law that the vnnaturall rage and furies of the mightie of the cruel of the wicked being restrained and repressed sociall vnitie and vniuersall obedience may be nourished and holden in the ciuil felowship of men so that the Lambe may sucke safely by the Wolfe the Calfe by the Leoparde and the Asse féede quietly by the Lion c. And happie is the state where this is accomplished by the industrie and prudence of the peaceable Lawyer But forasmuch as the thoughtes of man are wicked euen from his youth and all his wayes naturally inclined to extreme euill desirous to satisfie his owne lusts and affections with iniurie and crueltie to reuenge and to reigne in his owne will and power without correction and yeldeth not vnto the obedience and direction of any other but for feare of stripes There must bee therefore an other state and profession of men whose power and prudence must comprehend the maintenaunce and defence not onely of the Seate of Justice but also of the Cowe and Plowe of the Bed and Cradle yea of the Altar and of the souereigne state which resteth in the profession neither of the Priest nor Lawyer nor in the occupation of the Housbandmen Artisans nor Merchants but lieth in the prowesse and value of them that professe Armes For when Preaching processe Plee or Perswasion cannot preuaile in reforming the euils and outrages of the wicked then must the sword of violence be put in execution by the hands of them that are able and skilfull to abase and to extinguish the furies of tumults and Rebellions and either to bring to obedience the disordered multitude or else to cut them off from the earth that peace and ciuill iustice may possesse and rule all the lande to the restitutiō and preseruation of domestical concord and Societie without the which mankinde shoulde decay from the face of the earth the rest that remained in the worlde should be in more miserable state then the wilde beasts of the desert And as it is proued by experience in all ages that Justice and Ciuil pollicie is not surely seated without the ayde attendance of Martial gard So is it to be sene that where military prowesse hath in any part of the worlde moste preuailed there hath orderly most flourished Justice Noblenesse Science and all manner of vertuous and commendable occupations both of body minde Witnes of Greece Italie and France and nowe last of Germany Whereupon this is to be cōcluded that as Justice is not of it self able to set vp it selfe in authoritie and to exercise rule ouer the multitude of Adams rebellious and stiffe-necked broode without the friendship ayde of Armes so must wee estéeme martial prowesse as the common fortresse wherein ciuill Policie with all her partes and appendants are hatched nourished preserued for the orderly nourishment and preseruation of Man and Beast of Fishe and Foule of Fire and Salte of Earth Water Where this benefit wanteth there wanteth Science and gouernement without which the whole worlde woulde soone become a desolate wildernesse ewithout man to manure or to inhabite it So that the wickednesse and transgressions of men being the founder and mother of humane lawes and pollicies we must giue most honourable place to that profession and occupation that is moste of force and value to chastise the wickednes of the wicked and to vphold the righteous to preserue the weaklings little ones and to giue frée passage and estimation to right and vertue And further as man naturally is inclined to pride and emulation and thereby infected with malice and couetousnesse and looke how much mightier the person is that is possessed of the vices so muche the more hurtfull they are in worke and practise And therefore are they moste pestiferous and noyfull in kinges and souereigne Princes whiche as they are of hautie courage and ambitious so are they daungerous and commonly full of quarrels troublesome to their Neighbours When such are encouraged with a desire to conquer and to bring to their obedience them that are frée from their bondage or to spoile them of liues goodes and habitations they are not ruled ouer by the equitie of lawe neither pacified by persuasions nor mollified with praying or preaching but violence must be resisted with violence and one lawlesse iniurie satisfied with an other iniurie which without the force and terror of armes cannot be once offered much lesse accomplished Euery state therefore that wanteth the garde and assistance of martial prowesse lieth open to be ruinated by euery spoiler that will inuade it whereby we finde that no state Kingdome Empire or common wealth can stande in any assured safetie either inward or outward but by the benefite of military profession the friend and nurse of Lawes of Religion and of ciuell concord The necessarie vse and high value whereof made the wise Grecians and valiant Romans to commend all high courages to the vse and exercise of Armes as the noblest and most profitable occupation that a worthie minde should desire whiche estimation it also holdeth continually and must in al estates kingdomes and Empires of the continent of the world And though the wickednesse infidelitie of the world be generally punished by sworde fire famine spoyle and murther the ordinary workes of warre Whereby the Justice of God is executed vpon the inhabitants of the earth yet hath the Lord plāted mainteined and restored his trueth and religion by the meanes and assistance of warlike force and policie and practised his most especiall Sonnes in the knowledge of Armes For Abraham being called to receiue the promise of saluation to the whole worlde and brought by the Lord his God to dwell in the land of Canaan had of his owne family and aliance aboue three hundred fighting men by whose power and courage he not onely defended himselfe and al his from the spoile and iniuries of the wicked but also reuenged the wrong done to his neighbours the Kinges of Sodom and Gomorha and recouering their goodes from the spoylers hee restored to euerye man his part that was lost by the ouerthrow For which famous deede of prowesse Melchisedech the King of Salem blessed Abraham and praysed the Lorde God possesser of heauen earth in his behalfe In the value of warlike prowesse Simeon and Leui the Sonnes of Iacob reuenged the violation of their Sister Dyna vpon the sonnes of Sychem By force of Armes the Israelites comming out of Egypt made their way through the Amalekites vanquished the Kings of Hesbon and Basan and possessed their landes their cities and their riches so did they vanquish and destroy the mightie Kings and inuincible people of Canaan and possessed their landes and cities By Armes their posteritie defended their inheritance and helde the same for by Armes the Lorde God vanquished and destroied the enemies of Iacob and therefore is called the Lorde God of hostes By Armes Cyrus conquered Chaldea and
Othniel Gedeon Samson Iephthe Samuel Deborah the woman Thē Dauid the most acceptable worthy captain prophet gods special chosen king ouer his people Israel by whose mightie value martial prowesse the Lord stretched forth the kingdom of Iacob to the promised bounds being a terror to the enemies of Israel abrode a chastiser of the rebels hypocrites at home he stablished peace Justice in Israel and applied his wisdom zeale trauaile and treasure to aduaunce the honour trueth and true worshipping of God his couenant in all the common wealth of Israel which he pursued with such indeuor integrity of hart that all things so prospered in his hand to the glorie of the Lorde and to the health and wealth of Israel that in that respect the Lorde saide that He had found Dauid his seruant a man after his owne heart Such also were Zedekiah Iosaphat and Iosias renowmed in the Scriptures of God. With these are to bee numbred though not in that preeminencie many Princes of the Christians greatly endued with wisdome ciuill vertues and prowesse which euer goe together woorking the effecte of peace and prosperitie in all places where they dwell in vse and power Amongst such are chiefly to be named Constantine the great Charles the great and manye more Emperours of the olde time and nowe lately Charles the fifth neyther is the last Ferdinando cast out of the Catalogue of good Princes for he was very learned desirous of peace méeke and modest and liberall to honest desertes Of the French kings manye were of high prowesse vertues and value great nourishers of iberall Sciences As were Charles martel Lewes the pitious Philip Augustus the holy Lewes Philippe the fayre Philippe de Valois Iohn Charles the fift Charles the sixt a very sufficient Prince till he became Lunatike Charles the seuenth Lewes the eleuenth Charles the eyghth Lewes the twelfth and Frances renowmed for his prowesse modestie prudence and for his affection and aduancement of lerning commonly called The Father of Sciences Then succeeded his Sonne King Henrie a prince of high value in Cheualrie gratious to his people and bountifull to his friendes and very readie to gratifie the deserts of men and to aduance men of worthinesse and in Armes most valiant And considering what rebellious and furious people the French are it is to be wondered that the prudence and industrie of their kinges was continually able to represse to refourm and to reconcile so mutinous and rageous a natiō as they haue alwais shewed themselues to be molesting vexing and spoyling the King the gonernement and common welth by peopetuall vprores continuing in Armes Pillage murthers horrible massachres and disloyaltie in some ages three score yeres together As in the dayes of King Iohn Charles the fifth Charles the sixth Charles the seuenth which approueth great fidelitie prowesse and prudence in the gentlemen nobilitie and bandes of warre by whose value so implacable and mad rebelles could be repressed and the state reformed Of the Kings of England bene also many renowmed amongst the good Princes And hee of them that exceeded in military feates and prowesse the same verely as I haue often saide excelled also in wisedome iustice and ciuill vertues As did Arthur amongst the Brutes Edmonde Edgar Athelston Edwarde and Edwarde amongste the Saxons And since the conquest William the conqueror himselfe Henry the second Richard the first Edward the first Edwarde the thyrde Henry the fifte and Henry the seuenth and Henry the eighte Of Spayne King Pellaro and some others but lastely and cheefly Fernando the fifth the first entire Monarch of Spayne that by his noble wisedome and passinge value in Armes recouered the kingdome of Granado from the Mores tooke the kingdome of Naples helde Sicilia in peace and possessed the Indias The Charles that aduanced the honor and state of Spayne to the full summe by vertue of military industrie and martial prudence became renowmed amonge the most warrelike Princes of the worlde Now omittinge the famous Kinges and Princes of other countries and nations for that I haue inferred authorities sufficient in force and number to approoue and to magnifie the prayse of Armes and to auoide more tediousnesse then here needeth I will summe vp the Catalogue of renowmed Princes with the sacred memory of them that are most worthie to be praised among the Christians of these dayes for the incomparable value of their prowesse and warres as due vnto the speciall martialists of the Lord God of hostes by whose Armes he did put in foot to fight with Sathan in plain battell for the recouerie of his holy Sanctuary that lay many a tedious yeere trodden vnder the féete of Antichrist and earst durst not be attempted till the Lorde had prouided his Army and appointed his Cheefteynes of courage fayth and Militarie prudence fitte for the wars of Iacob As were Fredericke Iohn and Maurice the renowmed Princes in honour chiualrie and vertues Dukes of Saxoni Philippe Lantgraue of Hesse Albert Marques of Brandenbourgh Christopher Duke of Wyrtembergh the warlike and faythfull states of Germany and Zurik The Nobility of France and aboue them al William Earle of Nassau the vertuous good and happie Prince of Orange By vertue of the fayth industry and prowesse of these sacred martialists is the gospell and kingdome of Christ Jesus brought againe to their passage fréely preached to the world an inspeakable comfort riches to al mankinde and that specially to the elect children of God to whom be prayse Amen These Militarie men being the most renowmed the most sacred beneficiall and profitable personages of the world to the worlde and to all that dwell and haue dwelled vpon earth and that by warlike industrie It must be granted that al their assistants and adherents by whose labours perils blood and valiancie the great effects of Armes haue bene wrought must bee comprehended in the fame and honour of their Princes as a matter iustly to be imparted to euery one according to the value of his worthines wherein the Romanes vsed orderly distributions of aduancemēt graces to ech on as the prowesse noblenesse of the Souldiers deserued The nature and due honour of Militarie profession being such what meaneth the vulgare multitude of the English Nation so maliciously to contemne soldiership and so brauely to despise the profession of Armes as a vile and damnable occupation Surely bicause they are of seruile and vnnoble heartes foolish in discretion idle bellies carelesse of the common welth of their countrie litle friendly to mankinde in generall and lesse zealous toward the glory and preseruation of their Soueraigne Prince and gouernement Nowe be it they may seeme to voide this rebuke with a sleight in denying to contemne Militarie profession for they honor the profession and doe accordingly esteeme of all them that worthily pursued the same But to despise the common sort of our Countrie men that go to warre of
stande renoumed in hystories and for euery one left to memory by name a thousand of great worthines are past ouer without mentione But this is generally to be noted in the warlike Princes and Nobilitie that as they exceede in militarie prowesse and worthines so doe they excell in wisedome and all noblenesse of hart and hee that will worthely bee called a militarie man must cast off all vilanies and basenes of minde and full charge his thoughtes and doinges with honeste inclinationes and like effectes Neither are the commendable vertues of the minde so necessarye for any occupatione as they are for them that professe and exercise armes And the martialist that wanteth them shall not prosper in warre but sinke in obloquie and dishonor neither is there anye state or vocation of man that can worse susteyne the infection and vse of vices then can an army gouerned in warlike maner Foolishe therefore and beastely is the common speach vsed of the base and humble mynded sort of our natione that doe not onely saye but also affirme in their doinges that the worst sort of men and such as for the vilenes of their conditiones the earth is not able to susteyne are fit for the warres and accordingly doe call out the refuse of the people to be soldiers for the seruice of their Prince and countreie where in deede the worthiest people ought to be chosen and preferred as to a state most honorable and of most credite and importance But if Englande stood in the continent of the world enuironed with mightie nationes that in the dayes of frendeship would moue discretion to feare their malice in the time of controuersy then should it know the value of a soldier lick the dust off the feete of her men of prowesse then would the lawer the marcheant humble themselues to the warriers be glad to geue honour salary to the martialist and shew frendly grace to his page and fauor to his lackye And al be it our state is better at ease and that we by the benefite of the seate of our lande doe stande in more securitie then the nations of the firme land yet is not our assurance such as may so deliuer vs vp in the time of peace to the carelesse spitefull contempt of armes as though the common welth and state publique stood in such prosperitie and saftie by the wisedome of the lawier and by the riches of the marchant as that they should neuer stande in neede of militarie forces nor to nourrishe men of warre but to consume them with penurye and with the galowes Let al the miserable drudges of this present worlde whose God is their belly and whose idoll is their riches that so beastly and opprobriously disdaine the warlik people looke into the recordes not onely of the former times of olde but also of these present dayes and see in what hazarde not onely the Throne of their souereigne Prince but also the whole state of the common welth and consequently the chest the chamber the bedde and cradle the wife and daughter of the lawier and marchant the Pulpyt and Preacher the Judge and the Judgement seat haue bene to suffer generall and particuler shippwracke by the conspiracies mutinies and tumultes of traitors and of the rebellions multitudes of the vulgare people cruel and implacable And confesse by whose diligence wisedome perill iudustrie and bloud all these thinges haue bene defended and saued out of the power of the furious spoylers restoringe iustice to her seate the plowe to the feelde the cowe to the payle the shephearde to his flocke the merchant to his trade and the learned to his quiet study and exercise Yea and let them be ashamed of their ignobilitie of harts consent with other nationes to geue vnto the people of prowesse and milytarie profession the honor that is due vnto them For it is a rare age of the worlde wherein the sureste Kingdome and the safeste state and nation vpon earth flieth not at one time or other to the couert and succor of Armes to saue it selfe either from intestine violence or from forren depopulation or else from both Whoesoeuer therefore will see the value of martial prowesse in preseruing a kingdome in vpholdinge the souereigne maiestie of theire Prince in redeming their countrie from the power of forren ennemyes mightie and warlike in pacifyinge ciuil vprores and in extinguishinge the most ragiouse furies of any rebelles in the worlde and in reducinge the gouernement to obedience iustice housbandry traffique literal exercise and all ciuill policies and ordinances to their places againe Looke throughe the state of France from the beginning euen to this day But specially in the dayes of Kinge Iohn of his sonne also Kinge Charles the fift and eke of Charles the sixte aud aboue all in the dayes of Charles the seuenth who being so molested and ruinated not onely by the victorious warres of the Englishmen and Bourgonyons but also by intestin diuisiones ciuill vprores that hee helde not the fifte parte of his kingdome in obedience insomuch that he was driuen to holde himselfe in a smale corner of his lande and was contempteously called King of Bourges For his ennemies possessed ranged al the parts else of his Realme at their pleasures But that famous King aided with the prowesse fidelity of his approued martialistes neuer gaue ouer the fielde til hee recouered his kingdome and restored the common welth which had bene so spoiled wasted and depopulat that the fieldes and vineiards were growen to a wildernesse their cities become heapes and their habitationes desolate When the Lord meaneth to plague a wicked natione for sinne and to translate them to the power and scepter of another nation then he filleth them with the fatnesse of the earth and geeueth them peace that they may wax rotten in idlenesse and become of dulle wittes slowe of courage weake handed and feeble kneede that when the spoiler commeth they may in al pointes be vnfurnished of warlike prowesse and not able to resiste but so made a praye to their ennemies As the Persians were to Alexander the Greekes and Hungarians with many other natones to the Turkes and the olde Brutes to the Saxons And likewise when the Lord meaneth to aduance a nation and to make any people famous and honorable vpon earth he stirreth them vp to high courage and maketh their mindes and bodyes apt to the warre and in all points sufficient for the pursuite and accomplishment of Militarie trauaile As he did the Israelites for the recouery of their promised inheritance by subduing and destroying the mightye Canaanites Cyrus the Persians for the subuerting of the empire of Syria Alexander the Grecians for the conquering of the Persians for translating of the Monarchie from Asia to Europa The Romanes eke being a poore smale people and of an opprobrious foundation were made fit in pollicy and
warres at these dayes are then they were in the olde time by so much the more shoulde we exceede our ancesters in the affaires of the same if wee were accordingly imployed and mainteined Let therefore the gratious Nobilitie of England Fathers to their Prince people and common wealth remember that as martiall profession must of necessitie bee vsed and nourished that euen the followers of the same must be likewise estemed and mainteined and eke to set downe an arrest for the domesticall practise of the same Vsus enim promptos facit And that being continued through the Realme by such order and direction as may conueniently and sufficiently be proportioned and stablished there should be within a few yeres many thousandes of able Souldiers in England that neuer saw enemie in the field and that with smal charges to the Soueraigne Maiestie And as all Souldiers of worthinesse and knowledge are to bee highly estéemed and mainteined so are the gentlemen and worthie people of our nation that haue pursued the defensory warres in the lowe Countrie specially to be praised for they haue approued that the olde English valiancy is not so extinguished in the English nation through long securitie and corrupt idlenesse but it is soone stirred vp to a double force when it hath a while acquainted it selfe with the exercise of the fielde Record of their seruice in Brabant against the Spaniards vpon Lammas day last where the Commanders shewed commendable value of prudence and courage and in likewise the common seruitours honest hardinesse and worthy actiuity and are therefore to be cherished for their owne deserts and eke to bee esteemed fo the encouragement of others And for that I haue here made mention of the seruice of our nation in Brabant that it may bréede further encouragement vnto others that are likewise wel minded vnto Martial occupatiō I haue thought good briefly to set downe the maner of their seruice done at the same time that the worthy acts of those valiant worthy captaines and souldiers may remain a proofe of the value of the English nation and shew that they are not so far degenerate from the high courage and manlines of their auncestors forefathers but that if they were exercised and accustomed to the field practise thereof they woulde soone attaine and deserue their pristinate valiantnes and so become a terror to their enemies as their forefathers in times past haue bene It is to be noted that the campe of the States of the lowe Countrie lay entrenched in a great heath or sandie ground on the right hand of whose campe towards Loueine there was a ryuer ranne all along and without the trenches on the same side was the Englishe and Scottishe mens warde wherein was a hill that the Spanyardes layd hard at to haue gotten which if they coulde haue wonne from the same they might haue discryed all their maner of dealing in the States Campe. On the other side of the campe toward Askot was another hill vpon the which the horsemen of the States kept scoutwatch and betweene these two hils was a great valley of champion grounde with some smal sandie hils at the entring into the plaine On the farther side of the plain were certain houses which the Englishmen set on fire thereby to anoy the enemy The horsemen of the States which lay in scoute vpon the hill on the left hand perceiuing the Armie of Don Iohn to approche out of the streight into the plaine sent worde vnto the Captaines of the Englishmen and Scots willing them to stande manfully to it that day against the enemie and to doe their best and they shoulde be assured that they woulde not forsake them but liue and dye with them Whereupon the Chiefe commaunders of the Englishe and Scottishe regiments went to counsell to take aduice for the ordering of their companies and howe they might endomage the enemie fully purposing to trie the value and courage of their enemies for that such a brute had bene spreade ouer the worlde but especially in all the lowe Countries of their inuincible prowesse and knowledge in Martiall discipline as though there were not any nation that durst encounter them in the fielde After good aduice taken euerie Captaine officer was appointed to his charge for the day as some to stand in battel some to lie in ambush others to relieue their fellowes with fresh shot and some to furnish them that wanted shot and pouder and the chiefe Coranels taking to them certaine valiant gentlemen and a conuenient number of approued souldiers determined to giue the onset vpon the enemy Betwixt nine and ten of the clocke in the morning the horsemen of Don Iohn issued out of the streight into the plaine champion ground whereupon the States horsemen for what purpose it was to vs vnknowne retired within their trenches and there abode vntill they saw which way the game went and who had the better The footmen also of the Spanyards being entred into the plaine the chiefe Coranels of the English and Scottishe regiments taking to them those loose shotte which were before appointed encoūtred the Spanyards vpō the plain and delt so hotly and frankly with them at Pel Mel that within thrée quarters of an houre they made them forsake the plaine and retire ouer into the fields there nere adioyning at the entrie whereof was many a man slaine to the great discouragement of the whole Armie of Don Iohn and the Spanyardes Thus through the goodnesse of God in whose quarrell they fought for the aduancement of his name and true religion and by the prowesse of those valiant English men that there serued vnder the States whose noble harts sheweth forth a liuely patterne of the prowesse of their progenitors with the aide onely of a few Scottish men that serued there also so terrified the harts of the Spanyards that amongst all the encounters that I haue sene in al the time that I haue serued for these xxij yeares I neuer sawe enemies so danted with any losse or repulse as the Spanyards were that day in flying the fury of the people they being of so great strength and our folke but a fewe loose shot Then issued forth the Graue van Bussu generall of the States armie and stood vpon a litle hill facing the horsemen of of Don Iohn and vewing the maner of the skirmish After that the Spanyards were thus driuen to forsake the plaine and to retire into the closes neere adioyning seeing the inuincible courage of our men durst not any more come forth into the plaine but now and then salyed out and straight wayes retired in againe About foure or fiue a clocke in the after noone the English and Scottish souldiers were so stirred vp that they determined no longer to stande dallying with the Spanyardes but purposed to forsake the plaine champion and to follow the Spanyardes into the fieldes and there to haue them by the eares Don Iohn seeing his footmen were