body an Epitherarchy Of eight 4 Ilarcha and the body an Ilarchy Of 16 5 Elephantarcha and the body an Elephantarchy Of 32 6 Keratarcha and the body a Keratarchy That which consisteth of 64 wee call 7 a Phalange of Elephants as if a man should name the Commander of both the wings Phalangarcha Notes THe vse of Elephants was greater amongst the people of Asia and Africa Those of Europe esteemed them not much And yet we finde that they were brought into the field by the Romans also who first saw Elephants in Italy in the warres they had against King Pyrrhus â— The Indian Elephant was preferred before the African for greatnesse of body strength and courage Many things are written concerning the seruice of Elephants But because Aelian toucheth no more then the names of the bodies and the degrees of Commanders I will only note such things as I finde concerning them in Histories Their kinde of armor and furniture I haue taken out of Liuy and expressed them as neere as I could in figure For their power strength and manner of fight see Diodor. Sicul. lib. 17. 609. lib. 19. 717. Polyb. lib. 1. â—5 D. lib 5. 425. C. Their place in battaile Diodor. Sicul. lib. 17. 685. Arrian lib. 5. 111. Liu. decad 4. lib. 7. 141. B. Appian in Syriac 107. Polyb. l. 1. 34. D. The distance one from an other Arrian lib. 5. 111. Light armed in the distances betwixt Elephant and Elephant Diodor. Sicul. lib. 17. 609. lib. 18. 665. lib 19. 685. 716. Plurarch in Pyrrho Remedies against Elephants Diodor. Sicul. lib. 18. 665. lib. 19. 717. Polyb. l. 1. 42. A. Hirt. de bell African 416. Liu. decad 3. lib. 7. 194. C. I haue noted before the improprietie of names giuen to militarie bodies as well in the armed and the light armed foote as in horse troupes and in Chariots That defect is no lesse in Elephants The Commanders and commands of them hauing names which were at first large and improper enough but afterward made good by vse and receiued by the Tacticks as significant to expresse the things for which they were inuented The first is giuen to him that is to command one Elephant Who is called 1 Zoarchos The Commander of a liuing creature that is of one Elephant The next is 2 Therarchos A Commander of Beasts which name is appropriated to him that commandeth two Elephants and the body it selfe is named a Therarchie 3 An Epitherarcha Hauing the authoritie ouer the Therarchie and the body is called an Epitherarchie comprizing foure Elephants 4 An Ilarch As it were the Commander of a troupe and the body is called an Ilarchie I le is commonly applied to horse and signifieth a horse troupe and Ilarcha the Captaine But here Ilarcha signifieth the Commander of 8 Elephants 5 An Elephantarch A Commander of Elephants as thougâ— the other bodies before mentioned were not of Elephants Such straights are men often times driuen vnto in deuising new names for new things which notwithstanding passe afterward and growe familiar by vse Elephantarcha commandeth 16 Elephants and the command is called an Elephantarchie 6 A Keratarch The Commander of a wing the body a Keratarchie hauing in it 32 Elephants A wing of Chariots had as many 7 A Phalange This is the greatest body and consisteth of 64 Elephants But as Chariots may be ordered into many Phalanges and yet the same names retained in euery one of the Phalanges so it is in Elephants For that armies haue had in them at once aboue 64 Elephants appeareth by Histories Polybius and Diodor Sicul testifie the first that the Carthagineans the last that King Porus against Alexander had the one 140 the other 130 Elephants in their armies The same Polybius saith that Ptolomey had against Antiochus 73 Elephants in his armie and Antiochus 102. And Plutarch reporteth that Androcottus King of a part of India gaue to Seleucus at on time 500 Elephants The names of military motions expressed in this booke CHAP. XXIV THus haue we set downe in particular the kindes of perfect Forces together with the seuerall names of euery body Which being premised it seemeth Cap 25 〈…〉 Faces turned to the right hand The Front Câ—â—s or one Turning of Faces to the right hand The Front The first standing The Front fit to deliuer the words of exercise that when the Commander shall will any thing to be done the Souldier in daily experience acquainted before with the signification of euery of them and with the moouing in each figure may easily performe and execute whatsoeuer is commanded There is a motion called Clisis whereof one kinde is to the Pike the other to the Target Another is called Metabole another Epistrophe another Anastrophe another Perispasmus another Ecperispasmus besides we say to file to ranke to returne to the first posture to countermarch to double Likewise we vse the words Induction and Deduction to the right or left hand a broad-Phalange a deepephalange and vneuen-fronted Phalange and Parembole and Protaxis and Entaxis and Hypotaxis and Epitaxis and Prostaxis The signification of which words I will shortly deliuer And yet I am not ignorant that the precepts of warre are not by all Tacticks expressed in the same tearmes Notes AElian in the Chapters precedent hath numbred vp all kindes of forces as well foote as Horse and Chariots and Elephants that in ancient time were accounted necessarie for warre And hath giuen them their armor and furniture and distinguished them into militarie bodies and imbattailed them and taught the distances that they ought to hold in fight It followeth now that he speake of motions military which are the life of an armie and onely giue meanes of victorie and without which all preparation of forces is vaine and auaileth nothing in the field nor to the end for which they were leuied This Chapter then conteineth the names of those motions the following Chapters the particular explication of them To which we will note what we finde in ancient writers For the signification of the words I referre them to the seuerall Chapters where they are expounded Of turning and double turning the Souldiers faces as they stand embattailed CHAP. XXV 1 CLisis or turning of the face is the particular motion of euery Souldier declining his face either to his Pike that is to the right hand or to his Target that is to the left hand The vse of it is when the enemie sheweth himselfe in flanke 2 to encompasse our winges or else to charge vs or for some other cause whereof I will speake in conuenient place 3 Two turnings of the face towardes the same side transferre the sight of the Souldier to the reare of the battaile And this kinde of motion is called Metabole being also vsed either to the Pike or to the Target In the first standing the mouing of the Souldiers face toward the Pike is called Clisis the second mouing the same way
Metabole For Metabole is the conuersion of euery mans face particularly to the place which was behinde his backe And the same that Metabole is in ech seuerall Souldier the same is Perispasmos or wheeling about in the whole battaile There are 4 two kinds of Metabole the one from the enemie the other to the enemie Metabole is defined to be a changing of euery mans face in particular from the front to the reare or contrariwise Turning about from the enemie is when the Souldier turneth his face twice towards the Pike To the enemy when hee turneth twice towards the Target Notes FOure kinde of Motions are set downe by Aelian whereby vpon any occasion the battaile may be somewhat changed Turning of faces countermarch wheeling and doubling whereof the first may be vsed in what order soeuer your battaile standeth the second onely in open order the third â—n close order only the fourth either in close or open order Clisis or turning of faces whereof this Chapter intreateth albeit it may bee brought in also in open Order Yet is it not don for the most part but in close order and then especially when none of the other motions haue place The Graecians alwaies coueted to bring their file Leaders that is their best men to fight In open Order they chose to countermarch In close Order hauing place to wheele their battaile about and so turne the face of it against the enemy If they could doe neither of these they came to the last remedy which was turning of faces of euery particular man in the battaile 1 Clisis or turning of faces This motion is of lesse paines then any other but of no lesse importance or necessitie In the rest the Phalange changeth the place or the forme In this it holdeth both and yet is ready for any attempt of the enemy Onely euery Souldier in particular turneth his countenance to the right or left hand as he is commanded To turne his face to the Pike is to turne to the right hand because that hand bore the pike to turne to the Target is to turne to the left hand because the Macedonians caried their targets on their left shoulder For the vse of this turning of Faces Aelian saith It hath place when the enemie sheweth himselfe in flanke 2 To incompasse our wings Clisis is no more then bearing faces to the right or left hand that is to our wings When then we finde our enemies to incompasse our right wing wee turne our faces and weapons that way to receiue him to the left when he commeth to charge vs on that side If on both sides then turne wee the faces of our Phalange halfe to the right halfe to the left hand which is the Antistomus Phalange whereof Aelian speaketh hereafter Briefely there is almost none of the marching Phalanges which are afterward discribed but it hath neede of this motion Besides if vpon any occasion the Phalange be to moue from any of the flanks you are only to command Turning of faces to that flanke and then to lead on I will giue an example or two Alexander at Arbela hauing imbattailed his armie to fight with Darius had intelligence that Darius had strowed the ground betwixt the two armies with Calthropes He commanded therefore the right wing which himselfe led to turne faces to the right hand and follow him to the end to go round about and auoide the places that were sowed with Calthropes Darius marching against him to the left hand disioyned his troupes of horse and Alexander taking the aduantage and giuing in quickly betwixt the spaces put Darius to flight If Alexander had marched on with the right front he had fallen vpon the Calthropes To auoide them be vsed the benefit of this motion and turning faces to the right hand he led on vntill hee had passed the danger and then turning againe to the first posture went to charge and defeated the enemie An other example is in Polybius who describing the battaile betwixt Machanidas the Lacedemonian Tyrant and Philopoemen the Achaean Generall telleth that Machanidas hauing in the left wing put the Achaean mercenaries to flight followed hard the chase Philopoemen as long as there was hope indeuoured by all meanes to stay his men when he saw them vtterly defeated hee hasted to the right wing and perceiuing the enemie busie in chase and the place voide where the fight had beene commanding the first Merarchies to turne their faces to the right hand hee led them on with high speede not yet breaking the order of their imbattailing And quickly seazing vpon the forsaken ground hee both cut betwixt them that gaue chase and home and withall got the aduantage of the vpper ground against the left wing of the armed Whereby hee obteined the victory If Philopoemen had in this action vsed wheeling of his battaile which onely was the other motion which would haue serued his turne besides the troublesomenesse of the winding about he should haue beene forced to haue vsed two wheelings and so failed of the câ—lerity which was at that time requisite Faces were turned in a trice and he made himselfe Master of the ground hee desired before hee could haue wheeled once his battaile 3 Two turnings of the Souldiers face Clisis or turning faces to the right or left hand consisteth of one turning and moueth no further then the side If the motion be to the reare it hath two turnings and is called Metabole which is defined to bee a changing of euery mans face in particular from the front to the reare or contrariwise And as wheeling of the whole body carieth about the fronts of the battaile to the reare So doth Metabole turne the face of euery particular Souldier and maketh him looke from the front to the reare The word properly signifieth a change which happeneth herein when the souldiers are changed from the front to the reare or contrariwise The vse of Metabole is principally to resist the enemy that giues on vpon the reare So Pyrrhus being entred the Citie Argos with a few and ouerpressed with multitude retired by little and little and defended himselfe often turning his and his souldiers faces against the enemy So the armie of Cyrus the elder retiring from the walles of Babylon often turned about their faces to the left hand and waited their enemie who were reported to be on foote and ready to come and charge them And if the enemy assault both the front and reare it hath beene the manner to continue halfe the souldiers in each file with their faces to the front and command the other halfe to turne their faces to the reare against the enemie behind And this forme is called Phalanx Amphistomos discribed by Aelian cap. 38. And sometimes it is vsed to speed our march and preuent the enemie as was said before of Clisis Agesilaus made an incursion into the Territory of the Thebans and finding a Trench and Ramper cast vp by the Thebanes for
defence of their Countrey and onely two narrow waies betwixt he cast his armie into a hollow Plinthium or square and led it against the left hand passage whither all the Thebans flocked for defence But hee turning about faces from the reare hasted away and gained the other passage where no man was present to resist and entring spoiled the Countrey and returned without impeachment 4 There are two kinde of Metaboles Before were rehearsed two kinde of turnings of faces about one to the pike the other to the target here is added two more one from the enemy and the other against the enemie which are all one indeed and differ onely in name What the true meaning of these turnings should be I am in doubt Aelian expounding them one way Suidas an other Aelian esteemes them by the right and left hand Suidas albeit he haue that signification also esteemeth them by the front and reare Therefore Suidas defines the turning from the enemie to bee a turning about toward the reare that against the enemie a turning about toward the front Aelian would haue the first to containe two turnings toward the right hand the second two turnings toward the left I for my part assent rather to Aelian For touching the turnings of Suidas I cannot yet vnderstand why turning toward the reare should be a turning from the enemie Or toward the front a turning to the enemie Considering that whether soeuer you turne faces the enemie is imagined to be there faces and weapons being to bee opposed alwaies against the enemie which is the onely end of turning Aelians opinion seemeth to haue more probability in it at least if I conceiue the right reason For I take it thus That seeing the Graecians as the Romans likewise were Targetieres and caried their targets on their left side and in fight aduanced that side alwaies neerest the enemie which they sought to couer with their targets that therefore the turning about to the enemy was called turning to the Target as contrarily turning to the right side on which side the Pike was caried and which being naked of such defensiue armes was called the open side and therefore further remoued from the enemy might for the same cause be tearmed turning from the enemy So that I take turning about to the enemy and turning about to the target to be all one as also turning about from the enemy and turning about to the Pike howsoeuer the name differ This is my coniecture which I shall imagine to be true till I finde some man that will bee pleased to giue me a more probable reason I only adde now the words of command in this motion As you were Faces to the right hand Faces to the left hand Faces about to the right or left hand The figure sheweth the manner Of wheeling double and treble-wheeling of the battaile and returning to the first posture CHAP. XXVI 1 EPistrophe or wheeling is when the battaile being so closed that no man can turne or twice turne his face by reason of the neerenesse of man to man it wholy and iointly wheeleth as a ship or some other body caried about the order thereof remaining vndissolued When the wheeling is to the Pike we warne the right-corner-file-leader to stand still as it were the hooke of a doore hinge and the rest of the battaile proceeding forward to turne about the same file-Leader like the doore In the same manner is wheeling to the Target It may be thus defined Epistrophe is when shutting the battaile by gathering close the Followers and Side-men we turne it wholy as the body of a man toward the Pike or Target it being caried about the corner-file-leader as about a Center and changing the place of the front transferre the countenance of the souldier to the right or left hand the followers and sidemen euery one remayning in file and ranke as before How it is to be done I will shew hereafter Anastrophe or returning to the first posture is the restoring of the wheeling to the place where the battaile first stood close before it beganne to wheele Perispasmos or wheeling about is the motion of the battaile in two wheelings so that thereby the front commeth to the place of the reare 2 Ecperispasmos or treble wheeling is the motion of the battaile in three wheelings so as when it turneth to the Pike the front commeth about to the left flanke when to the Target it commeth about to the right flanke Notes THis Chapter hath a diuers kinde of turning from the other mentioned in the last Chapter which for distinction sake is called Epistrophe or wheeling The other turned no more then the souldiers faces euery man yet keeping the same ground be had before This wheeles the whole body and changeth the place of the Phalange either to the right or left hand or to the reare And as there was in the turning of faces a particular motion of euery particular souldier to the right or left hand called Clesis and an other turning about called Metabole so is there in this a generall wheeling of the whole body to the right or left hand called Epistrophe and an other wheeling about to the reare called Perispasmos But let vs heare the description 1 Epistrophe or wheeling is when the Battaile Shortly Epistrophe is no more then the first turning of the battaile to the right or left hand In doing whereof first the files must be closed to the hand you meane to wheele then the rankes Then the corner file-Leader on the same hand is to stand still then all the rest keeping their files and rankes closed to turne to the same hand iointly about the Corner-file-leader circle-wise who is to moue by little and little till he haue turned his face to that side which was intended And when the first ranke is euen with him and the rest wheeled enough to the same hand they are to stand still The words of the definition of Epistrophe or wheeling are plaine enough in Aelian I neede vse no exposition Now because in exercise we relie not vpon one forme of motion alone but acquaint our souldiers with all the kindes It is necessarie to bring the body againe to the first place to the end we may proceede in the rest This reducing to the first Posture is called Anastrophe by which the battaile returneth but by a contrary hand to that to which the Epistrophe was made And but for changing the hand the wheeling backe againe is all one with the wheeling forward Wee shall see hereafter how it is done To bring the battaile to haue the front where the reare was you must vse a double wheeling And that is called Perispasmos Which commeth of two Epistrophes and is made either to the right or left hand Onely it must bee obserued that if the Perispasmos or wheeling about be to the right hand the Anastrophe or reducing to the first posture must be to the left Contrarie it is if the Perispasmos were to
and serueth for the pikes onely for the Musquettiers cannot be so close in files because they must haue their Armes at liberty that is when euery one is distant from file to file a foote and a halfe and 3 foote from Ranke to Ranke And this last distance is thus commanded Close your selues throughly But it is not to be taught the Souldiers for that when necessitie shall require it they will close themselues but too much of their owne accord without command To begin therefore to doe the exercises the Company is set in the first distance to wit of 6 foote in file and ranke and thus is said These are the generall words of Command which are often to be vsed Stand right in your files Stand right in your rankes Silence To the right hand As you were To the left hand As you were To the right hand about To the left hand as you were To the left hand about To the right hand as you were You must note that when they are commanded to be as they were they must returne thither from whence they parted and if they turned to the right hand they must returne to the left and so in countermarch The headpiece The forepart The headpiece close The backe the right gantlet The left vambrace The left cuishe The brest The backe the gard the left â—â—â—â—let The Armour of the Pikman The Gorget The Brest The Tales The Hedpiece The Back The Pike To the right double your rankes Rankes as you were To the left hand double your rankes Rankes as you were To the right hand double your files Files as you were To the left hand double your files Files as you were With halfe files to the right hand double your Rankes Halfe files as you were With halfe files to the left hand double your Rankes Halfe files as you were Files to the right hand countermarch Files to the left hand countermarch To the right hand or left at discretion as you were Rankes to the right hand countermarch Rankes to the left hand countermarch To the right or left hand as you were Close your Files to 3 foote distance Close your Rankes to 3 foote distance Vnderstand that in Closing from the outsides to the middle the Soldier is â—stand in his distance of 3 foote in file and not closer To the right hand wheele To the left hand wheele Open your Rankes backwards in your double distance to wit at 12 foote and this for a single Company Rankes as you were sc. at the first In opening Rankes or Files you must keepe them closed vntill the second Ranke or File beginning from the outsides haue taken their distances and so shall the rest remaine close vntill euery Ranke or File haue taken their distanceâ— in order Open your files to wit to the first distance of 6 foote If you will command to close files to the right hand or left hand the outmost file standeth still and the rest close to that file For the Pike with a firme stand Advance your Pikes Order your Pikes Slope your Pikes Charge your Pikes Order your Pikes Traile your Pikes Cheeeke your Pikes More for the Pikes first with a firme stand and then marching Charge your Pikes Slope your Pikes To the right hand charge your Pikes Slope your Pikes To the left hand charge your Pikes Slope your Pikes Charge your Pikes to the Reare Slope your Pikes Order your Pikes This must be obserued charging your Pikes with a firme stand to set the right foote behind and charging the Pikes marching to set the left foote before For the Musquet THe Postures in his Excellencies Booke are to be obserued but in exercisinâ— you must onely vse these three termes of direction Make ready Present Giue fire Your Musquettiers must obserue in all their motions to turne to the right hand and that they carry the mouth of their peeces high aswell when they are shouldred as in pruning and also when they hold their pannes garded and come vp to giue fire In advancing towards an Enemy when they doe not skirmish loose and disbanded they must giue fire by Rankes after this manner Two Rankes must alwaies make ready together and aduance ten paces forward before the body at which distance a Sergeant or when the body is great some other officer must stand to whom the Musquettiers are to come vp before they present and giue fire first the firstranke And whilest the first giues fire the second Ranke keepe their Musquets close to their Rests and their pannes garded and assoone as the first are fallen away the second presently present and giue fire and fall after them Now assoone as the first two Rankes doe moue from their places in the front The two Rankes next them must vnshoulder their Musquets and make ready so as they may aduance forward ten paces as before assoone as euer the two first rankes are fallen away and are to doe in all points as the former And all the other Rankes through the whole diuision must doe the same by twoes one after another A manner there is to giue fire retyring from an Enemy which is performed after this sorâ—t As the Troope marcheth the hindermost ranke of all keeping still with the Troope is to make ready and being ready the souldiers in that ranke turne altogether to the right hand and giue fire marching presently away a good round pace to the front and there place themselues in ranke together iust before the front As soone as the first ranke turne to giue fire the ranke next makes ready and doth as the former and so the rest We giue fire by the flanks thus The vppermost file next the Enemy must be commanded to make ready keeping still along with the body till such time as they be ready and then they turne to the right or left hand according to the sight of their enemies either vpon the right or left flanke and giue fire altogether When they haue discharged they stirre not but keepe their ground and charge their Peeces againe in the same place they stand Now as soone as the foresaid file doth turne to giue fire the vttermost next it makes ready alwaies keeping along with the Troope till the Bringer-vp be past a little beyond the Leader of that file that gaue fire last and then the whole file must turne and giue fire and doe in all points as the first did and so the rest one after the other A Sergeant or if the Troope be great some other better qualified Officer must stand at the head of the first file and assoone as the second file hath giuen fire and hath charged he is to lead forward the first file vp to the second file and so to the rest one after another till he hath gathered vp againe the whole wing and then he is to ioyne them againe in equall front with the pikes Last of all the Troope or whole wing of Musquettiers makes ready altogether and
were called Thureo and were in forme like a doore from whence they had theire name For Thura signifieth a doore These the Romans and Gaules vsâ—d albeit sâ—me what different in forme The round had eight full handfulls in diameter as Alian saith and were termed Asâ—ides Long targets were much disliked by the Graecians Cyrus in Xenophon derideth them as both hindering the sight being vnwieldy and Philopoemen chaunged them into round targets following the Macedonian manner The targets of PhilopoemeÌ„ Pausanias termeth Argâ—lican targets It may be because they were first vsed by the Argiues in the battaile betwixt Acrisius Danaes father and Praetus who contended about the kingdome of Argos Of what matter these targets were is a quaestion Some take them to haue been made of other matter covered over with brasse that otherwise the souldier should not haue been able to haue born them for the weight I deny not that in auncient time some targets were plated with brasse the rather because I find that Alexander to match the Indian pompe covered the targets of his souldiers with plates of silver But that the ordinary Macedonian target was so covered I deny Aelian after calleth them chalce brasen not epichalce covered with brasse Polyb. saith that the Macedonians in the time of K. Philip the sonne of Demetrius were called Chalcaspides Brasen targetiers not epichalkitai by which name as Hesychius hath they were called that had their targets covered with brasse So likewise in the time of Perseus And the Megapolitans whoe imitated the Macedonian manner of arming are termed Chalcaspides in Polybius I haue shewed that the Lacedemonians had brasen targets by the institution of Lycurgus that in the time of the Heroes almost all armour was made of brasse The targets of the Lacedemonians that were slaine at the battaile of Leuctra were brasse and to bee seene in the time of Pausanias and the brasen target of Pyrrhus Which he left at Argos being there slaine was kept in the temple of Câ—es As for the weight it is not so great but it may become lighâ— enough by vse and exercisâ— wee see iron targets in vse at this day and not hard to be borne And albeit the weight bee not for euery mans strength yet since it hath beene and is the manner to make choice of souldiers and to fitte them with armes according to the ability of their bodies I see noe reason but the stronger sort might well bear them Another sort of targets there was which differed from the Macedonian not so much in forme of roundnesse as in matter and manner of carieng They were made of wicker and borne in the left hand as our bucklers which wee vsed not long since and some covered over with hides some not Xenophon saith that Cyrus the elder armed the Persians with these wicker targets reko ning vp the nations through whose Countries the Graecians passed in their returne out of Persia describing their armes reporteth that the Chalybes Taochi Phasians had targets of this kinde Now that they were borne in the left hand is clear by the same Xenoph. Hee writeth thus of the fight betwixt Cyrus Craesus The Egyptians Persians encountring together the fight was hard sharpe the Egyptians aswel in number as in armes had the advantage For they fought with stiffe long pikes theire large targets better covered their bodies then Curaces or wicker targets and being borne on their shoulders availed to joint-thrusting foreward Serring therefore their targets close they advaunced ranne on The Persians were not able to endure the shock by reason they bore theire wicker targets at the armes end but retiring by litle litle giving taking blowes they mainteined the fight till they came to the Engins So farre Xenophon Out of which words a man may plainely vnderstand the manner af bearing these wicker targets which by reason of lightnesse might easily bee held out at armes end And as the Egyptian target which reached downe to the foote must needes bee heavy and therefore had â—eed of the shoulder to support it so was it with the brasen targets of the Macedonians which were also weighty by reason of the matter they were made of These therefore were likewise caried on the shoulder Plutarch witnesseth it in the life of Aemilius And the same Plutarch rehearseth that Cleomenes the King of Sparta taught his Lacedaemonians in steede of a speare to vse a pike with hoth handes and to beare theirâ— targets vpon the strappe not by the handle The wordes are obscure need light which I will giue as shortly as I can I find three wordes emongest the Graecians all perteyning to a target They are those Telamon ochane or ochanon and porpax Telamon in this sence for it signifieth otherwise a band is by all confessed to bee the broade strappe which is fastened to the handle of the target holdeth the target being cast about the necke vnto the back Of Ochane porpax is some variance Suidas saith that Ochanon is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The hold of the target Hesychius calleth it the Porpax of the target the band 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of Porpax Hesychius saith it is the handle of the target taketh Porpe iâ— the same sence making it the thing bearing vp the targett into which the hand and arme to the elbow is thrust Suidas saith Porpax is it that they hold the target by which is called ochanes againe that some take it for the band of the target other some for the middel iron that goeth through the target on which the souldier taketh hold So that both Hesychius Suidas agree that Ochanon Porpax are sometime alone and signify the handle of the Target In which sence Herodotus Pausanias take Ochanon also Hesychius further interpreteth it for the band of the target 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signification better agreeth with the meaning of Plutarch who maketh an apparant difference betwixt theÌ„ reporting that Cleomenes taught the Lacedemonians to cary their targets by the Ochane not by the Porpax When he saith by the Ochane bee meaneth by the strappe by which being fastened about the necke the target is throwne over to the back resteth vpon the left shoulder That which I say will better appeare if we marke what the Lacedemonians did before what Cleomenes adviseth them vnto Before they caried a speare in the right hand and a target by the handle in the left so that both their hands were ful The speare was not able to match the enemies pike for Cleomenes had often to doe with the Macedonians Achaeans whoe both vsed pikes pikes the Lacedemonians could not wield with one hand So then to giue them liberty of both hands he counselled theÌ„ to cary their targets at theire backs by the strappe
or Ochane which was the Macedonian manner and not to hold them any more by the Porpax or handle and so to free their left hand to apply both to the menaging of a pike This I take to be the direct meaning of Plutarch Cleomenes then perswaded them to leaue theire speares take pikes And left the target in the left hand might proue an impediment to the vse of a pike hee thought best they should cary them at their backe by the Ochane To cary them then by the strappe at the backe is to giue free vse to the left hand without which a pike specially a long pike such as Cleomenes advised them vnto cannot be wielded as experience will teache any man that list to make triall 4 And long pikes Pikes for the most parte haue beene called by two names by the Graecians Doru and Sarissa Aelian nameth them Dorata both heere and in other places of this book Xenophon speaking of the weapons of the Chalybes saith they had Dorata of 15. cubits long armed with iron at one end onely Tet is Doru taken for a speare oftentimes as in that place of Plutarch last recited where Cleomenes perswaded the Lacedemonians to chaunge theire Dorata speares into Sarissas pikes The like recounteth hee of Philopoemen whoe chaunged the speares of the Achaeans into pikes calling the speares Dorata the pikes Sarissas And even in this place Aelian termeth them not Dorata simply but with addition of Perimekestera of a longsise And after describing the armes of the Peltastes hee saith theire speares Dorata were much shorter then the pikes Sarissae of the armed Properly the pike of the Macedonian is termed Sarissa if sometime Doru some other word is added to avoide the ordinary signification of Doru as Doru macron in Xenophon Doru perimekes in Aelian Yet deny I not but it may bee called Doru of the matter For Doru signifieth wood of any kinde and by consequent the wood a pike is made of But as I said the Macedonian pike is properly called Sarissa What the length of this pike was Aelian will shewe in the 14. Chapter And for the wood it was made of I take it to haue beene Corneil For I finde that the Macedonian horsemans staffe was of that wood Arrian confirmeth it saieng And nowe the Macedonians had the better both by reason of the strength of theire bodies and experience in warre and also because they fought with Corneil launces against Iavelins For I assent not to the translater of Arrian whoe turneth Xystois Craneinois into Corneil dartes where it should bee Corneil launces For in that place Alexander is reported to haue fought with a launce and to haue broken it in fight and to haue asked another of Aretes one of the Quiries of his stable whoe had also broke his and fought with the truncheon and to haue taken the launce of Divarates the Corinthian and returned presently to the fight and therewith overthrowne Mithridates the sonne in lawe of Darius Besides it is said that the Macedonians had the advantage in weapons Take it thus that they fought with dartes against Iavelins what advantage had they especially being come to the shock Dartes are vsed a farre of At hand noe man fighteth with them vnlesse hee haue noe other weapon I thinke noe man will deny but that a Iavelin in closing is more advantagious then a darte And that Xyston signifieth a launce Aelian himselfe testifieth in this Chapter calling the launciers Doratophori or Xystophori The Macedonian then had his horsemans staffe of Corneil Whiâ— Pliny affirmeth to bee a sound and a fast wood If his launce a man may â—bably coniecture his pike also which exceeded the launce in length and thicknesse onely Wee at this day preferre the Ashe before all woodes for toughnesse lightnesse and beautie especially if the vaine runne through to the end Notwithstanding I finde in Cicuta a knight of Venice an old souldier and one that followed the Emperour Charles the fift in his warres of Africk that the opinion of his time enclyned rather to Firre both for lightnesse and strength I haue not seene the experience therefore leaue I the iudgement to triall Wee haue then out of Aelian that the armed had both target and pike that one man should at one time vse both target and pike in fight against the enemy will seeme incredible in our dayes Yet vsed the Macedonian souldiers both at one instant they both charged theire pikes and covered themselues with theire targets against the flyeng weapons of the enemy The manner was this when they closed with the enemy they charged theire pikes with both handes and with a slight wryeng of the body and lifting vp the right shoulder whirled their target hanging at their backe vpon the left shoulder that stood next the enemy in the charge and so covered all theire body to the midle and beneath I haue touched it in the practise of Cleomenes It appeareth more plainely in Plutarch describing the battaile betwixt K. Perseus and the Consul Aemilius Hee hath this The enemy approaching Aemilius issued out of his Campe and fownd the legionary Macedonians bearing nowe the heades of their pikes stiffe vpon the targets of the Romans not suffering them to come vp to the sword which when hee sawe and sawe with all the other Macedonians casting about their targets from behinde their shoulders and receiving the Roman targetiers with their pikes abased together at one signal and likewise the firmenesse of the battaile shutte vp serred the roughnesse of the front the pikes lyeng out before he became astonied affrighted as having never before beheld so fearefull a sight Which passion spectacle hee afterward oftentimes recounted to his familier friends This ioyâ—ing of targets in the front is called Synaspismos whereof wee shall haue occasion to speake heere-after 5 The light They had divers names given them in the Greek history Sometimes they are called Euzoni because they so girded vp theire apparaile about theÌ„ that they were light and fitt for motion Sometimes Askeuoi because they beare no military furniture of defence Sometimes Elaphroi because they resemble as some think a harte in lightnesse and swiftnesse Sometimes Gynnietae naked because they were without defensiuâ— armes Sometimes Psyloi naked or light as they are heere termed by Aelian and by Appian and the other that I cited 6 Flyeng weapons onely The light-armed are divided into three kindes Archers Darters and Slingers Which three kindes were of much vse emongest the Graecians and they beare onely flieng weapons Xenophon testifieth that Cyrus the elder had them And the Graecians in theire returne out of Persia Alexander had them in his warre against Darius and Pyrrhus in his warre in Italy Sicill and Greece The Graecians against Brennus King of the Gaules Both the Athenians The bans at the battaile of Delos 7 Arrowes Archers haue alwayes
Souldier which fought vnder the Ensigne had excepting the Target both to assure himselfe from the flying weapons of the light armed and from the pike and sword of the armed in case the battaile were entred and pierced as farre as the Ensigne For it was no reason he should carry a Target lest both his hands should be bound the right with the Ensigne the left with the Target and so he haue no vse of either against the enemy And in the left hand I would giue him a speare or â—auelin not a pike which cannot be weilded with one hand for his owne defence and to offend the enemy Which weapon I haue read Ensignes of ancient time did beare What the Ensignes place was whether in front or in the middest of the Battatle I see it controverted Patricius absolutely affirmeth that the Ensignes were placed in the middest of the front and had 8 files on the right and 8 on the left to the end they might be seene and followed by all That Ensignes were first invented to be a marke of seuerall bodies military in an Army I haue before shewed But it followeth not thereof that they were placed in the front in time of fight For being in the middle they no lesse gaue notice what the body was than in the front The reason of following is of lesse force Inasmuch as the Souldier well knoweth whom to follow though he had no Ensigne at all the Commander alwaies with his motion giuing him direction when to advance forward when to turne his face to the right or left hand when to countermarch when to double and when to vse all other motions military And the Commanders were therefore called Leaders because they went on before and the Souldiers followed after So that the Ensigne in regard of following neede not to be set in the front Yet in exercising the troupes and in marches I finde that the Ensigne was in the front together with the Captaine Crier Trumpeter and Guide But I take the reason to be because being in the middest and hauing neither file nor ranke with the rest they might happily bring a confusion and be a hinderance to the changes and diuers figures of the Battaile When the time of fight was the Ensigne retired to his place that is to the middest For so Leo interpreteth himselfe in his precept of closing files which must be done saith he not onely by File-leaders in front Commanders of fiue and Bringers-vp in the Reare but in the middest also where the Ensigne standeth And I rather agree to Leo herein because I see it was the manner of the Romans also to place their Ensignes in the middest of their Maniples From whence came the appellations of Antesignani Souldiers that stood before the Ensignes and Postsignani that stood behinde Besides the Ensigne being in the front the Ensigne bearer may soone get a clap who falling the Ensigne goeth to ground and is in danger of loosing which was the greatest disgrace among the Romans that might befall Lastly Aelian himselfe in plaine words placeth the Cornet of horse farre from the front For speaking of the ordinarie Horse-troupe he saith it is to consist of 64 horse the first ranke of 15 horse the 2 of 13 the 3 of 11 the 4 of 9 descending still and diminishing 2 horse in euery ranke till you come to one He addeth he shall carry the Cornet that standeth in the second ranke next the ranke-Commander on the left hand which ranke is the second ranke himselfe declareth making the ranke of 15 the first the 2 the 13 which is the 7th from the front and next the reare but one If the Cornet haue no place in front why should the Ensigne considering both serue to one vse and the reasons of seeing and following are equall to both And albeit Suidas place the Ensigne the Crier the Trompet and Sargeant before the Battaile the Lieutenant in the reare he is notwithstanding to be vnderstood of the times of marching or of exercise which I noted before For what should that Rable of vnarmed being 4. in euery Syntagma and in the whole Phalange 256. doe in the front in the time of fight but onely pester the chosen of the Armie who therefore haue the front that they may make speedier way into the enemies battell 7 A Reare-commander Was the same that a Leutenant is with vs. He commandeth the Souldiers in the Reare no lesse then the Syntagmatarch in the front and had his place in the Reare What the duty of a Reare-commander was I haue shewed out of Cyrus words in Xenophon And Aelian afterwards setteth it downe most plainly He was armed as the rest of the armed of the Syntagma namely with Pike and Target and with such other armes as I haue described in my notes vpon the second Chapter 8 A Trumpet The invention of the Trumpet is attributed to Tirrhenus Hercules sonne But the different vse of these officers is worth the noting out of Suidas The Crier saith he serueth to deliuer directions by voice the Ensigne by signall when noise taketh away the hearing of the voice the Trumpet by sound when thorough thicknes of dust a signall cannot be discerned The Sargeant to bring such things and dispatch such messages as his Syntagmatarch commands So that these officers were held all necessary for a Company the one supplying the defect of the other and seruing for vse when the other failed The Trumpet then was to be vsed according to Suidas when neither the Crier nor Ensigne could doe seruice With the Trumpet was the signall giuen for the Campe to remoue for the Campe to lodge By the Trumpet the Souldiers were taught their time to fight their time to retreate The Trumpet set and discharged the watch From the Trumpet came the measure of the Marche and the quicknes and slownes of Pace In briefe the Trumpet did all the offices that the Dromme doth with vs at this day Whether the Trumpet or Dromme are of most vse in the field I may not now dispute Onely I will say that the Graecians and Romans the most expert and iudicious Souldiers that euer were held themselues to the Trumpet and neuer vsed the Dromme The Dromme was first invented by Bacchus who as Polyenus reporteth fighting against the Indians in stead of Trumpets gaue the signall of Battaile with Cymballs and Drommes From him it came to the Indians who vsed it altogether as Curtius noteth in the battell betwixt King Alexander the Great and Porus. The Dromme of Parthians is described by Plutarch in the life of Crassus and by Appian And Leo saith the Saracens who invaded Christendome and infected the Turkes with their superstition ordered their fights by the Dromme From this Easterne Asiaticall people it was brought into Europe and now the generall custome is among stall Europaean Nations that the foote haue Drommes in the field the horse Trumpets And
forces to his sonne Aleander that he needed no other Allies to ouerthrow the Soueraâ—gnety of Persia. After his death Alexander â—ooke his langdome and Armie and with it encountring and v inquishing Darius in two great Battailes runne thorough Asia like a flash of 〈◊〉 renâ—ing a pieces aâ— that resâ—ted or stood in his way and laid the foundation of that kingdome which albeit afterward diuided continued long in his Successors Neither was the experience of their invinciblenesse against the barbarous people onely but as much against the Graecians who â—ill Philips time were esteemed the chiefe masters of Armes in Europe This is cleare by the victories the Macedonians obteined against the renowned Cities of Greece both ioyntly and seuerally Philip ouerthrew the Phoceans albeit the Lacedemonians and Athenians ioyned with them The same Philip at Cheronaea defeated the power of the Thebans and Athenians ioyned together Alexander tooke and sacked the Citie of Thebes that about that time was accâ—unted the mighttest Citie of Greece His Lieutenant Antipater foyled the Lacedâ—nians 〈◊〉 battâ—ile â—nd steâ— their King Agis Antigonus Tutor of King Phiâ—p the sonne of Demetrius broke an Armie of the Lacedemonians and Peloponesi◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and chased out of Greece Cleomenes the last brave King of Sparta 〈◊〉 they were not beaten in the field by any Nation but onely by the Romans And yet the iudgement of Polybius doth in this also proue it selfe good For where the Romans had these victories against the Macedonians he assigneth this to be the cause that the Phalange at the time of the fight had not the proper place nor meanes to vse it owne power in the encounter so long as the Phalange hath ground enough and can meete the enemy with a right front he holdeth it not possible to be foyled being diuided and in places vneven he is of opinion and experience hath taught it may easily be put in a route Plutarch compareth it for strength so long as it is one bodie and maintaineth the Synaspisme iointly to an invincible beast being disâ—euered he saith it looseth the force in the whole and in euery man particular both in regard of the manner of arming and also because the violence oâ— it consists rather in knitting of all parts together than in particular of any mans valour Three battailes to praetâ—rmit aiuers skirmâ—shes I finde the Romans 〈◊〉 with and thâ—em 〈◊〉 the Macedonians One against King Philip the sonne of Demeâ—us an 〈◊〉 against Antiochus the third against Perâ—eus the soâ—e of King Pâ—lip For I paâ— ouer those wherein they were beaten by Pyâ—hus 〈◊〉 worâ— Philip 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phalange and not vsing the whole together but fighting against the Romans with the right winge onely yet had the better and wâ— too â—ard for that part of the Roman Army that ioyned with him but the other winâ— comming into the field fit rather for a march than a fight and not being able to order themselues Phalaâ—ge-wise were soone defeated and the Roman victorious fell vpon the râ—re oâ— the right winâ— where Philip was and had now gotten the victorie and so 〈◊〉 the field Antiochus vnskilfull in true ordering of a Phalange truste◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 horse than his Phalange and being to fight with L Scipio where hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 giuen full scope anâ— extâ—nded the front of the Phalange by making it 16 deepe 〈◊〉 contrary-wise narrowed it 〈◊〉 out the depth into 32 whereby he lost the advantage of matching the â—ront of the Romans and after his horse were beaten gaue facilitie to the enemy of 〈◊〉 on it all sides Perseus ioyning â—attaile with Paulus Aemiâ—us 〈◊〉 long 〈◊〉 the Phalange continued in the right figure slew many of the Romans anâ— forced them to retire but following on too eagerly he came to vneuen and rough ground wherein the Phalange being disseuered left spaces and breaches for the Romans to enter and defeat it So long then as the Macedonian Phalange had fit ground and the right property of embattailing it stood fast against the Romans the greatest souldiers that euer were being in their hands that kâ—ew not how to vse it as a sword in the hands of a childe it yeelded to time and fortune The cause of the strength of the Phalange is assigned to be 2 The manner of embattailing Which consists principally in ordering of Target and pike in closing of the Targets by Synaspisme and in ioint charging of the pikes which lying out thicke from the front besides the horror of the sight giue almost an impossibilitie to enter the Phalange I haue alledged the iudgement of Aemilius concerning the sight presented by a Phalange when the Pikes lie so charged out of the front Polybius thinketh nothing can resist the force thereof Livy albeit many times more than partiall to the Romans yet in the selfe-same fight betweene Perseus and Aemilius giueth his iudgement thus of the Phalange The second Legion saith he inâ—inuated it selfe into the middle empty place and so broke asunder the Phalange Neither was there any more euident cause of victory then the fights in diuers places at once which first troubled the Phalange in turning many waies and afterward plainly disioynted and scattered it whose forces being vnited and rough with charged pikes are intollerable If by giuing on in diuers places you constraine it to bring about the pikes immoueable through length and weight it entangleth it selfe with confused crossings If at one time you charge it both flanke and reare they fall asunder like a ruinous building As then they were compelled many waies to answer the Romans and so to breake their battaile into many parcells And the Romans vpon the first opportunitie of a breach straight waies conveighed in their troupes who if they had met the enemy in front had runne vpon the pikes as in the beginning it hapned to the Pelignans being too forward to come to hand and could not haue resisted the Phalange fast shut and serred vp for the encounter thus Livy concerning the Phalange Who albeit a Roman holdeth the same opinion that Polybius doth And in another place telling of Philips encamping â—e saith he was lodged in a wooddy plot which was vnfit for the Phalange especially of the Macedons which vnlesse it cast the pikes as it were a muniment before the Targets and that cannot be but in open ground is of no great vse So then if Pikes may be charged out before the Targets the Phalange is of great vse But that I may not seeme to rely vpon bare opinion let vs heare by an example or two the experience of the Pike and Target of the Macedonian against the Roman armes When T. Quintus Flaminius the Rom Consull had driuen King Philip and his army from the streights neare Antigonia seeing that the enemy kept himselfe with his strength and absteined from the field he determined to try the Cities of Thessaly and hauing wonne some
antiquitie were repulsed by it at a siege forced to retire in a battell durst not come neare it after they had gained the field of the rest of the Army And the Consull Aemilius a man that had seene much seruice and fought many a battaile and was one of the best Generalls of that time confessed he neuer saw so fearefull a sight as when he beheld the Phalange advancing into the field the bodies ioyned the Targets serred and locked together darting out fire like lightning the front rough with couched and charged pikes and armed with yron and threatning present death to him that durst approach 3 Occupying two Cubits of ground We may not take it as though the souldier betwixt file and file had two Cubits or three foote of ground For we learned before that in locking vp the Phalange the distance betweene man and man in front was but a Cubit But it is to be vnderstood betweene ranke and ranke For Polybius saith that the souldier ought to haue roome for the vse of his weapon which cannot be without granting him three foote behinde the pike being some-times to be pushed forward some-times to be drawne backe sometimes otherwise handled as occasion of fight shall require The length of the Pike is 16 Cubits a Sixteene Cubits which is twenty foure foote is a great length for a Pike and it verifieth the words of Livy that the Macedonian Pike is vnwealdy by reason of the length and weight yet doe wee read of pikes of that length The Aeâ—essans had such The Chalybes pikes were about 15 cubits long But 16 was the length at the first the Maccdonians brought it to 14 which they tooke to be a sufficient length against the enemie and easier for the Pike-man to beare and handle 4 The space in charging betwixt the handes taking vp two cubiâ—s Herein is a difference betweene Aelian and Polybius Aelian would haue no more then 2 cubits lost in charging Polybius saith 4. are lost and with Polybius agreeth Leo. But the cause of the difference arisetâ— out of the forme of the pike and of the manner of holding it in the charge If it be held at the butt end with the right hand and supported toward the armed end with the left as the manner in charging is it cannot loose aboue two cubits and Aeâ—an is in the right But if in holding it you set the right hand 2 cubits from the butt and then must 4 cubits of necessitie be lost Whereof 2 rest behinde the right hand the other two are taken vp by the space betwixt both hands Our manner of charging is at this day to take the butt end in the right hand and in so doing we loose but two cubits But it seemeth our pikes are not made in that forme they were in Polybius time In Polybius age they had weiâ—hts at the but end to make the sharpe end the lighter as the heauie pummell lightereth the sword in handling This weight was called secoma as it were a counter-weight to the heauinesse and length of the pike Neither do I read any thing elsewhere then in Polybius concerning the counter-weight of a pike To the handle of an Oare I finde in Atheneus that lead was added to make the part standing out from the shippe more light But yet Polybius and Aelians opinions may well agree and in pikes that haue counterweights at their ends the hold for charging being taken two cubits from the butt end there may be lost foure cubits where the other sort being held at the butt end it selfe loose but 2 cubits 5 The pikes of the other behinde cannot reach to the first ranke How shall they beare their pikes then Polybius sheweth what the manner was Those rankes saith he that stand behinde the fifth can helpe nothing to the fight in front And therefore they charge not their pikes low but beare them towards their forestanders shoulders the points somewhat erected to secure the battaile from aboue intercepting by their thicke lying the missiue weapons which flying ouer the front would otherwise fall vpon their heads that are placed toward the reare Polybius saith the manner was neither to charge nor order their pikes but to beare them forwards stoping towards the shoulders of their companions before Yet by bearin them so what security they could â—ue from the missiue weapons that came aloft I cannot yet conceiue An arrow dart or stone vnlesse it hit iust on the middest of the pikes would do as much and sometimes more harme by glancing then if it had not touched them at all Some would haue the hinder pikes longer The opinion of them whom Aelian here speakâ—th of hath little reason to ground vpon For either the pike of thâ—m that come in the fiue rancks behinde especially the two last must exceede in length or else the fileleaderâ— pikes in shortnesse both which are â—like vnprofitâ—ble If they bee too long they cannot be weilded if these too short the enemie shall reach the file-leaders and not the file-leaders the enemie The measure of the longest pike was 16 cubits which yet for aptnesse and vse was by the Macedonians reduced to 14. Say then the sixteenth ranke carrieth pikes of 16 cubits two of the cubits according to Aelian are taken away in handling other ten by reason of the distance of the fiue former rankes Foure cubits alone remaine and reach ouer the front If the file Leader in the front shorten his pike to foure cubits to make an euen extention he shall not come neere the enemie by ten cubits who in pushing will reach home to him For what length soeuer is taken from the file-leader in front the same is giuen to the enemie that pusheth with him And hee shall bee able to wound the file-leader and not the file-leader him especially the pikes differing in so great a proportion 6 The superordinarie Lieutenant of euery Syntagma I haue before noted the dutie of a Lieutenant of the Syntagma and it is here well expressed by Aelian He that desireth to see more touching the same let him resort to Xenophons Cyropaedia lib. 3. 28. and lib. 7. 178. B. and to Leo cap. 14. § 79. The place of the light-armed and the number of euery file CHAP. XV. THus much of ordering and marshalling the armed-foote I will adde a word or two of the light-armed or naked 1 The Generall is to place the light-armed so that they be readie for all attempts of the enemy sometime in front sometime in flanke sometime in the Reare according to occasion or necessity For our purpose let them be thus ordered We will frame also of them 1024 files as many as the Phalange of the armed conteined So that the first file of the light-armed be placed directly behinde the first file of the armed and the second file behinde the second and so the rest 2 Yet shall they not be sixteene to the file but halfe so many namely eight
so that the 4 Horsemen embattailed in that forme neither file nor ranke conceiuing that turnings and other motions will be more easily performed in this figure nothing hindering before behind or in flanke And first they place the Leader then one at his right and an other at his left hand so distant that their Horses heads reach vp to his Horses shoulders as is said before And the first row they make of an vneuen number as 11 The Leader of the Troope standing in the middest and 5 other being laid to him backwardly on either side so that this Ranke conteineth two sides of the Rhombe Then the reare-Commander is placed directly behind the Leader and to him are other ioyned forwardly on either side and the number of euery following ranke after the first is to be two lesse than the former and therefore 4 must be added on either side to the reare-Commander and the number of the second ranke be 9. This ranke maketh two sides Parallel to the two former sides of the Rhombe The third must be 7 and so forward to one The whole Troope hath in it 36 Horse 5 Polybius expresseth the forme by the Greeke letter Δ. and maketh it to consist of 64 men Other Rhombes there are which 6 file but ranke not and are fashioned thus They make a file of any number the Captaine of the Troope being File-leader and the Reare-Commander the last of the file To both the flankes of this file they lay two other files either of them one lesse in number than the first These they begin to place euen with the middest of the distances of the first file on both sides as if there were 10 in the first file the next files on either side should haue 9 a peece and the next after them 8 a peece and still one lesse in all the rest aftercomming-files and so it will fall out that the Horsemen shall file but not ranke This forme is profitable for turning of faces when need is from one point of the Rhombe to another 7 Turning to the right hand is called turning to the staffe Turning to the left hand is called turning to the Raines But if a Troope be 8 to ranke and not to file it must be ordered thus The middle and greatest ranke is to be made of an vneuen number and the rest of the rankes on both sides laid euen with the distances of this ranke as was done in the filing troope So shall you haue a Troope that ranketh but fileth not Notes THE former Chapter had a generall diuision of Horse battailes into Rhombes wedges and squares this comprehendeth the sundry figures of Rhombes and the manner of framing them Rhombes therefore are of 4 kindes some filing and ranking some filing not ranking some ranking not filing some neither filing nor ranking 1 The heads of the horses reach to the heades of his shoulders Aelian saith that in a Rhombe the Captaine standeth first and the heads of the next horse reach to his horse shoulders This rule if it be taken generally and meant of all Rhombes will deceiue vs if for two kinde of Rhombs alone there is nothing more true The Rhombe neither filing nor ranking and the Rhombe filing not ranking haue the followers horses heads advanced to the shoulders of them that stand before But the Rhombe filing and ranking and the other ranking not filing come wholy behind the horse of the Captaine as the figure shewes and will appeare in the verball description of the Rhombe 2 A Rhombe both to file and ranke To make a Rhombe both file and ranke choice must first be had of an vneuen number for the ranke the middest of the Troupe where the manner is to begin the Rhombe which number must neither be too great least the Troupe grow also too great nor too litle lest there be in it no strength Aelian giues a 11 13 or 15 for that ranke and willeth vs to begin the frame by placing first the middle ranke to which the other rankes are to be ioyned on both sides the middle men against the middle man of the first ranke in a right line of file and the rest in like sort euery Ranke still decreasing 2 men till at last in the front and reare-angle you come to one The figure of this kinde of Rhombe I haue placed in the praecedent Chapter wherein the middle ranke is of 11 and the whole troupe of 61 and the horse heads of those that follow reach not to the former horses shoulders 3 The halfe Rhombe is called a wedge I haue spoken of wedges before but nothing of the framing of them Aelian here sheweth how they are framed when he saith that the forme of them appeareth in the Rhombe and that the halfe Rhombe is a wedge For as in a Rhombe filing and ranking you begin with placing the middle ranke first and so proceed adding on both sides ranke to ranke till you come to one man in the front So must you proceede in a wedge sauing that to the first and greatest ranke you ioyne the rest onely on the one side abating still in euery ranke 2 men till you come to the point of the front where the Captaine standeth alone And this was the ordinarie horse troupe amongst the Macedonians and is described in the next Chapter 4 That the horsemen neither file nor ranke The second kinde of Rhombe specified here by Aelian is directly opposite to the first The first both filed and ranked this neither fileth nor ranketh and is that kinde which I noted in the last Chapter to haue more curiositie than vse For the rest what is more easie to frame than they In which either files or rankes are laid together or files alone or ranks alone And out of that ioyning both in the inward parts of the Rhombe and the outward that is the flanks arise and are without difficulty figured In this you must first begin with the outsides and make two front lines or sides of the Rhombe and after adde as many to the Reare And then when the 4 sides are framed and haue their place patch vp by peece-meale the rest of the body within Wherein if there be not very large distances left betwixt horse and horse especially euery one being laid head to shoulder to an other it is not possible to convey so many horses within the foure sides as will make vp the full Rhombe And yet make it vp as you will the trouble is more than in the rest of the Rhombes And for the vse I see not how it can be greater than in the rest whatsoeuer is alledged for turnings and other motions And the more I thinke vpon it the more I am induced to thinke that it was the invention of some Tacticke master of whom were great plenty amongst the Graecians who seeing that some Rhombes filed aud ranked not other ranked but filed not other both ranked and filed and that the two first were opposite the one against
the other would needs bring in a fourth neither filing nor ranking to make an opposition likewise against the third But because this kinde also is specified by Aelian let vs see how it is to be framed Aelian for examples sake would haue the Troope to consist of 36 horse To put these 36 horse in a forme that shall neither file nor ranke we are thus to worke First we must begin with the two front sides of the Rhombe and make them of 11 horse placing them thus The Leader and Captaine in the point next him backwardly on each side a horseman his horse head reaching to the shoulders of the Captaines horse then on the outward side of each of these a Horseman and their horses heads must likewise reach to the shoulders of the next horses before So must you goe on till you haue in like manner bestowed 2 a peece more on each side still opening the two sides of the Rhombe proportionally Thus done you haue two sides of the Rhombe which will be in this forme Then are we to fashion the two Reare sides of the Rhombe of 9 horse placing them after this manner The Lieutenant in the Reare angle directly opposite to yet looking toward the Captaine on either side of him forward toward the front 2 Horsemen their horses shoulders lying euen with the head of the Lieutenants horse And after them the other 6 3 on one side and 3 on the other in the same proportiō And so haue we the other two sides of the Rhombe in this forme which being ioyned to the former make the 4 sides of the Rhombe In the framing whereof 20 of the 36 horse are bestowed There remaine 16 which are thus to be ordered Within the Rhombe we must at reasonable distance place a horseman behind the Captaine in aright line and in the manner as before lay 3 to him on each side The number will amount to 7 and this is the figure Then another horseman is to be set at the same distance directly before the Lieutenant and on ech side of him two other toward the front which will be 5 in all and in this forme And these 12 horse ioyned together will fashion out a lesser Rhombe comprehended within the sides of the first So are 32 horse disposed of The 4 that are left are thus to be ordered In a right line againe after the Captaine and at the former distance is another horsemā to be set Then 2 one of the one side the other of th' other side of him their horses heads reaching to his horses shoulders thus The horseman left must supply the voide place standing directly before him that stood next before the Lieutenant thus And this is the true description of the Troope neither filing nor ranking I haue beene the longer in describing it because the figure grauen is not fully to my minde no horse head reaching to the shoulders of the horse that standeth before him 5 Polybius maketh it to consist of 64 men Aelian tooke the number of 36 horse to frame this Rhombe Polybius requireth 64. The number is not materiall so the forme be obserued If you make it of 64 you are to take 15 horse for the 2 front sides and 13 for the 2 reare sides and so in euery ranke within to diminish 2 as you did in the former 6 Which file but ranke not The third kinde of Rhombe fileth but ranketh not It is easie to frame Take what number of horse you please and make a file then lay to the distances betwixt horse and horse of that file on each flanke two other files each file conteyning one lesse in number than the first And the heads of the files are to be laid right against the space which is betwixt the Captaine and his follower and the rest of the horses against the other spaces successiuely In all the paires of files that follow and are laid to the flanks you must still diminish a horse a peece till you come to the points which haue but one either of them And of this abatement of one in euery file both front and reare and flankes grow into points and make a Rhombe As of the euen number in euery file a square battaile would arise See the figure This was the forme the Thessalians fought in as appeareth by Aelian 7 Turning to the right hand The turnings of horsemen and footmen to the right and left hand are not termed by the same names And the difference commeth of the diuersitie of weapons caried on the right or left side The horseman in his right hand held his staffe in the left the raines of his bridle The armed-foote in his right hand his pike on the left shoulder his Target Hence was it that when the horseman was commanded to turne to the right hand they bid him turne to his staffe the footeman to his pike When to the left hand they bid the horseman turne to the Raines the footman to the Target 8 To ranke and not to file This is the last kinde of Rhombe and it ranketh but fileth not It is made by a contrary way to the former The filing Rhombe began at the front point reare-point proceeded to the flanks This beginneth at the flanke points proceedeth to the front and reare First therefore a ranke is to be laid of what number you list Aelian would haue it of an vneuen number but it will fall out as well in an euen number as the figure sheweth To the distances of this ranke you must lay 2 ranks more one on either side whose number must be one lesse a peece than the former ranke Thus continue laying ranks still toward the front and reare and in euery paire of ranks diminish one a peece till you come to the points either of which haue but one namely the Captaine the Lieutenant and the Rhombe will ranke and not file Cap 20 The ordinary horse troupe consisting of 64 The right Flank Commander The Capteine The Front The Lieutenant The left Flank Commander The place of Horsemen in the field the number of an vsuall horse troupe the degrees and names of the officers of the Horse in generall CHAP. XX. THE Troopes of Horse as the light-armed are placed sometime before the Phalange sometime on the right or left hand in flanke of the Phalange sometime behind the light-armed in the Reare For our purpose let them be placed in the Reare and 1 let the first Troope be of 64 men and the first ranke thereof 15 Horse The next 13. The next 11 and in all the rest abate 2 till you come to the last which is one 2 He shall carry the Cornet that standeth in the second ranke next the Ranke-Commander on the left hand All the Troopes shall be 64 in number The horsemen in all 4096. 3 Two Troopes are called an Epilarchy of 128 horse Two Epilarchies 4 a Tarentinarchy of 256 horse Two Tarentinarchies 5 an Hipparchy of 512.
particularly to the first aspect So that this is vsed after the making of an Anastrophe For alwaies in motions it is requisite that the Souldiers faces moue forward To moue backeward hath many inconueniences of stumblings vpon vneuen ground or stones or pittes or stubbes or such like Which is the cause that in Anastrophe after a Wheeling Aelian willeth that the Souldiers turne their faces the contrarie way first then moue on till they haue recouered their first ground then open rankes and files and lastly to restore to the first aspect And as it differeth from Anastrophe so differeth it likewise from Metabole Metabole only turned faces about this setteth the Souldier in his former posture not onely for his face but for his armes also which are ordered as at first The wordes wherein this motion is expressed by Aelian are Ep orthon apodounai and Eis orthon apocaâ—astesai which is interpreted by Gaza in arrectum reddere to restore vp right by Arcerius rectum reddere to restore right and so the words sound Aelian interpreteth it to set againe the Souldiers sight in the same aspect in which it stood at first as if being placed with his face against the enemy he be commanded to turne his face to the Pike and then againe to restore his face to his first posture he must returne and set his face against the enemy Aelian therefore referreth it to the sight he first had which if it bee the right meaning how can it be vpright or right more in that then in any other posture For the Souldier not onely in front but in flanke and in the reare carrieth himselfe vpright or right I doubt not but that it may be applied to the vpright standing of men as appeareth by sundry places of Pausanias Who reherseth that Mineruas Image set in the Temple Parthenion standeth vpright orthon esti and in an other place that in Corinth in the Temple Pantheon there were two Images of Mercurie standing vpright Ortha and that in the Temple of Fortune the image of Fortune was carued of Parian stone and stood vpright Orthon and that in Neptunes Temple situate in the Corinthian Isthmus the images of Amphitrite and Neptune stand in a Chariot and the boy Palemon vpright vpon a Dolphin Orthos In all which places Orthos designeth the site of men But here as I take it cannot be so applied Because in euery motion not onely in this the men stand vpright How then can they be restored to their standing vpright when they doe it already I take the originall of the appellation to come from another cause and that is from the ordering of the Pike For when the battaile is first set in the field euery Souldier standes with his Pike ordered that is vpright For to order a pike is to set the butt end on the ground before the Souldier somewhat wide of his right foote and to hold it vpright with the right hand borne euen with the shoulder But when you beginne or continue any motion the manner is to aduance or to shoulder the Pike and so to proceede But being commanded to returne to the first posture it must bee ordered againe So that the first posture of an armed man is to stand with his pike vpright And after many motions and windings he at last returneth to the same posture which I take the command of Ep'orthon apodounai to signifie Now that I may not seeme to relie vpon a probable coniecture alone I will bring witnesse for the confirmation of my opinion It is reported by Diodorus Siculus that Agesilaus the Lacedemonian King with an armie of eighteen thousand foote and fifteen hundred horse inuaded Boeotia The Athenians before hearing of Agesilaus comming had sent fiue thousand foote and 200 horse to aide the Thebans who gathering their armie together seized vpon a long narrow hill distant 20 furlongs from the City And making the hard accesse to the place a kinde of fortification against the enemie they there waited his comming fearing to hazard vpon euen ground in regard of the renowne and glory of Agesilaus Agesilaus hauing imbattailed his troupes led them against the Boeotians and approching neere sent his light armed to sound their disposition to fight which being easily repulsed by the Thebans by the aduantage of the higher ground hee aduanced the rest of his forces being imbattailed in such manner as might giue greatest terror Chabrias the Athenian willed his Souldiers to awaite the enemy contemptuously both keeping their first array and their Targets at their knees and continuing their Pikes vpright ordered who when they iointly as vpon a word giuen did as they were commanded Agesilaus both wondering at the good order and at the assured fashion of the enemy thought it not fit to striue with vnequall ground and by forcing them to fight to compell them to be valiant whether they would or no. Hitherto Diodor Sicul. of the Strategem of Chabrias against Agesilaus which consisted in the contempt of Agesilaus and all his forces First in not stirring one foote to meete the enemy then in keeping the array they held before further in sincking their Targets to their knees Lastly in continuing the former order of their Pikes that is not making readyto charge but remaining with their Pikes ordered as they were at first Agesilaus aduancing his armie thought to strike a feare into his enemie Chabrias trusting to the strength of the place scorned the Brouado of Agesilaus conceiuing he would not be so hardy to aduenture the fight vpon so great an inequallity of ground He therfore willeth the Cap 28 The Macedoman Countermache by file The reare The front of the first standing The Countermarche in action The file leaders with their faces about standing firme The bringers vp dismarching The front after Countermarche The ground taken before the front of the Phalange Cap 29 The Lacedemonian Countermarche The Countermarche in action The file-leaders aduancing in Countermarche The bringers vp standing firme w th their faces turned about The front after Countermarche The ground taken beyond the reareof the Phalange Cap 20 The Chorean Countermarche The Front in the first standing The Bringers vp moving The fileleaders dismarching The front after Countermarche Cap. 20. Countermarche by Ranke The Countermarche in action diers not to alter their posture but to continue as they were The words concerning the Pike are En ortho tò dorati menein That is to continue their pikes vpright En ortho Now whether the same be the posture that the Tacticks describe when they speake or restoring Ep ' ortho vpright I referre to the iudgement of the Reader a Poliaenus remembring this Stratagem vseth somewhat different words and yet consenteth in meaning Chabrias saith he commanded his Souldiers not to runne out against the enemy but quietly to stand still holding their pikes before vpright and their Targets before their knees which they were wont to doe when they would a little ease
themselues of the weight of their Targets Where Diodore hath en ortho tò dorati menein to continue their Pikes vpright Polienus hath protinomenous ta dorata ortha holding before them their Pikes vpright But both haue pikes vpright and Diodorus his Continue hath relation to the Posture they were in which Chabrias would not haue them to alter Polienus his hold before to that they were commanded to doe In ordering of Pikes at this day I haue shewed that the Souldiers hold them vpright the but end set on the ground before and somewhat wide of their right foote Aemilius Probus reciting this historie peruerteth the Stratagem Hee saith that Chabrias forbad the Phalange to giue backe and taught his Souldiers to receiue the enemies charge kneeling with one knee the other set against the Target and with the Pike abased Wherein hee quite dissenteth from Diodore and Polien Diodore saith the command was to keepe their array Polienus not to runne forward but quietly to stand still Probus not to giue backe Probus saith they should kneele with one knee and rest against the Target with the other Diodore that they should hold their Targets sunke to their knees Polienus that they should carry their Targets before at their knees Probus that they should abase and charge their Pikes Diodore that they should continue and order them vpright Polien that they should hold their Pikes vpright So that Diodore and Polien agree and expound one another Aemilius Probus bringing in a new historie dissenteth as I said from the other two especially in making that to be a forme of fight prescribed by Chabrias a simple forme to receiue the charge vpon their knees which was a contempt to shew how little especially in that strength of ground he regarded Agesilaus which contempt also made Agesilaus retire not doubting but it proceeded from a great assurance of the enemy Therfore as I said I take these words ep ' orthon apodounai not only to appertaine to the aspect of the Souldier but also and that much rather to the erection and ordering of Pikes Of Countermarches and the diuers kindes thereof with the manner how they are to be made CHAP. XXVIII THere are two sorts of Countermarches one by file the other by ranke each of these againe is diuided into three kindes The first called the Macedonian The second the Lacedemonian The third the Choraean which is also the Persian and the Cretan 1 The Macedonian is that which leauing the ground it first had taketh in liew thereof the ground which was before the front of the Phalange and turneth the aspect of the Souldier backeward where before it was forward 2 The Lacedemonian is that which leauing likewise the ground it first had taketh in steed thereof the ground which was behinde the Reare of the Phalange and turneth also the face of the Souldier the contrary way 3 The Persian is the Cretan and Choraean This keepeth the same ground of the Phalange euery souldier taking another place for that he had the file-Leader the place of Bringer-vp and so the rest in order and turneth also the face of the Souldier the contrary way 4 Countermarches by ranke are made when a man would transferre the winges into the place of the Sections and the Sections into the place of the wings to the end to strengthen the middest of the battaile Likewise the right hand parts into the left hand parts and the left hand parts into the right hand parts They that feare to countermarch the Phalange in grosse the enemy being at hand doe it by Syntagmaes I will now set downe in what manner countermarches ought to be made The Macedonian countermarch by file is said to be when the file-leader turneth about his face and all the rest with the Bringer-vp go against him on the right or left hand and passing on to the ground before the front of the Phalange place themselues in order one after an other according as the file-Leader himselfe hath turned his face Therefore it maketh shew to the enemy appearing in the Reare of running away Or it is when the file-Leader turneth about his face and the rest passing by him on the right or left hand place themselues orderly one behinde another But the Lacedemonian is when the Bringer-vp turneth his face about and all the rest turning also their faces and proceeding forward together with their file-Leader order themselues proportionably in the ground which was behinde the Reare of the Phalange Wherefore to the enemy appearing behinde it makes a semblance of falling on Againe the Lacedemonian is when the file-Leader turning his face about to the Pike or Target transferreth the whole file to another place equall to the first and the rest following stand as before behinde him Or else when the Bringer-vp turneth his face about and hee that stood next before him passing by on the right or left hand is placed againe next before him and the rest following are placed one before another in their former order till the file-Leader be the first The Choraean is when the file-Leader turning about toward the Pike or Target precedeth the file and the rest follow till the file-Leader haue the place of the Bringer-vp and the Bringer-vp the place of the file-Leader And these are the Countermarches by file In the same manner are Countermarches made by ranke in case a man would countermarch by ranke For euery ranke Countermarching either keepeth the same ground or changeth the right hand place or else the left hand place of the battaile one of which must needes fall out and neuer faileth Notes THe two former motions are performed one in close Order the other in all Orders Epistrophe when the battaile is shut so close that as Aelian saith a man can turne his face neither the one way nor the other Clisis in open Order Order and close Order The two ◠following motions Countermarch and Doubling one is done in open Order the other for the most part in open order too and yet sometimes in Order and close order as we shall see in due place This Chapter handleth Countermarches the next Doublings Countermarch is a motion whereby euery souldier marching after other changeth his front for the reare or one flancke for the other For there are two kindes of Countermarches one by file and the other by ranke And each of these is againe diuided into three the first called the Macedonian the second the Lacedemonian the third the Choraean or Cretan A Countermarch by file is when euery souldier followeth his Leader of the same file By ranke when euery souldier followeth his sideman of the same ranke in the Countermarch 1 The Macedonian Countermarch In this Countermarch the purpose of the Commander is to turne the front of his battaile against the enemy that sheweth himselfe in the Reare and withall to take the ground that lyeth before the front of the Phalange It is called the Macedonian Countermarch saith Aelian because
three-fold gate or doore How the motions of wheeling double and treble wheeling of the battaile are to be made CHAP. XXXII IT followeth to shew how a battaile may be turned or wheeled and how after reduced to the first posture or Station Cap. 30. Plagiophalanx or the Brode-Fronted Phalange Orthiophalanx or the Herse Protaxis or forefronting The Front Lâ—â—halanx or the vneven fronted Phalange Cap. 31. Hypotaxis or double-winging Entaxis or insertion Protaxis or forefronting Cap. 32. The manner of wheeling The first posture Closing of files Closing of rankes forward The Front But in case we desire to wheele to the left hand we command the left-hand-file to stand still and all the rest to turne their faces to the left hand and mooue forward close vp to the left hand file Then to turne their faces as they were Then to gather vp the hinder rankes Then to wheele the battaile to the left hand and stand and so is it done that was commanded But if restitution to the first posture be needfull we must doe as we did in returning from the right For euery man must turne about his face to the Pike Then the whole battaile wheeling about the left-hand-corner-file-Leader must returne to the place it had Then all the file-Leaders stand firme and turne about their faces and the rest open their rankes in mouing forward and make Alte Then the left hand file is to stand firme for it hath the place it first had and the rest turning their faces to the right hand to open their files and moue forward till they haue recouered their first distances then to turne their faces as at first and so shall euery man be in his first posture Now if we would wheele the battaile about to the pike we are to make 2 wheelings to the same side so will it come to passe that the file-Leaders shall in the change haue their faces turned to the Reare where before they had them looking out from the front But in restoring to the first posture we command it to wheele about to the right hand That is we giue it two wheelings more the same way So the file-Leaders will haue their faces set as at first Then we command the file-Leaders to stand firme and the rest to open their rankes behind then to turne their faces about Then the right hand file to stand still for it hath the right place and the rest turning their faces to the right hand to march on till the former distances are regained then to make Alte. So is the battaile reduced to the first Station If you would haue the battaile turne about to the Target you are to giue contrarie directions That is in stead of commanding a double wheeling to the Pike to command a double wheeling to the Target Then by making two turnes the contrary way to vse the like changes we spake of before There is likewise a treble wheeling of the battaile when it turneth thrice to the same hand namely to the Pike or Target The double wheeling to the Pike transferreth the Souldiers face from the front to the backe of the battaile The treble wheeling to the Pike bringeth his face to the left flanke The treble wheeling to the Target contrariwise to the right flank Notes BEfore in the 26 Chapter Aelian discoursed of wheeling and the kindes thereof The manner how it is to be done is reserued for this place I neede not therefore remember any thing else besides the words of command The words of command in Epistrophe The vttermost file on the right or left hand stand firme The rest turne faces to the side purposed and march vp to the file standing firme Faces as you were Close your rankes forward Wheele the body to the hand appointed and when you haue your ground stand Returning to the first Posture or Anastrophe Faces to the right or left hand Wheele backe the body to the ground it first had File-Leaders stand firme the other rankes open to their first place Faces about to which hand you will The corner file to which the turning was stand firme the rest open to their first ground Faces as you were and order your Pikes Perispasmos or wheeling about In wheeling about the same wordes to close the files and rankes are to bee vsed which were vsed in Epistrophe there remaineth no more then to say Wheele about your body to the right or left hand Anastrophe or returning to the first Posture Returne to your first Posture The same forme is vsed that was held in the former returning vnto the first posture for opening rankes and files Ecperispasmos or treble wheeling In this motion the same course is held that was in the wheeling But only that you command a treble wheeling And the returning to the first Posture or Anastrophe is all one but for the same difference Of closing the battaile to the right or left hand or to the middest CHAP. XXXIII Cap â—â— Of Changes The front after closing Closing to the right hand in action Closing to the left hand Closing to the middell Closing to the right hand The Front before closing The Front of the 〈◊〉 before closing If the Phalange be to be closed in the middest the Diphalange on the right hand must turne their faces toward the Target and the Diphalange on the left hand their faces toward the Pike Then moue forward toward the middest of the Phalange Then after their true distance gained to set their faces as they were and to gather vp the Rankes behind When we would reduce the Phalange to the first posture wee command to turne faces about then to open the Rankes and all to moue on but the first Ranke then to turne their faces againe and the right Diphalange turning to the Pike and the left Diphalange to the Target to follow their Leaders till they haue recouered their first distances Then to set their faces as they were This rule is to be obserued in all turnings about of faces when they are made out of closings that the Pikes be aduanced least they hinder the Souldier in making his turning The light-armed are to be taught and exercised after the same manner Notes IN the 11 Chapter the distances that ought to bee betwixt souldier and souldier are particularly treated of This Chapter sheweth how they are to be gained that is how we are to proceede out of one distance into another And because the open order is it that is commonly begunne withall it is here taught how from thence to passe to the rest and to returne to it againe The end of closings is spoken of before In regard of place they are said to be of two kindes One to the wing right or left the other to the middest of the Phalange I cannot expresse the manner better then by setting downe the wordes of command or direction which are these in Closing to the right wing The right-wing-corner-file stand firme The rest turne faces to the Pike and moue according to
the distance required to the right hand Faces as you were Close your hinder ranks forward and order your Pikes Restoring to the first posture File-Leaders stand firme The other Rankes turne faces about and open behinde to the first distance Faces as you were The right-wing-corner-file stand firme the rest turne faces to the Target and proceede to your first distance Faces as you were and order your Pikes Closing to the left wing It differeth not from the other but that the mouing is to the contrarie hand Closing to the middest of the Battaile The right-wing turne faces to the Target the left to the Pike Each moue vp to the middest of the Phalange and stand at the distance named Faces as you were Close the hinder rankes forward and order your Pikes Restoring to the first Posture The first ranke stand firme The rest turne faces about and open the rankes to the first distance Faces as you were The files next the middle section stand fast and the right wing turne faces to the Target the left to the Pike and moue on till the first distance recouered Faces as you were and order the Pikes We may not forget Aelians generall rule for turning of faces out of Closings that the Pikes be alwaies aduanced For when you come vp to the closenesse required the Pike vpon the shoulder will hardly admit turning of the face The like falleth out when you would open from the Closing The vse and aduantage of these exercises of armes CHAP. XXXIV THese precepts of turning about of faces of wheeling and double wheeling of the Battaile and of reducing it to the first posture are of great vse in suddaine approches of the enemy whether hee shew himselfe on the right or left hand or in front or in the reare of our march The like may bee said of Countermarches Of which the Macedonians are held to bee the inuentors of the Macedonian the Lacedemonians of the Lacedemonian and for this cause either to haue name accordingly The Histories witnesse that Philip who much enlarged the Macedonian kingdome and ouercame the Graecians in battaile at Cheronea and made himselfe Generall of Greece and likewise his sonne Alexander that in short time conquered all Asia made small account of the Macedonian countermarch vnlesse necessitie forced it and that they both by the vse of the Lacedemonian became victorious ouer their enemies For the Macedonian countermarch the enemy falling vpon the reare is cause of great confusion in as much as the hindermost dismarching toward the front and making a shew of running away it more encourageth and emboldneth the enemy to follow For feare and pursuit of the enemy ordinarily accompanieth that kinde of countermarch But the Lacedemonian is of contrarie effect For when the enemy sheweth himselfe in the reare the Leaders with their followers brauely aduancing and opposing themselues it striketh no small feare and terror into their mindes Cap. 30 The File-leaders A Deduction to the left hand A right induction The Front A Deduction to the right hand Cap. 36. The Coelembolos or hollow fronted wedge The Front The right Induction Cap. 36. The Coelembolos The left wing The right wing The front The Phalange set against the left wing of the Coelembolos The Phalange set against the right wing of the Coelmebolos The forbearing Phalange Of the signes of direction that are to be giuen to the armie and their souerall kindes CHAP. XXXV WEe are to acquaint our forces both foote and horse partly with the voice and partly with visible signes that whatsoeuer is fitting be executed and done as occasion shall require Some things also are to be denounced by the Trumpet for so all directions will be fully accomplished and sort to a desired effect The signes therefore which are deliuered by voice are most euident and cleere if they haue no impediment But the most certaine and least tumultuous are such as are presented to the eye if they bee not obscured The voice sometime can hardly be heard by reason of the clashing of armour or trampling and neighing of Horses or tumult of cariage or noyse and confused sounds of the multitude The visible signes also become many waies incertain by thicknes of aire and dust or raine or snow or sun-shine or else thorow ground that is vneuen or full of trees or of turnings And sometimes it will not be easie to find out signes for all vses occasions eftsoones presenting new matter to the which a man is not accustomed Yet can it not fall out that either by voice or by signal we should not giue certaine and sure direction Of marching and of diuers kindes of Battailes fit for a March And first of the right-induction of the Coelembolos and the Triphalange to be opposed against it CHAP. XXXVI BEing now to speake of marching I will first giue to vnderstand that some kind of march is a Right-induction other some a Deduction on the right or left hand And that in a single or double or treble or quadruple-sided-battaile In a single when one enemy is feared In a double when two In a treble when three In a quadruple when the enemy purposeth to giue on on all sides Therefore the march is vndertaken sometimes in a single Phalange sometimes in a twofold Phalange or else in a threefold Phalange or in a fourefold Phalange A right-induction is when one body of the same kinde followeth another as if a Xenagy lead and the rest follow Xenage-wise Or a Tetrarchy lead and the rest follow according to that forme It is so called when the march stretcheth it selfe out into a wing hauing the Depth much exceeding the length Against it is opposed the Coelembolos which is framed when the Antistomos Diphalange disioyneth the Leading-wings closing the Reare in manner of the letter V as the figure after placed doth teach In which the front is disseuered the reare ioyned and knit together For the Right-induction pointing at the middest of the enemies battaile the Coelembolos quickly opening before serueth both to frustrate the charge of the front and to claspe in and circumuent the flankes of the right-induction Furthermore a Triphalange is to be set against the Coelembolos one Phalange fighting against one winge of the Coelembolos The second against the other and the middle and third forbearing and expecting a time fit to charge Of Paragoge or Deduction CHAP. XXXVII PAragoge or Deduction is when the Phalange proceedeth in a wing not by file but by ranke hauing the Commanders or file-Leaders either on the right hand which is called a right-hand-Deduction or on the left hand which is called a left-hand Deduction For the Phalange marcheth in a double treble or quadruple-side accor̄ding to the place and part it is suspected the enemy will giue on And both the Paragogies beginning the fight in flanke doe make the length double to the depth This forme of fight was deuised to teach a Souldier to receiue heedfully the charge of
length It is profitable in many respects For seeming to cary but few in so small a bredth it deceiueth the enemy and it easily breaketh his forces with the thicknesse and strength of the embattailing and may without perceiuing bee lead thorough straight and narrow passages The Foot-battaile to encounter it is called the Plagiophalange or broad-fronted Battaile For being but slender in depth it beareth foorth and extendeth it selfe in length so that albeit it be broken in the middest with the charge of the Horse yet is nothing broken but a little of the depth and the fury of the Horse is carried not vpon the multitude of the foote but straight and immediately into the open field And for that cause is the length thereof much exceeding the depth Of another kinde of Rhombe for Horsemen and of the foote-Battaile Epicampios Emprosthia to encounter it CHAP. XLVI ANother sort of Rhomboides there is whereof I need say no more but that it fileth and ranketh not For I haue before shewed the vse and that Ileon the Thessalian was the inuentor and that Iason Medeas husband most put it in practise The vse thereof is great being directed and lead in the foure corners by the Captaine the Lieutenant and the two flanke-Commanders It is commonly fashioned of Archers on Horsebacke as the Armenian and Persian manner is Against it is opposed the foote-battaile called Epicampios Emprosthia because the circumduction of the front is like an embowing The end of this forme is to deceiue and ouer-reach the Archers on Horsebacke either by wrapping them in the voide space of the front as they charge and giue on vpon the spurre or else disordering them first with their wings and breaking their fury by ouerthrowing them finally with their rankes about the middle Ensignes This kinde of Battaile was deuised to entrappe and beguile For opening the middle hollownesse it maketh shew but of a few that march in the wings hauing notwithstanding thrice as many following and seconding in the reare So that if the wings bee of power sufficient for the encounter there needeth no more if not retiring easily on either fide they are to ioyne themselues to the bulke of the Battaile Of the foot-battaile called Cyrte which is to be set against the Epicampios CHAP. XLVII THe Battaile to be opposed against the Epicampios is called Cyrte of the circumferent forme This also maketh semblance of small forces by reason of the conuexitie of the figure For all round things appeare little in compasse and yet stretched out in length and singled they proue twice as much as they appeared to be as is euident in pillars which are round and therefore in sight shew the one halfe and conceale the other The greatest piece of skill in embattailing is to make a shew of few men to the enemy and indeed to bring twice as many to fight Of the Tetragonall Horse-battaile and of the wedge of foote to be opposed against it CHAP. XLVIII THe Tetragonall Horsebattaile is square in figure but not in number of men For in Squares the number is not alwaies the same and the Generall for his aduantage may double the length to the depth The Persians Sicilians and most of the Graecians doe affect this forme and take it to bee easie in framing and better in vse Against it is opposed the Phalange called Embolos or Wedge of foote all the sides consisting of armed men This kinde is borrowed of the Horse-mans wedge And yet in the Horse-wedge one sufficeth to lead in front where the Footewedge must haue three one being vnable to beare the sway of the encounter So Epaminondas the Theban fighting with the Lacedemonians at Mantinea ouerthrew a mightie power of theirs by casting his armie into a Wedge It is fashioned if the Antistomus Diphalangy in marching ioyne the front of the wings together holding them open behind like vnto the letter A. Of the foot-Battaile called Ploesium and of the winding or saw-fronted foot-battaile to encounter it CHAP. XLIX THe Battaile Ploesium hath the length much exceeding the depth And it is called Ploesium when armed foote are placed on all sides the Archers and Slingers being throwne into the middest Against this kinde of Battaile is set the winding-fronted-battaile to the end that with the vnequall figure they may Cap. 47. The Cyrte or convex half Moone The front The Epicampios The front Cap. 48. The foote wedge The front The Horsbattaile square in figure not in horse The front Cap. 49. The Peplegmene The front The Plesium Cap. 50. The aduerse battaile The overfrontnig battaile Cap. 50. The aduerse battail The overwinging battail traine out those of the Ploesium to cope with the foremost of the winding-fronted-battaile and by that meanes dissolue and disorder the thicknesse oâ— the same And the file-Leaders of the winding-battaile are to obserue and marke the file-Leaders of the Ploesium that if they still maintaine their closenesse and fight serred they also incounter them in the like forme if the Ploesium file-Leaders seuer themselues and spring out from their maine force then they likewise bee ready to meet them man to man Of Hyperphalangesis and Hyperkerasis and of Attenuation CHAP. L. HYperphalangesis or ouer-fronting is when both wings of the Phalange ouer-reach the enemies front Hyperkerasis or ouerwinging is when with one of the wings we ouer-reach the front of the enemy So that hee that ouerfronteth ouerwingeth but hee that ouerwingeth ouerfronteth not For they that match not the enemy in multitude may yet ouerwing them Attenuation or lessening is when the depth of the battaile is gathered vp and instead of 16 men a smaller number is set Of conueying the Cariage of the Army CHAP. LI. THe leading of the cariage if any thing else is of great importance and requireth a speciall Commander It may bee conueyed in fiue manners either before the Armie or behinde or on the one flanke or the other or in the middest Before the Army when you feare to bee charged behind Behind the Army when you would leade toward the enemy When you feare to bee charged in flanke on the contrary side In the middest when a hollow-Battaile is needfull and fit Of the words of Command and certaine obseruations about them CHAP. LII LAst of all wee will briefly repeate the words of direction if we admonish first that they ought to be short then that they ought to be without double-signification For the Souldiers that in hast receiue direction had neede to take heede of doubtfull words least one doe one thing and another the contrarie As for the purpose If I say turne your face some it may be that heare mee will turne to the right some to the left hand and so no small confusion follow Seeing therefore these words turne your face import a generall signification and comprehend turning to the right or left hand we ought in stead of saying turne your face to the pike to pronounce it
Whoe will reade of Iphicrates let him goe to Aemilius Probus that writeth his life His actes are also declared by Xenophon and Diodorus Siculus and Polyaen and Iustin and divers others as they were incident to theire generall histories Hee was esteemed one of the best Generalls of his time and was called out by name by Darius King of Persia to bee generall of the Graecians his mercenaries in the warre hee had against the Aegyptians His fame and aestimation was soe great with Alexander the great that when his sonne whose name was also Iphicrates with other Graecians were taken prisoners by him for that they came embassadours into Persia to Darius he not onely spared him for the loue of the City of Athens and for the remembrance of his fathers glory the wordes of Arrian but held him about him in honour so long as hee liued and after his decease sent his reliques to Athens there to be interred by his friendes and kinsfolk 9 Posidonius the Stoick Posidonius in his time was a Philosopher of high renowne and of the sect that were called Stoicks Tully citeth him often in his workes In the second booke of Tusculan quaestions hee recounteth that Pompey the great on a time comminge to Rhodes was desirous to heare him But vnderstanding hee was extreame sick of the goute hee forbore not notwithstanding to visit him being a most noble philosopher whome after hee had seene and saluted and vsed with honorable wordes and told him hee was sory hee could not heare him discourse you may if you please quoth Posidonius and I will not suffer paine to bee cause that so great a man seeke mee in vaine Then as hee lay in his bed began hee gravely and copiously to dispute that nothing was good but that which was honest And when firebrands as it were of torment towched him to the quick amiddest his disputation he broke foorth often into these wordes Sorow all this is nothing Though thou trouble me never so much I will not yet confesse that thou art of thy self evill So Tully Pliny likewise telleth that Pompey after the warre of Mithridates going into the howse of Posidonius a man famous in Philosophy forbid his serieant to knock at the doore as the manner was and the serieants bundles of roddes saith he were submitted to a doore by him to whom East West had submitted theÌ„selues The same Tully attributeth to this Posidonius the invention of a Sphaere whose particuler conversions did worke the same in sonne moone and the other fiue planets that is wrought by the motion of heauen euery day and night The preparation of warlicke forces and division of them and how they are armed CHAP. II. I will then beginne with such 1 preparations as are absolutely necessary for service in warre the forces whereof are of two sortes the one Land forces the other ship forces Land forces are such as fight on land Ship forces such as are ordered for fight in shippes vppon Sea or Rivers But the order of Sea service I will reserue for another place and intreat now of things pertayning to Land service The levies then for land service are either of those that fight and mannage Armes or else of those that fight not but remaine in the campe for necessary vses They fight that stand ordered in battaile and with armes assaile or repulse the enemy The rest fight not as Phisitians merchants servants and other which follow the campe to minister vnto it Such as fight are either footemen or Riders footemen properly that serue on foote Of Riders some vse Horses some Elephants They that vse Horses are carye â—ither one Horse-back or else in Chariotts And these are the differences in generall But in speciall the foote and Horse receaue many other divisions onely the Elephants and Chariotts never varie Footemen then are reparted into three kindes one being Armed another Targettiers the third light or naked 2 The Armed beare the heaviest furniture of all footemen 3 vsing according to the Macedonian manner large round Targetts and 4 longe Pikes 5 The Light contrarywise beare the lightest having neither Curace nor Greue nor longe or round Targett of any weight but 6 flieng weapons onelie as 7 Arrowes 8 Dartes 9 Stones either for hand or sling To this kind is referred the 10 armour of the Argilos who hath his furniture like to the Macedonian but something lighter For hee carieth 11 a little slight Torgett 12 and his Pike is much shorter then the Macedonian Pike which manner of arming seemeth a meane betwixt the light or naked and that which is properlie called heavie as being lighter then the heavie and heavier then the light and that is the cause that many place it amongst the light The forces of Horse which wee distinguished before from Chariotts as being ordered in Troopes are either 13 Cataphracts or not Cataphracts They are Cataphracts that cover theire owne and theire horses bodies all over with armour Of not Cataphracts some are Launciers some Acrobolists 14 Launciers are such as joyne with the enemy and fight hand to hand with the Launce on horseback Of these some beare longe Targets and are therevppon called Targetiers Other some Launces alone without Targets who are properlie called 15 Launciers and of some Xestophori 16 Acrobolists on horseback are such as fight a far of with flieng weapons Of these some vse darts some bowes They vse darts whome wee call 17 Tarentines Of Tarentines there are two sortes for some throw little 18 darts a farre of and are termed Darters on horseback but properlie Tarentines others vse light darts 19 after they haue spent one or two close presently with the enemy like the Lanciers which wee spake of and fight hand to hand These in common speech are named light horsemen So that of Tarentines some are properly called Tarentines whose manner is to darte a far of Some light horsemen who joyne and fight hand to hand 20 The horsemen that vse bowes are termed Archers on Horseback and of some Scythians These then are the differences of such as are in the Campe the kinds of Souldiers being in nomber nyne Of footmen armed Targetiers Light armed or naked Of horsemen Lanciers Darters Archers Cataphracts And lastlie Chariots and Elephants Notes IN this Chapter the kindes of Souldiers are distinguished according to theire seueral armes borne in fight And therefore of foote some are called armed because they beare heavy armes other light-armed or naked because they weare no defensiue armes other some Targetiers because theire chief defence rested in a slight target wherewith they covered theire bodies The horse also haue theire appellation as theire armes are And some are Cataphracts because themselues horses were armed compleatly other Launciers for that they vsed a launce other some Acrobolists by reason they fought with flieng weapons a farre of The first thoughts of a Prince or State that is resolved to put an army into the field ought to
be to provide armes Armes are the security of theire own souldiers the terror of the ennemy the assured ordinary meanes of victory The antiquity of armes is all one with the beginning of warre For when of auncient time mighty men puffed vp with pride and led by ambition sought by violence to enlarge their empire and to bring vnder subiection their bordering neighboures they were enforced to flye to the invention of armes without which noe victory could bee obteyned Since armes haue been taken vp for defence also necessity the mother of artes inventing a meanes to withstand ambition As Antalcidas wel obiected to Agesilaus being wounded by the Thebans you are well rewarded for your labour quoth hee since you would needes teache the Thebans to fight that had neither will nor skill so to doe For the Thebans being put to necessity of defence grewe warlick through many invasions of the Lacedemonians saith Plutarch Whoe were the inventers of the seueral pieces of armour and of the diuers kindes of weapons vsed in old tyme may appeare by the relation of Pliny in his natural history This is certeyne that the most warlick nations and most victorious haue alwayes sought to haue advantage of theire enemies by advantage of armes The end of armes is either to defend or assault Hence are armes diuided into two kindes Defensiue and Offensiue Defensiue are those which are worne to resist the force and charge of the enemy Of this sort are the head-piece gorget curace vambrace gantlets tases greves and target For whereas there are eleven partes in man the woundes of any of which bring with theÌ„ vndoubted death as some authors write the braines the two temples the throate the breast the belly the two muscles aboue the two elbowes the other two aboue the knees the privy members pierced with a thrust the headpiece serveth for the defence of the braine and temples the gorget for the throate the curace for the breast the vambrace for the muscles of the armes the tases for the privities belly the greves for the muscles aboue the knees and the target for further assurance of the whole body being moueable against all strokes and profers of the assailants Offensiue armes are such as men endevour to wound or kill withall as flieng weapons of all kindes arrowes stones out of slings or the hand swordes pikes partizans iavelines and the like But as defence and security of a mans self is more agreable to nature then to hurt an enemy so are the defensiue armes preferred before the offensiue in that they bring safety to him that beareth them where as the other are imployed in annoieng the enemy onely The Poets sett foorth theire bravest and valiantest men alwayes best armed for defence So Achilles in Homer and Aeneas in Virgil are armed to point with armes wrought by Vulcan to the end to remaine vntowched amiddest the stormes of theire enemies weapons The Graecian Law-givers punished that souldier that in fight cast away his target not him that lost his sword or pike Plutarch writeth that at such time as Epaminondas assaulted Sparta the most warlicke City of Greece there was in the City a Spartan named Isadas who was the sonne of Phoebidas hee that surprised the Castle of Thebes called Cadmaea and thereby stirred vp the warre betwixt the Thebans and Lacedaemonians ruinated the principality of the Lacedaemonians in Greece This man being in the flower of his age and personable and large of lymmes ranne foorth of his howse all naked his body annointed with oyle without apparaile or armes except a sword in one hand a Iavelin in the other and breaking through the throng of those that fought on his side came to handes with the enemy and overthrowing some and killing other some continued the fight till the enemy was repulsed and at last returned into the City without wounde The chief magistrate vnderstanding hereof rewarded him with a Crowne for his valor but yet fined him at a hundred drachmes for that he durst veÌ„ter to fight without armes defensiue iudging it a 〈◊〉 almost impossible that a naked man should escape with life fighting against the armeaâ—andes of so many valiant enemies as the Thebans were In armes was required that they should bee strong that they should bee fitte that they should bee comely strong to protect or annoy fitt to sette close to the body and bee manageable comely to grace him that beareth them That defensiue armes ought to be strong may bee shewed by the end of armes which is to saue harmlesse against arrowes dartes and other offensiue armes of the enemy If they faile of this end they are of noe vse it being better to be vnarmed then cary armes that will not defend Without armes you haue the body free and at liberty carieng armes though never so light they must bee a cumber to you and some what hinder the motion of your body Armes therefore ought to bee sufficient to resist the weapons of the enemy The inconvenience of defectiue and weake armes is well noted by Vegetius From the building of the City of Rome saith hee till the time of the Emperour Gratian the foote armed theire bodies with Cataphractes and head-pieces But when field exercise through negligence and slouth was given over armour began to growe heavy because it was sieldome put on They made suite therefore to the Emperour first that they might leaue of their Cataphractes then their headpieces So our souldiers encountring with the Gothes were oftentimes wholy defeated and slaine by the multitude of theire arrowes And a litle after so cometh it to passe saith he that they whoe without armes are exposed in the battaile to woundes thinke not so much of fight as of running away Yet must wee not imagine that those souldiers fought in theire ordinary apparaile onely I encline rather to the opinion of Stewechius whoe holdeth that they tooke themselues to theire military coates called in Notitia vtrâque Thoracomachi and to theire Targets This Thoracomachus was a garment invented long before Gratians time and worne vnder the armours of the souldiers and was a kind of felt but being noe profe against arrowes and theire targets not sufficient to cover theire heads and whole bodies from arrowes They were obnoxius to the shotte of the Gothes and receyved those overthrowes Vegetius speaketh of The matter whereof strong armes were made I find to bee divers Some were forged of Steele as the armour of Goliath and the head-piece of K. Saul For it is not there sette downe what his curace was of Notwithstanding it is likely it was of the same matter of which his headpiece was made WheÌ„ I say these armours were of Steele I follow therin the iudgement of Tremelius and Iunius whoe so translate it with them also agreeth Vatablus For the old traÌ„slation hath that they were of brasse I haue not elsewhere read of steele armour And
governed so is it in matter of warre Further as his skill so his valour ought to bee most that his example may incourage and incite the rest Which is the cause that other commaunders also are placed in front and in the eye of the souldiers that theire valour forwardnes may bread an honest emulation in the souldiers to doe as they doe Besides the first place is most beseeming him that best deserveth and the more valiant a man is the more hee desireth to shewe it in the face of the enemy thereby to winne himself honor and reputation Furthermore hee may doe best service in the front by entring into the enemies battaile and making way for the rest Not vnlike a sworde whose edge maketh speedy passage into the thing it cutteth and draweth after it the rest of the iron bee it never so blunt In the front the ranke of the file leaders giue the push to gaine the field Which reason I thinke lead Gorgidas the first institutor of the Theban Hieros Lochos not to make an entire troupe thereof apart but to place it man by man in the first ranke of the Phalange Lastly the sight of the file leaders being the choice of the armie both for stature and resolution for so Aelian would haue them breads a terrour in the minde of the enemy Who seeing such gallants in the front haue cause to imagine that the rest of the armie which they see not is like to those they see And being never so valiant they had rather haue to doe with weake and relenting then stout and resolute adversaries As at the battaile of Cannae Annibal answered one that brought him newes that the Consull had commanded the horse men to alight and fight one foote how much rather would I quoth hee hee had delivered them bound into my hands I haue heard many hold opinion that the manner of the Graecians to bring theire best men first to fight is contrary Cap. 5. The ordering of a File 4 Enomoty 3 Enomoty 2 Enomoty 1 Enomoty Dimerites 2 Dimery or half File 1 Dimery or half File the File-header the birnger up and 4 Enomotarcha 2 leader 1 follower 1 leader 2 follower 2 leader 1 follower 3 Enomotarcha 2 follower 2 leader 1 follower 2 Enomotarcha 2 follower 2 leader 1 follower the Fileader and first Enomotarcha to the institution of the Romans who held the Triarij theire eldest and best souldiers in the rear and brought them not to ioyne till both the Hastati and Principes were beaten or retired But if wee consider the diuersity of both theire embattailings wee shall see noe great difference or at lest wee shall see that the reason of placing their-best men was not much different The Graecians in framing theire foure-fold Phalange made in length an even front of a 1024. files The files were 16. deepe and the best men therefore in front because being placed in the midst or in the reare there would haue beene no vse of theire valour and the Phalange might haue beene broken before it had come to theire turnes to fight The Romans contrary-wise in ordering a Legion made many maniples and gaue the front to the Hastati the middest to the Principes the reare to the Triarij Nowe the Triarij being ordered in the Reare might at the beginning bee brought to fight in Front if need were being noe need they kept theire place till their Generalls found it fitt to call vpon them So then this is the difference The File-leaders of the Graecians had the Front because otherwise in so deep a body as the Phalange was they could not haue come to fight The Triarij might alwayes haue beene imployed in Front in flanke or in the reare as pleased the Generall And that the Romans also in theire seuerall Maniples placed theire best men in Front I cannot doubt There stood the Centurions which were the leaders of the Maniples and in reason were to bee seconded with the hest men vnder theire commaund C. Crastinus may serue for an example whoe being noe Centurion but an Evocate in the battaile of Pharsaly betwixt Caesar Pompey bidde his Manipulers they were of the Maniple which hee once commaunded to followe him and said hee would make his Generall giue him thanks aliue or dead Yet must I confesse that the front was not the proper place of the Evocates But hee chose the front and held it a place worthy of his valour It is said of Catiline that when hee fought with C. Antonius hee placed in the front of his army all the chosen Centurions and Evocates and besides of common souldiers such as were best armed Livy speaking of a fight betwixt the Romans and the Latines and describing the forme of the Roman battaile after hee had limited the place of the Hastati Principes writeth thus of the Triarij After the ensignes hee meaneth the Standards of the Legions not the Ensignes of Maniples were ten other Maniples whereof every one had three Ensignes The first Ensigne led the Triarij ould souldiers of tryed valor the next the Rorarij not soe well esteemed for strength in either age or deeds the third the Accensi a troupe of lest trust which was the cause that they were cast in the reare The Accensi were put in the reare because there was noe great opinion of theire valor the Triarij had the front because they were ould souldiers and had beene sufficiently tryed Soe then in dividing of their armie into small bodies or battailions the Romans differed from the Graecians in placing the best men of theire maniples in front they observed the same manner that the Graecians did in placing theire file-leaders in the first ranke of the Phalange 2 A verse I haue translated stichos a verse The more vsuall signification is a rowe of any thing placed orderly Soe Xenophon applieth it to trees which were planted orderly one after another and Eustathius to the standing of dâ—uncers one after another in depth even as our souldiers are placed one after another in file Iulius Pollux also acknowledgeth that there were files and ranks in Choro that is in daunces vppon the stage But Suidas saith it was commonly taken for a line which was read from the left to right hand And to say the truth a verse as wee read at this day and as they read when Aelian wrote this treatise rather resembleth a ranke then a fiâ—e because in a ranke men stand side to side as words doe being placed in a line Yet because the word is received by vse in that other sence wee must like wise admitte the same 3 A decury This in Greeke Aelian calleth Decania a word which in this sence I find in no other Author then in him and in Suidas Xenophon calleth it Decas soe doeth Vrbicius and Arrian and likewise Hesychius Leo calleth it decarchian and Akian 4 An Enomotie The word cometh from
more then a long line as it were and carieth neither Thicknes nor breadth but in respect of the Phalange the depth whereof is measured by the file And in the fourth the twelfth and fourtenth chapters hee termeth the depth of the Phalange it self Thicknes Pachos alone with out adding Bathos shewing thereby that Pachos also signifieth the dimension of the Phalange from the front to the reare But where some are of opinion that Platos breadth ought to bee read in those places in stede of Pachos Thicknes they perswade mee not to bee of theire mind For Aelian himself giveth an Attenuation or Thinning which hee calleth Liptysmos to the Phalange and that cannot bee vnderstood vnlesse there were in it a kind of Thicknes before And to make it more plaine hee saith that this Leptysmos is when the depth of the Phalange is gathered vp and from sixteen men it becometh a lesse number So that the Thicknes of the Phalange is the full sixteen which is also the depth and making of it Thinner is to lessen the depth To a Place Platos is fittly attributed a Place being onely superficies which consisteth of longitude and latitude So Poliaenus speaking of a valley wherein an ambush was layde to entrap Alexander saith the length stretched farre out but the breadth Platos was narrowed to foure furlongs The name of Platos is likewise given to a place by Polybius But to say the truth Platos in a Phalange rather signifieth the length then the depth as appeareth by Aelian after in the foure and fourty chapter And Leo calleth the front of the Phalange Platos and when hee would haue the front enlarged or doubled hee giveth this word of direction Plátynon pròs tà amphâ—tera mere enlarge the front on both sides 4 The right wing That which in the English toung is called a wing is termed in Greeke Keras a horne Wee in our warres of auncient time divided our armies into three parts The vantgarde the battaile and the reare-warde and when wee came to fight set them for the most parte in an even front the battaile in the middest on the right hand the vant-garde which was called the right-wing on the left the reare-warde which was called the left-wing Properly enough for our embattailing For the battaile is as it were the body and the vant-garde and reare-warde are the wings which in a manner sticke out from the body and whereby the body is supported that that wee call wings the Graecians and Romans called horns in the battaile The word Keras signifieth a point bearing out from the height or ends of any thing It is vsed for the toppe of Rocks and for promontories and such like And in a Phalange it properly signifieth the two points the right and the left of the winges The English worde wing I am faine to retaine because it is familiar and in vse Aelian heere will haue the wings to stretche out from the middle section to either point the right and left of the Phalange vnder which appellation must fall to the right wing the whole space that beginneth at the middle intervall and runneth along to the corner of the battaile on the right hand to the left all that is comprehended betwixt the same space and the left corner of the battaile 5 Thâ— twâ—â—fould section In Greeke it is named Dichotomia because it parteth and divideth the Phalange into two even parts beginning at the front and stretching out to the reare And Aelian in the tenth chapter of this book nameth it Apotome But heere hee speaketh of no more intervalls or partitions of the Phalange then of this one in the midst I would thinke there should bee more Onosander saith let there bee certaine intervalls in your battaile that if your enemy advance your light-armed after they haue spent theire missiue weapons and before the Phalanges joyne may retire leasurely in the intervalls and without disorder come behinde to the reare For it is not safe for them in retiring to fetch a compasse about the whole armie or to turne in againe on the outside of the winge For the enemy hasting to come to hands would easily prevent and intercept them in the middest so that they neither should bee able to breake through the armed already closed for fight and falling vpon theire owne weapons they must needes disorder theire owne people every man after other seeking to finde a way through them to escape the danger hee is in Thus much Onosander from whom wee may learne both that theire ought to bee more sections in the Phalange then one and that the institution of them had this cheefe end to receiue the light-armed in theire spaces after they had skirmished with the enemy and were by them forced to retire I may adde that Aelian placing the light-armed in the reare of the Phalange if you giue but one section vnto it it will be as hard for them to advance and sâ—rue before the front as it will bee to retreat after theire service done It seemeth that Leo giveth three intervalls to the Phalange of the auncient Tacticks Hee saith they opposed the bodies of the armed against the enemy and divided them into foure parts the right and left and the middle-right and middle-left parte Making so many parts the parts must bee distinguished as I collect by intervalls which ought to bee one after the first body of the right-wing another after the second which is the middle section the third after the third And this Third section is bounded with the fourth body which maketh the point of the left-wing For if the Phalange were whole and entire without more intervalls then one how could there bee foure parts For esteeming them by Phalangarchies without leauing spaces betweene it could not bee saide there were but foure parts of the Phalange considering that as well the Merarchies Chiliarchies Pentecosiarchies Syntagmataes are parts of it as the Phalangarchies But being distinguished by partition of intervalls the foure Phalangarchies become foure parts namely the right left middle-right and middle-left as Leo heere termeth them The same Leo speaketh after more plainely enioyning his generall to seperate and disioyne Diachorizein the whole number of his armie into foure parts For as Choris signifieth a part or severed so Diachorizo being derived from it signifieth to put asunder or sette a part Suidas is yet a little more cleare A Phalangarchie saith he is two Merarchies of foure thowsand and ninty six men This as some saye is the section Apotome of the wing as other it is a Meros Of auncient time it was called Strategia and the commander Strategos but nowe hee is termed Phalangarcha Suidas maketh the wing to haue a partition or section and saith some call a Phalangarchie by the name of this section Before wee heard out of Aelian that the wing right or left did stretche out from the middle section to the outward most point of the battaile on either
side And as the middle section divideth the Phalange in two parts which are called wings so this section spoken of by Suidas being in the middest of the wing divided the wing into two parts To call a Phalangarchie which is a body consisting of foure thowsand and ninty six men a section is I confesse an vnproper speach but tolerable notwithstanding considering that the whole fourefolde Phalange is composed of the foure Phalangarchies and that the section of the right-wing beginneth at the left hand file or inward point of the right hand Phalangarchie and endeth at the right hand file of the second Phalangarchie And wee are not to expect the same exactnesse of speach from souldiers that is common to men skillfull in the liberall sciences Souldiers that professe action haue theire end if they bee vnderstood of those they commande Artiâ—tes are contemned that clothe not the precepts of theire arts with elegant fitt and exact termes Seeing then the beginning of the section of the wing is at the flanke of the first Phalangarchie on either side of the Phalange wee may after a sort terme the Phalangarchie a section of the wing because it boundeth the section At least by this place of Suidas wee may gather that there was an intervall in either wing which in reason ought to bee in the middest of the wing and to lye betwixt the two Phalangarchies For so many there are in one wing Polybius telleth of Philopaemen that fighting against Machanidas the Tyrant of Lacedaemon after hee had placed the light-armed the Lanciers and Illyrians ioyntly in one front hee added in the same right line the Phalange distinguished into bodies according to Merarchies and divided by severall distances I translate Speiredon distinguished into bodyes because Speira signifieth a militarie body amongst the Graecians and is by the Graecians that wrote the Roman historie vsed sometime for a Legion and sometime for a Cohort And it seemeth that Spiredon is heere by Polybius put in the same sence that Eis Speiran is by Plutarch who mentioning the reformation touching affaires militarie whâ—h the same Philopaemen brought in amongst the Achaians writeth thus theire manner and forme of embattailing was not vsually parcelled out Eis Speiran that is as I interprete it in severall bodies but vsing a Phalange which had neither protension of pikes nor closing of targets in front as the Macedonian manner is they were easily foiled and broken by the enemy The meaning of Plutarch is as I conceiue that the Achaians in former times vsed to order theire Phalange in a continued length without intervalls which Philopoemen reformed and taught them to make divisions by intervalls And the practise of Philopoemen is the best interpreter of his owne counsell to the Achaians This practise Polybius setteth downe to bee the division of his Phalange Kata tele speiredon en diastemasi into bodies distinguished by intervalls according to Merarchies Polybius also to shewe what bodies they were vseth the word Tele which I translate Merarchies having my warant out of Aelian who saith a Merarchie consisteth of two Chiliarchies and conteineth two thowsand and fourty eight men and a hundred and twenty foure files and addeth that it is of some called a Telos and the leader a Telarch A man may doubt seeing Philopaemen made an intervall betwixt every Merarchie whether hee made seven divisions or no For in Aelians Phalange there are eight Merarchies betwixt every of which if a distance were there must needs arise seven intervalls To cleare this doubt wee must vnderstand that the Phalanges of the Graecians were not alwaies of the same number as I noted before Aelians and the Macedonian Phalange consisted of sixteen thowsand and odde Antigonus had but ten thowsand Demetrius eleuen thowsand Other had more the Lacedâ—monians lesse and likewise the Graecians for the most part And it seemeth the Phalange of Philopaemen was no more then eight thowsand and odde in which number there are but foure Merarchies As Aelians Phalange comprehending sixteen thowsand and odde wherein are foure Phalangarchies hath likewise three divisions by Phalangarchies And yet in this Phalange of Philopaemen if you account the file to haue but eight men as the most Graecians vsed in theire files to haue these foure Merarchies will possesse as much ground in front as the Phalangarchies of Aelians Phalange doe the file being sixteen Neither is it new to figure out the bodies greater or lesse according to the number of the Phalange Leo commandeth his Generall when the number will not reach to sixteen thowsand the number of the ould Phalange to hould notwithstanding sixteen men in a file and to divide his Phalange into foure equall parts by intervalls excepting some few which hee would haue reserved for other vses To conclude Aelian him self seemeth to acknowledge more sections then one when in the tenth Chapter of this booke hee speaketh of the middle section mese apotome For this word middle being a relatiue can not bee vnderstood with out two other at least which are placed on either side And all the figures that I haue seene of a fourefold Phalange allowe three sections and no more that is to saie one in the middest and the other two in the wings What the distance and dimension of these sections ought to bee I finde not set downe But if I might haue leaue to coniecture I would thinke they ought to bee large enough for a troupe of horse framed wedge-wise after the Macedonian manner to passe through the last ranke whereof being fifteen as appeareth in the twenty chapter of this booke and the horse placed in the reare of the light-armed it is needfull if vpon any occasion they were to bee drawen through to serue in the front the distance of the section should bee sufficient to giue them passage with out disorder And I am the rather confirmed in this opinion because I see the intervalls betwixt the Roman maniples so proportioned that the Principes might passe through those of the Hastati and the Triarij through those of the Principes But I proportioned out the intervalls to the horse not to the light-armed for that the light-armed â—ay bee divided into severall bodies without inconvenience but any breaking of the horse-wedge breedeth a confusion in the whole troupe Yet where a troupe of horse may finde way there may a Centurie or Colours of light-armed finde also way 6 The light-armed are placed after The light-armed were diversly placed sometimes before the front of the Phalange which kind of placing is afterward called Prataxis sometimes on the wings and it is called Hypotaxis sometimes betwixt the files of the armed fronting in a right line with them and it was called Entaxis sometimes in the reare after the Phalange which was called Epitaxis All these are spoken of by Aelian heereafter in this booke There is another kinde of placing the light-armed when they are throwne into the midst of the battaile being
the Spaniardes being all armed and set in order shewed theire battail about a mile from the Roman campe The Ansetans were in the middest the Illergetes held the right winge other obscure people of Spaine the left Betwixt the wings and the middle parte they left broade intervalls to giue passage to theire horse when time should bee to send them through to charge The Romans Embattailed after theire wonted manner Onely then imitated the enemy in leaving open waies for the horse betwixt the legions Lentulus imagining that partye and none other should haue vse of theire horse that first possessed these intervalls of the adverse battaile commaunded Cornelius the Tribune to giue direction to the horsemen presently to charge through the foote on both sides came to blowes and the fight was hard when the Roman horsemen passing through the Spaces and falling vpon the middest of theire enemies at once disordered the battaile of foote and shut â—p the wayes against the Spanish horse by which meanes after noe long fight the enemy was vtterly defeated Where Livy saith the Romans embattailed after theire wonted manner his meaning is they ordered them selues in Maniples or Battallions as wee now terme them for that was theire woont But when hee addeth they imitated the enemy in leaving open waies for the horse betwixt the legions Wee must vnderstand that a legion was thus embattailed First they divided theire legion in to thirty Maniples ten of the Hastati ten of the Principes and ten of the Triarij The ten maniples of the Hastati they set first in an even front leaving soe much distance or voide grounde betwixt every Maniple as a Maniple it self tooke vp in standing At a reasonable space behinde were the Principes placed in as many maniples but soe that theire maniples stoode directly behinde the voide spaces of the Hastati And against the bodies of the hastati they left likewise spaces in the Principes to the end the Hastati being overlaid might retire within those spaces or else themselues might advance against the enemy through the intervalls of the Hastati Lastly at a larger distance behinde these were the Triarij set and divided with spaces betwixt euery maniple which spaces were great enough to receaue the Principes in case they retired also Now the Horse being ordered in the reare after the Triarij if from thence they had gon to charge the Enemies front through the spaces of the Triarij they must of necessity haue fallen vpon the Maniples of the Principes whoe were set directly against the intervalls or spaces To giue therefore free passage to theire horse the Roman Generals removed the maniples of the Principes from theire ordinarie place and bestowed them in a right line after the maniples of the Hastati and made an open lane as it were from the reare of theire battell to the front So that nothing hindred the horse but they might freely fly vp to and fall vppon the enemies front And yet I take not Aelians meaning to be that the Horse set in the reare should during the time of the fight still remaine there For soe would noe great service bee had of them But hee placed them there the rather to avoyde confusion in ordering the foote And that after theire embatteling they might bee led from thence to any place front or flanke or wheresoever they might yeeld most vse For in the fifteenth and twentith chapter he would haue both light-armed and horse soe placed that they might answer all attempts of the enemy And in his caution following hee saith if occasion require both horse and light-armed may bee otherwise placed That they were vsually placed in the wings I haue before shewed The examples declare they were placed in the reare sometimes Of placing in the front there are also examples The Lacedaemonians at the battaile of Leuctra against the Thebans placed theire horse before their Phalange and tried their fortune with â—hem and were beaten before the foote ioyned The Persians at the River Granicus esteeming theire Horse to bee theire chiefest strength opposed them vpon the bancks against Alexander that was to passe over and embattailled their foote behinde the horse And Alexander encountered them first with his Horse before his foote could get over One example more I will adde to shewe the reason why Horse are sometimes placed before the front of the Phalange of foote Eumenes being to fight against Craterus and Neoptolemus both greate generalls that had served vnder Alexander in all his warrs ordered the fight thus Because hee vnder-stood that theire Army confisted of twenty thowsand foote the most parte Macedonians renowmed for theire valour and skill in fight In whom they set theire greatest trust and of more then two thowsand horse and knewe his owne foote albeit they were as many in number yet all to bee ramasses of diuerse kinds of people and that his owne horse were fiue thowsand with exceeded the enimy both in number and valor hee determined to hasard the battaile vpon his horse before the two Phalanges of foote should come together Advancing therefore with his horse farre before his foote hee tooke the right wing himselfe and gaue the left to two strangers to Pharnabarus a Persian the sonne of Artabazus and to Phenix a Tenedian Craterus stood in the right wing of his owne horse and placed Neoptolemus on the left And seeing the enemies horse comming forward with greate fury charged them first and fought brauely But his horse failing vnder him hee fell to grounde and it being not knowne whoe hee was by reason of the medly and throng of those that gaue backe and fled hee was trampled vnder foote and ended his life after a strange manner By his death the enemy tooke courage and encompassing theire adversaries on all sides made a great slaughter and the right wing after this manner with might overpressed and put to the worst was faine to fly for succour to the Phalange of foote In the left winge Neoptolemus stoode directly against Eumenes and the mutuall sight of eche bredde a greate emulation betwixt the generalls and a fervent desire to come to hands And being easely knowne both by theire horse and other marks they flewe one vpon another and out of theire single fight made away to a consequent victorie And first they assailed one another with swords and after fell into an vnlooked for and wonderfull Monomachy for being transported with anger and mutuall hatred quitting the raines of theire bridles with theire left hands they eache seazed and tooke hold vpon the body of other which hapening and the horse continuing theire careare and springing from vnder them they both fell to the grounde neither of them could wel arise by reason of the suddaine violent fall and of the heavines of theire armor Yet Eumenes got vp first and prevented Neoptolemus stricking him on the ham The wounde was wide and his strength of footing thereby failed
to the file the File-leader and the Bringer-vp Aelian foure the foure Enomotarchs For the number of the Officers in the Phalange they agree And yet the names are not all one Aelian beginneth with a Dilochite commanding two files thirtie two men Vrbicius with the Lochagos who likewise commandeth two files of his and fiue men more namely 25 men The next in Aelian is a Tetrarch ouer sixtie-foure men in Vrbicius a Pentecontarch ouer fiftie men Vrbicius hath next a Taxiarch a Syntagmatarch a Pentecosiarch a Chiliarch a Merarch a Phalangarch And so hath Aelian The next in Aelian is a Diphalangarch Commander of 8192 men Vrbicius termeth him a Myriarch that is the Leader of ten thousand men The Tetraphalangarchy is last in both But Vrbicius assigneth no more then 16 thousand to his Phalange Aelian 16 thousand 384. Iulius Pollux thus diuideth his bodids a Myriarchie a Chiliarchie a Taxiarchie a Hecatontarchie and a Lochagie What a proportion Leo makes is to be seene in the fourth Chapter of his Tacticks Because he hath a mixture of the Roman and Greeke Orders I remit the Reader to the booke So then Aelian hath in his Phalange of armed besides the two Diphalangarchs 1020. Officers Dilochites 512. Tetrarchs 256. Taxiarchs 128. Syntagmatarchs 64. Pentecosiarchs 32. Chiliarchs 16. Merarchs 8. Phalangarchs 4. Â 1020. I haue set downe the figures of all the bodies described by Aelian as farre as the Phalangarchy The rest would haue beene troublesome to insert as requiring more paper then would stand with any reasonable proportion neither are they greatly needfull For two Phalangarchies ioyned in an euen front and in a conuenient distance will figure out a Diphalange foure in an euen front with a like distance will make the fourefold Phalange So that thereby the forme of it will appeare The precedence and dignitie of place in the offices of the Phalange CHAP. X. 1 THe best of the Phalange Commanders is placed on the right wing the second on the left wing the third in valour in the right hand next the second Phalange toward the middle section The fourth on the left hand next the first Phalange toward the middle section likewise So the first and fourth Phalange haue Commanders of the first and fourth worth The second and third Phalange haue Commanders of the second and third worth Now wee will shew by demonstration that the first and fourth worth and valor are equall to the second and third So that the Commanders in each wing are of valor alike 2 The Leaders also of the seuerall Merarchies are thus disposed The first hath his place in the head of the first Phalange on the left hand The second on the right hand of the second Phalange The third on the left hand of the third Phalange The fourth on the right hand of the fourth Phalange Also the Leaders of files in euery Tetrarchy are so placed that the Leader of the first file hath preheminence in valor and place the Leader of the fourth file standeth next him Then the Leader of the third file and the Leader of the second file last For then are Dilochies of equall valor when the first Dilochie hath the first and fourth Leaders the second Dilochy the second and the third Leaders in valor and reputation For it appeareth in the Mathematicks that when there are Analogies or answerable proportions of foure magnitudes propounded that which ariseth of the first and fourth will counteruaile that which ariseth of the second and third magnitude And because there are foure Tetrarchies in euery Syntagma wee may giue the Leaders of the Tetrarchies place according to the same proportion as to place the Tetrarch of the first Tetrarchy on the right hand giuing him the first place of worth on his left hand the Tetrarch of the fourth Tetrarchy in the fourth place of worth Then againe next him the Tetrarch of the third Tetrarchy in the third place of worth and on his left hand the Tetrarch of the second Tetrarchy in the second place of worth In like manner are the greater commands also to be proportioned Notes THe former Chapter was of the Officers and of the bodies of the Phalange this is of the place of euery one according to his worth And first wee are to note that all the Commanders were placed in front of those that they commanded to the â—nd they might direct and lead them as occasion should require For Xenophon saith of Cyrus army the Decadarchs or file Leaders had care of the files the Lochagie of he Decadarchs the Taxiarches of the Lochagie the Chiliarchs of the Taxiarchs the Myriarchs of the Chiliarchs So in the Phalange of Aelian the file Leader had the command of his file the Dilochites of the file Leaders the Tetrarchs of the Dilochites the Taxiarchs of the Tetrarchs and so the rest till you come to the Generall who cared for all directed all and vnder whom all the Commanders were The Generall â—ath beene placed sometimes in the right winge sometimes in the middest of the Phalange Vegetius saith that the Generall of the Armie is accustomed to be in the right winge betwixt the horse and the foote Hee addeth this is the place which gouerneth the whole battaile from whence the salying out is most direct and free Therefore he standeth betwixt both that hee might both gouerne horse and foote with counsell and with authority exhort them to fight Cyrus in his battaile against Cresus took his place in the right wing betwixt the right hand point of the battaile and of the horse that were ranged in the wing Alexander the great in his battailes tooke the same place Timoleon in his fight against the Carthaginians placed himselfe in the middest of the battaile Diodorus Siculus saith that it is the manner of the Scythians that the King should stand in the middest of the Phalange The like doth Arrian affirme of the Persians and saith that Darius had that place Leo also giueth the middest of the battaile to the Generall And there placeth the battaile ouer which he would haue him to command 1 The best of the Phalangarchs This ordering of the Phalangarchs the best on the right hand wing the second on the left the third next him in the left wing on his right hand toward the middlesection The fourth in the right wing on the left hand of the first toward the middlesection thus 2 3 4 1 commeth out of a Geometricall proportion which proportion giueth law to the ordering of the rest of the Commanders The rule is this 4. Magnitudes which equally exceede the one the other being compared together that which ariseth of the first and fourth is equall to that which ariseth of the second and third As 2. 8. 14. 20. each exceedeth the other 6. The addition of 2. to 20. begetteth an equall number to 8 and 14. added together So is it in all other numbers that haue the same equalitie of excesse one
aboue an other Out of this rule of proportion Aelian deriueth the giuing equalitie of strength in the Leaders to euery bodie in the Phalange For Leaders and Commanders are or ought at least to bee chosen by worth and valour and the preferments of the feild haue beene held the due reward of vertue Say then the Phalangarchs are preferred to their places according to their worth and that the first Phalangarchs is most worthy the second next him the third next the fourth least deseruing of the foure If you should place them as their worth is in a rancke successiuely one after an other the best before the first Phalangarchie in the right wing the second before the next Phalangarchie in the same wing and leaue the other two Phalangarch's to command the left wing the disproportion would bâ— great the third and fourth not being able to match the worth of the first and second But if you place the best Phalangarch before the first Phalangarchie on the right wing the second before the second Phalangarchie of the left wing the third Phalangarch next him before the third Phalangarchie on the left wing toward the middle Section the fourth before the fourth Phalangarchie of the right wing toward the same Section the valours of the Commanders will be equall in both winges For as in the number 1. 2. 3. 4. one and 4. make 5 as many as is made by ioyning 2 and 3 together so the worth of the fourth Phalangarch ioyned to the worth of the first will arise as high in true valuation as the worths of the second and third ioyned together And where the Phalangarchie on the left corner of the left wing is called the second and the next Phalangarchie standing in the same wing the third it is to be vnderstood that it is second in dignitie not in succession of number for the fourth Phalangarchie in dignitie standeth in place and number next the first and the second Phalangarchie hath the last place of the whole Phalange Their places then are after this manner according to Aelian 2 b f c 3 g 4 d e a 1 For the vnderstanding whereof you are to note that a signifieth the first Phalangarchie b the second Phalangarchie c the third Phalangarchie d the fourth Phalangarchie e the Section of the right winge f the Section of the left winge g the middle Section 1 the place of the first Phalangarch 2 the place of the second Phalangarch 3 the place of the third Phalangarch 4 the place of the fourth Phalangarch 2 The Leaders of the Merarchies As the Phalangarchs so are all the other Commanders of the seuerall bodies placed by foure and the same obseruation to be had of the dignities of the place that was in the Phalangarchs and these 4 Merarchies for Aelian speaketh of no more than 4 must stand thus P 2 M 2 M 3 P 3 P 4 M 4 M 1 P 1 P standeth for Phalangarchs M for Merarchs Robertellus confesseth he findeth these Merarchs so placed in a written booke and it is the true placing The figures he setteth downe out of his owne wit as he termeth it carry with them no sauour of Aelians proportion Patricius likewise seemeth to haue mistaken this proportion in the figures he hath set downe of which not one is right I will referre the Reader to their bookes admonishing him onely of the mistaking But Aelian placeth here but 4 Merarchs what order shall be for the other foure I haue alwaies thought Aelian defectiue in this place neither could I hitherto finde any man that hath brought light to cleare the doubt Patricius that purposely discourseth of this place of Aelian speaketh of bestowing 4 Merarchs onely as though the rest were to be throwne away from the Phalange Robortellus seeking to bestow all 8 bestoweth them indeed but not according to Aelians proportion which notwithstanding he would seeme to follow His figure is this P. 1. M. 8. M. 4. M. 3. M. 6. P. 3. P. 4. M. 5. M. 2. M. 1. M. 7. P. 2. The right wing The Middle The left wing The proportion is his as I said and not Aelians For Aelian placed the first Merarch in the right wing he placeth him in the left Aelian the second in the second Phalangarchie he in the fourth Aelian the third in the left wing he in the right Aelian the fourth in the fourth Phalangarchie he in the first The rest are so iumbled together as though any thing else had beene sought for rather than proportion I take not vpon mee to over-rule any doubt but if amongst the rest I enterpose mine opinion I hope I shall not incurre iust blame Thus then seeing Aelians meaning is by evenesse and worth of number of both wings to finde out the worth of the Commanders of both if I so distribute them that the number of the one side shall counterballance the number of the other I cannot much stray from Aelians meaning The figure following will doe it P. 1. M. 5. M. 1. M. 4. M. 8. P. 4. P. 3. M. 7. M. 3. M. 2. M. 6. P. 2. The right wing The Middle The left wing In this figure I haue obserued precisely the place that Aelian gaue to the 4 Merarchs The first standeth on the left hand of the first Phalangarch the second on the right hand of the second Phalangarch the third on the left hand of the third Phalangarch the 4th on the right hand of the 4th Phalangarch The rest I haue added and diuided according the placing of the first So that the number that ariseth of the addition of both wings is alike and the proportion held In all the rest of the bodies where there is a Command ouer 4 the keeping of the proportion hath no difficulty So euery Phalangarch commandeth ouer 4 Chiliarchs euery Merarch ouer 4 Pentecosiarchs euery Chiliarch ouer 4 Syntagmatarchs euery Pentecosiarch ouer 4 Taxiarchs euery Syntagmatarch ouer 4 Tetrarchs euery Taxiarch ouer 4 Dilochites euery Tretarch ouer 4 files In all which the Commander which hath the right hath the first place he that hath the point of the left hand the second place he that standeth on the right hand next to him the third place the last place is his who standeth next to the Commander of the right point on the left hand And for the place of the Phalangarchs and of 4 of the Merarchs and the file-leaders and of the Tetrarchs they are laid out by Aelian The rest appeare by these and are to be squared by the same rule of proportion as Aelian admonished The distances to be obserued betweene Souldier and Souldier in opening and shutting the Phalange CHAP. XI WE are now to speake of distances both in length and depth betwixt Souldier and Souldier as they stand ordered in Battaile The distances vary in three sorts For first they are placed in thinner distance for some speciall causes And a Souldier so placed taketh vp 1 4 cubits But in 2 Densation or closing
which regard I preferre the Target of Aelian before that of Leo Aelians reaching vp to the height of the necke from the middle of the thigh Leos carying a handfull more in bredth which in the circumference groweth to a good proportion of weight and greatnesse 4 No shorter than 8 Cubits That is 12 foote Short pikes against long haue a great disadvantage With the long pike a man is able to strike and kill his enemy before himselfe can be touched or come in danger of a shorter the pike keeping the enemy out so farre as the length is The experience of the battaile of Sorano sheweth it where Vitellozzo Vitelli discomfited the Almaines onely with the advantage of pikes an arme longer than theirs Against long pikes this policie was vsed by Cleonymus the Lacedemonian King as Polienus tells Cleonymus besieging Aedessa and hauing ouerthrowne the wall of the City the pikemen of the City sailed out whose pikes were each 16 cubits in length Cleonymus closed his Phalange in depth and commanded the file-leaders to lay away their pikes and when the pikemen of the enemy came to charge to seaze vpon their pikes with both hands and hold them fast and the followers to passe thorough by the file-leaders sides and maintaine the fight The file-leaders laid hold on the pikes and the enemy stroue to recouer them out of their hands In the meane time the followers passing thorough the ranke of file leaders to the front slew the enemies pikemen and got the victorie This was Cleonymus deuice against long pikes which notwithstanding derogates nothing from the length of pikes more than from shortnes For the same policie might haue prevailed as well against short pikes as long each assoone as the enemies haue seized vpon them growing to be of no vse But that the longer pike is to be preferred before the shorter I haue shewed before by reason and the reformation of armes made by Iphicrates amongst the Athenians and by Philopomen amongst the Achaians will be warrant enough so to hold In the length notwithstanding ought to be a reasonable consideration that it exceede not the measure of his strength that shall beare the pike The worth that the File-leaders and next followers should be of CHAP. XIII THE File-leaders as the Commanders of files of the Phalange are to be the choice and flower of the Army and to excell the rest as well in stature as in experience and martiall skâ—ll For this Ranke knitteth and bindeth in the Phalange and of all other yeeldeth greatest vse For as a sword taking to the edge as a weight and sway the swelling yron towards the backe exhibiteth thereby more violence in piercing so in a Phalange the Ranke of File-leaders is the edge it selfe and the multitude of after-commers is the swelling and sway and increase of weight Consideration must be had likewise of those that follow in the second Ranke For their Pikes reach ioyntly ouer the front and being next in place they are alwaies ready for vse And the File-leader falling or being wounded the next follower stepping to the front in his place holdeth together and preserueth the tenor of that Ranke vnbroken Furthermore we are to order the third and the rest of the Rankes according to reason and as the valour of our souldiers shall require THis Chapter sheweth how the Souldiers are to be ordered in euery File whereof because I haue before spoken sufficiently in my Notes to the fifth Chapter and the words of this Chapter carry no difficultie or obscuritie with them I will forbeare to treat any further Of the strength of the Macedonian Phalange and length of the Souldiers Pikes CHAP. XIIII THE 1 Macedonian Phalange hath of enemies beene thought vnresistible by reason of 2 the manner of embattailing For the Souldier with his Armes standeth in close order or shutting when he is ready for fight 3 occupying two Cubits of ground And the length of his Pike is sixteene Cubits according to the first institution but in truth it ought to be foureteene Cubits whereof the 4 space betwixt the hands in charging taketh vp two Cubits the other twelue lye out from the front of the Battaile Those in the second Ranke that stand next to the Leaders loosing foure Cubits in the Phalange haue their Pikes reaching ouer the first Ranke ten Cubits Those of the third Ranke eight Cubits of the fourth Ranke six cubits of the fift 4 cubits of the sixt 2 Cubits 5 The Pikes of the other behind cannot attaine to the first Ranke And seeing fiue or six pikes are charged ouer the first Ranke they present a fearefull sight to the enemy and double the strength of the souldier standing fortified as it were with fiue or six Pikes and seconded with a maine force at his backe as the figure sheweth Moreouer they that are placed after the sixt Ranke albeit they push not with their pikes yet thrusting on with the weight of their bodies r'enforce the strength and power of the Phalange and leaue no hope for the File-leaders to flie or shift away Some would haue the hinder pikes longer then the formost that they of the third and fourth Rankes might beare out the heads of their pikes equally with the first 6 The Superordinary Lieutenant of euery Syntagma must be a man of vnderstanding ouerseeing the souldiers of his command that they file and ranke and if for feare or other occasion any forsake their ground he is to compell them againe to their places and in Closing to put them when neede requireth as neare vp together as they should stand For it is a great strength and assurance to the Phalange to haue some principall Commander not onely in front but also in the Reare of the Battaile for the causes before mentioned Notes THE strength of the Macedonian Phalange which consisted principally in the protension and charging of pikes and knitting together of Targets is here set downe The whole Chapter seemeth to haue beene taken out of Polybius who handleth the same argument and almost with the same words but that Aelian and he differ about the number of Cubits which the Pikes take vp reaching ouer the front of the Phalange 1 The Macedonian Phalange hath beene thought to be vnresistible The strength of the Macedonian Phalange appeareth no way better than by the conquests it hath made King Philip was the inventer of it and by that invention raised the kingdome of Macedonia from the poorest to the powerfullest and greatest kingdome of Europe and that I may vse the words of Diodorus Siculus finding the Crowne at his comming to it in bondage to the Illyrians made it afterward Lady of many great Nations and Cities and purchased to himselfe to be declared Generall of Greece And first ouerthrowing the Illyrians Pâ—onians Thracians and Scythians afterward let vpon the kingdome oâ— Persia to breake it after he had enfranchised the 〈◊〉 Cities of Asia And albeit death intercepted him yet he left such
by force some by feare he came before Rhage and besieged it He found the siege longer and more difficult then any man would haue thought And the enemy made his resistance that way the Consull would hardly haue beleeued he could For he imagined that all his labour should be in throwing downe the walls If once he found passage for the Army to enter there would after be nothing else but flight and slaughter as is wont in wonne-Cities But after that part of the wall was throwne downe with the Ramme and the Armie entred the Citie by the breach it was the beginning of a new and fresh labour For the Macedonians that were there in Garrison being many and chosen thinking it also a glory to them if they could defend the Citie rather with armes and valor than with walles serring themselues close together in a deepe Phalange when they perceiued that the Romans began to enter the breach droue them out the place being cumbersome and hard to make a retreat The Consul much offended therewith and thinking that shame concerned not only the delay of winning one Citie but also the state of the whole warre which for the most part dependeth vpon moments of small matters purging the place which was heaped vp with the fall of the halfe-ruined wall aduanced a Tower which in many stories was stuffed with multitudes of armed men and sent besides Cohorts vnder their Ensignes to breake with maine force if it were possible the body they call it the Phalange of the Macedonians But the kinde of weapons and fight was more aduantagious for the enemy than for the Romans especially in that place which was narrow and streightned with the small space of the ouerthrowne wall When the Macedonians serring themselues close had charged pikes of a great length before their front and the Romans after their darts throwne in vaine against the Iestudo compacted as it were of the thicke knitting together of the Targets had drawne their swords they could neither come vp close nor cut a sunder the pikes And in case they cut the heads of or broke any the steale amongst the rest of the whole pikes filled vp the roome with their sharpe fragments Ioyne that that part of the wall which was yet whole secured the enemies flankes on both sides neither needed they much ground in retiring or advancing to charge which things are wont to cause the breach of array There also fell out a chance which increased their hopes and spirits For the Tower being driuen on vpon a rampier that was not well rammed vnderneath but had loose earth one of the wheeles sinking deeper into the ground than the rest made the Turret to nodd lie of one side that both the enemy beleeued it would fall and they within it were put in a pitifull feare When nothing succeeded well the Consull was euill appaide that the Macedonian souldiers and kinde of Armes might seeme matcheable to his and seeing no great hope of speedy winning the Citie and that the place was vnfit to winter in raised his siege So here the Macedonian souldier is not onely equalled but also preferred before the Roman and that onely by reason of his armour the Pike and Target An other experience fell out in the battaile betwixt Perseus and Aemilius whereof I spake in this Chapter The storie is this The Romans comming to ioyne battell with the Macedonians and not able to come vp to them by reason of the length and ioint out-bearing of their pikes There was one Salius a Captaine of Pelignans who tooke the Ensigne of his Company from the Ensigne-bearer and threw it into the Macedonian Phalange The Pelignans ranne in heapes to the place for it is not lawfull nor honest for the Italians to forsake their Ensignes where the medley brought forth wonderfull effects For the Pelignans fought with swords to put by the pikes and to presse them downe with their Targets And seazing vpon them to pull them out of the handes of the Macedonians The Macedonians contrary-wise maintaining their charge with both hands and striking such as approached neare thorough the bodies armes and all neither Target nor Curace being able to sustaine the violence of the blow turned topsy-turuy the bodies of the Pelignans who not with reason but with the rage of wilde beasts threw themselues desperately vpon wounds and vpon certaine and fore seene death So the formost falling the followers began to slacke And yet they sled not but retired to the mount called Olacrus I will out of Appian ioyne a third experience in the battaile of Antiochus against L. Scipio which I likewise touched before in this Chapter As soone as the Horse and Chariots of Antiochus were put to flight by the Roman horsemen and by Eumenes his Phalange of foote being destitute of horse first opened and receiued the light-armed that had all this while fought in the front into the middest of it Then after-ward againe closed And when Domitius Scipio's Lieutenant incompassed it round with horse and light-armed which he might easily doe by reason it was thrust vp into a thicke Plinthium it was driuen to great distresse being neither able to charge the enemy nor yet to countermarch in so great depth as it carried It grieued them much that their long experience nothing auailed them to annoy the enemy and that notwithstanding they were subiect to arrowes and darts at all hands Yet bearing out a multitude of pikes on euery side of their square they called the Romans to come to handy blowes and still made a countenance as though they meant to charge keeping themselues for all that within their Ranks as being footmen and heauy armed and the rather because they had to doe with an enemy on horse-backe Besides they were loth to breake the thicknes of their battaile which forme they could not now alter The Romans also durst not approach them and come to sword fearing their experience in warre and closenesse of array and desperation But running about here and there plied them with arrowes and darts whereof none was throwne in vaine falling amongst a troupe so closely put vp together that they could neither auoide and decline any thing throwne nor giue way albeit they saw it comming At last being weary and irresolute what to doe they retired easily with a threatning countenance notwithstanding and in good order and not deliuering the Romans of feare who durst not yet come neare but sought to annoy them aloofe till the Elephants placed in the Macedonian Phalange being affrighted and not to be ruled by their Gouernours troubled all and gaue occasion of flight hitherto Appian Out of these three examples the truth of that which Aelian saith is to be seene that is that the Macedonian Phalange can not be forced or resisted by an enemy taking with all Polybius his caution if it be in the right posture and figure and haue such ground as is fit The Romans the best souldiers of all
which respect a place fit hath alwaies beene sought for their seruice to secure them from the accesse of the Horse or of the enemies armed Which place was either behinde the Phalange as Aelian here would haue it or else in the wings betwixt the Horse and the armed or if they skirmished loose before the front and chanced to bee pressed with the enemy they retired into the interualls and conueied themselues behind the Phalange in safetie Leo saith if there be any place of strength it will much helpe the light-armed For after their flying weapons spent reâ—iring thither they will be in more securitie as a steepe rockie place or the bancke of a riuer or a high hill or such other Our stories report that at the battaile of Agincourt in France 200 English Archers were bestowed in a meddow fenced with a deepe ditch from whence they so gauled the French horse and foot that they were a great helpe to the victorie The like happened before at Poitiers where that braue Prince of Wales eldest sonne of Edward the third hauing to fight with the whole power of France vnder the leading of their King gaue safegard to his Archers with hedges and ditches and other strengths So that the French-horse hauing no accesse to disorder them were ouerwhelmed with the tempests and stormes of their arrowes and such a victory obteined by our nation as might maâ—ch the most renowmed of all antiquitie To say nothing of the inuention which Henrie the fifth vsed against the horse of France for securing his Archers The storie saith he deuised stakes of two yards long and armed both ends with pikes of iron the one to sticke into the ground and the other to gall and enter the horses bellies in case they came to charge our Archers home By meanes whereof he caried the famous victorie of Agincourt This for the assurance of the light armed when they come to fight without which assurance their seruice would be weake and scarce worth the hauing Their seruice then according to Aelian hath many particulars And they are good to Prouoke the enemie If the enemie be in a wood a fenâ—e a hill a fort a towne or other place of strength that admitteth no accesse the manner hath beene to send out the light armie to shew themselues and with a Brauado to towle him out of his aduantage and bring him into the field where he may more easily be dealt withall Examples are plentifull but I will content my selfe with a Macedonian example Alexander leading his armie against the Triballs that had hid themselues in a wood commanded his Archers and Slingers to runne out and to shoote and sling amongst the Barbarians to see if he could towle them into the plaine The Archers and Slingers spared not to let flie and the Triballs being wounded with arrowes threw themselues out of the wood with all speed to fall vpon the vnarmed Archers Alexander presently commanded Philotas with the Horse of vpper Macedonia to charge the right wing on which part they cast out themselues furthest And Heraclides and Sopolis with the horse of Bottiâ—a and Amphipolis the left himselfe stretching out in length the Phalange of foote setting the rest of horse before the Phalange led against the midst of the enemie As long as it was but a skirmish the Triballs had not the worst But after the Phalange close serred came vp roundly to them and the Horsemen charged them no longer with darts but pressed and ouerbore them with their horse they fled thorough the wood to the riuer To beginne the fight Leo agreeth If saith he we haue light-armed enough let them before the armie ioyne send their darts and arrowes at the enemie and after the fight of the armed is begunne plie the flanke with their missiue weapons that at ouce both their flankes may be assaulted It hath beene and is now the ordinarie course to beginne the fight with the light-armed And because wee shall read of no batâ—aile almost wherein it was not so I will forbeare examples To wound a farreof The light serue to great purpose if the Generall desire not to come neere to fight but seeke to annoy his enemie a farre of without danger of his owne folkes Liuy telleth of Cn. Manlius Volso that being to make warre against the Gallo Graecians that fled into the mountaines and awaited the Romans there and sought to defend themselues by aduantage of the place he prepared great plenty of darts arrowes bullets and small stones for Slinges and leauing his legionariâ— soulâ—iers behind led his light armed against the enemy that possessed certaine straights by which his armie must passe After some fight the Gallo-Graecians being not sufficiently armed to dâ—fend their bodies from the missiue weapons the light-armed of the Romans forced the passagâ— And following them euen to the Campe where their Companions came to their aide they first droue them into their Campe and after the Legionarie Souldiers comming vp they wonne it I haue before rehearsed the historie of Iphicrates who with his Targetires that came seldome to hand blowes but plied the enemie with darâ—s a farre of ouerthrew and slewe a whole Moira of the Lacedemonians The Acarnans likewise with this kinde of fight much incumbred Agesilaus that made an excursion into their Countrey The story is this a Agesilaus hauing taken a great prey in the territory of the Acarnans rested that day where he had taken it being busie in selling of it In the meane time many Acarnan Targetieres assembled themselues together where Agesilaus was incamped vpon the side of a mountaine and with darting and slinging they forced his Campe to descend to the plaine themselues in the meane time being free from hurt The next day Agesilaus led away his armie The passage out of the place was straight by reason of the mountaines lying about in a circle which the Acarnans possessing plied the Lacedemonians with darts and stones from the higher ground and sometimes descending to the skirts of the hills they pressed the armie so that it could not moue forward And when the armed foote or horse fell out vpon them they profited little For the Acarnans retired immediately to their strength Agesilaus perceiuing it would be hard for his armie to winde out of those straights so long as the enemy so hung vpon them resolued to charge those on his left hand For the ascent on that side was more easie both for his horse and armed foote Commanding therefore his men to charge the armed of 29 yeeres of age first fell on and the horse after them vpon the spurre Himselfe followed with the rest The Acarnans therefore that were descended and busie a darting were quickly put to flight and many slaine in seeking to remount the hills But their armed foote and most of their Targetiers stood imbattailed on the toppe and from thence both threwe other missiues and lanced Iauelines wherewith they wounded horsemen and killed
horse in euery troupe because in horse a greater depth will be idle and to no purpose For they cannot as foote doe with their thicknes thrust one an other forward from behind and so the formost will they or nill they are forced to goe against the enemy And this is done amongst foote But the horse can not thrust forward those that are before them nor the file-leaders that stand in front be seconded in that kinde by the rest that stand in depth after the fourth man For if they be Lancers the fift ranke cannot reach with their launces to the front If Archers they shall be faine to shoot aloft for feare of hurting their companions before and so their arrowes serue for no vse after fight is ioyned Therefore is the number of 4 sufficient in depth as I haue said This was the opinion of Leo. To which I cannot absolutely assent vnlesse he had giuen 8 for the front of his troupe and so made it of 4 equall sides in figure not in number as Aelian requireth to be done in the best squares For the reason of launces not reaching to the front in the fift ranke reacheth not home to the reason of warre Aelian before hath declared that the pikes of the seuenth ranke reach not to the front of the Phalange Yet no man will thereof inferre that the Phalange ought to be but 6 deepe Yea but the foote that come after helpe the formost seconding them and thrusting them on with the weight of their bodies which the horse can not doe This must be granted to be an advantage that foote haue aboue horse in depth Yet are there other reasons also of giuing depth to a Phalange In the order whereof two considerations concurre one of offence the other of defence The reaching of pikes or horsemens staues ouer the front is good for offence that is to annoy the enemy in the shocke likewise the thrusting on of those that come behind serueth with the violence to make them giue ground A reasonable depth is for defence in as much as it defendeth a Phalange against the indeuour of the enemy to breake it a sunder And as it is a fault to make it too deepe so is it likewise a fault to make it too shallow Too much depth narroweth the front and giueth easie meanes to the enemy to incompasse and oâ—er front it Too much shallownesse on the contrary side maketh it weake and ready to be broken and disseuered by the enemy and giueth a passage thorough and meanes not onely to incompasse the front but at the same instant also to assault it behind and so vtterly to defeat it So that the reasons of Leo reach not home as I said there being other causes of thickning a horse troupe besides reaching of Launces to the front and ioint thrusting on of the horse comming behinde And where Leo speaketh but of 4 horse in depth of a troupe Polybius saith plainely that being ordered for fight they had for the most part 8 in depth Polybius a man which liued in the times whereof Leo speaketh and had beene Generall of the horse of the Achaeans Besides Leo seemeth not a little to differ from himselfe For in his seuenth Chapter he writeth after this manner If there be many horse that is aboue twelue thousand let the depth be of 10. If but few let it be no more than 5. In squares therefore I hold Aelians proportion best to double the number of the front to the number of the flanke and as the number of the troupe ariseth for horse troupes are not alwaies of one number to inlarge the length of Cap. 19 A Rhombe filing but not ranking The Front The Reare Cap. 19. A Rhombe neither filing nor Ranking The Front The Reare Cap. 19. A Rhomb Ranking but not Filing The Front The Reare the front and the depth of the flanke proportionably one to another 6 When there are as many horse in length as in depth I noted before in the ninth Chapter that there were two squares of equall sides the one of number the other of figure which two squares differ in this that the one maketh vnequall sides in the shape of the battaile the other equall The first at this day we call a square of men the other a square of ground When the number of the sides is equall in length and depth it giueth but halfe so much ground in front as in flanke Each souldier if it be a foote battaile occupying a foote and a halfe of ground in front when he goeth to charge where in flanke he must haue 3 foote And in a horse troupe 3 foote in front and double or as some say treble as much in flanke And so are the sides vnequall The euen length of flanke and front giueth a like ground to both and maketh the sides of the figure equall but the number of the front double to the number of the flanke whether it be in horse or foote In foote because the souldiers in Ranke haue but halfe so much distance as they haue in file In ranke a foote and a halfe in file three foote In horse because the length of the horse is much more than his breadth and that length is fully stretched out in flanke the bredth onely in front Why Rhombes were first brought into vse and the diuers formes of them CHAP. XIX THE forme of the Rhombe seemeth to haue beene taken vp for the necessarie vse thereof For the Captaine possessing the first place the next following Horsemen are not to ranke with him but to come a litle after on both sides so that 1 the heads of their Horses may reach to his horse shoulders on the right left hand and behind they ought to keepe good distances that too much thronging and clustering together breed not disorder whilest some horses being by nature sullen fall a flinging oftentimes and foule with other and considering the beast is somewhat long of body that in turning about he wound not the horsemen that are in fight whilest with his heeles he aymeth at the Horses next vnto him They that fashion Horse into Rhombes so fashion them that some Rhombes file and ranke some neither file nor ranke othersome file but ranke not other ranke but file not euery particular whereof standeth thus They that would haue 2 a Rhombe both file and ranke make the greatest ranke being the middlemost of an vneuen number as of 11 or 13 or 15. To which they ioyne other rankes before and behind euery one conteyning two lesse than the former as if the greatest ranke consist of 15 the next rankes on either side are to haue but 13 the next on either side of these 11. and so euery one two lesse till at last you come to 1. And the whole Troope is to consist of 113 horse 3 The halfe Rhombe is called a wedge being fashioned three square so that the forme thereof appeareth in the Rhombe Other haue formed the Rhombe
the right hand 2 Ecperispasmos I could neuer hitherto conceiue any vse of a treble wheeling for so Aelian takes the word vnlesse a Perispasmos were first made and the battaile had the front already brought to the reare and so an Epistrophe added from the reare to the same hand Otherwise seeing that one wheeling is sooner made then two and therefore sooner then three I see no neede of three wheelings especially seeing we may doe that wee desire with one For example let vs wheele our battaile thrice to the right hand the front will come to be in the place of the left flanke The same will be performed as well with one wheeling to the left hand Et frustra fit per plura quod potest fieri per pauciora especially in matter of warre where the least moment of time often carieth the whole businesse The like may be said of Ecperispasmos to the left hand The vse of the motions of wheeling and double wheeling is when the battaile being closed and the enemy comming to assault you in any other one place then the front you seeke to bring the best men to fight For if you be to be charged in two places at once or more wheeling helpes little except it be to turne the front to one enemy and in that case your onely shift is to turne faces against them that come to charge on what side soeuer they come Examples of these two motions I meane Epistrophe and Perispasmos meete vs almost in euery Greeke Historie Of which I will represent one or two especially of the latter the rather because practise giueth both light and life to precepts Plutarch recounteth that after King Pyrrhus had in vaine assaulted Sparta he was invited by an Argiuan named Aristaeus to receiue Argos into his protection and that hee marched thitherward with his armie Arieus the king of Lacedemonia laying ambushes for him and taking the principall streights by which he was to passe charged his reare wherein the Galatians and Molossians were When Pyrrhus heard the bruite and noise he sent his sonne Ptolomy with the band of Companions to aide himselfe with all speede marching out of the streights led on his armie The medly being sharpe about Ptolomy and the chosen Lacedemonians commanded by Eualcus standing close to their busines Oroesus a Candiot of Aptera valiant of his hands and swift of foote running crosse against the young Prince gaue him a deadly stroke and ouerthrew him His fall made the rest to flie And the Lacedemonians hauing the victorie and following the chase came into the Champian ground still killing but not remembring they were not followed with armed foot Vpon whom Pyrrhus hauing euen then heard of and being much mooued with the death of his sonne wheeled about the Molossian horsemen And himselfe first aduancing vpon the spurre imbrued himselfe with the slaughter of Lacedemonians He alwaies seemed mighty and terrible in armes but then he exceeded himselfe in daring and valor For turning his Horse vpon Eualcus who shunning him shifted a side and with all strooke at his bridle hand as he passed by and wanted but little of cutting it off But missing the hand he light vpon the raines and carued them quite a sunder Pyrrhus with all strooke him thorough the body with his Launce Then leaping from his horse and fighting a foote hee cut in pieces the chosen Lacedemonians that fought to recouer the body of Eualcus This was the fight that Pyrrhus made by wheeling about his Horsemen against the Lacedemonians that followed vpon his Reare Another example of Wheeling about is reported by Polybius and it is of Amilcar Annibals father this is the history The mercenary souldiers of the Carthaginians reuolted from them and ouerthrew some of their Generalls and shut them vp within the Citie of Carthage possessing both other streights that led into the Countrey and also a bridge laide ouer a riuer called Macar which riuer was not passable but by that Bridge Besides they built a City for defence of that Bridge Amilcar seeking to dislodge the enemie from that Bridge and hauing no way to come at them conueniently obserued that when certaine windes blew the mouth of the riuer toward the sea was commonly filled vp with sand and would giue passage sufficient for his armie Finding then a fit time hee put ouer his army in the night and before day or ere any man knew of it made himselfe Master of the passage and presently led against them that held the bridge Spendius hee was one of the chiefe Rebells hearing thereof aduanced to meete Amilcar in the plaine and both ten thousand from the City at the bridge foote and fifteen thousand more from Vtica came out one to aide another thinking to wrappe in the Carthaginians betweene them who were not aboue ten thousand Souldiers of all sorts and 70 Elephants Amilcar led on his armie Before were the Elephants the horse and light armed followed next the armed foote came last And perceiuing the enemie that followed his Reare pressed hard vpon him he commanded his whole armie to turne about Those that were in the Vangard of the march hee willed to returne to him with speede the other that at first had the reare hee wheeled about and straight opposed against the enemy The Lybians and mercenaries imagining the Carthaginians fled for feare fell vpon them disorderly and boldly came to hands But when they saw the Horsemen being now turned about and come vp neere to the foote and already put in order make a stand they themselues by reason they looked for nothing lesse fell into a feare turning their backes fled presently as before they gaue on vnaduisedly and straglingly And some of them falling vpon their owne people that were comming on wrought both theirs and their owne destructions othersome were trampled vpon and trode to death by the horse and Elephants that followed the chase Thus farre Polybius And thus farre of Wheelings The figure and words of command are reserued for the 32 Chapter where the manner of wheelings and returning to the first posture is set downe Of filing ranking and restoring to the first posture CHAP. XXVII TO file is when euery particular man keeping equall distance from other standeth in his owne file lineally betwixt the file-Leader and bringer-vp To ranke is to be in a right line euen with his sidemen in the length of the battaile 1 To restore to the first posture is to bring the sight of the Souldier to the same aspect he had before the first turning As if his face were at first towardes the enemy being commanded to turne towards the Pike and thence to returne to his first posture hee is againe to returne his face toward the enemy Notes OF filing and ranking enough is spoken before 1 To restore to the first posture This motion differeth from Anastrophe before specified For Anastrophe bringeth backe againe the whole body to the first place after a Wheeling This the Souldiers faces
the Macedonians were the inventers of it Which of the Macedonians he telleth not but excludeth Philip and Alexander who both vsed the Lacedemonian Countermarch And before their times I haue not read of any warlike Kings of Macedonia The manner of it is this First all the File-leaders turne their faces about either to the right or left hand then the next ranke passeth thorough by them on the same hand and being come to their distances place themselues directly behind their File-leaders and then turne about their faces the same way And so the third ranke after them and the fourth and all the rest till the Bringers-vp be last and haue taken the reare of the battaile againe and turned about their faces The figure expresseth not well the action For in it the Bringers-vp begin first to countermarch which according to Aelian should moue last Yet may this Countermarch be done as the figure is But I take Aelians way to be easier and readier And it may be also that the Countermarch expressed in the figure is lost in the text For one of the Lacedemonian Countermarches which proceedeth the contrary way beginneth the motion with the File-leaders as this doth with the Bringers-vp as wee shall straight see 2 The Lacedemonian countermarch In this Countermarch the proceeding is contrary to that of the former that tooke the ground before the Phalange this takes the ground after In that the mouing was from the Reare to the front in this from the front to the reare This is the invention of the Lacedemonians Aelian describeth it to be done in two manners One when the Bringers-vp first turne about their faces and the next ranke likewise turning faces beginneth the Countermarch and euery man thereof placeth himselfe directly before his Bringer-vp and the third doe the like and so the rest till the ranke of the File-leaders come to be first The other when the File-leaders begin the Countermarch and euery one in their files follow them orderly The figure expresseth this last Aelian preferreth the Lacedemonian Countermarch before the Macedonian because in it the souldiers seeme to fall on and goe to the charge where in the Macedonian they seeme to flie There are notwithstanding times when it is better to vse the Macedonian As in case you meane to march on and not to fight with the enemy except you be compelled Or else you seeke to gaine some ground of aduantage For the Macedonian continueth still the march and stayeth not the Lacedemonian returneth vpon the enemy and so looseth ground in marching Agesilaus after victorie gotten against the Argives against whom he stood in the right winge hearing that the Thebans had beaten the Orchomenians in the left winge vsed the Lacedemonian Countermarch against them The words of Xenophon sound thus Here the strangers were about to crowne Agesilaus thinking he had got the victory when newes was brought that the Thebans after they had broken the Orchomenians had forced a passage as farre as the baggage Then Agesilaus countermarching his Phalange led against them The Thebans perceiuing their Confederates were fied vp to the mount Helicon closed their troupes together as neare as they could seeking to open a way by force and to get vp vnto them Agesilaus albeit he might by giuing way to the formost haue followed them at heeles and charged the reare yet did he it not but met the Thebans front to front Thus encountring and clashing their Targets together they fought thrust on killed and were killed In fine some of the Thebans broke thorough to Helicon other some as they sought to escape were left dead on the place Agesilaus here followed the chase vpon the Argives toward the mount Helicon The Thebans vpon the Orchomenians the contrary way towards the enemies Campe. The Thebans seing their confederates fled to the mount Helicon returned toward them Agesilaus countermarched to meete them met them and fought with them For the Countermarch he vsed I make account it was the Lacedemonian himselfe being a Lacedemonian And he vsed it to meet the Thebans brauely in front The same Agesilaus after he had by night incamped in a peece of ground behind Mantinaea incompassed about with mountaines perceiuing the next morning that the Mantinaeans gathered together vpon the toppes that lay right ouer the head of his Rearegard determined to lead his Armie out of the place with all speed Now if himselfe should lead he feared the enemy would giue vpon his Reare Therefore standing still and turning his armes against the enemy he commanded the last of the Phalange to march backe againe from the Reare and come vp to him and so at once he brought his Armie out of the streights and made it by little and little stronger When the Phalange was thus doubled he proceeded in that order into the Champeigne there againe reduced the depth of the armed foote to 9 or 10 men in euery file This place of Xenophon if it be not corrupted is very obscure And I cannot tell whether to take it for doubling of the front or the Macedonian countermarch The words make for a doubling For Xenophon saith plainely the Phalange was doubled Besides he addeth it was made by little and little stronger which could not be done with a Countermarch And that a deepe Phalange or Hearse such as this by the euenings march and the straights it entred seemeth to be is made stronger by doubling the front there is no question On the other side the streights thorough which it was to passe perswade me it should be a Macedonian Countermarch For in doubling the front the length still increaseth the manner is not to inlarge but to extenuate the front when an Armie is to be conveighed thorough a narrow place And Xenophon saith expresly that Agesilaus led it thorough the streights into the Champeigne in that order to which it was reduced last that in the Champion the depth of the Armed was lessened and brought to 9 or 10 for there Agesilaus imbattailed his Phalange to receiue the enemy if he would charge And in a march through straight waies the front is commonly narrowed and proportioned to the way but in open ground the Phalange is againe brought to the iust length So that it seemeth the depth was much before it come into the plaine because in the plaine it was brought to 9 or 10 men and therefore no doubling Lastly Agesilaus and the front I doubt not of the Phalange with him turned face to the enemy before the Reare came vp to him which is done in no other motion than the Macedonian countermarch In which all the File-leaders first turne about their faces toward the enemy and then the whole battaile marcheth against the File-leaders and placing themselues orderly behind them turne their faces the same way that they haue done before Now where it is in Xenophon that Agesilaus hauing gained the Champeigne extended his Armie to 9 or 10 Targeteres I suspect a
hapned a like to both they found a safe retreat within the battailes of foote But when the Armies were come within 500 paces one of an other Scipio giuing a signall of Retreat and opening his battaile receiued all the horse and light-armed into the middest and diuiding them into two parts placed them as seconds behind the wings Now when time was come to begin the fight he commanded the Spaniards who had the middle ward to march on leasurely and sent a messenger from the right winge for hee commanded there to Syllanus and Martius willing them to stretch out the left winge as they saw him stretch out the right and to charge the enemy with the light-armed and horse before the middle wards might be able to come vp and ioyne The winges being thus stretched out they led with all possible speed three Cohorts of foote and three troupes of horse a peece against the enemy besides the light-armed and those that were receiued into the Reare who followed a thwart There was a great empty space in the middest because the Ensignes of the Spaniards came slowly on And now the wings were in fight when the old souldiers Carthaginians and Africans the strength of the Armie were not yet come to vse their darts neither durst they runne into the wings to helpe them that fought for feare of opening the middest of the battaile to the enemy who was comming on against them The winges were pressed with a double medley The Horse light-armed Velites wheeling about their Troupes charge their flanks The Cohorts pushed on in front to the end to breake of the wings from the body of the battaile And the conflict was vnequall both in all other respects and especially because a rable as it were of drudges and vntrained Spaniards were opposed against the Roman and Latin souldiers The day being now farre spent the Armie of Asdruball oppressed with the mornings tumult and compelled to take the field before they had strengthned their bodies with meat began to faint and faile in strength which was the reason that Scipio lingered out the day made the fight somewhat late For it was past the seuenth houre before the winges of foote attached one an other and yet the fight came later to the middle wards So that the scorching heat of the south-sunne and the labour of standing armed and hunger and thirst first afflicted their bodies before they came to hands with the enemy Therefore they stood leaning vpon their Targets and being weary both in body and minde they gaue backe at last keeping notwithstanding their array no otherwise than as if the battaile being yet entire had retreated at the commandement of the Generall But when the victors perceiuing them to shrinke so much the more eagerly pressed on the brunt could hardly be indured any longer And although Asdrubal restrained and stopped them that gaue ground crying that hills and a safe place of retreat was at their backs if they could be but intreated to retire easily yet feare ouercomming shame and the enemy killing them that were next to hand they forthwith turned their backs and vniuersally powred out themselues into flight This stratagem of Scipio resteth principally in shifting his best men the Romans into the winges the Spaniards his worst into the middest and in keeping the Spaniards aloofe from ioyning and in hasting to try the day with the Romans against the weakest of the enemy Asdrubals way to meete with this stratagem had beene to countermarch by ranke halfe his Carthaginians and Africans into one winge and halfe into the other And by that meanes his Spaniards should haue had the middest against the Roman-Spaniards and his old souldiers Carthaginians and Africans beene opposed in the wings against the Romans and Latins and the advantage eluded that Scipio sought As the Countermarches by file were of three kindes so are the Countermarches by ranke namely the Macedonian the Lacedemonian and the Choraean The Macedonian beginneth to moue at the corner of the wing which is nearest to the enemy the enemy appearing to either flanke And therefore incâ—rreth the same imputation that was laid vpon the Macedonian countermarch by file as seeming to runne away because it dismarcheth from the enemy Yet is there vse of it as well as of that by file For by this countermarch you may set the strongest part of your Armie against the enemy and apply the weakest to some Riuer Lake hill or such like so that the enemy can not come to incompasse it It taketh the ground that lyeth on the side of the contrary wing The Lacedemonian taketh the ground that lieth on the side of that wing which is toward the enemy and bringeth the best men to be formost against the enemy And therefore beginneth the moving on the contrary side The vse of it is when your forces are such as are able to incounter the enemy and you desire to bring your best men to fight The Choraean keepeth the same ground the battaile had at first bringeth one wing to possesse the place of the other Or else the Sections to possesse the place of the wings as might haue beene done in the last example cited concerning Scipio and Asdrubal The manner of countermarch by ranke is contrary to the countermarch by file In countermarch by file the motion was in the depth of the battaile and either the front remoued toward the reare or the reare toward the front and tooke one an others place In this the motion is in length of the battaile flanke-wise the wing either marching into the middest or else cleane thorow to the other wing In doing it the souldiers that stand vttermost in the flanke of the wing must moue first to the contrary wing and the rest of euery ranke seuerally follow them in order The figure will shew the manner of the motion Patritius vtterly mistaketh the countermarch by ranke and groundeth himselfe vpon a wrong principle namely that in all Countermarches the File-leaders must march toward the reare and the Bringers-vp towards the front And therefore in changing the winges into Sections he makes the winges to fall of behind in the reare the File-leaders wheeling about and there to ioyne themselues as neare as the middle Section will giue leaue and the Sections falling backe likewise to ioyne themselues to the flanks of them that were the wings Whereas the nature of this Euolution is clearely to leaue the File-leaders in front and Bringers-vp in reare as they were at first And albeit the File-leaders then change their places yet change they their place with none but with File leaders and the change is but a change of hands the right hand for the left or the left hand for the right For whereas the File-leaders of the right wing had before the right hand now in countermarch by ranke being transposed to the left wing they haue the left hand of all the rest of the File-leaders as likewise the Bringers-vp of the other
bringers-vp The words of Command may be these For the Macedonian Countermarch by file File-leaders turne your faces about to the right or left hand The rest of euery File passe thorow in order one after another and place your selues at your distances after your Leaders turning your faces about and so stand For the Lacedemonian Countermarch by file The first manner Bringers-vp turne your faces about to the right or left hand The rest turne your faces about and beginning at them that are next to the Bringers-vp countermarch and place your selues in your distances before the Bringers-vp and one before an other till the File-leaders be first The second manner File-leaders countermarch to the right or left hand and let euery mans file follow him and keepe true distance For the Choraean countermarch by file File-leaders countermarch to the place of the Bringers-vp and stand and let your files follow you keeping their distance For the Macedonian countermarch by ranke The right or left hand corner file turne your faces to the right or left hand The rest of each ranke passe thorough to the right or left hand and place your selues orderly behind your side-men keeping your distance Cap 29 Dobling of Rankes The front before Dobling of rankes Dobling of rankes in action The front after Dobling of Rankes For the Lacedemonian countermarch by ranke The first manner The corner file where the enemy appeareth turne your faces to the right or left hand The rest of ech rankes turne your faces and passe thorough to the right or left hand and place your selues before your side-men orderly keeping your distances The second manner The right or left wing where the enemy appeareth not countermarch to the contrary wing and all in the Ranks follow euery man his side-man keeping your distance For the Choraean countermarch by ranke The vttermost corner file of the right or left wing countermarch into the place of the left or right winge and stand And the rest follow ranke-wise keeping their distance Of doubling and the kindes thereof CHAP. XXIX 1 THere are two kinds of doubling one of Rankes the other of Depth or files and 2 either of these double the number or the place 3 The length is doubled in number when of a front of 124 files we make a front keeping the same ground of 248 files by inserting in the spaces betwixt file and file some of the followers that stood in the depth This is done to the end to thicken the length of the battaile If we lift to recall them to their first posture we are to command those that were inserted to countermarch to the place they had before 4 There are that mislike these doublings especially the enemy being at hand and would haue a shew of doubling made without indeed doubling the Phalange already ordered by stretching out the light-armed and the Horse on both sides of the wings of the Battaile 5 The vse of doubling the length is when either we would ouer-wing the enemy or else our selues feare to be ouer-winged The Depth is doubled 6 by inserting the second file into the first so that the Leader of the second file be placed next behind the Leader of the first file and the second man of the second file be the fourth man of the first file and the third man of the second file be the sixt in the first file and so forth the rest till the whole second file be ingrossed into the first and likewise the fourth file into the third and all the euen files into the odde Doubâ—ing of the Depth by Countermarch is made either when the next side-files in seuerall as in the former example the second and the fourth and the rest of the euen files countermarch to the Reare and place themselues behind the Bringers-vp of the odde files or else the files remayning in their first place and number halfe of them diuiding themselues from the other halfe countermarch likewise to the Reare and conveying themselues behind the other there order themselues and so double the depth of the Phalange If we would returne them to the first posture we must recall those that were conveyed to stand behind to the place they had before the Countermarch Notes THE former three Motions alter not the forme of the Phalange For whether you turned faces wheeled or countermarched the Phalange the depth and length remained one The motion to be expressed in this Chapter induceth an other shape to the Phalange and maketh it seeme a different body from that it was before being by Doubling extended either in length or in depth For Doubling the number of men or the place of the Phalange in front maketh the length twise as much and doubling the same in flanke maketh the depth double to that it was before For Doubling is nothing else then making a military body twise as long or twise as deepe as it was before 1 There are two kindes of doubling The Doublings are either of length or depth Or which is all one as Suidas saith of ranks or files For ranks stretch out in length files in depth And these againe are diuided into two other kinds the body being 2 Doubled in number or place That which is here called number is called elsewhere persons or by Suidas men It is called persons in the Insertion which is made to Aelian I know not by whom in the precedent Chapter of Countermarches Which because it lay thrust in betwixt the description of Countermarches and nothing perteined to that argument I neuer made doubt was crept into the text And I am rather confirmed in my opinion because I saw it noteâ— with an Asteriske in that Aelian being of Robortellus Edition which the learned Isaack Casaubon had quoted and purposed to set forth if vntimely dâ—ath had not prâ—vented him I will here set downe the words because they differ not much from Aelian and may giue some light to the manner of Doubling It is to be vnderstood so are the words â—hat a Phalange is doubled in persons or place when we therefore take halfe the souldiers from the Depth and making files of them place them euen with the rest in length of the front so that of 124 files we make 248 this is Doubling of persons In like sort we double the place with 124 files not increasing the number but onely commanding some to turne to the Pike some to the Target till the Phalange be stretched out to a convenient length as from 5 furlongs to 10. In the same manner is the depth doubled For either one file is inserted into an other man for man so that the second File-leader becomes the follower of the first and the second man in the second file the follower of the second in the first file and so the rest Or else 16 men are so extended that they hold as much ground in length as 32 vsuallydoe So farre the insertion It followeth in Aelian 3 The length is doubled in
sleeuing them vpon one side which you will may be vsed without danger as well when the enemy is neare as when the fight is in as much as they disturbe not the battaile but advance fresh aides against the enemy on the flanks of it 6 By inserting the second file There are two manner of doublings of the depth or of files one in number the other in place In number when one file is inserted into another the Leader or first man of the second file standing behind the Leader of the first the second behind the second the third behind the third and so forth of the rest Or when the euen files countermarch and their Leaders place themselues behind the Bringers-vp of the odde their files following them or which commeth all to one the files being whole they diuide themselues into two parts in the front and halfe countermarch and place themselues in the Reare of the other file to file albeit the two last are Doublings both in number and place and not in place alone The true Doubling of the place alone is not Aelian The Insertion whereof I spake remedieth this defect also There it is said that when 16 men that is a file are so extended that they possesse as much length as 32 should doe that is as 2 files it is doubling of place which is nothing else but changing of the Souldiers order into open order For in their order they haue 48 foote in depth in their open order 96 foote in depth In this Doubling of depth we must take heed that we make not the front of our Armie to narrow lest we giue oportunitie to the enemy to incircle and incompasse it Polybius noteth this a great faulâ— in Marcus Atilius Regulus at such time as he fought with the Carthaginians and was taken prisoner His words haue this effect k The Romans seing the enemy order his battaile marched out against him fuâ—l of courage Being notwithstanding somewhat appalled at and foreseing the Elephants violence in comming on they set their Darters before and placed many maniples of Armed behind one after an other and diuided the Horse halfe into one wing halfe into the other Then making the whole battaile shorter but deeper then they were wont they prouided well against the Elephants but not against the Horse that farre exceeded theirs in number Being now come to hands the Roman horse ouerpressed with multitude of the Carthaginians quickly fled from either wing But the foote of the left wing partly auoyding the Elephants partly contemning the Mercenaries fell on and charged the right wing of the Carthaginians and putting it to flight followed hard and gaue chase euen to the trench But of those that were placed against the Elephants the first sinking vnder the violence of the beasts perished being ouerturned and troden to death by heapes The body of the battaile remained a while vnbroken by reason of the depth of them that were after placed But when the Reare of all incompassed by the horse was forced to turne about and fight with them and the other that had by force made way thorough the middest of the Elephants and were now behind their backs came vp to the fresh Phalange of the Carthaginians standing in good order they were by them slaine Thus fortune being contrary on all sides the Romans for the most part were troden to death by the excessiue might of the beasts and the rest died with the darts of the horsemen in the place where they fought The error of Attilius Regulus was in ordering his battaile too deepe by meanes whereof it was easily incompassed and distressed by the Carthaginian horse Appian likewise blameth Antiochus for ordering his Phalange 32 men in depth where the Macedonian Phalange ought to but 16 deepe shewing that by that ouersight it was incompassed by the Romans and ouerthrowne I haue touched the historie in my notes before Many other examples might be alledged but these two are sufficient for our purpose The words of Command in doubling of the length by number Middle men double your Rankes to the right or left hand By this Command the middle men with their halfe files march vp to the front in the spaces betwixt the files and stand euen with the File-leaders and the rest euen with the rest of the Ranks Doubling of the length in place Stand in your open order One halfe openeth their files to the right hand the other to the left and stand six foote one from another Doubling of the depth in number Double your files to the right or left hand The euen files fall into the spaces of the odde files Double your files by countermarch to the right or left hand The euen files countermarch and fall behind the reare of the odde and place themsâ—lues lineally after them obseruing their first distances Diuide your files and double them by countermarch to the right or left hand Halfe the files diuide themselues from the other halfe and countermarch out behind the Reare then turne their faces towards the place behind the Reare of the standing files which remoued not then march on and place themselues orderly behind them file to file then turne their faces as at first Doubling the depth in place Ranks open behind to your open order The broad-fronted Phalange the deep Phalange or Herse and the vneuen-fronted Phalange CHAP. XXX PLagiophalanx or the broad-fronted Phalange is that which hath the length much exceeding the depth Orthiophalanx or the deep Phalange commonly called the Herse is that which procedeth by wing hauing the depth much exceeding the length In generall speach euery thing is called Paramekes which hath length more then the depth and that which hath the depth more then the length Orthion and so likewise a Phalange The Phalange Loxe or vneuen fronted is that which putteth forth one of the wings which is thought fittest toward the enemy and with it beginning the fight holdeth off the other in a convenient distance till oportunitie bee to advance Of Parembole Protaxis Epitaxis Prostaxis Eutaxis Hypotaxis CHAP. XXXI PArembole or insertion is when placing souldiers before we take off the hindmost and ranke them within the distances of the first Protaxis or fore-fronting is when we place the light-armed before the front of the armed and make them fore-standers as the File-leaders are When we place the light-armed behind it is called Epitaxis as it were an after-placing Prostaxis or adioyning is when to both flanks of the battaile or to one flanke some part of the hindmost is added the front of them that are added lying euen with the front of the battaile such addition is called Prostaxis Entaxis or Insition is when it seemeth good to set the light-armed within the spaces of the files of the Phalange man to man Hypotaxis or Double-winging is when you bestow the light-armed vnder the wings of the Phalange placing them in an embowed forme so that the whole figure resembleth a
the enemy not onely in front but also in flanke Of the Phalange Amphistomus CHAP. XXXVIII THe Phalange Amphistomus for it is so called because it hath two fronts and that part of the battaile that is set and aduanced against the enemie is called a front Seeing then in this forme the middlemost are ordered backe to backe and those in front and reare make head against the enemy the one being Commanders of the front the other of the reare therefore it is called Amphistomus It is of great vse against an enemy strong in Horse and able to giue a hot and dangerous charge and principally practised against those Barbarians that inhabit about the riuer Ister whom they also call Amphippi because they change Horses in fight The Horse battaile to encounter this forme hath a Tetragonall shape being for the purpose diuided into two broad-squares they are broad-squares that haue the front twice as much as the depth And these Squares are opposed seuerally against the diuisions of the foot-battaile Of the Phalange Antistomus CHAP. XXXIX THe Phalange Antistomus is like the Amphistomus the forme being a little altered so that it accustometh the souldier to resist the seuerall kindes of incursions of Horse All that hath beene spoken concerning the former Phalange both for foote and Horse agreeth with this figure also Herein they differ that Cap. 37. A foure fronted Phalange against all allemptes of the Enemy The Front of the reare The Front of the right flank The Front of the March The Front of the left flank Cap. 38. The Phalange Amphistomus Cap 39 The Phalange Antistomus Front Cap. 40. The Horsmans wedge Front A Diphalange Antistomus the Amphistomus receiueth the charge in front and reare the Antistomus in flanke But aswell in the one as the other they fight with long Pikes as doe the Alans and Sauromatans And the one halfe of the souldiers in the files turne their faces forward the other halfe backward so that they stand back to backe This forme hath two fronts the one before where the file-Leaders the other behind where the back-Commanders stand And being also diuided into a Diphalange it maketh the fore-front with the one and the after-front with the other Phalange Of the Diphalange Antistomus CHAP. XL. A Diphalange Antistomus is that which hath the file-Leaders placed not in Deduction outwardly but inwardly face to face one against-an other and the reare-Commanders without one halfe in a right the other in a left-hand Deduction This forme is vsed when the Horse giue on and charge Wedge-wise For the * Wedge shooting foorth into a point and hauing the Commanders following in flanke and endeauouring to disseuer and breake the front of the foote the Leaders of the foote foreseeing their purpose place themselues in the middest with intent either to repulse them or else to giue them a thorough passage without losse For the Wedge flieth vpon the foote in hope to charge the multitude in the middest and to disorder the whole battaile And the foote Commanders conceiuing well the fury of that kinde of forme leaue a little space betwixt either front and stand like walles on both sides and iointly turning their faces toward the middest giue them a fruitlesse and empty passage This forme of Horse-battaile is called a Wedge by Tacticks which was inuented by Philip King of Macedon who placed his best men before that by them the weaker sort might be held in and enabled to the charge as we see in a speare or in a sword the point whereof by reason of the sharpnesse quickely piercing maketh way for and letteth in the middle blunt iron Of the Diphalange called Peristomus CHAP. XLI THe Phalange of the Diphalange * Peristomus proceedeth by deduction in a wing the oblique deduction on the right hand hauing the file-Leaders without the left hand oblique deduction the reare-Commanders within The figure sheweth the intent of them that fight so ordered For the battaile going to charge hauing beene at first Tetragonall diuideth it selfe into two oblique wings the right and the left of purpose to enclose the aduerse square-battaile And they fearing to bee inclosed transforme themselues into two seuerall marching-Phalanges directing one against the right the other against the left wing Therefore it is called Peristomus as hauing the front bent against the enemy both waies Of the Diphalange called Homoiostomos and of the Plinthium CHAP. XLII A Diphalange * Homoiostomus is so named because a whole file that is 16 men mouing by it selfe another file followeth it And it is therefore called Homoiostomus because they that follow follow in a like figure This kinde is opposed against the Plinthium * Plinthium is a forme of Battaile that hath the sides equall both in figure and number In figure because the distances are euery where equall In number because there are as many men in length as in depth In this foure-sided-Battaile are none in the flankes but armed without Archer or Slinger to helpe When therefore two Phalanges march together one by another and both haue their Leaders either in a right-hand or left-hand Deduction it is called a Diphalange Homoiostomus Of the Diphalange Heterostomus CHAP. XLIII A Diphalange * Heterostomus is that which proceedeth by Deduction hauing the Leaders of the former Phalange in a right-hand-Deduction and of the following Phalange in a left-hand-Deduction so that the battailes march counterchangeably one hauing the Leaders in one flanke and the other in the other and so the rest Againe of the Battaile called a Rhombe and of the foote-halfe moone to encounter it CHAP. XLIV THe battaile framed in forme of a Rhombe was first inuented by Ileon the Thessalian and was called I le after his name and to this forme he exercised and accustomed the Thessalians It is of good vse in that it hath a Leader at euery corner at the point the Captaine of the Troupe the reare-Commander behinde and on either side the flanke-commanders The foote battaile fittest to affront this is the Menoides or Cressant hauing both the wings stretched out and in them the Leaders and the middest imbowed to inuiron and wrap in the Horsemen in their giuing on Whereupon the Horsemen ply the foot a farre off with flying weapons after the manner of the Tarentines seeking thereby to dissolue and disorder their circled frame of marching Tarentum is a City of Italy the Horsemen whereof are called Acrobolists because in charging they first cast little Darts and after come to hands with the enemy Cap. 42. The Battaile called Plinthium The front The Diphalange Homoiostomus Cap. 43. The Diphalange Heterostomus The File-leaders The bringers up Cap. 45. Heteromekes or the Herse of Horse The front Plagiophalanx or the broad fronted battaile of foote Cap. Epicampios Emprosthia The front Of the Horse-battaile Heteromekes and of the Plagiophalange to be opposed against it CHAP. XLV THe Horse battaile Heteromekes is that which hath the depth double to the
thus To your Pike turne your face that is we ought to set the particular before and then inferre the generall Like reason is if you say turne about your face or countermarch For these are also generall words And therefore wee should do well to set the particular before As to the Pike turne your face about or to the Target turne your face about Likewise the Lacedemonian countermarch not the Countermarch Lacedemonian For if you place the word Countermarch first some of the Souldiers will happily fall to one kind other to another kinde of Countermarch For which cause words of double sense are to be auoided and the speciall to be set before the generall Of silence to be vsed by Souldiers CHAP. LIII BVt aboue all things silence is to bee commanded and that beed be giuen to directions As Homere specially signifieth in his discriptions of the Graecian and Troian fights The skilfull Cheef-taines pressed on guiding with carefull eie Their Armed troupes who followed their Leaders silently You surely would haue deem'd each one of all that mighty thronge Had been bereft of speach so bride led he his heedfull tongue Fearing the dread Commanders checke and awfull hest's among Thus march't the Greekes in silence breathing flames of high desire And feruent zeale to backe their friends on foes to wreake their ire As for the disorder of the Barbarians he resembleth it to birdes saying As sholes of fowle geese cranes and swannes with necks far stretched out Which in the slimy fennes Caïsters winding streames about Sheare here and there the liquid skie sporting on wanton wing Then fall to ground with clanging noise the fennes all ouer ring None otherwise the Troians fill the field with heaped sounds Of broken and confused cries each where tumult abounds And againe The Captaines marshall out their Troupes ranged in goodly guise And foâ—rth the Troians pace like birds which lade the aire with cries Not so the Greekes whose silence breathed flames of high desire Fernent in zeale to back their friends on foes to wreake their ire The words of Command CHAP. LIIII Thus then are we to command TO your Armes Stand by your Armes Cariage away from the battaile Marke your directions Seperate your selues Aduance your Pikes File and ranke your selues Looke to your Leader Reare Commander order your file Keepe your first distances Faces to the Pike moue a little further stand so as you were Faces to the Target moue a little further stand so Faces about to the Pike moue a little further stand so Double your Depth To your first posture Double your Length To your first posture The Lacedemonian countermarch To your first posture The Macedonian countermarch To your first posture The Choraan countermarch To your first posture Battaile wheele to the Pike To your first posture Battaile wheele about to the Pike To your first posture These precepts of the Art Tacticke most inuincible Caesar I haue laide out to your Matie which will be a meanes of safety to such as shall vse them and of â—he ouerthrow of their enemies THE EXERCISE OF THE ENGLISH IN the seruice of the high and mighty Lords the LORDS the ESTATES of the vnited PROVINCES in the Low COVNTRIES THE Soldiers are diuided into two kindes Foote and Horse The Foote againe are of two kindes Pikemen and Musketiers Pikemen are armed with a head-peece a Curace and Tases defensiue and with a Pike of fifteene foote long and a Rapier offen siue The Armour is all yron the Pike of Ashen wood for the Steale and at the vpper end an yron head of about a handfull long with cheekes about the length of two foote and at the butt-end a round strong socket of yron ending in a pike that is blunt yet sharpe enough to fixe to the ground The forme thereof is expressed in the grauen figure The Musketier hath a head-peece for defence a Musket the barrell of the length of 4 foote the bore of 12 bullets to the pound a Bandelier to which are fastned a convenient number of charges for powder sometimes as many as 15 or 16 a lether bagge for bullets with a pruning yron a Rest for the Musket with an yron forke on the vpper end to support it in discharging and a pike on the nether end to sticke into the ground lastly a Rapier The figure of this armour also is here inserted These soldiors both Pike-men and Musketiers are diuided into Companies and euery Company consisteth halfe of Pikes halfe Musketiers The Companies are some more in number some lesse Some reach to 300 men some 200 some 100 some 90 some 80 some 70. Euery Company hath these officers of the field A Captaine a Lieutenant an Ensigne 2 Serieants 3 Corporalls two Drommes and for other vses a Clerke a Surgion and a Prouost Companies are compacted into Regiments and the Regiments commanded by Coronells Regiments conteine not alwaies a like number of Companies some hauing 10 some 11 12 13 14 15 some 30 Companies and aboue In euery Regiment are a Coronell a Lieutenant Coronell a Serieant Maior all officers of the field a Quarter-master and a Prouost-martiall for other imployments It shall not be greatly to the purpose to mention higher officers then Coronells my principall intent being no other then to set downe the armes and exercise of our Nation in the said vnited Provinces Their armes are spoken of Their exercise followes FIrst both Pikes and Muskets are ordered into files of 10 deepe The Musketiers are sometime placed before sometime in flanke sometimes in the reare of the pikes To exercise the motions there are two distances to be obserued The first is when euery one is distant from his fellow 6 foote square that is in file and ranke 6. The second is when euery Souldier is 3 foote distant one from the other aswell in file as in Ranke And because the measure of such distances cannot be taken so iustly by the eye the distance of 6 foot betwixt the files is measured when the Souldiers stretching out their armes doe touch one an others hands and betwixt the Rankes when the ends of their pikes come well nigh to the heeles of them that march before And the measure of 3 foote betwixt the files is when their elbowes touch one another betwixt the rankes when they come to touch the ends of one anothers Rapiers For to march in the field the distance of 3 foote from file to file is kept and of 6 foote from Ranke to Ranke To order themselues in Battaile as also to goe towards the enemy the distance of 3 foote in file and ranke is obserued and likewise to conversion or wheeling The Musquettiers also going for to shoote by Rankes keep the same distance of 3 foot but going to skirmish they goe a la Disbandade which is out of order There is yet another sort of distance which is not vsed but for to receiue the enemy with a firme stand
the first ranke without advancing giues fire in the place they stand in and speedily as may be yet orderly falls away all the rankes doing the same successiuely one after another Thus much of the armes and exercise of the foote The horse ensue The order and discipline holden in Horse-troopes or in the Cavalry THE Caualry hath for his Cheife the Generall the Lieutenant Generall and the Comissary generall To the Cavalry there is a Quarter-master generall and a Prouost generall belonging the Iustice resorteth to the Councell generall of warre of the Army The Cavalry is of two sorts Har quebusiers and Curassiers The first haue for defensiue armes the Curace pistoll proofe and a light head-peece For offensiue the Carbine of 3 foote 3 inches length and the bore of 20 bullets in the pound and Pistolls like vnto the Curassiers The Curassiers haue for defensiue Armes a compleat armour the Curace pistoll proofe For offen siue two pistolls hauing the barrell of 26 inches in length and the bore of 36 bullets in the pound See the figure of Armes For the order in Regiments the 40 Companies entertained by the States doe make eleuen Regiments The Regiment of the Generall hath alwaies the Vantgard the others alternatiuely and by turnes and he that hath it this day the next day after hath the Reare the rest following in the same sort Those which command the Regiments are called Coronells The Regiments are compounded of 3 or 4 Companies of 3 at the least and the Coronells Company marcheth alwaies on the left wing of the Regiment The Captaines receiue orders from their Coronells as these from the Commissary Generall All the Companies are diuided in 3 equall parts which are called Squadrons and distributed to the three chiefe officers Captaine Cornett and Lieutenant hauing each of them adioyned an old Souldier which they doe know to bee of more desert called a Corporall Marching in the field euery Officer marcheth at the head of his Squadron the Lieutenant excepted which marcheth behind with the Quartermaster and the third Corporall at the head of the Lieutenants Squadron The Companies are diuided by files and rankes the file 5 deepe and no more how strong soeuer the Company be They obserue that in marching in battaile they must be close together and to doe the Motions there must be 6 foote distance from one Horseman to another The Companies being in battaile there must be 25 paces distance left between euery Company and 50 betwixt euery Regiment at the least The exercise of Armes for the Cavalry To open the Squadron you must first open the rankes and after the files To close the Squadron you must first close the files and after the rankes There be two sorts of distances betwixt the files the one close and the other open In the Close there must be no distance or intervalls betwixt the files to the open there must be 6 foote betwixt euery file Likewise there must be two sorts of distances betwixt the rankes the Close which must be without intervall or streete and the Open which must be six foote distance In a march it must be vnderstood that the rankes must neuer be more opened then the open distance of 6 foote And to the end that the Troope may march in good order and obserue well their distance betwixt the rankes without that the last may be forced to runne or goe to fast there must be heed taken that so soone as the first rankes begin to march all the Troope and the Reare also at one time march The words of Command are Open your Rankes Open your files Stand right in your rankes Stand right in your files To the right hand As you were So the left hand As you were To the right hand about To the left hand as you were To the left hand about To the right hand as you were Files to the right hand countermarch Files to the left hand countermarch To the right or left hand as you were Rankes to the right hand countermarch Rankes to the left hand countermarch Close your files Close your rankes To the right hand wheele To the left hand wheele Faults escaped in the Booke PAg. 2. in the margent beneath for Spartionem read Spartianus Pag. 9 lin 20. for was were lin 31. for Bircanna Bircenna and in the marg lin 40. for Dipnoseph Dipnosoph pag. 10. lin 26. in marg for Adrian Arrian p. 14. l. 11. in marg for Dipnoseph Dipnosoph p. 15 l. 18. for Marsilians Massilians p 17. l. 47. for pluimes Plumes p. 18. l 49 for conceited by conceitedly p. 20. l. 45. for Thureo Thureoi lin 48. dele full p. 22. l. for Those These l. 11. for Ochanes Ochane l. 32. dele Then p. 23. l. 12. for Divarates Divarates p. 27. l. for immitation imitation p. 2â— l. 11. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 17. dele That p. 29. l. 4. for quiety quietly l. 25. slinges slingers p. 30. l. 35. in marg Analast Analact p. 31. l. 13. put in it p. 32. l 29. 33. for bellys bellies p. 33. l. 35. 38. 41. for Sotridas Soteridas p 34 l. 3. for forceble forcible l 19. Popana Popana 29. vnfailable vnfailible l. 42 dele once for all p. 35. l. 42. reduct reduce p 36. l. 40. in marg de bett de bell p. 39. l. 17. strok strooke p. 44. l. 12. in marg Enometis Enomâ—tis 24. Enomotarches Enomotarches 31. 33. Prucestes Peucestes lin 47. after Patricius a full point p. 49. l. 27. Bathera Batheia 40 liptismos leptismos p. 50 l. 14. after supported a full point 34. easily easily p. 53 l. 6. Prataxis Protaxis pag. 55. l. 35. for hauing giuing pag. 56. l. 18. sure safe lin 32 37. Ansetaus Ansetaus 41. Then They. 46. a full point after through p. 57. l. 31. betwixt the and examples put former p. 58. l. 2. Pharnabarus Pharnabazus l. 18. after Mâ—nomachy a full point 37. the â—hem 48. after number a full point p 59. l. 6. speedely speedily 36. motion motions 39. 40. your you 41. after forme a full point p 60 l. 16. fiâ—th fifth 18. after may be set the figure 2. 28. after sort dele as and for 2 read 4. p. 61. l. 18. never neither p. 62. l. 23. after Lydians a full point p. 63. l. 15. for 500 5000. lin 22. for 800 8000. p 66. l. 26. for 500 400. lin 25. read when it is greatest in Xenophon hath no more then 100. pag. 68. l. 35. besides to preterâ—it p. 70. l. 40. fight read marching p. 72. l. 1. after Sunne set read and. l. 37. for of p. 75. l. 19. 27. Lochagie Lochagi l. 32. Pempedarches Pempadarchs p. 78. l. 2. 4. of on p. 79. l. 11. for fourth third p. 80. l. 29. insert after an Army that c. â—oreth disorderly lin 47 after 21. insert foote pag. 82. lin Target Targets lin 30. for 6130. read 6144. pag 84. l. 14. Philopomen Philopoemen p. 87. l. 36. Quintus Quintius