Ranke may consist of as many men as you please but a File how euer the Spaniards and Italians vse it vncertaine ought neuer to bee aboue ten persons deepe except it be in marching or especiall seruice where aduantage of the ground requireth the contrary for the first man hauing discharged his Peece may in the space that nine other men shal discharge their Peeces one after another be againe in readynes and make his first place good there to discharge his Peece againe besides it is the readiest and best way for the drawing of Groses and great numbers into any forme whatsoeuer Next hee shall teach them the carriage and vse of their armes especially the Pike for the Musquet is in the Office of the Serieant the manage wherof he shall deuide into these Postures first three standing that is Lay downe your Pike Take vp your pike Order your pike Then sixe marching as Aduance your pike Shoulder your pike Leuell your pike Slope your Pike Checke your pike and Traile your pike and lastly seauen charging as Port ouer hand Port vnder hand Charge ouer hand Charge vnder hand Coutch ouer hand Couch vnder hand Charge against the right foote and draw your Sword ouer arme When these are perfect he shall teach them distance of place in Files and Rankes as when he would haue the Files to march Closest then the distance is pouldron to pouldron or shoulder to shoulder if but Close then the distance is a foote and a halfe man from man If at their Order then the distance is three foote betweene man and man and if at Open-Order then the distance sixe foote betweene man and man so likewise in Rankes Closest is at the Swords point Close is at three foote Order at sixe foote and Open-Order at twelue foote Now there be some that vary in the tearmes but not in the distance for they wil haue Close Order Open-Order and Double Distance and not the word Closest at all but the scruple is small and may be left to euery Commanders discretion After this he shall teach them March and Motions In the first whereof is little art more then in obseruing truly their Rankes and Files and distance in places For Motions they vary diuersly and some are no Marches as when The Souldier turnes but his face on one hand or other or about Some Motions change place yet no more then a remoouing from one ranke to another or from one File to another in which though some remoue yet others stand stil as in doubling of Rankes or doubling of Files and in this Motion is to be obserued that Rankes when they double to the right hand must euer turne on the left to come to their place againe and if they be doubled to the left hand they must turne on the right hand to come to their pltces againe so likewise Files when they are doubled to any hand by the doubling of Rankes to the contrary hand they are brought to their first place againe and so of Rankes in the same nature To conclude there is another Motion to be taught in which all doe moue and yet none doe March and that is the opening or closing either of Ranks or Files is of great vse when one Ranke should passe through another or the whole body of the Battalion make a Countermarch or when the Battell should bee drawne speedily more of one hand or another Lastly the Lieutenant shall teach his Souldier how to know all the sounds or beatings of the Drumme in which he shall make him obserue not only what the Drumme doth beate but also what time and measure hee keepeth and according to that time and measure so to march slower or faster to charge with greater violence or to come of with more speede also he shall teach them to know when by the Drumme to attend the Captaines directions when to repaire to their Colours and when to doe other duties and as thus by the Drumme in seruice so by his voyce and the words of directions in Trayning he shall make them doe whatsoeuer hee pleaseth and therefore the Liuetenant shall haue perfecttly in his memory all the words of directions which are accustomably spoken As Close your Files To the right hand To the left hand and all these shall be done either Closest Close to Order or open Order Then Open your Files to the right hand To the left hand and these to any order And thus to open or close Rankes and to any Order with this obseruation that Rankes when they open ought to turne to the Reare and open downeward and when they close to close vpward then Files and Rrankes close Files and Rankes open and these to any order also then Double your Files To the right hand To the left Aduance your Files to the right hand to the left Aduance by deuision to right hand or left Files ranke by conuersion to the right hand to the left Files ranke 3. 5. 7. c. Shorten your Files to 5. 8. c. Lengthen your Files to 10. 12. 16. c. Files countermarch to the right hand to the left Double your Rankes to the right hand to the left Rankes file by conuersion to the right hand to the left Rankes ranke 5. 7. c. Middle men double your front to the right hand to the left Double to both by deuision Rankes countermarch c. as in Files Then faces to the right hand to the left to both by deuision Faces about Wheele by conuersion to the right hand to the left to both by deuision Charge to the right hand to the left to both by deuision Charge to the Front Charge to the Reare Charge to both by deuision then to reduce any of these words to the same Order or Station in which the Souldier stood before they were spoken the word is As you were And herein is to be obserued that in Charging with Pikes halfe the Rankes are but to Charge and the other halfe to carry them aduanced or ported so neare the heads of the formost as they may doe them no anoyance either in Charging or Retiring and they must also obserue when they doe Charge standing to fall backe with the right foote and marching to step forward with the left Thus I haue shewed in a briefe Epistle the large extent of the Liuetenants Office in which if I be either obscure by reason of the compendiousnes thereof or a little confused in snatching here and there at his duties without setling constantly vpon any one I hope your Lordship will call to minde it is an Epistle the lawes whereof alowes me the libertie of familiar speech not of subtill argument and for mine owne part I had rather leaue many nice wits vnsatisfied then your minde cloyed or tyred The end of the Second Decad. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE WILLIAM LORD EVERS THE ARGVMENT Of the Officers of Caualarie IF I could loue Fortune in any thing my worthie Lord I should surely loue her in
as they are entertained carefully keepe their Enteries their Deaths and Discharges and this first Booke shall be written at large and in Folio not hauing aboue seauen names at most vpon a page that hee may the better insert any exchange defect absence death or other faults which may procure a checke that so an euen reckoning may bee kept betweene the Captaine and the Souldier Out of the second Booke hee shall giue a Coppie to euery Corporall of his owne true Squadron so that when he is to goe to his watch or to doe any other necessary dutie he may by it call them together and see that no man be wanting and this booke must be written like the former because of Casualties Death or Alteration Out of the last Booke which is according to March or Dignite of places he shall take Coppies and giue them to the Serieants fixing to euery name the figure of the place in which he marcheth as to the name which leadeth the right hand File the figure 1. to the name that leadeth the left-hand File the figure of 2. to the name of the bringer vp of the right-righthand File or first in the Reare the figure 3. and to the name of the bringer vp of the lefthand File or second in the Reare the figure 4. and so fourth of all the rest according to martiall discipline and as shall bee shewed more lardgely in the Office of the Serieant so that if any man shall quitte his place either in March or other exercise the Serieant may immediately find his name and see due punishment extented and this may either be written in a booke or in a large Table at the discretion of the Clerke and Serieant The Clerke shall as conuenient leasure will suffer him once in a weeke reade to the whole Company the Lawes and Articles of the Armie and if there be no Minister or Preacher about them he shall at conuenient times as at the setting of the watch or breaking vp of the same reade diuine prayers vnto them He shall receiue from the Treasurer or vnder-treasurer all the pay belonging to the Captaine and Souldiers and see faithfully and truely distributed to euery man his due according to the Captaines directions and he shal keepe a faithfull Audit between the Captaine and all others clearing euery reckoning without doubt or disorder hee is to receiue from the victualer all proportions of victuals to keep a due account of the prizes thereof he is to receiue all Prouaunt Apparell with the value of the same and he is to receiue all manner of Munition and Armes which is necessary for the whole Company and of all these hee shall keepe true records fetch out the Certificates and kepe all reckonings euen betweene his Captaine and all Officers This Clerke is hee which ought to be both the Companies Phisition and the Companies Marchant for he ought by Information to the Captaine and by his directions to prouide all things necessary for them both in sicknesse and in health defaulking the same out of their wages or other allowance of the Captaines If any man shal happen to be slaine or otherwise to depart out of this life the Clerke of the Band shall administer vpon his goods and making a true Inuentory or praysure thereof after his debts and defaulcations are paid shall bee answerable for the rest to his next of blood or else such on whome by Will he had formerly bestowed it He shall also keepe a true note of the time of his death whereby a Certificate may be made to the Muster-master and so that neither the Prince may be deceiued in his pay nor yet the victualers ouer reckon the Captaine in the multiplicitie of their victualls He is to see that such as are wounded be duely dressed by the Surgeons and if that any bee taken Prisoner hee is to awaken his Captaines memory touching their Ransome To conclude if he be a good Clerke he is an excellent member both for Captaine and Souldier for it is impossible that any Captaine should thriue if he haue an euill and vnconscionable Clerke for the waies are so infinite by which hee may deceiue him that not all the eies and tongues which are vpon Rumors outside can either deserne or vnfold them till the mischeife be so rotten that no medecine can cure it and on the other side if he be all for the Captaine and haue no honest respect towards the Souldier then vnlesse the Captaine be a Saint the mischiefe is much more hainous for all being fish that comes to his net he will deuoure vp the Companie ten times worse then the Enemie and therefore a most especiall care would be had to the ellection of this Officer for hauing the distribution of all the Captaines waters it is in his power ether to kill or comfort at his pleasure There is another Officer depending vpon a foote Companie which in some small parts resembleth this and is called in the warrs a Furrier or Harbenger one that in marching and watching hath no command at all But when the Company is drawne into Garison then he taketh vpon him the effect of his authority which is from the Serieant Maior or other Officer his Deputie to receiue all Billets due for the Companie and to distribute them to the Company so as euery man may be acommodated according to the abillity of the place and necessitie of the times he is also vpon the placing of a Campe to attend the Quarter-master generall and hauing receiued his proportion of ground and discription of Streets he is to quarter his owne Company and to allot to euery man the ground whereon to place his Cabbin Euery iudicious Captaine may out of his Companie soone picke out a man fit for this purpose for the art is easie and if at any time he should doubt he might behold example enough round about him These although they haue a certaine power yet are but common Souldiers neither can they well be Ranckt with the Officers of a Company for in these is only but a kind of Trust in the Officers is both a Trust and Commandment as the discourse already hath shewed to your Lordship which if it bee either briefer then you wish or longer then your leasure in the reading could assigne it Remember my Lord that Souldiers howsoeuer they loue swiftnesse in their Actions yet they cannot indure to haue their Tales broken TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE WILLIAM LORD SANDES OF THE VINE THE ARGVMENT Of Drummes and Phiphes IT is Noble Sir your honour'd place and Birth which makes me fixe your name to this Epistle and it must be your Vertue and loue to the Souldier which must make mee appeare blamelesse in your opinion for I must confesse I haue nothing to rise vp betweene my selfe and your good thoughts but onely this That howsoeuer now we are spectators and beholders of our neighbours troubles yet we haue beene our selues vpon the Stage and may be againe when God
his companions and as he is in a place aboue them so in the merit thereof to exceede them and both in Marches Skirmishes and euery other occurrent of warre to be vnto them an example and president Touching the perticular duty of this Lanspesado and what he is to exercise in his place first it is to be vnderstood that he is the Captaine or Leader of that File which is next in true degree below his Corporall of whose Squadron he holdeth his place and is to giue them all examples of good ready and perfit seruice leading them on vpon the enemie in such sort as he is commanded withall courage counning and dexterity and bringing them off with equall care good order and discresion He is to looke that euery Souldier within his Command or Deuision haue his armes neate cleane and well scowred that he be furnished with all Implements and accoutrements belonging vnto the weapon wherewith he serueth as Powder Match Bullet Armes and all things else whatsoeuer which belongeth either to the Musquet or any other weapon hee is to giue the Souldiers encouragement and to make any thing facile and easie vnto them which shall trouble their mindes or seeme hard and doubtfull as also to hold them in the perseuerance of good actions and to declare the honor and worth that is in Diligence and Obedience he is to aduertise and giue notice vnto his Commander if he vnderstand of any malecontents or men whose spirits are apt to muteny and sedition or whose speach and language tendeth therevnto hee is also to discouer all manner of thefts or purloynings whether of victualls or other matter and any Iniury whatsoeuer which shall be done betweene peason and person for he being within the Cammarade or fellowship and a man of equall quality and ranke more then the name and shaddow of his place and feeding and lodging continually amongst them It is intended considering the freenes of such mens thoughts how vnapt they are to conceale what they imagine that nothing can be done or pretended to which he shall not be preuie of what nature soeuer the mischeife be if he be discreete honest he shall be watchfull and diligent to listen after all alarmes and when hee heareth any to awaken and rouse vp those of his Deuision and to see that they issue not rudely or vnprouided but with their armes about them in a decent and necessary fashion and to his vttermost power doe all thinges that may bring on or further the seruice In their watch they are Deputy Corporals and when the Corporall is absent the Lanspesado shall take his place command the Guard appoint set forth relieue Sentinels he shall take the word receiue Prisoners taken in the watch deliuer them ouer vnto his Superior Officer indeede doe all things whatsoeuer which belongs to the Corporall and to this end as in his owne place so in the Corporalls also he shall be pregnant and ready the substance whereof followeth in the next insuing Epistle lastly it is his duty to instruct his Deuision in all the rudiments which belongs to their places as well in the manage of their Armes as in the comely and well keeping of the same and to that end hee shall shew them how to keepe their Armours weapons from Rust with what Ingredience how to take their Pieces assunder and to make them cleane and when need is how to vnbreech them he shall if need be cast their Bullets for them dry their powder and haue alwayes spare match in a readines or at least instruct them how to doe it themselues for that shall be to him some ease and to them a greater profit Thus hauing shewed the duty of this Officer I will now returne to his vse which though it consist in many things and all without any extraordinary charge yet the greatest vse of all is when Battalions are deuided or subdeuided into many petty fractions then this Inferior Officer who in a greater Body would be Ignorant in this lesser Body will bee as knowing as any Officer can be And superior Officers who command Battalions Regiments Companies and Squadrons hauing many vnder their commands cannot attend to reuisite and looke into Files and halfe Squadrons or see being farre remoued whether they stand in their true and perfit distance in this case this Officer is as helpefull as any to them which command in cheife and obserues all proportions qualities and motions both of such as follow or such as front with him for indeed the motions in Files I can compare to nothing more fitly then to the dauncing of the old measures in which if there be a good Leader that by his eare can truely distinguish the sound of the Instrument and knowes when to double or single forward backward sideway and on either hand or when to begin and when to end that then it much skills not what the followers counnings be So in Files if there be a perfit Leader but tractable obseruers hardly can any Ignorāce do hurt in the motiō but here me thinks an old Souldier that loues not booke knowledge pulls me by the eare and saies what haue all warrs these distinctions or haue these places beene from the beginning beleeue it I haue beene in seruices where if you should speake of Decario or Lanspesado they would take it for some heathen Greeke or a more dangerous language to which I answer that indeed they are not vsed in all warrs much lesse in euery company but I dare with constancie affirme that the best vnderstanders in Martiall Discipline doe with all seuerity both vse them and apply themselues vnto them finding them so necessary and behouefull that where there is a neglect or disdaine thereof there without all question the company hath a wound and the whole Armie wants if not more yet one feature of an excellent beautie Some latter writers haue giuen this name a farre different interpretation calling them voluntary Lieutenants or Knights of Saint Georges Squadron and applying them to the duties of a Gentleman of the companie or a Rounder but it is only a fancie and I haue already shewed what they are and what depends vpon them therefore in mine Epistle I will auoid disputation and only conclude that what I haue writ mine experience hath seene and what I affirme all readings will allow to haue the best authoritie TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THOMAS LORD WINDSOR OF BRADNAM THE ARGVMENT Of the Corporall LEt it not my Lord be offensiue if for an houre or lesse I begge you from your more serious thoughts to vouchsafe the reading of this blunt Epistle for beleeue it noble Sir there must bee an Affection to your Goodnesse to moue me and some hope in the labour that this seruice will Inne the time you spend in the traffique or else questionlesse I should wish my selfe halfe lost and the papers consumed howsoeuer it is Warre which is the Garland of Nobilitie and though time be
spoyle Forragers to Watch to Ward to Scout to serue for great Caualgadas or Ambuscados and to Skirmish then to bee light Armed and most nimbly mounted according to a former instruction and if to both these and the former be allowed for euery two men a light boy mounted on a small Hackney to attend them it will not only bring a benefit to the Colony but also make the seruice to be better performed and where the Liuetenant Colonell findeth any defect in these armings hee is out of his owne perticuler authoritie to see there bee a speedy Reformation It is his Office to see that his Colonels Regiment doe not at any time lose the true dignity of their places but in as much as it is a Rule in Armes that in all marches the Generalls Regiment shall euer haue the Vantguard and the rest alternately by turnes that is to say he that this day hath the Vauntguard the next day shall haue the Reare hee shall therefore carefully looke to those changes and when his Colonels turne commeth hee shall challenge the same and not suffer any man to step in betweene him and his Honor and likewise in what place of the Armie soeuer his Regiment doth march he shall obserue that the Colonels companie continually doe take their place vpon the left wing of his owne Regiment also he shall see that in true Marshalling of the Regiment the Colonels Cornet or Guiddon doe march euer vpon the head the Liuetenant Colonels and the Serieant-Maiors Cornets one Ranke behind the Colonels and the Inferior Captaines one Ranke behinde the Liuetenant Colonels and the Serieant-Maiors Also he shall haue a speciall respect to the marching of euery Officer and that they keepe their due places in due forme that is to say that the Captaine and the other Officers doe each of them march vpon the head of his owne Squadron the Liuetenant only excepted who shall march in the Reare accompaned with the Quarter-Master and the eldest Corporall shall march vpon the head of the Liuetenants Squadron for it is the priueledge of his place and a due which he may require in all Armies Againe the Liuetenant Colonell shall looke to the orderly seperation and deuiding of all his Regiment seeing them cast into Rankes and Files according to true marshall discipline prouiding that the Files be neuer aboue fiue men deepe for it is impossible to bring in depth more hands to fight at one instant he shall also see that when they march in Battalia then they shocke close together and as it were ioyne Cush to Cush But if it be to performe any Euolution or alteration of figure whether of greater or lesser quantitie then he shall see that they obserue at least sixe foote distance which is supposed to be a full Horse length betweene one horseman and another lastly when Regiments come to be drawn together and ioyned one with another in their seuerall Battalias then shal the Liuetenant Colonel see that there be a double distance held which is fiue and twenty Foote betweene euery seuerall company in his Regiment and a double double distance which is fiftie Foote betweeene his Regiment and any other so that in all motions on Horsebacke there is only to bee obserued but these foure certaine distances the first Close as Cush to Cush the second Open which is sixe foote the third Double-Distance which is fiue and twenty foote and the last Double Double Distance which is fifty foote of these but two of them are to be vsed in discipline as ether in seruice vpon the face of the enemie or in drilling and exercising the Troops to make them perfect for seruice those are the first two Close and Open wherein the Liuetenant Colonell is to obserue that when at any time he causeth the Squadrons to open entierly that then he must first open the Rankes and after the Files and in closing of the Battalia he must first close Files and then Rankes and in both these he must vse only but the two first Distances as if he close Files it must be Close that is Cush to Cush leauing no streete at all if he open Files there must euer be sixe foote distance betweene one File another so likewise in Rankes if hee close them it must be to the Horse buttocke without leauing any streete at all and if hee open them it must bee sixe foote betweene the buttocke of the former horse and the head of his follower also in marches the Rankes must neuer open aboue sixe foote neither in any other Motion whatsoeuer Now that the Troops may march orderly and keepe their true distances in a direct and Souldierlike manner He shall obserue that wheresoeuer his Regiment mooueth that then all moue together in one Instant and assoone as the head or Vanguard beginneth that in the same time the Reare bee ready to follow so shall they still keepe their proportion Iust neither shall any error be found in their proceedings No lesse necessary then these Rules already declared are the words of Command by which euery Troope or Regiment is gouerned and directed and therefore it is the Liuetenant Colonels charge to prouide that not any Captaine in his Regiment vse any friuolous or new words of his owne Inuention but only such as shall be generally receiued through the whole Armie for an vnknowne language is such a Babilonian confusion in the eares of an ignorant Souldier that nothing but amazement and error accompany such speeches Therefore the words which are continually in vse are to be commended to euery Officers memory which because they differ in nothing from those which command the foote I will therefore referre you to that former Epistle in which all the generall words of directions are at large declared For all other perticularities which shall necessarily depend vpon this great Officers duty you must haue patience to behold them in the Office of the Colonell himselfe to whom since hee is the Imediate second and chiefe Substitute it is therefore to be imagined that whatsoeuer the Colonell is liable to performe that in his absence the Liuetenant Colonel must see effected after the best and most respectiue manner that may be for any remisnesse or slacknes in him carrieth with it a double Iniurie one to himselfe and another to his Colonels reputation and in the warres euery small omission is dangerous for a man ought not to erre twice I could wander infinitly in this maze and make one occasion beget another but I should then both breake promise with your Lordship and my selfe and instead of an Epistle send you a troublesome paper but I will be faithfull to my first purpose and only knit vp mine Epistle with this That if the Liuetenant Colonell doe containe himselfe within the Bounds already prescribed howsoeuer a greater debt may bee challenged yet without doubt little more can well be proued TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE WILLIAM FINES LORD SAY and SEALE THE ARGVMENT Of the