which regard I preferre the Target of Aelian before that of Leo Aelians reaching vp to the height of the necke from the middle of the thigh Leos carying a handfull more in bredth which in the circumference groweth to a good proportion of weight and greatnesse 4 No shorter than 8 Cubits That is 12 foote Short pikes against long haue a great disadvantage With the long pike a man is able to strike and kill his enemy before himselfe can be touched or come in danger of a shorter the pike keeping the enemy out so farre as the length is The experience of the battaile of Sorano sheweth it where Vitellozzo Vitelli discomfited the Almaines onely with the advantage of pikes an arme longer than theirs Against long pikes this policie was vsed by Cleonymus the Lacedemonian King as Polienus tells Cleonymus besieging Aedessa and hauing ouerthrowne the wall of the City the pikemen of the City sailed out whose pikes were each 16 cubits in length Cleonymus closed his Phalange in depth and commanded the file-leaders to lay away their pikes and when the pikemen of the enemy came to charge to seaze vpon their pikes with both hands and hold them fast and the followers to passe thorough by the file-leaders sides and maintaine the fight The file-leaders laid hold on the pikes and the enemy stroue to recouer them out of their hands In the meane time the followers passing thorough the ranke of file leaders to the front slew the enemies pikemen and got the victorie This was Cleonymus deuice against long pikes which notwithstanding derogates nothing from the length of pikes more than from shortnes For the same policie might haue prevailed as well against short pikes as long each assoone as the enemies haue seized vpon them growing to be of no vse But that the longer pike is to be preferred before the shorter I haue shewed before by reason and the reformation of armes made by Iphicrates amongst the Athenians and by Philopomen amongst the Achaians will be warrant enough so to hold In the length notwithstanding ought to be a reasonable consideration that it exceede not the measure of his strength that shall beare the pike The worth that the File-leaders and next followers should be of CHAP. XIII THE File-leaders as the Commanders of files of the Phalange are to be the choice and flower of the Army and to excell the rest as well in stature as in experience and martiall skâ—ll For this Ranke knitteth and bindeth in the Phalange and of all other yeeldeth greatest vse For as a sword taking to the edge as a weight and sway the swelling yron towards the backe exhibiteth thereby more violence in piercing so in a Phalange the Ranke of File-leaders is the edge it selfe and the multitude of after-commers is the swelling and sway and increase of weight Consideration must be had likewise of those that follow in the second Ranke For their Pikes reach ioyntly ouer the front and being next in place they are alwaies ready for vse And the File-leader falling or being wounded the next follower stepping to the front in his place holdeth together and preserueth the tenor of that Ranke vnbroken Furthermore we are to order the third and the rest of the Rankes according to reason and as the valour of our souldiers shall require THis Chapter sheweth how the Souldiers are to be ordered in euery File whereof because I haue before spoken sufficiently in my Notes to the fifth Chapter and the words of this Chapter carry no difficultie or obscuritie with them I will forbeare to treat any further Of the strength of the Macedonian Phalange and length of the Souldiers Pikes CHAP. XIIII THE 1 Macedonian Phalange hath of enemies beene thought vnresistible by reason of 2 the manner of embattailing For the Souldier with his Armes standeth in close order or shutting when he is ready for fight 3 occupying two Cubits of ground And the length of his Pike is sixteene Cubits according to the first institution but in truth it ought to be foureteene Cubits whereof the 4 space betwixt the hands in charging taketh vp two Cubits the other twelue lye out from the front of the Battaile Those in the second Ranke that stand next to the Leaders loosing foure Cubits in the Phalange haue their Pikes reaching ouer the first Ranke ten Cubits Those of the third Ranke eight Cubits of the fourth Ranke six cubits of the fift 4 cubits of the sixt 2 Cubits 5 The Pikes of the other behind cannot attaine to the first Ranke And seeing fiue or six pikes are charged ouer the first Ranke they present a fearefull sight to the enemy and double the strength of the souldier standing fortified as it were with fiue or six Pikes and seconded with a maine force at his backe as the figure sheweth Moreouer they that are placed after the sixt Ranke albeit they push not with their pikes yet thrusting on with the weight of their bodies r'enforce the strength and power of the Phalange and leaue no hope for the File-leaders to flie or shift away Some would haue the hinder pikes longer then the formost that they of the third and fourth Rankes might beare out the heads of their pikes equally with the first 6 The Superordinary Lieutenant of euery Syntagma must be a man of vnderstanding ouerseeing the souldiers of his command that they file and ranke and if for feare or other occasion any forsake their ground he is to compell them againe to their places and in Closing to put them when neede requireth as neare vp together as they should stand For it is a great strength and assurance to the Phalange to haue some principall Commander not onely in front but also in the Reare of the Battaile for the causes before mentioned Notes THE strength of the Macedonian Phalange which consisted principally in the protension and charging of pikes and knitting together of Targets is here set downe The whole Chapter seemeth to haue beene taken out of Polybius who handleth the same argument and almost with the same words but that Aelian and he differ about the number of Cubits which the Pikes take vp reaching ouer the front of the Phalange 1 The Macedonian Phalange hath beene thought to be vnresistible The strength of the Macedonian Phalange appeareth no way better than by the conquests it hath made King Philip was the inventer of it and by that invention raised the kingdome of Macedonia from the poorest to the powerfullest and greatest kingdome of Europe and that I may vse the words of Diodorus Siculus finding the Crowne at his comming to it in bondage to the Illyrians made it afterward Lady of many great Nations and Cities and purchased to himselfe to be declared Generall of Greece And first ouerthrowing the Illyrians Pâ—onians Thracians and Scythians afterward let vpon the kingdome oâ— Persia to breake it after he had enfranchised the 〈◊〉 Cities of Asia And albeit death intercepted him yet he left such
antiquitie were repulsed by it at a siege forced to retire in a battell durst not come neare it after they had gained the field of the rest of the Army And the Consull Aemilius a man that had seene much seruice and fought many a battaile and was one of the best Generalls of that time confessed he neuer saw so fearefull a sight as when he beheld the Phalange advancing into the field the bodies ioyned the Targets serred and locked together darting out fire like lightning the front rough with couched and charged pikes and armed with yron and threatning present death to him that durst approach 3 Occupying two Cubits of ground We may not take it as though the souldier betwixt file and file had two Cubits or three foote of ground For we learned before that in locking vp the Phalange the distance betweene man and man in front was but a Cubit But it is to be vnderstood betweene ranke and ranke For Polybius saith that the souldier ought to haue roome for the vse of his weapon which cannot be without granting him three foote behinde the pike being some-times to be pushed forward some-times to be drawne backe sometimes otherwise handled as occasion of fight shall require The length of the Pike is 16 Cubits a Sixteene Cubits which is twenty foure foote is a great length for a Pike and it verifieth the words of Livy that the Macedonian Pike is vnwealdy by reason of the length and weight yet doe wee read of pikes of that length The Aeâ—essans had such The Chalybes pikes were about 15 cubits long But 16 was the length at the first the Maccdonians brought it to 14 which they tooke to be a sufficient length against the enemie and easier for the Pike-man to beare and handle 4 The space in charging betwixt the handes taking vp two cubiâ—s Herein is a difference betweene Aelian and Polybius Aelian would haue no more then 2 cubits lost in charging Polybius saith 4. are lost and with Polybius agreeth Leo. But the cause of the difference arisetâ— out of the forme of the pike and of the manner of holding it in the charge If it be held at the butt end with the right hand and supported toward the armed end with the left as the manner in charging is it cannot loose aboue two cubits and Aeâ—an is in the right But if in holding it you set the right hand 2 cubits from the butt and then must 4 cubits of necessitie be lost Whereof 2 rest behinde the right hand the other two are taken vp by the space betwixt both hands Our manner of charging is at this day to take the butt end in the right hand and in so doing we loose but two cubits But it seemeth our pikes are not made in that forme they were in Polybius time In Polybius age they had weiâ—hts at the but end to make the sharpe end the lighter as the heauie pummell lightereth the sword in handling This weight was called secoma as it were a counter-weight to the heauinesse and length of the pike Neither do I read any thing elsewhere then in Polybius concerning the counter-weight of a pike To the handle of an Oare I finde in Atheneus that lead was added to make the part standing out from the shippe more light But yet Polybius and Aelians opinions may well agree and in pikes that haue counterweights at their ends the hold for charging being taken two cubits from the butt end there may be lost foure cubits where the other sort being held at the butt end it selfe loose but 2 cubits 5 The pikes of the other behinde cannot reach to the first ranke How shall they beare their pikes then Polybius sheweth what the manner was Those rankes saith he that stand behinde the fifth can helpe nothing to the fight in front And therefore they charge not their pikes low but beare them towards their forestanders shoulders the points somewhat erected to secure the battaile from aboue intercepting by their thicke lying the missiue weapons which flying ouer the front would otherwise fall vpon their heads that are placed toward the reare Polybius saith the manner was neither to charge nor order their pikes but to beare them forwards stoping towards the shoulders of their companions before Yet by bearin them so what security they could â—ue from the missiue weapons that came aloft I cannot yet conceiue An arrow dart or stone vnlesse it hit iust on the middest of the pikes would do as much and sometimes more harme by glancing then if it had not touched them at all Some would haue the hinder pikes longer The opinion of them whom Aelian here speakâ—th of hath little reason to ground vpon For either the pike of thâ—m that come in the fiue rancks behinde especially the two last must exceede in length or else the fileleaderâ— pikes in shortnesse both which are â—like vnprofitâ—ble If they bee too long they cannot be weilded if these too short the enemie shall reach the file-leaders and not the file-leaders the enemie The measure of the longest pike was 16 cubits which yet for aptnesse and vse was by the Macedonians reduced to 14. Say then the sixteenth ranke carrieth pikes of 16 cubits two of the cubits according to Aelian are taken away in handling other ten by reason of the distance of the fiue former rankes Foure cubits alone remaine and reach ouer the front If the file Leader in the front shorten his pike to foure cubits to make an euen extention he shall not come neere the enemie by ten cubits who in pushing will reach home to him For what length soeuer is taken from the file-leader in front the same is giuen to the enemie that pusheth with him And hee shall bee able to wound the file-leader and not the file-leader him especially the pikes differing in so great a proportion 6 The superordinarie Lieutenant of euery Syntagma I haue before noted the dutie of a Lieutenant of the Syntagma and it is here well expressed by Aelian He that desireth to see more touching the same let him resort to Xenophons Cyropaedia lib. 3. 28. and lib. 7. 178. B. and to Leo cap. 14. § 79. The place of the light-armed and the number of euery file CHAP. XV. THus much of ordering and marshalling the armed-foote I will adde a word or two of the light-armed or naked 1 The Generall is to place the light-armed so that they be readie for all attempts of the enemy sometime in front sometime in flanke sometime in the Reare according to occasion or necessity For our purpose let them be thus ordered We will frame also of them 1024 files as many as the Phalange of the armed conteined So that the first file of the light-armed be placed directly behinde the first file of the armed and the second file behinde the second and so the rest 2 Yet shall they not be sixteene to the file but halfe so many namely eight
horse in euery troupe because in horse a greater depth will be idle and to no purpose For they cannot as foote doe with their thicknes thrust one an other forward from behind and so the formost will they or nill they are forced to goe against the enemy And this is done amongst foote But the horse can not thrust forward those that are before them nor the file-leaders that stand in front be seconded in that kinde by the rest that stand in depth after the fourth man For if they be Lancers the fift ranke cannot reach with their launces to the front If Archers they shall be faine to shoot aloft for feare of hurting their companions before and so their arrowes serue for no vse after fight is ioyned Therefore is the number of 4 sufficient in depth as I haue said This was the opinion of Leo. To which I cannot absolutely assent vnlesse he had giuen 8 for the front of his troupe and so made it of 4 equall sides in figure not in number as Aelian requireth to be done in the best squares For the reason of launces not reaching to the front in the fift ranke reacheth not home to the reason of warre Aelian before hath declared that the pikes of the seuenth ranke reach not to the front of the Phalange Yet no man will thereof inferre that the Phalange ought to be but 6 deepe Yea but the foote that come after helpe the formost seconding them and thrusting them on with the weight of their bodies which the horse can not doe This must be granted to be an advantage that foote haue aboue horse in depth Yet are there other reasons also of giuing depth to a Phalange In the order whereof two considerations concurre one of offence the other of defence The reaching of pikes or horsemens staues ouer the front is good for offence that is to annoy the enemy in the shocke likewise the thrusting on of those that come behind serueth with the violence to make them giue ground A reasonable depth is for defence in as much as it defendeth a Phalange against the indeuour of the enemy to breake it a sunder And as it is a fault to make it too deepe so is it likewise a fault to make it too shallow Too much depth narroweth the front and giueth easie meanes to the enemy to incompasse and oâ—er front it Too much shallownesse on the contrary side maketh it weake and ready to be broken and disseuered by the enemy and giueth a passage thorough and meanes not onely to incompasse the front but at the same instant also to assault it behind and so vtterly to defeat it So that the reasons of Leo reach not home as I said there being other causes of thickning a horse troupe besides reaching of Launces to the front and ioint thrusting on of the horse comming behinde And where Leo speaketh but of 4 horse in depth of a troupe Polybius saith plainely that being ordered for fight they had for the most part 8 in depth Polybius a man which liued in the times whereof Leo speaketh and had beene Generall of the horse of the Achaeans Besides Leo seemeth not a little to differ from himselfe For in his seuenth Chapter he writeth after this manner If there be many horse that is aboue twelue thousand let the depth be of 10. If but few let it be no more than 5. In squares therefore I hold Aelians proportion best to double the number of the front to the number of the flanke and as the number of the troupe ariseth for horse troupes are not alwaies of one number to inlarge the length of Cap. 19 A Rhombe filing but not ranking The Front The Reare Cap. 19. A Rhombe neither filing nor Ranking The Front The Reare Cap. 19. A Rhomb Ranking but not Filing The Front The Reare the front and the depth of the flanke proportionably one to another 6 When there are as many horse in length as in depth I noted before in the ninth Chapter that there were two squares of equall sides the one of number the other of figure which two squares differ in this that the one maketh vnequall sides in the shape of the battaile the other equall The first at this day we call a square of men the other a square of ground When the number of the sides is equall in length and depth it giueth but halfe so much ground in front as in flanke Each souldier if it be a foote battaile occupying a foote and a halfe of ground in front when he goeth to charge where in flanke he must haue 3 foote And in a horse troupe 3 foote in front and double or as some say treble as much in flanke And so are the sides vnequall The euen length of flanke and front giueth a like ground to both and maketh the sides of the figure equall but the number of the front double to the number of the flanke whether it be in horse or foote In foote because the souldiers in Ranke haue but halfe so much distance as they haue in file In ranke a foote and a halfe in file three foote In horse because the length of the horse is much more than his breadth and that length is fully stretched out in flanke the bredth onely in front Why Rhombes were first brought into vse and the diuers formes of them CHAP. XIX THE forme of the Rhombe seemeth to haue beene taken vp for the necessarie vse thereof For the Captaine possessing the first place the next following Horsemen are not to ranke with him but to come a litle after on both sides so that 1 the heads of their Horses may reach to his horse shoulders on the right left hand and behind they ought to keepe good distances that too much thronging and clustering together breed not disorder whilest some horses being by nature sullen fall a flinging oftentimes and foule with other and considering the beast is somewhat long of body that in turning about he wound not the horsemen that are in fight whilest with his heeles he aymeth at the Horses next vnto him They that fashion Horse into Rhombes so fashion them that some Rhombes file and ranke some neither file nor ranke othersome file but ranke not other ranke but file not euery particular whereof standeth thus They that would haue 2 a Rhombe both file and ranke make the greatest ranke being the middlemost of an vneuen number as of 11 or 13 or 15. To which they ioyne other rankes before and behind euery one conteyning two lesse than the former as if the greatest ranke consist of 15 the next rankes on either side are to haue but 13 the next on either side of these 11. and so euery one two lesse till at last you come to 1. And the whole Troope is to consist of 113 horse 3 The halfe Rhombe is called a wedge being fashioned three square so that the forme thereof appeareth in the Rhombe Other haue formed the Rhombe
particularly to the first aspect So that this is vsed after the making of an Anastrophe For alwaies in motions it is requisite that the Souldiers faces moue forward To moue backeward hath many inconueniences of stumblings vpon vneuen ground or stones or pittes or stubbes or such like Which is the cause that in Anastrophe after a Wheeling Aelian willeth that the Souldiers turne their faces the contrarie way first then moue on till they haue recouered their first ground then open rankes and files and lastly to restore to the first aspect And as it differeth from Anastrophe so differeth it likewise from Metabole Metabole only turned faces about this setteth the Souldier in his former posture not onely for his face but for his armes also which are ordered as at first The wordes wherein this motion is expressed by Aelian are Ep orthon apodounai and Eis orthon apocaâ—astesai which is interpreted by Gaza in arrectum reddere to restore vp right by Arcerius rectum reddere to restore right and so the words sound Aelian interpreteth it to set againe the Souldiers sight in the same aspect in which it stood at first as if being placed with his face against the enemy he be commanded to turne his face to the Pike and then againe to restore his face to his first posture he must returne and set his face against the enemy Aelian therefore referreth it to the sight he first had which if it bee the right meaning how can it be vpright or right more in that then in any other posture For the Souldier not onely in front but in flanke and in the reare carrieth himselfe vpright or right I doubt not but that it may be applied to the vpright standing of men as appeareth by sundry places of Pausanias Who reherseth that Mineruas Image set in the Temple Parthenion standeth vpright orthon esti and in an other place that in Corinth in the Temple Pantheon there were two Images of Mercurie standing vpright Ortha and that in the Temple of Fortune the image of Fortune was carued of Parian stone and stood vpright Orthon and that in Neptunes Temple situate in the Corinthian Isthmus the images of Amphitrite and Neptune stand in a Chariot and the boy Palemon vpright vpon a Dolphin Orthos In all which places Orthos designeth the site of men But here as I take it cannot be so applied Because in euery motion not onely in this the men stand vpright How then can they be restored to their standing vpright when they doe it already I take the originall of the appellation to come from another cause and that is from the ordering of the Pike For when the battaile is first set in the field euery Souldier standes with his Pike ordered that is vpright For to order a pike is to set the butt end on the ground before the Souldier somewhat wide of his right foote and to hold it vpright with the right hand borne euen with the shoulder But when you beginne or continue any motion the manner is to aduance or to shoulder the Pike and so to proceede But being commanded to returne to the first posture it must bee ordered againe So that the first posture of an armed man is to stand with his pike vpright And after many motions and windings he at last returneth to the same posture which I take the command of Ep'orthon apodounai to signifie Now that I may not seeme to relie vpon a probable coniecture alone I will bring witnesse for the confirmation of my opinion It is reported by Diodorus Siculus that Agesilaus the Lacedemonian King with an armie of eighteen thousand foote and fifteen hundred horse inuaded Boeotia The Athenians before hearing of Agesilaus comming had sent fiue thousand foote and 200 horse to aide the Thebans who gathering their armie together seized vpon a long narrow hill distant 20 furlongs from the City And making the hard accesse to the place a kinde of fortification against the enemie they there waited his comming fearing to hazard vpon euen ground in regard of the renowne and glory of Agesilaus Agesilaus hauing imbattailed his troupes led them against the Boeotians and approching neere sent his light armed to sound their disposition to fight which being easily repulsed by the Thebans by the aduantage of the higher ground hee aduanced the rest of his forces being imbattailed in such manner as might giue greatest terror Chabrias the Athenian willed his Souldiers to awaite the enemy contemptuously both keeping their first array and their Targets at their knees and continuing their Pikes vpright ordered who when they iointly as vpon a word giuen did as they were commanded Agesilaus both wondering at the good order and at the assured fashion of the enemy thought it not fit to striue with vnequall ground and by forcing them to fight to compell them to be valiant whether they would or no. Hitherto Diodor Sicul. of the Strategem of Chabrias against Agesilaus which consisted in the contempt of Agesilaus and all his forces First in not stirring one foote to meete the enemy then in keeping the array they held before further in sincking their Targets to their knees Lastly in continuing the former order of their Pikes that is not making readyto charge but remaining with their Pikes ordered as they were at first Agesilaus aduancing his armie thought to strike a feare into his enemie Chabrias trusting to the strength of the place scorned the Brouado of Agesilaus conceiuing he would not be so hardy to aduenture the fight vpon so great an inequallity of ground He therfore willeth the Cap 28 The Macedoman Countermache by file The reare The front of the first standing The Countermarche in action The file leaders with their faces about standing firme The bringers vp dismarching The front after Countermarche The ground taken before the front of the Phalange Cap 29 The Lacedemonian Countermarche The Countermarche in action The file-leaders aduancing in Countermarche The bringers vp standing firme w th their faces turned about The front after Countermarche The ground taken beyond the reareof the Phalange Cap 20 The Chorean Countermarche The Front in the first standing The Bringers vp moving The fileleaders dismarching The front after Countermarche Cap. 20. Countermarche by Ranke The Countermarche in action diers not to alter their posture but to continue as they were The words concerning the Pike are En ortho tò dorati menein That is to continue their pikes vpright En ortho Now whether the same be the posture that the Tacticks describe when they speake or restoring Ep ' ortho vpright I referre to the iudgement of the Reader a Poliaenus remembring this Stratagem vseth somewhat different words and yet consenteth in meaning Chabrias saith he commanded his Souldiers not to runne out against the enemy but quietly to stand still holding their pikes before vpright and their Targets before their knees which they were wont to doe when they would a little ease
themselues of the weight of their Targets Where Diodore hath en ortho tò dorati menein to continue their Pikes vpright Polienus hath protinomenous ta dorata ortha holding before them their Pikes vpright But both haue pikes vpright and Diodorus his Continue hath relation to the Posture they were in which Chabrias would not haue them to alter Polienus his hold before to that they were commanded to doe In ordering of Pikes at this day I haue shewed that the Souldiers hold them vpright the but end set on the ground before and somewhat wide of their right foote Aemilius Probus reciting this historie peruerteth the Stratagem Hee saith that Chabrias forbad the Phalange to giue backe and taught his Souldiers to receiue the enemies charge kneeling with one knee the other set against the Target and with the Pike abased Wherein hee quite dissenteth from Diodore and Polien Diodore saith the command was to keepe their array Polienus not to runne forward but quietly to stand still Probus not to giue backe Probus saith they should kneele with one knee and rest against the Target with the other Diodore that they should hold their Targets sunke to their knees Polienus that they should carry their Targets before at their knees Probus that they should abase and charge their Pikes Diodore that they should continue and order them vpright Polien that they should hold their Pikes vpright So that Diodore and Polien agree and expound one another Aemilius Probus bringing in a new historie dissenteth as I said from the other two especially in making that to be a forme of fight prescribed by Chabrias a simple forme to receiue the charge vpon their knees which was a contempt to shew how little especially in that strength of ground he regarded Agesilaus which contempt also made Agesilaus retire not doubting but it proceeded from a great assurance of the enemy Therfore as I said I take these words ep ' orthon apodounai not only to appertaine to the aspect of the Souldier but also and that much rather to the erection and ordering of Pikes Of Countermarches and the diuers kindes thereof with the manner how they are to be made CHAP. XXVIII THere are two sorts of Countermarches one by file the other by ranke each of these againe is diuided into three kindes The first called the Macedonian The second the Lacedemonian The third the Choraean which is also the Persian and the Cretan 1 The Macedonian is that which leauing the ground it first had taketh in liew thereof the ground which was before the front of the Phalange and turneth the aspect of the Souldier backeward where before it was forward 2 The Lacedemonian is that which leauing likewise the ground it first had taketh in steed thereof the ground which was behinde the Reare of the Phalange and turneth also the face of the Souldier the contrary way 3 The Persian is the Cretan and Choraean This keepeth the same ground of the Phalange euery souldier taking another place for that he had the file-Leader the place of Bringer-vp and so the rest in order and turneth also the face of the Souldier the contrary way 4 Countermarches by ranke are made when a man would transferre the winges into the place of the Sections and the Sections into the place of the wings to the end to strengthen the middest of the battaile Likewise the right hand parts into the left hand parts and the left hand parts into the right hand parts They that feare to countermarch the Phalange in grosse the enemy being at hand doe it by Syntagmaes I will now set downe in what manner countermarches ought to be made The Macedonian countermarch by file is said to be when the file-leader turneth about his face and all the rest with the Bringer-vp go against him on the right or left hand and passing on to the ground before the front of the Phalange place themselues in order one after an other according as the file-Leader himselfe hath turned his face Therefore it maketh shew to the enemy appearing in the Reare of running away Or it is when the file-Leader turneth about his face and the rest passing by him on the right or left hand place themselues orderly one behinde another But the Lacedemonian is when the Bringer-vp turneth his face about and all the rest turning also their faces and proceeding forward together with their file-Leader order themselues proportionably in the ground which was behinde the Reare of the Phalange Wherefore to the enemy appearing behinde it makes a semblance of falling on Againe the Lacedemonian is when the file-Leader turning his face about to the Pike or Target transferreth the whole file to another place equall to the first and the rest following stand as before behinde him Or else when the Bringer-vp turneth his face about and hee that stood next before him passing by on the right or left hand is placed againe next before him and the rest following are placed one before another in their former order till the file-Leader be the first The Choraean is when the file-Leader turning about toward the Pike or Target precedeth the file and the rest follow till the file-Leader haue the place of the Bringer-vp and the Bringer-vp the place of the file-Leader And these are the Countermarches by file In the same manner are Countermarches made by ranke in case a man would countermarch by ranke For euery ranke Countermarching either keepeth the same ground or changeth the right hand place or else the left hand place of the battaile one of which must needes fall out and neuer faileth Notes THe two former motions are performed one in close Order the other in all Orders Epistrophe when the battaile is shut so close that as Aelian saith a man can turne his face neither the one way nor the other Clisis in open Order Order and close Order The two ◠following motions Countermarch and Doubling one is done in open Order the other for the most part in open order too and yet sometimes in Order and close order as we shall see in due place This Chapter handleth Countermarches the next Doublings Countermarch is a motion whereby euery souldier marching after other changeth his front for the reare or one flancke for the other For there are two kindes of Countermarches one by file and the other by ranke And each of these is againe diuided into three the first called the Macedonian the second the Lacedemonian the third the Choraean or Cretan A Countermarch by file is when euery souldier followeth his Leader of the same file By ranke when euery souldier followeth his sideman of the same ranke in the Countermarch 1 The Macedonian Countermarch In this Countermarch the purpose of the Commander is to turne the front of his battaile against the enemy that sheweth himselfe in the Reare and withall to take the ground that lyeth before the front of the Phalange It is called the Macedonian Countermarch saith Aelian because
bringers-vp The words of Command may be these For the Macedonian Countermarch by file File-leaders turne your faces about to the right or left hand The rest of euery File passe thorow in order one after another and place your selues at your distances after your Leaders turning your faces about and so stand For the Lacedemonian Countermarch by file The first manner Bringers-vp turne your faces about to the right or left hand The rest turne your faces about and beginning at them that are next to the Bringers-vp countermarch and place your selues in your distances before the Bringers-vp and one before an other till the File-leaders be first The second manner File-leaders countermarch to the right or left hand and let euery mans file follow him and keepe true distance For the Choraean countermarch by file File-leaders countermarch to the place of the Bringers-vp and stand and let your files follow you keeping their distance For the Macedonian countermarch by ranke The right or left hand corner file turne your faces to the right or left hand The rest of each ranke passe thorough to the right or left hand and place your selues orderly behind your side-men keeping your distance Cap 29 Dobling of Rankes The front before Dobling of rankes Dobling of rankes in action The front after Dobling of Rankes For the Lacedemonian countermarch by ranke The first manner The corner file where the enemy appeareth turne your faces to the right or left hand The rest of ech rankes turne your faces and passe thorough to the right or left hand and place your selues before your side-men orderly keeping your distances The second manner The right or left wing where the enemy appeareth not countermarch to the contrary wing and all in the Ranks follow euery man his side-man keeping your distance For the Choraean countermarch by ranke The vttermost corner file of the right or left wing countermarch into the place of the left or right winge and stand And the rest follow ranke-wise keeping their distance Of doubling and the kindes thereof CHAP. XXIX 1 THere are two kinds of doubling one of Rankes the other of Depth or files and 2 either of these double the number or the place 3 The length is doubled in number when of a front of 124 files we make a front keeping the same ground of 248 files by inserting in the spaces betwixt file and file some of the followers that stood in the depth This is done to the end to thicken the length of the battaile If we lift to recall them to their first posture we are to command those that were inserted to countermarch to the place they had before 4 There are that mislike these doublings especially the enemy being at hand and would haue a shew of doubling made without indeed doubling the Phalange already ordered by stretching out the light-armed and the Horse on both sides of the wings of the Battaile 5 The vse of doubling the length is when either we would ouer-wing the enemy or else our selues feare to be ouer-winged The Depth is doubled 6 by inserting the second file into the first so that the Leader of the second file be placed next behind the Leader of the first file and the second man of the second file be the fourth man of the first file and the third man of the second file be the sixt in the first file and so forth the rest till the whole second file be ingrossed into the first and likewise the fourth file into the third and all the euen files into the odde Doubâ—ing of the Depth by Countermarch is made either when the next side-files in seuerall as in the former example the second and the fourth and the rest of the euen files countermarch to the Reare and place themselues behind the Bringers-vp of the odde files or else the files remayning in their first place and number halfe of them diuiding themselues from the other halfe countermarch likewise to the Reare and conveying themselues behind the other there order themselues and so double the depth of the Phalange If we would returne them to the first posture we must recall those that were conveyed to stand behind to the place they had before the Countermarch Notes THE former three Motions alter not the forme of the Phalange For whether you turned faces wheeled or countermarched the Phalange the depth and length remained one The motion to be expressed in this Chapter induceth an other shape to the Phalange and maketh it seeme a different body from that it was before being by Doubling extended either in length or in depth For Doubling the number of men or the place of the Phalange in front maketh the length twise as much and doubling the same in flanke maketh the depth double to that it was before For Doubling is nothing else then making a military body twise as long or twise as deepe as it was before 1 There are two kindes of doubling The Doublings are either of length or depth Or which is all one as Suidas saith of ranks or files For ranks stretch out in length files in depth And these againe are diuided into two other kinds the body being 2 Doubled in number or place That which is here called number is called elsewhere persons or by Suidas men It is called persons in the Insertion which is made to Aelian I know not by whom in the precedent Chapter of Countermarches Which because it lay thrust in betwixt the description of Countermarches and nothing perteined to that argument I neuer made doubt was crept into the text And I am rather confirmed in my opinion because I saw it noteâ— with an Asteriske in that Aelian being of Robortellus Edition which the learned Isaack Casaubon had quoted and purposed to set forth if vntimely dâ—ath had not prâ—vented him I will here set downe the words because they differ not much from Aelian and may giue some light to the manner of Doubling It is to be vnderstood so are the words â—hat a Phalange is doubled in persons or place when we therefore take halfe the souldiers from the Depth and making files of them place them euen with the rest in length of the front so that of 124 files we make 248 this is Doubling of persons In like sort we double the place with 124 files not increasing the number but onely commanding some to turne to the Pike some to the Target till the Phalange be stretched out to a convenient length as from 5 furlongs to 10. In the same manner is the depth doubled For either one file is inserted into an other man for man so that the second File-leader becomes the follower of the first and the second man in the second file the follower of the second in the first file and so the rest Or else 16 men are so extended that they hold as much ground in length as 32 vsuallydoe So farre the insertion It followeth in Aelian 3 The length is doubled in
Souldier which fought vnder the Ensigne had excepting the Target both to assure himselfe from the flying weapons of the light armed and from the pike and sword of the armed in case the battaile were entred and pierced as farre as the Ensigne For it was no reason he should carry a Target lest both his hands should be bound the right with the Ensigne the left with the Target and so he haue no vse of either against the enemy And in the left hand I would giue him a speare or â—auelin not a pike which cannot be weilded with one hand for his owne defence and to offend the enemy Which weapon I haue read Ensignes of ancient time did beare What the Ensignes place was whether in front or in the middest of the Battatle I see it controverted Patricius absolutely affirmeth that the Ensignes were placed in the middest of the front and had 8 files on the right and 8 on the left to the end they might be seene and followed by all That Ensignes were first invented to be a marke of seuerall bodies military in an Army I haue before shewed But it followeth not thereof that they were placed in the front in time of fight For being in the middle they no lesse gaue notice what the body was than in the front The reason of following is of lesse force Inasmuch as the Souldier well knoweth whom to follow though he had no Ensigne at all the Commander alwaies with his motion giuing him direction when to advance forward when to turne his face to the right or left hand when to countermarch when to double and when to vse all other motions military And the Commanders were therefore called Leaders because they went on before and the Souldiers followed after So that the Ensigne in regard of following neede not to be set in the front Yet in exercising the troupes and in marches I finde that the Ensigne was in the front together with the Captaine Crier Trumpeter and Guide But I take the reason to be because being in the middest and hauing neither file nor ranke with the rest they might happily bring a confusion and be a hinderance to the changes and diuers figures of the Battaile When the time of fight was the Ensigne retired to his place that is to the middest For so Leo interpreteth himselfe in his precept of closing files which must be done saith he not onely by File-leaders in front Commanders of fiue and Bringers-vp in the Reare but in the middest also where the Ensigne standeth And I rather agree to Leo herein because I see it was the manner of the Romans also to place their Ensignes in the middest of their Maniples From whence came the appellations of Antesignani Souldiers that stood before the Ensignes and Postsignani that stood behinde Besides the Ensigne being in the front the Ensigne bearer may soone get a clap who falling the Ensigne goeth to ground and is in danger of loosing which was the greatest disgrace among the Romans that might befall Lastly Aelian himselfe in plaine words placeth the Cornet of horse farre from the front For speaking of the ordinarie Horse-troupe he saith it is to consist of 64 horse the first ranke of 15 horse the 2 of 13 the 3 of 11 the 4 of 9 descending still and diminishing 2 horse in euery ranke till you come to one He addeth he shall carry the Cornet that standeth in the second ranke next the ranke-Commander on the left hand which ranke is the second ranke himselfe declareth making the ranke of 15 the first the 2 the 13 which is the 7th from the front and next the reare but one If the Cornet haue no place in front why should the Ensigne considering both serue to one vse and the reasons of seeing and following are equall to both And albeit Suidas place the Ensigne the Crier the Trompet and Sargeant before the Battaile the Lieutenant in the reare he is notwithstanding to be vnderstood of the times of marching or of exercise which I noted before For what should that Rable of vnarmed being 4. in euery Syntagma and in the whole Phalange 256. doe in the front in the time of fight but onely pester the chosen of the Armie who therefore haue the front that they may make speedier way into the enemies battell 7 A Reare-commander Was the same that a Leutenant is with vs. He commandeth the Souldiers in the Reare no lesse then the Syntagmatarch in the front and had his place in the Reare What the duty of a Reare-commander was I haue shewed out of Cyrus words in Xenophon And Aelian afterwards setteth it downe most plainly He was armed as the rest of the armed of the Syntagma namely with Pike and Target and with such other armes as I haue described in my notes vpon the second Chapter 8 A Trumpet The invention of the Trumpet is attributed to Tirrhenus Hercules sonne But the different vse of these officers is worth the noting out of Suidas The Crier saith he serueth to deliuer directions by voice the Ensigne by signall when noise taketh away the hearing of the voice the Trumpet by sound when thorough thicknes of dust a signall cannot be discerned The Sargeant to bring such things and dispatch such messages as his Syntagmatarch commands So that these officers were held all necessary for a Company the one supplying the defect of the other and seruing for vse when the other failed The Trumpet then was to be vsed according to Suidas when neither the Crier nor Ensigne could doe seruice With the Trumpet was the signall giuen for the Campe to remoue for the Campe to lodge By the Trumpet the Souldiers were taught their time to fight their time to retreate The Trumpet set and discharged the watch From the Trumpet came the measure of the Marche and the quicknes and slownes of Pace In briefe the Trumpet did all the offices that the Dromme doth with vs at this day Whether the Trumpet or Dromme are of most vse in the field I may not now dispute Onely I will say that the Graecians and Romans the most expert and iudicious Souldiers that euer were held themselues to the Trumpet and neuer vsed the Dromme The Dromme was first invented by Bacchus who as Polyenus reporteth fighting against the Indians in stead of Trumpets gaue the signall of Battaile with Cymballs and Drommes From him it came to the Indians who vsed it altogether as Curtius noteth in the battell betwixt King Alexander the Great and Porus. The Dromme of Parthians is described by Plutarch in the life of Crassus and by Appian And Leo saith the Saracens who invaded Christendome and infected the Turkes with their superstition ordered their fights by the Dromme From this Easterne Asiaticall people it was brought into Europe and now the generall custome is among stall Europaean Nations that the foote haue Drommes in the field the horse Trumpets And
by them the souldier was defended from the missiue weapons of the enemie and his body couered euen from the peircing of the sword Synaspismos then or shutting is that aistance in the Phalange which bringeth the sonldiers Target to touch one an other and is limited by Aelian to a cubite that is a foote and a halfe betwixt side-men and side-men in the front What distance the followers should haue Aelian setteth not here doâ—ne in plaine words but implies that they should hold their 3 foote still in that he saith the Phalange in constipation gathereth the side-men closer then in densation but speaketh nothing of followers Polybius teacheth it more plainely who giues them three foote distance from the Leader both according to the Macedonian and Roman discipline and that for the vse of their armes with whom Aelian also agreeth afterward In what manner the Targetiers made their closings and how their Targets were cast from the backe where they hung to the left shoulder I haue before noted in the second Chapter and therefore thinke it needlesse here to repeate Now for the ground that a Phalange taketh vp in each of these orders Aelian sheweth it in the words following allowing the Phalange 4 In ordinary aray foure thousand cubits The Phalange in open order saith Aelian takes vp 4096 cubits of ground This is to be vnderstood in front or length for in depth it hath no more then 64 cubits euery souldier which are in number 16 in file possessing 4 cubites of ground in his open order A cubit is the part of the arme which reacheth from the elbow to the middle fingers end and is as much as a foote and a halfe In front then there being 1024 File-leaders we most alott to each of them foure cubits of ground to the thousand 4000 cubits and to the odde twentie foure 96 cubits For foure times twentie foure makes 96. which together comes to 4096 cubits and to six thousand one hundred fortie foure foote 5 Ten furlongs and ninty six cubits Where this space is squared out by tenne furlongs wee must vnderstand that a furlong conteines foure hundred cubits and 4096 being diuided by 400 the quotient is 10 â— that is ten furlongs and 96 cubits as Aelian saith Which measure of ground the Phalange of Armed taketh in open Order Of these furlongs seuen and a halfe go to a mile by which account the front of the Phalange of armed in open order taketh vp one mile a quarter and 346 cubits measuring it by feete it amounts to 6130. In closing which is named Order and is the next distance because the souldier is allowed but 2 cubits that is halfe so much as in open Order the dimension will not exceede fiue furlongs 48 cubits that is 2048 cubits in all which amounts to halfe a mile halfe a quarter and 173 cubits in feete 3072. In shutting 2 furlongs and a halfe and 24 cubits that is a quarter of a mile and 274. cubits The arming of the Phalange CHAP. XII THe Phalange is to be armed with Target and Pyke The best Taget is the Macedonian target made 1 of brasse and 2 somewhat hollow and hauing 3 eight handfulls in Diameter The Pyke ought to be 4 no shorter then 8 cubits and the longest no longer then a man may well vse and wield in handling Notes IN the second Chapter of this booke was handled the diuersitie of armes vsed in the Phalange This setteth forth the choice that is to be made for matter and fashion and what sise is best of pike and target For the other armor of the armed whereof I spake in my notes to the second Chapter is no question to be fitted to the body of him that shall beare them He giueth then to the armed a target and a pike the target the Macedonian target the matter whereof was first of brasse I haue shewed that the Macedonian target was of brasse and that they were called by reason of the bearing such targets Chalcaspides Brazen-targets I am induced to thinke that as Philip borowed many other things in warre from the Lacedemonians so he borowed this kinde of target from them For they by the ordinance of Lycurgus were inioyned to haue no other matter in their target then brasse Xenophon giues a reason why they were made of brasse For Lycurgus was of opinion saith he that such a Target was most fit for warre because it is soone brought to shine and it gathereth not rust easily two great commodities in armes For albeit the chiefest considerations be surenesse and strength yet is not the beauty to be neglected which shining doth principally set out Besides that it dazeleth the eye of the enemie and strikes an amazednesse into his minde Xenophon much admireth Agesilaus that he so armed and clothed his armie that they seemed to be nothing but brasse and nothing but scarlet The brasse he speaketh of were the brazen targets of his souldiers which couered the most part of the body and were chiefely the obiect of the eye without that that any other weapon was at that time of Brasse Therefore as I said I am of opinion that the brazen Target came from the Spartans to the Macedonians The Brazen-targets Aelian would haue 2 Somewhat hollow If they should beare streight out without any bowing besides that they were vneasie they would lie kicking out from the body and not couer it much The arme or shoulder that is inserted into the Target is bowing And the target somewhat bowing fits it for ease and slopeth more toward the body to couer it and is more pliable to be carried But the hollownesse ought not to be much He would haue it also 3 Eight hand-fulls in Diameter The Diameter in a circle is a right line which is drawne from one side of the circumference to the other passing thorough the Center or middle point of the circle diuiding the circle in two equall parts Here the Diameter of the target is taken for the exact bredth of the target which ought to be according to the Macedonian manner eight handfulls or two foote that is 32 fingers For foure handfulls go to a foote and foure fingers to a handfull Leo giues it three Spithams that is 36 fingers if he meane the great Spithame which is of twelue fingers And the lesse comprehending a handfull he cannot meane For so should the bredth of the target be no more but three handfulls a bredth insufficient to couer any mans body Whether of them is the better will appeare in triall The Diameter that serues to couer the bodie from the vpper part of the necke to the middle part of the thigh is enough in these round targets That which is more is rather troublesome then fit for vse And I am of Iphicrates iudgement in targets that performing the couering of the bodie they should be as light as may bee least the shoulder be ouer-laden with vnnecessarie weight In
make the length of both equall one to another The difference then betwixt them in length is 64 men which in order take vp 192 foote And where there goe foure Phalangarchies to a fourefold Phalange and 16 troupes of horse are placed behind euery Phalangarchie we must diuide these 192 foote into foure parts euery of which parts will amount to 48 foote and giue to each troupe three foote distance one betwixt an other for distances betwixt one troupe and an other Polybius holdeth necessary and so shall the 16 troupes of horse take vp as much ground in length as a Phalangarchie The one conteining 256 files in length which occupy 768 foote of ground and the other 240 men in the last ranke which occupy 720 foote To which adding 48 foote of distance there ariseth the euen number of 768. And so shall the 64 troupes of horse be euen in length with the fourefold Phalange The names of the Offices and Commands of the Horse follow wherein as I before noted in the foote we must not presse too neare the property of words but take them as they haue beene vsed among Souldiers 3 Two troupes are called an Epilarchie One troupe is called Ile and the Commander an Ilarch for so he is termed before in Aelian Two troupes an Epilarchie and the Commander an Epilarch as it were a Commander ouer two Iles troupes He hath 128 Horse vnder his command 4 A Tarentinarchie Of Tarentines mention is made in the second Chapter The name of a Tarentinarchie is not giuen to this Troupe because it consisted of Tarentines but because of likelyhood the Tarentine horsemen had so many in a troupe Let it be as it will it signifieth here a troupe of 256 Horse 5 An Hipparchie Properly signifieth the command of horse and Xenophon vseth the word Hipparch for the Generall of horse but Aelian and the Tacticks vse it for the command of 512 horse 6 An Ephipparchie As it were a command ouer two Hipparchies or ouer 1024 horse 7 A Telos The name of Telos is giuen both to a body of horse and to a body of foote A Merarchie was called by some Telos saith Aelian before and conteined 2048 armed The Telos of horse conteineth 2048 horse So the bodies are equall in number The word sometimes signifieth a Command or Dignitie from which signification this body as seemeth hath the name 8 Epitagma The whole body of light-armed was called an Epitagma which name is giuen likewise to the whole body of horse comprizing 4096 horse It may be they are both so called because they are placed behind the Armed as I noted before For that place Aelian assigneth vnto them The diligence to be vsed in choice and exercise of the best formes of Battailes CHAP. XXI THE Inventions and conceits of those that liued in old time about Troopes of Horse are declared in what forme euery one was cast and for what cause some vsed one forme some another Now it behoueth as in things that carry with them great difference not carelesly and negligently to rely vpon the bare precepts but rather by daily exercise to make try all of euery kinde of figure and so attayning to the perfect knowledge of that which is readiest and of most advantage to admit and receiue it in true fight For it were great simplicitie considering in matters of lesse importance men by curious inquiry reach to the exact finding out of many things herein not to ground vpon perfect and sure experience before we come to ioyne with the enemy Troopes may be inlarged or lessened as it shall seeme convenient to him that hath the command Of Chariots the names and degrees of the Commanders CHAP. XXII AS for ordering Chariots and Elephants albeit they are worne out of vse yet to make vp the measure of this discourse I will remember their names as they are set downe in ancient writers In the Art of ordering Chariots for the field they call two Chariots a 1 Zygarchy Two Zygarchies a 2 Zyzygi Two Zyzygies an 3 Epyzyzygi Two Epizyzygies an 4 Hartamarchy Two Hartamarchies a 5 wing Two wings a 6 Phalange A man may vse many and sundry Phalanges of Chariots and yet retaine the same names in euery Phalange Some haue framed simple Chariots to serue withall other some haue armed them with Sithes prominent and standing out on each side Notes THere were two kinde of Chariots vsed of ancient time the one a simple Chariot the other a Chariot armed with sithes The first kinde was vsed by the Heroes as they terme them that is the renowned Souldiers of old such as were Achilles Hector Cycnus Aeneas Turnus as appeareth by Homer Virgil Ovid and other Poets The last was brought in by the Generalls of later times especially by those that raigned in Asia and in Africa For the Europeans haue counted them fruitlesse and vaine mockeries and amongst them you shall hardly finde any mention of Chariots Aelian toucheth them onely because both they and Elephants were in his time growne out of vse Wherefore I meane likewise to passe them ouer sleightly onely directing the Reader that is desirous to vnderstand their manner of fight to places of Historie where they are mentioned And first see for their Forme Xenoph. Cyrop lib. 6. 152. D. E. 156. B. C. de exped Cyr. lib. 1. 264 A. B. Liu. decad 4. lib. 7. 142. A. Diodor. Sicul. lib. 17. 596. Quin. Curt. lib. 4. 119 lib. 8. 371. Their violence Diod. Sicul. lib. 17. 593. Their place in the battaile Xenoph. Cyrop lib. 6. 168. C. D. Liu. decad 4. lib. 7. 142. A. Diod. Sicul. lib. 14. 408. Remedies against them Diodor. Sicul. lib. 17. 592. 593. Xenoph. de exped Cyr. lib. 1. 265. Liu. decad 4. 142. Quint. Curt. lib. 4. 141. Plutarch in Sylla I come to the names of the Commands of Chariots 1 A Zygarchie The command of two Chariots as it were a yoake of Chariots 2 A Syzygy The command ouer two yoakes as it were of Chariots ioyned together that is ouer 4 Chariots 3 An Episyzygy The command ouer foure yoakes of Chariots that is ouer eight Chariots 4 An Harmatarchie Properly the command of Chariots But vsed by Aelian for the command of 16 Chariots 5 A wing As foote so Chariots and Elephants had their wings of battaile To the wing went 32 Chariots Yet finde I this order of imbattailing Chariots no where but in Aelian He that will let him read the places that I haue noted before for the ordering of Chariots Notwithstanding I can not doubt that the names giuen here by Aelian are taken out of ancient writers 6 A Phalange It consisteth of 64 Chariots and wee here see that Chariots also had their Phalanges as well as foote and Horse Of Elephants the names and degrees of their Commanders CHAP. XXIII TOuching Elephants he that is Commander of one Elephant is called 1 Zoarcha Of two 2 Therarcha and the body a Therarchy Of foure 3 Epitherarcha and the
the Macedonians were the inventers of it Which of the Macedonians he telleth not but excludeth Philip and Alexander who both vsed the Lacedemonian Countermarch And before their times I haue not read of any warlike Kings of Macedonia The manner of it is this First all the File-leaders turne their faces about either to the right or left hand then the next ranke passeth thorough by them on the same hand and being come to their distances place themselues directly behind their File-leaders and then turne about their faces the same way And so the third ranke after them and the fourth and all the rest till the Bringers-vp be last and haue taken the reare of the battaile againe and turned about their faces The figure expresseth not well the action For in it the Bringers-vp begin first to countermarch which according to Aelian should moue last Yet may this Countermarch be done as the figure is But I take Aelians way to be easier and readier And it may be also that the Countermarch expressed in the figure is lost in the text For one of the Lacedemonian Countermarches which proceedeth the contrary way beginneth the motion with the File-leaders as this doth with the Bringers-vp as wee shall straight see 2 The Lacedemonian countermarch In this Countermarch the proceeding is contrary to that of the former that tooke the ground before the Phalange this takes the ground after In that the mouing was from the Reare to the front in this from the front to the reare This is the invention of the Lacedemonians Aelian describeth it to be done in two manners One when the Bringers-vp first turne about their faces and the next ranke likewise turning faces beginneth the Countermarch and euery man thereof placeth himselfe directly before his Bringer-vp and the third doe the like and so the rest till the ranke of the File-leaders come to be first The other when the File-leaders begin the Countermarch and euery one in their files follow them orderly The figure expresseth this last Aelian preferreth the Lacedemonian Countermarch before the Macedonian because in it the souldiers seeme to fall on and goe to the charge where in the Macedonian they seeme to flie There are notwithstanding times when it is better to vse the Macedonian As in case you meane to march on and not to fight with the enemy except you be compelled Or else you seeke to gaine some ground of aduantage For the Macedonian continueth still the march and stayeth not the Lacedemonian returneth vpon the enemy and so looseth ground in marching Agesilaus after victorie gotten against the Argives against whom he stood in the right winge hearing that the Thebans had beaten the Orchomenians in the left winge vsed the Lacedemonian Countermarch against them The words of Xenophon sound thus Here the strangers were about to crowne Agesilaus thinking he had got the victory when newes was brought that the Thebans after they had broken the Orchomenians had forced a passage as farre as the baggage Then Agesilaus countermarching his Phalange led against them The Thebans perceiuing their Confederates were fied vp to the mount Helicon closed their troupes together as neare as they could seeking to open a way by force and to get vp vnto them Agesilaus albeit he might by giuing way to the formost haue followed them at heeles and charged the reare yet did he it not but met the Thebans front to front Thus encountring and clashing their Targets together they fought thrust on killed and were killed In fine some of the Thebans broke thorough to Helicon other some as they sought to escape were left dead on the place Agesilaus here followed the chase vpon the Argives toward the mount Helicon The Thebans vpon the Orchomenians the contrary way towards the enemies Campe. The Thebans seing their confederates fled to the mount Helicon returned toward them Agesilaus countermarched to meete them met them and fought with them For the Countermarch he vsed I make account it was the Lacedemonian himselfe being a Lacedemonian And he vsed it to meet the Thebans brauely in front The same Agesilaus after he had by night incamped in a peece of ground behind Mantinaea incompassed about with mountaines perceiuing the next morning that the Mantinaeans gathered together vpon the toppes that lay right ouer the head of his Rearegard determined to lead his Armie out of the place with all speed Now if himselfe should lead he feared the enemy would giue vpon his Reare Therefore standing still and turning his armes against the enemy he commanded the last of the Phalange to march backe againe from the Reare and come vp to him and so at once he brought his Armie out of the streights and made it by little and little stronger When the Phalange was thus doubled he proceeded in that order into the Champeigne there againe reduced the depth of the armed foote to 9 or 10 men in euery file This place of Xenophon if it be not corrupted is very obscure And I cannot tell whether to take it for doubling of the front or the Macedonian countermarch The words make for a doubling For Xenophon saith plainely the Phalange was doubled Besides he addeth it was made by little and little stronger which could not be done with a Countermarch And that a deepe Phalange or Hearse such as this by the euenings march and the straights it entred seemeth to be is made stronger by doubling the front there is no question On the other side the streights thorough which it was to passe perswade me it should be a Macedonian Countermarch For in doubling the front the length still increaseth the manner is not to inlarge but to extenuate the front when an Armie is to be conveighed thorough a narrow place And Xenophon saith expresly that Agesilaus led it thorough the streights into the Champeigne in that order to which it was reduced last that in the Champion the depth of the Armed was lessened and brought to 9 or 10 for there Agesilaus imbattailed his Phalange to receiue the enemy if he would charge And in a march through straight waies the front is commonly narrowed and proportioned to the way but in open ground the Phalange is againe brought to the iust length So that it seemeth the depth was much before it come into the plaine because in the plaine it was brought to 9 or 10 men and therefore no doubling Lastly Agesilaus and the front I doubt not of the Phalange with him turned face to the enemy before the Reare came vp to him which is done in no other motion than the Macedonian countermarch In which all the File-leaders first turne about their faces toward the enemy and then the whole battaile marcheth against the File-leaders and placing themselues orderly behind them turne their faces the same way that they haue done before Now where it is in Xenophon that Agesilaus hauing gained the Champeigne extended his Armie to 9 or 10 Targeteres I suspect a
hapned a like to both they found a safe retreat within the battailes of foote But when the Armies were come within 500 paces one of an other Scipio giuing a signall of Retreat and opening his battaile receiued all the horse and light-armed into the middest and diuiding them into two parts placed them as seconds behind the wings Now when time was come to begin the fight he commanded the Spaniards who had the middle ward to march on leasurely and sent a messenger from the right winge for hee commanded there to Syllanus and Martius willing them to stretch out the left winge as they saw him stretch out the right and to charge the enemy with the light-armed and horse before the middle wards might be able to come vp and ioyne The winges being thus stretched out they led with all possible speed three Cohorts of foote and three troupes of horse a peece against the enemy besides the light-armed and those that were receiued into the Reare who followed a thwart There was a great empty space in the middest because the Ensignes of the Spaniards came slowly on And now the wings were in fight when the old souldiers Carthaginians and Africans the strength of the Armie were not yet come to vse their darts neither durst they runne into the wings to helpe them that fought for feare of opening the middest of the battaile to the enemy who was comming on against them The winges were pressed with a double medley The Horse light-armed Velites wheeling about their Troupes charge their flanks The Cohorts pushed on in front to the end to breake of the wings from the body of the battaile And the conflict was vnequall both in all other respects and especially because a rable as it were of drudges and vntrained Spaniards were opposed against the Roman and Latin souldiers The day being now farre spent the Armie of Asdruball oppressed with the mornings tumult and compelled to take the field before they had strengthned their bodies with meat began to faint and faile in strength which was the reason that Scipio lingered out the day made the fight somewhat late For it was past the seuenth houre before the winges of foote attached one an other and yet the fight came later to the middle wards So that the scorching heat of the south-sunne and the labour of standing armed and hunger and thirst first afflicted their bodies before they came to hands with the enemy Therefore they stood leaning vpon their Targets and being weary both in body and minde they gaue backe at last keeping notwithstanding their array no otherwise than as if the battaile being yet entire had retreated at the commandement of the Generall But when the victors perceiuing them to shrinke so much the more eagerly pressed on the brunt could hardly be indured any longer And although Asdrubal restrained and stopped them that gaue ground crying that hills and a safe place of retreat was at their backs if they could be but intreated to retire easily yet feare ouercomming shame and the enemy killing them that were next to hand they forthwith turned their backs and vniuersally powred out themselues into flight This stratagem of Scipio resteth principally in shifting his best men the Romans into the winges the Spaniards his worst into the middest and in keeping the Spaniards aloofe from ioyning and in hasting to try the day with the Romans against the weakest of the enemy Asdrubals way to meete with this stratagem had beene to countermarch by ranke halfe his Carthaginians and Africans into one winge and halfe into the other And by that meanes his Spaniards should haue had the middest against the Roman-Spaniards and his old souldiers Carthaginians and Africans beene opposed in the wings against the Romans and Latins and the advantage eluded that Scipio sought As the Countermarches by file were of three kindes so are the Countermarches by ranke namely the Macedonian the Lacedemonian and the Choraean The Macedonian beginneth to moue at the corner of the wing which is nearest to the enemy the enemy appearing to either flanke And therefore incâ—rreth the same imputation that was laid vpon the Macedonian countermarch by file as seeming to runne away because it dismarcheth from the enemy Yet is there vse of it as well as of that by file For by this countermarch you may set the strongest part of your Armie against the enemy and apply the weakest to some Riuer Lake hill or such like so that the enemy can not come to incompasse it It taketh the ground that lyeth on the side of the contrary wing The Lacedemonian taketh the ground that lieth on the side of that wing which is toward the enemy and bringeth the best men to be formost against the enemy And therefore beginneth the moving on the contrary side The vse of it is when your forces are such as are able to incounter the enemy and you desire to bring your best men to fight The Choraean keepeth the same ground the battaile had at first bringeth one wing to possesse the place of the other Or else the Sections to possesse the place of the wings as might haue beene done in the last example cited concerning Scipio and Asdrubal The manner of countermarch by ranke is contrary to the countermarch by file In countermarch by file the motion was in the depth of the battaile and either the front remoued toward the reare or the reare toward the front and tooke one an others place In this the motion is in length of the battaile flanke-wise the wing either marching into the middest or else cleane thorow to the other wing In doing it the souldiers that stand vttermost in the flanke of the wing must moue first to the contrary wing and the rest of euery ranke seuerally follow them in order The figure will shew the manner of the motion Patritius vtterly mistaketh the countermarch by ranke and groundeth himselfe vpon a wrong principle namely that in all Countermarches the File-leaders must march toward the reare and the Bringers-vp towards the front And therefore in changing the winges into Sections he makes the winges to fall of behind in the reare the File-leaders wheeling about and there to ioyne themselues as neare as the middle Section will giue leaue and the Sections falling backe likewise to ioyne themselues to the flanks of them that were the wings Whereas the nature of this Euolution is clearely to leaue the File-leaders in front and Bringers-vp in reare as they were at first And albeit the File-leaders then change their places yet change they their place with none but with File leaders and the change is but a change of hands the right hand for the left or the left hand for the right For whereas the File-leaders of the right wing had before the right hand now in countermarch by ranke being transposed to the left wing they haue the left hand of all the rest of the File-leaders as likewise the Bringers-vp of the other
three-fold gate or doore How the motions of wheeling double and treble wheeling of the battaile are to be made CHAP. XXXII IT followeth to shew how a battaile may be turned or wheeled and how after reduced to the first posture or Station Cap. 30. Plagiophalanx or the Brode-Fronted Phalange Orthiophalanx or the Herse Protaxis or forefronting The Front Lâ—â—halanx or the vneven fronted Phalange Cap. 31. Hypotaxis or double-winging Entaxis or insertion Protaxis or forefronting Cap. 32. The manner of wheeling The first posture Closing of files Closing of rankes forward The Front But in case we desire to wheele to the left hand we command the left-hand-file to stand still and all the rest to turne their faces to the left hand and mooue forward close vp to the left hand file Then to turne their faces as they were Then to gather vp the hinder rankes Then to wheele the battaile to the left hand and stand and so is it done that was commanded But if restitution to the first posture be needfull we must doe as we did in returning from the right For euery man must turne about his face to the Pike Then the whole battaile wheeling about the left-hand-corner-file-Leader must returne to the place it had Then all the file-Leaders stand firme and turne about their faces and the rest open their rankes in mouing forward and make Alte Then the left hand file is to stand firme for it hath the place it first had and the rest turning their faces to the right hand to open their files and moue forward till they haue recouered their first distances then to turne their faces as at first and so shall euery man be in his first posture Now if we would wheele the battaile about to the pike we are to make 2 wheelings to the same side so will it come to passe that the file-Leaders shall in the change haue their faces turned to the Reare where before they had them looking out from the front But in restoring to the first posture we command it to wheele about to the right hand That is we giue it two wheelings more the same way So the file-Leaders will haue their faces set as at first Then we command the file-Leaders to stand firme and the rest to open their rankes behind then to turne their faces about Then the right hand file to stand still for it hath the right place and the rest turning their faces to the right hand to march on till the former distances are regained then to make Alte. So is the battaile reduced to the first Station If you would haue the battaile turne about to the Target you are to giue contrarie directions That is in stead of commanding a double wheeling to the Pike to command a double wheeling to the Target Then by making two turnes the contrary way to vse the like changes we spake of before There is likewise a treble wheeling of the battaile when it turneth thrice to the same hand namely to the Pike or Target The double wheeling to the Pike transferreth the Souldiers face from the front to the backe of the battaile The treble wheeling to the Pike bringeth his face to the left flanke The treble wheeling to the Target contrariwise to the right flank Notes BEfore in the 26 Chapter Aelian discoursed of wheeling and the kindes thereof The manner how it is to be done is reserued for this place I neede not therefore remember any thing else besides the words of command The words of command in Epistrophe The vttermost file on the right or left hand stand firme The rest turne faces to the side purposed and march vp to the file standing firme Faces as you were Close your rankes forward Wheele the body to the hand appointed and when you haue your ground stand Returning to the first Posture or Anastrophe Faces to the right or left hand Wheele backe the body to the ground it first had File-Leaders stand firme the other rankes open to their first place Faces about to which hand you will The corner file to which the turning was stand firme the rest open to their first ground Faces as you were and order your Pikes Perispasmos or wheeling about In wheeling about the same wordes to close the files and rankes are to bee vsed which were vsed in Epistrophe there remaineth no more then to say Wheele about your body to the right or left hand Anastrophe or returning to the first Posture Returne to your first Posture The same forme is vsed that was held in the former returning vnto the first posture for opening rankes and files Ecperispasmos or treble wheeling In this motion the same course is held that was in the wheeling But only that you command a treble wheeling And the returning to the first Posture or Anastrophe is all one but for the same difference Of closing the battaile to the right or left hand or to the middest CHAP. XXXIII Cap â—â— Of Changes The front after closing Closing to the right hand in action Closing to the left hand Closing to the middell Closing to the right hand The Front before closing The Front of the 〈◊〉 before closing If the Phalange be to be closed in the middest the Diphalange on the right hand must turne their faces toward the Target and the Diphalange on the left hand their faces toward the Pike Then moue forward toward the middest of the Phalange Then after their true distance gained to set their faces as they were and to gather vp the Rankes behind When we would reduce the Phalange to the first posture wee command to turne faces about then to open the Rankes and all to moue on but the first Ranke then to turne their faces againe and the right Diphalange turning to the Pike and the left Diphalange to the Target to follow their Leaders till they haue recouered their first distances Then to set their faces as they were This rule is to be obserued in all turnings about of faces when they are made out of closings that the Pikes be aduanced least they hinder the Souldier in making his turning The light-armed are to be taught and exercised after the same manner Notes IN the 11 Chapter the distances that ought to bee betwixt souldier and souldier are particularly treated of This Chapter sheweth how they are to be gained that is how we are to proceede out of one distance into another And because the open order is it that is commonly begunne withall it is here taught how from thence to passe to the rest and to returne to it againe The end of closings is spoken of before In regard of place they are said to be of two kindes One to the wing right or left the other to the middest of the Phalange I cannot expresse the manner better then by setting downe the wordes of command or direction which are these in Closing to the right wing The right-wing-corner-file stand firme The rest turne faces to the Pike and moue according to
side And as the middle section divideth the Phalange in two parts which are called wings so this section spoken of by Suidas being in the middest of the wing divided the wing into two parts To call a Phalangarchie which is a body consisting of foure thowsand and ninty six men a section is I confesse an vnproper speach but tolerable notwithstanding considering that the whole fourefolde Phalange is composed of the foure Phalangarchies and that the section of the right-wing beginneth at the left hand file or inward point of the right hand Phalangarchie and endeth at the right hand file of the second Phalangarchie And wee are not to expect the same exactnesse of speach from souldiers that is common to men skillfull in the liberall sciences Souldiers that professe action haue theire end if they bee vnderstood of those they commande Artiâ—tes are contemned that clothe not the precepts of theire arts with elegant fitt and exact termes Seeing then the beginning of the section of the wing is at the flanke of the first Phalangarchie on either side of the Phalange wee may after a sort terme the Phalangarchie a section of the wing because it boundeth the section At least by this place of Suidas wee may gather that there was an intervall in either wing which in reason ought to bee in the middest of the wing and to lye betwixt the two Phalangarchies For so many there are in one wing Polybius telleth of Philopaemen that fighting against Machanidas the Tyrant of Lacedaemon after hee had placed the light-armed the Lanciers and Illyrians ioyntly in one front hee added in the same right line the Phalange distinguished into bodies according to Merarchies and divided by severall distances I translate Speiredon distinguished into bodyes because Speira signifieth a militarie body amongst the Graecians and is by the Graecians that wrote the Roman historie vsed sometime for a Legion and sometime for a Cohort And it seemeth that Spiredon is heere by Polybius put in the same sence that Eis Speiran is by Plutarch who mentioning the reformation touching affaires militarie whâ—h the same Philopaemen brought in amongst the Achaians writeth thus theire manner and forme of embattailing was not vsually parcelled out Eis Speiran that is as I interprete it in severall bodies but vsing a Phalange which had neither protension of pikes nor closing of targets in front as the Macedonian manner is they were easily foiled and broken by the enemy The meaning of Plutarch is as I conceiue that the Achaians in former times vsed to order theire Phalange in a continued length without intervalls which Philopoemen reformed and taught them to make divisions by intervalls And the practise of Philopoemen is the best interpreter of his owne counsell to the Achaians This practise Polybius setteth downe to bee the division of his Phalange Kata tele speiredon en diastemasi into bodies distinguished by intervalls according to Merarchies Polybius also to shewe what bodies they were vseth the word Tele which I translate Merarchies having my warant out of Aelian who saith a Merarchie consisteth of two Chiliarchies and conteineth two thowsand and fourty eight men and a hundred and twenty foure files and addeth that it is of some called a Telos and the leader a Telarch A man may doubt seeing Philopaemen made an intervall betwixt every Merarchie whether hee made seven divisions or no For in Aelians Phalange there are eight Merarchies betwixt every of which if a distance were there must needs arise seven intervalls To cleare this doubt wee must vnderstand that the Phalanges of the Graecians were not alwaies of the same number as I noted before Aelians and the Macedonian Phalange consisted of sixteen thowsand and odde Antigonus had but ten thowsand Demetrius eleuen thowsand Other had more the Lacedâ—monians lesse and likewise the Graecians for the most part And it seemeth the Phalange of Philopaemen was no more then eight thowsand and odde in which number there are but foure Merarchies As Aelians Phalange comprehending sixteen thowsand and odde wherein are foure Phalangarchies hath likewise three divisions by Phalangarchies And yet in this Phalange of Philopaemen if you account the file to haue but eight men as the most Graecians vsed in theire files to haue these foure Merarchies will possesse as much ground in front as the Phalangarchies of Aelians Phalange doe the file being sixteen Neither is it new to figure out the bodies greater or lesse according to the number of the Phalange Leo commandeth his Generall when the number will not reach to sixteen thowsand the number of the ould Phalange to hould notwithstanding sixteen men in a file and to divide his Phalange into foure equall parts by intervalls excepting some few which hee would haue reserved for other vses To conclude Aelian him self seemeth to acknowledge more sections then one when in the tenth Chapter of this booke hee speaketh of the middle section mese apotome For this word middle being a relatiue can not bee vnderstood with out two other at least which are placed on either side And all the figures that I haue seene of a fourefold Phalange allowe three sections and no more that is to saie one in the middest and the other two in the wings What the distance and dimension of these sections ought to bee I finde not set downe But if I might haue leaue to coniecture I would thinke they ought to bee large enough for a troupe of horse framed wedge-wise after the Macedonian manner to passe through the last ranke whereof being fifteen as appeareth in the twenty chapter of this booke and the horse placed in the reare of the light-armed it is needfull if vpon any occasion they were to bee drawen through to serue in the front the distance of the section should bee sufficient to giue them passage with out disorder And I am the rather confirmed in this opinion because I see the intervalls betwixt the Roman maniples so proportioned that the Principes might passe through those of the Hastati and the Triarij through those of the Principes But I proportioned out the intervalls to the horse not to the light-armed for that the light-armed â—ay bee divided into severall bodies without inconvenience but any breaking of the horse-wedge breedeth a confusion in the whole troupe Yet where a troupe of horse may finde way there may a Centurie or Colours of light-armed finde also way 6 The light-armed are placed after The light-armed were diversly placed sometimes before the front of the Phalange which kind of placing is afterward called Prataxis sometimes on the wings and it is called Hypotaxis sometimes betwixt the files of the armed fronting in a right line with them and it was called Entaxis sometimes in the reare after the Phalange which was called Epitaxis All these are spoken of by Aelian heereafter in this booke There is another kinde of placing the light-armed when they are throwne into the midst of the battaile being