certaine mountaines ouer which the Grecians were to passe made alte some 30 furlongs before hee came to the Enemy lest encountring with the enemy hee should fight with his army being led in a wing or Orthiophalange He commanded therefore the Captaines that followed him with their companies euery one after another to sleeue vp their companies by his to the intent to cast the army into a plagiophalange or broad fronted battaile When thereare Commanders were come vp hee called a counsell to aduise of the best course in proceeding Here is the order of the Grecians march expressed to be in a Herse or Orthiophalange which consisted of many companies one following another and likewise the manner of transfiguring the Herse into a broad fronted phalange viz. the Captaines one after another sleeuing vp their companies by Cherisophus his company on the left hand and making an equall front with him And yet this example containeth no more then the sleeuing vp of the Companies vpon one flanke Cherisophus first made a Stand with his companie hauing the vant the following Captaines sleeued vp their companies on his left hand as the files did one after another in the other example Alexander vsed another kinde of sleeuing a little before he fought the battell of Issos For caufing the vant-gard first to stand he commanded the rest of the foot to march vp to the front of the vant-gard on either flanke The words lye thus in Arrian Alexander hauing by midnight gained the Streights of Cilicia setting out a streight watch vpon the rockes rested and refreshed his army till morning b◠day-breake he descended from the streights in the ordinary way and as long as the passage was narrow he led in a wing afterwards the mountaines opening a greater distance he enlarged his wing into a phalange by little and little still sleeuing vp the armed one body after another to the front on the right hand toward the mountaines on the left hand toward the Sea The Horse all this while marched after the foot but comming to ground of larger capacity they were ordered on the wings This manner of working to make a phalange out of Herse was by drawing the following companies vp on both flanks on the right toward the mountaines on the left toward the sea so that it differeth from the other forme wherein the Companies were sleeued but vpon one hand A third way of making a Plagiophalange of a Herse I finde in Polybius Machanidas the Lacedemonian Tyrant saith he being to fight with Philopaemea the Achaean Generall who had fashioned his army into a broad fronted phalange made semblance at first as though he meant in a Herse to charge the right wing of the Enemies battaile but approaching neerer at a conuenient distance he brake off the hinder part of the Herse and facing it to the right hand marched out and led it out in length and ioyned it in equall front with his right wing thereby equalling the left wing of the Achaeans In this manner of transforming the Herse into broad fronted phalange the companies or bodies follow not one another to sleeue vp to the front but halfe the Plagiophalange is broken off at once the reare halfe and facing to the right or left hand is led vp and ioyned in an euen front with the other halfe not vnlike to our vsagein exercise when we command our middle men with their halfe files to face to the right or left hand and marching out to double the front of our battaile Thus much may suffice for the names vse and reduction of one of these two Phalanges to another The third Phalange mentioned in this Chapter followeth 7 The Phalange Loxe There are two kindes of Loxes or vneuen fronted Phalanges The front of the one is figured in a continued right line stretched out bias-wise thus The other hath as it were two fronts formed out of two seuerall parts of the Phalange the one aduancing against the Enemy to begin the fight the other staying behinde and keeping the first ground being ordered without the flanke of the first that vpon occasion it may likewise aduance and ioyne or else retire from the Enemy and giue backe the figure shewes the shape of it the last hath bin vsed by great Generals as a forme of aduantage in fight The first onely to win a passage as I take it ouer a riuer or such like where the broad-fronted Phalange could not passe and to bring the Armie to a ground where it might be ordered in better forme for fight I will giue one Example for I read not many of the first Alexander hauing conueied his armie ouer Hellespont and entred into Phrygia came as farre as the riuer Granicus Three Lieutenants of Darius with 20000. Horse and well nigh as many foot had embattelled themselues on the other side of the riuer to hinder his passage The riuer was full of depths and slallowes somewhat dangerous to enter and the bankes on the further side high rough and steepie besides the Enemy was ready with horse cast into a long or broad-fronted phalange and with seconds of foot to beat him backe that should offer to clymbe the bankes Alexander being resolued to passe ouer first ordered his troopes in a broad-fronted phalange The right wing he commanded himselfe and gaue the command of the left to Parmenio then putting the Scout-horse with the Paeonians into the riuer and after them a Phalangarchy of foot led by Amyntas the sonne of Arrabius and then Ptolomy the sonne of Phillip who commanded the troope of Socrates which troop had the Vaunt of all the horse that day himselfe with the right wing entred the riuer the Trumpets sounding and the Army giuing a shout extending still his battell bias-wise against the Streame 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the end the Persians might not fall vpon him as he led in a wing but himselfe as much as was possible might come to ioyne with them hauing the front of his phalange extended in length The Persians cast Darts from the high ground against the troopes of Amyntas and of Socrates as they approached to the further banke and some of them where the ground was more euen descended to the brinke of the riuer so there was thrusting and sholdering of Horsemen some to ascend out of the riuer some to hinder the ascent The Persians let flye many a dart the Macedonians fought with speares The first Macedonians that came to hands with the Persians were cut a peeces fighting valiantly saue only those that retired vnto Alexander who was now neere aduanced with the right wing He himself first of all charged the Persians where the principal strength of the whole body of their horse and the Generals of the field stood about him was a strong fight and in the meane time one troope after another passed easily ouer the riuer This passage of the History is long and therefore I forbeare to recite the rest onely
march on and that the rest about that time should lay hands vpon the Polemarches that vsed to guard the gates while they reposed themselues and slept And that this done the Acheans should with all speed hasten to the gates out of their Ambush These things concluded and the time approaching Aratus came accordingly and hiding himselfe by the riuer awaited the signall About the fifth houre one of the Citie an owner of sheepe that bore extraordinary fine wooll were vsually feeding about the Citie came out of the City gate in a cloake desirous to speake with the shepheard about some priuate businesse of his owne and standing vpon the same hill looked round about for the sheepheard Aratus and his folke imagining this to be the expected signall ran in all hast toward the Citie but because nothing was ready within the gates were quickly shut and not onely Aratus missed of his purpose but the Citizens also that conspired with him fell into great misfortunes being taken with the manner and presently brought forth and put to death This may be an example of error and misprision of the signe Of the neglect and likewise of the like error and misprision there is a notable example in Caesars Comentaries in the siege of Alexia Where Caesar hauing won the Enemies campe lying vpon a hill neere the Towne sounded a retreat to his army that was in fight the Ensignes of the tenth legion made a stand but the Souldiers of the other legions not hearing the sound of the trumpet by reason of a valley beyond which they were were yet held backe by the Tribunes and Legats as Caesar had giuen direction Notwithstanding being puffed vp with the hope of a speedy victory and with the fight of the Enemy and their happy battailes of former times thinking nothing so hard that it might not be atchieued by their valour they made no end of their chace till they came neere to the Wall and Gates of the Towne and some of them entring at a gate othersome clymbing vp the wall imagined they had gotten possession of the towne In the meane time the Enemies forces who were busie in fortifying without on the other side of the towne being acquainted herewith by message sent their horse before and followed after themselues and in great numbers charged the Romans The fight was hard the enemy trusting to the aduantage of the place and to their number the Romans to their valour when on the sudden were seene on the open side of the Romans the Heduan Horse who serued in Caesars Armie and were by him sent on the right hand to get vp the hill another way they by likenesse of their armour put Caesars souldiers in a great feare And although it might easily â—e discerned that their left shoulder was vnarmed which was the signe of such as were friends yet the Romans conceiued them to be enemies and to vse that deuice onely to ouer-reach and entrap them Being oppressed on all hands and 46 Centurions slaine they were beaten from their ground with the losse of few lesse then 700 men Caesars Souldiers here offended in both kindes in the neglect of their Generals Command which he gaue by signe and in mistaking the signe which was vsuall for the Heduans to be knowne by Caesars iudgement of these two faults appeareth in his speech which he made to his Army presently vpon the losse in which he reprehended their rashnesse in that they would needs take vpon them to iudge how farre they were to proceede and neither be held in with the signe of retreat that was giuen â—or yet be commanded by the Tribunes and Legates He shewed of what force the disaduantage of ground was and what his opinion was before this time at Auaricum where surprising the Enemy without a Generall and Horse he let an assured victory slip out of his hand because he would not hazard no not a small losse in fight vpon inequality of ground As much as he admired their braue mindes and resolution whom neither the fortifications of the Enemies Campe nor the height of the Mountaine nor the wall of the Towne could hold backe so much hee reprehended their presumption and arrogancy in that about the victory and issue of things they preferred their owne conceits before the opinion of their Generall For his part he required aswell modesty and continencie in a Souldier as valour and magnanimity So Caesar insinuating that obedience and heedfulnesse were two principall vertues in a Souldier by the one to be ready at all commands by the other to execute with discretion what was commanded by want of heedfulnesse they perceiued not the signe of retreat which was proposed vnto them and mistooke the marke of the Heduans whom they esteemed for their foes by want of obedience to their Officers they incurred the danger and losse which they sustained diligent care therefore is to be had of signes by which the minde of the Generall in all directions is declared and as it were set before the eyes of the whole Army The Inuentors of the Signes of Warre were many The Ensigne was inuented by the Egyptians as I haue shewed in my notes vpon the 9 chap. of this Booke where also the reason of the inuention is giuen The order of an Army the giuing of the signe the watch the watchword was inuented by Palamedes the trumpet by Tirrhenus the Sonne of Hercules To giue signes to an Armie pertaineth as I haue shewed to him that is the Gouernour thereof that is to the Generall The manner how signes were by him giuen appeareth in Onosander I will recite his words Let all signes quoth he he meaning by voyce and by-signes be deliuered to the Officers of the Armie in asmuch as for a Generall to goe vp and downe and proclaime the signe to all is the part of an vnwise and vnexperienced Man and both time is lost in denounâ—ing it and it is often a cause of tumult whilest euery man asketh what the signe is Besides one addeth something to the Generals words another diminishâ—th them through ignorance Leo hath almost the same wordes at least the same sence and as I take it hee borroweth them from Onosander Onosander addeth It behoueth him to giue the word to his highest Commanders who are to deliuer it ouer to the next to themselues and they to their next inferiour Officers till it come to the last for so shall euery one speedily decently and quietly know what is commanded And this was the manner of the Grecians as may appeare by Thucydides who describing the vsage of the Lacedemonians in giuing the word and signes of direction hath thus And presently the Lacedemonians ordered themselues in battaile Agis the King commanding as their law is for when the King leadeth all things are vnder his command and hee giueth direction to the Polemarches they to the Lochagij who deliuer it to the Pentecosters and they to the Enomotarches
the sound of the instrument they might not in the march breake their order of embattailing which great armies often doe in aduancing to ioyne with the enemy When they were ready to ioyne King Agis bethought himselfe of this strata gem It is the manner of all armies in the onset to stretch out their right wings and with them to circumuent and encompasse the left wings of their aduersaries because euery souldier carefull of his owne sefety seekes to couer his vnarmed side with the target of him that standeth next to his right hand and imagineth that the setting of targets close serues for the best defence against the enemy The cause is this the corner file-leader of the right wing desiring to withdraw as much as hee can his naked side from the weapons of the enemy proceedeth to the right hand and the rest follow him And at that time the Mantineans a great deale ouer-reached the Scirites with their wing The Lacedemonians and Tegeats much more the Athenians by reason they oâ—ermatched theâ— in number Agis therefore fearing the encompassing of his left wing seeing that the front of the Mantineans was very broad and farre extended gaue a signe to the Scirites and Brasideans to stretch out their wing and to equall the front of the Mantineans And for the void space that should remaine vpon their aduancing he commanded two Polemarchs or Coronels Hipponoidas and Aristocles to lead therin two cohorts from the right wing and fill vp the void space conceiuing that he should this notwithstanding leaue himselfe strength enough in the right wing and that the wing opposed against the Mantineans should hereby be better enabled to the encounter But it happened that Hipponoidas Aristocles followed not these directions whether the reason were in the suddenâ—esse of the command or in the preuention of the enemies giuing on for which fault they were afterward banished Sparta as men effeminate cowards When they came to hands the right wing of the Mantineans put the Scirites and Brasideans to flight And they and their allies and the 1000 selected Argiues falling into the empty space that was not filled vp made a great slaughter of the Lacedemonians and encompassing them forced them to turne their backes in hast and flye to their waggons and slue also some of the elder sort of souldiers that were left for guard there Hitherto Thucydides I prosecute not the remanenâ— of the battaile because it is somewhat long That which I haue recited is enough for my purpose namely to shew the manner of ouerwinging Thus then apply it The Mantineans had their right wing farre extended beyond the point of the left wing of the Scirites and brasidaeans who by marching out to the left hand sought to equall the front of their aduersaries but left the ground voyd wherein they were first placed This ground by Agis his commandement should haue been filled by the Cohorts of Hipponoidas and Aristocles It was not filled so that in the charge the enemy had the aduantage to enter it and to circumuent on that side the Scirites and Brasideans and put them to flight which danger will be common to all that shall be so ouerwinged by their enemie The danger then of ouer-fronting and ouer-winging being so great let vs see what remedies and preuentions against either of them haue beene deuised by antiquity Against â—ner-fronting they sought to secure the flanks of their battailes sometimes by ordering their army in such a figure as should be sufficient to sustaine the charge of the enemy wheresoeuer he gaue on Of which kinde is the Plesium or hollow-square spoken of in the last Chapter This was practised by the Grecians at their returne out of Persia and oftentimes by other Grecians as is euery where to be found in their histories And Alexander when he was to fight with Darius at Gaugamela the countrey being Champaigne and Darius abounding in multitudes defended himselfe with an Epicampios opisthia or a reare hollow battaile I haue shewed the manner of it before in my notes vpon the 46 Chapter And sometimes againe by foreseeing the danger and placing reserues in the reare or some other secret place to charge the enemy in their flanke while they busie themselues against your flankes This was practised by Cyrus the elder against Croesns as I haue shewed in my notes vpon the 46 Chapter Of this kinde also it is when you lay an ambush to charge their reare while they charge your flankes The place will likewise helpe much to auoid encompassing For if the battaile be fought in a streight place by nature where the enemy cannot draw out his Phalange in length there is no danger of encompassing So Alexander at Issos in Cilic 〈…〉 was freed from encompassing the place being too narrow for Darius to bring all his forces into an equall front The place may also be helped by art in case it be otherwise to open and fit for the enemy that aboundeth in number to encompasle vs on euery side So Caesar being to fight against multitudes of Gaules drew a deepe trench on both the flanks of his army to assure it from the charge of the enemy The like did Sylla against Archelauâ— the â—enerall of Mithridats in the battaile Cheronea and both oâ— them so securing their armies from circumuention became by that meanes masters of the field and conquerours of their enemies Of later time 10. Huniades the Hungarian King being to fight against a huge army of the Turkes gained a noble victory against them by placing his army on the one side against a fenne and enclosing it on the other side with his waggons And these preuentio 〈…〉 haue beene deuised against Hyperphalangesis or ouer-fronting Against ouer-winning they thought it sufficient to strenthen and make safe the wing that was like to be endangered by the enemy so that all remedies against ouerfronting are good also against ouerwinging but the remedies against ouerwinging are not sufficient to frustrat ouerfronting Ouerwinging therefore hath beene auoided sometimes by drawing out the endangered wing in length to equall the enemies wing that opposeth against it This is done by doubling of rankes as Aelian teacheth in the 29 Chapter and as it was practised by Cleandridas the Lacedemonian against tâ—e Thurians Wherein netwithstanding this caution is to be held that you doubâ—e not your rankes so that you make the depth of your body to thin for in so doing your body will be as subiect to breaking for want of depth as for want or length to ouerwing Beside it is done by facing to the hand where the enemies battaile ouerwingeth and marching out against it paralelly till your wing equall the wing of the enemy but so notwithstanding that the void space from whence you drew your wing be filled vp for feare the enemy giue in to it and distresse you there as may be seene by the president which in this
seene in the Riuer and of the height and steepenesse of the banks as also for that the enemies horse ordered in a phalange will be ready to charge vs whilest we disorderly and wingwise which is the weakest kinde of fight endeauour to scamble vp the bankes Thus Arrian vsing the words before recited and noting the difference of both the formes Leo hath the like passage instructing his Generall how in the night to surprize an Enemy in his lodging His words are these in effect When you march saith he to the intent that no tumult or confusion of noise be heard nor the stretching out of your battaile into a great length breede error and inequality in marching and hereupon cries and loud commands arise so that the Enemy may easily perceiue the accesse of your Armie It behoueth you to march not in front that is in a large extension of breadth but wingwise that is to say in a deepe forme of Embattailing as if one file should follow in the reare of another obseruing still to maintaine the depth or thicknesse of the battaile His meaning is That in the night an Army ought not to be led in a broad-fronted Phalange because the places are wayes through which you are to march are sometimes large sometimes streight sometimes rough sometimes plaine and so you cannot preserue an euen front but must change the forme and disorder it but in a Herse or deepe Phalange which will fit all passages and in the greatest inequality of way maintaine the forme of the battaile entire And so much of the signification of the words marching in a Wing and marching in a Phalange 5. Euery thing is called Paramekes It is to be obserued that there is a difference betweene Paramekes and Heteromekes I thought good to note it because Aelian in diuers places mentioneth both Paramekes is the figure according to Aelian wherein the length many times exceeds the depth it may be Heteromekes albeit it be but twice as long as deepe I am not ignorant that Euclyde nameth all foure sided figures that haue right angles and vnequall sides Heteromekes But Aelian though hee apply Heteromekes sometimes to the front sometimes to the flanke yet he giues no more then a double proportion either of front to flanke or flanke to front 6. Orthion Albeit the word Orthium properly signifie things rising in a height yet in military discourse it is applied to the dimension of the depth of a battell and not of the length Here a Phalange is termed Orthia and in Leo in the place last by me cited mention is made of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â— deep embattailing and in Xenophon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Company stretched out in depâ—◠〈…〉 Polyen also and Arrian and Appian Polyen hath besides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for an army that is cast into a great depth and into a narrow 〈…〉 Therefore as Paramekes signifieth the length of the front so Orthion signifies the depth of the flanke of any battell ordered as is aforesaid Thus much of the names of the two battels It remaines to shew the Vse of them and how one may be transformed into the other The Plagiophalange or broad-fronted battell bringeth most hands to fight with conueniency and therefore is accounted the better forme and as neere as opportunity of ground would giue leaue the ancient Generals principally affected and sought to put this forme in vre It hath the commodity to ouerfront the aduerse battell and is safe it selfe from ouerfronting vnlesse the Enemy bring a greater multitude then you haue to ouer-match your Army The Macedonian Phalange was for the most part of this forme as all the fields Alexander fought euidently declare So ordered he his troopes at Granicus so at Issos so at Gangamelos so in other places if the ground would serue This Caution notwithstanding was obserued that the depth held proportion with the length otherwise the length profiteth not so much as the thinnesse of the depth hurts by giuing meanes to the enemy to breake through and put the aduerse battell in a rout I haue noted it before out of Leo. The Herse or deepe Phalange was thought the weakest kinde to fight in Parmenio one of the chiefest Commanders Alexander had distrusted it as I haue shewed a little before Cyrus the elder in the embattailing of the Egyptians derided it yet cannot the forme of the broad-fronted Phalange be so exactly taken vp but that necessity will sometime force the other In straight places it hath beene often vsed So Darius in the battaile of Issos by reason of the straightnesse of ground was forced to this forme So Boâ—ilâ—ar the Carthaginian was faine in a straight place to make a narrow front of his phalange and to extend it in depth And Acilius Glabrio the Roman Consall in the streights of Thermopyle against Antiochus and P. Scipto in Spaine against the Illergets Therefore in large grounds the first forme is to be chosen in narrow and rough places the other The Herse is also fit for Marches because in a March you are assured to meet with variety of ground sometimes with woods sometimes with bushes sometimes with streight wayes with riuers with hils with pits with bridges with ditches and such like impediments so that the front of your broad-fronted phalange must needs be dissolued whereas no difficulty of wayes can hinder the passage of a Herse the front whereof may be narrowed according to the ground you march in as you list Alexander being to lead his Army against the Thracians that had planted themselues in the mount Aemus was â—â—ine to narrow the front of his phalange according to the way that led vp to the Mount The same did Agesilaus passing through the streights of Mantina the History is by me recited before in my notes vpon the 26 Chapter Panimenes likewise leading his Army through Phoâ—is toward â—hebes and finding that the Enemy had taken and possessed a place called Philoâ—aeoton that had two streights leading toward it one of which the Enemy held with a gard casting is troopes into a Herse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 making the bulke of his Army slender and â—it to march shaped himselfe to the right hand as though he ment to hold on to that passage The Enemy therefore leauing the left hand streight which they had in gard ran with all speed to the right hand to stop his passage but hee taking the opportunity speeded hastily to the left and conueyed his Army thorough without danger Many like examples of Herses accommodated to streight wayes where a broad-fronted Phalange cannot march are to be found in Histories The Orthiophalange or Herse was also muchâ—sed in an ascent against a hill which the enemy possessed and in this sence are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deepe Companies takes in the Greeke writers especially when a
one directly after another How they stood Polybius shewes describing the same battaile He saith that Scipio ordered the Hastati and their ensignes first of all the rest and in front and gaue interuals to their maniples behinde them the Principes not against the interuals of the Hastati as the Roman manner was but behinde them in a right line because of the multitude of the Enemies Elephants and lastly the Triarij On the wing of the left flanke he ranged C. Lelius with the Italian Horse vnder him on the right Massanissa and all the Numidian Horse which he commanded The interuals of the first Ensignes that is of the Hastati he filled with the bodies of light armed commanding them first to vndertake the fight and in case they were not able to withstand the affront of the the enemy or of the Elephants he willed them to retire some that could preuent the rest with speed through the direct interuals of the maniples to thereare of the army other that were in a manner surprised to the flankes neere the Ensignes This ordering of Maniples one directly after another so termed and described by Polybius Appian calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which notwithstanding if truly examined cannot according to the Grecian practise come within the compasse of that name For the Grecians as I said drew their Companies seuerally each into a file and laying foure or fiue or six or more of them together made a body the depth whereof much exceeded the length or breadth the front being of 4. 5. or 6. men in ranke the depth of 100 whereas the Romans as appeareth by Polybius kept their ordinary manner of embattelling sauing that they placed their principes not against the interuals of the Hastati as their custome was but directly behinde the Maniples of the Hastati to the end the Elephants of the Carthaginians might haue an empty and void lane as it were to passe through their whole Army As for the Roman Maniples they consisted of two parts ioyned together which they called Ordines and euery Ordo contained 60 men commanded by a Captaine so that the Maniple had in it 120 men and two Captaines or Centurions These 120 men being digested into files containing 10 men a peece for that was the length of file and the depth of the Maniple make 12 files which stood one by another ranged in front not stretched one after another in depth But because the Maniples of the Hastati principes and the Triarij stood directly one after another therefore Appian called them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either out of the ignorance of the manner of embattelling amongst the Romans or else because the Grecians in their writings reduced the order of the Roman embattelling vnto their owne vsage So they called a Tribune of the Roman Army a Chiliarch albeit a Chiliarch amongst the Grecians and a Tribune amongst the Romans differ very much as I haue noted vpon the ninth Chapter of Aelian the manner of embattailing of the Army of Acilius Glabrio a Roman Consull in the streights of Thermopyle commeth neerer vnto the Greekish forme Appian describeth it thus Antiochus hauing fortified the streights of Thermopyle with a double wall and drawne forth his army ordâ—â—ly for fight to make good the place against Acilius Acilius diuided his troopes into three parts and giuing one part to Cato toâ—laccus â—laccus the one to make his passage on the one side of the Hils the other on the other himselfe led the ordinary way against Antiochus and framing of his owneâ— part 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which manner of embattelling alone saith Appian seruetâ— for streight wayes â—e pushed on and forced his Enemy to retire gained his Campe. The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here mentioned are no other then the Orthie-phalange which Aelian hath set downe in this Chapter namely hauing one Maniple or if the streight permitted not a Maniple of 12 files to march entirely in front one Ordo consisting of six files to aduance the rest following in the same â—inde as the fashion is of the right induction remembred by Aelian hereafter in his 36 Chapter Now albeit that forme come neerer to the Graecian forme yet it is not the same the one filling the way with the Maniple or Ordo as it fell our in the same figure that it stands in the field the other changing the order of the field drawing the Company out into one file and ioyning other Companies with it in front as many as the way would receiue So that the Grecian had too in depth of the body the Roman but 10. We are not to pretermit that albeit Acilius vsed this forme to dislodge 〈…〉 from the Hâ—ll yet he trusted not to it alone but diuiding his 〈…〉 into three parts he caused two of them to march vp the hils on both sides himselfe on the midst to the end that one part might â—aine the height ouer 〈…〉 head and so make him forsake his ground Thus farre of the vse of these two 〈…〉 of Phalanges or battailes it remaineth to shew how one of them may be transsormed into another The next proceeding Chapter teacheth that out of doublings of Rankes the length of the battell ariseth as the depth out of doubling of files I haue shewed the manner of both in my notes vpon the 8 and 29 Chapter And this manner is easie in a single Company or in a small Army In great Bodies it hath no great vse let the Example be of a Phalangarchy which is the fourth part of a fourefold Phalange and containeth 256 files Double the files once you shall 128 files and 32 men in depth and but 3 foot distance in ranke The second doubling bringeth forth 64 files and as many men in depth but the distance betwixt ranke and ranke is but a foot and a halfe Beyond this doubling you cannot proceede for beside the confusion of places of officers which are in number aboue 250 in a Phalangarchy the interuals betwixt man and man will not conueniently allow aboue two doublings your open order betwixt man and man wherein they stand at first giueth but six foot The first doubling takes away three foot from euery internall the second leaueth but a soot and halfe And considering that when the battell is closed for fight the neerest distance betwixt ranke and ranke ought to be no lesse then three foot in regard of handling of weapons as I haue shewed before out of Polybius The second doubling albeit it yeeldeth roome from the bodies of Souldiers to stand in yet it takes away the halfe of this distance but the third doubling allowing but 3 quarters of a foot for each man to stand in giueth not so much ground as his body will possesse So is it likewise of Ranks which will not suffer aboue two doublings fit for vse Aelians file is of â—6 men double your rankes once your file will containe no more then eight men and
Chapter I gaue out of Thucidides of ouerwinging and the example of the Colchans who fearing to be ouerfronted by the Grecians vpon a hill vpon which they stood embattailed led their wings to the right and left hand to match the front of the Grecians leauing the middest of their battaile empty into which the Grecians conueying themselues easily put the Colchans to flight as Xenophon recordeth Ouerwinging is also preuented if you hold reserues secretly in the reare of your battaile to flye out vpon the sudden against those forces of the enemy that seeke to ouerwing you This remedy was vsed by Caesar in the battaile of Pharsaly when Pompey hauing abundance of horsemen sought to circumuent that wing of Caesars battaile which lay to the open field and was not guarded with a fence as the other wing was For to preuent the charge of these horse Caesar bestowed certain cohorts who were to hold themselues close in the reare of his legions not facing as his legions did against the legions of Pompey but facing into the field from whence he suspected the enemies horse would charge so that when the horse charged these cohorts suddenly falling out vpon them and putting them to flight were the beginning of Caesars victory The place also often giueth assurance against ouerwinging whether it be a riuer or the sea or a mountaine or such like to which you may apply the flanke of your wing For a riuer you haue the example of Clearchus in the baitaile betwixt Artaxerxes and Cyrus the yonger in which Clearchus ordered his troupes of Grecians on the right wing close to the riuer Euphrates And when Cyrus would haue had him charge the middest of the Persian Phalange because the King had placed himselfe there yet saith Xenophon Clearchus seeing the King was farre without the left wing of the Grecians for the King so much exceeded in multitude that the middest of his battaile was a great way without the left wing of Cyrus would not withdraw his right wing from the riuer fearing to be encompassed on both sides The like was done by Alexander the Great in the Countrey of the Getes this is the effect of the words of Arrian When they the Getes san Alexander industriously aduance his Phalarge by the riuers side lest the foot might happily be circumuented and encompassedly some ambusâ— of the Getes and his horse in the front the Getes for sooke also their City which was not very well walled setting many of their children and wiues vpon their horses backes as the horses could carry and retired into the wildernesse a great way from the riuer By the Sea you may auoide likewise ouer-winging if you order one of the flanks of your Army close to the Sea side This was put in vre by Alexander when he sought the battaile against Darius at Issos in Cilicia Thus haâ—◠〈…〉 The foot of the left wing were commanded by Craterus but the whole left wing by 〈…〉 o who was enioyned not to forsake the Sea for feare of encompassing by the Barbarians for by reason of their number they might easily encircle the Macedonians on all parts A Mountaine also that is sleepe will giue good security to the 〈…〉 auke of a battaile that may otherwise be encompassed At the battaile of Platea which was fought betwixt the Grecians and Mardonius Xerxes his Generall the Grecian Army consisting of 100000. the Persian of 500 thousand the Grecians at the first encamped at the foot of the Mountaine Cytheron but finding the place fitter for the multitude of the Persians then for themselues they remoued their Campe and chose a more commodious piece of ground to pursue the totall victory For there was on the right hand a high hill on the lâ—â—t ran the riuer Asopus The Campe was pitched in the middle space which was fortisied by the nature and safenesse of the plot of ground Therefore the streightnesse of the place much fauoured the wise counsell of the Grecians toward the obtaining of victory For there was no roome for the Persiâ—â—s to extend their Phalange in any great proportion of length so that many Myriades of the Barbarians came to be of no vse The Grecians therefore in confidence of the place aduanced their forces to fight and ordering themselues according to the present occasion led against the enemy Mardonius being compelled to make a deepe Phalange ordered his battaile in such sort as he thought most conuenient and with cries set forward against the Grecians This example albeit it be a remedy against Hyperphalangesis or ouer-fronting yet because it giueth a safegard by a mountaine to one of the wings I take it to be proper enough to Hyperkerasis or ouer-winging Besides that as I before noted all meanes that are vsed to auoid ouer-fronting are good likewise for the auoiding of ouer-winging 3 Attenuation is This is nothing else but doubling of ranks whereof see the 29 Chapter Of conueighing the carriage of the Army CHAP. XLV THE leading of the carriage if any thing else is of great 1 importance and 2 requireth a speciall Commander It may be conueighed in 5 manners 3 either before the army or 4 behinde or on the 5 one flanke or the other or in the 6 middest Before when you feare to be charged behinde behinde when you lead toward your enemy when you feare to be charged in flanke on the contrary side In the middest when a hollow battaile is needfull NOTES 1 IS of great importance The importange of disposing the carriage in a march is well set downe by Leo You saith hee to his Generall ought to haue a speciall care of your baggage and not to leaue it at randon but to secure it in the place where it shall be nor to lead it vnaduisedly into the battaile For it oftentimes falleth out that seruants fit for the Souldiers vse and the souldiers children and kinsmen are amongst it and if it remaine not in safety the mindes of the souldiers are distracted with doubtfulnesse and care and feare of the spoyle thereof for euery man of vnderstanding endeuoureth to possesse that which is the enemies without losse of his owne This is the aduice of Leo. A pregnant example hereof may be read in Diodorus Siculus his description of the last battaile betwixt Antigonus and Eumenes In which Antigonus hauing foyled Eumenes horse sent his Median horse-men and a sufficient number of Tarentines to inuade the enemies baggage For he hoped which was true not to be descried by reason of the dust and by possessing the baggage to become vanquisher of the enemy without trauaile They that were sent riding about the wing of their aduersaries vnperceiued fell vpon the baggage which was distant from the battaile about fiue furlongs And finding by it a rabble of folke vnfit for fight and but a few left for gard thereof putting them to flight quickly that withstood they made themselues masters of all the rest Eumenes hearing that his