Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	command_n	hand_n	left_a	1,654	5	10.9048	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15803	The historie of Xenophon containing the ascent of Cyrus into the higher countries. VVherein is described the admirable iourney of ten thousand Grecians from Asia the Lesse into the territories of Babylon, and their retrait from thence into Greece, notwithstanding the opposition of all their enemies. Whereunto is added a comparison of the Roman manner of warres with this of our time, out of Iustus Lipsius. Translated by Ioh. Bingham.; Anabasis. English	Xenophon.; Lipsius, Justus, 1547-1606. De militia Romana. Book 5. English. Selections.; Bingham, John, Captain.	1623 (1623)	STC 26064; ESTC S118779	190,227	166

other purpose but for a speedy shifting and running away But fortune afterward was a better guide for vs. As soone as it was day all set forward hauing the sunne on the right hand imagining that by sun-set they should reach to Villages of the Babylonian Territorie Neither were they deceiued in their imagination About euening they thought they saw the enemies Horse and both the Grecians which were out of order ranne to their places and Ariaeus for he rode on a Waggon because of his wound receiued in the battell alighted and put on his curace as did the rest likewise that were in his Company But while they were arming the scouts brought tydings that they were no Horse but onely carriage-beasts at pasture and streightwaies euery man easily coniectured that the Kings Campe was some where not farre of Howbeit Clearchus led not against the enemy both because our Souldiers courages began to fall and also because they had beene fasting that whole day and now it grew something late Yet turned not out of the way left hee might seeme to flie but holding on right forth by sunne-set he reached to the villages with the Vant-guard and there quartered The tymber of the houses of some of the villages was broken downe and carried away by the Souldiers of the Kings armie Therefore they that came first lodged themselues reasonably well the last being benighted euery one tooke vp his lodging as fell out and calling one vpon another made a great noise so that the Kings army heard it Whereby came to passe that the enemy next at hand fled out of their tents This appeared the next day For neither was there carriage-beast nor campe nor smoake at hand to be seene The King also as it should seeme was terrified with the accesse of our armie which he declared by the next dayes worke Yet in the processe of the night a feare seised vpon the Grecians themselues and the tumult and hurliburley was such as is wont when men are possessed with feare Clearchus in this distresse called Tolmides the Elean whom hee had with him the best Cryer of those times and after silence enioyned willed him to make proclamation that the Coronells signified whosoeuer in generall could bring forth the author of this tumult should haue a talent of siluer for his reward By the proclamation the Souldiers perceiued that their feare was vaine and their commanders in safetie As soone as it was day Clearchus commanded the Grecians to fall into the same order they held when the battell was fought And where I before wrote that the King was put into a feare by our accesse it hereby appeared to be so because the day before he sent an Imperious commandement to deliuer vp our armes and now this day he imploied messengers about a truce They after they came to our out-guards asked for the Coronels The out-guards aduertised Clearchus hereof who was then viewing the order of our embatteling and he willed them to say to the messengers that they should stay where they were till his further leasure After he had so ordered the Armie that the whole Phalange appeared in a faire thicknesse well compacted together and no vnarmed man in sight he called for the messengers and both himselfe taking with him some of the best armed and gallantest Souldiers of the Troopes and willing the other Coronels to do the like he aduanced to meet them Meeting together he demanded the cause of their comming They said they came about a ●●uce and had full power to deliuer the Kings pleasure vnto them and to returne their answer to the King Clearchus answered Tell the King now from me that there is no other way but first to fight For we haue no dinner neither dares any man speake a word to the Grecians about Truce without offering them meat to eat The messengers hearing this posted away and returned presently Whereby also appeared that the king was at hand or at least some other man that had authoritie about this negotiation They said the King allowed the motion and if the Truce were concluded would send guides to conduct them to sufficient prouision Clearchus asked whether the Truce should stretch to all in generall or to those only which were to goe betweene They answered to all till your propositions be related to the king After these things spoken Clearchus fell to counsell with the Coronels It seemed good to all to embrace a Truce forthwith and quietly to goe to the place where the prouision was and there to take it I am of your minde quoth Clearchus but I would not signifie so much to the messengers but linger a little to put them in feare of our refusall of Truce and I thinke our Souldiers are in the like feare When he iudged it time he told the messengers he accepted the Truce and willed them to leade immediatly to the place where prouision might be found which they did Clearchus albeit he purposed to accept Truce yet marched on with his Armie in order of battell himselfe following in the Reare He chanced vpon Ditches and draines full of water which were not passable without Bridges Yet framed they a passage with Palme trees of which some were alreadie fallen to the ground othersome they felled themselues A man might hereby perceiue the sufficiencie of Clearchus his command who carying in the left hand a Pike in the right a Trunchion in case any man appointed to worke seemed to slacke chusing a fit man in his place he chastised and put him off and withall thrusting into the dirt himselfe set his hand to the worke So that it seemed a shame to all that had the worke in hand not to make haste and be earnest in it The worke was by him laid vpon the Souldiers of 30 yeeres of age But the elder sort vndertooke it also when they saw Clearchus so busie about it And he hasted the more suspecting that the Ditches were not at all times so full of water for it was no time of the yeere to water the Plaine but that the King had let the water in to the end that the difficulties of the iourney might seeme to the Grecians greater and more in shew than they were in deed Marching on they came to the villages in which the guides assigned their prouision There was much Wheat and Wine of Palme to be found and Vineger boiled out of Palme nuts Those Nuts of Palme such as are not to be seene in Greece were reserued for the Seruants but the Masters had other chosen out from the rest of wonderfull beautie and greatnesse The colour of them nothing differeth from Amber and being dried some of them were vsually set vpon the Table for dainties The Wine is pleasant but raising paine in the head This was the place where the Souldiers first fed vpon the Marrow of the Nuts of Palme and many wondred at the kinde and propertie of pleasantnesse of them This also bred

one of the targetiers came to Xenophon and told him that he had serued as a slaue in Athens added that he seemed to know the language of the enemy I thinke quoth he that this is mine own country and if you thinke good I would faine speake with them You may do it freely quoth Xenophon if you lift and know of them first what people they are They answered they were Macrons Aske them againe quoth he why they oppose against vs in armes desire to be our enemies They answered because you go about to inuade our countrey The Coronels willed the interpreter to say they came not to offer wrong but hauing made war against the king they returned into Greece and would faine come to the Sea The Macrons asked the Grecians againe whether they would giue assurance of that they said Who answered they were readie to giue take assurance Hereupon the Macrons gaue to the Grecians a Barbarian speare and the Grecians a Grecian speare to them For they said that this was the manner of assurance amongst them But both parties called the gods to witnesse After assurance giuen the Macrons helped the Grecians to cut down trees leuelled the way to further our passage came and conuersed with the Grecians furnishing out such a market as they were able and led them forward three daies iourney till they had set them vpon the Colchan mountaines There was in that countrey a high Mountaine but yet passable vpon which the Colchans had ranged themselues in battell At the first the Grecians ordered their troops against them in a Phalange as if they purposed to inuade the Mountaine in that forme Xenophon aduised them that laying aside the forme of a Phalange the best course would be to put themselues into single Companies drawne out in File For a Phalange said he will soone be broken by reason of the inequalitie of way which in some part of the Mountaine will be easie enough in other parts hard to ascend And it will quickly discourage the Souldiers to see the Phalange disordered in which they march Furthermore if we aduance in a large Front the enemie that exceedeth vs in number will ouer-front vs and vse his multitude to most aduantage if in a narrow Front it will be no maruell to see our Phalange cut in peeces with the number of missiue weapons and with multitude of men that will fall vpon it which comming to passe in any part the whole Phalange will be distressed Therefore as I said I hold it best to order our selues in companies stretched out in file or depth euery companie hauing such distance from other that the out-most companies may ouer-front and be without the points of the enemies wings So shall we both gain the aduantage of ouer-fronting their army marching on the companies being in file our best men shall first giue on vpon the enemie And let euerie companie make choise of the fittest way for ascent Now for the spaces betwixt each companie it will not be easie for the enemie to enter them the companies flancking euerie space nor yet to cut off a companie aduancing in such depth And if any companie chance to be distressed the next companie is to succour it And in case any one of the companies attaine the top of the Hill assure your selues no enemie will keepe his ground The aduice was approued by all and they drew their companies euerie one into a File Xenophon going from the right wing to the left said to the Souldiers These ô Souldiers whom you see are the only hindrance of our passage thither whither we haste with so great desire If it be possible we must deuoure them raw When euerie man was in his place and euerie companie in File the companies of the armed amounted to about 80 in number and euerie companie contained well-neere 100 men The Targetiers and Archers were diuided into three parts One part marched without the left Wing another without the right the third in the middest Then the Coronels commanded the Souldiers to pray When they had praied they sang the P●an and so aduanced forward and the enemie made head against them Cherisophus and Xenophon and the Targetiers with them being without the points of the enemies battell marched on The enemie perceiuing it sought to meet them and some of them drawing to the right some to the left hand they rent their Phalange asunder and left much void space in the middest When the Arcadian Peltasts whose Captaine Aeschines the Acarnan was saw them distracted and seuered they imagined they fled and ran on with as much speed as they could They were the first that gained the Mountaine The armed Arcadians commanded by Cleanor the Orchomenian followed at their heeles The enemie stood firme in no place after they saw them come running on but fled some one way some another So the Grecians ascending the Mountaine quartered in many Villages replenished with all things necessarie In other things there was no cause of maruell only there were many Bee-hiues the Hony-combes whereof whosoeuer eat they became euerie man mad and scoured vpward and downeward and none was able to stand vpon their feet They that eat but a little were like drunken that eat much like mad and some like dead men and there lay so many vpon the ground that a man would haue thought an ouerthrow had been receiued from an enemie which caused much discouragement amongst the Troopes The next day there was no man found dead and they came to their right sense about the same houre they fel into their malady The third fourth day after they arose as if they had receiued some medicine From thence they marched seuen Parasangs in two encampings came to the sea side to Trapezond a Grecian city well inhabited which is situate vpon the Euxine Sea being a Colonie of the Sinopeans planted in the Colchan Countrey They remained about 30 dayes in the Colchan countrey spoiling preying it The Trapezuntines exhibited a Market to the Campe and gaue the Grecians gifts of hospitalitie viz. Oxen Meale and Wine entertaining them kindly They transacted likewise for the next neighbour Colchans especially for those that inhabited the Plaine from whom also were sent gifts of hospitalitie which were for the most part Oxen. Here the Armie prepared the sacrifice which they had vowed for a sufficient number of Oxen was sent vnto them to Iupiter the sauiour to Hercules who had so well guided and protected them in their whole iourney They praied likewise to other gods Besides they ordeined Games of exercise in the Mountaine where they encamped chose Dracontius the Lacedemonian who being yet a boy fled his Countrey for killing another boy with the stroke of a Cimitery against his will to order the running and to be president of the Games When the sacrifice was ended they gaue the beasts skins to Dracontius willed him to leade