think few or none who be avouched The Priest of Saint Margaret with his Bow and Arrows unless the president of the Priest of Saint Margarets near Dover shall be admitted for one of whom the old Fletchers retain a memorial in honour of their Bowes who is said with his Bow and Sheaf of arrows to have kept down the French men that offered to land in a narrow passage up the Clift near Dover Who came for fresh water as was supposed where they found a gate fast barred and lockt to stop the same And he standing over them on the top of the Clift played a tall Bow mans part when as in these dayes the French had not any shot but some few Cross-bows that could not deliver an Arrow half way up the Clift to him and so it was given out that he kept them down till the Country was come down to the Sea side to repell them back to their Boats or rather I suppose my self knowing the place when they saw the gate was so fast as they could not suddenly break it open they returned before their coming But yet I must confess the Bow bare the bell before the Divel I suppose sent the musquet c. out of Hell But here lest the Authour be mistaken he prefers the force of the Harquebuz and Musquet far before the Bow yet in judgement doth not disallow the Bow but rather judge the same to be a serviceable and warlike weapon as well in Town as Field and although it be not greatly pertinent to this question yet it may be convenient to consider here how and wherein good use may be made of this weapon first in the field against the Horse men The use of the bow how serviceable though it be shot at the highest random only with the weight of the fall it galleth both Horse and Man and though the wound be not mortal yet both Horse and man are hereby made unserviceable then and long after if they escape death Secondly in rainy weather when men come near together it is a good weapon Thirdly in the night time it is a ready and a secret shot c. and the use of it may be good in the forcing of the Enemies Trenches in fallying out of Town or else Fourthly at an assault when all the defences are taken away in any Town you may deliver your Arrows over the wall and shroudly gall your Enemy with the fall of them Fifthly to shoot Arrows with wild fire to burn gate or draw bridge to fire thatched or shingled houses When our English Army was before Paris those of our Commanders wished they had brought Bow men over with them and I see no reason it should be wholly laid aside for the worst Bow man that can but draw his Bow is better than a bad fire man But if we should not make use of our Bow in any of our warlik enterprises it should be every Commanders care to chuse good fire men for Ammunition is much wasted by the unskifulness of the Musquetteer and execution not to expectation Mustermasters cure and as we have an order established for our Musquet bore I could wish the Mustermaster in every County would look so to it that they may not be too big as well as too little But now touching landing let us see what may be conceived out of the former experience Examples and presidents of landing Did not the Earl of Warwick notwithstanding the Duke of Burgundies great and puissant Navy which he had provided to joyn with Edward the fourth for the impeaching the Earls landing from out of France and the fleet being before the Haven in Normandy out of the which the Earl must come the Duke having also warned the King into what part and Port of England the Earl meant to make his descent whereby in all likelyhood he was or migt have been provided sufficiently to withstand the same yet I say did it not so fall out that the Earl of Warwick escaped their Fleet landed in England and drove the King to flee for succour into the Low Countries and enlarged Henry the sixth and set him in his former estate After this did not Edward the fourth with some small aid from the Duke of Burgundie given him Edward the fourth relanded in England and deposed Henry the sixth and that under hand both of shipping men and money transport himself into England again and in Battel slew the Earl of Warwick and his adherents deposed Henry the sixth resuming again unto himself the Kingdom of England Have not the Kings of England many times entered France by Navie and Scotland during the time of Wars betwixt them Queen Mary landed 5000. in Britany and burnt Conquet Did not Queen Mary land 5000 men in Brittany one of the most popular parts of all France and there sackt and burnt Conquet and other places our men remaining on shoar two dayes and a night burning and spoyling and were not or rather could not be resisted upon the suddain Have not our English though but small forces in Queen Elizabeths dayes landed in the Indies English landed in the Indies at sundry times sackt and ransacked their Towns brought away their Munition with other great spoyles and riches yet at their landing were not withstood English in Spain and Purtugal And did not our Army land in Spain and Portugal at sundry times and in sundry places they having knowledge a long time before of their coming whereby the Country was or might have been in that readiness themselves would have desired and yet by a temporizing course used against them they were driven to retire both feeble and broken whereas if they had been fought withall at their landing and had won the field there had been a great hope they might have prevailed in that enterprise The Spanish Forces landed in Portugal Did not the Spanish forces also land in Portugal his other Army by land under the conduct of the Duke of Alva who by wining the Battel won the Kingdom withal and drove the King quite out of his Countrey The French in Terceras And did not the French forces likewise land in the Terceras in despite of the Country And did not the Spanish forces after reland slay and drive all out again The Spanish relanded there Infinite are the presidents of landing and a rare matter to find any example of an Army coming to invaid to be prevented of landing by the Countries fury and running down to the Sea side and what Souldier or man of War would not undertake to land even a few men in comparison of a royal Army in any Princes Realmes and Dominions spoile and burn at his pleasure until such time they had assembled greater forces than the inhabitants of the Coasts Whatsoever a man cannot resist he must give way unto Reason and experience do plainly prove that it cannot be withstood but that a forceable Enemy will land
length and so to charge through every man betaking himself to his Sword or otherwise as occasion shall serve For when we assault our Enemy with our Carabines and if time will permit it with one Pistol what need have we of such tedious firing by Files or by Ranks I shewed those firings only for exercise sake which the experienced Souldier thinks useless for when our Horse are in a readiness for execution they must fire intire which I conceive to be most offensive except the Enemy retreates and wheels off there will be but little use of a second Pistol Tacticks of Aelian 107. There was also among the Grecians used divers formes of Buttalia's called Rombes of Horse and a wedge of Horse The Rombes were according to these Figures Some were made of Files and Ranks some neither filing nor ranking others ranking but not filing as Captain Ward hath set it out at large Likewise in those dayes they used the Wedge which they accounted to be of more singular service than the Rombes and is thus described But neither of these being used in our Exercise and Mode of fighting I shall give you Euclid's definition of a Rombe That a Rombe is a square figure that hath the sides equall but the Angles not right two of them become sharp and two of them blunt c. Thus I have passed over the several formes of the Exercise of the Horse briefly both in their facings and Battalia's and I shall conclude these Collectives of the Cavalrie as is needfull for the Exercise of a Country Troop it being but one part as an Introduction to Military Art I need not plead any thing for this Art In it selfe it is commendable Empiredoms Kingdomes Nations Princes and People can testifie enough no Nation can subsist without experience in it It being asked the question What part of the world brought forth the most Valiant men for War Aelians Tacticks 38. Answer was made they were found to be in all places where youth was bred up in the shame of Vice and had audacity to undergo any Peril for Vertues sake The Lacedemonians were accounted the most valiant People of Greece History will tell you the reason Therefore to conclude None are born Souldiers one may have an Inclination to War more than an other but experience cometh not without Industry and pardon me if I boldly affirme that the English Nation are a Warlike Nation which if we should neglect our duties herein the Commander to be industrious and the Souldier diligent we shall make our selves a by word or scorn to other Nations And our Gracious Soveraign at a loss in his designes and expectations The more we ingrave this Art in our minds the more courage we shall have and the better enabled to fight for and pray God save the King I cannot but give you the saying of M. T. Cicero in Commendation of this Art above any other Art whatsoever Rei Militaris virtus praestat caeteris virtutibus and further saith after many other reasons to prove the same That all other Arts do rest in safety under the Banners of this Art Military THE ART OF DRILLING Or New Mode of EXERCISING A Foot-Company BEING Collective Instructions Methodically composed with their several Figures for the young Souldier By Capt. Thomas Venn LONDON Printed 1672. TO THE Honourable RALPH STAWEL ESQUIRE One of the Deputy Lieutenants of the County of SOMERSET and Colonel of a Regiment of Foot in the same AS it hath been your Pleasure to accept of the Command of a Regiment of Foot so it is your design to have it complete for Officers Men and Arms that they should be well disciplin'd in Military Art and being commanded to serve you in the same I thought it my duty to present to your view some Collections and other Observations in the Art Military for the Exercise of the Foot and I am confident of your Honours care to see what ever is or may be amiss in your Regiment to be completed not only in the certainty of your men but also for some certain days to be allotted over and above two or three days Musters that are only for the Muster-masters due for your Commanders to be impowred for to appoint some private Exercisings for the better fitting and preparing of your souldiers for publick services To which end I may presume to say that what I have presented you with is none of the least or worst parts of Military Order which if it passeth my Countries acceptance by your favourable countenancing of it I may give it a Supplement to make it completer not destroying my Title as he who did supplement Mr Elton's complete Body Yet I would not have the Eltonist take it amiss that most of our Worthy Cruso's Works are Verbatim supplemented to his complete Body of Art Military to make it complete c. Sir I have not Embellished this with curiosity of Language but rendered it for the meanest capacity that none may be wanting in the Rudiments of Military Discipline which diligently look'd into will make the younger sons of Mars the better able to perform their Duty when ever his Majesty shall call for it And now most Noble Sir True Heir of Honour and Vertue your Pardon for my boldness and your favourable construction of my weak endeavours commands me to subscribe an obligement by the title of SIR Your faithful and Obedient Captain T.V. Verses FOr your experience in this Art of War With silence hear what your Instructions are Perform your Postures with a manly grace Observe your distances and learn to face To right and left about and as you were By Division Intire and Anguler Then to your doublings of your depth and length When you perceive your Army wanteth strength Inverting Files converting of your Ranks Brings ablest men in Front or Reer or Flanks Your Counter-marches you must next perform Of dangerous use in fight in field or storm The Chorean and Lacedemonian And the faining Macedonian Then last of all your motions learn to wheel Which doth conclude this Martial Art to Drill Wherein were all our Trained Bands well skil'd They 'd leave their Ground to march into the Field And not be scar'd and frighted with Alarms For want of use in Handling of their Arms Which Bingham Hexham Barriff Elton Ward And many others too as I have heard Besides my self who now have written part That from us all you may learn all this Art And were I worthy humbly should advise Our Lord Lieutenant and their Deputies To charge their Muster-master when they view Defaults of Arms contempt of Persons too To see their Arms to be the Persons own And not then borrow'd only to be shown And muster in Person to fight by spell Against our Foes or Traytors that rebel Of whom our Church or State can't be afraid With fixed Arms and ready men well paid Which will Restore to England and its Crown The Subjects Honour and their King's Renown
divided into many Bodies yet did they not carry several Ensigns but every Body the Ensign of his own Tribe so that Companies were not distinguished by their Captains or Chiefs but by their Tribes nor could they say there goes such a particular Commander but there is such a Tribe not there marches Aaron but there marches the Tribe of Levi and thus of the rest Hence and from this ground was taken up the use of the Ensigns or Banners of Kingdoms by which several Armies display to the World their several Nations as with us in England we have the Ensign of St. George as we term it which is a bloody Cross in a white field which shews to the world not what private Company I follow but what King I serve and what Country I acknowledge for howsoever private Captains are allowed their Ensigns for private respects or distinctions yet they are not allowed or to be born on foot without this general Ensign of this Kingdom for thus it holdeth in all Christian Kingdoms and amongst the Turks also as appeareth by their Cressant or Half Moon in all their Armies as the Ensign of their Universal Monarchy Thus you see Moses first and that by the Commandment of God himself began Ensigns which by succession of time descended and came down with a more general use unto the days of Maccabees for the Tribes then being dispersed far and wide and made Kings of many spatious and fruitful Countries they took liberty to alter their Ensigns according to their own fancies The glory thereof when it came to the cares of the Graecians and Macedonians for Alexander is supposed to reign in the time of the Maccabees they took to themselves a lawful imitation thereof and so commanded their Captains c. to carry in their Ensigns Devices in honour of their Renown and Conquests Then from the imitations of the Graecians the Romans took to themselves the carriage of Ensigns and because they found it the chiefest beauty and ornament of Armies they made it therefore the noblest and richest spoil which could possibly be taken away from the Enemy and so made it an hereditary right for any man that should take in honourable fashion such spoyls ever after to bear them as his own to him and his Posterity for ever The Romans first brought this custom into the Monarchy of Great Britain when Caesar first invaded and got footing into the same Howsoever there is an opinion taken that Brute when he first conquered this Island brought in the Trojan Ensigns and other Ornaments of their Wars yet it is certain that through Civil Dissentions and other Forreign Combustions all these Honourable Marks were lost and forgotten and only the Romans renewed and brought them back unto memory partly by their glory and example and partly by their loss when they were repulsed back who left behind them many of these spoyls to adorn the Britains From these times hath the use of Ensigns remained amongst us and as the Ages have succeeded and proved wiser and wiser and one time more than another so hath the alteration of these Emblems or Ensigns changed and brought themselves into the form wherein they are at this instant carried as the Romans varyed from the old Britains so the Saxons from the Romans and the Danes from the Saxons But the French then being the most refined Nation of all other altering from them all and now the English having altered all into this present mode of Uniformity they may display them to the World for their Gallantry CHAP. II. The Definition of Ensigns AFter the Original Antiquity and first beginning hath been endeavoured to be made to appear I shall now descend to the definition and distinction of them and by what proper names they were called in the best and most renowned Wars of Christendom and for what reason they have held and retained them To begin with the first and most antient name belonging to Ensigns I think it not amiss to borrow it from the Romans for although the Hebrews Chaldeans and Graecians were the first Inventers yet the Names and Attributes they gave them were much incertain and unconstant and as the experience of Wars grew great and as the Invention dilated and spread further so did the signification alter for what was proper and substantial in this Age in the next was utterly lost and forgotten so as I shall not rest upon these Titles or significations The first then that retained a constant and firm settled name for those Trophies of Honour is taken to be the Romans who indeed being the greatest Schoolmasters in the Art of War are the most worthy to be held for Imitation or Authority The name which the Romans first gave to the Ensign or him that carried the Ensign for to the man was ever attributed the Contents of the thing he carried was Insigne or Sign bearing and so Ensign-bearer because they carried in those Ensigns Marks Empressaes or Emblems best agreeing with their natures and condition according to their own Inventions or else the Pourtraictures of their former Battles and Conquests either of which was so honourable that indeed they were made Hereditary descending down to their Children from Generation to Generation And no more were called Signs c. but Coat-Armour or the Honour of the Families nor were they of slight or ordinary esteem as at first neither had men liberty any longer to make election of them at their own Wills but this power was incabinated within the breast of Emperours Kings and Generals who indeed under God are the unbounded Oceans of Honour they only have the liberty of bestowing and confirming Honour at their own pleasures Hence it came that Ensigns thus carrying of Coat-Armours were of such reverend esteem that men took it for the honourablest place that might be to fall near or about the Ensign and for the defence of it no hazzard could be too great nor any torment insupportable So that many times the Zeal of those that did defend these Ensigns c. and the inflamed desire or greediness of those which sought to conquer and atchieve them was so immeasurable and unbounded that an infinite of blood hath been shed and many powerful Armies overthrown only for the purchase of one of these honourable Trophies This when the wisdom of the Romans perceived and that those Insignias were not Bugbears to affright but rather fires which did inflame their Enemies courage beyond their proper natures they forthwith forbad the carrying of any Coat-Armour or Device in their Ensigns but only such slight inventions as might not make the Enemy much the richer by the enjoyment thereof nor themselves much the poorer by the loss And hence it followed that the word Insignia was put out of use and they then called the Ensign Antesignia and made other Devices contrary to all Coat-Armour intimating to the Enemy that whatsoever they got by those purchases was dishonourable rather than any way worthy of
Triumph And from this word Antesignia or Antesigne for it hath been so written in antient Records it hath been judged that this word Antient in many places used amongst us and given to our Ensigns hath been corruptly retained by us for it hath no coherence in signification nor can any way be alluded unto this Officer more than to his Antiquity and long standing in the Wars But this did not quench any flame in the Enemy for the Romans found them every way as eager in pursuit of these weak and fained Devices as the greatest hereditary Coat-Armour they could carry for when in any skirmish Fortune made them Masters thereof they took as great Pride as if they had subdued whole Armies and bare them with as much Pomp and Triumph as if they had got all Rome in subjection which the wisdom of the Romans and other Nations looking into it presently became a custom among all their Armies that thence forth no Foot Company or Chieftain of the Infantry should carry in his Ensign any Coat-Armour or other Device what ever more than the mixture or true composition of two colours together with the general Ensign of the Kingdom in the most eminent corner thereof And after this time the Romans called their Ensign-bearers no more Antesignia Read Markham's Souldiers Accidence or Antesigne but of late only Signifier from Significo to to signifie a thing as being men of special note and regard and that the thing signifying was only a Mark of much Honour c. The Spaniards and Italians that took all their imitation from the Romans who were their great Lords and masters do at this day call this Officer Alferes and make account of him next unto their Captains not suffering any second to step in between them The Dutch call this Officer Vandragon or Vandragar which holdeth with the same significations And we of England properly call him Ensign and in some Countries Antient The first from the thing he carrieth and the latter from the Honour and Antiquity of the Institution And both may well be agreeing with the first Titles conceiving better cannot be invented CHAP. III. The Original of Horse and Horse Colours HAving treated of the definition and signification of the several names which belong to the Ensignes of Foot I will now take leave to speak a little to the Colours or marks of Honour that are born on Horseback which I find by experienced Souldiers to be full as ancient or rather more than those which belong to the Foot Companies But omitting all prophane Opinions and vain circumstances I find when the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea how they were pursued by Pharaoh and all his Host which did consist most of Charriots which in those dayes were accounted Horsemen and very properly too because being drawn by the violent force of Horse and laden with the strongest and best experienced Souldiers they had a double power to enter into Battalias to disrank and break their array and to make their Enemies to run into a rout and confusion and though they had not the use of our Discipline nor the true managing of the Horse as we have yet all their purposes and intents in the use of their Charriots were to the same ends to which at this day our Horse are applyed To these Chariots belonged Colours or Ensignes of Martial Honour which were called Standards or Standarts or the Kings Emperial Trophie Indeed these were nothing so general as those on Foot but more precious and reserved as an Attribute only belonging to the King and not to any other These Standards were charged with the Kings Emperial Coat-Armour and usually born by a Prince or some man of high place and dignity the imitation whereof we still pursue and follow at this day giving it a superiority above all other Ensignes After the use of Chariots was found out the use of Elephants a warlike beast and of all other the strongest for these cerried cartain little artificial Houses in the form of Castles on their backs in which were some few experienced Souldiers 〈◊〉 with warlike Ensignes and weapons by which they overthrew the Foot Compâ—â—â— and made passage through them in despight of all opposition as you shall read in the History of Porus King of India Not long after the Exercise of Elephants was found out the use of the single Horse in those Countries where Horses were most frequent as in Arabia Parthia Persia and Scythia for the Asian parts in Barbary Egypt and Carthage for the parts of Africa and with us in Europe in Russia Muscovia Poland Hungary Italie but principally and above all the rest in France who were accounted in antient time the flower of warlike Horsemen both in number and discipline therefore from them hath been taken our Authority and examples But now I conceive we may not go so far for either referring for satisfaction to the present mode of Discipline in England for his Majesties Horse now in Command it is thought none can exceed them I have read of a Guydon used with the light Horse in former times Antiquity tells us of Gentlemen at Armes Launciers and light Horsemen In the old Wars the Gentlemen at Armes belonged to the Kings own person or in his absence to his General only And the Empresa of honour that they followed was the Kings Standard Royall being Damask and charged with his Coat-Armour The Launciers they had their Cornet to follow which had Devices in them according to their commanders pleasures And then the Light-hors-men had their Guydon which was somewhat long and sharp at the end but with a slit which made it double pointed much like to our late Dragooners but for these Guydons I need not stand upon only to shew all along there were Horse Colours as Ensignes of honour used And now the Cornets being most in use with us in England for the Horse service I need not decypher the length or breadth of them CHAP. IV. Of the Dignitie of Ensigns 1. THe Dignitie and estimation of Ensignes in all ages hath been held most Venerable and worthy they have been esteemed the glory of the Captain and his company and indeed they are no less for where they perish with disgrace there the Captains honour faileth and the Souldier's in hazzard of Ruine for if the loss proceed either from their Cowardice or misgovernment it hath been death by the law of Armes to all that survive and the best mercy that can be expected is that every Souldier shall draw a lot for his life file by file so that one out of every file perisheth for it 2. The next Dignitie of the Ensign is that every Souldier as soon as he is inrolled and hath received either pay or impress they antiently took a solemne Oath to be faithful to their Colours to attend them carefully and to defend them valiantly And that upon all summons of the Trumpet or Drum or Command of their Officers to repair to
Therefore the best remedy will be to give him way and withal to remember to do all things like wise men and Souldiers as hath been said already by driving and withdrawing the Countries cattel and provisions that your Enemy may not be relieved and nourished Duke of Alva against the Prince of Orenge Did not the Duke of Alva defeate the Prince of Orenges great Army by forbearing to fight with him and leaving him a vast Country to walk and way himself in Did not the Constable of France defeat the Emperours attempt upon Province France against the Emperor by this only temporizing course Did he not burn the Mills destroy the Ovens spoyle the fruit c. himself retiring to Avignon there to joyn with his forces after that he had provided for the frontier Towns leaving nothing but a wast Country for his Enemies to spend themselves in whereby he drove the Emperor in the end to make a most dishonourable retreit Monsieur de Langey doth alledge that example of the Constable of France proving greatly his device and policy therein Notwithstanding there were divers who did not stick to blame him for that he did not seek to stop the Enemies passage through the mountains which they supposed he might have done very easily and with few men But he foreseeing the mischief that might grow by a small foyl or loss received at the first thought it the safest way to prevent all dangers by temporizing until his forces were assembled in full strength and his Enemies weakned saying moreover that it is a great point of wisdome for a Prince or Captain General to defer fighting when the Enemies are entered in his Country for saith he if the battel should be lost through the encountring of them the Country would also be in hazzard to be lost and this may appear by divers examples First The King of Hungary against the Turk the King of Hungary being assailed by the Turk in the year 1562. thought it better to hazzard the Battel and to fight with the Turk at his arrival than to forbear and stand upon his guard which was the cause he himself was slain and a great part of his kingdom lost William the Conquerour and Henry the seventh got the Crown of England by Battel And did not William the Conquerour and King Henry the seventh become kings of England by reason the defendent gave them battel at their landing and lost the same Obj. But some may here object that the Parties and Factions within the land were cause thereof And doth any man think that a Forraign Prince is so void of Judgment as that he thinketh to prevaile by way of Conquest without a party The Duke of Burgundie won the Countrey of Leigh by Battel Did not the Duke of Burgundie get the Country of Leidge by reason of some Battel he won against the the people thereof Philip de Comines saith that a man ought greatly to fear to hazzard his estate on a Battel when he may otherwise avoid the same for faith he of a small number of people lost there followeth a great change to him that loseth them not so much by the fear they conceive of the Enemy as in the little estimation they will have of their Master afterward being ready still to enter into mutinies demanding things more boldly than they were wont alledging further that one Crown before will do more with them than three will do after Whosoever will read the Book of the actions of Lewis the eleventh King of France who was both a very wise and valiant Prince shall find Lewis the eleventh aginst Charles the Duke of Burgundies Son that after the great incounter between him and Count Charles the Duke of Burgundies son at Mountleyrre notwithstanding that the conflict went so indifferent as neither side knew almost by the space of three or four hours after who had the Victory so soon as each party had rallied their broken Troops c. having some good means so to do by reason of a great ditch and long hedge that was between their two Armies where the fight first began although the Kings power remained still great by reason of so many Princes as he had assembled together yet then and ever after he determined no more to venture so great a Kingdom as France was upon the uncertain event of a Battel And therefore the night following he dislodged and retired to Corbel after which time he carried all his Wars with such a Temporizing course as thereby he wearied his Enemies and became a mighty Prince making his Army so great as his adversaries at no time after durst attempt to give him Battel Although Philip de Comines doth write that our Nation hath been wonderfully fortunate in Battel and are much addicted thereunto yet he doth more allow of the politique and wise temporizing of Lewis the French King in forbearing to fight with Edward the fourth when he entered France proffering him Battel near Amyens Lewis against Edward the fourth The King considering how dangerous an adventure it was to his estate If it should not succeed well with him looking also back to the great thraldome and subjection that his predecessors had brought the Kingdome of France into under the English Nation by such like rash acceptance of Battel he determined to temporize though it were to his charges thereby to weaken the King of England the winter season drawing then on In the mean time sending great presents to those that were near about the King and Victuals of free-gift to relieve his Army condescending also to pay a yearly sum of 50000 Crowns into the Tower of London thereby to hasten the peace and to get our Nation to return After all was concluded and the King returned home one of the King of Englands men being with Phillip de Comines in discourse he told him he had been at the winning of nine Battels and how many said Phillip have you been at the losing Only one said he and that was at the last forbearance of my Master to fight with yours at Amyens whereby we have gotten more shame unto our selves than honour by the first nine When Lewis the King heard of this speech he said this is a shrewd boy and sent for him to dine with him and after gave him 1000 Crowns with other great promises to the intent he should be a means to entertain the peace begun between the two Kings What success had the French at the Battel at Poytiers and Cressey The Battels of Poytiers and Cressey who although they were in number far greater than the English and in the heart of their own Country yet they tasted nothing but the bitter effect of a lost field And we by other such manifold examples might be warned not to commit the good estate of a Realme to so tickle and dangerous a trial as is the uncertain sway of a Battel Spanish Fleet defeated 88. And now never to