they put not their Battaillons in an inextricable confusion then which an enemie can desire no fairer advantage As to that that the Pikes sould charge at the same time that the Musketeers make readie the originall hath it present their Pikes which the Translator as I observd before renders charge I know not to what purpose Pikes sould either present or charge when the Musketeers are either makeing readie or giving fire unless they be comd within the length of their Pikes of an enemie nor doe I thinke it convenient they sould for it is neither a necessare nor an easie posture for Pikemen to keep their Pikes presented the whole time they are advancing towards an enemie which I suppose both they and the firemen are bound to doe thogh all that while the Musketeers are either making readie or giving fire FRENCH AUTHOR To the right double your ranks in front ranks as you were To the left double your ranks in front ranks as you were To the right double your ranks in the reare ranks as you were To the left double your ranks in the reare ranks as you were Animadversion THis way of doubling ranks mentiond here is done thus The second ranke doubles the first the fourth the third and the sixth doubles the fifth for what use this doubling serves let these tell who are more in love with it then I am Is it necessare and usefull in encounters I trow not nor am I bound to take this Gentlemans word for it But waveing that question I affirme The Author hath committed two grosse errors in this one Paragraph First by mentioning onlie this way of doubling ranks after he had promisd to give us the Exercise of foot in things necessare and usefull he prefers it to any other way of doubling ranks wheras it may be done with more conveniencie and advantage by making either Leaders of halfe files or Bringers up of files to double ranks My reason is because thogh when by the last two ways ranks are doubled the files of these ranks are at a closer distance yet the ranks doubled keepe the same distance they had bot by this way of the Author not onlie files are at a closer distance bot the ranks doubled are at twice as great distance as they were before and so the more unserviceable The truth is the most advantagious way to double ranks is to make the last three halfe files by right and left hand double the three rankes that stand before them Entire or as this Author calls it on the wings for therby you not onlie keepe both your ranks and files at the same distance they were at before their doubling bot also you possesse twice as much ground in front as you did before your doubling His second error is that he orders ranks to double in the reare which must be done thus The first ranke doubles the second the third doubles the fourth and the fifth ranke doubles the sixth Assuredlie then the ranks doubled stand with their faces to the Drill-master bot the ranks doubling turne their backs to him and stand still with their backs to him for against this ridiculous posture the Author hath provided us with no word of command either before or after the doubling Bot to strike home the necessitie of doubling ranks in the reare must needs arise from the news you have of an enemies approach in your reare In this case you will resolve either to leave him or stand and fight him If the first I pray you trifle not away your time in doubling ranks either in front or reare If the second that you mind to fight then I suppose you will face your Battaillon to the reare whether you doe this by a Demy tour which is the best way or by a Countermarch which is not so good or by a halfe conversion which is the worst of the three is not the question here Bot the face of your Battel being changd that which was your reare is your front and what was your front is your reare and consequentlie your Collor's and Officers must change their places and stations If then you thinke it fit that ranks double you may doe it without bidding them double either to front or reare for by what I have said you may see that ranks must all wise double to the front bot never to the reare If you be please to consider this rightlie you will perhaps conclude with me that all the Authors doublings of ranks in the reare either by this may prescriv'd in this section or by Leaders of halfe files or Bringers up of files wherof he speaks in his generall exercise are not onlie needless useless and inconvenient bot redundant to call them no worse FRENCH AUTHOR The whole Bodie take care to Countermarch To the right by ranks Countermarch March halt to the right To the left by ranks Countermarch March Halt to the left Animadversion WHy not a Countermarch by files as well as by ranks The one is as necessare everie bit as the other And if he had said that neither the one nor the other was necessare or yet ordinarlie used in encounters I sould not at all have contradicted him Bot the Author in his generall Exercise speaks of Countermarches by files as well as by ranks So doe some others who write of exercising bot I wish that seeming difference were expunged out of all their Books for it does bot puzle a young Soldier when he hears or reads of two several Countermarches one by files and another by ranks and if his judgement be not subtiler then mine he will never distinguish them And indeed they are bot one thing files cannot countermarch bot ranks must doe it too nor can ranks countermarch bot files must doe it likewise Imagine a regiment of a thousand men drawne in battell on a Field wheron they may march a hundreth in breast That Bodie is drawne up ten deep in file and so there are one hundreth files and ten ranks It were superfluous nay ridiculous for the Colonell of that regiment to bid the ten ranks march or yet the hundreth files march because the one cannot move but the other must move also It is the very same thing in a countermarch And therfor in exercising Officers sould say no more bot To the right or To the left hand Countermarch without mentioning either file or ranke Countermarches in the dayes of old were on some occasions thought usefull till the force of Gun-powder made the performance of them before an enemie dangerous and consequentlie the command for it somthing Impertinent The old Graecians and other nations too made much use of them in their bodies of foot which were sometimes eight very oft sixteene deepe as also in their bodies of Horse which were foure five eight and sometimes ten deepe There were three kinds of those Countermarches The Macedonian The Laconian and the Persian which was also calld the Choraean All these three are still used in our Europaean
Exercises bot seldome or never in encounters for any thing I ever faw or heard till I read it in this Author The different ways how all these three Countermarches are performed are known well enough to ordinare Drill-masters Bot this Frenchman speaks bot of one kind nor doth he tell us of which of these three sorts it is or if it be of a fourth of his own finding out and therfor we know not whether by his Countermarch He will have us to winne ground to loose ground or keep the ground we have FRENCH AUTHOR Take heed to make a quarter Conversion To the right a quarter conversion March Halt To the left a quarter conversion March Halt Animadversion WE must suppose when these commands were given the files and rankes were at sixe foot distance for so the Author will have the Battaillon to be when it is exercised Bot why he doth not order both ranks and files to close to a nearer distance before he command them to make their quarter conversion I doe not apprehend I know the practise of others in doeing it will be no rule for him bot I wish he had given us a rule how to doe it convenientlie and handsomlie at so open a distance which to me seems so unfeasible that I conceave the bringing both rankes and files to some closer order then sixe foot wold be very needfull before the conversion be commanded What necessitie the Author hath found to use either halfe whole or quarter conversions before an enemie or in what place of the World they are ordinarlie used in encounters I cannot devine till he informe us what ever-use may be made of them in exercises I think they may be with no disadvantage forborne when an enemie is neare This is that Motion which our Scots Drill-masters used to call The great turne The English tearmd it properlie enough To wheele your Battel The Dutch Swenget euch Whether it be more proper for the horse then for the foot being it may be performd in farre shorter time and with much lesse trouble with the first then with the last shall not be debated heere I shall in this place take occasion to tell you in few words the opinion of another French Author concerning Faceings Doublings Countermarches and Wheelings That is Louis de Montgomerie Sieur of Carbousin whom I once mentiond before he was a Cousine of that famous Count de Montgomerie whose sad fate and not fault it was to kill his Master Henry the second of France at justing A great Captaine this Louis was and had served long under a farre greater Captaine and a great King too Henry the fourth of France I shall speake first of Wheelings Before you make your conversion says Montgomerie you must close your files and your rankes beginning with the files and when you have made your conversion and wold open them to their former distances you must begin with the ranks whether they be to open to the front or the reare and then with the files whether they be to open to the right or the left As to faceings he says it is enough to face to the right hand or right about to face to the left he conceaves may make some disorder because of the Soldiers Swords Concerning doublings He thinks if ranks and files be taught to double to the right hand it is sufficient for he holds it not necessare for ranks or files to double to the left or to double ranks by halfe File-leaders or Bringers up or yet to use countermarches and conversions Yet concludes it is in the discretion of the Commander to use them all or none of them as he pleaseth His words are Cela neantmoins demeure a discretion It is to be observed that this Montgomerie had seene the Warres of the Low-countreys when they were hotlie mannaged by the renouned Captains Maurice Prince of Orange for the Estates and the Duke of Parma and Marques Spinola for the King of Spaine And in these times martiall Exercises frequentlie reducd to practise were in Vogue The Netherlands being indeed Schooles of warre FRENCH AUTHOR Take notice all Order your armes The Pikemen rest their Pikes on the ground Animadversion THe French word is Reposes vous sur vos Armes Rest upon your Armes The Translator renders it Order your Armes The properest English word he can give Bot trulie I think the French word more proper then the English one and the hie Dutch word as proper as any of them which is stellet euer gevehr bey den rechten fus Set your Armes by your right foot Bot order your Armes to speake strictlie is too generall a word to denote that speciall posture which it sould import for there is no posture either of Musket or Pike which sould not be done orderly a Pike either shoulderd ported or comported so it be handsomlie done is a Pike ordered as well as when the but of it is set on the ground Bot as in this so in severall other motions I find a penurie and defect of words which makes some of them signifie the thing intended very improperlie This may be observed in the French in the hie and low Dutch as well as in the English In all your doubling of ranks by halfe File-leaders and Bringers up and doubling of files by halfe rankes the things intended are not fullie nor well enough expresd by these words which were invented and are still used for them As by example when you say Bringers up of files double your ranks to the right hand this word strictlie and properlie imports that you sould make the rankes double the number or twice as many as they were and consequentlie since they were sixe before you sould by that command make them twelve Bot when the word of command is obeyd according to the usuall way the very contrare appears for wheras they were sixe ranks before they are made to be bot three the number of men in each of the three formost ranks is indeed doubled bot the ranks themselves are made feuer It is the same thing in the other languages I spoke of And suppose you are exercising a Bodie of twentie files you will say halfe ranks to the right hand double your files If a man who never had seene any of these exercises before were standing by you he wold assuredlie think you intended to make your twentie files fortie bot he shall see just the contrare when he perceaves that by the performance of that command your twentie files are made bot ten The number of men in everie one of the ten files on the right hand are indeed doubled bot the files themselves are made feuer by halfe And as to this motion I last spoke of I believe it wold be more proper to say halfe ranks double the ranks on your right hand for therby indeed the ranks which stand on the right hand and were bot sixe are made really twelve and that is the double number of sixe If you please
one time If it be said the Lieutenants are to be with the pikes when the Battaillon is forming bot when it is formed they may be otherwise disposed of to shun contest I am content to be so charitable though I see no reason for it to beleeve the Author meant so bot then I say why takes he so much notice of the first and last Lieutenants and tells us nothing where the rest of them shall have their stations whether still with the pikes which most probablie he meanes or some more of them then two with the muskets which most rationallie he sould have meant or that he leaves the rest except these two to be individua vaga to wander where they please And indeed though he doe so with all of them I am sure I shall not fall out with him for the matter In the nixt place I desire it may be rememberd that in the eight section of the way to forme Battaillons the Author requires a Sergant to be at the wing of each division which in my animadversion on that section I reckond to be sixe in this section he requires the halfe of the Sergants to be with an Ensigney in the reare of the Pikes Now let us suppose there be in one Regiment ten Companies these have twentie Sergants allowd them of these the Author takes the halfe to wit ten and placeth them in the reare of the Pikes and sixe on the wings of three Divisions this is in all sixe teene there remaines then bot foure of the twentie to attend the reare of the Musketeers which being twice as numerous as the Pikes makes this Division of the stations of Sergants very disproportionable Sergants formerlie were obliged onlie to attend the wings Bot if the Author doth allow as he doth Sergants to be in the reare as well as on the wings I shall agree with him for I have oft wonderd why so necessare an Officer as a Sergant sould be pind to the flanks as I have seene too oft practisd Bot I will still dissent from him in allowing so many Sergants for the reare of the Pikes and so few for the reare of the Muskets till he make it appeare that Pikemen may break their ranks bot Musketeers cannot FRENCH AUTHOR The Drums shall be placed on the right hand and the left Animadversion IF he meane on the right and left hands of the whole Battaillon or Regiment I would gladlie know what they sould doe there I sould thinke it most consonant to reason not to speake of practise that when a Battaillon Brigad or Regiment is formd everie Officer among whom Drummers ordinarlie are reckond sould have his station assignd him in that place where he can doe best service whether they be to fight or to march Bot to what use Drums shall serve either on the right or left hands of the whole Battaillon and in no other place when they are either to fight or to march is a thing not so easilie understood Bot if the Author meane that Drums shall be placed on the right hand and the left onlie so long as the Battaillon is Exercising I say he was obliged to tell us at what distance on the right and left hand the Drums sould have their stations for I am sure The French Drill-masters will confesse that there be some motions of Exercise which will not suffer either Drummers or other people to be within a great distance of either right or left hand of the whole Battaillon As when halfe files are commanded either by halfe File-leaders or Bringers up of whole files to double the front of the Battaillon Entire or to the right and left hand by Division when this word of command is obeyd the Battaillon possesseth in front twice as much ground as it did before bot these halfe files can not performe this till they chace the Drums a great way from both the right and left wings of the Battaillon Bot before I part with this head of forming a Battaillon I shall take leave to say that I conceave The Author hath not said so much on it as he might at least not so much as he sould and consequentlie that his rules concerning it are Defective and because I am obliged to give reasons for my opinion I offer these first he hath not told us what Companie sould have the precedencie of another that is where the Lieutenant Collonels Musketeers and Pikes sould stand for I suppose he allows the Collonels the right hand where the Majors where the oldest Captaines where the youngest and where the rest that everie one of them may have their due according to their prioritie This is a point wherin there is neither custome nor law of warre universallie observed it being variable according to the pleasure of the Prince or State who wageth the warre or of their Generalls who mannageth it Secondlie he has not assignd to everie Officer belonging to the Battaillon their proper stations for thogh it may be soone knowne where the Officers of a private Companie fould stand so long as it is a Companie apart yet when the several Companies are incorporated in one Bodie the stations of the Officers are sensible changed as any who never saw a Battaillon bot in paper may easilie understand All he hath done in this so necessare a point is to tell us where the Ensigneys Sergants and Drums and the Lieutenants sould be and that in so confusd and unintelligible a way as I have demonstrated that he might better have said no more of them then he hath done of the Captaines and the three Field Officers Nor doe I imagine any man will be so litle the Authors friend as to say he needed not speake of these two points because they are knowne in the French Armies for by that reason he might have held his peace of very many things mentiond by him in his Booke which were not onlie knowne in France bot in most places of Christendome long before his Grand-father was borne To support these reasons given for my opinion I shall say further that a Battaillon Regiment or Brigad or give it what name else you please is formd for one of foure reasons These are either to be lookd upon and viewd by a Prince a General or some great Personage or to fight or to march or to Exercise In the first case it is very proper and convenient that everie Companie be placed according to its prioritie and everie Officer have his station assignd him according to his Dignitie In the three last cases those two points are not onlie convenient bot purlie necessare And therfor I conclude a Battaillon is not formd or not formd as it sould be where any of these two things are either omitted or forgot The Author haveing with many niceties formd his Battaillon as you have seene proceeds thus FRENCH AUTHOR The Generall Exercise for the Infanterie After haveing drawne the Regiment into Battailla they draw out the files of Halberdeers which are
Muskets by the left hand Demiranke the whole Pikes to the right hand and the Demiranke of the Muskets to the left hand that so by the word of command March they may interchargablie take vp one anothers place for so I vnderstand the Author when he says It sera saire a scavoir l'Aide Major a gauche au Demirang de lagauche des Mouquets an droict aux Picques The Adjutant says he shall make the left Demiranke of the Muskets face to the left and the whole Pikes to the right and then by a command march c. But let the translation be as it will To the thing it selfe I say that in forming a Battaillon consisting of two wings of Musketeers and one Bodie of Pikes any of the ordinare ways vsed formerlie seemes to me as formall more easie as the way prescrivd by this French Author And when the Major hath drawne the Musketeers in one Bodie And the Adjutant the Pikemen in another twentie paces behind the muskets according to the Anthors direction I shall by his permission say the Pikes may joyne the Battaillon of muskets with seuer words of command in a shorter time and with lesse trouble and embarras then by the way mentiond by the Author I say with fewer words of command thus The Author will have the Pikes to march in foure severall Divisions for so I vnderstand his quarter rankes and this requires foure severall words of command for to everie quarter ranke he must say march When the Pikes have marchd to the left hand of the muskets for there the Author will needs have them to be They must face to the right hand and that requires the fifth word of command Immediatlie after the halfe of the muskets must be orderd to face to the left hand and that is the sixth word of command Then the halfe Bodie of muskets and the whole Bodie of pikes must march or rather countermarch to take vp enterchangeablie one anothers ground that is the seventh word And lastlie when muskets and pikes have changd their grounds they must be orderd to face as they were and that will be the eight word of command Bot I say foure words may serve the turne first let the halfe ranks of muskets face to the left hand that is one nixt let that halfe ranke of muskets march till there be a competent Intervall made betueene it and the other Demiranke of muskets to receave the pikes that is the second word thirdlie order the pikes to march all in one entire Bodie from the reare and take vp that Intervall that will be the third word of command lastlie cause the forsaid Demiranke of muskets face as it was and that is the fourth word of command and then your Battaillon is formd without more words Secondlie I say in a shorter time as thus To march in a whole bodie is a worke of quicker dispatch by three parts of foure then to march in foure severall Bodies or quarter ranks as the Author orders the pikes to doe before they joyne the musketeers Secondlie a bodie greater or smaller will twice as soon march twenty paces in a straight and parallel line then fortie perhaps fiftie in an oblique or croocked line as these pikes must doe which stand twentie paces behind the Battaillon of muskets and must march to the left hand of them Now the Author in this section says without loosing time therfor it is that I propose a way that looseth lesse time then this way of his Thirdlie I say The Battaillon of muskets standing in one Bodie and the pikes in another twentie paces behind the other as the Author appointeth them to be The pikes may be receavd in the middle of the Battaillon of muskets with much lesse trouble and embarras then by the way prescrivd by the Author thus Let the Demirank of the Battaillon of muskets face and march to the left hand leaving the right Demirank standing firme and so make an Intervall this is done without any embarras at all nixt let the whole Bodie of the Pikes advance at one time and take up that intervall and this is likewise done without any embarras Thirdlie the Demirank of muskets which did face and march to the left hand being commanded to face as they were doe it also without any embarras at all Bot when the Pikes that stand on the left hand of the whole Battaillon of muskets and the left Demirank of the muskets are orderd to face one to another and then by a Countermarch to take up one anothers ground there will be some shouldering some justling and some clashing of armes even among the best trained Soldiers and that I call Embarras The French Kings Officers are obliged by this Section to marshall their Regiments according to its prescriptions and no other way Bot these Officers Drill-masters who receave no French pay may try either this way of the Author or the good old way or a third if they please and then retaine any of them they find most convenient for themselves and most easie for their Soldiers Lastlie This Author requires a Sergant to be at the wing of each Division to prevent their falsifying Observe here that a Regiment standing in Battel there are two divisions of muskets and one of pikes Two Sergants being required to attend each division will be sixe that are appointed for that dutie In my observation upon the nixt section we shall see how the rest of the Sergants are disposed of FRENCH AUTHOR When a Battaillon is formed the first Lieutenant shall stand in the reare of the first division of muskets and the last in the reare of the last division an Ensigney in the reare of the Pikes with one half of the Sergants to hinder the Souldiers from dispersing or breaking their ranks Animadversion I Never had so strong a conceit of the usefulness of a Lieutenant in a Companie or a Lieutenant Collonel in a Regiment that I need care where this French Gentleman place the Lieutenants whether with the Pikes or the Muskets In the front or the reare nor should I be much troubled if in imitation of a wise and a warlike Nation he should banish them for ever out of all his Battaillons Bot indeed I am astonished to fee him make Lieutenants Ubiquitaries for in the sixth section of the way to forme a Battaillon as I have observed he appoints the Lieutenants to be in the reare of the pikes if there be Ensigneys and in the front of the pikes if there be no Ensigneys and consequentlie still with the pikes either in front or reare whether there be Ensigneys or not Now in this section which I last cited he orders one of the Lieutenants to be in the reare of the first division of muskets and another Lieutenant to be in the reare of the second division of muskets Can two Lieutenants be with the muskets if all the Lieutenants be with the pikes unless a Lieutenant can be in two places at
nixt them Harquebuses of Croc with longer and shorter Harquebuses for horsemen and foot Soldiers Muskets were not heard of as many thinke till the siege of Regium in Italie 250 years after the birth of powder Bot for my part I beleeve they be not so old because I find no mention of them in all these great Armies of the Emperor Charles the fifth Francis the first of France and Henry the eighth of England in the years 1530 1536 and 1542 nay nor in that brave Armie of Henry the second of France wherwith he marched in Person into Germanie to assist the Dutch Princes against their master the Emperour and that was in the year 1550. or therby And which is more Monluc the famous Mareshall of France in his Commentaries speaks bot of a very few Harquebuses for every French Companie of foot and not one word of a Musket in the years 1330 and 1536 the Crossebow being then much used by the French and the Longbow by the English The Pistoll began to come in fashion in the raigns of James the fourth of Scotland and Henry the eight of England Bot to our purpose FRENCH AUTHOR Exercise of the Pike Take heed to your selves there Pikemen c. Animadversion IN his commands for exerciseing the Pike I find litle or no alteration in most of his words from these used before his time In the way how to obey these words it may be he differ from others bot he has not told it to us I shall advert to some things he hath omitted to tell us bot before I doe it it will not be impertinent to speake somthing of that ancient Weapon the Pike The Pike is so old a Weapon that the severall posturs of it have beene taught many ages a goe we have most of our words of command for it from the Greekes The Romanes made litle or no use of it The Graecians in the days of old did admirable feates with it the Macedonians farre greater and in later times the Switsers have made themselvs formidable by it The Graecian Pike for most part was eighteen foot long The Macedonian one was one and twentie foot in length Our Europaean Pikes are ordinarlie reckond to be eighteene foot long bot in many places they exceed not sixteene One hundreth and fiftie years agoe the Infanterie of our moderne Armies consisted mostlie of these who were armd with long Weapons which the French calld Long-bois in which were comprehended Partisanes Hallberds Two-handed Swords Axes with long handles and especiallie Pikes they who carryed them were stronglie armd for the Defensive and were called the heavie armed The Bowmen Slingers and Darters were called the light armed in Latine Velites Bot Bows Darts and Slings were chac'd away by Harquebuses and when these began to be numerous they who carryed them were reckond to make the fourth part of the Infanterie as at Vienna when Charles the fifth expected Soliman his foot consisted of eightie thousand men wherof twentie thousand were Harquebusiers the other sixtie thousand were all armd with long Weapons of severall kinds Bot after Muskets made a noise in the World they chac'd away Harquebuses and they who carryed them challengd the third part of the foot to belong to them and not contented with that In a short time they would be halfe play makers nor did they stop there for now Universallie Musketeers make two parts of three of the Infanterie and in some places I have seene the Musket usurpe the sole soveraigntie of all Weapons in foot Battaillons banishing the Pike absolutlie not one wherof I could see in many Regiments FRENCH AUTHOR Order your Pike Charge to Horse Draw your Sword Returne your Sword Order your Pike c. Animadversion THat which the Author calls present your Pike The Translator all along renders it Charge your Pike how properlie I can not tell That which he says here Charge to Horse the originall hath it present the Pike to the Cavallerie and it is like the Author intended not then to charge the Horse with Pikes because he immediatlie subjoyns draw your Sword which could not be done when the Pikemen chargd Bot my worke is with the Author not with the Translator Therfor I say This French Gentleman doth not tell us in what posture the Pike sould be presented to the Cavallerie or how the Pikemen sould draw their Swords both which he was obliged to doe If Pikes be presented with both hands how can these who present them draw their Swords Perhaps with their teeth The antient custome was to foot their Pikes and draw their Swords over their left arms Bot whether this Author means this or another way who can Divine since in it as in many things else he is so superciliouslie reservd Practise indeed hath taught that posture of putting the but of the Pike to the right foot holding the shaft of it with the left hand and drawing the Sword with the right to be too weak to endure the Schock of Horse especiallie Seus d'armes and therfor many have thought that a Bodie of Pikes haveing its ranks and files at close order presenting their armes at a steadie posture without drawing Swords is fittest to resist a Cavallerie Bot whether This Gentleman hath brought backe the old custome or invented a new one we know not if he had pleasd to speake out his mind any may to present Pikes and draw Swords at one time wold have got followers as well as other French fashions doe FRENCH AUTHOR Take heed there the whole Battaillon to present your armes Musketeers make readie The Pikes charge at the same time To the right to the right to the right to the right Halfe turne to the right As you were c. Animadversion THe Author haveing taught us the exercise of Musket and Pike doth at full length teach us Faceings Doublings Counter-marches and conversions he wold have taught us better if he had instructed us how and in what manner we sould obey some of his new commands I shall say here in the generall that 64. or 65. years agoe another French Gentleman Louis de Montgomerie Lord of Carbousin wrote of all necessare motions of exercise for Bodies of either Pikes or Muskets or both which was done no doubt by many before he could draw a Sword and by many since he went to another World Bot I shall not offer to wrong this Author with whom I have to doe to think he imagind all the motions and evolutions he speaks of to be necessare it seems to me he thinks not so because when he hath done with his general Exercise he gives us a particular Exercise for the foot which he calls necessare and ordinare in encounters Then what are all those mentiond in the general exercise and not in the particular one if they be not necessare Certainlie he asserts them to be at least fitting and convenient Whether all of them be so or not requires some consideration The various and diverfieing alterations
to consider it a litle I believe you will find it to be so Now when we say Order your armes The Souldiers set the buts of them on the ground the Pikemen hold their Pikes in their right hands just against their right ears The Musketeers lay their right hands on the barrills of their Muskets and so both of them leane on their armes and all leaning is repose therfor it is that I thinke Rest on your armes is more proper then Order your armes and set down your armes at your feet more proper then any of them Bot I doe not offer to introduce either new things or new words FRENCH AUTHOR Lay down your armes The Pikemen sticke their Pikes between their two legs Animadversion BOt if the ground be so hard that you cannot sticke your Pikes in it as in a dry summer and a frostie winter it will unquestionablie be I suppose you may lay your Pikes on the ground bot if you can stick them it will be more handsome and have the braver show Bot I mistake the French language if in the originall which I read it be not lay down your Pikes on the ground between your feet When Pikemen were formerlie orderd to lay down their Pikes they were taught by a turne of the right hand to lay the buts of their Pikes levell with the out-side of their right foot bot now that Monsieur will have us to lay them between our feet or stick them between our legs let it be so we need not fall out with him for the matter FRENCH AUTHOR Be readie to goe a la paille A la paille Which they are to doe when the Drum beats a charge and are to return when the Drum beats againe with their Swords in their hands and holding them above their heads when everie one is returnd to his place and when they are returned Returne your Swords handle your Armes Animadversion WHat a fanfare is all this To what purpose all this glancing show what can the business be Before this peece was Englished I read in the French originall A la paille bot did not know what it meant in exercise bot was hopefull The Translator wold have helped me Bot in him I meet againe with A la paille and with no English for it So both the Author and the Translator leave us to our conjectures For my part I thinke it is probable he intended no more bot what is usuall in exercises to permit the Soldiers after they had layd down their armes to goe recreate and refresh themselves under the name of a la paille and on the beating of the Drum to returne with drawn Swords to their other armes Secondlie A la paille in French is as much as To the straw is in English therfor it may be he intended that when the Battaillon is to encampe and the watch is set and the Regiment hath layd down their armes The Soldiers are commanded to goe look for straw and sticks for hutting and fuell And while they are about that worke if the Drum beate they are to draw their Swords in case of a sudden attack and therwith defend themselvs till they get back to their other armes If neither of these two conjectures of mine please you you may if you thinke it worthie your labour guesse your self the freedome to doe it can be denyed to neither you nor me FRENCH AUTHOR All sorts of change of fileings Take care in all changeings of filings that the siles be of even number and if there be found any supernumerarie files let them be formed into ranks in the reare of the Division Animadversion IN the first place what this Gentleman means by supernumerarie files in the plurall number I do not understand for I conceave in the greatest Battaillon that ever was or yet can be fancied to be there will be bot one odd file and why that one od file sould be called supernumerarie even in the singular number I know not od or uneven it may be bot supernumerarie it can not be for I doe not beleeve that any of the French Captains entertains more Soldiers then these the French Kings allows them wages for And if they have no supernumerarie Soldiers they will have no supernumerarie files As litle doe I understand why od files if there were any sould be made ranks in the reare for by that mean you shall increase the number of your ranks which sould be constantlie and perpetuallie the same and consequentlie adde to the deepth of your Battaillon which must not be permitted you or any under the Prince or his Generall Suppose you have one od file which may frequentlie fall out if you make a ranke of it in the reare of a Division then you make that Division seven deepe wheras it sould be bot sixe Sure there is lesse hurt and lesse disorder in an od file then in an od ranke If the Author had said If there be any od men in any of the Companies let them all be cast in the reare of the whole Battaillon and make files of them he had to my sence have spoke reason yet no more then very ordinarie Officers have both spoke and practisd before him FRENCH AUTHOR Manner of fireing The best way of fireing is by rank when you wold fire in a Parallell line with the Enemie Animadversion YEs To fire by rank is not alone the best bot the onlie way of fireing if the Enemie be either in your front or your reare Bot if he be on either of your flanks you are to face him by these files that are nearest to him and then you are to fire likewise in a parallell line with the Enemie and yet in this case the Author must permit us to fire by file and not by ranke FRENCH AUTHOR For this purpose to doe it with lesse trouble it is good to doe it standing firme your ground without any motion save that of making the five first ranks kneele and let the sixth be the first that fires then the fifth rising up does the like and so the rest in order Animadversion I Have seen three several ways how ranks fire successivelie not to speak of fireing by three ranks together the first kneeling the second stooping the third standing which is not used bot at a dead lift The first is when the first ranke hath fired The Musketeers divide themselves in two parts the one half marcheth by the right the other by the left hand to the reare where they are againe by their Officers marshald in one rank This way is troublesome especiallie if the rank be numerous as in all great Battaillons ranks are yet it hath been so antient a custome in the armies of the Estates of the United Provinces of the Low-countreys that I saw it practisd in the year 1659. by the Estates Guards at the Hague The second way is when these who have fired turne to the left hand marches down to the reare between that file wherof