Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
enemy_n	flank_n	front_n	rear_n	1,327	5	12.0997	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49473	A warre-like treatise of the pike, or, Some experimentall resolves, for lessening the number, and disabling the use of the pike in warre with the praise of the musquet and halfe-pike, as also the testimony of Brancatio, concerning the disability of the pike / penn'd for the generall good of our nation, by a well wisher to the compleat musquetier.	Lupton, Donald, d. 1676.	1642 (1642)	Wing L3496; ESTC R23004	36,447	180

dye it is manifest that this weapon cannot choose but be of singular use for if managed with a stout heart and a strong arme it will force passage through the bodies of the Enemy there being no resistance made against the Assailants but with eminent danger of the Defendants lives 5. Soldiers desire such weapons usually which stand them in the most generall stead and such as they can use in any place or upon any service Now 't is certaine that the Musquet and halfe-Pike are of that generall use that they may be practis'd and managed upon all Convoyes skirmishes Retreats Sallies Onslaughts c. For Convoyes no safer posture for the Musquetier can be then to be impaled within such fences and Barricadoes and 't is impossible that any troopes of Horse can enter before the Musquetiers can so fortifie themselves for 't is no great toyle or difficulty but may quickly and speedily be performed and can vary alter or change any way as the Enemy shall wheele about so that the Reere may be as safe as the Front and the Flanks as either And as it is good for Convoyes so 't is excellent in skirmishes for it fights with quicknesse advantage and safety and if they please to maintain their ground who can force them to leave it or if they be minded to retreat who can gaine any thing by the pursuit So that the Musquetiers thus armed goe on with advantage fight with terror and retreat with honor So for Sallies and Onslaughts which are desperate kinde of services none goe out with so much hopes to speed as men so guarded being as I may justifie it two Soldiers in one person And there is no such spur to make Soldiers valorous in Execution as the the knowledg of the advantage they have of their Enemies by the excellency of their weapons Briefly for the 〈◊〉 of this is better for Practice than Discourse It cannot be denied but that the Musquet and halfe-Pike is easily purchas'd and as quickly for exercise to be learned any Soldier may as soone be expert in the use of it as he can of Musquet and Rest nay sooner if his Corporall or Commander have any skill to drill him to it And I say let any one that either doubts of or objects any thing against the excellency and benefit of this kinde of weapon give but that Martiall Plot of ground the Artillery Garden a visit and he shall and may receive ample satisfaction to all his demands For 't is not to be questioned but that the present and after-times w●●● speake in praise of and justifie the Invention as rare and as yet I am sure by none paralelld And 't is to be wish'd that it was once generally knowne to our Nation for the practice of it would prove wondrous advantageous This I have spoken without flattery for I would not doe so Noble and Heroick a Soldier as the Inventor is nor yet my selfe that injury Flattery being no waies compatible either to our or their Profession But I thought it an injury to so worthy a Member if notwithstanding all hit labour and ingenuity together with his charges either He or the Weapon should have been slighted or forgotten It being a high degree of base Ingratitude not to be thankfull for such generall benefits But I have done leaving both his dextrous Invention and this Discourse to men of judgment in Armes SECT. XII The Testimony of Brancatio that famous Commander concerning the disability of the Pike In his Art Military Pag. 7. THE Pike is the evident ruine of those that trust in is others defend it though it bethought to defend others for it offends not neither neere nor farre off Again p. 8. 10. The Turks use not the Pike nor will be brought to practise it because it is the most unserviceable Arms used in field Champain as by infallible experience and by the great manifold and too late victories gained over those Christians who too much trusted in that weapon is manifestly knowne So was the K. of Portugal overthrown in Affrick by having grand squadrons of Pikes and so the vast divisions of High-dutch and Switzers Pikemen have rendred the Italian Regiments weaker then they would haue been with Harquebuziers and Charles the 8. K. of France brought the first Pikes into Italy And pag. 105. lib. 5. he saith This settled Opinion and so maintained even to this present is in my opinion false and of no moment with pardon to those whom it may concerne for that the Pike is the weakest Armes in the field how many soever they be and much worse against the Turkes and other Nations more powerfull in Horse for which they are held to be good which is not against Christians and the reason is this The pike offends not a far off nor neere except wee come to the incounter it cannot make great way nor pursue an Enemy when it retires cannot make you master of the field they cannot be divided from their squadrons nor pillage with terror they cannot force a street guard a passage speedily give a Camisado of a sudden escarmouch or to make an assalt and to use diligence on a March with other feates of warre And p. 106. he saith That for these last 40 yeeres the Turkes have gain'd upon the Hungarians other Christians sempre in Ongaria because they placed onely great divisions of Switzish and High Dutch Pike-men to keepe off the Turkish vast troopes of Horse being armed with Harquebuzes and Pistols so that by this meanes that Nation is almost brought under the Turkish slavery So that battell of Ceresola renders a good proof of the weaknes of the Pike-service And Iohn Frederick Duke of Saxony in Almaigne and Peter Strozzi in Tuscany were defeated in regard of their abundance of Pikes Likewise Paul the 4 at Rome so also at the battell of S. Quintines and the Marshall of Termes I say nothing saith he of the Army of the Lord Cherche nor of the battell of Dreus in France and of Moncountor all which proved fatall to their Leaders and were despised by their Enemies because their mainest bodies were none but Pikes Thus this great Warriour gives his judgement of this weapon the Pike which to a wise Commander is of great authority FINIS

judge our Pikemen fit instruments to beat off such fiery Blades For if the Horse fall on as usually they are the quickest for pursuit and terriblest for charge it cannot be held safe to put our Pikes in the Reare to keepe them off for the Pikes must stand they cannot well come off or follow the other part of the Army unlesse they intend to go backward charg'd and how ridiculous would such a Posture prove so that of force we must send able Fire-men to learne the horse to keep aloofe or else we should seeme very unkinde to our fellowes to leave them to such mortall danger And if so then the old rule is true Frustra fit per plura quod fieri potest per pauciora Two are needlesse where one will serve the turne But it is cleere that the Pikes cannot and therefore the Musquer must Or if as in Germany we had experience of it the Enemy follow with Horse-men and every Horse-man carrying a Musquetier behind him which may be done to win ground of them whom they intend to visit for foure legs will rid more ground then two I desire to know what good our Pikes can doe whenas our Enemy resolves to keepe out of the Pikes reach and yet be within length to effect what they came for So that we if we intend to get off fairely must doe it by placing good stout Musquetiers in our Reare who like Parthians can fight and fly or as we say can give fire and retreat thus had our Army faine to doe when we came off from the Long-live being followed close by the Imperiall Horse each of them bringing a Musquetier with him untill we enquarter'd at the Berke not far from Breme which could not have been perform'd had we not maintain'd our Reere not with Pikes but with stout shot And that was held the best Method in our marching from our Quarters at the Berke along to Stoad for we left 150. or 200. resolute fire-men in a work to finde the Enemy play whilst the maine of our Army gain'd almost a whole dayes journey neither was it a slow March to shew State or refresh the Soldier for our safety lay in our speed but it was quick and hasty so that those which were left behind were of most reputed for lost men and all supposed that had not Captain Hamonds Company received the Enemy comming after us though to the losse almost of all his Soldiers lives that our men had been served with the same sauce the Enemy intending us for slaughter as well as his men yet those few men taking the best opportunity in such a desperate straight and having a good guide recover'd our Troopes againe Now what service did our Pikes doe all this while did they not cause our March to be the slower and in case the Enemy had overtaken us as it was generally suspected he would should not our Musquetiers then have been the best defence for our Pike-men and was it not the wish of all that all our Pikes had been Fire-men and had not that Order been observ'd we might have all been cut off before we could have entred into Stoad So that it is evident enough what an hinderance it is to an Army to have the ablest men to be for Pike-men SECT. VII To have as many Pikes as Musquets or to have such great store of Pikes in an Army is a meanes to bring on the Enemies Horse WEapons should be to terrifie not to encourage an Enemy to keep him off not to allure him on The very Ensignes and Colors have a Terror to amaze as King Salomon hath it Terrible as an Army with Banners All warlike Instruments are dreadfull the Shield the Sword the Trumpet the very Drums and Fifes sound and beat feare and horror for Soldiers are not for sport and jest but for earnest neither is Warre to be accounted as a May-game or Morrice-dance but as a Plague and Scourge Therefore in Warres Soldiers use offensive weapons to wound and destroy such as can strike through the loines of all Opponents And care is to be had that as weapons should be made serviceable so they should be made with all the Art that can be to usher in death the speediest way It was the saying of Queene Elizabeth That she never fared better then when she kept the Spaniard out at Daggers point So it may be said in all warres T is never better with our Armies then when we keep the Enemy at Distance so that though he hath a desire to make attempts yet knowing our Forces to be well arm'd he shell nor dare to make approaches The old Grecians had usually the advantage of their Enemies by virtue of their weapons so 't is knowne that the Romans could not have subjugated so many Countries and Provinces had they not had great advantage of warlike Instruments more then of Numbers And 't is judg'd by able men that the Norman Duke at Battle-Abbey won the day and so the Crowne by the excellency of his weapons his Shields being made large for defence and having a Pike of sharpened Iron without-side to wound and gore so that they were his Arrowes and Shields that made Harold and so many thousands of our Nation to fall slaine in that place Invention herein is commendable who knowes not how Archimides in Syracuce by skilfull Engines by him made and invented battered the Roman ships so that Marcellus and all his stout Romans were strucke with amaze And as worthy of perpetuall memory is that of King Henry the Eight before the Maiden-town of Bulloigne which device so daunted the Citizens that at sight of his Engines they yielded themselves and the Towne to the Kings mercy Now let us examine whether or no the Pike be a weapon of that worth and excellency that it can keepe off the Enemy with any kinde of terror or whether the multitude of them doth not rather hearten and hasten on the Enemy to assault First it is manifest that of it selfe it cannot keepe off neither Pistols nor Musquets for in case the Horse pretend an onset are not Commands given out presently to the Divisions of Musquets to draw out certaine files to beat off the horse which are fallen on the Pikes and certaine it is that should not the Pikes this way be speedily relieved what a fearefull slaughter would the Enemies Horse make and what a speedy havock of our Pikes without any prejudice to their owne Bodies or danger to their Horses and cannot their Musquets doe as much And certainely I should account it but folly in the Enemy if he doth out-strip us in Horse or in Foot-forces not to set upon our Pikes for who can hinder him from taking advantages or why should not he make entrance at the weakest place But now marke the inconvenience that followes If it be demanded who beates off their Horse you will say our Musquets then to what purpose serve the Pikes but to cause many others to fall for