the Captain and others already spoken of five other Officers whom Aelian calls supernumerary or extraordinary These were the Ensign-bearer for every Company or Syntagmatarchy had a Colours a Servant or Assister or if you please you may call him an Adjutant who carried the Captains Orders The third was a Extraordinary or supernumerary Officers Praeco or a Cryer who proclaim'd the Captains directions even in the time of Battel Men of strong voices were chosen for that office The Romans used them as it appears by Hannibal's causing them to be counterfeited when he storm'd and enter'd the Roman Camp at Capua They are out of fashion now the loud noise of Gun-powder having render'd them useless The fourth was a Trumpeter whose office is known And the last was a Tergidux or Lieutenant whose office was to stay constantly in the Rear These five were superordinary the rest were Ordinarii and this word the Church hath borrowed from the Militia and reason for it since on earth she is a Militant Body in giving the name of Ordinaries to her reverend Bishops But in this place Aelian is obscure for I know not how he disposeth of the Serjeant or of the Captain of the Company nor how he disposeth of the Tribunes lesser or greater Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels Brigadiers and Major Generals where he appoints them to march or where to stand or officiate in time of action or whether he reckons them in the number of the Phalange which consisted of sixteen thousand three hundred A Question not answer'd eighty four men or not His Decurions Dimarites Enomotarchs Dilochites and Tetrarchs are all of them no doubt of that number neither can I allow them any other place to march or fight in but Rank and File for they were no other but File-leaders Middle-men Lance-spesats and Caporals all of whom carry Arms. But that all who commanded above them were in Rank and File is a thing I cannot fansie And if the Captain was constantly in the Van or Front of his Company why was the Lieutenant whose station was constantly in the Rear of it call'd a superordinary Officer more than the Captain And being all these five were constantly Officers in the Syntagmatarchy or Company why should they not be call'd ordinary Officers as well as the Taxiarch or Serjeant or as the Syntagmatarch or Captain The light armed Grecian Foot according to Aelian were half the number of the heavy armed and by this account they were eight thousand one hundred ninety two This he speaks of the Macedonian Foot for the other Grecian Phalanges were not so strong These light armed Foot were drawn Grecian Velites up saith Aelian eight deep By this account they took up as much ground in Longitude Rank or Front as the heavy armed Phalange did and but half as much in File or depth CHAP. VI. Aelian's marshalling the Grecian Infantry examined TO hazard all at one cast hath ever been thought a piece of madness except in very desperate cases for in them necessity hath no Law It is upon that ground that Leaders of Armies appoint Reserves some one some two to sustain and second the first Batallions in case they be worsted But this great Body or Phalange of Aelian admitted of no reserve at all and therefore the men that compos'd it had need to have fought well because first there were none to second them and next their heavy Armour render'd them uncapable to fly either fast or far That the Phalange might have had Reserves is unquestionable if those who compos'd it had not made it so deep as sixteen But we shall the better know Sixteen deep examin'd whether it might not conveniently have been of a less altitude when we examine the Reasons that are given for so great a depth For take it along with you the more a Batallion is extended in length or Front the more hands are brought to fight and the less it is subject to be out-wing'd or surrounded and therefore the deepness of this Phalange brings both those inconveniencies with it Let us now hear the advantages it hath First Aelian saith if it be needful that the Files be doubled the Phalange may be made two and thirty deep and if the Ranks must be doubled then the Files are made eight deep I wonder to hear such language from so First reason for 16 deep great a Master for all this may be done in any Body of men of what depth soever provided it be not of an odd number If Aelian had made his Phalange but twelve deep might he not when he pleas'd by doubling the Files have made it twenty four deep and by doubling the Ranks have made it but six deep and by the bargain he had made the Front of his Phalange a fourth part longer that where at six foot distance between Files it took up in longitude but six thousand one hundred forty four foot it would have taken up eight thousand one hundred ninety foot But the mystery of the matter if I understand Aelian right is shortly this Such an altitude or deepness of the File is most exact whereby the Commander in chief may with few words bring his whole numbers by equal proportions to one man As sixteen to eight eight to four four to two and two to one But this you cannot do with twelve for twelve divided makes two sixes six divided makes two threes three men you cannot divide unless you cut one man in two pieces Now by sixteen deep you may bring your whole Batallion of sixteen thousand three hundred eighty four men into one File or into one Rank and here I suppose lyes the knack of the business These sixteen thousand three hundred eighty four men at sixteen in File make one thousand twenty four Files which you can bring to one File thus Command your half Ranks to double their Files and then you have but five hundred and twelve Files the same word of Command being obeyed you have but two hundred fifty six give it once more you have but one hundred twenty eight let it be done over again you shall see but sixty four Files continue the same word of Command your Files come to thirty two next to sixteen after that to eight from that to four then to two and lastly to one And so you have your whole Phalange in one File If you will have your Phalange all in one Rank command the Middle-men or half Files to double their Ranks and then sixteen become eight command the same thing they shall be but four then two and lastly one But is it not very strange that Aelian would not know that all this might have Answered been done with a Body of men four deep or eight deep which last many of the Grecians did not exceed And certainly till we hear some more solid reason than this aiery one eight deep is for many considerations to be preferr'd to sixteen Nor should this pretended reason
and thirteen Riders as thus First one behind him three behind them five behind them seven then nine then eleven then thirteen and in the eighth Rank place fifteen from that Rank your number decreaseth for next to fifteen you are to place thirteen behind them eleven then nine then seven then five then three and lastly one This is also a Thessalian Rhombus of Horse a Figure whereof Aelian bestows upon us This Troop I conceive being at open order for it was very requisite it should be so could upon an occasion front any way without wheeling to the Right or Left hand by a half turn of their Horses and to the Rear by two half turns and immediately thereafter serr together either to give or receive the charge This Figure of the Rhombus is call'd by some the Diamond but if so the Diamond which it resembles must be a four-corner'd one Observe here that Aelians number of Horse represented in his Figure of the Simple Rhombus amounts but to forty nine and this I attribute to his neglect for he told us it should consist of sixty four The Wedge Battel which the Latines called Cuneus or Rostrum was a Body The second is the Wedge of men either on Foot or Horse-back drawn up with a sharp point and encreasing in its bigness till it came to that greatness which the maker of it design'd for it and so represented a Wedge from which it hath its denomination or it is like a Dagger sharp at the point growing broader till it come to the haft I told you that Philip of Macedon invented it choosing a Wedge to be the fittest pattern whereby to model his Macedonian Troops by placing his choicest Men and Horses both for strength of body and courage of mind in the formost Ranks the rest behind them serving to bear them forcibly forward Take the description of it thus First one then three then five then seven then nine then eleven then thirteen and lastly fifteen These added together make up Aelian's Macedonian Troop of sixty four Horse-men But in his description of it he oversees himself twice first in A twofold mistake his words for he saith the Wedge is just the half of the number of the great Rhombus but that consists as I just now told you of one hundred and thirteen and the Wedge is of sixty four much more than the half of one hundred and thirteen Next in his Figure which presents us only with thirty six Horse-men twenty eight fewer than King Philips Troop But if you would take a Wedge out of the Rhombus you may do it easily by causing that Rank wherein are fifteen Horse-men with all the Ranks that are before it to stand and all that are behind it to remove and then you have a perfect Macedonian Wedge Troop consisting of sixty four Riders But the manner of embatteling in form of a Wedge was not appropriated Wedge Battels of Foot only to the Cavalry The Infantry both of Grecians and Romans and several other Nations used it in many occasions Epaminondas that famous Theban at the Battel of Mantinea seeing the Lacedaemonians stand stoutly to it after he had routed their Confederates the Athenians chose out a parcel of his gallantest Foot cast them in a Wedge and broke so forcibly in upon their Batallion that he pierc'd it and after brave resistance forc'd them to quit the Field but this prov'd his last action for in it he receiv'd so many mortal wounds that he dyed of them before the next day I shall speak more of this Wedge Battel in my discourses of the Roman Militia Neither it nor the Rhombus have been heard of in the World in many ages since those antient times It is probable the Great Alexander permitted his Thessalians to make use of the Rhombus at Arbela because almost half of their Great Rhombus might face to the Rear and so prevent surrounding by Darius his numerous forces It is also like that his Macedonian Horse might have kept the form of a Wedge both at Issus and Arbela And I find that his great Captains who after his death shar'd his vast Conquests among themselves used it frequently But I believe likewise that both he and they and other Grecians and Asians too made use of the Square Battel The Square form of embattelling was most commonly used by the Grecians The third is the Square in marshalling their Infantry and most of them us'd it in ordering their Cavalry I speak not of an equilateral Square but an oblong one such as we use in our modern Wars Yet I do not deny but the Antients several times used equilateral Square forms of their Batallions as when they made their Ranks and Files consist of equal numbers of men and this we call a Battel Square of men or sometimes Square of ground when the Front was of no greater extent of ground than the Flank but of these I shall speak hereafter when I come to discourse of the Square Root Not only many of the Grecians but the Persians and Sicilians used the Square Horse Battel and many great Preferr'd to the other two Captains preferr'd it to both the Rhombus and the Wedge first because by it the Troops could march with more celerity and convenience and next they could bring more hands to fight at one time As for Example in a Wedge Troop of sixty four the first Rank consists but of one the second of three the third of five and the fourth of seven In these four Ranks there are but sixteen Riders Oppose a Square Battell'd Troop of sixty and marshal it in an oblong fifteen in Rank and four in File you may see that the sixteen Riders in the four first Ranks of the Wedge must fight with all the sixty of the Square Troop this is a very great odds and as much may be said of the Rhombus But Aelian doth not at all tell us how deep the Grecian Square Battels of Horse were This was a great neglect for thereby we might have known how many of Aelian speakâ— nothing of the deepness of Horse Files the Ranks could have reach'd an Enemy with their Lances and whether the rest behind serv'd only to bear forward those before as the ten last Ranks of Pikes did to the six formost Yet as far as I can conjecture by some of his Figures he seems to insinuate that his Countrey-men order'd their Horse to be half as many in File as they were in Rank His Figure of that Phalanx which he calls Quadrata of fifty Horse hath ten in Rank and five in File This manner of Battel whether it be of Horse or Foot is called by the Square Root men a Doubled Batallion of the fashion of which and how it is done I shall shew you in its proper place But I dare not believe that all Grecian Troops were marshall'd so neither indeed doth Aelian aver it I know not then why I may not imagine
he speaks there of Macedonian and Persian Warriours and is confuting Calisthenes his History of the Battel of Issus between Alexander and Daâ—ius as I noted before Achilles Terduzzi imagines the Roman Foot to have been twelve in File but that was to make good his conjecture of the quantity of ground a Consular Army took up whereof I may chance to speak hereafter But the common opinion carries me along with it that both the Roman Horse and Foot ordinarily were Roman Horse and Foot teâ— deep marshall'd ten in File but upon emergencies Generals might alter it though I confess the strong reason for it to me seems very weak which is that the Leader of the Horse was called Decurio and he of the File of Foot Decâ—nus for this last is appropriated to other Offices and the first by Aelian's Translator is given to the Leader of a Macedonian File which consisted of sixteen But this supposition as probable we must make the basis or ground on which to build our most probable conjectures of the Intervals of several Bodies and Classes in which both our Authors give us small assistance yet I shall give you all I can pick out of them or others on that Subject When Polybius in his twelfth Book told us that for most part Horse-men were ranged eight deep meaning I think the Persian Horse he subjoins that there must be an Interval between several Troops but what that Interval was he forgot to tell us It is pity he who knew things so well should needlessly have kept them up from us as secrets the reason he gives for an Interval between two Troops doth not weigh much because saith he they Intervals between Troops must have ground for conversion that is to face to either Right or Left hand or by any of them to the Rear If any of these be needful whole Squadrons of four six or eight Troops joyn'd together may do it as easily and conveniently as single Troops which consist of three or four Files at most But conversions on that same ground are seldome necessary never convenient But being left to guess how many foot of Interval Troops ten deep Conjectured required one from another I conjecture eight Foot which I ground on that the same Polybius saith in that same twelfth Book which is that a Stadium or Furlong contain'd eight hundred Horse drawn up in Battel Then I say First a Stadium is the eighth part of an Italian mile one hundred twenty five paces six hundred twenty five Foot Secondly eight hundred Horse being at our Authors rate eight in File are one hundred in Front Thirdly For every Horse-man to stand on Horse back and room to handle his Arms I allow with others four foot of ground and so for one hundred Horses four hundred Foot Fourthly According to Polybius and I suppose the Out of Polybius Roman rule the eight hundred Horse must be divided into several Troops and in each of them but thirty Riders so there will be twenty â—â—x compleat Troops and twenty Horse-men for the twenty seventh Troop Fifthly Twenty seven Troops require twenty six Intervals Now allow with Polybius a Stadiâ—m for eight hundred Horse-men that is for one hundred in Front and for these hundred allow with me four hundred Foot for the Horsemen to stand on you will have of six hundred twenty five foot of ground for your twenty six Intervals two hundred and seventeen foot and that will be eight foot and near one half for every Interval So my opinion is if I understand Polybius right that the Interval between two single Troops was about eight foot But let us fancy the Roman Horse to have been ten in File and so every Troop only three in Front for so I probably think they were and let uâ— remember that in every Consular Army there were twenty Roman Troops and forty of the Allies in all sixty Fancy those sixty Troops drawn up in one Field upon one of the Wings of the Army as several times all the Cavalry was marshall'd on one Wing they must have fifty nine Intervals Next remember that sixty Troops at thirty in a Troop were compos'd of eighteen hundred Too many Intervals Riders these drawn up ten in File made one hundred and eighty Leadders allow to every one of these four foot that will amount to seven hundred and twenty foot then for fifty nine Intervals which according to Polybius sixty Troops must have you are to allow four hundred seventy two foot at eight foot for each Interval I suppose still that which I can scarcely believe of so many Intervals but add four hundred seventy two foot to seven hundred and twenty the aggregate will be eleven hundred ninety two foot How these sixty Troops marshall'd so thin so few in Front with so many Intervals could stand out the brisk and furious charge of a numerous and couragious Enemy is beyond my fancy unless they have been interlin'd with well-armed Foot As to the Distances between Bodies of Foot Polybius in the twelâ—th Book Overâ—ight in Polybius so often cited allows expresly six foot between Files but he is to be understood in that place of the Macedonian Phalanx confâ—ting the impertinent relation of Calisthenes but he speaks not there or elsewhere oâ— distance between Roman Files And yet here is an inadvertency in that great man as we shall see another immediately in Vegetius of the same nature Polybius allows six thousand foot of ground for the Front or Longitude of sixteen thousand men sixteen deep and so we have one thousand Files between every one of the Files he allowâ— six foot of distance so the distances do compleatly take up his six thousand Foot and so no ground is allow'd to stand on to which if he had adverted he would have allow'd one foot to each man whereon to stand and consequently seven thousand foot for one thousand Files in Front But I shall not question the six foot of distance between Files being I have told you in the Grecian Militia that much was necessary for their Pike-men between Ranks on their march though not between Files and that in standing in Battel they used Densatio three foot of distance and in fight Constipaâ—â—â— one foot and a half Vegetius is more inexcusable than Polybius for he allows for the Ranks one foot Two in Vegetius of ground to stand on in these words Singuli Bellatâ—res stantes singulos obtinent pedes Every Combatant says he takes up one foot of ground But that he allows none for them to stand on when he speaks of Files I prove thus In the fourteenth Chapter of his third Book he allows three foot of distance between Files and in the next place saith that ten thousand men marshall'd The first in distance of Files six deep made a Front of sixteen hundred sixty six and so it doth with a fraction only of four hitherto he is very right but concludes very
ill that these sixteen hundred sixty six Files took no more ground up in Front but one thousand paces that is five thousand foot A thing purely impossible for three foot of Distance is allowed by himself between File and File and next sixteen hundred sixty six Files require sixteen hundred sixty five distances multiply sixteen hundred sixty five by three the product is four thousand nine hundred ninety five these want but 5 foot of Vegetius his one thousand paces Where shall then the sixteen hundred sixty six Combatants stand certainly they had sixteen hundred sixty six foot of ground to stand on add sixteen hundred sixty six to four thousand nine hundred ninety five the aggregate is six thousand six hundred sixty one foot a third more than Vegetius allow'd to sixteen hundred sixty six Files In imitation of him Terduzzi commits the very same errour in his fifth and sixth Chapters In the next place Vegetius allows six foot of distance between The second of Ranks Ranks because men must run when they throw their Darts and Javelines for so they cast them with greater â—orce Vehementius saith he I think he speaks reason but not at all sense when he avers that six Ranks of men having one foot of ground allow'd for every Rank to stand on and six foot between one Rank and another took up forty two foot of ground from the Van to the Rear that is as I think from the toes of the Leaders to the heels of the Bringers up for by his own account and allowance six Ranks can take up no more from Van to the Rear than thirty six foot as thus six foot for the six Ranks to stand on and thirty foot for the five distances The error seems to have proceeded from a fancy he hath had that six Ranks must have six Intervals which is not only false but ridiculously childish In regard in six Ranks there is one distance between the first and second Rank the second between the second Rank and the third the third between the third and fourth Rank the fourth between the fourth and fifth rank and the fifth distance between the fifth and sixth Rank And for his first error that sixteen hundred sixty six Files take no more ground in Front than five thousand foot it will be a folly to defend him by â—aying three Foot were but allowed both for Files to stand on and distance between them for a distance as Lieutenant-Colonel Eltâ—n Definition of a Distance in his compleat Body of the Military Art discribes it well is a place or Interval of ground between every particular File and File and Rank and Rank and therefore no part of that ground on which the Files oâ— Ranks stand When I look'd upon these places of Vegetius and consider'd them I could not but approve of Lipsâ—â—s for qualifying him but on another account with the Titles of Solutus negligens The same Lipsius in the fourth Book of his Commentary quarrels with Polybius for not informing us what distances the several Maniples kept one from another nor what Intervals were kept between the three great Classes and if that piece of Polybius be not lost with others of his works assuredly it was an inexcusable oversight I dare not accuse Vegetius of this neglect though Lipsius seems to do it for I am apt to believe that what he speaks of Vegetius 〈…〉 to be understood the distances between Ranks as I have understood him it is in the fourteenth and fifteenth Chapters of his third Book he may have meant Intervals between the greater Bodies for in these places he useth the words Ordâ— and Acies indifferently and though Ordo be sometimes taken for a Rank sometimes for a Band or Company yet Acies is ever taken for a Battel or Batallion And to me it is clear enough that in the mentâ—â—n'd places he takes Ordo for Batallion and makes six of them the first of Principes the second of Hastati the third â—ourth and fifth of light armed the sixth of Triarii Now it is palpable these great Bodies were not Ranks for every one of them if I mistake not consisted of ten Ranks but were all several Batallions whereof as I told you before he composed his Legion But whether he meant Ranks or Batallions the error I mention'd was still the same in making six several Bodies be they Ranks Files Squadrons or Batallions to have six distances for they cannot possibly have more than five But if in these places he allow'd but six foot of Interval between these Classes and great Bodies it speaks him to have been almost out of his wits when he wrote it as the Reader may collect from the insuing Discourse But being neither Polybius nor Vegetius help us much in the matter of Intervals Lipsius in his fourth Book comforts us and tells us he will not suffer so profitable Lipsius undertakes much a business as is the knowledge of Intervals to remain in darkness In finibus noctis are his words In the Borders of Night and therefore promiseth out of the plentiful Magazine of his own reading to clear the whole matter to us But I am afraid he will not be a man of his word for the greatest undertakers are seldome the best performers However it is fit we hear him for he deserves it First He tells us that he conceives that the Interval between the Hastati But performâ—â—â—ttle and the Principes was fifty foot and between the Principes and the Triarii one hundred Next concerning the Intervals between the Maniples of any of the three Classes which the Romans call'd Via Directa he saith if the Velites were to stand in them the Interval might be of twenty or thirty foot if not ten foot was enough This is briefly all he says on the matter But assuredly if this learned man could convenlently have left the University of Louvaine and followed the Spanish Armies but one Summer or as we call it one Campagne he would have seen under the conduct of the famous Dukes of Alva and Parma the greatest Captains of that age who liv'd at the time that he was writing his Books how pitifully simple that School-speculation of his was I must confirm my opinion with Reason for authority of Writers I have no more than he and that is none at all Each of the two Classes of the Hastati and Principes consisted of twelve hundred men which being marshall'd ten deep made one hundred and twenty Files Vegetius allows three foot distance between Files these make three hundred and sixty foot in Front add one hundred and twenty foot for the Files to stand on the ground that either of these Batallions stood on was four hundred and eighty foot in Longitude but to shun debate I shall be content to allow but one foot for every File to stand on and two foot of Interval between Files and so the Front of the Hastati though they had been all marshall'd
to be these which follow in his observation of the advantages and disadvantages of both The Phalanx being compos'd of sixteen Ranks and of one thousand twenty First advantage of the Phalange four Files of lusty well armed men and at its closest Order or Constipation so long as it is able to preserve its â—orce it bears down all before it for at that posture every Combatant takes up but one foot and a half of ground and suppose their Pikes but eighteen foot long whereas the Sarissas were twenty one of length you may easily compute the points of the fifth Rank or if you will of the sixth Rank to extend three foot before the first Rank of all which I have spoken enough in my Discourses of the Gracian Militia Now though all the Ranks behind the sixth are useless as to the presenting their Pikes or wounding an Enemy yet by the weight and strength of their Bodies they assist the impression of the first six Ranks help the charge to be more forcible and take away all possibility from those that are before them to turn their backs upon the Enemy But this Phalange must have such a Its first disadvantage ground that it may open and close at pleasure and that ground must be plain and even without the encumbrances of Woods Trees Bushes Hedges Ditches Enclosures rising Hills and hollow grounds for any of these is sufficient to disorder it in its parts and that being once done an Enemy with little or no danger may enter at the void places of that great Body when it is disjoyned and Sword-men being once within the points of the Pikes the Pike-men are a prey to them especially to the Roman Legionaries who besides short Swords carried likewise Semispathâ— which I English Daggers Now saith Polybius such a Champaign such a Field as we have described not being to be found every where the Phalange must of necessity stay where it hath meâ— with such a ground and march from it and accept of such as time place or occasion offers as all Armies must do If the first then hath an Enemy free liberty to make himself Master of the Countrey to besiege and force Towns and take all other manner of advantages If the second and that the Field prove improper for the Phalange then the Enemy takes the advantage of the ground enters at the void places and having so dis-array'd it quickly overthrows it Next Polybius grants that the Phalange hath the advantage of the Legion in this that three foot being Its second advantage allowed between two Legionaries whereof I have spoke in my discourse of Intervals and but half so much to two Phalangites When they are both to fight it follows that every Legionary had two Phalangites in front of him and consequently twelve Pikes presented to him for it is already granted that the points of the Pikes of the sixth Rank might be extended before the first Rank so by this account there were twelve men against one an advantage in nature irresistible But on the other part the Phalangites could not fight in Maniples â—ohorts or small Bodies for being Its second disadvantage separated or divided they were quickly broken The Legionaries were so Aâ—med and that they could fight any way either in a great or small Body or Man to Man at any time or in any place let the incumbrances be what they will Let us resume all this and say in one word Polybius prefers the Legion to the Phalange because the essential propriety of the Phalange was to fight close together and so long as it was able to keep so it was able to bear down the Legion but sure it could but seldome keep in one entire body the Legion by its order and constitution being apt to fight in small or little Bodies and to divide according to opportunities and emergencies could readily enter at the void places of the Phalange whether these were in the Van Rear or Flanks and overthrow it as often it did I shall presume to add two other advantages that I think the Legion had of A Legions third advantage over the Phalange the Phalange which Polybius hath not mentioned The first The Phalange fought all in one Body the Legion in three Bodies successively one after another so that if the Hasâ—aâ—â— charged briskly they might put the great Body of the Phalange in some disorder and they retiring the Principes finding it in some discomposure might disorder it so that the Triarii coming fresh to the charge might have a very cheap market of it The second advantage which I conceive the Legion had of the Phalange A Legions fourth advantâ—ge was in its larger Front which I offer to make appear thus The great Phalange consisted of sixteen thousand three hundred eighty four heavy armed these marshall'd sixteen deep and so their Front consisted of one thousand twenty four men to whom you are to allow one thousand twenty four foot for them to stand on when they were to fight they had no more but one foot and a half allow'd between Files and therefore for one thousand twenty four Files allow one thousand twenty three distances and for these fifteen hundred thirty four foot and a half add these the aggregate is two thousand five hundred fifty eight foot and a half thus much ground and no more did the Phalange take up in its Longitude when it was to fight The Legion was composed of three Bodies who were marshall'd one behind another The Hastati had the first Batallion and were divided into ten Maniples in every one of which were one hundred and twenty men these were marshall'd ten deep and so each Maniple was twelve men in Front for whom allow twelve foot to stand on and as both Polybius and Vegetius do allow three foot between Files twelve Files have eleven distances and for them you must have thirty three foot add thirty three to twelve makes forty five so much ground did every Maniple possess in Front â—n every Batallion were ten Maniples multiply then forty five by ten the product will be four hundred and fifty You may remember that I have elsewhere demonstrated that these ten Maniples had nine Intervals and every Interval must have as much ground allowed to it as the Maniple that was forty five foot multiply forty five by nine the product is four hundred and five add four hundred and five to four hundred and fifty the aggregate is eight hundred fifty five foot and so much ground did the Hastâ—ati of one Legion possess In a Consular Army there were four Legions then you are to multiply eight hundred fifty five by four and the product will prove to be three thousand four hundred and twenty and so much ground did the Hastati of a Consular Army take up in Front Now here the Hastati are reckon'd to be but twelve hundred the Legion according to Polybius being suppos'd to be but four thousand two
place of the depth that every Prince appoints for his Foot Before the Reign of the Great Gustavus Adolphus for any thing I could ever learn Foot-Companies were marshal'd ten deep almost universally but he marshal'd Ten deep all his Infantry in six ranks And after he had invaded Germany the Emperour with most of the European Kings and Princes kept their Foot still at ten deep but before the end of that War which he began all of them follow'd his way and made the file of their Foot to consist of six men except the Prince of Six deep Orange who still kept ten in file I should except likewise the Earl of Strafford who in his Instructions for the better Discipline of his Army order'd every Eight deep Captain of Foot to draw up his Company eight deep In a business of this nature where there is difference a man may tell his opinion without affectation of singularity and therefore I suppose it will be granted me that the more hands a Captain can bring to fight the more shrewdly Reasons for six deep he will put his enemy to it provided still his Batallions be of that strength as to receive the shock of a resolute Impression and in case of the worst that he have Reserves to come to his rescue Of Reserves I shall speak hereafter Now I am hopeful it will not be deny'd me but that more hands are brought to fight by eight men in a file than by ten and more by six men in a file than by eight Take a second argument The more able you are to save your self from being surrounded or out-wing'd by an enemy or the more able you make your self to surround and out-wing that enemy of yours the greater advantage you have over him Both these are done by a large front now it is undeniable that eight in file enlarge the front more than ten and six more than eight and consequently eight deep contributes more than ten and six more than eight for gaining the victory That more hands are brought to fight is very soon instanced first by a Body The great advantages 1500 Musqueteers six deep have of 1500 Musqueteers ten deep of Musqueteers and next by a Body of Pikemen Let us suppose a Body of fifteen hundred Musqueteers marshal'd ten deep is to fight with a Body of Musqueteers of equal number that is fifteen hundred six deep and that they are equally stout and experienced and equally good Firemen The fifteen hundred ten deep must give fire by ranks as the fifteen hundred six deep must likewise do now the fifteen hundred ten deep can make no more but a hundred and fifty in rank for a hundred and fifty multiplied by ten produceth fifteen hundred but the fifteen hundred six deep make two hundred and fifty in rank for two hundred and fifty multiplied by six produceth fifteen hundred so that the fifteen hundred six deep at every Volley pours one hundred Leaden Bullets more in the Enemies bosom than the fifteen hundred ten deep and consequently when six ranks of both parties have fired the fifteen hundred ten deep have received six hundred Ball more than the fifteen hundred six deep which without all doubt hath made a great many men fall more of the one side than the other Next one hundred and fifty files of the fifteen hundred six deep take just as much ground up in front as the whole Body of the fifteen hundred ten deep and therefore the other hundred files of the fifteen hundred six deep may fall on the sides of the fifteen hundred ten deep if they be not flanked either with Pikes or with Horsemen It is the like case mutatis mutandis between fifteen hundred eight deep and fifteen hundred six deep for fifteen hundred eight deep will make but a hundred and eighty eight in rank for a hundred eighty eight multiplied by eight produceth fifteen hundred and four now the fifteen hundred six deep make two hundred and fifty ranks and so shoots at every Volley sixty two Bullets more than the fifteen hundred eight deep Make the like trial of two Batallions of Pikes each of them fifteen hundred The same advantages Pikemen also have strong equally arm'd for the defensive and their Pikes of equal length the hundred files wherewith the fifteen hundred six deep out-wings the fifteen hundred ten deep will likewise enter on their sides and very soon ruin them if they be not flanked by their friends and though they be yet these hundred files of the fifteen hundred Pikemen six deep being otherwise idle may happily give their flanks some work to do Nor hath the fifteen hundred Pikemen ten deep any advantage of the fifteen hundred six deep in the force of the impression for I have demonstrated in one of my Discourses of the Grecian Militia that six ranks of Pikemen may either give or receive the charge abundantly and therefore where Pikemen are ten deep at their charge the last four ranks should keep their Pikes ported because the presenting the points of them is altogether useless Neither was it the apprehension of the weakness of his Body of Musqueteers drawn up six deep that made the King of Sweden make use of his Feathers to defend his Musqueteers against the Polonian Horse for these Feathers may serve a Body of Firemen drawn up ten deep as well as a Body of Firemen drawn up six deep neither indeed is it the deepness of a Body of Musqueteers that can resist a resolute charge of Horse it must be Pikes Halberts or these Feathers or something like them Nor do I think after the Invention of Gunpowder that ten deep was thought fit for Foot in imitation of the Romans as some fancy for I have shewn in another Reasons for ten deep place that Vegetius who is lookt on by many as the Oracle of the old Roman Militia doth make the Roman file to consist of eleven men but I think it was out of this consideration that after the first rank had fired their Guns they could not be ready to fire again till the other nine ranks had all fired and withal a Musquet rest was taken to help with so much wariness did our Ancestors walk when first they made use of the new found Engines of fire We read of a Count of Vaâ—dâ—mont who within thirty years after the Invention of Gunpowder made use of two Culverines in his Wars with the Duke of Bar and by their help defeated his enemy but at every time the Pieces were discharged the Count himself fell to the ground for fear But as Great Câ—sar says Vsus est rerum Magister Use and Custom over-master things and therefore the Cannon is not now so dreadful as it was nor is the Musquet so unmanageable as it was thought daily experience lets us see that the first rank of six can fire make For fine deep ready and stay for the word of Command before the other five
have discharged their shot even in the hottest Piece of service and without the help of Musquet-rests And I suppose it needs be thought no Paradox in me to say that five ranks of Musqueteers can fire one after another without intermission and Five deep the first of the five be ready to fire again before the last have discharged let any Commander try it with expert Firemen he will find it will be done easily enough And that you may see that this is no new conceit of mine I shall tell you that Giovio informs us that at Vienna the twenty thousand Harquebusiers that were in the Christian Army were all marshal'd five deep and so made four thousand files It is without all peradventure that the best Commanders then in Europe were there who would not have permitted this if they had not known that the first rank could have fired and made ready again before all the other four had discharged neither must you impute this to the ignorance of the Historian as being a Churchman for he is so punctual as to write nothing of any Military action but what he had from the relation of the greatest Captains that were upon the place And truly if you will consider all I have said or all that may be said on this subject Reasons for it you may perhaps think with me that both Musqueteers and Pikemen may be marshal'd five deep with no inconvenience at all to the service I think I hear some speculative persons cry out that this is against the rules of all Tacticks who reject odd numbers as unfit for doubling But stay do you exercise for shew only or for use If only for shew I grant you should neither have odd ranks Objections against it nor files but if for use I say that five deep is better than six deep for those very reasons that made six deep better than eight deep and eight better than ten You say you cannot double your ranks at five deep what then I say you need not for I would have your ranks no fewer than five when you are ten Answered deep why double you your ranks is it not to make them five and thereby to enlarge your front and why then may you not be five ranks at first and thereby save your self the labour of doubling And as it is not at all necessary to double your ranks when your Batallion consists of no more but five ranks so I conceive the doubling of ranks not necessary when your Battel is but six deep for three ranks of Pikes is not strong enough either to give or receive a Charge nor are they numerous enough for Musqueteers to fire one rank after another without interruption it not being feasible for the first rank to fire and be ready before the third rank have discharged so that when six ranks are made three it is only for a parting blow for the Musqueteers to fire kneeling stooping and standing Now you may order the first three ranks of five to fire in the same fashion kneeling stooping and standing and you have by the bargain two ranks in reserve till the first three recover and those two ranks may afterward fire the first rank kneeling and the second standing and then all the five ranks have fired and are as ready either with Buts of Musquets or Swords to receive the enemy if he advance as the six ranks doubled in three and in far better order Either then your doubling of ranks is unnecessary in service or five deep at first is as good if not better as ten ranks to be doubled in five or six ranks doubled in three And though five ranks cannot be doubled the inconvenience of that is not so great as the advantages it hath of a large front and bringing many hands to fight and if upon any emergency which will fall out very seldom you conceive your front too large you may quickly help it The Authors private opinion by causing your files to double and then you are ten deep But I shall quickly part with this opinion when I hear a stronger argument against it than that which says that thereby ranks cannot be doubled for the truth is it is my private opinion that there be many superfluous words in Exercise and though I think doubling of ranks and files too sometimes convenient before the near approach of an enemy yet I hope none will deny that both of them are very improper in the time of service But Loquendum cum vulgo is a Golden sentence Well we have our Foot-Company no stronger than one hundred men and Seventeen Files in a Company of one hundred men divided into three parts whereof two are Musqueteers and Pikemen are glad to be admitted to make the third These must be marshal'd six in one file now seventeen times six is more than one hundred and sixteen times six is less than one hundred Add therefore three Corporals to the hundred Soldiers you shall have seventeen compleat files and one man over whom you may appoint to help the Ensign to carry his Colours for a Furer is not allow'd him in all establishments A Company being thus marshal'd in seventeen files eleven must be Musqueteers and six Pikemen to wit on the right hand of the Pikemen six files of Musqueteers and on the left hand five files The Captain is to teach his Soldiers to keep their just distances between file The several kinds of Distances and file end between rank and rank Distances are ordinarily threefold Order open Order and close Order The first of three foot the second of six the third of one foot and a half to which in some case is added open open order which is of twelve foot At Exercisings both ranks and files should stand at open order in Marches the files at order but the ranks at open order because of the Pikes which must have more ground than Musqueteers require and in service both the files and ranks of Musqueteers must be at order that is three foot distance but the Pikemen both in file and rank at close order that is at the distance of one foot and a half I must tell you in this place of a general mistake Mistakes in reckoning Distances and is the very same I accused Vegetius of in the Roman Militia and it is this All say that the files when they stand in Battel should be at order that is at the distance of three foot as indeed they should But if you ask how many foot of ground seventeen files whereof our Company consists possess in front they will immediately answer you fifty and one And here there is a double Distance of Files error first no ground is allowed for the Combatants to stand on for the distance of three foot between files takes up that one and fifty foot or very near it Secondly they make seventeen files to have seventeen distances whereas they have but sixteen This oversight I
have observ'd in most Tacticks Lieutenant Colonel Elton is very clear in his definition of a distance which though I told you of it before I shall again give you Distance says he is a place or interval of ground between every rank and rank and every file and file as they stand By this description then three foot of distance being allowed between every file and file there are in seventeen files sixteen distances or intervals which make but forty and eight foot then you are to allow seventeen foot to the Combatants that is one foot for every man to stand on seventeen being added to forty eight make sixty five and so many foot of ground doth a Company possess in front if it consist of seventeen files for the ground of the ranks you are to compute it thus Six ranks take six foot to stand on and thirty foot for five intervals six foot being allow'd for open order in all six and thirty foot which a Distance of Ranks Company Regiment Brigade or Army of Foot constantly possesseth from the toes of the Leaders to the heels of the Bringers up unless you bring the ranks to stand at order which you may frequently do with very good reason and then the five Intervals take up but fifteen foot which being added to the six foot on which the ranks stand make but twenty one foot And when Pikes are to give or receive a Charge you may bring them to close order that is one foot and a half and then the five Intervals take up but 7½ foot these being added to six make 13½ foot Observe that in Exercising this Company of seventeen Files you are to set aside one of the Files because it is odd and so The Colours will hinder the doubling the Files The Colours of the Company are to be on the head of the Pikes neither can they conveniently be between the second and third rank in time of Battel as some would have them to be for you may easily consider what room an Ensign can have with his Colours between ranks when they are at order much less at close order as they should be in the time of Battel It will be fitting before I go further to meet with an objection concerning Objection against my Distances of Files Distances it is this The three foot of distance allowed between Files say they must be reckoned from the Centers that is from the two middle parts of the two File-leaders as from the middle part of the right hand File-leader to the middle part of the File-leader who stands on his left hand I wonder at this notion for hereby two File-leaders take up one foot of ground and so doth the rest of the File and there are but two foot of Interval between the two files and this cannot at all quadrate with the definition of distance for that is an Interval between Files and not betwixt the two middle parts of two mens Bodies And the Authors of Tacticks should have been clearer in their expressions and have said two foot between Files which they knew was too Answered little and have added that every File should have one foot of ground to stand on for what language is this a man shall have half a foot for his right middle part and another half foot for his left middle part for this way of their reckoning of the three foot of distance amounts to just so much and no better language which I conceive is very improper besides by this account the right and left hand Files would have each of them one half foot of ground more than any of the rest of the Files the right hand Filemen hath it by the right middle parts of their bodies and the left hand Filemen by the left middle parts of their Bodies because these two Files on these two hands have no Sidemen which you may easily conceive if you please a little to consider it Let us in the next place see what Officers are appointed to have the command Of Officers of a Company and inspection of this Company and here we may find some difference in the several establishments of Princes and States yet in this we find all agree to have a Captain a Lieutenant an Ensign Serjeants Corporals and Drummers except the Spaniard who rejects the Lieutenant as useless some allow no more Officers than those I have spoken of some allow more to wit a Captain of Armies a Furer a Fourier and a Clerk or Scrivener And besides some allow Lancepesats or Lancpresads as they are commonly called as also Reformado's and Gentlemen of a Company But neither Lancepesats Gentlemen of the Company nor Reformado's are Officers and though Corporals be yet they carry Arms and march in rank and file I shall describe all these and all the Officers of a Foot Company beginning with the Reformado and ending with the Captain Those are called Reformado's or Reformed who have been Officers suppose Reformed Officers Commissionated and those only and are out of charge and bear Arms till they can be prefer'd In some places they are permitted to be without Arms. A Gentleman of the Company is he who is something more than an ordinary Gentleman of a Company Souldier hath a little more pay and doth not stand Centinel In French he is called Appointe and with the Germans he is called Gefreuter They march and watch with Arms they go common Rounds and Patrouills and near an Enemy they are to be the forlorn Centinels whom the French call Perdus Lancespesate is a word deriv'd from the Italian Lance spesata which signifies a broken or spent Lance. He is a Gentleman of no ancient standing in the Militia for he draws his Pedigree from the time of the Wars between Francis the First and his Son Henry the Second Kings of France on the one part and the Emperour Charles the Fifth and his Brother-in-law the Duke of Savoy on the other part in those Wars when a Gentleman of a Troop of Horse in any Skirmish Battel or Rencounter had broke his Lance on his enemy and lost his Horse in the Scuffle he was entertain'd under the name of a Broken-Lance by a Captain of a Foot Company as his Comerade till he was again mounted But as all good orders fall soon from their Primitive Institution so in a short time our Monsieur Lancespesata for so he was called was forc'd to descend from being Lancespesata the Captains Comerade and became the Corporals Companion and assisted him in the Exercise of his Charge and therefore was sometimes called by the French Aide Caporal But when the Caporal grew weary of the Comradeship of his Lancespesata he made him officiate under him and for that had some allowance of pay more than the common Soldier which he enjoys in those places where he is made use of and still keeps the noble Title of Lancespesata though perhaps he was never on Horseback in his life corruptly
to prepossess my Reader with a bad opinion of it till I inform him of the thing it self Authors mention Batallions square of men and Batallions square of ground Batallions of a large front and doubled Batallions To these by the permission of those Speculative Martialists I shall add another and that is a Batallion square both of men and ground whereof I do not remember that I have heard any of them either speak or write It will be requisite for that Commander who intends to draw up his Company Regiment or Brigade by the Square-root to have Tables of several numbers by him whereof the Sieur de Preissuc Bocklâ—r and Whithorne who translated Machiavelli his Art of War into English have been at the trouble to leave What is meant by the Square-root some behind them but to little purpose for any ordinary Arithmetician can make a square number which is nothing else but a number multiplied in it self As 3 multiplied by â— produceth 9 9 multiplied by 9 produceth 81 81 multiplied by 81 produceth 6561 in it self multiply 6561 the product will be 43046721 and so in infinitum But observe first that all numbers are not square and of these that are square you may extract the root without a fraction as a 100 is a square number because the root of it is 10 without a fraction for 10 multiplied by 10 produceth a 100. But when you extract the root of a number that is not square you must take the nearest as 10 and 11 are not square numbers and therefore you must take the root of 9 and that is 3 now 3 multiplied by 3 produceth but nine and so in 10 you have the fraction of one and in 11 of two Observe secondly that every number above 10 hath for its square a number above a 100 as 11 multiplied by 11 produceth 121. Observe thirdly that the root of a Three necessary observations square figure is the side of it and in a quadrate square all the sides are of a like length so that if you would know the superficial contents of a square figure aequilateral you multiply the number of one side by it self as by example if the number of one side of that figure be a 100 men the Product will be 10000 But if it be an oblong square that is which hath two sides longer than the other two you are to multiply the length of one of the longest by the length of one of the shortest as by example there is an oblong square whereof each of two sides contain a 100 Foot and each of the other two sides but 50 multiply then the longest by the shortest that is a 100 by 50 the Product will be five thousand This being premised if you would have a square Batallion of men you are first to see what the number of your men is and next extract the root of that number and according to it form your Body of equal number of men in rank Batallions square of men how made and file As the number of your men to be marshall'd is 256 which was the number of the Grecian Syntagma or Company extract the root of 256 you will find it to be 16 for 16 multiplied by it self produceth 256 and therefore your rank and your file must each consist of 16 men this is a Batallion square of men Or suppose your number to be 6560 you will find it is not a square number and therefore you must take the root of the next square number to 6560 and that you will find to be 6561 the root whereof you will find to be 81 for 81 multiplied by it self produceth 6561 and therefore to marshal 6560 you must make your rank consist of 81 men and your file of as many But truly you will not find this so easie to be done in the field as on a piece of Paper and when you have done it perhaps you will say it was not worth the half of your pains To make a Batallion square of ground is to allow no more ground to your front or your rank than you do to your file or flank and for this they will give you a rule which will be hard enough to follow on any sudden occasion and it is this allow seven foot in length and three in breadth for every Soldier multiply Battallions square of ground the number of men you are to marshal by three and divide the Product by seven then extract the square root of the Quotient that will be the number of men for your file by the number of men in your file you are to divide the whole number of men in your Batallion and the Quotient of that will be the number of men for your rank This is a little harsh yet I cannot make it clearer perhaps an example will clear it Suppose your men to be 1600 the ordinary number of weak Brigades multiply 1600 by three the Product is 4800. Divide 4800 by seven the Quotient will be 685 with a fraction of five When you extract the root of 685 because it is not a square number you must take the nearest and that will be 26 for that multiplied in it self produceth 676 and this wants but nine of 685. Then by the rule your file consists of 26 and by it you are to divide your 1600 men and you will find the Quotient to be 61 with a remainder or fraction of 14 so by this rule your rank consists of 61 men and consequently your 1600 men come to be 61 in rank and 26 in file for 61 multiplied by 26 produceth 1586 which with the fraction of 14 makes just 1600. Now three foot being allowed to every man in rank according to the ordinary computation 61 men in rank possesse 183 foot of ground and seven foot being allowed for every man in file the ground the 26 possess is 182 foot which wants but one of the 183 and that proceeds from the fraction of 14. And hereby you have your Batallion of 1600 men to possess equal ground though the rank consist of 61 and the file but of 26. And this you will think is very pretty to see or look on whether it be worth your labour or not you can best tell after you have order'd it which I suppose you will not do without some trouble Besides in this computation as I have often said there is an inexcusable error committed by most men in reckoning Distances and Intervals for they still reckon as many of them as there be men in rank and file as here they make 61 Intervals in front because there are 61 men in front whereas really there are but 60 Intervals and in the file they make 26 Intervals because there are 26 men in file whereas really there can be no more but 25 Intervals And these two mistakes will quickly make a vast alteration in your Batallions squareness of ground A Doubled Batallion is so called when the rank consists of twice as many
he making alt they all take up their several distances behind him till he who is File-leader turn himself about on that same ground he stood on and then all turn likewise so that all the File faceth to the Rear in that same order that before the Counter-march it fac'd to the Van by this means the Body loseth ground in the Rear and therefore our Modern Drillers when they command the Macedonian counter-march they say By the Right or Left hand Countermarch and lose ground in the Rear or gain ground in the Van which is all one thing The Laconian is when the Batallion is commanded to take up as much ground in the Rear as it possess'd before and is done thus The File-leader Lacedemonian turns just where he stands and marcheth as many foot behind the Rear-man as the Body at its due distance should possess all who follow him turn not about till their Leaders go by them and so the Bringer up doth only turn himself without any further motion The Modern word of Command for this is Counter-march to the Right and Left hand and gain ground in the Rear The Persian is when the Batallion keeps the same ground it had but with this difference that the Leader stands where the Bringer up was and the Persian Rear-man where the Leader stood It is done thus The Leader advanceth three steps and then turns and marcheth to the Rear and all who follow him turn not till they come to that place to which he advanced and then they face about and take up the same ground they formerly possest The word of Command for this is Counter-march to the Right or Left hand and keep your ground It is also called the Chorâ—an Counter-march because Oâ— Choraean as the Chorus useth to sing and dance all together so here all the Ranks move at once and keeping that same measure and distance in turning resembles a Dance But indeed all these Counter-marches as most of all evolutions are better and sooner illustrated nay demonstrated by a Body of Souldiers in the Field than they can be either by words or figures on Paper Philip King of Macedon Father of the Great Alexander put down the first of these Counter-marches which was his own Countrey one and with good reason for it hath a show of flying at least of retiring being a Body of sixteen deep as the Macedonian Phalanx was by that Counter-march lost in the Rear where the Enemy is suppos'd to be one hundred and twelve foot of ground one foot being allowed for every Rank to stand on and six All three of small use foot of distance between the Ranks at least it loseth one hundred and six foot And truly I think the hazard were small if all the three several Counter-marches were for ever banish'd out of all Armies except those of our Enemies It is true I never saw any of them used in sight of an Enemy for if they be practis'd then I am confident confusion would follow them which is but too ready to appear in any Army though never so well order'd when it is unexpectedly attack'd by an Enemy in the Rear If the Grecians had been acquainted with our great Guns nay even with our Muskets which kill at a greater distance by far than Darts or Arrows and against which their Defensive Arms would not have been proof they would have found that an Enemy a good way from their Rear would have render'd their best Counter-marches both unfeasible and dangerous All the good I suppose that is intended by a Counter-march is to place the very same men and Ranks with their faces to the Rear in that very same order they were with their faces to the Front And truly if Captains be careful to place their best men in the Front their next best in the Rear and make middle men of the third and rank every man according to his worth and dignity as they should do but too many of them are negligent in this it will be needless to hazard a Counter-march but with much ease and with one word of Command and that is By the Right or Left hand about an Enemy may be fac'd in the Rear without danger of any confusion or disorder I have seen some very punctual Officers and Drill-masters who have taken much pains to teach new beginners all these three sorts of Counter-marches and have made them practise their lessons very exactly yet for all that I could never in my own Judgement have a better opinion of Counter-marches than they say some Physicians have of Cucumbers which they first order to be well corrected and prepar'd with Vinegar Oyl Pepper and I know not what else and then advise to throw them out of doors or over the Windows In exercising Bodies the first care is to make Ranks and Files keep that distance that is allowed by the Prince or General who commands the Army for he may do in that according to his pleasure The Grecian Foot had a three-fold distance the first was of six foot and this Aelian will have to be in exercisings and marches between File and File as well as Rank and Rank but assuredly there was not so good reason for the one as there was for the other in regard all the heavy arm'd Foot cartying long Pikes required six foot in their march between Rank and Rank for the conveniency of their Pikes but there was no need of so much between File and File as Distances of the Foot any man at first view may easily comprehend The second distance was of three foot between Rank and Rank as also between File and File and this was when they were drawn up and stood in Battel with their Pikes order'd and their posture at this distance was called Densatio The third was of one foot and a half between both Files and Ranks and that was when they were either to give or receive a charge and it was call'd Constipatiâ— In that posture having presented their Pikes with their left foot formost their Targets touch'd one another and so their Phalange look'd like a Brazen Wall as Lucius Aemilius the Roman Consul spoke of that wherewith King Persâ—â—s fac'd him at the Battel of Pidna where they fought for the Soveraignty of the Kingdom of Macedon The Grecian Horse were marshall'd in several figures and of their distance I can say nothing nor doth Aelian help me in it at all Of these several figures of Horse Troops I shall speak in the next Chapter but one And Of the Horse then my Reader will perhaps believe with me that the Square Battels probably kept that distance that Troops have done since and that both the Rhombus and the Wedge required a greater distance when they were commanded by a motion either to the Right or Left hand to change the posture or the place wherein they stood and I conceive when either of them was to charge the Horse men were obliged to â—err
Polybius What Polybius was was a Souldier in Greece and as himself witnesseth in his eleventh Book was a Commander in the Achaean Army under Philopamon at the Battel of Mantinea against Machanidas the Tyrant of Lacedaemâ—n who was there overthrown and kill'd He was long after that a great favourite yea a Counsellour of that Scipio who was sometimes called Africanus Minor and sometimes Numantinus because he ended the Carthaginian and Numantine War with the destruction of both Cities There were some reasons why Scipio should be kind to Polybius because his Natural Father Lucius Aemilius for this Scipio was but the adopted Grand-child of the great Africanus was the Author of carrying many hundred Achaeans Prisoners to Rome for no reason but suspicion among whom Polybius was one who lay full seventeen years Prisoner there where he had leisure enough to learn both the Roman language and customes Scipio was a very great Captain a strict reformer of the old Roman Militia and a severe Disciplinarian from whom Polybius could not but know all the mysteries of the Roman Art of War being a person of so great abilities as those parcels of his History yet extant speak him ta have been and truly we have reason to be sorry that we are robb'd of those Books of his of which all-devouring time hath deprived us Let us hear how he marshals a Roman Legion A Legion in that Scipio Minor's time consisted of four thousand two hundred men as many times it did both before and after him whereof six hundred were Triarii and made the third Batallion obliged to kneel on their Right knee till either the other two Classes retir'd to them or that the General commanded them to rise and advance These he saith were never more than six hundred though the Legion chanc'd to be four thousand two hundred as many times it did And for this we must take his word Before the Triarii stood the Principes men in the flower of their age and before them the Hastati in the Van they were the youngest and rawest of all the heavy armed each of these two Batallions consisted of twelve hundred and all the three were alike arm'd except that the Triarii instead of Pila carry'd short Spears of all which I have spoken sufficiently already So you see all Polybius The Polybâ—â—â— Legion his heavy armed amounted to three thousand The rest which were twelve hundred were saith he Velites and these he says were levied of the poorest and most inconsiderable sort of the people Nor do I find that he divides these twelve hundred Velites into three Squadrons one whereof should stand behind every one of the Classes of the heavy armed of all which I have already spoke in my discourse of the Infantry and yet Terduzzi and the Sieur de Preissack would father this upon Polybius But indeed in my judgement he leaves the light armed to be disposed of in the Flanks Van or Rear as the General conceiv'd they might be most useful He appoints his Legion to be divided into thirty Maniples suppose still the heavy armed each Maniple to consist of two Centuriates to every Century he allows an Ensign and a Centurion whom he permits to chuse his Sub-Centurion of all which I have already spoke The numbers of the Hastati Principes and Velites might alter according to the strength of the Legion but not the Triarii He tells us that three hundred Horse were levied with every Legion but says not that they made a part of every Legion These three hundred Horse he divides into ten Turms or Troops and Officers them as I have shown you in my Discourse of the Cavalry He leaves them to be marshall'd where the Commander in chief thought they might do best service And now we have the Polybian Legion No word here for all this how deep that is how many in File either of Horse or Foot or what or how much ground was allowed for distance between Files or Ranks or yet how great the Intervals were between the several Maniples of every one of the Classes or what between the Classes themselves or between the several Troops of Horse A great over-sight for of all these we are forc'd to hear other mens conjectures and make use of our own as we shall offer to do in the following Chapter CHAP. XIV Of Distances and Intervals of the several Bodies and Batallions of the Foot and Horse BEfore we proceed to our conjectures it will be fit first to know what this word Interval properly signifies and how it is taken In both Ancient and Modern Fortifications Towns Castles and Camps were defended not only with Ramparts of Earth and Walls of Stone but also with great Logs or Stakes of Timber which we call Palliâ—adoes these the Romans in their language called Valli and I suppose thereafter the Rampart it self got the Vallus and Vallum name of Vallus and Vallum hence perhaps our Wall These Stakes were and are of two kinds longer and shorter the first stood straight up from the ground the second had the one end of them fixed in the Rampart and the other lying on it to hinder an approach to it distinguished by the Germans by several names for they call the long Stakes Palliâ—adoes and the short ones Stockadoes both the one and the other sharp-pointed at both ends The Ground Earth or part of the Rampart between two Pallisadoes or Stockadoes is properly called an Interval but it is borrow'd and appropriated to Interval what any distance between Bodies greater and smaller yea to the space that is between one time and another an Interval of time is now language proper enough and Physicians borrow it and call an Intermitting Ague Febris Intervallata an Intervalled Feavor What distance or Intervals there were between Roman Ranks and between Deepness of the File not told Files between several Bodies of either their Horse or Foot no ancient Author hath clear'd to us but left us to grope in the dark Nor can we well guess at them till we condescend how many in File both Horse and Foot were marshall'd I told you before that Vegetius in the twenty fifth Chapter By Vegetius of his second Book seems to make the Foot eleven deep because as I told you he orders a Contubernium of Souldiers to manage a Carrobalist and that he saith consisted of eleven men But this doth not prove that Vegetius his File was precisely eleven no more than what he saith in the fifteenth Chapter of his third Book that ten thousand men drawn up in six Ranks will take up so much ground in Front will prove that the Roman Foot were drawn up six deep And so for Vegetius we know not the deepness of either the Roman Foot or Horse Nor will we be one jot the wiser for Polybius for the discourse he hath in his twelfth Book where he speaks of Horse Nor by Polybius eight in File doth not concern the Roman Militia for
in one Body as they were in several Maniples took up three hundred and sixty foot A less space of ground cannot rationally be given for an Interval between them and the Principes than the three hundred and sixty foot they took up in Front for when they either fled or retir'd to the second Batallion they must have had sufficient ground to cast themselves in some good order by Maniples to take up their places in the Intervals of the Principes Now three hundred Interval between Hastati and Principes and sixty foot is but seventy two paces which certainly are soon traced by men either flying or retiring hastily For to imagine that the Romans punctually kept Rank and File when they were necessitated to a speedy Retreat is a vain speculation If this be allowed me then it cannot be denied me that the Interval between the Principes and the Triarii must have been twice as great that is seven hundred and twenty Foot because the third Batallion was in time of need to receive both the other two Here then were two great Intervals one between the Hastati and Principes and the other between the Principes and the Between Principes and Triarii Triarii both of them called by the Romans Via transversa This conjecture of mine may seem rational enough to those who have observed in our modern Armies the Intervals between the Brigades Marshall'd in the Battel and these of the reserve for less ground for them than what a Brigade takes up in front is not usually given But to support my own opinion and convince Lipsius of the vanity of his I Supported out of Polybius shall pick something out of the 15 Book of Polybius where he tells us that Hannibal marshal'd his third Batallion more than one Stadium behind his second one and in doing so says he he followed the Roman custom observe this Now a Stadium is six hundred and twenty five foot and this wants but ninety five foot of my allowance of seven hundred and twenty for an Interval between the Principes and the Triarii and for that remember that he said more than a Stadium and you may believe without heresie it was the fourth part of another Stadium and if so Hannibals Interval between his second and third Batallion was seven hundred and eighty one foot that will be sixty one foot more than I required between the second and third Roman Batallions But Lipsius would maintain his conjecture with two Instances out of Caesar but when they are examined they may happily make more against him than for him The first is when Afranius was to fight with Caesar in Spain the ground between the two Camps where the two Armies were ranged was but two thousand foot whereof saith Caesar every Army took up a third the third Third being left for the Charge Will Lipsius infer from this that the Interval between Lipsius his first Instance consuted the first and second Batallion was but of fifty foot and that between the second and the third only of one hundred No such matter for where the ground was so scarce three foot between ranks was enough and I doubt if ever more was allowed to the heavy armed nay nor so much after their Pila were cast a third part of two thousand foot will be six hundred sixty-six Draw up all the three Batallions one behind another make each of them ten deep they will make in all thirty Ranks for which allow twenty nine distances each of three foot will make eighty-seven foot and thirty foot being allowed for the thirty ranks to stand on will amount to one hundred and seventeen foot on which ground all the thirty ranks could conveniently enough stand Now we have five hundred forty nine foot for the Transverse Intervals which were two Of the five hundred forty nine foot allow two hundred to the Interval between the first and second Batallion and three hundred forty nine for the Interval between the second and the third But here you will say the two Transverse Intervals had not so great a space of ground as I required for them I grant it you and what then I did not oblige Roman Generals to allow so much ground when they had it not but to give as much when conveniently they could And even here I have demonstrated that though Caesar and Afranius were pinched for want of ground yet both of them might have allowed more by fifty foot to the least of the Transverse Intervals than Lipsius doth to both the Intervals The second Instance is when Caesar says Pompey drew up his army in Thessaly so near his Camp that darts could have been cast out of his fortifications over the heads of all his three Batallions and therefore he concludes the Intervals between them must have been of a very small extent To this I give a twofold His second Instance confuted answer First I suppose these Darts were to be cast out of Scorpions Onagers and Catapults and if these or any of them could shoot Spears as it is written of them over the Danube where it is broadest then I believe though I never saw that River they could throw Darts more than four Stadiums or Furlongs which will be two thousand five hundred foot and all the ground I require for a Roman Army Marshall'd in three Batallions one behind anther allowing six foot between Ranks and three hundred and sixty between the first and the second Batallion and seven hundred and twenty between the second and the third amounts to no more but twelve hundred and seventy two foot My second answer is that at that time Pompey had no mind to fight and therefore drew up near his Camp that he might fall back to it when he pleased as he then did and so in Marshalling needed not keep the ordinary custom of Intervals But the Intervals Lipsius gives between one Maniple and another in all the three Roman Classes of Foot which were called the direct ways or streets not these Transverse ones whereof I have spoken are yet more irrational and his Lipsius his direct Intervals examined conjecture of them less obvious to sense as of the other He saith if the Velites be to stand in these Intervals they may be of twenty or thirty foot if not of ten But I say first if the Velites stand there they are no Intervals at all Next if they be ordered to stand between the Maniples of the heavy armed as much of ground must be allowed them as wherein they can conveniently stand and fight now that cannot be certain but according to their number as suppose them twelve in front whether ten six or four deep it matters not Lipsius must allow them twelve foot for their twelve Files to stand on and thirty three foot for eleven distances between Files and that is forty five foot Where are then Lipsius his twenty or thirty foot But Lipsius knew well enough that the
of drilling I said that in exercising a Body of Horse whether one Troop or more some allow for order six foot some ten and for open order some allow twelve foot and some twenty others conclude six Distance foot between rank and rank and file and file sufficient but in marching there should be the length of a Horse between rank and rank but so much is not at all needful between files now it seems the Germans allow ten foot for the length of a Horse in marching and exercising as well as in their Castrametation for when Horse are orderly quarter'd in the field ten foot of ground are allowed for a Horse to stand on between his head and his tail But for all this I say six foot are not to be allowed in all motions of exercise as in Wheeling which is the poper motion of the Cavalry you cannot make it till your ranks and files be at close order and in this motion of Wheeling observe that the Wheeling to the left hand being the Bridle hand is more proper than Wheeling to the right Observe also that after your body hath Wheel'd you are to reduce them to their first order by making the ranks open which they must do by advancing and not by stepping back as the foot do The stronger the Troop be it should have the more Corporals who begin now to be qualified with the Title of Brigadeers for it seems not proportionable for a Troop of One Hundred and Twenty to have no more Corporals than a Troop of sixty or seventy yet for most part now all Troops have a like number of Officers and these are the Captain or Ritmaster The Lieutenant the Cornet the Quartermaster three Corporals or Brigadeers two Trumpeters some have three and some four a Saddler and a Smith and some allow a Chirurgion and a Clerk Many Troops have no allowance for the last four though all four Officers of a Troop are very necessary In some places if a Chirurgion be allowed for every Regiment it is thought very fair many Ritmasters entertain a Saddler and a Smith in their Troops allowing them the pay of Troopers and what benefit else they can make by their several Trades But if all who ride in the Troop be Gentlemen they will not permit these two Mechanicks to ride with them yet my opinion is since all who ride now in Troops are not Gentlemen they may without any disparagement suffer a Smith and a Saddler to ride in rank with them being they are profitable members of that little Commonwealth It is I think an oversight that a Clerk is not allow'd for every Company of Horse for a Quarter master hath enough to doth otherwise though he be not bound to officiate for the Clerk to receive the Pay of the Troop and give it out and keep the accounts of it unless you will say that the paying Money to a Troop falls out so seldom that the receiving it will be rather a divertisement than a trouble to the Quartermaster Having spoke to the Duties of a Captain Lieutenant and Ensign-bearer of a Foot Company I have nothing to add to the Duties of a Ritmaster Lieutenant and Cornet but between the Quartermasters of Foot and Horse there is this difference that the first hath no command but the second hath in Quarter-master of Horse other duties there is none But I shall tell the Quatermasters of Horse that they should have skill in Castrametation as much as the Foot Quartermasters have and rather more for the last look only to the regular quartering of Men in the Field the first to the quartering of both Men and Horses A Corporal Corporals of Brigadeers of Horse should have experience for he either assists the Lieutenant in placing and setting the Guards or he doth it himself without his Lieutenant he sets the Sentinels and sees them reliev'd and orders the Patrovils which are Rounds He is to ride in Rank and if the Troop march not in breast but in three several Squadrons then there is a Corporal on the right hand of every Squadron but in absence of higher Officers Corporals lead Divisions so do they those parties which they are to command if there be none to command above them When a Troop is divided into three Squadrons they have not their denominations from the Corporals or Brigadeers but the first is called the Captains Squadron the second the Lieutenants the third the Cornets and if there be a fourth it is called the Quartermasters When a Troop marcheth the March of a Troop Captain leads the first division the Cornet with his Standard the second the Quartermaster leads the third and the Lieutenant brings up yet some will have the eldest Corporal to lead the last division and the Quartermaster to bring up on the Lieutenants left hand for which I see very small reason or rather none at all Some French Troops and ours likewise have besides these Officers whom I have nam'd a Sub-Lieutenant or under Lieutenant who Sub-Lieutenant hath no command in the Lieutenants presence but in his absence he commands over the Cornet the French have likewise a Guidon to whom perhaps may Guidon answer he who in other places is appointed to carry the Standard either in the Cornets absence or when he pleaseth to appoint him to carry it As to the Officers of the Regiment-Staff of the Cavalry they are the same with those of the Foot and their Duties are the same But now methinks I hear a Trumpeter sound a Call Of Trumpets and of Trumpeters I have spoke in my Discourses of the Roman Art of War That which I have now to add is Trumpeters should be skilful to sound all the Trumpeters points of War and in the Fields they should seldom want their Trumpets about them for sudden Alarms And because they are frequently sent to an Enemy they ought to be both witty and discreet and must drink but little that so they may be rather apt to circumvent others than be circumvented they should be cunning and whereever they are sent they should be careful to observe warily the Works Guards and Sentinels of an Enemy and give an account of them at their return to him who sent them One Trumpeter should constantly lodge where the Standard quarters The German Trumpeters assume to themselves a great deal of liberty and have in a manner set up Pretended priviledges of the German Trumpeters a Republick of their own independent of that Discipline by which the Army of which they are members is governed They pretend to have their own Laws whereby they punish crimes very severely especially such faults that any of their number commits against the Articles of War of that Prince whom they serve and endeavour to vindicate themselves from any punishment inflicted by others than those of their own Common-wealth If any Trumpeter be abus'd or disgrac'd whether by his own Ritmaster or any other Officer
and then they fall down to the reer and so of Leaders become Bringers-up till another rank comes behind them But I The first not at all good would have this manner of falling off banisht out of all armies for in a great Body it breeds confusion and though in drilling it may leisurely be done without any considerable disorder yet in service with an enemy where men are falling it procures a pitiful Embarras and though it did not yet it ought to The second good give way to a more easie way of falling off which is the second way I promised to tell you of and it is that I spoke of of falling down by the Intervals of ground that is between files and this I would have constantly done by turning to the left-hand after they have fired because after that Musqueteers recover their Matches and cast about their Musquets to the left-side that they may charge again which they are a doing while they fall off to the reer But But not at all to fall off is â—est there is a third way for Musqueteers to do service better than by any of these two and that is not to fall off at all but for every rank to stand still after it hath given fire and make ready again standing the second advancing immediately before the first and that having fired likewise the third advanceth before it and so all the rest do till all have fired and then the first rank begins again It is not possible that by this way of giving fire there can be the least confusion or any thing like it if Officers be but half men there is another way of firing sometimes practised that is by three ranks together the first kneeling the second stooping and the third standing these having fired the other three ranks march thorough the first three and in the same postures fire likewise But here I shall desire it to be granted to me that which indeed is undeniable Three ranks to fire at one time and then the other three that when the last three ranks have fired the first three cannot be ready to fire the second time Next firing by three ranks at a time should not be practised but when either the business seems to be desperate or that the Bodies are so near that the Pikemen are almost come to push of Pike and then no other use can be made of the Musquet but of the Butt-end of it I say then Not so good as all six ranks to fire at once that this manner of six ranks to fire at two several times is not at all to be used for if it come to extremity it will be more proper to make them all fire at once for thereby you pour as much Lead in your enemies bosom at one time as you do the other way at two several times and thereby you do them more mischief you quail daunt and astonish them three times more for one long and continuated crack of Thunder is more terrible and dreadful to mortals than ten interrupted and several ones though all and every one of the ten be as loud as the long one But that I seem not to pass my word to you for this be pleased to take the authority of Gustavus Adolphus King of Sweden who practised it at Practised at Leipsick the Battel of Leipsick where after he had fought long and that the Saxon Army on his left-hand was beaten by the Imperialists he caused the Musqueteers of some of his Brigades to fire all at once by kneeling stooping and standing which produced effects conform to his desire If you ask me how six ranks can fire all at one time and level their Musquets right I shall tell you the foremost three How to do it ranks must first be doubled by half files and then your Body consists but of three ranks and the posture of the first is kneeling of the second stooping and of the third standing and then you may command them all to fire If you command your ranks after they have fired to fall to the reer any of the two ways already spoken of though you take never so good heed you shall lose ground besides that it hath the show of a retreat but by making the ranks successively go before those which have fired you advance still and gain ground In this order should Dragoons fight in open field when they are mixed How Dragoons should fire and fall off with Horse in this order also should they fire and advance when they intend to beat an enemy from a Pass But when they are to defend a Pass a Bridg or a Strait they must then after firing fall off to the reer by marching thorough the Intervals of their several files because it may be supposed they have no ground whereon they can advance Martinet the French Marshal de Camp tells us of another manner of firing different from all these that I have mentioned as thus Of six ranks of Musqueteers he would have the first five to kneel the sixth to stand and fire first then the fifth to rise and fire next and consecutively the rest till the first rank have fired after which he will have the foremost five ranks to kneel again till the sixth discharge if the service last so long By this way you can gain no ground and I think its very fair if you keep the ground you have for I conceive you may probably lose it and which is worse the ranks which kneel before that which gives fire may be in greater fear of their friends behind them than of their enemies before them and good reason for it in regard when men are giving death to others and in expectation of the same measure from those who stand against them they are not so composed nor govern'd with so steady reason as when they are receiving leisurely lessons in cold blood how to pour Lead in their enemies bosoms But I have spoke of this in another place perhaps more than becomes a private person since I find that manner of giving fire is practised in the French Armies by order of his most Christian Majesty In the marshalling of Regiments Brigades Companies and Troops either of Horse or Foot Commanders must be very cautious when they have to do with an enemy not to charge the ordinary forms for if at that time you offer to introduce any new form wherewith your men are not acquainted you shall not fail to put them in some confusion than which an enemy cannot desire a greater New figures of Battels commendable advantage If you have a new figure of a Battel in your head be sure to accustom your Companies and Regiment very often by exercise to the practice of it before you make use of it in earnest But by this let me not seem to put a restraint on any ingenious spirit that is capable to create new figures I think they should be exceedingly cherisht by Princes and
A Doubled Batallion men as the file doth The way to marshal it is this The men you have to order their number being known double on paper for you will I suppose find that more easie than to double their number really in the field Then extract the square-root of that double number and that must be the number of men for your rank and the half of that must be the number of men for your file As by example you are to marshal 3200 men the number of ancient Regiments in a Doubled Batallion double them and say you have 6400 extract the square root of 6400 you will find it to be 80 for 80 multiplied by 80 produceth 6400 and so you must marshal your 3200 men 80 in rank and 40 being the half of 80 your file must consist of 40 men for multiply 80 by 40 the Product is 3200. Take an example of a number that is not square and let your men be 2500 double these and so they are 5000 look for the squarefoot of 5000 you will not find it exactly because it is not a square number and therefore you are to take the nearest and that will be 71 for 71 multiplied in it self produceth 5041 and that is 41 more than the double number of your men let therefore your rank be of 71 men the half whereof should be the number of your file this you cannot do exactly because 71 is an odd number you must therefore take 35 and that is the half of 70 and so make your file to consist of 35 men and you will be near right for 71 being multiplied by 35 produceth 2485 which wants but 15 of your number of 2500. We read that the Spaniards used these Batallions in the times of old but now they do not A Batallion of a large front is that in which there are many more men in the rank than in file These Batallions may be form'd easily and they are those Batallions of a large front which are now universally used but the square root men will needs give us a rule for it which is of a harder digestion than the practice of the thing it self Yet I shall tell you what it is you shall divide your whole men by that number of which you intend your front shall consist and the Quotient of that Division shall be the number of your file as by example you are to marshal a 1000 men and you intend they shall be 50 in rank divide the 1000 by 50 the Quotient is 20 and so your 1000 men shall be 50 in rank and 20 in file But if you intend to have a 100 in front you divide a 1000 by a 100 and the Quotient will be 10 and so your Batallion hath a 100 in front and 10 in file for a 100 multiplied by 10 produceth a 1000. We may safely conclude 10000 men may be marshal'd in this form of Batallion with the half of this Arithmetick and is daily practised For at this time all Bodies of Foot drawn up either ten or six deep and Bodies of Horse three deep are Batallions of large fronts and are marshal'd very well by those who neither know or ever did hear of a square-root But let me add to these Theoretical marshallings of a Batallion square both of men and ground let the number of your men be what it will And thus Make first as many men in file as in rank and then you have a Battallion square of men In the next place allow no more distance between your ranks than you do between your files and then your Batallion is square of ground likewise As for example you are to draw up 2500 men extract the root of that number A Batallion square of men and square of ground likewise you will find it to be 50 for 50 multiplied in it self produceth 2500 and therefore your rank must consist of 50 men and your file of 50 men and consequently you have a Batallion square of men then allow as you must do for every Combatant one foot to stand on by that means every rank possesseth 50 foot and every file 50 foot Allow 49 Intervals in the rank for more there are not and for every Interval three foot amounts to 147 foot and allow no more but three foot for every Interval in the file you have likewise 147 foot for the Intervals of files now add 147 to 50 which the fighting men stand on the aggregate will be 197 and so many foot of ground doth every rank possess and so much doth every file possess and consequently your Batallion of 2500 is square of ground as well as of men Would you know how much ground this Batallion so marshal'd possesseth in all multiply 197 by 197 and you will find the Product to be 38809 foot which will be near eight Italian miles But I hear Objection you cry out that six foot are always allow'd for an Interval between ranks But I answer you negatively not always for so many Foot are but allowed in Answered a march because the length of a Pike requires that distance when it is shoulder'd but standing in Battel ready to give or receive the Charge with Pikes either order'd or advanced three foot are sufficient for the Pikemen as well as for the Musqueteers and when they Charge one foot and a half of distance between ranks of Pikemen is enough If you will then make use of this Batallion of mine let it be with Pikes advanced but if you be pleas'd to follow my advice you shall never make use of it at all But all these forms of Battels fram'd by the square-root except the Batallion of a large front which is more easily fram'd without it than by it are of Most of all these useless much trouble and little use they are these which bring fewest hands to fight and renders them apt to be surrounded and so are all Batallions that have deep files Next by that manner of Embatteling you must constantly alter the forms and figures of your Battel according as the numbers of your men increase or decrease and in them there is a daily change Captain Cruso who Englished Du Preissacs Military Resolves in a Marginal Note calls Embatteling by the square-root an impertinent curiosity and to what purpose saith he the square-root since now all Europe marshals their foot ten deep except the Swede for he wrote near forty years ago And to that same sense at this time I say to what purpose the square root since now all Europe marshals their foot six deep and their Horse three deep except the Hollander But I shall bring you a greater authority against deep files and square-root Battels Xenophon tells us when Cyrus fought with Croesus for the Kingdom of Lidia Croesus his army was marshal'd both Horse and Foot thirty deep except his Mercenary Aegyptians who were ten thousand who would not says he abandon their Country custom in Aegyptians square Batallion
of 10000 men making square Battels and therefore their 10000 men were drawn up a 100 in rank and a 100 in file and a 100 times a 100 makes 10000. And so their Batallion was square of men and might have been also of ground if they allow'd no greater Intervals of ranks than of files which hardly they could do being they were all offensively arm'd with Pikes both long and strong But our Author saith that Cyrus was glad of this wishing Croesus's whole army had been marshal'd a thousand deep for then he had sooner destroy'd it as I have told you in the second Chapter of my Discourses of the Grecian Art of War Yet Xenophon tells us that these Aegyptians fought best of any of Croesus his army yea so long till they had fair quarter given them And withal he informs us that Cyrus his own army his Foot I suppose he means were marshal'd 24 deep and that was eight more than the depth of the Macedonian Phalanx CHAP. XVII Of the Modern way of Embatteling and Marshalling Armies AS all Armies are marshal'd according to the pleasure of those who command them so their pleasure often is and ever should be over ruled by the circumstances of time the posture of the enemy they have to do with the Weather the Sun the Wind and the ground on which they are to fight if the General find by his foreparties or Vancouriers that his enemy is before him drawn up in Battel ready to receive him he will do himself an injury to march forward for it is not to be fancied that his adversary will be so courteous as to permit him to marshal his army but will take his advantage and fall upon him before he can draw up his Van especially if his march have been thorough any close or strait Country and in such a condition as that a Generals A General should have a ready wit own ready wit and resolution must serve him for Counsellors for there will be no time given him to call a Council of War But we speak now of Embatteling Armies when Generals have half the choice of the ground The manner was in many places and still is in some to marshal Armies in three distinct Bodies one behind another the first was called the Vanguard the second the Battel the third the Reer-guard But several times every one Armies marshall'd in three distinct Bodies of those consisted of three Bodies likewise these were two wings of Horse and one Body of Foot and when they march'd these three great Bodies were called the Van Battel and Reer Their proper Title was to be called so when they marched for many times when they drew up in order of Battels it was in one Breast and then the Horse were divided in two wings and the Foot made the Battel This was done when the ground was very spacious and to prevent surrounding otherwise Armies seldom fight but in two Battels if not in three But as I said time ground the power of an enemy minister occasions to a Commander of an Army to alter the ordinary custom and frame a new method of his own to serve him for that opportunity I shall give you one instance and that of a mighty army marshal'd as few before it have been and I believe none since It was that which Charles the fifth and his Brother King Ferdinand had at Vienna when they lookt for Sultan Soliman the ground was very spacious and though their numbers were very great yet those of the Turk were How the mighty Army of the Emperour Charâ—es the Fifth was marshal'd at Vienna very much beyond them and they fear'd to be out-wing'd by his numerous Horse The order of their Battel was to be this if they had fought They had sixty thousand arm'd with Pikes Halberts Partisans and other long Staves these were divided in three great Batallions each of twenty thousand on the right hand stood one of them on the left hand the second and the third in the middle There were about six or seven thousand Harquebusiers on foot to attend each of these great Batallions of Pikes who were to have several little Intervals thorough which these Harquebusiers were to salley and fire incessantly before the grand Batallions till they should be necessitated to retire through these same Intervals to the Reer and then the Pikes were immediately to close and fill up those void places These three great Batallions separated one from another made two great Intervals in each of which stood fifteen thousand Horse Here then you see upon the matter one of the bravest Armies of Christians that ever was marshal'd in one front without reserve only some thousands of men were order'd to guard the Baggage and Munitions scarce read of before or since Here you see the Pikemen make the Wings whereas both before and since they made the Body Here you see the Firemen marshal'd behind and ordain'd to fally from their station and do their service in the Van and then to retire to their place according to the custom of the ancient Grâ—cian and Roman Velites and not marshal'd on the wings of the Pikes And here you see the Horse who before that time and since made the wings of an army make now the Body of it strongly flanked with Pikes this being the inversion of former Ordinances of War was then thought necessary to prevent the surrounding and the impetuosity of the Turks numerous Cavalry Armies for most part now are marshal'd in two distinct Bodies the Vanguard and the Arreer-guard which are commonly called Battel and Reserve But it is not only difficult but purely impossible for any the most experienced General to set down any one certain rule or order whereby he may constantly Battel and Reserve keep one manner of marshalling or one form of Battel as it is called forma aciei though he could be assur'd that his Regiments or Brigades of both Horse and Foot should constantly continue of one strength since the place situation Houses Villages Castles Hills Valleys rising heights hollow grounds Waters Woods Bushes Trees and Marshes do occasion such alterations as make the form or mould of an Army cast in one place change so much as you shall not know the face of it on another piece of ground perhaps not above one or two hours march from the former And in this as I said before the General is to act his part and take such advantages as he may and readily possess himself of such places which being in the enemies power might do him prejudice One of his great cares in Embatteling would be to secure both his Flanks of an Army to be well secur'd in â—attel flanks which are called the right and left hand of his Army with some River Brook Ditch Dike or Retrenchment if these cannot be so readily got then he may do it with the Waggons or Baggage of his Army for in time of-Battel it is almost impossible for a Batallion or
together as close as ever they could otherwise they could not pierce so home as was expected by those who cast them into those moulds But this will be better understood afterward Whether all those Grecians who were fit to bear Arms were Train'd or Exercis'd or some only of them elected for that purpose or whether those who were pick'd out and Train'd enter'd in pay before they were put in Companies or Troops or what that pay was or whether some were bred and Train'd in Military Schools and Seminaries as Alexander did with those 30000 Omissions of Aelian Persians whom he caus'd to learn the Macedonian Art of War and as the Grand Signior doth with his Janizaries we know nothing We should have been much bound to Aelian if he had vouchsafed to have given us any light in these particulars but he is defective all along in many things besides these The Grecians and more especially the Romans thought Training and Exercising so necessary a duty that they never either neglected or omitted it nay not in the times of the calmest Peace A Train'd and well Exercis'd Army hath the advantage of that which is not Train'd though the first be compos'd of Novices and Tyrones and the last of Veterans whereof Polybius a famous Historian and a good Captain gives us an observable example in his Fifth Book Aniiochus King of Syria presuming on the experience and Exercising a necessary duty approved valour of his Army and despising the Egyptians with their King Ptolomy an unactive Prince whom he had beat before neglected to exercise and keep his Souldiers in discipline mean time Sisibius Ptolomy's great Minister of State protracted time with feign'd Treaties with Antiochus till he had levied great numbers both of Natives and Strangers and had by Grecian Captains Train'd and Exercis'd them well in all Military duties so that when the two Kings fought at Raphia for the Kingdom of Câ—losyria with Armies of near equal numbers Ptolomy got the Victory CHAP. V. Of the Grecian Infantry WE are told by Aelian that the Grecian Foot were sometimes marshall'd sixteen deep sometimes twelve and sometimes eight Observe here that what he or other Authors call a Longitude we call a Rank which the Latines called Frons and Yugâ—â—â— and what they call'd Altitude we call a File or the depth The Germans after the Latine call the deepness of a File the height of it The Macedonians as Aelian saith marshall'd all their heavy Foot sixteen deep armed foot sixteen deep and this height or depth of a File our Author esteems to be absolutely the best because saith he it makes not too long a Front but what if it make too short a one But his reasons for sixteen deep we shall hereafter examine Every one of those Files had a leader who commanded it and was called Dicurio Decurio Observe here by the way that Decurio is not always he who commands ten men as many of my profession fansie The File had likewise its Tergiductor who was our Bringer up But in Aelians account this Rear-man had no command but was subject to the Middle-man who under the Leader commanded the last half of the File There were besides in every File as Aelian saith four Enomotarchs each whereof saith he had the command A File of three men But here assuredly our Author mistakes himself for four men and each of them the command of three make compleatly sixteen and so both File-leader and Middle-man were excluded But certainly the Decuria or Leader had the three men next him immediately under his command and the fifth man was an Enomotarch who had three under him then the Dimarite or Middle-man who commanded the last half of the File had the inspection of the three men immediately following and lastly the fifth man from the Dimarite and thirteenth from the Decurio had the three last men of the File recommended to his care By this means there are but four petty Commanders in every File whereas Aelian unadvisedly and unattentively made fix Lochos with the Grecians was our File two of these made a Dilochy which consisted of thirty two men its Commander was called Dilochita We have no Officer to represent him but a Lance Spesate Two Dilochies Ennumeration of the several Bodies of the Foot or four Files made a Tetrarchy whose number was sixty four its Officer was a Tetrarch whom a Caporal in a Company of two hundred or three hundred men may resemble Two Tetrarchies made a Taxiarchy its Commander was called Taxiarcha which Aelian's Translator renders Centurio His command was of eight Files which made one hundred twenty eight men And here I pray you observe that Centurio was not always strictly taken for a Captain of one hundred And we shall find hereafter in the Roman Militia his ordinary command was of sixty sometimes but of thirty as it is here of one hundred twenty eight A Sergeant in an old French or German Company represents this Grecian Taxiarch Two Taxiarchies which were sixteen Files made a Syntagmatarchy of two hundred fifty six men its Commander Syntagmatarcha was our private Captain This Company was a square of men sixteen in Rank and sixteen in File and whatever way you turn'd it still sixteen And if with Aelian you allow six foot of distance between Files as well as Ranks it will be a Body equilateral and a square of ground as well as a square of men But of these manner of Battels I shall speak particularly hereafter Two Syntagmatarchies compos'd a Pentecosiarchy consisting of five hundred and twelve men its Commander was called Pentecosiarcha or in Latine Tribunus minor we call him our Lieutenant Colonel Two Pentecosiarchies made a Chiliarchy of one thousand twenty four men its Commander was Chiliarcha or Tribunus major to whom answers directly our Modern Colonel of one thousand men Of two Chiliarchies was made up a Myriarchy Compar'd with our Modern Bodies of two thousand forty eight its Commander was Myriarcha About eighty years ago no Colonel in Germany had so few in his Regiment but now we shall say that he was as our Brigadeer Two Myriarchies made a Phalangarchy or simple Phalange consisting of four thousand ninety six men its Commander was called Phalangiarcha in Latine Praeter for whom suppose a modern Major General Two Phalangarchies made a Diphalangarchy compos'd of eight thousand one hundred ninety two men its Commander was called a Diphalangiarcha for whom we have none but a Lieutenant General Two of these made a Phalange over which commanded the General of the Infantry By this account we find in every Phalange two Diphalangarchies four Phalangarchies eight Myriarchies sixteen Chiliarchies two and thirty Pentecofiarchies sixty four Syntagmatarchies in all one thousand twenty four Files which consisted of sixteen thousand three hundred eighty four men at sixteen in every File Here you are to observe that every Syntagmatarchy or private Company consisting of two hundred fifty six men had beside
hinder either Prince or State to appoint the depth of their Batallions to be twelve ten eight or six deep as they think fit though by some of them the Bodies cannot be subdivided till they come to one File or one Rank for it was never seen nor do I fansie it can be imagin'd that ever such an emergency of War will fall out that can move a General unless he be to File his Army along a very narrow Bridge or a very narrow way to marshal all his Foot either in one Rank or one File So I conceive the first reason is no reason at all A second Reason is In time of Action an Enemy may charge the Second reason for 16 deep Rear to rencounter whom the Dimaritâ— or Middle-men are commanded with the Half-Files that follow them to face about but without countermarch and sustain the charge By the way observe that in such an occasion the Bringer up or Rear-man hath the command of the Half-File and consequently of the Dimarite or Middle-man himself to whom Aelian gave it before But to the reason it self I give two answers First a Reserve which Aelians Phalange admits not would prevent that danger Secondly I say if they were but twelve in File nay but ten in File they might withstand Answered the charge of an Enemy in both Van and Rear as well as being sixteen deep which I make appear out of Aelian himself thus The Grecian Pikes were all eighteen Foot long except the Macedonians which were twenty one We shall speak of the longest Next Aelian allows one foot and a half of distance between Ranks when they fought which distance he or his Interpreter calls Constipatio Thirdly the same Author allows three foot of the Pikes length for his hands who presents it These grounds being laid which are the Authors own I say that only four Ranks of the Grecian Pikes and five of the Macedonian could do an Enemy any hurt and but hardly so either because between five Ranks there are four distances and for those you are to allow six foot at Aelians account of closest distance next you are by his rule likewise to allow fifteen foot of the Pikes of the fifth Rank to be abated from their length which fifteen being added to six make one and twenty for three foot of the Pikes length of the first Rank being allowed for their hands who hold them you must of necessity grant the like proportion for the rest And so the Macedonian Sarissa did not much advance its point from the fifth Rank beyond the first Rank and therefore the rest behind these five Ranks seem useless But an Enemy attacks the Rear to oppose whom let five Ranks face about and present for if five be sufficient to resist the shock in the Van certainly five may do the same in the Rear And if you will consider it well you will think the points of the Pikes of five Ranks sufficient to give or receive a charge if all the Files be â—err'd together as the Grecians were and as all should be that no interval be given an Enemy to enter between them If then ten Ranks were enough to resist an Enemy in Front and Rear I presume the other six might have been dispos'd of two ways first they might have been bestow'd on the Front and so have extended it to a far greater length which would have brought more hands to fight and not only sav'd the Phalange from being out-wing'd but have put it in a capacity to out-wing the Enemy Secondly these six Ranks might very advantagiously have compos'd a Body apart in the Rear and that should have been a Reserve and then no danger of an Enemy to have troubled the Battel behind But I am afraid you may think I am making up a Grecian Militia of my own unknown to the famous Warriours of that renowned Nation I shall tell you truly and ingenuously my quarrel is only with Aelian because he hath not told us so much as he knew and so much as he was oblig'd to tell us which in this particular is that I am now to tell you and it consists in two things one that Phalanges were not always sixteen deep and secondly that they wanted not always Reserves To prove both be pleased to take the following Instances At Deâ—â—s when the Athenians fought with the Thebans and other Boeotians the Phalanges were all of them eight dâ—â—p and all Phalanges eight deep of them had Reserves At Leuctra Epaminondas his Foot Batallions were all marshall'd in eight Ranks At Siracusa when the Athenian General Niciaâ— was to fight he plac'd his Auxiliaries in the two Wings his Athenians he divided into two great Bodies the half whereof he marshall'd in the Battel between the two Wings the other half he plac'd behind at a distance with And had Reserves command to succour either the Wings or the Battel as they saw them or any of them stand in need of their help and this was a perfect Reserve And observe that his Wings Battel and Reserve were all marshall'd eight deep Take Thucydides a noble Historian and a good Captain for my Author But you will say these were not Macedonian Phalanges true but they were Grecian ones though and the Commanders of them without all peradventure did well enough foresee in what danger their Phalanges of eight deep might be by a sudden charge of an Enemy in the Rear which no question they would have oppos'd by making the last four Ranks face about if their Reserves serv'd not their turn neither could the fourth Rank extend its Pikes being three foot shorter than the Macedonian ones much beyond the first Rank But to take the Objection more fully let us come nearer and view the Great Alexanders Army at Arbela and we shall see he was not at all limited by Aelians rules of a Macedonian Phalange though by it they say he conquer'd the Persian Monarchy Sir Walter Raleigh saith right that in this place Alexander drew up his Forces so that they fac'd to Van Rear and both Flanks but this is not to be understood so that he made his heavy armed Phalange front four several ways for then it should have been immovable and only apt to resist but not to advance which had been both against the intentions of that brave Prince and his actions of that day for he charg'd the Persian Batallions both with his Horse and Foot But the meaning must be that he order'd some Horse and Foot at a distance from his main Battel to face to the Rear for preventing any misfortune there and the like he did on both his Flanks but all these when his main Battel mov'd fac'd to the Van and advanced with it and when it stood they took up their former distances and fac'd as they were appointed And all this was done lest his Army small in comparison of that with Darius should be surrounded If the Army he was afraid to
be out-wing'd as assuredly he was it will easily be granted Alexander at Arbela but eight deep that the more ground he took up in Front the less subject he was to that danger And this Curtius confirms when he tells us that the Commanders of the several Bodies had orders given them to extend their Batallions as far in length as without eminent danger they might lest saith the same Author they should be environ'd I conceive then it cannot be doubted but Alexander studying how to make as large a Front as feasibly he might against so numerous an Enemy he made his heavy arm'd Foot Phalange but eight deep as that which suited best with his present affairs and as he had seen other Grecian Captains do before him for by that means he made himself master of twice as much ground as he had when it was marshall'd sixteen in File That he had Reserves is most clear both from Curtius and others for Nicanor follow'd the Phalange with the Argyraspides or Silver Shields and these were heavy armed observe it and Cenos with a Band of men which And had Reserves saith Curtius was appointed note this to be a Relief Then Horestes Lincerta Polycarpon and Philagus all with several Bodies follow'd the Phalanx And that all these were Reserves Aelian himself nor any for him will not be so impudent as to deny But I shall speak more of the marshalling this Army in the Chapter following the next I come now to the third Reason which is pretended for sixteen deep of Third reason for 16 deep the heavy armed Phalange And it is this Though the Pikes of all those Ranks that stand behind the fifth or if you will the sixth be useless in regard they can reach but little or nothing beyond the File leader and you will remember these Ranks are not fewer than ten if not eleven yet being at close order with their Pikes advanc'd they bear forward with the weight and force of their Bodies those five or six Ranks that are before them and so make the Impression the greater and stronger they take all occasion of flight from them and impose a necessity on them to overcome or dye I answer first that this pretended advantage if it was any at all was very oft dear Answered bought Secondly I say five Ranks having their Pikes presented to the Enemy three Ranks behind them might have serv'd sufficiently to bear forward the five before them or if Aelian thought six Ranks might present all their Pikes with advantage then let four Ranks be allowed behind them to bear them forward to the charge and hinder them to fly and this will make in all but ten Ranks and so still six Ranks might have been disposed of either to enlarge the Front or make a Body in the Rear for a Reserve And thirdly I say when Aelian's six formost Ranks were busie in fight the ten behind them who were to bear those six forward were at their closest distance which he calls constipation and so not able to open very suddenly and face about in so good order and so soon as was requisite to receive or beat back the charge of an unexpected Enemy For certainly they must first have open'd backward and then fac'd about both which must have been done by the command of some of their Officers probably the Lieutenant and it is well enough known how confusion and disorder which seldome fails to attend such occasions stops the ears and dulls the judgement of Souldiers that they can neither hear nor understand the words of Command aright I will fetch two instances from History and those I believe will prove all I have said and clear this whole matter pretty well At the Battel of Cynocephalae or Dogs heads fought by Philip the last King Battel of Cinocephalae of Macedon except one against Titus Flaminius a Roman Consul the half of Philips heavy armed Phalange on the right hand bore down all before it and trod over the Legions gaining ground so far that the Macedonian thought the day his own But Flaminius having observ'd that the left Wing of the Phalange could not draw up in any close order because of the unevenness and knottiness of the Mountain whose little hillocks represented the heads of Dogs sent a Tribune with a Legion and some Elephants up the Hill to charge that Left Wing which he smartly doing easily routed it and immediately fell on the Rear of the victorious Right wing and without opposition cut it in pieces Now if the Left Wing of the Phalange which had no convenient ground whereon to draw up had plac'd it self on the top of the Hill at a distance behind the Right Wing as a Reserve the Romans durst never have hazarded to have come between them or if the last ten Ranks of the Right Wing who serv'd for nothing but to bear forward the other six Ranks had fac'd about according to Aelians rule they could not so easily have been broken But the close posture or constipation of these last ten Ranks to bear forward the formost six Ranks made them uncapable to do that quickly which the present necessity required or else the sudden charge of an unlook'd for Enemy did so appal them that they knew not what they were doing nor who commanded or who obeyed which as I have said frequently falls out in such cases So this Phalanx cast in Aelian's Macedonian mould cost King Philip very dear but another modell'd after the same fashion cost his Son Perseus much dearer At Pidna a Town of Macedon King Perseus fought with Lucius Aemilius Battei of Pidna a Roman Consul and the ground for his Phalange being as good as his own heart could wish the Roman Legions were not able to resist its furious charge but gave ground in several places insomuch that the Consul seeing Fortune look with so grim a countenance upon him began to despair of the Victory and to tear his Coat of Arms but being of a ready judgement he quickly espied his advantage for he saw the Phalange open its constipation some small Bodies of it pursuing those who gave ground and others fighting loosely with those of his Romans who made stouter opposition and therefore order'd some of his Legionaries to fall into those void and empty places of the several Phalangarchies and these getting entrance at those intervals came upon the sides of the Macedonian Pike-men and so without much trouble made most of them dye on the place If but a third nay a fourth or fifth part of this Phalange had been standing at a convenient distance in Reserve ready to have charg'd the weary and disorder'd Legions will any man doubt but that in all humane probability Perseus had been Master of the Field But the want of that lost him in the twinkling of an eye his Wife and Children his Kingdom his Riches which he lov'd too well his Honour and at last his Life The Defect then of
the Macedonian Phalange as Aelian describes it was Defects of Aelians Phalange two-fold First by the exorbitant deepness of its File it took not up ground enough in the Front and next it admitted not of a Reserve Both which inconveniencies other Grecians shunn'd and so did Alexander himself the greatest Macedonian that ever was But I am of opinion that Aelian in his days never saw any thing except in figures so like the other Grecian Phalangarchies as we may see very frequently in our Modern Wars for he wrote his Tacticks to the Emperour Adrian who liv'd some Centuries after the Grecian Phalange was forc'd to do homage to the Roman Legion Our Author tells us that the Velites or light armed foot were half the Velites number of the heavy armed but we shall see hereafter that this held but seldome He will also have them to be eight deep because the heavy arm'd were sixteen in File By this rule the other Grecians who marshall'd their heavy arm'd eight in File should have drawn up their Velites but four deep Aelian doth also appoint them to be drawn up behind the Phalange and Indeed he might make them stand perhaps march where he pleas'd but the manner of their Fight being a la disbandad we may believe they kept but little good order in fighting with an Enemy less in pursuing him and least of all in flying from him CHAP. VII Of the Grecian Cavalry with some Observations upon it IT seems the Greeks did not tye themselves to any precise or certain number of Horse in their Armies as Aelian hath tyed them to a determinate number of Foot some of them using more some fewer as they conceiv'd needful for managing the present War they had in hand augmenting and diminishing the numbers of their Horse Troops as also the number of the men of each Troop as they found their occasions required Aelian tells us that Officers of a Horse Troop every Troop of Horse had a Captain whose place was in the Van a Lieutenant whose station was in the Rear and a Cornet who he saith stood with his Standard in the second Rank next him who was on the Right hand of the Troop All these we have He saith it had likewise two Flank Commanders who if they rode in Rank are represented by our Corporals He tells us nothing of a Quarter-master perhaps one of these Flank-Officers was he or officiated for him But that wherein he is very forgetful is that he makes no mention of a Trumpeter but assuredly since every Foot Company called a Syntagmatarchy that had Colours was allow'd a Trumpeter every Troop of Horse having a Standard had likewise one if not more Nor speaks he of Horn-winders though these were used by the Grecians as other Authors tell us Other Nations used them also The Persians had them for Xenophon in his first Book saith that Cyrus had his Corniciâ—â—s or Horn-blowers as well as Tubicines Trumpeters The Romans had them also whereof we shall speak hereafter Aelian in that Treatise of his De instrâ—â—ndiâ— Aciâ—â—â—â— gives us many figures of Troops of Horse most of which do but represent the several postures of a Body of Horse in doubling Files and Ranks and Countermarching Some of these figures it will be found difficult to imitate and perhaps our Author as ingenious as he was would himself have found it hard to have marshall'd them so in the Field as he hath done in Papâ—r and they are indeed but those Schematismi whereof Lâ—psiâ—â— on another occaâ—ion speaks Three odd figures of Horse Troops Particularly Aelian presents us with an Oval Figure of a Troop another of a Lunar or Crescent and a third which he calls Phalanx Inâ—â—rva not unlike that form of Battel after which the famous Hannibal is said to have drawn up his Mercenaries at Cannae which Body could no sooner move but presently iâ— lost its form and therefore I think it is probable that he marshall'd his Auxiliaries in that fashion to stand before his choice Carthaginians to weary the Romans that so his best Souldiers might have a cheaper Market of them as the Great Turk is said to blunt the Swordâ— of his Enemies with the Interposition of his Asapi between them and his Janizaries If any of the Grecian Troops of Horse were drawn up after any of these three forms that I have mention'd I shall very boldly say that they needed to have kept their ground very tenaciously and to have receiv'd the Enemies charge very â—â—â—â—fastly and couragiously for to my sense it was impossible for them either to march or give the charge without falling immediately into an irrecoverable disorder and this may be obvious to any man that will have the curiosity to look upon them and consider them right I find the Grecians used three kinds of Battels of Horse ordinarily not to Three forâ—â— of Horse Batallions speak of extravagant ones These were the Rhombus the Wedge and the Square The Thessulians who were thought to be the first and perfectest Horse-men in Europe used the Rhombus The invention of the Wedge is given to Philip of Macedon Father of Alexander and the Square was used by them both as also by all the other Grecians who sometimes made use likewise of the other two forms A Rhombus is a Geometrical Figure consisting of four acute Angles and The first is the Rhombus four sides equilateral or if you imagine two equilateral Triangles joyn'd back to back and their Angles equidistant for when two Triangles are joyn'd both of them have but four corners you conceive the figure of a Rhombus right enough To explain the Rhombus Horse Battel let us imagine a Troop to consist of sixty four Riders which number Aelian gives to a Macedonian Troop These sixty four were thus marshall'd Next the Captain stood one Horseman Simple Rhombus behind him two next them three behind them four then five then six then seven then eight That Rank of eight made two Angles where the two Flank Commanders stood for behind that Rank the number decreas'd as thus Behind the eight stood seven then six then five then four then three then two and lastly one Add all these together you will find the aggregate to be sixty four Behind the last one to my sense stood the Lieutenant though Aelian in some of his Figures seems to make the Captain and Lieutenant to be two of the number and if the two Flank Commanders were so too then the Troop consisted only of sixty besides Officers and not of sixty four There is another kind of Rhombus which in some sense may be called a The greater Rhombus double one and it is marshall'd by increasing the number of every Rank after the first by two till you come to the eighth Rank and after that your number is to decrease by two in every Rank till you come to one and then your Rhombus shall consist of one hundred
suitable to so many Guns The Author tells us that King Henry view'd this mighty Army of his near the City of Metz where he saith it was drawn up in Battalia but he forgot A great oversight to inform us here of two very considerable points the one of what altitude or depth both the Foot and Horse were the second what distances were kept or order'd to be kept between the several Files and Ranks both of Horse and Foot and how great the Intervals were between the several Batallions and Bodies as well of the Cavalry as the Infantry for thereby we should have been able not only to have made a probable conjecture but determinately to have known how much ground the whole Army took up in longitude but there are others who are guilty of this neglect as well as this Author of ours who hath fail'd in this With these indeed formidable Forces did the French King intend to defie and fight within the Bowels of the German Empire Charles the Fifth a greater and braver Prince than whom though he had not been elected Emperour of the Romans either for propriety and large extent of Patrimonial Dominions or for personal Courage and Prudence the Western World had not seen since the time of Charles the Great But whilest this Magnanimous King is viewing and exceedingly pleasing himself Henry views his army with the sight of his gallant Army a beggarly and contemptible crew of some Souldiers some Soujats and Grooms and some Countrey Clowns in sight of this great Prince his Nobility in splendid equipage and of his whole Batallions charg'd those who were appointed to guard the Baggage and in spite of the King then in his greatest strength carried a rich and considerable And receives an affront booty into Theonville an Imperial Garrison not far from the place Nor was this affront done so publickly to so powerful an Army at all reveng'd only some Light Horse were sent before the Town to vapour and brave the Imperialists who fail'd not to sally out and skirmish with the French from which bickering neither party carried away any thing but blows And at length Henry's great preparations came to nothing for the two German Princes having not without some stain to their Honour made their Peace with the Emperour without the French Kings privity he was glad to return and defend his own Territories against Charles who was horribly incens'd against him for offering to assist his Rebels for so he call'd those Electors against his Lawful Authority As this French Army which I think so much represented the Phalange Conclusion vanish'd so the Macedonian Phalanx it self on which Aelian bestows the Titles and Epithets of Invincible Inexpugnable and Irresistable after it had in Philips and his Son Alexanders time given the Law to the Eastern World and after their deaths had been kept up by Alexanders Successors and Great Captains the space of one hundred and sixty years yielded to fate and was brought to nothing in Perseus his time and Macedon it self reduced to a Province by the Romans of whose Legions Art and Order of War we are in the next place to take a view PALLAS ARMATA Military Essays ON THE ANCIENT ROMAN ART of WAR BOOK II. CHAP. I. Of the Ancient Roman Government and Militia in General THE hand of Heaven which cast the Empire of the best part of the known World into the lap of the Romans was the more visible in that before they came to any great progress of Conquest and after too their State was Inward Diseases of the Roman State obnoxious to those difficulties which might have render'd it not only incapable to overcome its Enemies but subject to be a prey to any of its Neighbours And of these any who have perus'd their Histories may if they please with me observe them which follow First Their frequent change of Government as from Kings to Consulâ— First then to Consuls joyn'd with Tribunes of the People from these to a Decemvirate from that to Military Tribunes invested with Consular Authority from them to Consuls again from these to a Triumvirate and from that to Emperours Secondly The almost continual â—arrs and debates between the Senate and Second the People not only concerning the â—ex 〈…〉 and division of Lands but even about the Supreme Power of the Governament it self in which the Commons ever gain'd ground and at the long-run obtain'd the principal points and marks of the Soveraignty those were the 〈…〉 of Magistrates yea of the Consuls making and repeating Laws power of Life and Death and the last Appeal Thirdly The constantly Seditious Orations and Practices of the Tribunes Third of the People whereby they publickly obstructed many times the Levies of Souldiers and the pursuance of many Victories gain'd against their Neighbours Whilest the State was yet in its Infancy all those alterations and contentions proceeding from an inward disease of State could not choose but exceedingly weaken it in the undertaking any great action abroad But Fourthly Their Cruelty and Ingratitude to their own Citizens and Captains Fourth who had done them the best and greatest services some whereof I shall instance in in another place few of them all escaping a severe censure enough to withdraw any generous Spirit from a desire to serve them Fifthly Their frequent making Dictators almost upon every sudden apprehension Fifth of fear or supposed danger an Office so unlimited having power to do and command what they pleas'd without comptrol appeal or â—ear to be question'd after their time expired that it is a wonder none of them prevented Julius Câ—sar in usurping the Soveraignty Sixthly Their making two Consuls of equal authority the very fuel of discord Sixth at home and of most dangerous consequence abroad when a powerful Enemy necessitated them to joyn their Forces Take some Instances In one of the Wars against the Volscians Lucius Furius was joyn'd in equal Command with Marcus Furius Camillus that famous Roman who freed his Countrey from the Invasion of the Gauls in this War young Lucius would needs fight sore against old Camillus his advice and well beaten â—e was and had been utterly routed if the old man had not waited hiâ— opportunity and come to his rescue with the Triariâ— Fabius the Dictator nick-nam'd the Cunctator had Minutius joyn'd in equal command with him who would needs with the half of the Army fight Hanâ—â—bal whether the Dictator would or not The Carthaginian beats him and had made an end of him and perhaps of the War too if old Fabius had not parted the fray But the Romans escap'd not so easily at Cannae for there Terentius Varro in spite of his Colleague Paulus Aemilius fought with the same Hannibal where both of them receiv'd such an overthrow that if he who gave it them had follow'd Maharbal's advice and immediately marched he might in all probability have din'd the fifth day after in the Capitol and for
yet is he not at the pains to give us so perfect a description of them as other Authors have done He tells us of Shields and that all the heavy armed Foot had Shields but speaks not of their form nor bigness A nice distinction There be some and among them Achilles Terduzzi who make a difference between a Shield and a Target and it is this the first was of a round figure and the second of a long angular or oval If so we must conclude those used by the Romans to have been Targets and no Shields in regard they were ordinarily four foot long and two foot and a half broad But notwithstanding this nice distinction I shall use the word promiscuously and call the Roman Target a Shield If we consider that there was an allowance of three foot of ground between the Roman Files and that the breadth of their Shields covered two foot and a half of that ground we must conclude there was but one half foot left for them first to throw their Javelines or Darts and then to present the points of their Swords against their Enemies and their Shields being so near each other and their Bodies so strongly defended by them and their other Armour it is no wonder they either gave or received a charge couragiously For Vegetius saith well in the twentieth Chapter of his First Book that those who are exposed naked to receive Wounds must think more of flying than fighting And in the end of that same Chapter he saith that he who hath his Head and Breast well arm'd is not afraid of Wounds and therefore needs not fear to fight As first the Roman Shields were made of Timber Bulls-hides or other Leather The Roman Shield artificially interwoven and wrought together the Timber being ordinarily of the Fig or Willow-tree cut in small pieces and all well cover'd with the strongest Leather But Camillus having to do with the Gauls who carried heavy slashing Swords caused them to put a Margin or Border of Iron on the upper part of the Shield thereby to resist the force of their furious blows and after Camillus his time there was a strong-pointed piece of Iron put to the lower part of the Shield upon which they fix'd it in the ground either when they stood Centinel or when they stood in Battel aray expecting an Enemy as Aeâ—ilius his Legions did when they were to fight with Perseus and his Macedonian Phalange for at those times they lean'd and rested themselves on their Shields They made also good use of those points by pushing and thrusting with them at an Enemy when they came to any close medley Many and almost all Nations besides the Grecians and Romans made use of Shields especially the Gauls and Germans who peradventure had the use of them before the Romans were a Nation Of Shields either in Battel or at the taking of Towns and Forts was A Tortoise oâ— Shields compos'd that Figure which the Romans called Testudo or Tortoise because it resembled that Animal which covers it self within its shell and there were two kinds of it The first was framed thus The first Ranks cover'd their First kind faces with their Shields and all the rest kept their Targets above their heads thereby making such a Wall of Defence that they were not only able say Authors to despise all Darts Stones and Arrows but to resist a furious charge of either Horse or Foot But I wonder why any Tactick will call Not Invincible this figure of Battel Invincible even against missile Weapons since the Romans themselves were oftner than once beaten by the Parthian Archers And Lâ—vius tells us in his Tenth Book that in the great Battel fought by the Romans against the Samnites Vmbrians and Gauls when both the Hastati and Principes were well near routed some Tribunes coming with the Triarii to the rescue found the Gauls serr'd together in a Testudo covering themselves with their great Shields in such a manner that the Roman Triarii who were heavy arm'd durst not hazard on them till first with Darts Javelines and other Missiles they put them in disorder and then they routed them Livius Second kind of a Tortoise tells us of the second kind of the Testudo made of Shields at the assaulting of Towns the manner this So many Centuries Maniples or Cohorts as the Consul or General pleas'd stood near the Walls or Ports with their Shields over their heads the first Rank stood streight the second bowed a little the third bowed a little more than the second the fourth more than the third so still declining till the last Rank suppose the tenth kneel'd Up their Backs as up stairs did those who were ordain'd to storm run to the assault and so either enter'd or broke down places for others to enter This I believe was practis'd often in their Plays on the Amphitheatres and indeed it was more to be used in jest than in earnest for great Stones thrown down by the Defendants would easily have broken the Tortoise-shell and then molten Lead boyling Oyl or scalding Water all ordinarily practis'd on such occasions by the Ancients would to my sense either soon have kill'd or chac'd away the Tortoise it self It is my opinion that when the Romans march'd and no Enemy in sight of them they carried their Head-pieces at their girdles and their Shields within covers on their Backs my reason is Caesar in the Second Book of the Gallick War saith that the Nervians gave him so brisk and sudden a a charge that his Souldiers had not time enough to put on their Head-pieces or pull their Shields out of their covers And it was necessary they should have been covered for the preservation of those Devices and Coats of Arms that were Painted on them a custome used by several Nations before Romulus laid the foundation of Rome But both before and long after the Romans had over-master'd the habitable World or most of it men used to Coats of Arms. put on their Shields what fancies or devices they liked best some Birds some Beasts of several kinds some the noble actions of their Ancestors some the Sun some the Moon and some a lesser Star This I suppose gave the rise to many of our Romance Writers to give several denominations to all their Knights Errant by the devices of their Shields and to make them distinguishable thereby when their faces were undiscernable with the Beavors of their Helmets But in after ages Princes thought fit to restrain men from the vanity of taking Coats of Arms as they pleas'd till they were given them by authority Hence have the Heraulds their rise and if they were permitted to exercise their office strictly it is to be thought we should not see so many extravagant Coats in the World I was acquainted long ago with a German and there be many good Heraulds of that Nation who had assum'd for his Coat the French Kings Arms I ask'd
Troops Let us see how Polybius will help us in all or in any of these In his sixth Book he says In old times two hundred Horse were assign'd for every Legion and these were elected after the Foot were levied but in his Election of the Horsemen own time and long before it three hundred Horse were appointed for every Legion and were elected before the Foot and elected they were not by the Consuls or Tribunes as the Foot were but by the Censor This is all Polybius saith of their election Out of History we find that the Roman Horse-men were all of the Equestral Dignity that is Gentlemen yet in ancient times they serv'd on Horses bought at the publick charges and when any of them committed gross faults their Horses were taken from them which was justly accounted an ignominy Thereafter when they came to serve on their own Horses yet on the publick wages there was a lustration or muster of them when the Censors pleas'd but ordinarily it was once in five years of all those of that Rank who were able both for their Persons and their Purses to serve on Horse-back and then they rode in State on the best Horses and in the best equipage they were able to procure and past by the place where the Censors sate as Judges All those who could be accus'd of no Misdemeanour rode on without interruption but such as the Censors could charge with enormous crimes were stopp'd and commanded to sell their Horses which was no small disgrace to them And this Muster or Show was called Transvectio Transvectio Of the Duties of their Horse-men their Guards and Watches and of their Pay Polybius speaks not much I shall say something of each of them in their proper places He speaks a little of the Distance between Troops of which I shall treat in my Discourse of Intervals The same Polybius avers That the three hundred Horse levied or elected First difference between Polybius and Vegetius for each Legion were divided into ten Troops every one whereof consisted of thirty Riders which made up compleatly three hundred Horse Here Polybius and Vegetius differ the last allowing thirty two Horse-men to a Troop and the first but thirty for certainly in Companies of so small a number two made a considerable difference Out of these thirty Riders says Polybius three Prafecti were chosen by whom he tells not but lets us suppose by the Consul or some of the Tribunes He on the Right Hand had the command of the Troop In his absence he on the Left Hand had it and he not being present the third did officiate These three chose three others to be Agminis or Turmae Coactores for so Casaubon renders it in Latin The first Elected Praefectus was called Turmae Ductor the Leader of the Troop the other two were called Decuriones and I suppose one of them carried the Vexillum or Banner though Polybius tells us nothing of it And yet it should not have been omitted since every Troop had a Standard Now by this reckoning of Polybius so weak a Troop was but a Caporalship and he who commanded it but a Caporal The two other Decurions but Leaders of Files and the three Agminis Coactores but Bringers up For we do not find that any one of them was supernumerary but the contrary that all of them were members of the Troop and elected out of the number of the thirty so that without those six Polybius his Turmae were but twenty four strong Nor shall you find that any greater Pay was allowed to any of these six than to the other four and twenty And this difference is also to be observed between Polybius and Vegetius that the first speaks of three Decurions and as many Sub-Decurions the last only of one Decurion Nor Second difference indeed do I find at all any warrant in History for Vegetius his thirty two Riders since all agree that for most part three hundred Horse were levied with each Legion and these three hundred divided into ten Turmas which made thirty for each Troop But we shall examine how he disposeth of these two supernumery Riders when we come to speak of his Legion How deep or how many in File these Troops were none of our Tacticks Deepness of the Roman Horse not told us directly write no more than they do of the depth or the heighth of the Foot An inexcusable oversight For without the knowledge of that we can neither know nor guess what ground a Maniple Cohort Troop or Legion could or might take up Vegetius gives us some ground to conjecture that in his opinion the Foot were eleven in File For in the last Chapter of his second Book as I observed before he saith for every Carrobalist Mules were appointed to draw it and to manage and have a care of it a Contubernium of Soldiers that is saith he eleven men This will not positively make eleven in File yet it gives a strong presumption that Vegetius thought so which if he did and that it was so indeed all Masters of the Military Art have taken up their measures wrong in appointing Foot Files to be of even and equal numbers as sixteen twelve ten eight and six As to the Roman Horse some may have mistaken Polybius who think he insinuates they were marshall'd eight in File For who will consider right what he writes will find that in that place he spoke not at all of the Roman Cavalry The passage is in the twelfth Book of his History where he puts himself to much trouble to demonstrate the vanity and absurdity of Polybius against Calisthenes Calisthenes his Relation of that great Battel fought in Cilicia between Darius and Alexander where that Historian saith that the Persian King marched with thirty thousand Horse in Battel and called up his mercenaries to him who were as many All this in a ground not above fourteen Stadia or Furlongs in Latitude which makes but one Italian mile and three quarters As also that Alexander marched in Battel with his whole Foot forty Stadia five Italian miles in an uneven woody and broken ground The impossibility of both which Polybius as an experienced Captain undertakes to demonstrate And this he could not do unless he had first considered how deep the Horse were marshall'd otherwise he could not know of what Longitude the front of thirty thousand Horsemen would be whether they would require more ground than the fourteen Furlongs allowed by Calisthenes as no doubt they did And therefore he agrees on eight deep his words are these In just Battels saith he the Horse Battalion is so ordered for most part that its deepness consisted of eight Riders Now first he saith for most part Vt plurimum not always for indeed I doubt not but he knew well enough it was not always so Secondly he speaks there of Persian and Gracian Armies and what he says of the deepness of their Horse Squadrons
Velites were not to stand in the intervals of the heavy armed but only either to advance to the Van or retire to the Reer through them and he knew too that the intervals between Maniples were principally for the Maniples of the first Class to fall in the intervals of the second Class and the Intervals of the third Batallion for the Maniples of the other two to full back to them and therefore to allow but ten foot for every one of these Intervals is an inexcusable error in him and a conjecture which hath no coherence with sense nor can ever be justified by reason That General never breath'd that could draw up a band of men consisting of twelve Files in ten foot of ground Now every Maniple of the Pâ—â—â—cipes and Hastati according to Polybius whom Lipsius follows consisted of one hundred and twenty men and these being ten deep constituted twelve Files these have eleven Intervals every one of which being three foot make thirty three foot add twelve to that for the twelve Files to stand on the aggregate True Intervals between Maniples is forty five foot and if you allow but two foot for every Interval between Files the Interval between two Maniples must be thirty four foot for it is not possible you can allow less ground for an Interval than that which a Body possesseth that is ordain'd to stand in that Interval Hence I think it is obvious to common sense that all the Intervals between the Maniples of the Hastati and Principes were of forty five foot or thirty four at least And those of the Triarii of ninety foot or sixty eight at least in regard they were to receive the Maniples of both the Hastati and Principes In the clearing this point of Distances I have been perhaps too prolix and have used repetitions which I condemn in others but being it is almost impossible to have so much as a general notion of a Roman Army how it was Marshall'd or of any other Army unless you know the Intervals I have not thought it amiss to spend a little paper on that Subject And indeed we are left as in many other Points necessary to be known so in this to grope in the dark Nor have I been so severe to the learned Lipsius for his extravagant conjectures of Roman Intervals but I shall be ready to accept and desire others to do so too of his own excuse which I shall give you in his own words as I find them in the fourth Book of his Commentary Hâ—◠〈◊〉 as me as â—â— rerâ—â—â—â— veterâ—â—â— quas Lipsius excused revera per leves conjecturas fallacia vestigia 〈◊〉 Ah says he my darkness or that of ancient things which indeed we must hunt after with uncertain conjectures and through fallacious footsteps CHAP. XV. Of the Roman Allies and Auxiliaries and the mistakes of some Authors concerning them YOU may read very frequently in Roman story of Socii Allies and Confederates who were obliged by Covenant and Stipulation to send out such an assistance of men for the City of Rome as the Senate or the Consul required till a little before Julius Caesar's time after that you shall read no more of them for then they were all made Citizens of Rome and reckon'd to be of one Incorporation The difference between Allies and Auxiliaries was the first could only be Italians the second were of any other Nation Hence it is that though we read of no Allies that join'd with Lucullâ—â— Sylla Pompâ—y Caesar Anthony Vespasian and his Son Titus yet we find their Armies mightily strengthened by Auxiliaries But indeed the Romans did but fool some of the Italian Towns and Republicks with the goodly show of Alliance and the honourable title of Socii whereas truly they used them no better than Vassals obliging Roman Allies ill used them to follow them in the pursuance of their ambitious designs with as many Forces of Horse and Foot as the Senate pleased to impose on them and to serve at their own charges except a little Proviant which with the help of these same Allies they took from an enemy Hence came these many grievances of the Confederated Towns mentioned in the Roman Histories and once a total rupture of the Latins from them till after much blood-shed they were reduced to their former condition Till the Romans had over-mastered Hannibal Philip of Macedon and the great King of Syria Antiochus we shall seldom read of any of their Armies that were not puissantly assisted by their Allies the number either as to Foot or Horse Number of the Allies of which that assistance consisted may be collected from the several times of their conjunction but that they were determinately and constantly stinted to such a number can never be prov'd out of ancient story yet I find Vegetius very positive in it and in the first Chapter of his Third Book he offers to assure Mistaken by Vegetius his Reader that neither Allies nor Auxiliaries were ever in one army stronger than the Romans Take his own words Illa tamen ratio servata est ne unquam ampliâ—r multitudo Sociorum Auxiliaxiumve â—sset in Castris quam Civium Romanorum That care saith he was taken that no greater number of Allies or Auxiliaries should be in the Camp than of Roman Citizens And Machiavelli in the Third Mistaken by Machiavelli Book of his Art of War says that every Consular Army consisted of two Legions which were eleven thousand Foot and two Legions of Allies which made also eleven thousand Foot I shall first speak a word to both of them together and then severally to each of them Both of them had read Livy and till they had produced a more Authentick Historian none of them should have given him the lye so broadly This Author in his Twenty first Book tells us that after Hannibal came to Italy Cor. Scipio and Sempronius levied six Legions of Romans each of four thousand Foot and for every one of them three hundred Horse and in that same place he casts up the total of them to be twenty four thousand Foot and eighteen hundred Horse and of Allies saith he forty four thousand Foot and four thousand Horse This wanted but four thousand of the double number of the Roman Foot and four hundred more than double the number of the Roman Horse In his Thirty fifth Book he informs us that in the War against Antiochus the Consul Quintius raised two Legions each of five thousand Foot in all ten thousand and six hundred Horse and of the Allies saith he twenty thousand foot and eight hundred Horse The number of the Foot was double the Roman Infantry and the Horse exceeded Prov'd out of Livius the Roman by two hundred In the Istrian War a little before that of Macedon Livy in his forty first Book says ten thousand Roman Foot and three hundred Horse were levied and of the Allies twelve thousand Foot and six hundred
in other places Rumor master General is more than I have learned His charge is to ride with a Guard of Horse and some Hangmen on the Van and Flanks of the Army and in a Retreat in the Reer to save all the several Quarters and Country from being pillaged or plunder'd and the Country people from being wrong'd and many times he is commanded to use Summary Justice and execution on the offenders in the place where they are taken but for most part only to apprehend them and deliver them over to the Marshal General The Laws and Articles of War of every Prince and State ought to be promulgated to all the Armies and read over to every particular Regiment Troop and Company every month or at least every quarter of a year that none may have reason to pretend ignorance In all Courts of War higher or lower Officers How the members of a Court of War give their sentence of equal quality as Major-Generals Colonels Majors Captains Serjeants and Corporals after a full examination and hearing of parties and witnesses go apart by themselves and after some debate agree upon the sentence which he who hath the Precedency among them whispers in the ear of the Clerk who after he hath written all the several sentences gives them to the Auditor whether General or Particular of a Regiment and he observing wherein most agree makes that the sentence of the Court which is sign'd by the President and so sent to the General if he have not presided himself In Regiment-Courts of War such inferior Officers suppose Serjeants and Corporals ought to be chosen â—o sit as know in some measure what it is to judg according to equity and reason for I have seen many of them in several places of the world who thought they gave their verdict like wise men and gallant fellows even when Articles of War were clear when by their sentence they refer'd an offender guilty of a Capital crime to the mercy of the Lord General or the Colonel The French Councils of War now may consist of seven Officers and in them Lieutenants sub-Lieutenants and Ensigns must only stand with their hats off but give no sentence CHAP. X. Of Exercising Drilling and Training the several Bodies of the Cavalry and the Infantry HAving levied and arm'd our Soldiers both of Horse and Foot and sufficiently entertain'd them with goodly promises of Pay Proviant Service and free Quarter and shown them under what Laws and Discipline they are to live it will be time to teach them the Duties of Soldiers and this is done by Exercising and Drilling them What kinds of Exercise Officers and Soldiers were inur'd to in ancient times hath been abundantly told you in my Discourses of the Gracian and Roman Art of War Wrestling Running Leaping Swimming all which harden and enable a mans Body and render the Soldier active and dexterous in Battel at Storms and Assaults in pursuit of his enemy and sometimes in flight to save his own life were the duties imposed in ancient times and to them properly belongs Exercises properly so called the word of Exercise But this kind of Exercise is now rather permitted than commanded The using the Spade and Mattock in making Ramparts and Ditches building Walls Sconces Forts and Castles constantly practised in time of peace by the Ancients especially the Romans is not now at all thought of till either the Siege or defence of a Town or the necessity to fortifie a Camp render it necessary and then six Soldiers not accustom'd before to that manner of Exercise are not able to work so much as one Country-fellow newly taken from the Plow The custom of shooting at Butts with Bow and Arrow in Scotland and England is much if not wholly worn out In foreign places their shooting with Firelocks and riâ—â—ed Guns at Marks every Holy-day may make them good Firemen and good Marks-men but doth not strengthen the nerves and arms of men as the Bow did But to bring these Exercises so much conducing to the health and strength of an Army in fashion again must be the work of no private person but of a Prince or State Another part of Military Exercise consists in teaching the Soldiers both Training and Drilling divided into two parts of Horse and Foot to fight orderly and readily with an Enemy and this is that which properly we call Training and Drilling It consists of two parts the first is to teach them to handle and manage their offensive Arms whatsoever they be handsomely readily and dexterously and this is ordinarily called the Postures The second is to make them when they are in a Body to cast themselves in such a figure or order as shall be commanded them and this is commonly called the Motions and Evolutions Before I speak any more on this Subject I shall say that though this Drilling and Training be not so much forgot as those other Exercises are whereof I have but just now spoken yet it is too much neglected in many places Much neglected neither do I think it is so much used in any place of Europe as in his Majesties Dominions in which the Ancients are well imitated who train'd their Armies very punctually in time of Peace as well as in time of War I wish all Companies who otherwise are well enough train'd were accustom'd to make Marches when they are exercised as I said in my Discourse of Defensive Arms. For though I do not desire they should be made to run or walk twenty or five and twenty miles in five or six hours time and in full Arms as the Romans did yet I think they would be much strengthen'd and Marching a necessary point of Military Exercisâ— made more healthful and more able to endure fatigue if they were made twice a week march in a Summer-morning seven or eight miles and back again in the afternoon and proportionably as far in the Winter This being frequently practised in time of peace would make long and speedy Marches which often are necessary in the time of War even with Defensive Arms very easie and it would accustom the Soldiers to keep their ranks and files punctually provided Officers be attentive to see them do it on that March This would be to some better purpose than for Commanders to march with Squads with half or whole Regiments a half hour it may be a whole one up and down to and again upon one spot of ground a right Mockmarch A Mockmarch whereby some Officers contrary to their intention for they think they are doing a very handsome feat make themselves ridiculous to both the spectators and their own Soldiers The Grecians and Romans in time of War drill'd their Armies in the Fields but Training is lookt upon now as an unnecessary thing not only in the Field but in Towns and Garrisons likewise This is not the Prince or States fault but is an inexcusable neglect and carelesness of Colonels who
not marshalling the Battel and Reserve in this order at the Battel of Woodstock fought in the Error aâ— Woodstock Battel year 1636 was either the Swedish error or mistake for Banier who commanded the right wing of the Swedish forces being overlaid with numbers had been undoubtedly beaten if the Battel and left wing had not prevail'd so soon as he saw the danger he sent Post after Post to Lieutenant General Vizthumb who commanded the Reserve commanding him to advance instantly to his succour but he made no great haste the Swede having obtain'd the Victory Vizthumb next morning is question'd for his slow advance he justified himself by making it appear that if he had advanc'd immediately those who were running away in Troops would have routed him at least have so disorder'd him that he could have done no service and therefore he stood firm in his first ground till all the runnaways were past him and then march'd up in good order Most of this was known to be true but if Battel and Reserve had been marshal'd in the manner I spoke last of there had been no danger of that whereof Vizthumb was afraid for there had been room enough for him to have advanc'd and for those who fled to have run away But it seems it was order'd otherwise But we shall marshal an Army both ways first with the lesser and next with the greater Intervals and we shall suppose our Army to consist of sixteen thousand Army of 16200 Horse and Foot divided into seven Brigades of Foot and six of Horse Horse and Foot and a few more We shall draw them up in a fair Campaign or Heath which hath very few or no encumbrances of Houses Trees heights or hollow places and the right hand of it shall be fenced with some unfordable water and the left with the Waggons of the Army The Army it self shall consist of seven Brigades of Foot and six of Horse Each Brigade of Foot shall consist of 1800 men in all 12600. The six Brigades of Horse shall consist of 3600 which being divided into six parts gives 600 Horsemen besides Officers to every Brigade in all 16200. In the first way of marshalling I shall allow as I should do one foot of ground for every Foot soldier to stand on and three foot distance between files but because some think this too much have patience and at my second marshalling of the army I shall allow them less though no less belongs to them To every Horseman I allow four foot of ground for himself and the distance between him and his sidemen Some will think it too much but Bockler allows him six this is too much at next marshaling I shall allow him less than four On the right wing of the Van guard or Battel shall stand two Brigades of Horse and on the left wing as many and between the wings the Body shall be Marshal'd in Battel and Reserve with lesser Intervals composed of four Brigades of Foot On the right wing of the Reer-guard or Reserve shall stand one Brigade of Horse and on the left wing another Brigade of Horse and between the two wings the Body shall be composed of three Brigades of Foot The length of the Battel you may compute thus every Brigade of Horse being six hundred and drawn up three deep consists of two hundred Leaders for each of these four foot are allowed that is eight hundred Multiply eight hundred by four which is the number of the Brigades of the Battel the product is 3200. Three Streets or Distances each of eight foot-broad must be allow'd in every Brigade inde twelve Streets in four Brigades these make 96 foot then you have two Intervals on the right hand one between the two Brigades of Horse and another between the Horse and the right hand of the Foot and as many you have on the left hand of the Battel in all four great The Longitude of the Battel computed Intervals each of them of 24 foot for more some will not allow inde 96 foot add 3200 to 96 and both to 96 you will find the aggregate to be 3392. And so much ground doth the four Brigades of Horse possess with their Intervals Each Brigade of Foot consisting of 1800 men being six deep hath 300 Leaders these possess 1200 foot 1200 being multiplied by four which is the number of the Foot-brigades of the Battel produceth 4800. There must be a distance of six foot between the right hand of the Pikemen and the right wing of the Musqueteers and another on the left hand these two Distances take 12 foot and therefore four Brigades require 48 foot Now four Brigades have three Intervals each of 24 foot inde 72. Add then 72 for greater Intervals to 48 allow'd for lesser Distances the aggregate is 120 add 120 to 4800 the aggregate is 4920 so much ground doth four Brigades of Foot possess with their Intervals Be pleased to add 4920 to the 3392 Foot which the four Brigades of Horse possest you will find the aggregate to be 8312 foot which being divided by five to make paces the Quotient is 1662 and two foot so much ground do our four Brigades of foot and four Brigades of Horse take up in front the Intervals between Brigades being allowed to be no greater than 24 foot According to this allowance the Reader may easily calculate the longitude of the three Brigades of Foot and two Brigades of Horse which make the Reer-guard or Reserve if he conceive it worthy of his pains To marshal our Army of 16200 men another way in order to Intervals I shall in the first place allow no more ground to either Foot-soldier or Horseman Marshal'd in Battel and Reserve with greater Intervals for himself and distance from his sidemen but three foot in all But for the great Interval between two Brigades I shall allow as much ground as a Brigade may stand on that the Brigade in the Reserve may possess it when order'd to advance You will remember we agreed that four Brigades of Foot and four of Horse should make the Battel and three Brigades of Foot and two of Horse should make the Reserve which I marshal thus On the right hand of the Battel two Brigades of Horse but between them an Interval of as much ground as one of the Brigades possesseth On the left hand of the second Brigade of Horse an Interval of 24 foot on the left hand whereof four Brigades of Foot marshal'd in one front these four must have three Intervals each of them capable to contain a Brigade of Foot on the left hand of them an Interval of 24 foot and then two Brigades of Horse with such a distance between them as that the two Brigades on the right wing had The Reserve I marshal thus One Brigade of Horse drawn up at a convenient distance directly behind the Interval between the two Brigades of Horse on the right wing of the Battel Then on its
must every Interval between Brigades have now in six Brigades there are 5 Intervals 5 times 600 make 3000 allow for three ranks and two Intervals in every Brigade marching in breast 36 foot and multiply 36 by 6 which is the number of the Brigades the product is 216 add 216 to 3000 the aggregate is 3216 add that to 8688 the aggregate is 11904 divide this number by 5 to make paces the Quotient will be 2380 paces and four foot this will be two Italian miles and more than one third An intollerable distance between the first rank of the Cavalry and the last rank of it the Infantry marching in the middle a thing intollerable that there should be so vast a distance between the Front and Reer of an Army of 18000 Horse and Foot marching in Brigades and every Brigade marching in breast and neither piece of Ordnance Waggon or Baggage-horse among them And this leads me to another speculation which is that all who have the conduct of Armies should in a march allow as little Interval between either greater or smaller Bodies as possible may be in regard Woods Waters Passes close Countries Straits and narrow ways will make a greater distance between the Vans and Reers of their Armies than is in their power Distance between Van and Reer of an Army marching to make less To verifie which let us suppose with Bockler a late German Author that 10000 Foot and 1000 Horse are upon a march where the Foot may march ten in breast and the Horse five and have only ten half Cannon with Powder and Bullets for one day and only some necessary Baggage with them he passeth his word to us that this little Army when it is marching shall take up of ground between Van and Reer 28000 foot this is more than five Italian miles and one half I have a little examined the computation and I believe his reckoning to be right But if you please let us not trust his word but try our selves what distance there may be between the Van of an Army consisting of 15000 Foot and 3000 Horse with which shall be no more Ordnance than ten Demi-cannon Instanced in an Army of 18000 men and twenty Field-pieces and a less Train if any you cannot allow to an Army of 18000 fighting men And with this Army we shall suffer no more Waggons to be than 1200 for carrying all the Ammunition Instruments for Fortification and Artillery Proviant and Baggage belonging to the General Officers and the whole Horse and Foot whereas twice that number may be well enough allowed and to make the distance the less we shall allow but two horses for every Waggon without having any regard to Coaches or great Rust-Waggons drawn ordinarily by six horses whereof there be but too many in every Army Let us imagin we march not in a Champaign but in a close Country yet not so close but the Horse shall march five in breast and the Foot ten and there be many ways which will not permit so much and to spare ground I shall allow no Intervals between Regiments or Brigades of Foot only Intervals between Divisions shall be allowed and no Interval at all between either Regiments or Divisions of the Cavalry shall be allowed but the whole 3000 shall march five in breast all in one row The Foot being six deep and ten in front will march 60 men in each Division 15000 Foot marching ten in front or breast We must see how many such Divisions will be in 15000 men To know this divide 15000 by 60 the Quotient will be 250 so you have 250 divisions allow as you must 36 foot for the 6 ranks of every Division that is 6 foot for the ranks to stand on and 30 foot for the 5 Intervals therefore you must multiply 250 by 36 which is the number of your Divisions and the product will be 9000. For an Interval between two Divisions I shall only allow 12 foot whereas many allow 18 now there be 249 Intervals multiply therefore 249 by 12 the product is 2988. Add 2988 to 9000 the aggregate is 11988 And so many foot of ground must 15000 Foot have from Van to Reer when they march ten in breast Being our 3000 Horse are to march five in breast you are to divide 3000 3000 horse marching five in Breast by 5 and the Quotient will be 600 so you have 600 ranks we must allow every Rider ten foot for the length of his Horse multiply then 600 by 10 the Product is 6000. Ordinarily a Horses length is allow'd for an Interval between ranks of Horse but because we would march close we shall allow but the half of that to wit five foot now there be in 600 ranks 599 Intervals multiply then 599 by 5 the Product will be 2995. Add 2995 to 6000 the aggregate is 8995 so many foot of ground 3000 Horse take up in their marching five in breast We have ten Demi-cannon which shoot each of them a bullet of 24 pound at least each of them shall weigh no more but 4400 pound of metal though the Germans allow more than 5000. Allow then one Horse to draw 250 pound of this Piece you shall need 18 Horses at least to draw one Demicannon with her Carriage Leaver Sponge and Laddle these 18 Horses being Ten Demi-Cannon drawn one after another coupled make nine couple allow then for nine couple of Horses for the length of the Piece and her Carriage 110 foot and it will be little enough multiply then 110 by 10 which is the number of your Demi-cannon the Product is 1100 so much ground they must have when they are drawn one after another and here is no allowance for distance between them nor shall we give any between the 20 Field-pieces but shall allow each of them to be drawn by two Horses nor shall we give more ground to the Horses Piece And twenty Field-pieces and Carriage than 20 foot that is for all the twenty 400 foot Our 1200 Waggons will take up much ground nor is it possible to help it Nor can we allow less ground for a Waggon drawn with two Horses and a convenient distance between it and the Waggon which follows it than 1200 Waggons drawn one after another 22 foot multiply then 1200 by 22 the Product will be 26400 so much ground require twelve hundred Waggons when they are drawn one after another The Foot then require 11988 foot the Horse 8995 the Demi-cannon 1100 the Field-pieces 400 the Wagons 26400 add these numbers together the aggregate will be 48883. These make in paces 9776 and three foot about nine Italian miles and three quarters If you suspect I have cast up a wrong account be pleased to work your self and mend it at your pleasure By this you may see if the Army be stronger than this of ours as many be or the Train greater as indeed it should be or your Waggons more numerous as assuredly they
were called Tarentines and some had Bows and Arrows and were called Scythae because the Scythians delighted much in the Bow If you will compare the Antient Grecian and the Modern Armies used not half an age ago in the point of Arms you will not find any considerable Grecian and Modern Arms compared difference To the heavy arm'd Grecian Foot answer our Pike-men when they were and still should be armed with Head-piece Back and Breast Greeves and Taslets except in this that ours want Targets and walk not in Brazen Boots To the light armed or Velites of the Greeks do answer our Bowmen or Harquebusiers when we had them and now our Musquetiers To the Grecian Cataphracti on Horse-back correspond our Gens d'Arms or Cuirassiers armed with Lances when they were in fashion and now with Pistols and Carabines To the light armed Horse-men called Sagittarii or Scythâ— you may compare those whom the French call still Archers armed formerly even since Gun-powder was found out with Bows and Arrows and half Lances and now with Pistols or Carabines To the Tarentines answer generally our Light Horse-men armed Offensively now with Hand-guns and Swords and some of them Defensively with Back Breast and Head-piece but most without any of them CHAP. IV. Of their great Engines and Machines of their Training and Exercising THe Ancients had their Artillery as well as we have These were their Rams Balists and Catapults They had also their Vineae Plutei Moscoli and other Engines whereby they made their approaches to the Walls of besieged Towâ—s I think it strange that some attribute the invention of the moving or ambulatory Tower so much admired by Antiquity to Demetrius the Son of Antigonus for to me it is clear enough that his Fathers Master the Great Alexander had one of them at the Siege of Gaza which was rendred ineffectual by the deep Sand through which it could not be brought so The ambulatory Tower near the Walls as was needful for the Wheels on which it was to move sunk down Neither do I think that Alexander himself was the inventor of it Whether the Trojan Horse whose Belly was stuffed with armed men might be such a Machine as this or whether it had only its existency in the Poets brain is no great matter But because the Romans used all these Warlike Engines at the expugnation and propugnation of Towns I shall refer my Reader concerning them to the fourth Chapter of my Discourses of the Roman Militia where I shall also show him the substance of what Aeneas an Ancient Grecian Tactick saith on that subject Here I shall only observe that as the Grecians were very apt to usurp to themselves the invention of many Arts and Sciences which they stole from others So it will be found that many of these Machines were used in the World before the Grecians were so much known as afterwards they came to be We read in the seventeenth Chapter of the second Book of the Chronicles That Ozias King of Judah by the invention of skilful Masters made and planted on the Towers and corners of the Walls of Jerusalem Engines which shot Arrows Darts and great Stones And these were no other than those Machines the Greeks called Catapults and Balists And this was long before the overthrows and defeats of the Persian Monarchs These Machines not invented by the Grecians made Greece famous in the habitable World Some think Moses invented them and I think they may as well fansie he invented the moving Tower of all which hereafter whereof I spoke but just now But the place alledged for this which is the last verse of the twentieth Chapter of Deuteronomy will not justifie that for it is said there as the Italian Translation hath it Thou shalt cut down those Trees which bear no Fruits and make Bulwarks Bastioni of them against those Cities thou art to besiege And though Lipsius and Tâ—rduzzi think that here are only meant Stakes and Pallisadoes for Ramparts and Sconces yet I may without Heresie believe that the Vineâ— and Plutei of which we read in Latin Histories may be meant in the Text and the Ram also wherewith I suppose Joshua may have battered the Walls of those Cities which he had no authority from the Almighty to beat down with the sound of Rams horns as he did the strong Walls of Jericho The Grecians were very exact in Training and drilling both their Horse and Foot and without question they taught their Souldiers very perfectly to handle and manage all the Arms they were appointed to carry whether those were Javelins Darts Stones Slings Swords Pikes Lances Maces or Bows and Arrows And as careful they were to teach them those motions Grecian words of Exercise and evolutions whereby their Bodies whether small or great changed their present posture into another either by Facings Doublings Countermarches or Wheelings And though the European Nations were forc'd to find out words of Command each in their own language to teach the use and handling of the Pistol Carabine Harquebuss Musquet or any other Fire-gun in regard none of those were known to any of the Autients yet the handling of the Pike is the same in all its postures that the Grecians had And all our European words of Command for the motions and evolutions of Bodies are borrowed from the Greek By Example That which they call'd All one with ours Declina in hastam we call To the Right hand That which with them was Declina in Scutum with us is To the Left hand Because they carried their Pike on their right Shoulder and their Target on the left Their Inflectio in hastam aut Scutum was our Right or Left about Jugare with them is to my sense though I know others think not so to Double Ranks Their Intercalatio was our Doubling of Files Reddere in arrectum is As you were It is needless to give you more since most of our Modern words are the same with theirs and are obvious in most languages Yet here I shall take liberty to speak a little of both their and our Counter-marches that hereafter I need not trouble either my self or my Reader with that point of exercise for which I have so small an esteem They called a Counter-march Evolutio per versum and they had three kinds of it which are yet retained in our Modern Exercises and these were the Macedonian the Lacedaemonian and the Persian which was also called the Choraean The Macedonian is when the Batallion is commanded to take up as much ground in the Van as it possessed before e're he who was Leader faced Macedonian Countermarch to the Rear It is done thus He who is in the Rear marcheth through or between two Files to the Van and then without an alt so many foot beyond the File-leader as the Body at their due distance possesseth all the rest that were in the File before him following him in order as they stood till
Horse make the Reer-guard behind which at a miles distance follows a strong party of commanded Horse The Baggage may be in the Van or the Reer or May be divided easily into several Bodies if the General appreheâ—d danger in them both it may march immediately after the Train This great Body may be very soon divided into either two or three several ones and may march as many several ways as the General pleaseth But truly with submission to great Commanders I should be of opinion that the Baggage of an Army should never be divided unless the Army it self divides if danger be in the Van let it all stay in the Reer the proper place of Baggage if the enemy be expected in the Reer post away all the Baggage to The proper place of Baggage in a march the Van if in both necessity will force it to be in the middle of the Army But my humble opinion is that without apparent danger it should constantly be in the Reer of the whole Army for the disadvantage is but small that the Brigades or Regiments of the Van have and withal they have but their turns of it that they must wait very long at night till their Baggage come from the Reer It is but small I say if you compare it with the great prejudice the Prince or States service suffers by having the Regiments or Brigades which march in the Reer benighted being hinder'd by the Baggage that is order'd to march before them two three sometimes five hours whereas if that Baggage had not been in their way they might have reach'd their Quarter seasonably enough But there is a worse thing in it than that when upon the unexpected appearance of an enemy in the Van the Brigades that are in the Reer-guard being suddenly call'd up they are not able â—â— advance for the unavoidable Embarras of Baggage that is before them Indeed I think the middle or center of the Infantry a proper place for the great Guns and Train and the Generals Secretaries and Cabinets with his Papers and for most of his and some of the other General Officers Coaches especially if their Ladies be in them and there I think these should constantly march But my judgment is that all other Baggage whatsoever belonging to either Horse or Foot should be in the Reer according to that priority or precedency the Regiments or Brigades have themselves in the march and these should change every day that who is in the Van one day may be in the Reer the next that all may participate equally of the ease or toil of a march Where the sick and wounded should be What is spoke of the place where Baggage should march is to be understood also of the sick and wounded Soldiers who if they cannot be put in some secure or fortified place should be brought forward though Baggage-horses should be borrowed from the owners for that use and in time of danger should be sent as far from it as may be with a good Guard or Convoy When ground will permit the Brigades of an Army whether Horse or Foot to march in one breast or front there is a question what distance or interval should be kept between these Brigades There be some who theoretically argue that the distance between two Brigades both marching in breast but the one behind the other should be of as much ground as a Brigade drawn Distance between Brigades on a march should not be so great as when they are to fight up in front doth possess because say they when one Brigade is drawn up on the right hand of a large field where the whole Army is to be marshal'd the second Brigade which follows cannot draw up in full breast on the left hand of the first unless there be such an Interval between them on their march as that I just now told you of nor can the third draw up on the left hand of the second unless it have that same distance the like is to be said of all the rest To this I answer when an Army is marshal'd in Battel-order that distance is to be kept between Brigades whereof I spoke in the last Chapter and so the second will have the less difficulty to marshal it self on the left hand of the first But that cannot make me allow so much ground between Brigades on a march as I willingly do when they are to fight To the reason produced against it I say to think that a Brigade all in one breast and marching directly behind another though at never so great a distance can draw up in breast on the left The contrary opinion examin'd hand of another without some turning or wheeling is a meer speculation And I say more let a Brigade march in three Squads at as great a distance as you will the second shall not draw up on the left hand of the first without some wheeling And if a smaller body cannot do it much less can a greater And practice will shew the vanity of the other opinion to any who will be at the pains to examine it and observe it in the march of Brigades in the field as I have done oftner than once This opinion then vanisheth unless they who follow it bring a better reason for it which I have not yet heard But be pleased to take notice what an inconvenience and that no small one the observing this rule will bring along with it in a march I speak still when Brigades march all in one front one behind another at that rate there shall be such avast distance between the Van and the Reer that the last Brigade shall not get up though it run which it should not do to the place where it should be marshal'd but in a very long time which you will easily grant to be true if you will with me make this computation We have spoke of eight Brigades of foot in this Chapter to be in our Army each of them shall be no stronger than 1800 men and therefore each of them must be 300 in front allowing four foot to every Leader these 300 Leaders possess in rank 1200 foot of ground as much by this opinion which I combate must be allowed for an Interval between two Brigades marching one after another in breast now in eight Brigades there are seven Intervals seven times 1200 foot make 8400 Every one of the Brigades possess in deepness 36 foot multiply 36 by 8 which is the number of the Brigades the product is 288. Add 288 to 8400 the aggregate is 8688 foot so much distance there is from the Leaders of the first Brigade of Foot to the Bringers-up of the eight and last Take a view of our six Brigades of Horse each whereof shall consist And found inconvenient of no more than 600 being three deep each Brigade hath 200 in front allow but three foot for every Rider the front of each Brigade possesseth 600 foot of ground as much