or distance This doubling of the bringers up or of middle-men is very requisit in giving a generall salve of Musket and as it is to be observed in rancks that the best men are placed in front reare and middle even so in files every Corporalship being foure files of Musketiers the likeliest are put ever in the right and left files of the foure being also of best experience The doubling of rancks being done and all remitted in good order and to their first distance of open order you are to command and exercise Souldiers in three severall wayes of counter-marching requisit in some respects but in my opinion to be used but seldome except it be in necessity in such parts as the ground will not permit otherwise therefore to avoide disorder Souldiers ought not to be ignorant of any of the three sorts of counter-marching First having commanded the Souldiers to dresse their rancks and files and to carry their Muskets handsomly keeping silence say To the right hand the counter-march without noise or losing of ground To the left hand retire againe to the former ground Then command againe to dresse rancks and files and to right their Armes keeping silence taking heede to what is to be commanded and say To the right hand turne Then the Flancke before being now the Front command To the right hand counter-march and lose no ground To the left hand as you were This is used ordinarily to change one wing of Battaile in place of the other then that the Front may be as it was first before they Countermarcht To the left hand turne dresse your Rankes and Files and be silent Another sort of Countermarch is the Slavonian countermarch where you lose ground the Front being changed also then you command the first Ranke to turne about to the right hand then you say to the rest Countermarch and through to your former distance after your Leaders Then say Leaders as you were and to the rest To the left hand countermarch as you were to your first ground The third sort of countermarch I esteeme most of to be practised being rather a conversion very requisit to be well knowne to all Souldiers in all Armies chiefly to be used before an enemy for as it is most sudden so in my opinion it breeds least disorder and disturbance the Souldiers once used to it of themselves they will willingly doe it on any occasion the body being before in open order or Battaile order say Close the Ranks and Files to your closse order without encumbering one of another every man following right his owne Leader keeping closse to his side man then say To the right hand the quarter turne halfe or whole as the occasion and the ground doth permit and then say Dresse your Armes and follow your Leaders and open againe to your Battaile order Lastly the body of your Musketiers exercised perfectly after this manner for the better bringing of them in exercise and breath that in case any disorder may happen amongst them they may the better afterward be acquainted one with another say to your open order of six foote distances Open both Rankes and Files and set downe your Armes handsomely where you stand then command your Sergeant to goe an hundred paces from the body of your Musketiers and sticke in his Holbert in the ground then admonish your Souldiers that at the tucke of your Drumme they runne from their Armes about the Holbert and to stay there till the Drumme recall them againe to their Armes which being done it makes the Souldiers able in breath to know one anothers place in case they should be brought at any time in disorder to recover themselves the better Thus much for the training of Souldiers in changing of place as you will have them without giving of fire When you have gotten your Souldiers thus experimented in their motions then are you to acquaint them with shot in giving of fire to make them fix against their enemies which is easily done having once apart and singularly used their Muskets after the order of the severall postures belonging thereto as was commanded their inferiour Officers and Leaders to teach them before they were exercised Therefore before you come to the particular formes of giving fire you shall first give some generall directions to be observed by all for avoiding the hurting of themselves or of their Camerades as also how they can best offend their enemies and to this effect you shall admonish in love all brave Musketiers first to have their Muskets cleere and hansome and above all fix in the worke especially every Souldier would be well knowne with his owne Musket and cocke to cocke aright then to hold the mouth or Cannon of his Musket ever high up either being on his shoulder or in priming or guarding of his panne but in giving fire never higher or lower than levell with the enemies middle then your Musketiers being in readinesse your Muskets charged they may be commanded to give fire in skirmish disbandoned as their Officers doe direct them to advance or retire as the occasion offers also to give fire by Ranckes Files Divisions or in Salves as the Officer pleaseth to command to the effect they may be fixed Omni modo though in my opinion one way is the best yet there are severall wayes of giving fire in advancing to an enemy as retiring from an enemy or in standing firme before an enemy either by Rancks or by Files made to Rancks Advancing to an enemy not being disbandoned but in one bodie they give fire by Rancks to Rancks having made readie alike they advance ten paces before the bodie being led up by an Officer that stands in even Front with them the Cannon or mouth of their Muskets of both Rancks being past his bodie The second Rancke being close to the backe of the foremost both gives fire alike priming and casting about their Muskets they charge againe where they stand till the other two Rancks advance before them and give fire after the same manner till the whole Troope hath discharged and so to beginne againe as before after the order of the through-countermarch ever advancing to an enemie never turning backe without death or victorie And this is the forme that I esteeme to be the best as for the rest they are not to be much used but this order can be used winning ground advancing or losing ground in a Retreate When you would command the body of your Musketiers to give fire in a Salve as is ordinarie in Battell before an enemy joyne or against Horsemen then you command the bringers up or Reare to double the Front to the right hand and to make readie having the match cocked and their pannes well guarded having closed the three Rancks though not the Files the Officers standing in equall Front with the foremost Rancke betwixt two Divisions he commands to give fire one Salve two or three and having charged againe and shouldered their Armes they retire to
continuing three dayes was never appeased till at night the third day Arius Silvius and Alvare of Caster gentlemen and chiefe of the Iustices came with men of warre in Armes to Lisbone and appeased the 〈◊〉 The Kings Majesty hearing the newes of this horrible sedition being much grieved did presently send unto Lisbone two of the chiefest of the Court to wit Iackes Allmod and Iackes Lopes with full power to punish the Malefactors of such cruelty where publiquely there was executed a great number of the seditious popular and the Priests that moved them to the sedition were first put off their charge then hanged then burnt the Iudges and Magistrates that were sloathfull to suppresse that popular rage and fury were some deprived of their estates and condemned to great pennance and the Towne it selfe was deprived of their priviledges and honours I pray God to keepe my country from the like Who pleaseth to reade the story it is much worth and of great observance for any good Christian Another notable story of the like we have in the beginning of the Reigne of Charles the fift successor to Ferdinand King of Spaine and Sicil in whom did faile the race of the Kings of Aragon the people being moved by a Monke continued long in seditions one after another till God did remove it at last and since they lived peaceable To conclude then this point it is a vaine thing to be a follower of the popular sort for none is the better for their praise nor the worse for their blame And therefore Plutarch said well that one man could not be master and servant of the people otherwise perforce it behooveth him to fall into inconveniencie as we reade in the fable written of the serpent the taile whereof came one day to quarrell the head saying he would goe his day about foremost and not goe alwayes behinde which being granted unto him by the head he found it worst himselfe not knowing how or where to goe and became the cause that the head was all spoyl'd and rent being compelled against nature to follow a part without sight or hearing to leade it The same we have seene happen unto those who in the Government of the publique would do all things to please the multitude and being once tied to that yoake of slavery in all things to will and agree with the common and lower sort that oftimes are rashly moved and without reason howsoever they cannot thereafter come off and retire hinder or stay the fury and rashnesse of the people And therefore the great servant of God Moses did properly comprehend in the blessings promised unto the Israelites their obedience to Gods lawes that the Lord might establisâ— them in the first ranke a head in briefe that they should be as Masters an t should not be subject Reade Deut. 28. The twelfth Dutie discharged of our expedition by water to Aickilfourd in Holsten and of the intaking of it THe eleaventh of Aprill 1628 we got orders to ship againe and being shipped we sayl'd along the coast of Holsten till we arrived before Aickilfourd where lay a Garrison of the Emperialists being five hundred strong halfe Dragoniers and halfe foote souldiers having anchored while we were providing for our landing the Towne being no strength the Dragoniers marched away leaving the Captaine of foote to defeâ—â— the place who had a Skonce without the Towne with a running line from the Skonce to the Port of the Towne and thinking us to be but a weake flying party that durst not remaine long on the land seeing the enemy lay strong of horse and foote neere by he resolved as his best to defend the Skonce without whereunto he drew his strength his Majesty commanded us to land our forces and to storme the Skonce he staying a shipboard looking 〈◊〉 us we land in all haste being allmost two thousand foote of severall Nations English Scots Dutch and French all about equall strongth we threw dice for the Avangard who should fall on first concluding those threw most should have the leading and so successively to second one another having throwne sixes the honour of the Avangarde or leading fell on me and mine the English falling next unto us having put our selves in order and dealt out Amunition recommending the successe to the Lord by our preacher Mr. William Forbesse companion of our dangers and having directed Ensigne Allane to recognosse or spie the best advantage being retired I commanded Captaine Lievetenant Carre with fifty musketiers to a broken house that flancked on the Skonce giving him orders to give fire from thence on their backs as we marched to them in front and in case of their retreate to the Towne to cut off their passage or at least to march in with them Thus done I gave charge to my musketiers that no man should give fire till I commanded but to follow their Leaders still in good order The ground we were to advance on to the Skonce was plaine as pavement the Skonce not being high our resolution was to storme without giving fire and as we advanced those of the Skonce did give three severall salvees of musket thundring amongst us whereof some felt the smart and Captaine Mac-kenyee was favourably shot in the legge and I more favourably in the hilt of my sword which afterwards I gave to Mac-kenyee The most hurt was done to the English marching after us led then by Captaine Chamberlaine a worthy and a valorous gentleman In this time we were advanceing our musketiers commanded by Carre giving fire on their flancks wany were hurt and the Captaine shot in the Arme seeing us give no fire but marching hard to storme he quit the Skonce and retired to the Towne and enters the Port before us shutting us out and leaving a few hurt men behind him we brake downe the Stacket and the Towne not walled we entred the broade side and follow the enemy to the market-place thinking he would fight us there But he retired into the Church and shutting the doores defends the Church shooting out he did us great hurt our Souldiers not having forgotten their cruelty used at Bredenberg resolved to give no quarters and with a huge great ladder and the force of men we ran-forced the doore and entred I thinking to get the Officers prisoners entred withall but could not finde them incontinent perceiving a great quantity of powder spread a thwart the Church fearing the blowing up of the powder I commanded every man upon paine of death to retire the word not well spoken the powder blew up blowing the top of the Church above a hundred were killed and a number burnt pitifully and I with Lievetenant David Monro standing behinde me was also pittifully burnt the blast past Captaine Chamberlaine entring findes the Officers and gives them quarters as his prisoners of the souldiers few or none of two hundred and fifty escaped The Towne was plundered and his Majesty fearing the coming of the enemies Horsemen before
having cast off his loose powder then to cast about his Musket to his left side drawing backe with his Musket his left foote and hand till the mouth of the musket come right to his hand to charge againe in the same place standing firme till his follower marched by him on his right hand standing at the same distance before him that he stood behinde and then to give fire blowing his pan priming casting off and retiring his musket with his left hand and foote and to charge againe as is said and so forth one after another discharging at a like distance till at last the Rot-master should be under-rot and the under-rot Leader and then his follower marching up by him while as he is charging giving fire on the enemy and having discharged standing still also charging till in th' end the Rot-master come to be Leader againe and so forth still advancing per vices till the enemy turne backe or that they come to push of Pike and Buts of Muskets Thus having exercised the Rots apart for a weeke or two doubtlesse they will become expert Souldiers in using their Armes when they are joyned in a strong body lesse or more The Pike-men would be exercised also by Rots apart in the severall Postures thereof till they were acquainted also with their Leaders and were made expert in using their Pikes aright till thereafter the whole body of Pikes might be exercised apart with great ease to their Officers The Musketiers being drawne in a body being sixteene or thirty-two men in Front being but six Rancks deepe the first Rancke discharging at once casting about their muskets and charging all alike the second Rancke marches through every follower going by on the right hand of his Leader standing before him at the distance they were behinde and then being firme they give fire all alike on their enemies blowing priming casting about and charging all alike where they stand till per vices the whole Ranckes have discharged and so forth ut antea successively advancing and giving fire till the enemy turne backe or that they come to push of Pike and being thus well exercised in advancing to the enemy and winning ground if through necessity they be forced to retire from an enemy losing ground they must also keepe their faces to their enemies the Reare being still in fire and the last Rancke having given fire they march through the Rancks till they that were last are first comming off and so per vices till they have made a safe retreate the Reare which is ever the Front coming from an enemy is in fire The manner to exercise a body of Musketiers TO exercise a Squadron of Musketiers how strong soever they be the number of Rancks being no deeper than six the files being even may be so many as your voice can extend to ever observing that your Command be given in the Front otherwise may breede disorder and before you begin to command you would enter first with a Prologue as good Orators commonly doe to reconciliat their hearers attendance even so you ought with an exhortation of attendance entreate but by way of command your Souldiers not to be gazing in time of their exercise but with stedfastnesse to settle their mindes on their exercise that they may the better observe and obey the words of command and above all things you are to command them to keepe silence not babling one to another neither in their motions to suffer their Armes to rattle one against another alwayes to take heede to their Leaders that goe before them and to follow them orderly without disturbance keeping and observing their due distance either of Ranckes or Files which may be easily done if they but duely follow their Leaders and have an eye on their right and left fellow Camerades for keeping their Ranckes even in a like Front Likewise they are to observe when they are commanded to turne any where whether it be by Rancks or Files that their faces may by turned to the hand they are commanded to before they sturre to march and then to march alike and when ever they double Rancks or Files or counter-march they must ever observe to retire to the contrary hand they were commanded to double on if they doubled to the right when they fall off they retire turning to the left hand et contra for avoiding of disorder or hinderance that their Armes would make if they retired to the same hand they were commanded to double or march to In their counter-marches it is also requisit in time of exercise that neither Officer nor Souldier doe presume to command direct or finde fault with the errour but he that commands in chiefe whether he be superiour or inferiour Officer for the time since it is said when many speake few heare Therefore he must command alone suffering no rivall for avoiding of disorder Order therefore of distance being a chiefe point observed in exercising is three fold to wit Open order of Rancks or Files is six foote of distance being betwixt Rancks and Files both alike only requisit to be observed in mustering or while as they stand in danger of Cannon not being in battaile where in battaile order the distance to be observed betwixt Rancks or Files should be three foote where Elbow to Elbow of the side Camerades may joyne where in the open order aforesaid hand to hand can but joyne But in close order used most in conversion or wheeling is shoulder to shoulder and foote to foote firme keeping themselves together for feare to be put asunder by the force of their enemies and then to disorder which is ever to be looked unto chiefely before an enemy Your speech thus ended for your generall directions you begin againe to command silence and to take heed what is commanded to be done saying Height your Musketiers dresse your Rancks and Files to your open order of six foote and take heede To the rìght hand turne as you were To the left hand turne as you were To the right hand about turne as you were To the left hand about turne as you were To the right hand double your Rancks as you were To the left hand double your Rancks as you were The even Rancks or Files double ever unto the odde and the fourth Rancke is the middle Rancke of six To the right hand double your Files as you were To the left han◠double your Files as you were Middle-men or fourth Rancke to the right hand double your Front To the left hand retire as you were Middle-men to the left hand double your Front To the right hand as you were Nota. The sixth Rancke is called bringers up or reare or under Rot-masters Bringers up to the right hand double your Front To the left hand as you were Bringers up to the left hand double your Front To the right hand as you were All that doubled turne first about and then they retire falling behinde those were their Leaders before in the same place