Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
fire_n	flank_n	front_n	rear_n	3,342	5	12.6610	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19676	Militarie instructions for the cavallrie: or Rules and directions for the service of horse collected out of divers forrain authors ancient and modern, and rectified and supplied, according to the present practise of the Low-Countrey warres.	Cruso, John, d. 1681.; Dalen, Cornelius van, engraver.	1632 (1632)	STC 6099; ESTC S121933	103,340	148

so by raising the vizures of his casque with the point of the sword to runne him into the head But this seemeth not so likely to take effect as that of aiming at the throat and sometimes as some casques are made it would be of no use In these and the like exercises the Cuirassier is frequently and diligently to practise himself at some mark which will render him fit for service when need shall require Some authors for the disposing of the Cuirassiers for fight hold that they ought to be ordered in grosse bodies that so g The Cuirassiers among the horse are like the gravis armatura of foot among the Romanes quae tanquam murus ferreus stabat si hostes fugâsset non sequebatur quia ejus jus est facilè nec fugere nec sequi Veg. lib. 2. cap. 17. Or like the Equites Cataphracti among the Graecians Aelian cap. 2. by their soliditie and weight they may entertain and sustain the shock of the enemie They are also fit for troops of reserve to give courage to the other Cavallrie and to give them opportunitie to re-assemble themselves behinde them c. CHAP. XXX Of exercising the Harquebusier and Carabine ALthough there be some difference between the Harquebusier and the Carabine in regard of their horse their arming and their piece howsoever most authors take them for one and the same yet in regard the harquebuse differeth nothing from the carabine in length but onely in the bore their manner of using their severall pieces is one and the same and so one instruction may serve for both In march he is either to carry his carabine hanging at his belt by the right side See fig. 3. posture 23 and 24. as is shewed chap 24. or else to order it upon his right thigh as the Cuirassier in posture 4. In fight he is to strive to gain the left side of his enemie contrarie to the Cuirassier because that in presenting he is to rest his carabine on his bridle-hand placing the but end on the right side of his breast neare his shoulder He must be taught to use his carabine with all exactnesse and dexteritie and to be an exquisit marks man For the h Walhausen would have the Harquebusier to give fire not onely to the front and flanks but to the reere also by turning his bodie onely the horse running the contrarie way in full careere But how possible this is to be done I leave to the judgement of any man that knows what belongs to Cavallrie manner of handling of the harquebuse or carabine the directions for the pistoll in the foregoing chapter mutatis mutandis may serve for sufficient instruction Yet in regard the carabines with us are for the most part snap-hanes and so something differing from the firelock I will set down the order of handling it in the words of command holding it needlesse here to dilate them Postures for the Snap-hane carabine 1 Order your carabine 2 Sink your carabine into your bridle-hand 3 Bend your cock 4 Guard your cock 5 Prime 6 Shut your pan 7 Cast about your carabine 8 Gage your flasque 9 Lade your Carabine 10 Draw your rammer 11 Shorten your rammer 12 Lade with bullet and ramme home 13 Withdraw your rammer 14 Shorten your rammer 15 Return your rammer 16 Recover your carabine 17 Order your hammer 18 Free your cock 19 Present 20 Give fire For the use of his sword he is to demean himself as the Cuirasier CHAP. XXXI Of exercising the Dragon THe Dragon was invented for speciall services to assist the Cavallrie as Infanterie considering there be many exploits which cannot be effected by the Cavallrie alone The musketier must exercise himself to give fire on horse-back as the Harquebusier Being come to guard a passage or to do any other the like service they are to allight and to demean themselves as Infanterie Whereof it shall be needlesse here to enlarge seeing we have books in such abundance upon that subject as they are able rather to a By reason of the frivolous impertinences and manifest errours which abound in many of them distract then instruct the reader and in my opinion had need of an Index expurgatorius Being so allighted to do their service as abovesaid every of them is to cast his bridle over the neck of his side-mans horse in the same order as they marched keeping them so together by the help of such as are thereunto especially appointed CHAP. XXXII Of exercising the Cavallrie in their motions HAving shewed how every horse-man is to be exercised in the managing of his horse as also in the use of his particular arms it followeth now that he be taught how to demean himself being joyned in a bodie And here before we enter into the motions it were fit to explain the terms of a The Graecians and Romanes had the same order of exercise and that in the same words which we retain to this day A file the Romanes called Versus and Decuria A rank Jugum A file-leader Decanus because their decuria or file used to consist of 10 among the foot with some 16. a bringer up Tergiductor a leader being every odde man in the file Prostes a follower which is every even number Substes a side-man Astes Their distances were the same with us Their 2 cubits every cubit being a foot and an half of our measure agreed with our 3 foot Their 4 cubits our 6 foot and so increasing upon occasion They ordered their horse-troops at 6 foot distance between file and file in march and 3 foot in fight art therein used and to shew what is meant by a file a rank half files and half ranks the front flanks and reere and the like But for brevitie sake I passe them over referring the reader to the books of Infanterie To exercise the horse they are to be drawn up into a bodie not by ranks but by files and those of 5 deep as most affirm or of 6 as others would have it and that because the number of 5 is not divisible by 2 and so in doubling of ranks or half files or the like there is alwaies an odde rank Some would have them especially the Harquebusiers to be 8 in file taking the troop to consist of 64. Being put in Battalia that is ordered into a square bodie and silence strictly commanded the first thing to be taught them is distance And herein authors disagree Some make close order to be 2 paces open order 4 paces and so for double triple and quadruple distance proportionable Others make but 2 kindes of distances Close order which is 3 foot and open order which is 6 foot But this must be understood cum grano salis as the Civilians speak for here we must observe a difference between the manner of taking the distance of the Cavallrie and that of the Infanterie for in the foot the distance is taken from the center of the souldiers bodie which

brings it advanceth towards him with one or two of his discreetest souldiers and receiveth his message in private Having heard his relation he must presently resolve either to retreat or to fight If he resolve to fight the enemie being so strong he must give such orders as shall be fitting especially commanding the troops to go serried close and if there be divers troops that they entermingle not but observe good order for it might so happen that the enemie might charge him c Qui dispersis suis inconsultè insequitur quam ipse acceperat adversario vult dare victoriam Veg. lib. 3. cap. 26. so disorderly as he might make head and endamage the enemie especially if he have not one or more troops of reserve following him well united and in good order CHAP. VI. Of ordering the troops for combat by single companies BEfore we come to shew the severall forms of battell which may be used among the Cavallrie it will be fit to speak of their severall kindes of fighting which they are to be practised in apart by themselves before they be joyned with the grosse If a companie of Lances were to fight against foot they were not to give their charge in an united bodie neither upon this nor any occasion whatsoever because even the second rank of them hardly doth any certain execution but they were to charge them rank after rank wheeling off to the reare to that end keeping large distances between rank and rank The same order they were to observe if they fought against horse upon the offensive For the defensive the companie consisting of 64 as before Part. 1. Chap. 19. might order themselves in this manner Two ranks of 8 in rank should face to the front two to either flank and two to the reare leaving an open square space in the middle they all standing back towards back faced every way to receive the charge wheresoever the enemie shall give on The same manner might be used in greater bodies as should seem good to the skilfull Commander If the Lances were to fight against Cuirassiers a Par. 3. rangs de lances lui aller gaillardement donner par les flancs car par ce moyen ils l'entr ' ouuriront Monsieur de la Noüe Disc 18. they were by two ranks together to fetch their careers and so to charge them especially on the flanks and reare every second rank forbearing the shock till the first had done it and was wheeled off If one companie of Cuirassiers be to fight against another your enemie charging you in full career you are to make a b So Walhausen would have it Carracoll that is you divide your body by the half ranks and so suddenly open to the right and left so as the enemie passeth through you and you facing inward charge him on the flanks as is shewed in Fig. 6. Part. 4. Or if two companies fight against two other then they observe the same manner but keeping each companie entire as may be seen in the same figure It is also to be done by the Carracoll first and then the enemie being within you to wheel to the right and left inward and so to charge him on the reare in full career These forms in Walhausens opinion are of c So the said author conceiveth but it is very doubtfull For by this opening to the right left you must turn troop and then make a whole turn again so give advantage to your enemie It were better therefore to cause three or foure files of each of your wings to advance on the sudden and so to charge the adverse troop on either flank And to equall your enemies front you might cause the half files of your bodie to double your front to the right and left by division All which your troop must be acquainted with before-hand and are to do it in a moment of themselves with all possible dexteritie speciall advantage for the enemie having charged you in full carreere while you went on upon the trot onely on the sudden opening to the right and left either saith he must run through and effect little or nothing or staying himself in the career d The principall strength of Cuirassiers consisteth in keeping themselves close ferried together for this the Germanes are commended Il faut dire que les Allemans surpassent toutes les autres nations parce qu'il ne semble pas seulement qu' ils soient serrez ains qu' ils soient collez les uns auec les autres De la Noüe Discours 18. disorder his troop and loose the force of his charge as by Fig. 7. part 4. appeareth The Harquebusiers must be exercised to give fire by ranks The first rank having given fire is to wheel off to the left unlesse the ground will not permit it but that it must be to the right making readie and falling into the reare the second rank immediately gives fire upon the wheeling away of the first and so the rest successively Walhausen would have them also give fire by files the outward file towards the enemie whether right or left advancing before the bodie in full career and so firing the rest successively to do the same and in this manner to fight against Infanterie that might charge them on the flanks But others do utterly reject it as too much exposed to inevitable danger In their firing by ranks the first rank advanceth some 30 paces before the bodie first on the gallop then in career as some direct and so to give fire the second doth the same and so the rest The Dragoniers being a kinde of Infanterie and doing their chief services on foot as hath been shewed Part. 1. Chap. 31. it will be needlesse here to shew how they are to be exercised for skirmish partly in regard there is no want of books for the e So farre as concerneth the exercising of the foot in their postures and motions I suppose Pr. Maurice his booke Captain Binghams notes upon Alien with the appendix sufficient alone But I wish some bodie would go on and fully handle that which belongeth to the Infanterie practising of the foot though I dare say they exceed rather in number then in weight and principally because I desire to confine my self to that which properly belongeth to the Cavallrie How they are to dispose of their horses in fight hath been shewed ibid. cap. 31. Fig 6. Cap 6. Par 4. Fig 7. Par 4. Cap 6. CHAP. VII How the Cavallrie are to fight against foot A Commander having intelligence of some grosse of the enemies Infanterie and resolving to set upon them he must principally aim to encounter them in a place of advantage for the Cavallrie that is in an a Si equitatu gaudemus campos debemus optare si pedite loca deligere angusta fossis paludibus vel arboribus impedita Veg. lib. 3. cap. 9. open champain He must also use all possible diligence to