one directly after another How they stood Polybius shewes describing the same battaile He saith that Scipio ordered the Hastati and their ensignes first of all the rest and in front and gaue interuals to their maniples behinde them the Principes not against the interuals of the Hastati as the Roman manner was but behinde them in a right line because of the multitude of the Enemies Elephants and lastly the Triarij On the wing of the left flanke he ranged C. Lelius with the Italian Horse vnder him on the right Massanissa and all the Numidian Horse which he commanded The interuals of the first Ensignes that is of the Hastati he filled with the bodies of light armed commanding them first to vndertake the fight and in case they were not able to withstand the affront of the the enemy or of the Elephants he willed them to retire some that could preuent the rest with speed through the direct interuals of the maniples to thereare of the army other that were in a manner surprised to the flankes neere the Ensignes This ordering of Maniples one directly after another so termed and described by Polybius Appian calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which notwithstanding if truly examined cannot according to the Grecian practise come within the compasse of that name For the Grecians as I said drew their Companies seuerally each into a file and laying foure or fiue or six or more of them together made a body the depth whereof much exceeded the length or breadth the front being of 4. 5. or 6. men in ranke the depth of 100 whereas the Romans as appeareth by Polybius kept their ordinary manner of embattelling sauing that they placed their principes not against the interuals of the Hastati as their custome was but directly behinde the Maniples of the Hastati to the end the Elephants of the Carthaginians might haue an empty and void lane as it were to passe through their whole Army As for the Roman Maniples they consisted of two parts ioyned together which they called Ordines and euery Ordo contained 60 men commanded by a Captaine so that the Maniple had in it 120 men and two Captaines or Centurions These 120 men being digested into files containing 10 men a peece for that was the length of file and the depth of the Maniple make 12 files which stood one by another ranged in front not stretched one after another in depth But because the Maniples of the Hastati principes and the Triarij stood directly one after another therefore Appian called them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either out of the ignorance of the manner of embattelling amongst the Romans or else because the Grecians in their writings reduced the order of the Roman embattelling vnto their owne vsage So they called a Tribune of the Roman Army a Chiliarch albeit a Chiliarch amongst the Grecians and a Tribune amongst the Romans differ very much as I haue noted vpon the ninth Chapter of Aelian the manner of embattailing of the Army of Acilius Glabrio a Roman Consull in the streights of Thermopyle commeth neerer vnto the Greekish forme Appian describeth it thus Antiochus hauing fortified the streights of Thermopyle with a double wall and drawne forth his army ordâ—â—ly for fight to make good the place against Acilius Acilius diuided his troopes into three parts and giuing one part to Cato toâ—laccus â—laccus the one to make his passage on the one side of the Hils the other on the other himselfe led the ordinary way against Antiochus and framing of his owneâ— part 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which manner of embattelling alone saith Appian seruetâ— for streight wayes â—e pushed on and forced his Enemy to retire gained his Campe. The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here mentioned are no other then the Orthie-phalange which Aelian hath set downe in this Chapter namely hauing one Maniple or if the streight permitted not a Maniple of 12 files to march entirely in front one Ordo consisting of six files to aduance the rest following in the same â—inde as the fashion is of the right induction remembred by Aelian hereafter in his 36 Chapter Now albeit that forme come neerer to the Graecian forme yet it is not the same the one filling the way with the Maniple or Ordo as it fell our in the same figure that it stands in the field the other changing the order of the field drawing the Company out into one file and ioyning other Companies with it in front as many as the way would receiue So that the Grecian had too in depth of the body the Roman but 10. We are not to pretermit that albeit Acilius vsed this forme to dislodge 〈…〉 from the Hâ—ll yet he trusted not to it alone but diuiding his 〈…〉 into three parts he caused two of them to march vp the hils on both sides himselfe on the midst to the end that one part might â—aine the height ouer 〈…〉 head and so make him forsake his ground Thus farre of the vse of these two 〈…〉 of Phalanges or battailes it remaineth to shew how one of them may be transsormed into another The next proceeding Chapter teacheth that out of doublings of Rankes the length of the battell ariseth as the depth out of doubling of files I haue shewed the manner of both in my notes vpon the 8 and 29 Chapter And this manner is easie in a single Company or in a small Army In great Bodies it hath no great vse let the Example be of a Phalangarchy which is the fourth part of a fourefold Phalange and containeth 256 files Double the files once you shall 128 files and 32 men in depth and but 3 foot distance in ranke The second doubling bringeth forth 64 files and as many men in depth but the distance betwixt ranke and ranke is but a foot and a halfe Beyond this doubling you cannot proceede for beside the confusion of places of officers which are in number aboue 250 in a Phalangarchy the interuals betwixt man and man will not conueniently allow aboue two doublings your open order betwixt man and man wherein they stand at first giueth but six foot The first doubling takes away three foot from euery internall the second leaueth but a soot and halfe And considering that when the battell is closed for fight the neerest distance betwixt ranke and ranke ought to be no lesse then three foot in regard of handling of weapons as I haue shewed before out of Polybius The second doubling albeit it yeeldeth roome from the bodies of Souldiers to stand in yet it takes away the halfe of this distance but the third doubling allowing but 3 quarters of a foot for each man to stand in giueth not so much ground as his body will possesse So is it likewise of Ranks which will not suffer aboue two doublings fit for vse Aelians file is of â—6 men double your rankes once your file will containe no more then eight men and
repassed through the enemies wedge twice with great slaughter eueryone breaking his staffe The Celtiberians after the breaking and dispersing of their wedge in which all their hope remained began to be afraid and almost quitting the sight sought where they might best to saue themselues Hitherto Liuy In which passage a man may obserue the violence of the wedge which if it be rightly managed is of wonderfull power to breake and dispart any square it shall fall vpon The other example or precedent is out of Agathias where he describeth the battaile betwixt Narses the Emperour Iustinians Lieutenant and Bucelinus Generall of the French-men He hath thus Narses when he came to the place where the fight should be ordered presently his army into a Phalange The horse were ranged in the wings Himselfe stood in the right wing and next him Zandalas Captaine of his followers and with him all his mercinary and houshold seruants that were not vnfit for the warre vpon either side of him was Valerian and Artabanus who were commanded to hide themselues a while in the thicke of the wood that was thereby and when the enemy ioyned to fall out suddenly and vnlooked for vpon them and to put them into an amazement The foot had all the space in the middest and the file-leaders ioyned shoulder to shoulder being armed with curaces and other pieces of armour reaching downe to the foot and with caskes Behind them were other souldiers ordered euen as farre as to the open fields The light armed and such as vsed flying weapons were cast in the reare expecting a signall of employment The middest was reserued for the Heruly and remained empty because they were not yet come vp Bucelinus aduanced his battell and all ran cheerefully against the Romans not leisurely and in good order but rashly and tumultuously as if with the very cry they would haue rent asunder all that stood against them The forme of their battaile was like a wedge For it resembleth the letter Delta And the front which shot out in a point was couered and close by reason it was hemmed in with Targets you would haue said they counterfeited a swines head but both the flanks on each side lying out by files in depth and stretching backward byaswise by little and little were parted and seuered one from another and bearing out still toward the reare ende at last in a great distance so that the ground in the middest betwixt them was empty and the backes of the souldiers that were in the wedge appeared cleane through the files vncouered For their faces were turned contrariwise one from another to the end they might beare them toward the enemy and saue themselues from blowes by casting their Targets before them and secure their backe by placing them opposite to the backes of their fellowes All things fellout according to Narses his wish to whom both a faire opportunity was presented and who had wisely before contriued what was to be done For when the Barbarians running on furiously fell vpon the Romans with a shout and outery giuing vpon the milder they presently broake the front of those that stood in the void space for the Heruli were not yet come vp and the leaders of the point of the wedge cutting asunder all that stood in their way euen to the vttermost depth of the file and yet making no great slaughter were carried beyond the bringers vp of Narses battaile and some of them continued their course further thinking to take in the Roman Campe Then Narses presently turning about and extending out his wings and making as the Tacticks name is an Epicampios emprosthia commanded the archers on horsebacke to send their arrowes by turnes vpon the backes of the enemy which they easily performed For being on horsebacke higher then the Barbarian foot they might at their pleasure strike them as they aduanced forward being in a great bredth and nothing to shadow them Hitherto Agathias It would be long to rehearse the rest of the battaile which he exaggerateth rhetorically I haue recited so much as both sheweth the strength of the wedge and withall the manner which was vsed by Narses to ouerthrow it For I find three kinde of wayes which haue beene practised to resist and defeat it One by charging it with horse before it enter the aduerse battaile as Flaccus did against the Celtiberians The second to frame the aduerse battaile empty in the middest filling it with some souldiers notwithstanding for shew and when hee entreth the space to plye his reare with shot and charge it throughly as Narses did The third to oppose against it a hollow wedge which Vegetius calleth forfex and receiuing and letting in the point of this wedge into the hollownesse of the other to claspe it in and charge it on all sides Against the wedge saith Vegetius is opposed the battaile called forfex a paire of sheeres For it is framed of the best and valiantest souldiers to the similitude of the letter V. and it receiueth in and embraceth the wedge so that it cannot breake through it 4 It is fashioned when the Diphalange Antistomus This manner of framing a wedge is described by Aelian in the 36 Chapter and yet that wedge set downe there openeth in front keepi 〈…〉 the reare shut and is opposed against the right induction and called Caelembolos here the wedge is described that openeth the reare keeping the front close and is opposed against the square But the manner of framing both standeth vpon one reason For the file-leaders being placed within the Caelembolos the front of the battaile is opened and the reare kept close in the other the file-leaders being without the reare is opened the front still maintained shut Now the file leaders place is varied in either of them because of the seuerall effects which they worke The hollow fronted wedge Caelembolos seeketh to hold the enemy together so defeat him The other to dispart and rout him and so to gaine the victory And because the stresse of the Caelembolos is within for the flankes of the hollownesse claspe in the enemy and fight against his flanks therefore are the file leaders the formost that fight within as likewise because the outsides of the wedge of this Chapter beare all the weight of the fight therefore in it are the file-leaders without For as in all other battailes the file-leaders ought first to attach the enemy so is it likewise in these two formes But where Aelian saith that this battell is made out of the Diphalange Antistomus by ioyning the wings in front and opening them behinde I take the Text to be corrupted For the Diphalange Antistomus hath the file-leaders within to resist the horse that charge them as the 40 Chapter teacheth this hath the file-leaders without to breake the enemies battaile and disseuer it The Caelembolos indeed is framed out of the Diphalange Antistomus But the wedge of this Chapter springeth out of the
euery man shall haue three foot distance from other in ranke double them twice the file hath but foure men and euery mans distance in ranke is no more then a foot and halfe which as it is allowable in close order so admitteth it no third dou 〈…〉 wherein the space betwixt man and man cannot exceed three quarters of a foot As therefore the second doubling of ranks in a Phalangarchy albeit it extend the front of the battell leaueth yet too small a depth to the Plagiophalange or broad-fronted battaile it containing no more then foure men in depth so the doubling of files twice fitteth not the Orthiophalange or Herse as hauing 64 in depth and as many in length which number neither holdeth proportion of the depth manifold to the length of the Orthiophalange or Herse nor yet by reason of the length hath conueniency to apply it selfe to streight waies a thing that containeth the principall vse of that manner of battaile which was the cause that antiquity vsed another course If the march were to be made out of a Plagiophalange or broad-fronted battaile they framed a Herse by putting forth out of the right or left wing first one Tetratchy or other body which might march whole according to the largenesse of the ways and after it followed from the same wing the rest of the Army in the same kinde If contrariwise a Plagiophalange or broad-fronted battaile were to be framed out of an Orthiophalange or a Herse they caused the body which had the vaunt to stand firme and the rest following to sleeue vp by it on the right or left hand till they all came to an euen front Xenophon sheweth the manner in a Company whose words are these in English Then he Cyrus the elder beheld another Captaine leading his Company from the river side to dinner one souldier following another in a single file who when hee thought â—it commanded the second and third and fourth file to sleeue vp and make an euen front with the first the file-leaders being new in front hee commanded the halfe files to double the front so that new the Decadarches or leaders of halfe files stood in front Againe when it seemed good he commanded the quarter files to double the front so the Pempedarches or leaders of the quarter of files led vp and the files marched on being diuided into foure parts When they were come vnto the Tent doore hee commanded the first file to single out againe and to enter in and the second to follow it single in the reare and so the third and fourth till all were within the Tent. To cleare these words of Xenophon It is to be vnderstood that the Company or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here mentioned consisted of 100 men and was diuided into foure files or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 each file containing twenty foure men The file had fiue Officers the file leader the Decadarch two Pempedarchs and the bringer vp At the head of the file stood the file-leader and behinde him directly fiue men next after them stood the first Pempedarch and fiue men that followed him in the middest of the file that is after the Pempedarch and his fiue was placed the Decadarch who â—ed the hinder most halfe file and after him fiue men more Lastly the second Pempedarch and fiue more after him the last of which was the bringer vp Now when Xenophon saith that the whole Company followed by one or file wise he meaneth that the foure files were cast into one file and followed one another in a right line and by that meanes had 100 in depth and but one in front To bring it therefore to conuenient length from this depth the Captaine commanded the first file leader to make Alte or to stand and the second file leader with his file to aduance and to sleeue vp on the left hand and to front with the first file leader and so both files to stand euen fronted in open order The like he commanded the third and fourth file to doe so that the foure files being laid one to another and fronting equally the front or length of the body had foure men the depth 24. Then because he held this depth disproporcionable to the length in so small a body he againe enlarged the front by doubling commanding the halfe files to double their front The Decadarchs hereupon marched vp to the front and ranked with the file leaders and the halfe files following them ranked with the front-halfe files man to man Now was the front eight in length the flanke or depth twelue To enlarge againe the front and to make the length exceede the depth he commanded the quarter-files to double the front hereupon the Pempedarchs aduanced marching vp with their quarter files after them till they fronted with the file leaders and Decadarchs and each man of the quarter files ranked with the rest so that the front came to be of 16 men in length the flanke six men in depth and each man in ranke had a foot and halfe distance in file six foot And thus the Company from one file as it were from an Orthiophalange or Herse was formed into a long body somewhat resembling a Plagiophalange or broad-fronted battaile To reduce it againe to an Orthiophalange or Herse the Captaine at the entry into the Tent where the whole Company was lodged together first directed the first file to march out namely by the file leader with his fiue then the first Pempedarch with his fiue after him the Decadarch with his fiue lastly the second Pempedarch with his fiue which drawing out of the Officers one after another in depth with the parts of the file Commanded by them immediately brought the file to the iust depth of 24. This being done the second file followed the first in like order and the third the second last of al came the fourth and this was the manner of changing one forme into another and albeit the example be but of a Company yet is the reason all one in a Phalange or battaile for as a company is compacted of many files so is a phalange of diuers companies and as one file in the example before was led after another filewise so is or may one company or other body be led after another making thereby an Orthiophalange or Herse and as one file aduanced to front with another to the intent to alter the forme of the Orthiophalange so must the bodies or companies sleeue vp one by another to make a plagiophalange or broad-fronted battaile yet want there not Examples in the Greeke History of turning the Orthiophalange or Herse into a plagiophalange or broad fronted battaile and by consequence the plagiophalange into an Orthiophalange Cherisophus in the returne of the 10000 Grecians that followed Cyrus the yonger into Persia had the leading of the Vant-gard all the way He in his march in Armenia perceiuing the Chalybes Taochians and Phasians had taken
certaine mountaines ouer which the Grecians were to passe made alte some 30 furlongs before hee came to the Enemy lest encountring with the enemy hee should fight with his army being led in a wing or Orthiophalange He commanded therefore the Captaines that followed him with their companies euery one after another to sleeue vp their companies by his to the intent to cast the army into a plagiophalange or broad fronted battaile When thereare Commanders were come vp hee called a counsell to aduise of the best course in proceeding Here is the order of the Grecians march expressed to be in a Herse or Orthiophalange which consisted of many companies one following another and likewise the manner of transfiguring the Herse into a broad fronted phalange viz. the Captaines one after another sleeuing vp their companies by Cherisophus his company on the left hand and making an equall front with him And yet this example containeth no more then the sleeuing vp of the Companies vpon one flanke Cherisophus first made a Stand with his companie hauing the vant the following Captaines sleeued vp their companies on his left hand as the files did one after another in the other example Alexander vsed another kinde of sleeuing a little before he fought the battell of Issos For caufing the vant-gard first to stand he commanded the rest of the foot to march vp to the front of the vant-gard on either flanke The words lye thus in Arrian Alexander hauing by midnight gained the Streights of Cilicia setting out a streight watch vpon the rockes rested and refreshed his army till morning b◠day-breake he descended from the streights in the ordinary way and as long as the passage was narrow he led in a wing afterwards the mountaines opening a greater distance he enlarged his wing into a phalange by little and little still sleeuing vp the armed one body after another to the front on the right hand toward the mountaines on the left hand toward the Sea The Horse all this while marched after the foot but comming to ground of larger capacity they were ordered on the wings This manner of working to make a phalange out of Herse was by drawing the following companies vp on both flanks on the right toward the mountaines on the left toward the sea so that it differeth from the other forme wherein the Companies were sleeued but vpon one hand A third way of making a Plagiophalange of a Herse I finde in Polybius Machanidas the Lacedemonian Tyrant saith he being to fight with Philopaemea the Achaean Generall who had fashioned his army into a broad fronted phalange made semblance at first as though he meant in a Herse to charge the right wing of the Enemies battaile but approaching neerer at a conuenient distance he brake off the hinder part of the Herse and facing it to the right hand marched out and led it out in length and ioyned it in equall front with his right wing thereby equalling the left wing of the Achaeans In this manner of transforming the Herse into broad fronted phalange the companies or bodies follow not one another to sleeue vp to the front but halfe the Plagiophalange is broken off at once the reare halfe and facing to the right or left hand is led vp and ioyned in an euen front with the other halfe not vnlike to our vsagein exercise when we command our middle men with their halfe files to face to the right or left hand and marching out to double the front of our battaile Thus much may suffice for the names vse and reduction of one of these two Phalanges to another The third Phalange mentioned in this Chapter followeth 7 The Phalange Loxe There are two kindes of Loxes or vneuen fronted Phalanges The front of the one is figured in a continued right line stretched out bias-wise thus The other hath as it were two fronts formed out of two seuerall parts of the Phalange the one aduancing against the Enemy to begin the fight the other staying behinde and keeping the first ground being ordered without the flanke of the first that vpon occasion it may likewise aduance and ioyne or else retire from the Enemy and giue backe the figure shewes the shape of it the last hath bin vsed by great Generals as a forme of aduantage in fight The first onely to win a passage as I take it ouer a riuer or such like where the broad-fronted Phalange could not passe and to bring the Armie to a ground where it might be ordered in better forme for fight I will giue one Example for I read not many of the first Alexander hauing conueied his armie ouer Hellespont and entred into Phrygia came as farre as the riuer Granicus Three Lieutenants of Darius with 20000. Horse and well nigh as many foot had embattelled themselues on the other side of the riuer to hinder his passage The riuer was full of depths and slallowes somewhat dangerous to enter and the bankes on the further side high rough and steepie besides the Enemy was ready with horse cast into a long or broad-fronted phalange and with seconds of foot to beat him backe that should offer to clymbe the bankes Alexander being resolued to passe ouer first ordered his troopes in a broad-fronted phalange The right wing he commanded himselfe and gaue the command of the left to Parmenio then putting the Scout-horse with the Paeonians into the riuer and after them a Phalangarchy of foot led by Amyntas the sonne of Arrabius and then Ptolomy the sonne of Phillip who commanded the troope of Socrates which troop had the Vaunt of all the horse that day himselfe with the right wing entred the riuer the Trumpets sounding and the Army giuing a shout extending still his battell bias-wise against the Streame 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the end the Persians might not fall vpon him as he led in a wing but himselfe as much as was possible might come to ioyne with them hauing the front of his phalange extended in length The Persians cast Darts from the high ground against the troopes of Amyntas and of Socrates as they approached to the further banke and some of them where the ground was more euen descended to the brinke of the riuer so there was thrusting and sholdering of Horsemen some to ascend out of the riuer some to hinder the ascent The Persians let flye many a dart the Macedonians fought with speares The first Macedonians that came to hands with the Persians were cut a peeces fighting valiantly saue only those that retired vnto Alexander who was now neere aduanced with the right wing He himself first of all charged the Persians where the principal strength of the whole body of their horse and the Generals of the field stood about him was a strong fight and in the meane time one troope after another passed easily ouer the riuer This passage of the History is long and therefore I forbeare to recite the rest onely
be led through streight and narrow passages The 3 foot battaile to encounter is called the Plagiophalange or broad fronted battaile For being but slender in depth it beareth foorth and extendeth it selfe in length so that albeit it be broken in the middest with the charge of Horse yet is nothing broken but a little of the depth and the fury of the Horse is carried not vpon the multitude of foot but streight and immediatly into the open aire and field And for that cause is the length thereof much exceeding the depth NOTES 1 OF the 2. battailes Heteromekes and Plagiophalanx I haue spoken before in my notes vpon the thirtieth Chapter The Heteromekes is a kinde of Herse the Plagiophalange the broad fronted battaile therein mentioned 2 For seeming to be but a few Amongst all the stratagems vsed in Warre it hath beene accounted alwayes a master piece of skill to deceiue the Enemie with shew of forces that are in any Army sometime with semblance of more men then wee haue to feare him sometime with concealing our number to prouoke him rashly to fight and aduenture himselfe in battaile Of these two kindes we haue an example in Caesar at the siege of Cap. 45. Plagiophalanx or the broad fronted battaile of foote Heteromekes or the Herse of Horse The front Gergouia Caesar himselfe writeth thus When Caesar came into his lesser Campe hee had two Campâ—â— at that siege to take view of his workes he perceiued that the hill which was holden by the Enemie was become emptie of men which hill a few dayes past could hardly â—â— seene for the multitude that couered it Maruelling thereat he asked of the run awâ—â—yes the cause of whom great numbers came flocking to him euery day It appeared by â—ll their reports which Caesar also vnderstood by his owne Scoutes that the ridge of the hill was almost euen but yet wooddy and narrow by which there was accesse to â—he other part of the towne That the Enemie mightily feared that place and were now of opinion that seeing the Romans had gained one hill if they should lose the other they should seeme well nigh enclosed round about with a trench and shut up from issuing out and from forrage that all were called out of the Citie by Vercinâ—etorix to fortifie the place Caesar hauing gotten this intelligence sent at midnight dâ—â—ers troopes of horse thither and commanded them to rid vp and downe in all places with greater tumult then their manner was Assoone as it was day hee willed a great number of carriage-horse and Mules to be brought out of the Campe and their pads â—o be taken off from them and that the Muleters putting on head-pieces should ride aâ—out the hils in shew as if they were horse-men To these he added a few Horse who were to spred themselues abroad hereand there to amase the Gaules the more Hee willed them to addresse themselue and to draw to one and the same place fetching a large compasse about These things were seene a farre of out of Gergouia for from thence the Campe might well be discerned and yet in such distance â—t could not bee certainely perceiued what the matter was He sent a legion along the ridge of the same hill and placed it drawing it a little further forward in the nether grounds below and hid it in the woods The Gaules here at increaseâ— their suspition and all the forces appointed for the fortifications of their Campe were led thither Caesar espying the Campe of the Enemie to be voide of men conue ed Souldiours stragling as it were and not in troopes from the greater Campe vnto the lesser hiding those things by which they might be knowne and couering their ensignes of Warre lest happily they might bee discried out of the Towne and gaue instructions to the Legats whom he had set ouer euery Legion what he would haue done After thesâ— directions hee gaue the signall the Souldiers after the signall giuen with all speed fell vp to the Munition and entring made themselues masters of three Camps of the Enemie And the speed of their surprise was such that Theutomatus King of the Nitiobrigians being suddenly surprised in his Tent as he rested about noone the vpper part of his body being naked had much adoe to saue himselfe vpon his horse which was also wounded in escaping from the hands of the rifâ—â—â—g Souldiers This example of Caesar containeth the two kinds before remembered of deceiuing the Enemie For hee both made a greater shew of horse men then hee had by setting Muleters on horse-backe and giuing the 〈…〉 â—ieces and also dissembled the number of them who were in the lesser 〈…〉 which gaâ—e vpon the Enemies workes by conueying Souldiers 〈…〉 of the 〈…〉 Campe piece meale as it were and one after anothe◠〈…〉 icy yeelded victory to Caesar against the Gaules before as you 〈…〉 in the fift booke of his Commentaries And in this very kinde that Aelian speaketh of that is in making his front narrow and his battaile deepe and so dissembling his forces Cleandridas the Lacedemonian wonne a noble battaile against the Thurians as I haue noted in the nine and twentieth Chapter of this booke Examples of the manner of these flights are euery where to be found in Histories 3 The foot battaile to encounter it Diuers kindes of battailes are fitter as I conceiue to bee opposed against this horse-battaile then the Plagiophalange And I take it it is not therefore here set dowâ—e as the best forme to encounter and repulse the horse but rather to shew that if you bee not otherwise able to auoide them you may in this â—orme sustaine the lesser losse For so much importes the reason of Aelian viz. that if you be broken in the middest by the horse yet is nothing broâ—en but a little of the depth and the fury of the horse is carried into the open field not vpon the rest of the foot If your foot battaile were flanked with a riuer wood trench wall or some such other strength I would theâ— well hold with this reason For then might the foot open as in the Diâ—alange Antistomus and suffer the horse to passe through and to fall iâ—â—o the riuer or vpon that strength which you were flanked with all Bâ—t when the horse breake through your foot and passe into the open field they haue aduantage to turne againe vpon your backe and freedome of a many charges as they list to giue vpon you The Plinthium the halfe Moone the Epicampios or hollow-fronted battaile described in the next foâ—lowing Chapter and the wedge of foot are to be preferred before the Plagiophalange For all these kindes are inuented to repulse horse in what forme soeuer they giue on and some of them in case the horse be forward â—â— charging to ouerthrow and discomfit them Of some of these we haue spoken before other some follow to be treated of The Heteromekes horse battaile is not in our dayes much