Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	face_n	left_a	right_n	4,099	5	9.2282	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05975	The art of embattailing an army. Or, The second part of Ælians tacticks Containing the practice of the best generals of all antiquitie, concerning the formes of battailes. ... Englished and illustrated with figures and obseruations vpon euery chapter. By Captaine Iohn Bingham.; Tactica. English. Selections	Aelianus.; Bingham, John, Captain.; Droeshout, Martin, b. 1601, engraver.	1631 (1631)	STC 163; ESTC S106812	119,494	122

their motion to their first posture which is done by facing about to the right or left hand and then by mouing and by recouering their first place The word is As you were Countermarch is the third motion vsed in the change of a battaile The vse and necessity thereof appeareth in Aelian before and that there are two kindes one by file the other by ranke The words of command that hee here setteth downe are onely of countermarch by file which may be reduced to two kindes viz. the Countermarch of the front and the Countermarch of the reare That of the front hath likewise two kindes the Lacedemonian and the Chorean That of the reare onely one and it is called the Macedonian Countermarch Now Aelians direction followeth 20 The Lacedemonian Countermarch This is one of the Countermarches by file and of the front The manner is that the file-leaders beginne the Countermarch and pa●●e beyond the reare their files following them In our exercise the word is Countermarch the front to the right or to the left hand It is done after another sort also as when the bringers-vp face about to the right or left hand and then the whole body facing about to the same hand passe thorow the spaces of the bringers vp to the same hand and the ninth ranke beginning the rest of the ranks after one anothers place themselues euery paticular man before his follower in the same file till the file-leaders are first The word is Bringers vp face to the right or to the left hand The rest beginning at the ninth ranke passe thorow to the same hand and place euery man himselfe before his follower As you were In Aelian followeth 22 The Macedonian Countermarch We in our exercise tearme this Countermarch of the reare and it is done in two manners First when the bringers vp begin the Countermarch and their files following passe thorow the spaces of the file-leaders till the file-leaders become the last of the file and then the whole body face about and stand The word is Countermarch the reare to the right or left hand Face about to the contrary hand and stand The other when the file-leaders face about to either hand and the rest of the ranks beginning at the second ranke successiuely passe thorow the spaces of the file leaders to the hand appointed placing themselues euery man behind his next leader and facing about as they did The word is File-leaders face about the rest of the rankes passe thorow and place your selues behinde your next leaders The next in Aelian is 24 The Chorean Countermarch This Countermarch is of the front as I said but it keepeth the ground that the body had before the file-leaders their files following them remoued to the places of the bringers vp and the bringers vp to the places that the file-leaders had The word is File-leaders countermarch to the right or left hand and stand viz. when they come to the bringers vp Other Countermarches thereare which are not here set downeby Aelian but are remembred in his Chapter of Countermarches of which the countermarch by ranks of the whole battaile is one the other is the countermarch by ranks in the parts And as in the Countermarch of the front or reare the rankes first began to moue so in Countermarch of the flanke the files entire beginne to moue and as in the Countermarch of the front or reare the ranks followed one another by file so in Countermarch of the flankes the files follow one another by ranke that is the souldiers of euery ranke follow one another If you would countermarch the right flanke so to change one side of the battaile for the other the word is Countermarch the right flanke to the left hand In countermarching the left flanke the word is Countermarch the left flanke to the right hand To countermarch the wings into the middest both the vttermost corner-files are to moue toward the middest their halfe rankes following them and meeting in the middest to stand there and face to the front and the word is Countermarch your wings into the middest of the battaile Obserue that in Countermarch by ranke the three Countermarches Macedonian Lacedaemonian and Choraean may be practised as well as in Countermarch by file If the flanke neerest to the enemy begin the Countermarch this the Macedonian countermarch because it maketh a shew of shifting away If the flanke furthest from the enemy begin it is the Lacedemonian in that it carrieth a semblance of falling on But when one flanke countermarcheth till it come iust vp to the other and no further it is the Choraean because it keepeth the same ground Wheeling is the fourth and last motion and it is vsed in the whole entire battaile or in the parts thereof Aelian giueth words of direction for the whole battaile onely and they are these Wheele the body to the Pike or to the Target When the battaile is to wheele to the pike or right hand the right hand corner file-leader is onely to turne his body by little and little to the right hand facing euen with the ranke of file-leaders till such time as hee haue gained the right hand aspect and the rest are to moue about him making him the centor as it were of their circled motion If to the left hand the left hand corner file leader is to doe the like The same order is of wheelin the battaile about to the right or left hand Aelian as I ●ai● giueth here no other words of command then for the wheeling of the whole body yet are the wheelings of the parts of great vse for either the flankes are wheeled into the front or the front into the flankes The front is wheeled into the flankes when we desire to forme the Antistomus Phalange to resist the enemy giuing on both flankes And then the two middlemost bringers vp are to stand and the middle file-leaders to diuinde themselues and to moue halfe the battaile to the right halfe to the left hand making those two bringers vp the center of the motion In this the word is Wheele the front into flanks by diuision If the flanks be to be wheeled into the front the two middle file-leaders are to stand still and the two halfe bodies to moue about them one to the right hand the other to the left till the two flanks be in the front and the front in the middest This kind is practised when we would frame the Diphalange Antistomus The word is Wheele the flanks into the front It is to be remembred that after euery motion a restitution to the first posture is to be commanded in these words As you were In facing you are to returne to the contrary hand as if the command were to face to the right in returning you come to the left In doubling you must doe the like In countermarch likewise whether you countermarch the whole body or the parcels thereof you are to returne by the contrary hand After

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

to charge him in front and on both flanks at one time But the conuexe halfe Moone auoiding that danger meeteth the enemy with the bearing out of the halfe circle and giueth the two wings of the Epicampios enough to doe being not to be annoyed with the depth of the hollownesse which remaineth a pretty distance more backward then the points of the wings So that this forme is fit to be opposed against the Epicampios and looseth no aduantage of embattailing and it auoideth the perill of the hollow front by not entring and yet maintaineth the fight against the two wings that are thru● out to encompasse being of sufficient strength to encounter the Epicampios either of them not dissoluing their forme or notwithstanding that the wings of the Epicampios retire as Aelian prescribeth when they are ouerpressed or else the body of the hollownesse aduance to make an equall front with the wings and so vnite their force Howbeit I haue not read in the Greeke hi●tory examples of this forme set against the Epicampios or vsed otherwise in fight onely I finde in Polybius at the battaile of Canne that Hannibal practised it against the Romans not trusting to the strength of the forme but rather with the shew thereof couering a further drift to beguile and bring them into his snare His words are in effect these Hanniball saith he embattailed his army thus He placed on the left hand the Spanish and Celtish horse right ouer against the Roman horse next to them of foot halfe the Lybian heauy armed then the Spaniards and Celts next them the other halfe of the Lybians On the right wing he ordered the Numidian horse After he had framed an euen front of the whole Army he aduanced the middle Spaniards and Gauls and cast them into a conuexe halfe Moone gathering vp the depth therewith and making it thin meaning to hide the Lybians with it and disposing the Lybians behinde them as seconds And a little after he declareth the manner of fight Then the heauy-armed foot succeeding the light armed encountred together The Spaniards therefore and Gauls a while brauely maintained their order and fight against the Romans but being ouer-pressed they turned their backs and retired dissoluing the forme of their halfe Moone The Roman Cohorts couragiously following easily broke asunder the battaile of the Celts which at first was ordered in a small depth themselues transferring the thicknesse of their battaile from the wings of the middest where the fight was for the middest and the wings fought not at the same time The middest began the fight first because the Celts ranged in a halfe Moone bore much more forward the the wings hauing not the hollownes but the prominent swelling of the half-Moone lying out toward the enemy So the Romans following running together to the middest where the enemy gaue groūd entered so far into the enemies battaile that they had the heauy-armed Lybians on either of their flanks of whom those of the right wing facing to the Target charged them on the right those of the left wing facing to the pike gaue vpon their left side occasiō it selfe shewing what was fit to be done so that it chāced as Anniball had foreseene that after the defeat of the Celts the Romans pursuing the victory should fall out to be enclosed in the middest of the Lybians So Polibius of the prominent halfe moon or Cyrte which Annibal vsed to which of purpose he gaue to make thinnesse because it should be broken beaten and the enemy drawn into the snares as it were and ambush of the seconds that is of the Lybian heauy armed If it had had the due proportion of depth it might haue stood a longer time against the efforts of the enemy and disputed the victory against the broad-fronted phalange against which if it may be opposed there is no question but it may be set against the Epicampios because the broad-fronted phalange hath all her forces vnited together the Epicampios fighteth onely with her two wings the middest of the battaile being farre from ioyning vnlesse a man be compelled to enter into the hollownesse of the front in which case both the front and the wings may annoy him Words of direction for the Cyrte or conuexe halfe Moone First order the body into a long square or Plagiophalange 1 Then let the two file-leaders in the middest of the square march out with their files 2 The next two on either hand moueright forward one foot short of the first keeping distance in flanke as before 3 So the next foure two o● each side the two next one foot short of the last the other two one foot short of them 4 Then the next foure two on each side each two foot short of other 5 Then the foure last two on each side each three foot short of the other Of the Tetragonall Horse-battaile and of the wedge of foot to be opposed against it CHAP. XLVIII 1 THe Tetragonall horse-battaile is square in figure but not in number of men For in squares the number is not alwaies the same and the Generall for his aduantage may double the length to the depth The Persians Sicilians and most of the 〈…〉 s doe affect this forme and take it to be easie in framing and better in vse 2 Against it is opposed the Phalange called Embolos or Wedge of foot all the side consisting of armed men This kind is borrowed of the horse-mans wedge And yet in the wedge of horse one sufficeth to lead in front where the foot-wedge must haue three one being vnable to beare the sway of the encounter 3 So Epaminondas the Theban fighting with the Lacedemonians at Mantinaea ouerthrew a mighty power of theirs by casting his army into a wedge 4 It is fashioned when the Antistomus Diphalangy Cap. 48. The Horsbattaile square in figure not in horse The foote wedge The front in marching ioyneth the front of the wings together holding them behinde like vnto the letter A. NOTES 1 THis Chapter containeth the description of two battails one of horse the other of foot to be opposed in fight one against another namely the square of horse and the wedge of foot Of which the tetragonall horse-battaile square in figure or ground for all is one is described in my notes vpon the 18. Chapter of Aelian as also the wedge of horse from which this wedge of foot as Aelian saith is deriued It will be therefore needlesse to repeat what is there written about the formes and diuersity of them or to make comparison of their vse and aduantage Against the Rhombe of horse if they come to charge foot he hath set downe two formes of foot to receiue them the Cressant and the hollow-fronted battaile called Epicampios emprosthia which vpon this ●eason because they are hollow in front both and the Rhombe shooteth forth and chargeth in a point must of necessity by receiuing that point into their hollownesse and plying it with