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
battaile where in the Graecians marched from breaking they appointed six Lochoi of a hundred a piece for that purpose and Commaunders to leade them And after hee reckoneth seventy men to a Lochos And in the first booke of Cyrus his expedition hee telleth of two Lochoi of the armed of the Regiment of Menon that were slaine by the inhabitants of Cilicia and counted them a hundred men Cyrus in the same Xenophon commaundeth his Lochos to bee made of twenty foure men But the Lochos that Aelian heere speaketh of is a lesse number namely sixteene which was the file of the Macedonians as appeareth by Arrian and Polybius Albeit Arrian calleth it not Lochos but Decas and Polybius the depth of the battaile This number of sixteene was vsed by the Graecians also before King Phillips time as appeareth by Xenophon in his historie of the Graecians And likewise by Thucydides who reporteth that the Siracusans were so ordered against the Athenians Leo saith it was the manner of the auncient warriers to make a file of sixteen calleth it a Tetragonall number 2 Some allow it eight some twelue The Lacedaemonians made the depth of theire battaile sometimes eight men for a file is it that measureth the depth of the battaile and so fought with theire enemies Thucydides witnesseth as much the Lacedaemonians saith hee were not alwaies ordered in depth alike but as theire Lochagoi they were commaunders of fiue hundred and twelue a piece thought good commonly notwithstanding the depth was of eight a piece Xenophon also writeth that Dercyllidas the Lacedaemonian being to fight with Tissaphernes and Pharnabazus ordered his Phalange into eight The same proportion was helde by Mnasippus the Lacedaemonian against the Corcyraeans and by Clearchus the Lacedemonian against his enemies Xenophon saith that Thrasybulus the Athenian salieng out of Pyraeum against Pausanias the Lacedemonian King ranged his men into eight His wordes are When Thrasybulus and the other armed sawe these things they quickly gaue aide to theire owne people and put theire armed in order eight deepe Pausanias being hardly layed vnto and retiring foure or fiue furlongs commaunded the Lacedemonians and theire Allies to resort vnto him and there casting his men into a deepe Phalange ledde against the Athenians Out of which words wee may note that the Lacedaemonians observed not alwaies that order of eight deepe but varied according to place or other circumstance Yet ordinarily they gaue but eight to a file or to the depth of theire Phalange as Thucydides witnesseth before The same Thrasybulus with his complices entring the base Citty of Athens called Pyraeum to free his countrie from bondage of the thirty tyrants having but a fewe with him possessed the court which led to the temple of Diana called Munychia and being assaulted by the garrison of rhe Lacedaemonians ordered his armed men into ten deepe and the light armed behinde them The tyrants and theire followers stood in battaile fifty deepe At the battaile of Leuctra the Lacedaemonian armed were twelue in depth the Thebans fifty Alexander the great leading his armie against Clitus and Glaucias the way being so narrow that no more then foure might marche in front made the depth of his armie a hundred and twenty And the souldiers that Xenophon brought backe out of Persia when they purposed to sacke Byzantium put themselues without commaunde in order of fifty deepe In the text is fifty deepe but the margent hath eight which I take to bee the truer reading because Xenophon saith the place was faire to sett a battaile being voide of building and having an even plaine And it was not the manner of the Graecians to make a Phalange fifty deepe vnlesse there were extraordinarie occasion In the battaile of Delos betwixt the Athenians and Thebans the Thebans were fiue and twenty in depth the Athenians but eight The same Athenian were eight in depth against the Syracusans So that the depth of eight was much vsed among the Graecians How-be-it I find not that they called a file of eight by the name of Lochos Cyrus the elder made his files of twelue men and the leader thereof hee called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the file it selfe decas which in signification albeit it importe ten yet wee must retaine the word as it is vsed and not fly to the originall of the Etimologie as I noted before vpon other occasion But Aelian maketh his file of sixten His reason followeth 3 For whether they vse darts c. The file being sixten in number the souldiers therein every one having after-distance from other three foote take vp in the whole depth fourty eight foote and being doubled to thirty two men they take vp ninety six foote which amounteth to thirty two yards That bowes and slings easilie out reache this distance appeareth by Vegetius before by mee alleaged who saith they stroke their marke six hundred foote of which in our account by scores is ten score Of the darte a man may rather doubt which notwithstanding with an exercised arme is sent much further then thirty two yards Lipsius writeth that a dart was vsually cast foure hundred foote which amounteth to a hundred thirty three yardes or as wee in shoting measure it six score and odde The reason why Aelian placed the light armed behind wee shall see beere after in fitt place The order and parts of a file or Decury CHAP. V. ' THE best man of every file is the first in place and hee that leadeth the file who is also called the file-leader the Commaunder the fore-stander The last man of the file is called the Reare-Commaunder or bringer-vp The whole file it self is termed 2 a verse and 3 a Decany and of some 4 an Enomoty Yet there are that hold Enomotia for the fowerth parte of a file and the Commaunder of an Enomoty they call Enomotarcha and two Enomoties they take for a Dimery name the Commaunder thereof Dimerites so that the half file is said to bee a Dimery 5 and the Commaunder Dimerites This man is the last of the file Hee that standeth next behinde the file-leader is named a follower and the next after him a Leader and the next after him againe a follower So that the whole file consisteth of Leaders followers placed successiuely one after another 6 It behoueth the file-leader to bee more sufficient then the rest of the file and next him the Leader of the half-file or bringer-vp They define a file to bee a Rowe of followers placed according to theire worth successiuely after a file-leader Notes 1 THE best man of every file Why the file-leader ought to bee the best man of the file many reasons may bee given first because hee commaundeth the rest And as in all other things hee that is to rule and governe another ought to haue more knowledge then hee that is commaunded and
he taketh vp 2 cubits 3 In Constipation or shutting one cubit Densation then or closing is when we draw wide distances close together and by side-men and followers that is both in length and depth gather vp the bodie of the Phalange so notwithstanding that the souldier yet hath libertie to moue and turne about Constipation or shutting is when the Phalange by side-men gathereth it selfe yet closer together then in Densation so that by reason of the nearenesse there is left no Declination or turning of faces either to the right or left hand The vse of Closing is when the Generall leadeth the Phalange against the enemy Of Shutting when he would haue it stand fast and as it were locked vp and serred to receiue the charge of the enemy Seeing then there are 1024 File-leaders in the front of the Phalange it is plaine that 4 in their ordinary array they take vp in length 4096 Cubits 5 that is ten furlongs and ninetie six cubits In Closing fiue furlongs and forty eight cubits In Shutting two furlongs a halfe and fower and twenty cubits Notes AFter Souldiers are armed and distributed into bodies military the next care is to be had of their Mouing For as a man let him be neuer so well proportioned and strong if he pace disorderly and either set too great strides or reele here and there or so mince and tread out his steps as if his leggs were bound together groweth hereby deformed and not onely loseth his comelinesse but his actiuitie withall and possibility to performe any thing by strength So is it of an Armie that hath either too great distances or is thronged vp or pestred too close together Too much thronging bindeth as it were the souldiers hands and taketh away the vse of his weapons as on the other side falling one loose from another and standing or mouing too farre asunder maketh the Battaile weake and disiointed and subiect to the enemies entry and easie to be broken The meane betwixt both was brought in by King Philip King of Macedonia who first constituted and raised the Macedonian Phalange and invented the distances of opening and closing the same imitating the serring of Targets called Synaspismos practised by the old Heroes at Troy Out of his discipline sprung the distances mentioned here by Aelian which are of three sorts The first are large distances of 1 Foure Cubits Which amount to six foote For a Cubit conteineth a foote and a haâ—fe This distance was vsed in marching or else in solemne pompes and shewes And the souldier hauing a pike of 14 Cubits or 21 long whereof one halfe lay forward on his shoulder and the other halfe backward it was requisite he should haue a reasonable large distance both in file and ranke to the end that in turning this way or that Cap. 11. The first distance ordnary 6 foote in file asmuch in ranck The Reare The second distance called Closing foote in file asmuch in ranck The third distance called or serring foote in file shoulder to shoulder in rank way or that way or mouing out of his place for no man in his marche can alwaies hold his ranke he offended not his next neighbours therewith This distance our exercise at this day calleth open order The next distance is of Two Cubits Or three foote The name of it in Greeke is Pycnosis that is thickning In Leo it is called Sphinxis knitting together in our moderne exercise Order And it is when from the distance of 6 foote we draw our Phalange both by file and ranke so close that the souldiers stand but 3 foote one from an other euery way This distance is vsed when the Army approcheth neare to the enemy and onely commeth not to charge that it may be ready to shut and locke it selfe for the charge which is performed in the last distance of One Cubit A foote and a halfe This is called Synaspismos ioyning Target to Target For as I before shewed the pikemen of the Macedonians vsed also Targets with their pikes and in charging the enemy closed so neare in front that their owne Targets touched one another This kind of fight the Aegiptians vsed in Xenophon which he calleth locking together of Targets and by meanes therof had the advantage against the Persians The Parthian horse likewise comming to charge Crassus with their staues After they perceiued the depth of the locking of Targets and the setlednesse and stedfastnes of the Roman Phalange they retired and durst not come to hands with them And Diodorus Siculus writes that Alexander besieging the City of Halicarnassus there was in the City and in seruice of Darius one Ephialtes an Athenian a man of great valour and strength of body He by the permission of Memnon Generall of Darius Armie determined to make a saly And taking to him 2000 mercenarie souldiers all chosen men and giuing brands flaming with fire to one halfe and reseruing the rest for fight he opened the gates and fell out throwing fire vpon the engines of battery which soone caught a mighty flame And marshalling the rest into a thicke and deepe Phalange himselfe led on and was the first that fell on the Macedonians coÌ„ming to aide and to quench the fire Alexander aduertised hereof speeded to the medley ordered first the Macedonians in front after them other choice men for seconds and in the third place men of extraordinarie account for their prowesse himselfe leading them on sustained the enemy which seemed vnresistible and sent others to slake and put out the fire and to preserue the Engines The fight was hot and albeit the Macedonians found meanes to quench the fire yet had Ephialtes the better in the fight who both himselfe killed many with his owne hands and the towers from the walls furnished with many Catapelts annoyed greeuously the Macedonians In so much that some falling in the place other-some forsaking their ground by reason of the number of Engine Darts that fell thicke amongst them Alexander himselfe was reduced to extremitie Here the old souldiers of the Macedonians although otherwise freed from such seruice in regard of their age hauing of a long time followed the warres with King Philip and gained many a battaile were by this occasion tolled out to succour and as they excelled the yonger sort in greatnes of spirit and military experience so meeting with the run-a-waies they bitterly reuiled and taunted them for their cowardice Then serring themselues close and ioyning their Targets together they repressed and held the enemy short who now seemed to haue the victory in his hands Finally killing Ephialtes and many other they droue the rest into the City A memorable seruice of the vse of Targets and of the Synaspisme of the Macedonians which was not vsed but when they either gaue vpon or receiued the charge of the enemy And the Targets so knit together serued for a wall as it were to the whole Phalange and
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
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
his death-bed whereas Traian was before departed this world This is agreed that he was Cosin german once removed to Traian that his father dieng he being but ten yeares olde was ward to Traian then a private man and to one Calius Tatianus 2 To spend some time with Frontine Frontine heer mentioned was the same that wrote the book of Strategemes now extant commonly ioyned in one volume with Vegetius Hee was a man curious in the searche of the Graecian discipline as may be seene by his owne preface to his bookes of Strategemes by the testimony of Aelian in the first chapter of this treatise is reckoned amongest the T actick writers Vegetius reporteth he was much esteemed by the Emperour Traian Hee lived also in greate reputation in the time of Vespasian at least if it bee hee that Tacitus speaketh of in the life of Iulius Agricola And yet it might bee he very well there being noe more then twenty yeares certeine monthes betwixte the reigne of Traian the reigne of Vespasian in whose time Frontine is reported by Tacitus to haue over throwne the Silures in Britaine Aelian in the next chapter calleth him Fronto Of one Fronto that was Consul in the third year of the reigne of Traian I read in Dio â—whose saying is reported to haue been That it was ill to haue an Emperour vnder whome noe man might haue liberty to doe any thing but much worse to haue an Emperour vnder whome every man might doe what hee list But this Fronto was not Aelians Fronto Hee was called Marcus Cornelius Fronto this that Aelian speaketh of Iulius Frontine And yet it is noe wonder that Frontine in latine should be called Fronto in Greek it being vsual for the Graecians to varie and deflect a litle from the property of the latine names 3 Your majesties incomparable valor experience That this praise given Adrian is not altogether without cause may appeare by that which Aelius Spartianus writeth in the life of AdriaÌ„ His wordes haue this meaning After this taking his journey into France he was bowntifull to all as he sawe cause From thence hee passed into Germany being rather desirous of peace then warre yet hee so exercised his souldiers as though warre were at hand teaching them to indure paines hardnesse himselfe giving an example of military life gladly also vsing Camp fare as namely lard cheese for meate water mingled with vineger for drink in imitation of Scipio Aemilianus of Metellus of Traian the author of his preferment rising bestowing rewardes vpon many honors vpon some to encourage them to beare such things as seemed harshe in his commaundes And surely it was hee next Octavius that vpheld military discipline declyning nowe through the remissenesse of former Emperours by ordering both the places of Commaunde the payes never suffering any man to absent himselfe from the Campe but vpon just cause measuring the worthe of Tribunes not by favour of the souldiers but by their owne desert exhorting exciting all the rest by example of his owne vertue whilest hee often marched twenty miles on foote being fully armed broke downe banquetting howses and galleries vaults for coolenesse arbors wheresoever hee fownd them in the Campe was seene in a plaine garment vsually wore a baudricke not garnished with gold buttons without gemmes scarcely allowing an ivory handle to his sword visited his sick souldiers in their lodgings himselfe chose out the grownd to encampe in made noe Captaine but a man of a strong body noâ— Tribune but with a growne beard or of age that by prudence and yeares was able to sway the weight of the place nor suffred him to take ought from the souldier removed all dâ—licacies and lastly reformed theire armes and baggage Hee had besides consideration of the age of souldiers allowing none younger then was befitting vertue nor elder then stood with the lawes of humanity to bee conversant in the Campe contrary to old custome and vsage and gaue himselfe to haue particuler knowledge of them all and what theire number was Furthermore hee was carefull to vnderstand the controversies betwixt souldier and souldier and searched with great attentiuenesse into the revenues of the Provinces to the end to supply what was wanting endevouring notwithstanding aboue all neither to buy nor feede ought that was not for vse Wherefore when he had fashioned his souldiers to his owne example he passed over into Britaine where hee corrected many thinges and was the first that drew a wall along by the space of eighty mile wherewith hee diuided the Romans from the barbarous people Hetherto Spartian I haue recited the history at large because I might represent the picture of an excellent Generall 4 Alexander the Macedons manner That this booke comprehendeth the Macedonian discipline of armes I will shewe hereafter as particulers offer themselues In the meane time let this suffice for an argument that Aelian doubteth not to affirme it to Adrian a Prince excellently learned in the Greeke language and as by reason of his skill hee was able to discerne so by his authoritie hee would haue censured so grosse an escape if it had beene otherwise then Aelian reporteth THE CONTENTS OF THE Chapters of the Booke THE Authors that haue written Tacticks of this booke of the profitt of the arte Chap. 1. The praeparation of warlike forces and how they are to bee armed Chap. 2. The framinge of a Phalange and definition of the art Tactick Chap. 3. What a file or decury is and of how many men it consisteth Chap. 4. The order and partes of a file or decury Chap. 5. Of joyning files Chap. 6. Of a Phalange the length and depth thereof of Ranking and filinge The division of the Phalange into winges The place of the armed foote of the light armed and of the Horse Chap. 7. The number of the armed foote of the light armed of the horse Chap. 8. The names of the severall partes and the Commaunders of the seuerall partes of the Phalange and of the numbers vnder theire Commaunds Chap. 9. The precedence dignitie of places in the Offices of the Phalange Chap. 10. The distances to bee observed betwixt souldier and souldier in opening or shutting the Phalange Chap. 11. The arming of the Phalange Chap 12. The worth the file-leaders and next followers should be of Chap. 13. Of the Macedonian Phalange the length of the souldiers pikes Chap. 14. The place of the light armed the number of euery file of them Chap. 15. The names of the bodies of the light armed Chap. 16. The vse of the light armed Chap. 17. The fashion of horse battailes the Rhombe the wedge the Square Chap. 18 Why RhoÌ„bs were first brought into vse of the diverse formes of theÌ„ Cha. 19 The place of horsemen in the field the number of the vsuall horse-battaile and the degrees names of the officers
or Xeo to shaue or polish as our ioyners doe and the launces being made of wood shaven or polished are named Xysta or Xesta of the forme as I said that is given them by shaving and the Launciers that beare thesâ— launces Xestophoroi or Xystophoroi And heere I am once to note for all that wee are not to presse wordes according to the proper signification of theire primitiues from whence they are derived For considering there are more things then names of things as Logicians say the most copious language that is cannot giue proper names to all Heereof come the wordes of divers significations And howsoever names seeme at first rough straunge vse and custome maketh them smooth and gives them passage As the coyne of a Prince is currant by the stamp hee setteth vpon the mettalle what mettalle so euer it bee fine or base 16 Acrobolists The word importeth such as throwe aloft or from alofte Ballo signifieth to throwe Acron the highest or the vttermost By common vsage Acrobolizo is taken for to dart and by consequent to skirmish a farre of Because such as cast flieng weapons as darts and stones and the like came not to stedfast fight but lay aloofe and onely threwe their weapons at the enemy and of so doing are called Acrobolists Acrobolismos in Polybius is interpreted Skirmishing And Diodorus Siculus ioyneth Acrobolismos and a short meddley in fight together which Xenophon termeth Acrobolisis by another word flowing from the same fountaine 17 Tarentines They are so called of a Citty in Italy Tarentum by name the inhabitants whereof that were horsemen vsed this manner of fight But he maketh two kinds of Tarentines one that ever fought a farre of with darts and never came to hand with the enemy the other that after a dart or two cast came close vp and fought hand to hand Livy speaketh of a third kind of Tarentines who vsed in fight two horses at once made fast together and one being weary leaped vpon the backe of the other 18 Some vse darts a farre of Of the manner of fight of these horsemen the passage of Xenophon is worth repeating After these things done saith hee the aide of Dionysius which hee sent the Lacedemonians arrived being more then twenty Gallyes They brought French and Spaniards and aboue fifty horse The next day the Thebans and theire confederats embattailing theire armie and filling theâ—â—ith the whole plaine even to the sea-side to the hills that lay about the City of Corinth destroyed whatsoever might serue to any vse The horsemen of the Athenians and Corinthians seeing the strength and multitude of the enemy came not neere vnto them but the horsmen of Dionysius albeit fewe in number galloping heere and there dispersedly and putting spurrs to theire horse charged them with their darts and in case the enemy followed they returned with all speed and then turned againe and threw darts afresh In doeing these things they vsed to alight from theire horse and rest themselues and if any of the enemy singled out to fall vpon them leaping quickly againe to horse-backe they fled and being pursued any distance from the army as soone as those that pursued them retired the Tarentines followed and plyed them with their darts and put them to great distresse forcing the whole armie to advance and retire as they list themselues So farre Xenophon Another example I will adde out of Livy of the Numidians whose manner of fight is all one with the Tarentine manner In Liguria saith hee nothing worthy of memorie was done a long time At the end of the yeare all things were brought to extreame hasard For both the Consuls camp being assaulted was hardly defended and not long after when the armie was ledd through a forrest the way whereof was streight and narrowe the Ligurians possessed themselues of the mouth of the straights Through which when the Consull could find no passage hee turned about his armie and purposed to reduct it the way he came But the mouth of those straights was likewise possessed by a part of the enemies forces And now the remembrance of the Desaster of Caudium presented it self not onely to the minds but even almost to the eyes of euery man There were wellnigh eight hundred Numidian horse at that time in the camp The Commaunder of them promised the Consull to breake through on which side hee pleased onely he desired to know on which side most hamblets and villages were Vpon them said hee I will fall and sett the houses on fire presently that that feare may compell the Ligurians to forsake the streights they hould and runne severall wayes to defend theire owne The Consull much commended the man and laded him with hopes of promises The Numidians vp to horse and began to ride heere and there before the enemies gards provoking yet no man Nothing at the first sight was more contemptible The horse and men were little and leane The horsman vngirded and vnarmed saving that hee carried darts the horse without a bridle galloping deformedly with a stiffe neck and a head thrust out at length They purposely augmenting this contempt slid from their horses and dallied and sported to bring the enemie to a gaze Wherefore the enemy which at first were intentiue and ready for a charge became gazers on and the most part vnarmed themselues sett downe vpon the ground The Numidians rode vp neerer and then backe againe and by little and little gott to the skirts of the forest as if theire horses being resty had caried them forward against theire wills At last putting spurres to they broke through the midst of theire enemies gards entring into a larger field they sett fire on all the houses next the way then burned they the next village and wasted and filled all things with fire and sword The smoke first scene then the cry of the people affrighted lastly ould men and children flieng for succor raised a tumult in the campe Therefore without counsell or commaund every man of himself ranne to the defence of his owne and in amoment both the enemies camp was forsaken the Consull delivered from his siege came to the place intended By these two examples the kinde of fight that these darters one horse-backe maintained may he perceiued which was not to come neer the enemy but to keep a loofe and lett theire darts fly Besides not to obserue any order in files or rankes but straglingly to gallop the field seeking by theire disbanding to tolle the enemy out of his strength and so to worke theire advantage And albeit in the second example the Numidians vsed not theire darts yet they would haue done it if need had beene and you shall find in other places of Livy and Polybius they did vsually as also in Caesar. 19 After they haue spent one or two These darters on horsebacke differ from the other before mentioned because at the last they ioyne and fight hand
to hand with the enemy which the other did not And what fight they with all not with launce for then should they be Launciers of whom wee haue spoken But they fight with battel-axes swordes and such other short weapons Suidas affirmeth it alleged by Arcerius These saith hee at first cast light darts a farre of and afterward approaching joyne with the enemy fighting with battell-axes or swords which kind they call light-horsemen 20 The horsemen that vse bowes I need not alledge any thing to shewe that the Scythians were good archers It is knowne to any man that is not ignorant of History I will onely note that in flieng from the enemy thâ—y harmed as much as in falling on For as they fled they turned half theire bodies backeward and shotte at him that followed and expected noe such thing Of which fashion of fight Plutarch giueth this iudgement The Parthians saith hee in theire flight shoote backward doe it best of all other except the Scythians the invention being witty both to saue themselues by that defence and also to take away the shame of flight That which Plutarch attributcth to the Scythians and Parthians Xenophon saith the Persians vsed also both for manner of fight and flight The framing of a Phalange and definition of the art Tactick CHAP. III. BVt seeing every Phalange conteineth an vniting of bodies offices of commaund orders in place a Convenient number of men and wordes of Direction aswell for daily exercise or trayning as for true fights It seemeth necessary to deduce euery of these things into perticularity The first 1 labour therefore in the art Tactick is for a Generall out of a multitude that cometh to hand confused to choose the fittest men and dispose them into convenient places that is to order them into files and bodies and of the whole number to proportion a 2 reasonable levie fitting the service in hand 3 For to dispose and enable an Army skillfully to march to encampe to embattaile is a matter of no small consequence In asmuch as we often find mightie Armies through their disorder to haue been defeated by 4 a handfull of men wel disciplined exercised Wherefore Aeneas defineth this art to bee a science of warlike motion Polybius To be a skill whereby a man taking a multitude serviceable ordereth it into files and bodies and instâ—teth it sufficiently in all things pertayning to warre Notes 1 THE first labour After prouision of armour followeth choice of men What men and out of what climats and of what profession and of what age and of what constitution of body and of what education are to be chosen because Aelian referreth to the discretion of the Generall not setting downe any particular I will likewise passe over noting onely some places where hee that is disposed to seeke may finde the circumstances of choice of souldiers Xenoph. Cyrop lib. 1. 32. A. B. Polyb. lib. 6. 406. C. Et Lips ad Polyb. lib. 1. Dialogo 2. 3. 4. 5. Veget. lib. 1. cap. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Et Stewechius ad haec omnia cap. 31. 2 A reasonable leuy and fitting the service Levyes are to be made according to the warre which is vndertaken The enemie is not alwaies of one strength Sometimes the forces against which wee are to lead our armie are more sometimes lesse The Romans if the number of enemies were not very great vsed but a Consular Armie which consisted of two legions of Romans and of as many foote of theire Allies when greatest onely ioyned two Consular armies together And for Allies theire foote as I said was equall with the Roman foote theire horse were treble as many and the Romans having three hundred horse to a Legion the Allies had nine hundred Yet in case of great necessitie wee reade that the number of the Legions was increased in a Consular armie Polybius reporteth that a little before the battaile of Cannae the Consuls Lucius Aemilius and C. Terentius had allowed in theire armie which they led against Anniball eight Legions which never was done before Alexander the great being to invade the Kingdome of Persia which for wealth multitude of men and largenesse of Territorie was esteemed the richest mightiest and greatest Empire at that time in the world had not in his armie aboue one and thirty thousand foote and fiue thousand and odde horse Armies composed of multitudes are neither fitt to bee guided and commanded nor yet to bee provided for And hee that trusteth to multitudes esteemeth not greatly the valour of his souldiers Xerxes saide he was not foiled by the Graecians through default of number but because hee wanted men As it is folly to leuy more men then is needfull so is it rashnesse or rather madnesse to put a few souldiers to hasard against forces that exceed in number and valour Briefly all levies are to bee tempered with consideration of persons times places and other circumstances 3 For to dispose and enable an Armie Heere are sett downe in a word as it were the principall heads of the art of warre Marching In camping and embattailing to which heads all other may very well bee referred And of these three Aelian handleth in this treatise but two namely embattailing and marching of embattailing so much as perteineth to forming of a common Macedonian Phalange of Marching no more then belongeth to embattailing in a march that is to ordering of your men in that figure which shall yeald most advantage against the enemy that meeteth you excepting that hee shortly toucheth the marshalling of baggage in your marche The other considerations of marching as laying or avoyding ambushes sending out to discouer when to march by night when by day how to deceiue and avoyde the enemy lyeng neere remedies against horse against shotte against multitudes passages of mountaines of woods of rivers of plaines of drye and sandy places these I say and such like hee toucheth not in a word And for the skill of encamping which comprehendeth the seating of your camp and provision of all things belonging thereto as also the siege and defence of Citties and fortresses hee likewise passeth it over with silence as a thing not incident to his purposed discourse 4 A handfull of men well disciplined and exercised What exercise doth for the making of good souldiers experience of former times will teache It hath been the manner of all famous generalls to bring theire souldiers to perfection by exercise Vegetius saith very well It is not length of life or number of yeares that teacheth the art of warre but continuall discipline meditation of armes Let a souldier serue never so many years so long as hee is vnexercised hee shall bee still a raw souldier The knowledge and science of armes maketh a souldier which is not gayned but by action As long as a souldier handleth not his weapons hee is noe Actor but a looker on For as all abilities in
artes which are called Habits arise out of a number of actions precaeding so can noe man atteyne to a perfect knowledge of armes till hee haue with care and diligence employed his study and labour therein and vpon the foundation of practise raised the frame of sound and perfect skill Noe man is naturally borne a souldier One may more incline to warre then another but the skill commeth not without industry and paines Plutarch saith that it is neither Eurotas nor the place betwixt Babyx and Gnacion that bringeth foorth valiant and warlicke men but they are to bee fownd in all places where youth is bred vp in shame of vice and boldnesse to vndergoe perill for vertues sake Eurotas was a river neere Lacedaemon Babyx and Gnacion two rivers with in the same City The Lacedaemonians were accounted the most valiant people of Greece And Plutarch speaketh this of the victory which the Thebans had against the Lacedaemonians The Thebans which till that day had noe reputation of valour but afterward by exercise vse of armes vnder Epaminondas and Pelopidas became the bravest souldiers of Greece Not vnlike was the saieng of Pyrrhus to his muster-master choose you said hee good bodies and I will make them good souldiers The strength of the body is requisite in a souldier to vndergoe the labours of warre but exercise it is that giveth the perfect skill and the desire to handle weapons Therefore as Demosthenes being demaunded what was the first and principall thing in the arte Oratory answered Action what the second Action what the third Action So may wee truely say that in the art military exercise is not onely the first second third principall thing to make a souldier but also all in all Aelian speaketh not of exercise but in Generall what particuler exercise is fitt for a souldier hee that desireth to knowe let him reade Xenoph. Cyrop lib. 2. 42. B. C. lib. 3. 77. C. D. Veget. lib. 1. ad caput 9. ad caput 19. lib. 2. caput 23. 24. Iust. Lips comment ad Polyb. lib. 5. dialog 14. Leo. caput 7. Patric Parallel parte 2. 139. Now for the victories that haue beene obteyned by a small number of men well exercised against a multitude vnskillfull and vntrained I need say nothing Histories are plentifull witnesses therein I will onely recite one example wherein the difference may bee seene not between skillfull and vnskillfull but between skillfull and skillfull both enured to labour and both brought vp vnder the same practise and discipline of Armes At what time after the death of Alexander the great his chiefest Commaunders fell at oddes emongest themselues and sought every man to establish himself in the possession of his Conquests it chaunced that Antigonus and Eumenes came together in two sundry battailes In the first Antigonus had in his army aboue 28000. foote 8500. horse 65. Elephants Eumenes lesse foote 17000. in all but emongest them 3000. Argyraspides whoe had served in all Alexanders battailes were invincible strok a great feare into the enemies harts about the number of horse his enemy had So. Elephants When the foote came to ioyne saith Diodorus Siculus the fight continewed a good while at last many falling on either side Eumenes his foote had the better by reason of the valour of the Macedonian Argyraspides They albeit they were stroken in years yet in regard of the manifold perills they had been in excelled in courage skill of fight in so much that no man was able to withstand them And therefore being but 3000. in number they were notwithstanding sett against the enemy as the strength of the whole army In the other battaile he speaketh of their age At that time saith he the yongest of the Argyraspides were noe lesse then 60. years olde or thereabout the most of the rest about 70. some were elder al of thē vnmatcheable in skill readinesse of fight strength of body such was theire dexterity and courage gathered in continuance of dangers which they had passed Afterward rehearsing the battaile he saith The Argyraspides serring themselues close and with liuely force falling vpon the enemy killed some and put other some to flight And fought against the whole Phalange of the enemy with irresistible fury not loosing one of theire owne men yet through skill manhood slayeng of the enemy aboue 5000. routed theire whole foote which in number were many times more then themselues Thus writeth Diodorus Siculus of the olde practised Macedonians who yet fought not against straungers or rawe souldiers or such as were newly brought into the field but against men of their owne nation that had long handled armes wonne many victories been instituted and trained in the same discipline and course military that they themselues had been before Such difference long practise and experience wrought in the one against the other What a file or Decury is and of how many men it consisteth CHAP. IIII. TO order into files is r to make files A file is a number of men beginning at one Leader and contineuing in order of followers to the last man The number of a file is diversly given 2 for some allow it eight some twelue and some sixteen men Wee for this time will retaine the number of sixteen both because that number is proportionable to the indifferent length of a Phalange and also if vse require at any time to double the depth thereof and to giue it thirty two men or to lessen and contract it and make it but eight neither of both shall hinder the service of the light-armed behinde 3 for whether they vse Darts or slings or Arrowes they may easelie with their flieng weapons overreache the depth of the Phalange Notes NExt after arming and choyce of souldiers it followeth to put them in order for service that is first to file them then to band them which is ioyning of files and lastly to embattaile them which is to make a Phalange Of these in the following chapters 1 To make files The Tacticks haue not expressed the precepts of this arte all in the same wordes A file is heere called Lochos the signification whereof is divers Sometimes it is taken for an Ambushe and Lochan signifieth to lye in Ambush it signifieth beside a number of men that are of one body as it were and vnder one commaunder who is called Lochagos and Lochizo is to sett in files The number of this body hath beene diversly taken The Thebans Lochos Hieros first instituted by Gorgidas or as other say by Epaminondas consisted of three hundred men The Lochos of the Lacedaemonians of fiue hundred and twelue Xenophon in his returne out of Persia telleth that the number of the Lochoi of the Graecians which hee ledde was almost a hundred armed men And when they chose extraordinarie men to preserue the Plaesium a hollow forme of square
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
bring foorth the Author of this tumult should haue a talent of siluer for his paines After this proclamation made by the Crier the Souldiers perceiued that their feare was vaine and that the Commanders were in safety Hetherto Xenophon By which narration may appeare that the Crier performed that which neither Trumpet nor other signall could doe the terror rising in the night which is the time of confusion and disorder and neither could the Trumpet giue any certaine sound to remedy the perill nor any other signall be discerned by reason of the darknesse and this seruice was done by the Crier amongst his owne folke His seruice against the enemie is declared in the fact of Cleocrytus the Athenian Crier who after the fight betwixt Thrasybulus and the 30. Tyrants wherein Critias and Hippomachus were slaine with a proclamation to the Citizens reconciled them to Thrasybulus and was cause that the Tyrants were deposed and had their authoritie abrogated by the people The like seruice was done by a Crier in the behalfe of the Graecians against the Persians about the time of the battaile of Plataeae The storie is this When the Graecians vnder the conduct of Leotychides the Lacedemonian and Xanthipus the Athenian had gathered a fleete of 250. Gallies together to the end to deliuer the Ilanders and the Citties of the Continent of Asia the lesse out of the seruitude of the Persians they sailed out of Delos The Persians then remained at Samos But hearing of the approch of the Graecians they left Samos and put ouer to Mycale a City of Ionia And because they perceiued their shippes vnfit for fight they drew them on land and fortified the place where they landed with a wodden wall and a deepe trench Neuerthelesse they sent for foote forces from Sardes and other the next Cities and assembled to the number of a 100000 men And made prouision for all things necessarie for warre the rather because they suspected the Ionians would reuolt Leotychides hauing put his fleete in order sailed towards the Barbarians that were in Mycale and dispatched away before a shippe wherein was a Crier who had the shrillest voice in all the Armie Him he commanded to saile vp close to the enemie and to proclaime aloude that the Graecians hauing ouercome the Persians at Plataeae were now come thither to deliuer and set free the Graecian Citties of Asia This was done by Leotychides to the end to disseuer the Asian Graecians from the Barbarians and to raise a tumult in the enemies Campe. Which also came to passe What seruice could bee of more importance then to set a diuision betwixt the enemies It was done by the voice of a Crier More examples I could alledge but these may suffice The Criers place was alwaies to attend the Commander in the head of the Troupes vnlesse in the time of fight at which time his voice could not be heard but gaâ—e place to the noise of Trumpets and clashing of armor 11 A Tetragonall forme That is of foure equall sides or foure square But we must vnderstand which Aelian after teacheth that there are two kinds of Tetragonall oâ— square bodies military one in number the other in figure In number when the front and flancke of the body haue either of them as many Souldiers as other as the Syntagma hath 16. in front and 16. in flancke In figure when the number of the front is greater then the number of the flancke and yet front and flancke stretch out an equall length of ground as in the squares of horse whereof Aelian speakâ— to hereafter This last square is at this day called a square of ground because the space of ground which conteineth the length of the front stretcheth out iustly as far as the space of ground which conteineth the deepth of the flancke It is caused by the difference of distance which is betwixt the Souldiers in front and betwixt the Souldiers in flancke In front being closed to fight the distance betwixt Souldier and Souldier is but a cubite that is a foote and a halfe The distance betwixt souldier and souldier in flancke is two cubits or three foote which proportion will giue no more then halfe so many men in flancke as in front and yet maintaine the truenesse and euennesse of the sides of the figure that is the length of the line which measureth the front and flancke shall be all one 12 A Pentecosiarchie The word is a command of 500 and that was sometimes the number In the Macedonian Phalange it comprehendeth a 512 men The cause of difference is the difference betwixt the file of the Macedonians and the file of the ancient Graecians wherof I haue spoken before the odde 12 men comming in by the fifth doubling of 16. And the number being so neere 500 though somewhat aboue the name of Pentecosiarchie is still reteined because it was then in vse and no other more fit could be found 13 A Chiliarchie The command of 1000 men according to the name Aelian giueth it a 1024 from the doubling of 512. The Tribunes of the Roman Legions are by the Greeke Historians tearmed Chiliarchs yet is there a great difference for the Chiliarchs haue no more command then ouer their Chiliarchy consisting of 1000 men and sometimes of more as here in Aelian of 1024. But euery Tribune had in his turne the command of the whole Legion And againe there being 12 Tribunes to euery Legion which at first had in it 3000 afterward 4000 then 5000 and in the time of Vegetius 6000 men how should a Tribune be called a Chiliarch and be a Leader of a thousand there being in the legion but 6000 men at the most and yet 12 Tribunes so that euery one could not haue aboue 500 for his command and in Polybius time the Iegion being but 4200 not aboue 300 and odde But the Roman manner of warre and ordering of troupes differed much from the Graecians and the Graecians in tearming a Tribune a Chiliarch tooke the next word and most significant amongest them to expresse the charge of a Tribune Our Coronells for their command of a Regiment come neerer to the Graecian Chiliarchs yet ours differ in that they haue Companies in their owne Regiments which the Graecian Chiliarchs had not and where Q. Curtius saith that the Chiliarchy was first instituted at Babylon by Alexander as a reward for seruice it seemeth to be otherwise For as I finde this in no other Author so finde I that Chiliarchies were long before Alexanders time Xenophon reporteth that Cyrus to giue encouragement to his souldiers to be valiant promised to the Taxiarchs to make them Chiliarchs to the Lochagi to make them Taxiarchs to the Decharchs to make them Lochagi to the Pempadarchs to make them Decarchs And that Cyrus made Chrysanthas a Chiliarch of horse in regard of his worth and forwardnesse in seruice And afterward he calleth Phranuchus and Asiadatas Chiliarchs of
horse and Aâ—tabasus and Artagersas Chiliarchs of foote Polyenus witnesseth that in Iphicrates his time the Athenians had Chiliarchs and Pentecosiarchs so that the institution of Chiliarchs could not be referred to Alexanders being at Babylon considering it was â—n vse before And Arrian reporting the same story saith not that Alexander first brought vp Chiliarchies there but that he ordeined two Lochi in euery horse troupe where to that day there had beene none and two Lochagi to command them Indeed Diodorus Siculus writes thus concerning a Chiliarch Antipater saith he lying vpon his death-bed declared Polyperchon Protector of the Kings being the eldest of those that had serued Alexander in his warres and much honoured of the Macedonians and his owne sonne Cassander the Chiliarch and second man in authority The place and institution of the Chiliarch first grew to name and honor vnder the Persian Kings So writes Diodorus of this Chiliarchy which Antipater bestowed vpon his sonne Cassander Which notwithstanding seemes much to differ from the common Chiliarchy of the Phalange wherof Curtius speaks For Diodorus saith he was next to Polyperchon in authority Where in the Phalange there were many Commanders namely the Merarchs the Phalangarchs c. aboue the Chiliarchs Adde that he saith the institution of this Chiliarch came from the Persian Kings when the Chiliarchs of the Phalange had their beginning from the Graecians and were ordinarie in Phalanges as I haue shewed Lastly where Diodorus reporteth that it had the increase and aduancement of honour from the Persian Kings he sheweth plainely it was not Alexanders inuention And the same Diodorus speaking of the death of Ochus King of Persia telleth that he was poisoned by Bagoas his Chiliarch in the time of the reigne of Philip Alexanders father This Chiliarch then I take to be the same that the Generall of an armie is with vs. And I can hardly be perswaded that Antipater wouldbequeath a lesse place to his sonne Cassander 14 A Merarchy The command of a part or halfe for a Phalangarchy consisteth of two Merarchies So that a Merarchy is halfe the Phalangarchy and conteineth 2048 men This part is also called Telos of which I haue spoken in my notes to the seuenth Chapter And yet the word Telos is not alone vsed in bodies of foote For Thucydides speaking of the fight by sea betwixt the Corcyraeans and Corinthians telleth that the Corcyraeans gaue the right wing to ten Athenian shippes and hauing of their owne a 100 and 10 shippes diuided them into three Tele euery of which was commanded by one of their Generalls so that Telos there signifieth not a certaine number of ships but a part of their fleet diuided into 3 the CoÌ„manders of the Corcyraeans are cal'd Strategoi 15 A Phalangarchie The command of a single Phalange Of this kinde were the Phalanges in Alexanders armie as I take it which were led by Caenos by Perdicas by Craterus by Amyntas by Ptolomy by Meleager and other as Arrian hath Before Philip and Alexander gathered those forces together wherewith Persia was subdued the armies were of smaller number amongst the Graecians Neither was it in many Cities might to raise 4096 men which go to the Phalangarchy of Aelian If any did they might well call it an armie Strategia and the Commander Strategos and the name of Strategos or Generall was vsually giuen to him that commanded in chiefe ouer an armie though small sent out by any Citie to warre So then as the Generall was called Strategos a Phalangarchy might also be called Strategia I haue before noted that the sections of the Phalange are limited and laid out by the Phalangarchies And where there are 3 sections in a Phalange the middle section is in the midst of the 4 Phalangarchies 2 Phalangarchies lying on the one side and 2 on the other The 2 other sections are one betwixt the 2 Phalangarchies of the right wing the other betwixt the two Phalangarchies of the left wing for betwixt euery Phalangarchie was a space or section 16 A Diphalangarchie The command of two Phalangarchies this was one of the wings Aelian giueth it no Commander ordinary neither doe I remember that I haue read Diphalangarchs of Diphalangarchia as Phalangarchs of Phalangarchia Tetrarch of Tetrarchia Yet was there one alwaies that commanded the winge appointed to that place extraordinarily So Philip at the battaile of Cheronaea where he ouerthrew the power of the Athenians and Thebans and their Allies tooke the one wing to himselfe and gaue the command of the other to Alexander his sonne being then but young And Alexander at Granicus commanded himselfe the right wing and appointed Parmenio to the left So in the battailes against Darius at Issos in Cilicia and at Gaugamela in Syria 17 Meros Meros is a part by diuision comming of the verbe meiro to diuide And as before Amerarchie was halfe a Phalangarchie so here Meros is halfe the fourfold Phalange Each then signifieth halfe but to distinguish them the one is called a Merarchie that is a Commande of halfe the other Meros that is halfe A distinction sufficient to know the one from the other Two of these Meros make the Phalange conteining 16384 men And these are the bodies militarie which Aelian in this Chapter describeth and which were in vse amongst the Macedonians The other Graecians vsed other bodies in their armies The Lacedemonians diuided their whole city into fixe bodies horse and foote euery one of which was called Mora or Moira Their Generall was one of their Kings for they had alwaies two Euery Moira had a Polemarch not much differing from our Coronells foure Lochagie eight Pentecosteres and sixteene Enemotarchs What the number of the Moira was is vncertaine by reason of the secrecie the Lacedemonians vsed in their gouernment as Thucydides saith Plutarch reporteth that Ephorus the historian giueth 500 men to the Moira Calisthenes 700. Polybius and others 900. Diodorus Siculus agreeth with Ephorus and alloweth but 500 to the Moira And Xenophon numbreth the Moira of the Lacedemonians which Iphicrates defeated hard by Corinth to haue been about 600 men See the scholiastes of Thucydides for the exact number of these bodies The Athenians had their Chiliarchs Pentecosiarchs Taxiarchs and Lochagie as I haue said before And with them were the Lochagi last where with the Lacedemonians they were next the Polemarchs but the number of the Lochos was not alike as I haue likewise shewed before Cyrus in Xenophon hath these orders militarie Myriarchs Commanders of ten thousand Chiliarchs of a thousand Taxiarchs of a hundred Lochagi of twentie foure Decadarchs called sometime Dodecadarchs of 12 Pempedarchs of sixe which are also called Hexadarchs Vrbicius differeth not much from Aelian saue onely in the number of the file and the Officers of the file For where Aelian hath sixteene to a file Vrbicius hath but ten and Vrbicius alloweth but two Commanders
by them the souldier was defended from the missiue weapons of the enemie and his body couered euen from the peircing of the sword Synaspismos then or shutting is that aistance in the Phalange which bringeth the sonldiers Target to touch one an other and is limited by Aelian to a cubite that is a foote and a halfe betwixt side-men and side-men in the front What distance the followers should haue Aelian setteth not here doâ—ne in plaine words but implies that they should hold their 3 foote still in that he saith the Phalange in constipation gathereth the side-men closer then in densation but speaketh nothing of followers Polybius teacheth it more plainely who giues them three foote distance from the Leader both according to the Macedonian and Roman discipline and that for the vse of their armes with whom Aelian also agreeth afterward In what manner the Targetiers made their closings and how their Targets were cast from the backe where they hung to the left shoulder I haue before noted in the second Chapter and therefore thinke it needlesse here to repeate Now for the ground that a Phalange taketh vp in each of these orders Aelian sheweth it in the words following allowing the Phalange 4 In ordinary aray foure thousand cubits The Phalange in open order saith Aelian takes vp 4096 cubits of ground This is to be vnderstood in front or length for in depth it hath no more then 64 cubits euery souldier which are in number 16 in file possessing 4 cubites of ground in his open order A cubit is the part of the arme which reacheth from the elbow to the middle fingers end and is as much as a foote and a halfe In front then there being 1024 File-leaders we most alott to each of them foure cubits of ground to the thousand 4000 cubits and to the odde twentie foure 96 cubits For foure times twentie foure makes 96. which together comes to 4096 cubits and to six thousand one hundred fortie foure foote 5 Ten furlongs and ninty six cubits Where this space is squared out by tenne furlongs wee must vnderstand that a furlong conteines foure hundred cubits and 4096 being diuided by 400 the quotient is 10 â— that is ten furlongs and 96 cubits as Aelian saith Which measure of ground the Phalange of Armed taketh in open Order Of these furlongs seuen and a halfe go to a mile by which account the front of the Phalange of armed in open order taketh vp one mile a quarter and 346 cubits measuring it by feete it amounts to 6130. In closing which is named Order and is the next distance because the souldier is allowed but 2 cubits that is halfe so much as in open Order the dimension will not exceede fiue furlongs 48 cubits that is 2048 cubits in all which amounts to halfe a mile halfe a quarter and 173 cubits in feete 3072. In shutting 2 furlongs and a halfe and 24 cubits that is a quarter of a mile and 274. cubits The arming of the Phalange CHAP. XII THe Phalange is to be armed with Target and Pyke The best Taget is the Macedonian target made 1 of brasse and 2 somewhat hollow and hauing 3 eight handfulls in Diameter The Pyke ought to be 4 no shorter then 8 cubits and the longest no longer then a man may well vse and wield in handling Notes IN the second Chapter of this booke was handled the diuersitie of armes vsed in the Phalange This setteth forth the choice that is to be made for matter and fashion and what sise is best of pike and target For the other armor of the armed whereof I spake in my notes to the second Chapter is no question to be fitted to the body of him that shall beare them He giueth then to the armed a target and a pike the target the Macedonian target the matter whereof was first of brasse I haue shewed that the Macedonian target was of brasse and that they were called by reason of the bearing such targets Chalcaspides Brazen-targets I am induced to thinke that as Philip borowed many other things in warre from the Lacedemonians so he borowed this kinde of target from them For they by the ordinance of Lycurgus were inioyned to haue no other matter in their target then brasse Xenophon giues a reason why they were made of brasse For Lycurgus was of opinion saith he that such a Target was most fit for warre because it is soone brought to shine and it gathereth not rust easily two great commodities in armes For albeit the chiefest considerations be surenesse and strength yet is not the beauty to be neglected which shining doth principally set out Besides that it dazeleth the eye of the enemie and strikes an amazednesse into his minde Xenophon much admireth Agesilaus that he so armed and clothed his armie that they seemed to be nothing but brasse and nothing but scarlet The brasse he speaketh of were the brazen targets of his souldiers which couered the most part of the body and were chiefely the obiect of the eye without that that any other weapon was at that time of Brasse Therefore as I said I am of opinion that the brazen Target came from the Spartans to the Macedonians The Brazen-targets Aelian would haue 2 Somewhat hollow If they should beare streight out without any bowing besides that they were vneasie they would lie kicking out from the body and not couer it much The arme or shoulder that is inserted into the Target is bowing And the target somewhat bowing fits it for ease and slopeth more toward the body to couer it and is more pliable to be carried But the hollownesse ought not to be much He would haue it also 3 Eight hand-fulls in Diameter The Diameter in a circle is a right line which is drawne from one side of the circumference to the other passing thorough the Center or middle point of the circle diuiding the circle in two equall parts Here the Diameter of the target is taken for the exact bredth of the target which ought to be according to the Macedonian manner eight handfulls or two foote that is 32 fingers For foure handfulls go to a foote and foure fingers to a handfull Leo giues it three Spithams that is 36 fingers if he meane the great Spithame which is of twelue fingers And the lesse comprehending a handfull he cannot meane For so should the bredth of the target be no more but three handfulls a bredth insufficient to couer any mans body Whether of them is the better will appeare in triall The Diameter that serues to couer the bodie from the vpper part of the necke to the middle part of the thigh is enough in these round targets That which is more is rather troublesome then fit for vse And I am of Iphicrates iudgement in targets that performing the couering of the bodie they should be as light as may bee least the shoulder be ouer-laden with vnnecessarie weight In
so that in 1024 files there shall bee eight thousand one hundred ninety two men Notes 1 HItherto all things concerning the arming filing embatteling number command distance and precedence of the armed are declared and likewise of the arming of the light and somewhat of their place Now followeth the filing ranking and place more exactly and their manner of embattailing with their seuer all bodies and commaunds 1 The Generall is to place I haue spoken somewhat before of the placing of the light I will now onely adde a passage of Leo tending thereunto Leo saith thus you shall range the Archers behinde the reare of euery file according to the number of the file that is foure light for twenty six armed proportioning an Archer for euery foure armed Or if it be needfull you shall order them within the files an armed and an Archer Sometimes without the wings of the battaile that is within the Horse Oftentimes without the Horse a little distance with a few Targetiers to defend the vttermost flankes of the Horse And this is to bee done when you abound in multitude of light-armed But those that vse small darts and iauelins and such like are to be placed either in the reare of the armed or in the wings of the battaile and not in the middest The slingers are alwaies to bee set in the wings Thus Leo placeth his light armed But Aelian here as before in the seuenth Chapter designeth their place in the reare but so that hee leaueth it to the Generalls choice and to the occasion of seruice to place them as most befitteth Being set behinde as Aelians order is they must answer the armed in number of files be directed by the files of the armed for their standing that is euery file of the light-armed is to order it selfe in a right line after a file of the armed in such manner as the armed are before embattailed Aelian in the beginning diuided the foote into three parts Armed Targetieres and light-armed To the armed he hath giuen place and maketh the Phalange to consist of them the light-armed he rangeth in the reare of the armed what shall become of Tagetiers for he speaketh not a word of placing them By that I read in Arrian I would think they were placed amongst the light-armed and next to the armed First because Aelian saith many number them amongst the light Then I see the Hypaspists placed betwixt the Horse and the armed in Alexanders fields at Granicus at Issos and at Gaugamela Lastly Leo in the passage before recited when he placed the light-armed without the Horse he ioyneth Targetiers with them for their safegard b Cyrus likewise placeth them next the armed in the reare and after them the Archers 2 Yet shall they not be 16. The file of the light-armed is lesse in number then the file of the armed For if they should be 16 in file the number being but halfe to the armed they should not be able to make aboue 512 files and breeding there by a disproportion both in placing and corespondence one to an other not equall the length of the Phalange Besides standing eight in file and in the reare their flying weapons will bee sent with more force against their enemie In as much as the hindermost of them are neerer the enemie by twentie foure foote which the last eight in a file of 16 deepe take vp And missiue weapons the lesse their compasse is when they are sent against a marke with more violence they pierce As they hurt not greatly if the distance be too farre from whence they come The names of the bodies of the light-armed CHAP. XVI THeir names and degrees are these Foure files of light-armed are called 1 a Systasis of 32. men Two Systasies a 2 Pentecontarchy of 64 men Two Pentecontarchies 3 a Century of 128 men In euery Century ought to bee 5 Superordinarie men an Ensigne a Reare-commander a Trumpetter a Serieant and a Crier Two Centuries containe 256 men and are called 4 a Psylagy Two Psylagies a Xenagy of 512 men Two Xenagies a Systremma of 1024 men Two Epixenagies a Stiphos of 4096 men Two Stiphos an Epitagma of 1024 files 8192 men These ought also to haue 8 Superordinarie men whereof foure should bee Epixenagies the other foure Systremmatarchs Notes CAP 16 A Systasis A Pentecontarchy The light Armed The Front But here I may not praetermit the curiositie of the Graecians in their appellations and their plenty of speach apt to giue diuersitie to things that are diuers For where there are boâ—es amongst armed and light-armed which consist of the same number and therefore as it seemes might well enough haue beene comprehended vnder one name they notwithstanding to auoide confusion and for perspicuities sake haue thought good to call them by sundry names Thirty two armed men are called a Dilochi 32 light armed are a Systasis 64 armed are a Tetrarchie 64 light armed a Pentecontarchie 128 armed a Taxis 128 light a Hecatontarchie Our tongue will not afford such variety For albeit in common speach we distinguish the kinde of souldier yet confound we the name of the body and of the command A certaine number of Pikes vnder a Captaine we call a company of Pikes So many shot vnder a Captaine we likewise call a company of shot The Captaines one a Captaine of Pikes and the other a Captaine of shot A company of Curacers of horse we call a troope of Curacers as many Argoleters a troope of Argoleters The Commanders of either of them we terme Captaines the one of Curacers the other of Argoleteres But let vs come to particular explication 1 Asystasis It commeth of Synistemi to stand together and asystasis is a standing together which word albeit it may be extended to any kinde of people assembled and standing together yet it is here appropriated to souldiers and more particularly to 4. files of light armed consisting of 32 men 8 men going to the file 2 A Pentecontarchie The command of 50 men And so it was vsed of olde But the Macedonian gaue 64 men to this command and yet reteined the name because it was familiar and well knowne 3 A Century Aelian calleth it a Hecatontarchie the command of a 100 men The name was vsuall before the Macedonians time and it conteyned 100 men But the Macedonians gaue it 128 men This was answerable to the Syntagma amongst the armed and had the like officers Yet whether it had a Captaine or no may be some doubt the rather because Aelian in this Chap nameth no Commanders but Systrematarchs and Epixenagies and those he would haue super-ordinary For my part I thinke they had Centurions also For as euery body of the armed had a head so I would thinke it requisite also amongst the light-armed especially seing there was a Bringer-vp and other officers belonging to a Company which vnlesse they had a Commander would become vnprofitable For if there were no Captaine to whom should the Crier
to the light armed and horse Wherein notwithstanding the counsell of Iphicrates was held good take heede said hee to his light-armed of ambushes and spare not to presse hard vpon the reare of those that flie till you come to riuers or straights or ditches For it is dangerous in such places to hinder the enemies flights least feare turne into desperation The fashion of Horse-battailes and first of the Rhombe the Wedge and the Square CHAP. XVIII THose that haue written before mee haue diuersely framed Horse-battailes some of iust squares some longer in flanke then in front some like a Rhombe some like a Wedge but none of them haue if I may speake freely expressed fully their owne conceits Therefore to make all things cleere and better to bee vnderstood I will set downe the seuerall figures of each seuerall kinde 1 It seemeth the Thessalians whose power was great in Horse were the first that vsed the kinde of battaile 2 fashioned in forme of a Rhombe the inuention whereof is attributed to Iason as fittest for all encounters The Horsemen thus ordered being ready to turne their faces euery way with speede and not easie to bee surprised in flanke or in the Reare Because the best men stand in the flanke and the Commanders in the Angles as namely the Captaine of the troupe in the front and in the right and left Angles those that are called Flanke-commanders and the Leiutenant in the Reare-angle 3 The Scythians and Thracians haue vsed Wedges and likewise the Macedonians by the ordinance of King Philip. For this kinde of battaile was held of mor exact vse then the square because the Commanders are placed in a circle and consisting of a narrow front it maketh readie passage thorough any distance and an easier wheeling and returning to the first posture as hauing no such troublesome windings about as hath the Square 4 The Persians and Sicilians and most Graecians made choice of Squares being of opinion they were more easie to frame and fitter for ioint-mouing of the Horse and more effectuall in vse For they are sooner in order being digested into files and rankes and in this order alone all the Commanders fall vpon and charge the enemie with one maine force Those are best Squares that double the number of the length to the number of the depth As when there are eight in length and foure in depth or tenne in length and fiue in depth These in number are of vnequall sides but in figure foure Square For the length of a Horse from head to taile compared with his bredth requireth more men in rank then in file to make vp the Square Some allow thrice as many in length as in depth and thinke by that meanes a perfect square may be formed because for the most part the length of a Horse seemeth thrice as much as the bredth betwixt his shoulders Therefore they giue nine in front and three in flanke For a multitude of Horsemen yeeld not the same aduantage behinde that foote doe when in the depth of the Battaile they iointly thrust on in as much as the Horse helpe nothing to the setlednesse of fast resistance being neither able to thrust those forwards that are before nor yet to linke and knitte with them and so to make one weight as it were of the whole body and in case they presse vpon the formost by disordering and distempering their owne Horse they annoy themselues more then the enemy Therefore it alwaies falleth out that when there are as many Horse in length as in depth a Square of number is made but the sides of the figure are vnequall the depth exceeding the length in proportion but when the figure of the Troupe is Square the number of the sides and front is vnequall Notes IN the second Chapter of this booke the armie was diuided into two kindes footemen and Riders Footemen againe into three armed Targetieres and light armed Of these three is hither to treated Riders follow who either vsed Horses or Elephants Horses either alone or else in Chariots Of these Aelian treateth seuerally hereafter For the arming and place of Horse in the fielde hee hath sufficiently spoken already The following discourse is First of the manner of embattailing horse wherein he setteth downe the diuersity of vsage in ancient time Then of Chariots and lastly of Elephants That a horse is a kinde of beast that loues man and is most faithfull vnto him Pliny testifieth The vse of him is for carriage and for seruice in the field And in the seruice of the field an armie without horse is in a manner no armie Iphicrates as I haue said before comparing an armie to a mans body resembleth the horse to feete And as the body hath no power of mouing or rather remouing the feete being lame or taken away so is the armie slow and vnfit for expedition that is destitute of horse and may be well resembled to those beasts that creepe vpon their bellies whose greatest hast is with little speede The horse do great seruice in the field of themselues alone and are principally imployed in matters that require quicknesse in dispatch Therefore are they fit for discoueries either of the enemies country or of his campe or of his marche or of other things whereof the Generall desires to haue notice And not for discoueries alone but to spoile and destroy whatsoeuer the enemy hath growing to make prey of his Cattle burne his houses kill his people surprise his places of strength and to â—mbarre him from doing the like to vs to bring and conuay prouision for our Campe to shut in the enemie that he goe not out his campe for like causes to hinder the enemies march by falling on the reare Briefely all expeditions of celeritie are for the most part deliuered to the horse alone Especially as long as they are in such places as giue them liberty to go on or retire at their pleasures Yet are they often ioyned with the light armed as I haue shewed They often ioine likewise with the armed And if they may come to charge the enemies battaile in the flanke or reare at such time as our armed charge in front they â—ndanger all But for imployment alone against the armed foote many examples of former times shew how weake there force is And how little they preuaile especially against armed that are practized in fight and resolute Souldiers The examples I haue quoted in the margent make the matter cleare For further confirmation I will set downe Xenophons opinion which all be it it were deliuered concerning the Persian horse that came against the armed foote of the Graecians in their return out of Persia yet the reason stretcheth to all horse in generall His words sound thus If any of you faint in minde said he to the Graecians because we haue none the enemy many horse let him consider that ten thousand horse-men are no more then ten thousand men For no man was
euer slaine in battaile by byting or stroke of a horse Men they are that performe whatsoeuer is done in fight As for vs the foote he meaneth our mounting is much more firme and stedfast then theirs They hange vpon their horse and are in feare not onely of vs but to be shaken of and throwne to ground We contrariewise haue stable footing and shall be able both with great assurednesse to strik and direct our aime with more certainty One aduantage the horse-men haue they may more securely runne away Hitherto Xenophon And so much is summarily spoken of the seruice of horse 1 The Thessalians whose power was great in horse The Thessalians inhabiting about the mountaine Pelius were the first that fought on horse-backe and were therefore called Centaures When they watered their horses in the riuer Peneus the horse heades stooping to drinke made the vnskilfull multitude who saw the bodies of men ioyned to the shoulders of the horse conceiue that the vpper part was man and the neither Oxe For it should seeme horse were not so well knowne then as Oxen with which they laboured and plowed their land The Poets therefore fained that they were monsters compounded of two diuers natures man and oxe or bull and that Centaurus the beginner of the race was begotten by Ixion vpon a cloude which was figured like Iuno Howbeit Seruius giueth a better originall of the name saying that certaine seruants of a Thessalian King seeing their masters Neate raging with the Brimse a flie that biteth cattell got a horse backe and pricking them with goades reduced them to their stables and that they were after called Centaures Para kentein tous taurous of pricking the neate The great Etymologicon giueth yet an other beginning of the name For where I haue said that Centaurus was begotten by Ixion vpon a cloude which was figured like Iuno with whom Ixion was in loue The Etymologicon saith the sonne of Ixion and of the cloude was called Centaurus Apo tou ton patera autou kentein ten auran But Diodorus Sicul. reporting the historie of the Centaures speaketh not of Centaurus the father of the race but saith notwithstanding that they were bred of a cloude and that the Nymphs brought them vp and that they were the first horsemen and therefore called Hippocentauri which gaue occasion to the fable that they had two natures It is generally agreed that these Centaures were Thessalians and that they were the first horsemen that are mentioned in any history And as they were the first so by reason of their long practise they were accounted the best the most valiant and the most expert horse-men of all Greece euen to the time of Philip sonne of Amintas King of Macedonia who conquered all Thessaly saith Iustin not of desire to make himselfe rich of the prey of that Countrey but to winne to his armie the strength of the Thessalian horsemen Whose seruice he vsed afterward in all his war Neither did they lesse seruice to his sonne Alexander in whose greatest battailes their vertue clearelie appeareth and is especially commended by histories Pyrrhus also principally by their valor put the Romans to flight Agesilaus returning out of Asia towards his Countrey led his armie through Thessalie and being much incumbred in his mareh by the Thessalian horsemen that were his enemies hee charged them and ouerthrewe them and pleased himselfe maruellously therein because with troupes of horse which himselfe had raised and disciplined hee had ouerthrowne the Thessalians that were saith Xenophon so highly renowned for horsemanship 2 Fashioned and forme of a Rhombe There are three kindes of horse battailes mentioned by Aelian the Rhombe the Wedge and the Square And the square is either a iust square or longer in flanke then in front or in front then in flanke The Rhombe was the inuention of the Thessalians and in that forme they vsually fought But where he maketh Iason to be the inuentor of it he afterward expoundeth his owne meaning attributing the inuention to Ileon the Thessalian from whom also it was tearmed Ile but the chiefe practise to Iason Euclyde defineth a Rhombe in this sort f A Rhombe is a square figure that hath the sides equall but the angles not right That is the foure sides of the square are of one and the same length but the points which make the angles are two of them stretched out in greater length and become more sharpe two of them brought narrower together and made more blunt then the right angles of a Tetragonall square See the figure It is the same figure in a battaile that at this day we call the Diamond battaile which is sometimes practised amongst the foote for shew and evercise sake but amongst the horse I haue not seene it practised And as the square goeth to charge with all the souldiers that stand in one of the sides that is with the front for the front is but a side of the square so the Rhombe chargeth with one of the points which is the front of the Rhombe Whether of them is of most vse in the field I am not to determine For the square standes the practise of our daies besides the vsage of the Persians Sicilians and most Graecians as Aelian saith For the Rhombe the Thessalians alone which notwithstanding were acknowledged the best horsemen of Greece vnlesse we allow the Wedge for a parcell of the Rhombe a Rhombe being but a double Wedge as making two wedges when it is diuided in two and then haue wee for the Rhombe not onely the Scythians and Thracians both nations very good Horsemen but King Philip Amintas sonne and Alexander the great and his successours Either of both formes haue their reasons For the squares they that vse them held opinion as Aelian saith that they were easier to frame and fitter for ioint mouing of horse and sooner in order of file and ranke and that the Commanders iointly charged the enemy which in no other forme could be done For the easinesse to frame I see no great difference onely custome and vse must in euery for me yea in the squares themselues make the horseman ready to know and take and keepe his place The same may be said for the ioint moouing of the horse Now to file and rancke is common to the square with some Rhombes and as soone done in the one as in the other the number of the troupe being once knowne and euery horseman hauing his place assigned and the forme resolued vpon into the which it must be cast For where there are 4 kinds of Rhombes one that fileth and ranketh an other that fileth but ranketh not the third that ranketh but fileth not the last that neither fileth nor ranketh as Aelian teacheth in the next Chapter The first will finde no more difficultie of fiâ—ing and ranking then the square the two next albeit the one ranke not the other file not yet the want of filing or ranking
make the length of both equall one to another The difference then betwixt them in length is 64 men which in order take vp 192 foote And where there goe foure Phalangarchies to a fourefold Phalange and 16 troupes of horse are placed behind euery Phalangarchie we must diuide these 192 foote into foure parts euery of which parts will amount to 48 foote and giue to each troupe three foote distance one betwixt an other for distances betwixt one troupe and an other Polybius holdeth necessary and so shall the 16 troupes of horse take vp as much ground in length as a Phalangarchie The one conteining 256 files in length which occupy 768 foote of ground and the other 240 men in the last ranke which occupy 720 foote To which adding 48 foote of distance there ariseth the euen number of 768. And so shall the 64 troupes of horse be euen in length with the fourefold Phalange The names of the Offices and Commands of the Horse follow wherein as I before noted in the foote we must not presse too neare the property of words but take them as they haue beene vsed among Souldiers 3 Two troupes are called an Epilarchie One troupe is called Ile and the Commander an Ilarch for so he is termed before in Aelian Two troupes an Epilarchie and the Commander an Epilarch as it were a Commander ouer two Iles troupes He hath 128 Horse vnder his command 4 A Tarentinarchie Of Tarentines mention is made in the second Chapter The name of a Tarentinarchie is not giuen to this Troupe because it consisted of Tarentines but because of likelyhood the Tarentine horsemen had so many in a troupe Let it be as it will it signifieth here a troupe of 256 Horse 5 An Hipparchie Properly signifieth the command of horse and Xenophon vseth the word Hipparch for the Generall of horse but Aelian and the Tacticks vse it for the command of 512 horse 6 An Ephipparchie As it were a command ouer two Hipparchies or ouer 1024 horse 7 A Telos The name of Telos is giuen both to a body of horse and to a body of foote A Merarchie was called by some Telos saith Aelian before and conteined 2048 armed The Telos of horse conteineth 2048 horse So the bodies are equall in number The word sometimes signifieth a Command or Dignitie from which signification this body as seemeth hath the name 8 Epitagma The whole body of light-armed was called an Epitagma which name is giuen likewise to the whole body of horse comprizing 4096 horse It may be they are both so called because they are placed behind the Armed as I noted before For that place Aelian assigneth vnto them The diligence to be vsed in choice and exercise of the best formes of Battailes CHAP. XXI THE Inventions and conceits of those that liued in old time about Troopes of Horse are declared in what forme euery one was cast and for what cause some vsed one forme some another Now it behoueth as in things that carry with them great difference not carelesly and negligently to rely vpon the bare precepts but rather by daily exercise to make try all of euery kinde of figure and so attayning to the perfect knowledge of that which is readiest and of most advantage to admit and receiue it in true fight For it were great simplicitie considering in matters of lesse importance men by curious inquiry reach to the exact finding out of many things herein not to ground vpon perfect and sure experience before we come to ioyne with the enemy Troopes may be inlarged or lessened as it shall seeme convenient to him that hath the command Of Chariots the names and degrees of the Commanders CHAP. XXII AS for ordering Chariots and Elephants albeit they are worne out of vse yet to make vp the measure of this discourse I will remember their names as they are set downe in ancient writers In the Art of ordering Chariots for the field they call two Chariots a 1 Zygarchy Two Zygarchies a 2 Zyzygi Two Zyzygies an 3 Epyzyzygi Two Epizyzygies an 4 Hartamarchy Two Hartamarchies a 5 wing Two wings a 6 Phalange A man may vse many and sundry Phalanges of Chariots and yet retaine the same names in euery Phalange Some haue framed simple Chariots to serue withall other some haue armed them with Sithes prominent and standing out on each side Notes THere were two kinde of Chariots vsed of ancient time the one a simple Chariot the other a Chariot armed with sithes The first kinde was vsed by the Heroes as they terme them that is the renowned Souldiers of old such as were Achilles Hector Cycnus Aeneas Turnus as appeareth by Homer Virgil Ovid and other Poets The last was brought in by the Generalls of later times especially by those that raigned in Asia and in Africa For the Europeans haue counted them fruitlesse and vaine mockeries and amongst them you shall hardly finde any mention of Chariots Aelian toucheth them onely because both they and Elephants were in his time growne out of vse Wherefore I meane likewise to passe them ouer sleightly onely directing the Reader that is desirous to vnderstand their manner of fight to places of Historie where they are mentioned And first see for their Forme Xenoph. Cyrop lib. 6. 152. D. E. 156. B. C. de exped Cyr. lib. 1. 264 A. B. Liu. decad 4. lib. 7. 142. A. Diodor. Sicul. lib. 17. 596. Quin. Curt. lib. 4. 119 lib. 8. 371. Their violence Diod. Sicul. lib. 17. 593. Their place in the battaile Xenoph. Cyrop lib. 6. 168. C. D. Liu. decad 4. lib. 7. 142. A. Diod. Sicul. lib. 14. 408. Remedies against them Diodor. Sicul. lib. 17. 592. 593. Xenoph. de exped Cyr. lib. 1. 265. Liu. decad 4. 142. Quint. Curt. lib. 4. 141. Plutarch in Sylla I come to the names of the Commands of Chariots 1 A Zygarchie The command of two Chariots as it were a yoake of Chariots 2 A Syzygy The command ouer two yoakes as it were of Chariots ioyned together that is ouer 4 Chariots 3 An Episyzygy The command ouer foure yoakes of Chariots that is ouer eight Chariots 4 An Harmatarchie Properly the command of Chariots But vsed by Aelian for the command of 16 Chariots 5 A wing As foote so Chariots and Elephants had their wings of battaile To the wing went 32 Chariots Yet finde I this order of imbattailing Chariots no where but in Aelian He that will let him read the places that I haue noted before for the ordering of Chariots Notwithstanding I can not doubt that the names giuen here by Aelian are taken out of ancient writers 6 A Phalange It consisteth of 64 Chariots and wee here see that Chariots also had their Phalanges as well as foote and Horse Of Elephants the names and degrees of their Commanders CHAP. XXIII TOuching Elephants he that is Commander of one Elephant is called 1 Zoarcha Of two 2 Therarcha and the body a Therarchy Of foure 3 Epitherarcha and the
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
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
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
number When the front hath twise as many files as it had before this is Doubling in number or in men or in persons For the persons or men make the number in the files And the files carrying an euen depth of men and being doubled double the number of the front or length Aelian speaketh but of one kinde of doubling namely of number and that must be done in open order as I said before For the files of 16 standing in open order if you command the Middlemen as we terme them at this day they were called in the Macedoman files the third Enomotarchs to double their ranks These middle men with the hinder halfe file march vp to the front so doubling the front in number leaue yet the same measure of length The figure sheweth how it is done Yet are there two other waies when the Phalange standeth in close order both which double the number and place One is when the Middlemen diuide themselues and one halfe with their followers turning their faces march out of the right flanke The other of the left flanke of the Phalange And then turning their faces againe sleeue vp and ioyne themselues in an euen line with the File leaders in front The other when all the Middle turne their faces one way and march out with their followers beyond one flanke right or left and turning faces againe sleeue vp to the front and stand euen with the File-leaders One of these is done when we desire to enlarge both the wings of the Phalange the other when but one wing Of these two last waies I haue set downe no figure because I finde them not expressed in Aelian Cleandridas the Lacedemonian vsed yet an other kinde not spoken of by Aelian Polienus telleth the story thus Cleandridas making warre vpon the Thurians hauing halfe as many men againe as they conceiuing if they had intelligence hereof they would hardly bee brought to fight imbattailing his Phalange stretched it out in depth The Lucans therefore contemning the small number drew out their forces in length with intent to ouer-front the enemy which Cleandridas perceiuing commanded the followers to march vp and ranke with their Leaders and by that meanes increased the length of his Phalange and ouer-fronted the enemy who being incompassed and assailed with missiue weapons on all hands perished intirely excepting a few that saued themselues by shamefull flight The words seeme obscure to a man not acquainted with the Tacticks There are two kinde of soldiers saith Aelian in a file Leaders and followers All the Leaders are the odde of the file as the first the 3. the 5 the 7 and so forth the followers are the euen as the 2 4 6 8. Those that are in the same ranke are called side-men Now saith Polien Cleandridas willed the followers to step forward and to ranke and become side-men with their Leaders that is he willed the euen files to double their ranks with the odde and so extenuated the depth but increased the length of his Phalange by which art he ouerfronted inclosed the enemy on all sides This way then to double ranks or the length of the battaile is to insert the euen ranks man by man into the odde All the Doublings that haue beene rehearsed were Doublings either in number alone or else both in number and place For doubling of place alone nothing is said in Aelian The Insertion I recited supplyeth this defect saying the place is doubled with 124 files onely by commanding halfe to turne to the Pike halfe to the Target till the Phalange be stretched to a convenient length as from 5 furlongs to ten which is as much to say in few words as to open the Phalange Or to bring it from order to open order For so the front possesseth double ground to that it had before 4 The vse of Doubling the length is Two causes are assigned for the doubling of the length One to ouerwing the enemy the other to auoide ouerwinging our selues Cleandridas in the example aboue performed both For he both disappointed the Lucans that sought to incompasse him and besides incompassed and inclosed them The narrower the front is it is the more in danger of ouer-fronting being drawne out in length it is freer from enclosing because a greater compasse must be fetched before it can be inclosed Yet are we to take heed that in doubling of the front we giue it not so much length that it faile in depth The want of length or depth is alike dangerous and giueth advantage to the enemy I haue touched before and quoted Leo glancing onely at his words Now I will set them downe as they lye When the thicknes or depth of the Phalange saith he is gathered vp and made more thinne it behoueth not so to lengthen it that it become altogether weake and without depth For it will so come to passe that the enemy shall easily cut it in peeces and make a passage thorough it and not onely seeke to incompasse it before but passing thorough the middest bee found behinde and there indamage it And this it behooueth a Generall not onely to take heede hee suffer not himselfe but also indeuour to put vpon his enemy Hitherto are the words of Leo shewing the disadvantage of a battaile too much thinned by doubling the length But Leo elsewhere aâ—deth an other cause of doubling namely to make shew a faire sight of the Armie For the more ground it taketh in front the more will the number appeare and the bravery of euery man in particular discouered Further Antigonus vsed also this doubling for a policâ—e to beguile his enemy Polien reporteth the fact thus Antigonus incamped against Eumenes with an armie inferior in number And when messengers were sent often from one to an other Antigonus at the receit of a messenger of the enemy commanded one of his souldiers to come running in as it were out of breath and all to be-sullied with dust and to bring newes that his Confederates were come Antigonus hearing the newes leaped for ioy and sent away the messenger The next day he led his Armie out of his trench doubling the length of his front When the enemy heard of their messenger the newes that was brought to Antigonus concerning his Confederates and saw the length of his battaile doubled they imagined that the depth was answerable to the front And therefore they dislodged being afraid to ioyne with him 5 There are that mislike Countermarches and Aelians doublings of number are dangerous the enemy being ready to charge Because the files of the Battaile must be kept in open Order â—ill the motions be ended which posture is not fit to receiue the charge of the enemy as we saw out of the eleuenth Chapter The other two doublings are done in close order whereof I made mention a little before The one diuiding the middle men in halfe anâ— sleeuing them vp by the battaile on both sides The other
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