prouision of things necessary very small and seldome other then the souldiers can finde The which disorders make the army to lie open to camisadoes and many enterprises if the enemy be strong and iudicious For auoiding whereof the practise of warre requireth that the army do rest in no place but vnited nor without sufficient defence and garde Before that the practice of armes was brought to perfection the army lodged as nowe it doeth without trenches or defenses Pyrrhus seeing the default therein beganne first to fortifie his campe by entrenchment Which the Romanes receiuing from him did in short time excell their master Onely barbarous people commonly lay as before open and without defence which gaue the Romanes such aduantage against them And I doubt not but if the right order of encamping were recalled by anie man of iudgement that he should haue like aduantage against these of our times Many are the commondities that an army receiueth by their lodging well fortified They fight not but when they list and see their aduantage they sleepe soundly without feare and rest safely without danger such a Casta victori receptaculum victo persugium multi exercitus victi eruptione pugnantes hosteÌ„ pepulerunt Liu. 44. defenses are a receite to the conquerour a refuge to the vanquished and a porte and harbour to returne vnto in a storme Many armies saith Paulus Aemilius he that vanquished Perseus being foyled in open field haue retired into their campe and saued themselues and afterward fallying out vpon their enemies haue preuailed and vanquished them Therefore would hee no fight with the enemy before he had entrenched his campe Caesar albeit the was charged vpon the way by the Heluetians returning backe vpon him yet had no lesse care to fortifie his campe then to sustaine the enemies charge And therefore hauing set his army in order b Sarcinas in vnum locum conferri cum ab ijs qui in superiore acie constiterant muniri iussit Caes bel gal 1. he commanded the baggage to be brought into one place and the same to be entrenched by those that stoode last and on the highest ground while the vantgarde and the rest fought with the enemy And such was Caesars care therein that where the enemy was neere he would not suffer his chiefe c Ab opere singulisque legionibus singulos legatos Caesar discedere nisi muniâ—is castris vetuerat bel gal 2.
commanders and counsell to depart from legions or regiments before the worke fortification of the camp was finished Neither could the countenance of Afranius his army in Spaine making shew as if the same would sight deterre him but that he d Cas bel ciu 1. fortified his lodging keeping the rest in armes to receiue the enemies charge The barbarous Gaules by their many losses perceiuing the aduantages that the Romans had vpon them in this point at length by the counsel of Vercingetorix their leader began to e Caes bel gal 7. fortifie their camp as they saw the Romandes do He that doth not so lie entrenched goeth oftentimes out of his may to seeke ease for his souldiers lodgeth with his army disioyned looseth time and labour and lastly may not if hee be wise lodge neere an enemy as strong as himselfe that hath the vantage of ground and trenches He that chargeth an army that lyeth wel entrenched receiueth seldome honour of his rashnesse The Frenchmen because they vnderstoode not so much before were taught it of Prospero Colonna at the Bicocke in Lombardy For aduenturing rashly to fight with a Guicelardin Prospero and his company that lay strongly fortified within certaine bankes made for the keeping of the riuer within the channell they were tumbled into the ditch as fast as they came vp the bankes and many of them slaine That such fortification may be made orderly and strongly diuers rules are to be obserued and some prouision like wise is to be made more then ordinarie First a conuenient place in the way where the army marcheth is to be marked and staked out by the Quarter-master generall which woulde bee a man of iudgement with him also may bee sent other men of iudgement All these with a garde ought to goe b Centuriones exploratoresque praetermittit Caesar qui locum castris idoneum deligant Caes bel gal 2. before that at the comming of the army to the place euery man may knowe the gates and the sides and the places of the campe Within that presently they may begin to worke euerie man may know where to pitch his tent or make his caban to discharge the impediments and baggage and where the ordonance is to be placed This may seeme intricat at the first but with practice it may be made most easie Further to the end that our men be not disturbed when they are at their worke good espialles and discouerers would be sent before to see that the enemy lie not in ambush neere that place where wee meane to lodge Which happening to Caesar in the expeditioÌ„ against the Belgians did more endanger him then the enemies open force For his men c Caes bel gal 2. hauing laide downe their burthens and being scarâ—eâ—ed to fetch stakes earth and stones â—odainly the enemy appeareth out from vnder a hil there by and chargeth him The same was the ruine d Liu. 10. of Fabius his â—ieutenant For going to take a hil alreadie possessed by the enemy without espial he was there slaine in the place with al his comany For defence of those that worke one good part of the army woulde be kept in armes especially where the enemy is neere And those that worke are to haue euery man his sword and dagger girded to him and his other armes fast by him Which not only Caesar a master in these matters but al the Romanes generally obserued There is no time more pâ—oper for the enemies assault nor more daâ—gerous for vs then when wee are newly come to our lodging For then most are secure and put off their armes and either rest themselues or runne about to seeke things necessarie The e Castra ponentes Romanos Poeni aggressi sunt turbassentque munientes ni abditi post tumuluÌ„ opportunè ad id positi à Scipione equites in effusos incurrissent Liu. 28. Romanes as they were pitching their tentes were charged by the Carthaginians in their warres in Spaine and had beene soyled had not Scipio fearing such a matter run through theÌ„ with his horsemen which very opportunely hee had couered vnder a hill in the way as they came to the charge At that time also Caesar was set vpon by the Neruians and lost diuers braue men The Venetians were no sooner arriued in their a Conte de Purlilia ad Ferdinand lodgings at Trent and disarmed but the enemy obseruing his time commeth vpon them and forced them to seeke an other lodging Yet not all for many were lefte behinde to take vp their lodging in that place for euer The place most commodious for lodging is where our companie may not onely haue wood water good ayre and for horses forrage and if it may be some reliefe of victualles for our men but also aduantage of the ground fit to be wrought and hardly to be taken from vs by the enemy Wood may not be wanting for fire stakes and â—abans and lesse water for our men and cattell A riuer also doeth oftentimes ease our men of trauell Especially if it be deepe For that the campe is well fensed on that quarter Good ayre is necessarie for the health our souldiers especially when me lie long in a place The aduantage of ground is requisite for the defending of our lodging Which opportunities those that haue wanted haue beene driuen to great extremities b Caes bel ciu 1. Afranius his army was driuen to yeeld to Caesar in Spaine for want of water And by like necessitie Caesar forced the reliques of Pompeys army which hee c Caes bel ciu 3. besieged on a hill and excluded by trenches from the water to flie to his mercie Himselfe in d Hirt. de bel Alexandr Alexandria had beene driuen to great extremity for want of fresh water had hee not by digging of pits found store In hie and drie countries water is hard to be found vnlesse it be in valle is and deepe botcomes that shewe signes of moisture Lautrecke in the fiege of Naples lodging his army in the lowe grounds brought great contagion among his people and of New hauen and other places want of water and the filthy keeping of our lodgings which cannot be kept too cleane bred the pestilence among our men and wrought the victory to out enemies The disaduantage of the ground at Landresie not considered by the French had sike to haue taught them a lamentable lesson For being lodged in the lower ground they were continually amoyed by the artillery of the imperiallâ—s placed vpon a hill that comntâ—â—ed the French campe and almost forced them to fight with great disaduantage The Italians and Spaniardes were by the French forced to fight against their willes at a Guicciard Rauenna in Lewis the twelft his time for that being lodged in the lower and open ground they were beaten with the enemies great ordonance that continually stroke among their horsemen Which inconuenience coulde not be remedied so but that is was the
passe it f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph. Clearchus seeing his souldiers faint and hungrie would not charge the enemie albeit good occasion was offered The prince of Conde bringing his men that had watched for the most part all the night into the field before Saint Denis anno 1567. found what faintnesse watching worketh Asdrubal being charged at Metaurus when his owne souldiers were wearie and sleepie by the reason of his nights march and his enemies fresh and lustie was ouerthrowen with a mightie slaughter The g Sitis calor hiantes caedendos capiendósque Gallos praebebat Liu. 27. Gaules gaping for thirst and heate and being wearied with trauell and watching were slaine or taken Puigalliard in these late troubles of France causing his troupes to march continually two dayes and two nights thinking by his speed to surprise the Protestants at S. h Hist de troubl de Fr. l. 13. Gemme was himselfe the cause that his men were cut in pieces by la None not being able for want of sleepe and rest to doe any seruice But least cause hath he to venture whose souldiers stand in feare of the enemies forces Caesar therefore would not begin his iourney against a Caes bel Gal. â— Ariouistus and the Germanes before he had resolued his men that stoode in feare of them to fight And hauing had euill successe in one or two encounters at Dyrrhachium which much dismated his souldiers he remooued from thence and would not fight vntill such time as his souldiers were confirmed He that doubteth any such thing in his men is first to confirme them with hope and report of their former valiant actions and with declaration of the enemies wantes and weakenes and disaduantages he is to encourage them with promises and hope of rewarde to feare them with shame and plainely to declare vnto them that there in no hope but in victorie and therefore that if not for their honour yet for b Virture pares necessiâ—ate superiores Liu. 21. sauing of themselues they ought to fight valiantly Necessitie c Nusquam nisi in virtute spes est milites Liu. 34. enforceth men to fight and the example of their Commanders ready to abide with them in all danger maketh them ashamed to flie Much did it encourage Caesars souldiers when they sawe him in the battell against the Heluetians put his horse from him ready to take the common hazard with them and a very coward he is that neither with persuasion nor example will be encouraged The souldiers for their persons strength and courage being such as they should be the next consideration of a Generall that purposeth to fight is that they haue their armes fitted and all baggage and impediments that may hinder them remooued Alexander before he fought with d Plutarch Darius forgat not so much as to giue order that the haire of his souldiers heades and beardes should be cut lest the enemie might take holde by it Small matters you will say but in this not the smallest matters are to be contemned But yet nothing is more to be respected then the ground where thou purposest to abide the enemie There is great aduantages in hedges ditches and the higher ground Caesars e Milites e loco superiore pilis missis facile hostium phalangem perfregerunt Caes bel Gal. 1. souldiers throwing their iauelins from the higher ground and following the same did easily breake the rankes of their enemies troupes f Pharnaces aduersus collem subiens detruditur vincitur Hirt. de bel Alexandr Pharnaces leading his men against the hill where Caesars armie stoode ranged was presently thrust downe and vanquished Caesar wondered at his rashnes The enemie hauing seased a hill by Rome the Consul g Temerè aduerso Ianiculo Seruilius ad castra hostium aciem erexit soedéque inde pulsus est sed interuentu collegae ipse exercitusque seruatus est Liu. 2. Seruilius mooued with the indignitie of it did rashly cause his troupes to march vp the hill against him which aduantage the enemie taking had ouerthrowne him and his armie had not his Collegue come in the instant and fauoured his retraite Marius a Plutarch in vita Marij ouerthrewe the Germanes and Danes more easily taking them mounting vp the higher ground Certeine of the Admirall of France his companies foolishly striuing to winne the hill neere the plaines of S. b Hist de troubl de Fr. l. 9. Clere were driuen backe with losse and had vtterly bene defeated if the Almanes belowe had not kept their ground and arrested the formost of the enemies that pursued them A smal c Exiguum loci ad decliuitatem fastigium magnum habet momentum Caes bel Gal. 7. aduantage in the vneauennes of the ground is much saith Caesar in the furthering of the victorie At Auaricum albeit he had the victorie in his handes and had foiled the enemie yet would he not followe them up the hill for feare of the discommoditie of the ground At Gergouia he lost many braue souldiers that contrary to his commandement would needes pursue the enemie vp the hill him selfe was neuer in greater danger to loose the fielde then at Munda in Spaine which happened by the forwardnes of his men that needes would d Hirt. de bel Hispanic charge the enemie standing on the higher ground That care that a Generall hath in the first charge of the enemie the same he ought also to continue in the pursuite of his victorie that his men descend not downe into the lower ground nor be too eger following them vp the hill The e Romanus cedentem hostem effuse sequendo in locum iniquum pertractus acie fusus Liu. 6. Romanes following the enemie without order and being drawne into a lowe valley were discomfited and slaine the enemie turning backe vpon them The Corinthians not looking before them in their retraite fell into a f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hollowe bottome of ground which the Athenians perceiuing and that there was no issue out compassed them round about with their light armed and slingers and stoned them all to death The Romanes entring the straite of Caudium were entrapped by the Samnites Annibal g Liu. 21. susteined many losses by the people of the mountaines that tooke the toppes of the hilles and rolled downe stones vpon his souldiers marching along the sides of the hilles Which difficulties h Xenoph. exped Cyr. 4. Xenophon also prooued in passing the mountaines of the Carduchians All difficulties which hinder the armie in marching as woods hilles straites riuers and such like are farre more dangerous if they be obiected against vs in fighting And therefore let the Generall take heede that he be not charged in passing of riuers or straites or at any like disaduantage Further let him diligently view and search the Countrey that the enemy haue not bestowed some part of his army in some wood or beyond some hil behinde or
death of the Cardinal king Vnder colour of parley of peace at Dunkirke hee brought his Nauy vpon our coast before we looked for it and I may say before some were well prouided for it These pretenses though false yet make shewe and are beleeued of some and take simple people before they be prepared For when Scipio had put men aborde and prouided many things as for a siege e Vt ab eo quod parabat in alterius rei curam cōuerteret animo◠Liu. 29. Syphax beleeued that as the brute went he meant in deede to besiege Vtica but being in the night inuaded and seeing his campe all fired hee learned with the losse of his army one point of warre neuer to trust the enemy when hee giueth out such reportes Some vnder colour and during the treaty of composition haue wound them selues out of danger Asdrubal being taken by the Romanes at an aduantage promised that if he might be assured to depart out of that place hee would cary his army out of Spaine but while the Romanes were secure thinking that he would not stirre during the treaty of composition the man by litle and litle had gotten out of the snare into a safe ground The king of Macedonia sending messengers to treate with the Romanes for the buriall of his souldiers that lay slayne by their campe in the meane time of the parley remoued his campe out of a strayt and so escaped The Massilians besieged by Caesars souldiers began to treat of composition But when by diuers dayes vaine talke they perceiued their negligence and securitie they sallied vpon the sudden and burnt their engins works which cost them much labour Vnder colour of treaty of peace a Liu. Marcellus espied the walles of Syracusae and another time entred the towne of Salapia seasing a gate Nothing is more commodious for dressing of enterprises against a towne besieged The L. b In the dayes of Q. Marie Grey by the trechery of the French entring the trenches and ditches of Guines during the parley escaped narowly a great danger Rumours of succours comming encourage our souldiers discourage the enemy The c Liu. l. 9. 10. Romane Consull giuing out a report at the time of the beginning of the battell that another army was comming to charge the enemy vpon the backe made the enemy hearing it to doubt and his own souldiers to fight more courageously Vaine shewes doe often deceiue the enemy Caesar mounting certaine slaues and horse boyes vpon cariage horses and mules at Gergouia and causing them to shewe them selues a farre off made the d Caes bel gal 7. enemy feare least a company of horsemen were comming vpon them to charge them vpon the backe Which being practiced long before against the Samnites e Sp. Nautius mulos detractis clitellis alarijs impositis circumduxit quod Samnitibus terrorem attulit Liu. made them feare looke about Annibal not being able to force the garde that kept the passage of Calicula binding fagots on the heads of oxen setting them on fire driuing them toward the place what through wonderment what through feare made them to giue way Martigues seeing the inconuenience of his lodging neere f Hist de troubl de Fr. l. 5. Pampron An. 1568. at the shutting of the euening caused all his company to displace went away safely abusing the enemy with fires made and peeces of matches tyed among bushes which made the enemy suppose hee had bene there still The which practice he seemeth to haue learned of Annibal who fearing least he shoulde bee charged as hee remoued his campe left diuers tentes standing toward the enemy some souldiers armes as if the rest had bin stil there which long before had gained ground were gone Wordes making for vs comming to the enemies eares doe often strike a terror in them Quintius the a Quintius dicens Volscotum alterum cornu fugere pepulit Volscos Liu. 1. Romane Generall crying out aloud that the other corner of the battel of the Volscians fled made that where he stood to flie in deede Valerius Leuinus speaking aloud saying that he had slaine Pyrrhus with his owne hands holpe to discourage the enemy Annibal causing one of his owne men in the Romane Generals name to command the Romanes to flee to the hils next adioyning had done them some hurt but that the guile was perceiued I haue heard some say that a certaine voyce raised in the eares of the Scots at Muscleborough field how their company fled made them both feare and flie False sounds also signes doe often abuse those that are credulous Annibal hauing slaine the Romane Consul with his ring scaled diuers forged letters whereby he had deceiued some if the other Consul had not giuen the cities round about warning of it Hauing taken Tarentū he caused one to sound an alarme after the Romane note which caused diuers Romanes to fal into his hands and the Tarentines to imagine that the Romanes meant to betray them more harme it had done but that the trumpet sounded vnskilfully Suborned messengers are dangerous if credit be giuen vnto them A certaine Lucanian while Annibal warred with the Romanes in Italy led Sempronius a famous leader among them into an ambush promising him to bring him to the speech of his countrymē of whom he feined himself to be sent vnto him b Liu. Annibal causing them of Metapontus to write letters to Fabius as if they were purposed to deliuer vp their citie into his hands had almost drawne him into an ambush where with his army he lay ready to welcome him to the towne Men disguised like women or like countrey people or c Danaûm insignia nobis aptemus Chorabus apud Virgil. armed like the enemies entring within their strength doe now and then abuse them and giue their felowes meanes of entrance In d Hist de troubl de Fr. l. 12. these late troubles of France diuers negligent Gouernors haue by these practises bene surprised Enemies pretending friendship play many odious partes therefore not lightly to be credited Before the battell of Cannae certaine Numidians suborned by Annibal pretending discontentment and seeming to reuolt from him in the middest of the hurly burly charged the Romanes vpon the backe and greatly preiudiced them Ambiorix vnder colour of friendly counsell trayned Titurius Sabinus out of his strength and taking him at aduantage flew him and most of his company Such was a Metuo Danaos dona ferentes Virg. Sinons counsell who as Poets feigne betrayed Troy To auoyde these traps these rules are to be obserued first no b Inimicorum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 counsell is to be trusted that proceedeth from the enemy for who can beleeue that he will counsell vs well that seeketh onely to doe vs hurt secondly if any reuolt from the enemy yet is he not to be trusted nor suffered to remaine among vs armed especially if he
long after by those whome before they had vanquished When such men erred it is not maruell if diuers errors were committed in these late French braules After the battell of S. Denys both Protestants and the kings side departed quietly each from other and at Moncontour albeit the kings brother gaue the Protestants a great ouerthrowe yet he suffered the Admirall to depart with a great part of his army and to gather newe forces to returne againe the next spring to fight againe But may some say it is not good to driue the enemy to vtter despaire for that constraineth men to aduenture and to try all meanes to escape c Desperatio vltima audere experiri cogebà t Aequos Liu. 3. Desperation saith Liuy caused the Aequians to aduenture and try their last refuge The Hetruscians being entered the campe of the Romanes and being compassed about without way to winde out fought so desperately that they slewe one of the Consuls and many braue men and had done much more d Maiorem cladem nisi data via fuisset dedissent Liu. 2. harme had not some wiser then the rest giuen them way to depart out of the campe quietly Afterward of themselues they fell into disorder and were easily vanquished by the horsemen that pursued them For this cause Themistocles said that a bridge of golde was to be made for an enemie that flieth that he might depart quietly All which I yeelde to be true in such an enemie as flieth without purpose to returne and which cannot be broken without great danger But if he purpose to returne no danger is to be refused nor labour to be shunned that he may be broken which in deede is no difficultie For he that cannot resist whole can euill resist broken And therefore this is a controuersie without firme reason of the contrary cause Yet in pursuing the enemie I would not haue him so stopped but that he may flie nor would I haue desperate men fought withall but I would haue them with hunger and disease forced to accept of their liues and so yeelding their armes to depart Which if the French had practised in the conquest of Naples they had not so ignominiously bene driuen out thence by 3 or 4 thousand Bisognos that they suffered to nestle in 2 or 3 out townes of the Countrey But if the enemies forces be vtterly dispersed and dare not looke vpon vs in the fielde then the next labour is to besiege their chiefe cities and that presently while the smart of their woundes is yet fresh Aswell in a Tam secundis quà m aduersis rebus non datur spatium ad cessandum si se Laelius cum equitatu victóque Syphace Cirtham praecedere sinat trepida omnia se metu oppressurum Liu. 30. good successe as in bad a prudent Capteine may not giue himselfe to rest Masinissa by shewing himselfe and his victorious companie before Cirtha so terrified the same especially vpon view of their king that was taken prisoner that the same yeelded vnto him presently Great is the terrour of a victorious armie and sufficient to make any towne to yeelde The Romanes by the terrour of their victorious troupes led by Quintius Cincinnatus obteined nine townes of the enemies in short space The b Antium paucos dies circumfessum deditur nulla oppugnantium noua vi sed quòd iam inde ab infoelici pugna castrisque amissis ceciderant animi Liu. 2. courage of the Volscians was so cooled after their ouerthrowe by the Romanes that they yeelded their citie for feare without any force Therefore Scipio after the ouerthrowe of Annibals army brought his forces presently before Carthage which he draue to accept of composition If Annibal vpon his victorie at Cannae had brought his victorious army before Rome he had proceeded with more iudgement The Rhodians c Stratoniceam recepissent Rhodij post victoriam nisi tempus in castellis recipiendis triuissent Liu. 33. hauing vanquished the enemy in open fielde spent time in taking of certeine paltry hamlets and castles whereas if they had vrged the enemy as they might haue done they had taken Stratonicea the head citie of the countrey There is no towne that dare holde out without hope of succour But may some say it is a hard labour to take townes well fortified and manned and stored with victuals I grant if armies that besiege them be such as ours and so furnished and the townes haue hope of reliefe otherwise as d Scipio vidit dissipatum bellum circumferre ad singulas vrbes arma diutini magis quà m magni esse operis Liu. 28. Scipio said it is a matter of more time then labour For where the Countrey is spoiled no townes can long holde out But that may be done easily where an army goeth vp and downe victorious without stoppe or encounter The reason that the townes of Holland and Zeland haue so long holden out against the Spaniard is that they haue both the sea open and many good friends and fauours in England A victorious army not only taketh whatsoeuer towne it besiegeth but also seaseth the whole countrey Annibal after the victory at Cannae possessed a good part of Italy After the ouerthrow of their forces by Scipio in Afrike the Carthaginians could not say that they had any one towne remaining in obedience After Caesars victorie at Alexia almost all France yeelded it selfe vnto him so well did he followe the victorie against Pompey in Epeirus against Scipio in Afrike against Afranius and Pompeyes sonnes in Spaine that with one victorie he assured himselfe of the whole Countrey and with one enemie fought no more but once The French by one victorie recouered all the kingdome of Naples and by one ouerthrowe at Gariglian lost it againe Francis the first by his victorie at Marignan came in possession of most of the Duchie of Millain being ouerthrowne and taken at Pauy he lost the same againe The Earle of Warwike after one victorie in the daies of Henrie the sixt assured all England to his Prince Edward the fourth by one victorie recouered the same againe and if that our ancestors had well followed the victories at Cressy Poytiers and Agincourt the French had not so easily dispossessed them of their holde in France But what cannot delaies want of supply and diuision worke in such cases First therefore the armie that is victorious ought not to suffer the enemie to gather head but to scatter his forces Secondly the same ought to besiege the chiefe Citie and to sease the Countrey into their handes not suffering the enemie in any place to rest The French king after his victorie at Moncontour besieging S. Iean d'Angeli lost there the vigour of his armie which might better haue bene emploied about Rochel Thirdly the Generals care ought to be howe to take away the enemies subiects from them and to depriue them of the aide of their confederats A matter not difficult if he proceede wisely in
is to send Colonies of the English nations into the country conquered But forasmuch as both garrisons and sometimes greater forces are required for defence of it the rentes of diuers cities countreys and grounds are that way to bee imploied And to this end the fruits of the roialties are to be conuerted and corne and prouision to be laid vp in storehouses The Romanes taking that course did in all places where they commaunded finde meanes to maintaine their armies without anie great exactions yea oftentimes the fruites of the countrey were so great that beside that charge there came much to the publike treasurie Charles b Guicciard lib. 1. the eight of France hauing conquered the kingdome of Naples and diuided the roialties yea and the publike store among his Fauorites when neede required had almost nothing to maintaine his armie and therefore as vnwoorthie of so good happe presently lost the same agayne Xenophon in the consultation of c Xenoph. Cyr. paed 2. Cyrus and Cyaxaris sheweth that for maintenance of the warres and of countreys vanquishe an armie must bee maintained and that an armie cannot bee maintained vnlesse the reuenues that maintaine it be certaine and continuall That lesse force may serue such as giue suspicion of reuolt are to bee disarmed so a Herodot Cyrus vsed the Lydians The Romanes likewise would not suffer such as were their subiects to b Liu. 8. arme without their commandemeÌ„t Futhermore those that are like to prooue heads of factions are to bee remooued out of the countrey for seldome doe the common people mooue vnlesse they be stirred by factious heads The Romanes hauing conquered the countrey of Macedonia and conuerted it into a prouince for more assurance of peace brought away with them the last c Regis amicos purpuratos ducésque exeâ—cituuâ—â— praefectósque nauium Liu. 45. kings friends and Fauorites and all his captaines both of his armie and nauie and likewise men of apparence and qualitie If so be time or sicknesse doe decaie our forces the same are to bee supplied in time that the rebellious take not occasion by our weakenesse to make stirres For want of this consideration in time past we lost our conquest in France and all that want it cannot chuse but loose For the rest if the gouernours of countreys newlie conquered be carefull and watchfull trust no man without cause vse equalitie in taxations and do good iustice against raueuours bribetakers and rebels they need not feare rebellion if they doe not all force that may bee vsed will not long serue to keepe them in subiection The d Liu. Priuernatians desiring peace of the Romanes and offering to yeeld themselues being demanded how long they would keepe it answered plainelie that if the conditions were reasonable long if vnreasonable and vniust no longer then they were forced For no people can long like of a gouernement wherein they are spoyled vexed iniuried and to say all in one worde pilled and tyrannised CHAP. XV. Containing a discourse concerning the meanes whereby an armie that is foiled or feareth to fight may most safely retire and how the enemie in folowing the course of his victorie may be stopped HOw an armie that is strong in the field may safely march fight with aduantage and vse the victorie I haue spoken sufficient But because the successe of a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 warres is doubtfull and Mars as Poets faine fauoureth b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 now one then an another To perfite this discourse it remaineth that Ialso declare how when blastes of winde blow contrary wee may either retire from the enemie that seemeth to haue prise and fast hold on vs in marching or fighting or els stop his course that hee proceed no further or els our selues gather new forces It is a matter very difficult for an armie that is broken to rallie it selfe and depart without vtter discomfiture where the enemie knoweth it and vseth his aduantage For nothing can be more hardly remedied then feare and disorder of the multitude if once it enter throughly or the enemie followeth speedilie If the enemie giueth vs respite or our forces be not altogether broken the meanes to saue the rest and succour those that retire are these First if there be any ground of aduantage in the place the same is to bee taken with that part of the armie that remaineth intire which diuided into squabrons may receiue their owne people flying within the distances and repell the enemie from the higher ground In the meane while those that are in disorder are to be brought into order agayne behinde those squadrons The c Vulneribus defesti pedem referre quod mons suberat circiter mille passuum eò serecipere coeperunt Caes bel Gal. 1. Heluetians beyng wearried and foyled in the fight with Caesar retyred to a hill hath by and there making head saued the rest The forragers sent out by Cicero at Vatuca being charged by the Germanes retired and defended themselues well as long as they kept on the higher ground At d Caes bel Gal. 7. Gergouia when Caesars men pressed by the enemie and briuen from the higher ground began to flie hee succoured them and staied the enemies pursuite by placing other squadrous at the foote at the hill with whom they had no courage to encounter Neither did a Antonius cum cohortibus 12 descendens exloco superiore cernebatur cuius aduentus Pompeianos compiessit nostróque firmauit Cael de bel Ciu. 3. Pompeyes men that chased Caesars souldiers at Dyrrhachium pursue them after that they once saw Antony comming with succour from the higher ground If there be no higher ground neere to retrait vnto the next course is for those companies that are pressed to retire within the distances of those squadrons that stand firme For this cause the Romanes did alwayes so range their battels that the squadrons of the first battell might retire within the squadrons of the next and both be releeued within the squadrons of their last In the encounter at S. Clere Anno 1569 where the Kings Auantgard fled the same was succored by the battell that followed which so charged the Protestants that pursued it and draue them downe the hill that if the Lansquenets that stoode at the foote of the hill had not stoode firme many of them had there bene cut in pieces That aduantage which the higher ground giueth the same a deepe trenche or thicke hedge or a straite like wise affordeth so that if our squadrons that stande firme be there placed the rest that are discouraged may runne behinde them and take breath The Romanes retiring oft times within the fortifications of their campe haue there againe made head against the enemy and saued themselues If neither the place where the army is ordered nor the ranging of our battels do admit any such retraite the last remedy is to auance forward either our horsmen or some firme squadron of
succour where neede shall require Further thou must fortifie all townes neere where the enemy lyeth This was the proceeding of the Romanes against Annibal and of the Gaules against Caesar Philip the King a Philippus intra Tempe statiuis positis vt quisque locus ab hoste tentabatur praesidia per occasiones summittebat Liui. 31. of Macedonia after his ouerthrow by the Riuer of Aous encamped with his forces in tempe a place of very hard accesse put gardes in the cities rounde about and as any citie or castle was assailed by the enemy so hee succourd the same with men and other necessary prouision But in this course two things we are to take heede of first that we doe not take vpon vs to defend townes either weake by situation or want of defence or els that want things necessary for to susteine a siege Secondly that we doe not suffer the townes that are besieged to languish without hope of supply or succour For mainteyning of our credite with our friends and confederats which commonly yeeld to follow the current of good or bad successe if in the fielde we receiue some checke yet are wee as much as wee can to couer our hurtes and diminish the credite of the enemies victorie Caesar hauing receiued some losses at b Caes de bel Ciu. 3. Dyrrachium yet would hee not acknowledge them to his souldiers but ascribed the slender successe of his enterprise to errour rather then to the enemies force Vercingetorix after the losse of Auaricum where a few onely of many escaped and that in pitifull plight c Caes bel Gal. 7. apparelled them and hid their deformitie and diminished with the best wordes hee could the losse of the towne The Heluetians likewise being foyled by Caesar at the passage of the riuer of Sone did diminish the nomber of those that were ouerthrowne and assigned it rather to casualtie then vertue Nothing doeth more d Charles duke of Burgundy by ambassadors sent to Lewis the 11 of France couered the losse receiued at Morat Phil. comm discourage souldiers then when they see the Generall himselfe by the greatnesse of the calamitie discouraged This caused the souldiers of Domitius to forsake him at Corfinium and to yeelde the towne to Caesar e Liu. 23. Varro the Romane Consul discouering vnto the Capuans the wants of the Romanes and the great calamitie they had receiued at Cannae thereby thinking to mooue pity mooued them rather to reuolt as despairing that the Romanes could euer recouer themselues after such an ouerthrow The a Liu. 31. vgly sight of the Macedonians slaine and mangled by the Romanes which in wisedome the king should haue couered did greatly terrify the army when to praise them he shewed them openly Finally as all calamities ouerthrowes and mishaps do proceed from contempt of religion iustice and military discipline so there is no hope to repaire our losses but by restoring the worship of God by administring of good iustice and strict obseruance of military orders The Romanes as they lost their city and were ouerthrowen by the Gaules at Allia for their contempt of these things so restoring matters to their ancient forme recouered the same againe and afterward had great good successe in all their enterprises Againe when in the times of the latter emperours that state was giuen ouer to all impiety and iniustice and vtterly neglected the lawes of armes by which that empire had growen so great the same fell into vtter ruine For who can expect good successe in warres that neglect the worship of the Lord of hostes the supreme moderator of all warres As long therefore as religion and iustice is troden vnder foot and hypocrisy and shewes of ceremoniall reformation and Iewish toyes goe for good religion and the goods destinate to the seruice of God mainteinance of vertue and learning and reliefe of the poore are made a spoile of harpyes and rauiners and Gods ministers made a scorne of euery leud railing companion and honors are solde for mony and disloyalty and treason and all villeiny redeemed with bribery and glory is placed in stones silkes and strange fashions and men of value contemned for pouerty and vertue despised as dust and wealth esteemed as felicity and learning rewarded with almes and valiant souldiers cast of with proud and disdainfull words and base rascals command and ouerrule vertue and law with wealth and fauor and mens skinnes are not valued at the price of dogges skinnes and no man may do his countrey seruice but he shall therein endanger his honor state and life and no man careth for the common cause but euery man abuseth his honor and authority either to enrich himselfe and his brats or to winne money and wealth to spende the same againe in surfet leachery and excesse so long neither can any nation haue victory nor loosing can euer recouer their losse CHAP. XVI Wherein is shewed how martiall men proceed in the sieges of cities or fortes THus hauing declared what practise of armes requireth in accoiling the enemy that hasteth forward to the obteining of a full victory I am now to returne to speake of him that hauing driuen his enemy out of the field maketh him to take sanctuary within some fort or city for that is rather the beginning of victory then the end of warres and therefore may he not so suffer him to escape nor lay downe armes before he command as well in the townes as in open field Wherein that he may proceed orderly and loose no labor nor cost which of all other actions of warre is greatest in sieges Thucidides reporteth that the Athenians in the siege of Potideaa spent aboue a Thucid. 2. Two thousand talents of Athens passe that summe 350000 pounds sterling first he is to consider what townes are first to be besieged and assaulted secondly by what meanes he may preuaile against them and winne them Of townes therefore that do make resistance against vs those are first to be besieged where the General of the enemies is retired with his forces if he be gone farre away then we are next to beset those townes which for their authority or conuenient situation do cary with them the rest of the countrey and if warres be so managed that our forces will not serue both to besiege the capitall city of the countrey and to represse the courses of our enemies intercepting our vittualles then are we to go on forward orderly in the countrey and to leaue no towne behinde vs that may stop the conueyance of our victualles Caesar pursuing Vercingetorix made him take Alexia for his retrait and there besieged him Annibal to terrify the Spaniards and to enforce them to submit themselues to the empire of the Carthaginians assaulted tooke and sackt b Carteiam vrbē opulentam caput gētis eius expugnat diripitque quo metu perculsae minores ciuitates stipendio imposito imperium accepere Liu. 21. Carteia the principall city of the countrey
wherewith other small cities were so dismaid that they submitted themselues paid such tribute as he imposed on them and translating the warres into Italy he beset and tooke c Taurinum caput gentis expugnat Liu. 21. Taurinum the head city of all the countrey at the foot of the Alpes which made all the townes thereabout to yeeld themselues The Athenians inuading the Iland of Sicile made the attempt against Syracusae being the head city of the countrey first which course both the Carthaginians and Romanes in the Sicilian warres pursued The prince of Parma in the siege of of Antwerpe had like respect and reasons to make him begin there for commonly all the countrey doth follow the condition and proceeding of the capitall city Lautrec in the enterprise of Naples spending time in taking paltry townes by the way when his purpose was to go directly to the siege of Naples did tire his army spend his men and loose time which the enemy spent better in arming himselfe In our iourney to Portugall many do likewise mislike that setting our course for Lisbone we turned aside to Coronna which was no small hindrance to vs and helpe to the enemy In besieging of small townes there is often as much labour and cost as in greater and little or no gaine Those therefore that when they may goe to the head are paltring about small townes or castles are like vnskilfull souldiers that whē the hart lieth open without defence are still striking at the hand or foot but if our force serue not to besiege the strongest towne of the enemies countrey yet before we sit downe before any towne let vs see what commodity we may get by taking it Scipio considering that new Carthage in Spaine was a fit port for ships and the store house of the enemy and a place where his treasure and hostages lay did begin the warres with the siege of that towne Annibal made many attempts against Nola and Naples for the desire he had to haue a port in Italy that lay commodiously against Afrike failing of these at length he got Tarentum and Locri. For the same cause he made reckoning of Salapia for it lay conueniently in the midst of the country and was very commodious for the conueyance of victuals to his army King Edward the third after his victory at Cressi sat downe before Caleis for that it was a commodious port for his enterprises against France Those that spend great labour in winning paltry hamlets as did the French king that was also king of Poland in the winning of Liuron in Dauphinè although they winne the place yet winne nothing but repentance and if they faile scorne and losse Townes are taken diuers wayes viz. either by siege or by assault or surprise or by all or two of these ioyned together in euery of which the proceeding is diuers as the endes are diuers The end of a siege is to strait the towne so that either for want of victualles water munition souldiers hope of succour health or other commodity the same be driuen to yeeld The end of a surprise is slily to enter the towne without knowledge of the enemy The end of an assault is to force the enemy to giue vs entrance This diuersity of endes may teach vs both what to do and what to auoyd The end of sieges being to force the enemy to yeeld for want we are to vse all deuices and meanes to make him spend his store and to increase his want Alexander king of a Liu. 7. Epeirus hauing a purpose to besiege Leucadia suffered all the countrey people that would to enter the towne that they within might sooner spend their victualls When they of b Caes de bel Gal. 7. Alexia besieged by Caesar began to send out women and children and aged persons such as onely serued to spend victualles they could not be suffered to passe The French king that now is did otherwise in the siege of Paris an 1590 mooued with Christianity and pity but the practice of warre required rather rigour in that case In c Non facile est simul misereri sapere which hard it is both to shew mercy and wisedome together Where the defendants are not more politike then ordinary there the assailants may also by false shewes and fained escaladaes make them spend their powder in vaine In these late troubles of France while the braue souldiers within a certeine place shotte all the night at certeine matches conueyed from place to place and at an asse or two that made a stirre in the towne ditch in the morning they began to yeeld for want of powder Caesar by a d Caes bel Gal. 8. mine comming to the vaines of the spring that serued Vxellodunum tooke away the water from the towne and so forced the same to yeeld e Thucid. 1. Megabazus besieging the Athenians in the Iland Prosopis in Aegypt by a deuice turning away the water that ran into the hauen where their ships lay set their ships drie and gaue entrance to his men tooke away all escape from the enemy whose ships were on ground The towne of Chartres in France had likewise for want of water and other necessities bene driuen to great straits in the siege an 1568 the Protestants turning away the riuer out of the channell but that by conclusion of peace the siege was broken vp shortly after Caesar by keeping Pompey in a short compasse of ground by his entrenchments had almost famisht all his horse in which consisted his speciall strength Which gard and diligence if the Protestants anno 1569 had vsed in the siege of Poitiers they had not onely famisht all the horse of the enemy but otherwise hurt him but they did not so much as barre the wayes much lesse other ground so but that he sallied at pleasure There are two meanes principall to stoppe the towne besieged from victuals and things necessarie the one of which must necessarilie be vsed if wee meane to atchieue our purpose the first is to entrench the towne round about if it be a land towne if it stand vpon the water then to cast a banke about it on that part that is toward the land and with ships or boates to garde and stop the way to the sea or water The second is to barre the wayes and vpon all places of easie accesse to make in conuenient distances sconces or fortes The first is more laborious but very effectuall the second is easie but seldome taketh effect vnlesse time the weaknesse of the enemie doe helpe vs. Therefore was that course alwayes vsed of antiquitie this seldome vnlesse it were of such as either knew not what to doe or had not means to doe more The Lacedemonians besieging a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Thucid. 2. Platea cast vp a banke round about the towne the same they garded with turrets built vpon it in equal distances and least any might climbe ouer it they
neither If he doubt of the townsmen he is not only to assure himselfe by pledges but by strong garde hauing the gates walles in his possession Popilius was no sooner placed in garrison at b Popilius Strati positus in praesidio claues portarum custodiamque murorum suae extemplo potestatis fecit Liu. 43. Stratus a towne of the Aetolians but he seased the custody of the gates and walles into his owne hands He is like wise to see that he haue the victuals of the towne in his owne custody The Garrison of c Thucid. 4. Megara that kept in the castle hauing victuals from day to day out of the town when the same reuolted were driuen also to yeelde to the enemy I neede not exemplify this by antiquity for it is the case of Vlissing some other places where our men lie in garrison Where if the townsmen at any time quarrel with them they shal be constrained to yeeld for want of victuals and other prouisions which are in the power of others There can be no good assurance where the to wnsmen are able to master thee specially if the enemy be without as trecherous friends are within And therefore a wise Gouernor will prouide that such a In eo spem pone nihil moturos Hetruscos si ne quid mouere possint praecaueris Liu. 27. can not hurt him though they would So a certaine Romane perswaded his friend to deale with the Hetruscians Against such a prouident Gouernor must alwayes keepe one eye waking and appoint strong gardes and continuall rounds both on horsebacke and foote and no lesse without the towne then within Which are to see that euery sentinel doe his dutie He that doubteth that cownsmen must not suffer them to come nere the gates not to talke with the enemy b Nolani muros portasque adire vetiti Liu. 23. Marcellus would not suffer them of Nola to come neere the walles or gates the enemy being without Neither would the c Transfugae ne◠adire muros nee alloqui quemquam passi sunt Liu. 25. garrison of Syracusae that consisted of fugitiues suffer the men of the towne to come to the walles or talke with the enemy that besieged them or whisper together All whisperings secret meetings in such cases are suspicious The Gouernor must further take heede how he come in place where the townsmen may lay hands on him The d Salust bel Iugurth Vaccians in Afrike inuiting the Gouernor of the towne and certaine of his chiefe commaunders and Captains to banquets did there first cut their throtes afterward setting vpon the common souldiers destitute of heads did kil them also so yeelded them selues to the enemy They of Rochel did not so euilentreat the English that were there in garrison in the castle but inuiting Captaine Mancell then Gouernor there to a banquet first layd handes on him then drawing out the souldiers vnder colour to moster them did fayre turne them and their simple Captaine with scorne out of the towne All parleys with the enemy are dangerous vnlesse they be managed by those that haue skill and be loyall and in such place where the enemy may not come neere the walles While they of Syracusae did parley about the redemption of certaine prisouers a certaine Romane marked the height and accesses of the walles which gaue the Romanes meanes to enter the citie by surprise Eretria was taken by L. e Liu. 32. Quintius while during the parley of peace his souldiers espying the negligent garde of the townsmen scaled the walles f Casilinum inter colloquia cunctationemque petentium fidem per occasionem captum est Marcello portam occupante Liu. 24. Casilinum was likewise taken by Marcellus his souldiers during the parley seasing a gate and so giuing entrance to their companions The like happened to the towne of Charitè in France Ann. 1569. where the Protestants in the time of parley espying their opportunity entred the towne through the breach that was euil garded In time of parleys therefore of feastes of times of greatest security then the Gouernor is to haue greatest care a Liu. 25. Syracusae was taken on a night when the souldiers had kept Holiday before and lay drunke without feare or care Nismes was surprised in a stormy night when a man would haue thought that none would haue looked abroad And if no wise Gouernor will commit any man of worth into the hands of his enemies least if they should breake promise they might preiudice him much lesse ought he to parley with the enemy where he may come in danger himselfe b Caes bel gal 5. Titurius Sabinus going to parley with Ambrorix was by him perfidiously slaine Paches the c Thucid. 3. Athenian deteined Hippias the Gouernour of Notium that came vpon assurāce of his word to treat with him of peace forced him to deliuer vp the town This was also the ruine of d Guicciardin Liuerotto da Fermo the Duke of Grauina others whom Caesar Borgia inducing by faire words to come to treat with him of peace put to death at Senogallia Those that haue diuers nations together in defence of one towne must also take heede that there arise no grudge or discontentment among them to make them reuolt to the enemy e Liu. 26. Mutines the Numidian vpon some discontentment offered him by the Carthaginians whom he serued by the helpe of his countrymen seased a gate of Agrigentum gaue entrance to the Romanes The like cause together with some corruption in the souldiers caused some English to deliuer vp Alost to the enemy Which practices he that meaneth to auoyd must neuer trust men that are suspect nor suffer strangers to watch vnited without some of such as he dare trust ioyned with them nor let any man know his quarter before he goeth to the watch During the siege he may not suffer bel to ring or clocke to strike and further must keepe good watch make rounds diligently at times vncertaine To content all men the Gouernor is to administer iustice equally that God may be pleased hee is to see that God be serued religiously and that lawes concerning religion iustice and military matters be strictly executed Sallyes are not to be made vpon the enemy rashly nor without good cause especialy where the townsmen are not to be trusted They of Rochel serued our countrymen an odious touch vpō such an occasion in the dayes of Richard the 2. Charles duke of a Phil. Comines Burgundy defeating 500. archers that sallied vpō him out of Piquigni made the towne to yeeld vnto him soone after for want of men They of Liege sallying out vpon the same Duke lost their best men which after ward they sore rued And such was the wisedome and direction of some in the gouernement of Caleis besieged by the duke of Guise that albeit they had very few men to defend such a towne
for defence of himselfe and his companie and yet through either long siege or want of supplie or succour can hold the place no longer let him before hee attempt extremities declare his estate to those that gaue him the place to gard After that if he neither receiue succour nor answere let him call the colonels captains and chiefe citizens to counsell and resolue in time what to doe The first point to be resolued is whether by any possibilitie the place may bee defended any longer consideration had of the number of seruiceable men of the want of victuals and munitions and weakenesse of the place that lieth almost open to the enemie likewise of the resolution of the enemie and despaire of succour And if it appeare that the same cannot longer be defended the next point to bee considered is whether the same be to be yeelded vpon honourable composition or to be destroyed and forsaken In this case the qualities of the enemie are to bee respected For better it is to runne into any hazard yea and to die fighting then to yeeld to him that perfourmeth no promise and killeth and massacreth men after yeelding If it bee resolued that it is best to attempt to escape by breaking through the campe the next point to bee considered is by what meanes and at what time and place the same is to bee perfourmed The a Ala equitum Numidarum prae sidio Salapiae relicta eruptionem tentauit Liu. 26. Numidians that were left in garrison at Salapia when the towne was betrayed and entred by the enemie attempted to breake through the enemie A course commendable although it succeeded not They of Plataea driuen to great extremitie by the b Thucid. 3. Lacedemonians that besieged theÌ„ when they could doe no more for want of victuals in a darke and tempestuous night went ouer the enemies trenches and banks and so escaped They of c Acerrani desperata tutela vrbis vbi circumuallari vrbis moenia viderunt priusquam continuarentur hostium opera per inteâ—missa munimenta neglectásque custodias silentio noctis dilapsi sunt Liu. 23 Acerrae despairing the defence of their citie when they sawe the enemie to begin to compasse them round about before that his workes were continued and perfited in the silent night passing through where least resistance was made escaped The same was likewise attempted by the d Caes bel Gal. 7. Gaules besieged by Caesar in Auaricum The people neere the sea coast of France defended themselues so long as they were able against Caesar when they sawe the case desperate conueied themselues and their goods into their ships and so fled away Attilius when he could no longer defend the towne of Locri agaynst Annibal counselling the townesmen to compound with the enemie conueied himself and the garrison away by water Such as had meanes to escape chose rather to compound with the enemy the Romanes in time past did so vtterly mislike that they refused to redeeme those that had yeelded themselues after the ouerthrow of Cannae albeit they might haue ransomed them with very little money Yet those that purpose to breake through the enemies campe are to resolue vpon many things before they put it in execution first of the time secondly of the place where they purpose to passe that they may fill the ditch of his campe if any be and prouide things necessary for that purpose thirdly of the place where to retraite Lastly in what order that both they may force those that resist and escape them that folow after When there appeareth no hope either to holde out or to escape by flight then are we to try what composition we can haue and that in a Publius Sitius ciuitatum obsessarum quae conditiones oblatas recusarant ciues interficit Hirt. de bel Afric time So did the Romanes besieged by the Samnites in the strait at Caudium Neither did the Romanes dislike with the garrison at Casilinum that compounded with Annibal Nay they b Liui. 23. rewarded them for holding out so long hauing no other victuals but nuts and rootes Nicolas Serin refusing necessary conditions of peace offered him by Soliman that besieged him in Sigeth lost himselfe and many other braue men that were with him The fact of c Liui. 32. Aenesidemus gouernour of Argos who when he might haue escaped the citie being surrendred chose rather to die armed himselfe alone in the place then to depart is rather to be lamented then commended or followed Necessarie composition therefore so it be in extremitie is not to be refused But yet while we talke of composition we are to vse great circumspection and care first that the garrison be not discouraged secondly that the same growe not more secure and carelesse thirdly that vnder colour of parley the enemy doe not view the walles or ditches or breach or attempt to sease the breach or the gate or els enterteine some intelligence with some within which things how dangerous they are I haue heretofore declared To auoyd these dangers this course is best the necessitie of the towne and other secrets are to be kept from the knowledge of the souldiers who by good wordes are to be encouraged and made acquainted with so much onely as is necessary secondly such men onely are to be deputed to parley as are well knowne for their sufficiencie and loyaltie thirdly the place of parley is to be appointed farre from the towne that the souldiers within heare nothing Which was practised in diuers parleyes during the last siege of Rochel In capitulations two things are especially to be respected first that the conditions be honourable and fauourable secondly that the same be performed The most reasonable composition that may be is when they within keepe the place still paying onely certaine money or loosing onely some other commoditie So Rome was redeemed from Porsena that besieged it and so they that were besieged by the Gaules in the Capitol redeemed themselues And Rochel escaped the more easily the hands of them that beesiegd the towne by compounding for money Contrarywise of all pointes it is most extreeme to yeeld vp the place to the enemie If the Saguntins would haue yeelded vp their towne to Annibal and consented to haue dwelt some other where they might haue saued themselues and their goods but they would not There is yet a meane betwixt these two when those that yeeld to the enemy do promise him to become his subiects and to pay him certaine tribute and so keepe the place vnder his dominion If then by any summe of money we may redeeme our selues and our citie driuen to such extremitie let vs not prise golde aboue safetie on the other side if we be not in extremitie let vs not sell our aduantages for money When I reade former histories I cannot but wonder at the basenesse of many of our nation that in times past haue bene bought out of their places for money and lament that
of that calamitie that happened to them in Sicile The English in the daies of e Froissart Edward the 3. finding certaine Spanish ships in a certaine hauen in Briteine seasing the mouth of the hauen at flowing water sending certaine boates and barkes on fire among them fired them al. Polyxenidas f Liu. admiral vnto Antiochus taking the Rhodians with their ships in a strayte kept them within and when they forced to come out which they could not doe but two or three on front he tooke the formost before the rest could come to succour and so destroyed the Rhodian nauy Therfore ought we to haue no lesse care that we may lie safely within the harbour and goe out easely at pleasure then to winne the harbour Thus we see the manifold vses of shipping and howe it is to be garded and gouerned in forreine enterprises in countries abrode Let vs nowe therefore consider howe it is to be fashioned furnished and gouerned that the same may be vantageous in fight at Sea and fitte for seruice Wherein a principall point is that they be made swift of sayle sharpe to goe neere the winde This onely one vantage next vnto the power of God gaue the victorie to the nauy of England and the foyle to the supposed inuincible nauy of Spaine of late time D. Brutus g Caes de bel ciu 2. although in all pointes else hee were superiour to the Massilians yet by reason their ships were lighter and swifter could he not ouerthrowe them although many times hee foyled them If they be too weake those that are swift of sayle may safely depart if they preuaile no shippe can escape them by sayling They ought likewise to bee made strong both to abide the force of the Sea in a storme to beare the shaking of our owne ordonance and the blows of the enemies How that is to be wrought I referre my selfe to the masters of the occupation Further ships may not want victualles while they are at sea least either hauing the aduantage they be driuen to giue it ouer or being taken at aduantage they be not able to abide it out And most absurde it were if ships that go to fight should want ordonance munition and armes to fight with First therfore there ought to be good ordonance mounted on their carriages and fitted with their rings tacle and al instruments necessary Of al peeces the demy coluerine in the nose and poope is most effectuall both for the long reach and for that it giueth the fire all out of the ship There woulde be store of crosse barres chaine shot and other bullets How many peeces there ought to be in euery ship it cannot be determined considering the diuers makings and burthens of ships Much lesse can it be resolued what munitions victuals and furniture for great ordonance must be prouided further then in general that there must be sufficient Beside the great ordonance there ought to be prouisiō made of mosquets caliuers and pistoles swords daggers halfe pikes halberds glaiues blackbils and other sortes of weapons for the defense of the souldiers good cuyraces and morions and targets both of proofe lighter Likewise there woulde bee rampars made of wooll and for the defense of the waste and the decke a strong netting Beside castles made in the poope and foredecke for garde of the ship For which there would be made also mantellets of plankes filled with occum stuffed betweene and moueable that they may bee employed where neede is The castles would also be made to take downe that in sayling the ship be not hindred by them There would also turrets bridges or frames of wood be made leaning ouer boord that our men might more easily boorde the enemie The toppes would bee fensed with some frame of boords lined with occum furnished with stone shot But that need not be before we come to ioine The yard arms would haue sharp hooks in thē to cut the tacle of the enemies ships To fire the enemies shippes there would be balles of wildefire and other fire workes and engins deuised and to quench the enemies fire store of clay vineger and water set ready Besides all this axes hammers wimbles al instruments to worke withal and in summe whatsoeuer may serue to annoy the enemy or defend our selues the same is to be prouided Caesar albeit his ships were lower then those of the enemies yet did he raise vp turrets and a Turres excitabant in nauibus vnde in hostium naues altiores transcendebant Caes de bel gal 3. frames of boordes in them by meanes whereof his men when they came to boording did easily enter the enemies shippes and foyled them By which meanes hee vanquished the power of the Gaules at sea If that we haue to do with the Spaniard at sea either must we vse some such deuise or else shall we hardly enter their shippes being so high in respect of ours With b Vna erat magno vsui res praeparata à nostris falces praeacutae insertae affixaeque longuriis quibus funes abrumpebant Caes bel gal 3. hookes in the yard armes he cut the tacle of the enemies ships in the same fight But aboue al things there ought to be in euery ship store of valiant souldiers and mariners without which neither the ship nor the furniture can be employed to purpose I woulde onelie content me with mariners if they were souldiers also The Romans and Greekes that wel knew the difference betwixt them for euerie mariner put in their ships two souldiers which proportion the Spaniards obserue now making great difference betwixt mariners and souldiers although we do not therein make that difference that wee should The c Poenus vt sociis naualibus affatim instructam classem ita inopem milite habebat Extemplò 7. punicae naues circumuentae fugam ceterae coeperunt Liu. 20. Carthaginian shippes encountring with the Romanes were not able to make any fight for want of souldiers albeit they had store of mariners And in the encounters that Caesar had at sea against diuers enemies it was not the marriner but the legionarie souldier that gaue him the victorie Howsoeuer it is either with mariners or souldiers or both our ships are to be furnished so that both the great ordonance may be employed in the roomes below and diuers be placed to do all seruices necessary in the houle of the ship and also all the deckes and parts aboue be well manned and garded not forgetting the tops and other places If men set out their ships neyther well manned nor wel victualled nor wel furnished with armes and munition of warre what hope is there for them to vanquish the Spaniard or any other their enemies at sea Some I doubt not doe thinke to make them ducke at sea with great shot And therefore as they prouide somewhat slenderly for that so for other matters they goe to sea altogether vnprouided Besides that I vnderstand
order herein that was requisite neither they in France nor others could at any time assure themselues of their number or strength 14 No souldier nor other c. Among souldiers there can be no greater fault then to forsake their ensignes standing so to run out of the field Be it for feare or spoile the same is grieuously to be punished b Liu. 2. Appius beheaded the ensigne bearers centurions that fled away froÌ„ their ensignes To those companies that fled and lost their ensignes in a certeine encouÌ„ter with Annibal c Cohortibus quae signa amiserant hordeum dari iussit centurionesque manipulorum quorum signa amissa fuerat districtis gla dijs discinctos destituit Liu. 27. Marcellus gaue nothing but barly to eate the centurioÌ„s he caused to staÌ„d with their garments loose and swords drawen which among their souldiers was a great shame Caesar did put certaine ensigne bearer froÌ„ their d Caes bel ciu 3. places for that they lost their grouÌ„d in a certaine encounter with Pompey at DyrrhachiuÌ„ Crassus e Appian Alex. causing his souldiers that fled to cast lots put euery tenth man to death which Antony did likewise execute vpoÌ„ his souldiers flying froÌ„ the ParthiaÌ„s Antonius Primus f Vexillarium fugientem transuer berauit hasta Tacit 19. one of Vespasians captaines seeing an ensigne bearer turne his backe stroke him through with a iauelin In this case Clearchus would haue souldiers to feare their captaines more then the enemie The fault of those that runne to spoile is not much lesse then of those that runne away While those that pursued the enemie turned aside to spoile the French were ouerthrowen at Guinguast the ItaliaÌ„s at g Guicciard 1. Taro and the h Liu. 8. Samnites in a certaine encounter by the Romanes that turning head vpon the victors tooke the victorie out of their hands i Caesar à militibus contendit ne in praeda occupati reliqui negotij gerendi facultateÌ„ dimitterent Caes de bel ciu 3. Caesar hauing ouerthrowen Pompey in open field prayed his souldiers that they would not so set their mindes on spoile that they would omit the occasion to atchieue the victorie and perfite other matters The Romanes what with reward what with seueritie wrought so much in the mindes of their souldiers saith k In bello saepiùs vindicatum est in eos qui contra imperium in hostem pugnaueraÌ„t quà m qui signa reliquere aut pulsi loco cedere ausi sunt Salust coniur Catil Salust that they were more often punished for fighting without coÌ„mandement then for flying away or forsaking their ensignes The Lacedemonians banished such cowardly persons Aristotle no souldier but a Philosopher l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist thetoric 2. holdeth it a dishonorable thing for a souldier to flie or to cast away his armes A certaine souldier of Caesar albeit he had vanquished his enemy yet craued pardon for that he was driuen to forsake his shield 15 No souldiers nor others c. the cries tumult and running vp and downe of disorderly persons do much discourage yong souldiers and a Caes bel gal 5. hinder them that they cannot heare the commandements of their leaders and therefore are diligently to be auoyded b Aemilius cum clamoribus omnia confunderentur tribunos militum Primipilo legionis secretuÌ„ edere imperium iussit singulos proximo cuique dicere Liu. 44. Aemilius perceiuing the diuers inconueniences that grew hereof gaue all his directions to the colonels and they to the first man of the legion and he to the Centurions and euery one to his fellow secretly and quietly Among the c Que ningun soldado gritte ni hable en la ordâ—n c. so pena de ser sacado de la hilera vergonçosamente Sancho de Lond. Spaniards no man may cry out nor speake loud either marching or embattelled in squadrons The punishment of the offence among them is shame and infamy Onelie at the ioyning of the battel it is not only lawful but also profitable to beginne with a great noise Of which as it was greater or lesser some haue gathered a d Veget. presage either of losse or victorie 16 No man shall giue an alarme c. False alarmes disquiet the army very much and often trouble those that ought to rest And therfore doth the enemy oftentimes suborne some to keep our men in continuall alarme that more easily he may preuaile against vs being tyred and ouerwatched Those difficulties therefore which the enemie casteth in our way let vs not e Que ninguna persona de arma falsa sin ' erden ded que se la pudiere dar so pena de la vida increase by our vnskilfulnes let vs in our watches and discoueries keepe good order and the rather for that lodging for the most part without strong defence and marching without diligent discouery wee lie open to many surprises and sodaine attempts of the enemy The penaltie is arbitrarie and may be more or lesse according to the qualitie of the offence Yet in auoyding the excesse we must take heede that we runne not into the defect and so for want of warning be taken vnprouided 17. He that by negligence c. If this did not fall out too often amoÌ„g our yong souldiers that either for want of skill or through feare not looking before them do kill hurt their fellowes this law might seeme needles But as now it is I would thinke this law very profitable if by this prouiso the souldiers might be made more wary By the same not only those that hurt others negligently but also much more they that hurt their felows maliciously are to be punished 18 No man shall challenge c. f In l. 18. 19. The Romanes contended among themselues rather who should kill most enemies then who could ouercome most of their fellowes g CommilitoneÌ„ gladio ferire capitale erat lapide percutiens militia reijciebatur l. 3. §. qui aliena ff de re milit Those that stroke their fellowes with their sword died for it those that threwe stones at them were displaced with shame And therefore did seldome anie quarrell or braule arise among companions Among vs nothing is more common neither will any law serue to restraine such disorders Yet do I not doubt but if these lawes whereby not onely the original that is iniurious wordes and deedes but also the meanes that is challenges and acceptance of challenges is taken away were executed and braulers punished that these faults would be lesse common In experience wee finde that these spadassines and common quarellers prooue not most resolute souldiers Many inconueniences come of these quarels For not onely braue men are often lost but also the common cause hindred by them The quarrels betwixt captaines and gentlemen in Tifauges Anno. 1569. caused diuers to depart malecontent of which the enemy hauing