Selected quad for the lemma: master_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A15466
|
A briefe discourse of vvarre. VVritten by Sir Roger VVilliams Knight; vvith his opinion concerning some parts of the martiall discipline. Newly perused
|
Williams, Roger, Sir, 1540?-1595.
|
1590
(1590)
|
STC 25733; ESTC S120635
|
36,291
|
65
|
Princes or Estates then likelie they will confesse no traffique so deare as liues especiallie being in action with equall enemies It is hard to please the most masters vnpossible to content the rude multitude the least worme will mooue hauing anie life being troden vpon for my owne part I doo confesse to bee one of the least in respect of thousands not so base but euer I carried a mind rather to be buried dead than aliue I speake this for the wrongs done vnto my selfe and companions for the defence of the towne of Sluce true it is those that serues many serues no bodie I meane they shall find none that will confesse to be their masters especiallie when they should be rewarded for their seruice but the multitude will bee readie to disgrace their seruants thinking by such meanes to pay them their debts or at the least sufficient rewards to bee reconciled vnto them and pardoned for their misconstred thoughts Wherefore I would wish all men of warre and they can to bee in all strange Princes or estates debts rather than they in yours if your masters bee giuen to any machiuell humours the debts that should pay you will hire them diuers others are you in their debts you are sure not to bee wronged thinking your seruice to come paied for Although our masters the States bee for the most part honest and vertuous personages notwithstanding looke into their actions you shall finde a number of Captaines wronged besides our selues they are partlie to bee borne withall Sometimes great Captaines are so ambitions that they will deface their inferiours deedes therefore there can been no great fault in the States nor any such when we wrong one another otherwise time and fortune might make inferiours Competitors with the great ones Sometimes fortune frownes on the greatest Captaines in such sort that they can not or will not performe that the world lookes they should do then likelie had they rather burie their instruments and inferiours rather than bee touched themselues with the least disgrace Therefore you cannot blame the poore Souldier to desire the eye of his master when he hazardeth his life Subiects are vassalls vnto Princes and States and not vnto the most Generals although I neuer knewe any notwithstanding it is well knowne ambitious Generals wronged often their masters being in those humors they will bee sure to wrong their inferiours vnlesse they serue their turnes Touching our wrongs I impute it to no bodie but vnto our owne fortunes as the Spaniards said vnto Charles the 5. Adeunda salta la diecha non apreuiecha la diligencia Touching Sluce I do protest by the faith of a Souldier what I write is troth As nigh as I can remember we kept the Towne about 60. daies diuers thinkes it no time because Harlam Mastricht and others were kept longer little doo they thinke how those places were furnisht with all necessaries especiallie the lesser of both had in them at the least 6000. hands to fight and to worke Let vs be rightlie iudged I will prooue that Bouennene was the furioust siege that was in the Lowe Countries since Duke D'aluas arriuall vntill this houre the which began and ended in lesse than twentie daies notwithstanding there was more Captaines and Souldiers spoyled by sword and bullet at that siege than at Harlam which dured ten moneths Experimented Captaines will confesse the furie of all breaches are tried in fewe houres and the furie of artillerie preuented without sodaine attempts Wee were not in Sâ—uce 1600. fighting workmen and all wee had to keepe counting the two Forts aboue two miles and a halfe It is well knowne before we entred the Towne lost one Fort. If wee shewed anie valour in our entrie let Sir Henrie Palmer his Seamen with them of Zealand iudge the danger was not so little but of the vessels that carried vs in fiue were taken the next tide in comming out The third tide Sir Charles Blunt offered fiftie pounds besides the commandement his Masters and Mariners receiued at his imbarking to carrie vs our necessaries from Sir William Russell then Lord Gouernour of Vlishing who indeed was the occasion of our entrie resolution and quick dispatch who sent with vs a good quantitie of victuals and munition and to say troth without his earnest dispatches wee had not entred then the world knowes the Towne had been lost without blowes as a number of others were in those Countries farre better than Sluce The best sort doth knowe had I and my companions marchanted our liues as traffickers doth their ware wee had no neede to haue entred Sluce for our direction was but to Ostend we were battered with thirtie Cannons and eight Culuerings on S. Iacobs eeue from three of the clock in the morning vntill fiue in the afternoone they shot aboue foure thousand Cannon shot By the Dukes owne confession he neuer sawe so furious a batterie in one day wee were made saultable aboue 200. 50. paces betwixt fiue of the clock and seauen wee were aboue fiue times at the push of the pike for our breach where wee spoyled the enemies in great numbers who perceiuing our Trenches within Ouerthwart the breach quieted their furies afterwards we kept the Towne eighteene daies the enemie being lodged in our port rampier and breach aboue three hundred paces in the which time the Enemie passed through the port sixe paces to beate our Trenches within wee kept our Fort vntill wee were made saultable more than our Troupes could guard vnles wee would quite the Towne being mined wee countermined them in the which wee fought hourelie for the space of nine daies with Sword Target and Pistols at our breach port and rampiet of the Towne wee fought daylie with pikes short weapons and stones besides our shot for the said space of eighteene daies Touching our sallies let the Enemie testifie The Duke of Parma being entred asked me which was Buskeruilde standing before him I shewed him who imbraced him turning towards his Nobilitie he said there serues no Prince in Europe a brauer man Most true it is at one sallie he had the point with an hundred corslets of the best sort who charged and made to runne eight Spanish Ensignes of the Tertia Vecho and hurt their master del Campo True it is he was seconded with a number of others but himselfe principallie knowne by prisoners and his great plume of feathers Also Sir Francis Vere marked for his red Mandilion who stood alwaies in the head of the armed men at the assaults of the Fort and Towne beeing twise hurt I and other his friends requested him to retire he answered he had rather be kild ten times at a breach than once in a house Captaine Hart most valiantlie swamme in and out to shewe our Generall and States our wants and daungers the world doth know what picks there was betwixt them at that instant such that none can denie but a full resolution was taken not to enter in by
water The world doth knowe our Armie by land retired at midnight from Blanckenborough to Ostend let enuie and malice speake what they list troath may be blamed but neuer shamed we were lost men but for our owne wits and resolution our powder was all spent so farre that wee had not to maintaine halfe a daies fight the Enemies had gotten into our rampier so farre that their shot flanked vs into our trenches for eighteene nights we lay alwaies Officers and all at our breach where we eate our meate continuallie we had not left vnbroken of twentie field peeces with their Artillerie foure wee endured in Towne and Fort seuenteene thousand foure hundred and aboue of Cannon shot Where malicious tongues speake of our assaults I protest we endured one assault in the Fort at breaches and mine from nine of the clocke in the morning vntill two in the afternoone where the braue Marquis of Renti was hurt the great Captaine Mounsieur de la Mote lost his right arme Mounsieur de Strippeny Colonell of the Burgonians slaine with diuers Captaines and Officers besides by their own report at that assault they had slaine aboue seuen hundred and as many hurt we had hurt and slaine at that assault aboue one hundred and fiftie where Colonell Huntley Sir Edmond Vdall Sir Iohn Scot Captaine Ferdinando Gorge Master Selinger Captaine Nicholas Baskeruilde with diuers other Gentlemen and Officers shewed themselues most valiantlie both at that assault and at all other seruices during the said Siedge Captaine Francis Alene swam in with Captaine Hart after the breach was made during his time none shewed greater valour Truelie all the Wallons with their souldiers shewed themselues constant resolute and valiant especiallie the braue Captaines Messures de Medkerke and Erogier We were but foure English bands neere two hundred strong a peece by reason wee diuided amongst them some two hundred and fiftie Muskettiers who through the meanes of the Gouernour of Vlishing came with vs from his Garrison from Berghen Ostend There were many Lieftenants Ensignes and Sergeants aduenturers beside those souldiers the better halfe of our men were slaine for of 1600. English Wallons and Flemings we carried not out 700. In respect of our losses our Captaines asked pay for the whole numbers wherefore our masters the States and others would not confesse our losses to bee so great from the first houre of our entrie vntill our comming out none came to vs but those which swamme The Duke of Parma himselfe asked me before a great number what were our losses I answered him with the troth as neere as I could himselfe and diuers other assured vs that he lost before Sluce fiue and fortie Captaines besides other Chiefes and more Souldiers than he lost at Nuse Berke Graue and Vendello What words I spake vnto the Englishmen that followed him my companions can witnesse Some others besides the Duke and my selfe knowes if I listed and promise kept I might haue had a farre greater number of Pistolls than euer I had of Angells True it is some Princes loue treason but neuer like the traitors did they loue them they should neuer loue me for the least thought of such matters Where it pleased some to speake of two Irish Greyhounds which the Duke requested me to send vnto him returning to Middleborow where I found the Earle our General he gaue me two faire Greihounds commanding me not to faile to send them vnto the Duke and finding Master Steeuens sometime seruant vnto the most noble Sir Philip Sidney returning vnto the Duke on my request he presented the doggs for the which it pleased the Duke to send me a faire Spanish horse with a rich saddle The saying is true It is better for some to steale a horse than others to looke on notwithstanding that I gaue nothing nor receiued nothing without the consent of my Generall it was enuied without more occasion A faire horse with rich furniture is easilie discouered by day light where bagges or rich bribes can hardlie bee seene if the parties hath wit to couer it the which the Spaniard presents often to many vnknown to their masters or estates els their credites had not troubled Europe as it doth nor the proceedings against them so slowlie as it is in some places Some said also if they had bin in such dangers in Sluce wherefore gaue the Duke of Parma such large composition vnto them I know no reason but this sixe daies before we gaue ouer the Towne all the Captaines and Officers met in counsell Hauing seene our daungers and some perceiuing the heate of our succours wee assigned our Articles of composition swore all to haue them granted vnto vs or to dye and to burne the Towne and Castle so escape that could through the drowned land The copie of those Articles with other letters wee sent vnto the Earle our Generall and Estates the which came into the Enemies hands by reason the messenger was slaine in swimming by their boates and pallisade on the riuer This is well knowne vnto all our companions for the Marquis of Renti out of his Trench tolde it me openlie before all our guards at the breach and that Owen a Welsh Gentleman had much adoo to put my foule hand in Italian to the Duke Also wee made a sallie where we lost two Officers who shewed them our resolution the which we maintained being face to face with the Duke in our parlie and returned once from him into the Towne thinking he would not agree vnto some of the articles but his prudeÌ„ce or his counsell perswaded him to send for vs againe and to signe them all But I protest on the faith of a Christian I thinke so wil the rest of my companions protest the like for my part I knowe not how wee might haue kept the Towne twelue houres with the losse of our liues had wee been al desperate if it had pleased the Enemies to attempt vs but most true it is rather than take any base conditions some and many would haue ended our liues in that place I protest to all manner of qualities I write not this with a meaning to condemne any particular nor generall that should haue succoured vs nor to robbe the least defendant of his right for I confesse my selfe the simplest Captaine of halfe a dozen that was within the Towne three or foure of them were they knowne and rightlie iudged are sufficient to conduct double that Garrison in anie Armie in the world and to conduct a greater troupe hauing authoritie Some may blame me because I tooke no care in writing this action of Sluce more larger and in better order I will doo it at large in my discourse of the Netherlanders actions perhaps both that and a number of other matters in better order than some perswaded great Personages I could doo True it is some are to write some to speake others to execute What I want in anie of those vertues my bloud shall witnes in others the zeal of 〈◊〉 towards my sacred Soueraigne and deare Countâ—â—â— if occasion presents it In the meane time and alwaies I pray most heartilie to the Almightie to preserue her sacred health and royall estate to the honour of God and confusion of her Enemies FINIS