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
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
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
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
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
hollowed for that and other purposes Heereof Aelian likewise treateth in this booke heere after And albeit the most vsuall embattailling of them hath beene in the wings yet the bestowing in the reare according to Aelians minde hath also advantages First it concealeth theire number which because they are shaddowed with the pikes standing before can hardly bee discerned Then it is easie from the reare to drawe them to any place of service without disorder bee it before on the wings or behinde the reare Further it will not bee easie for the enemies horse to charge them the armed standing before for a sure defence Lastly from the reare they shall bee able at all times to anoye the enemy before the battaile ioynes as soone as the battaile ioynes and all the time of fight Neither doth this manner of embattailing want examples of the ould historie of the Graecians The embattailing of Cyrus the elders armie in Xenophon hath the light-armed in the reare I will set downe the effect of Cyrus words at large because they conteine the ordering of an armie to fight according to the iudgement of Xenophon Cyrus then being to trye a battaile with Craesus thus directs his Commanders you saith hee Araspes take your place in the right wing as you now doe and you the other Myriarches as you are acoustomed For when the fight is once a foote noe Chariot may change horses and command the Taxiarches and file-leaders to order theire files every one divided in two parts Phalange-wise that is each half fronting one with another in a right line A file conteineth foure an twenty men Then saide one of the Myriarches doe you thinke Sir that wee shall bee able in this order to encounter so deep a Phalange as the enemies Cyrus answered the Phalanges that are deeper then may with theire armes reach the enemy are they fitt thinke you either to annoye the enemy or profitte theire frindes For my part I could wish those that are ranged 100 in depth to bee in depth a thowsand For so should wee haue the fewer to fight with all The number that I giue for the depth of the Phalange I doubt not but will entirely serue for vse and maintaine a joynt fight in every part The Darters I will place after the armed and after the darters the Archers For who will sett them in front that confesse themselues vnable to maintaine a fight hand to hand Howe then will they hould theire grownde if they bee sett before the armed but being in the reare some with darts other with arrows sent over the heads of the armed will greatly endammage the enemy And it is cleere that wherewithall soever an enemy is endamaged with the same a mans owne fide is eased and relieved You therefore order your selues as I haue appointed As for the captaines of the Targetiers I will haue them and theire files stand likewise next the armed in the Reare and after them the Archers And you the chiefe Commaunder of the Reare enjoyne the other reare Commanders every man to haue an eye to those vnder him that they doe theire duties And let them sharply threaten the negligent and in case any man treasonably forsake his place punish him with death For it is the worke of Commanders both with word and deed to encourage those they command to make the cowards more afraide of them then of the enemy This is your charge but you Euphratas that command over the Engines see that the beasts that drawe the Engines and Turrets followe the Phalange as neere as may bee And you Daouchus that haue the charge of the baggage come with your manye next after the Turrets and let your Serieants seuerely punish them that hast to much before or come to slowly after And you Carduchus that rule the wagons wherein the women are order them next the baggage For all these comming in the reare will both breede an opinion of multitude and giue vs meanes to lay an ambush and will force the enemy purposing to encompasse vs to fetche a larger compasse which the larger it is soe much the weaker must hee be And you Artabasus and Artagersas each of you leade next after these the 1000. foote you commande a piece And you Phranuchus and Asiadatas order the Chiliarchies of horse you commande not with the Phalange but set them by themselues a part behind the wagons and when you haue done it repaire to vs with the rest of the commanders But you are to bee in a readinesse as if you were first to fight And you the commanders of the Camel-riders place your selues after the wagons and doe what Artagersas shall bidde you And you the Commanders of the Chariots after lotts are cast let him whose lotte it is range himself and his 100. Charriots before the Phalange the other two hundred one of them is to follow the Phalange on the right side wing-wise the other on the left So farre Cyrus I haue rehearsed the words at large principally to shewe that the light-armed in ancient time were placed sometimes behinde the Phalange and yet further also to represent the manner of embattailing an armie which was then vsuall For heere haue you set downe the place of the Myriarches of the other commaunders which was in front then the place of the pikes of the light-armed of the reare commanders of the Engines of the baggage of the wagons wherein the women were of the gards for the baggage both horse and foote of the Camels and of the Chariots And albeit many of these particulers agree not with our manner at this day for wee haue neither Engines nor Camels nor Chariotts nor slings nor darts nor arrowes yet is the reason of warre alike in all and in our placing also the fitnesse of seruice principally to bee respected The place of the horse is heere omitted by Xenophon which may be supplied out of the seventh booke where Chrysanthas Generall of the horse is saide to stand on the right wing of the Phalange with half the horse Hystaspas on the left with the other half But to returne to the placing of the light-armed the same Xenophon testifieth that it was the Aegyptian manner to order theire light-armed behinde that in the battaile betwixt Cyrus and Craesus the Aegyptian archers and darters were with drawne swords compelled by the reare-commanders to shoote and east theire darts Thrasybulus in his fight against the thirty Tyrants set his armed in front and in the reare his targetiers and darters without armor and those that cast stones And it seemeth by the words of Thrasybulus to his owne side that the Tyrants did the like The Tyrants saith hee haue brought vs to a place in which by reason of the steepnesse they must ascend and can neither cast stone nor dart over the heads of theire owne people that are embattailed before Where wee contrarywise whether wee throwe jauelins or darts or stones shall easily reache
but was best to be done And the number that Aelian speaketh of suites his Phalange best For Philips device being to cast the horse into wedges of 64 horse a peece and into 64 troupes the greatest ranke of ech wedge being 15 will in the reare equall the front of the armed and of the light armed not in number of files for the files of the foote were 1024. and the greatest ranke of the horse no more than 960 but in quantitie of place giuing to the horse standing in their order of 6 foote betwixt man man the 128 cubits of surplusage toward the difference of the horses bodies and toward the small spaces that are to be left betwixt Troope and Troope The Romans allowed a farre lesse rate of horse to the foote In a Legion according to Polybius his account there were of Citizens 4200 foote and 300 horse of allies and confederates 4200 foote and 600 horse In a Consular Army were 2 Legions of Citizens and 2 of Allies which came to 16800 a number not much differing from Aelians Phalange of foote Of horse 600 Allies 1200 in all making 1800 which commeth much short of 4096 the number Aelian alloweth to his Phalange and holdeth proportion of about 1. to 9. The reason of this difference may appeare in the fact of Eumenes who not much trusting his forces of foote against the Macedonians accounted the best souldiers of that age prepared himselfe a sufficient number of Horse with them to make a counterballance against the Macedonian foote And it hath beene the manner of Generalls of ancient time if they trusted their Foote-forces to make the lesse account of Horse if they distrusted them to encrease the number of their horse The Romanes trusting to their foote required the lesser number of horse The Grecians had the greater number of horse both for the cause before recited and further because they had continuall warre with Barbarians that placed their confidence in horse as the Persians and the inhabitants of the lesser Asia The names of the seuerall parts and of the Commanders of the seuerall parts of the Phalange and of the numbers vnder their commaunds CHAP. IX THe files are ordered into bodies which haue euery one a proper name For two files they call 1 a Dilochie of thirtie two men whose Leader is tearmed Dilochita Foure files 2 a Tetrarchy and the Leader thereof Tetrarcha hauing charge ouer 64. men Two Tetrarchies 3 a Taxis of 128. men and 8. files and the Leader thereof hath the name of Taxiarcha Two Taxies goe to 4 a Syntagma of 16. files and 256. men and the Leader thereof is called Syntagmatarcha A Syntagma of 256. men is called of some a Xenagy and the Commaunder Xenagos In euery Syntagma of 256. are fiue 5 superordinary men viz 6 An Ensigne 7 a Reare commaunder 8 a Trompetter 9 a Sergeant and a 10 Crier This Syntagma seemeth to haue 11 a Tetragonall forme of 16. men in length and 16. in depth Two Syntagmaes make 12 a Pentecosiarchy of 512. men and 32. files the Leader whereof is named Pentecosiarcha Two Pentecosiarchies make 13 a Chiliarchy of 1024. men and 64 files and the Leader is called Chiliarcha Two Chiliarchies are called 14 a Merarchy of 2048. men and 128. files whose Leader is named Merarcha Of some this part is called a Telos and the Leader thereof Telarcha Two Telarchies make 15 a Phaiangarchy of 4096. men and 256. files the Commander whereof is called Phalangarcha Yet some call it a Strategy and the Commander Strategos Two Phalangarchies 16 a Diphalangarchy of 8192. men and 512. files There are that tearme this part 17 Meros and it is one of the wings Two Diphalangarchies make a fourfold Phalange consisting of 1024. files and 16384. men So haue you in the whole Phalange of armed foote two wings foure Phalangarchies eight Merarchies sixteen Chiliarchies thirty two Pentecosiarchies sixtie foure Syntagmatarchies one hundred twentie eight Taxiarchies two hundred fiftie six Tetrarchies fiue hundred twelue Dilochies one thousand twenty foure files Notes HEther to haue beene shewed the manner of arming and leuying of Souldiers filing and the parts of files ioyning of files and ranking the locall forme and parts of a Phalange the number of the armed light-armed and horse-men requisite to a Phalange This Chapter containes as it were the matter of which a Phalange is compounded that is the seuerall bodies Militarie ordred and ioyned together to make vp the perfect forme of it These bodies are many and arise ou◠of ioyning files by doubling Cap. 9. A Pentecostarchy of 32 files 512 men Dilochites 16 Tetrarch's 8 Taxiarch's 4 Syntagmatarch's 2 Petecosiarch's 1 Cap. 9. A Phalangarehy of 256 files 4096 men Cap. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 64 files 1024 men Cap. 9. The Reare A Dilochy of 2 files 32 men Dilodnte of Commdnder of 2 files A Tetrarchy of 4 files 64 men A Tetrarch or Commander of 4 files A Taxis of 8 files·128·men A Taxiarch or Commander of 8 files A Syntagma of 16 files·256·men The Rear commander of Bringervp A Syntagmatarch or Commander of 16 files A Sericani still their number and haue euery one a seuerall Commander The least is two files ioyned together which is called a Dilochy And because there are in Phalange 1024. files there must also bee 512. Dilochies which consist of two files a peece If you double this body of two files and make thereof a body of foure files it hath an other name and is called a Tetrarchy of which Tetrarchyes there are 256. in a Phalange Double againe these 4. files and make 8 the body is called Taxis And these eight files being doubled bring out the Syntagma of 16. files which is a square number of men 16. in the front and 16. in the flancke And so proceeding still in 6. doublings more you come at last to the fourefold Phalange containing the number of 16384. men and 1024. files Now as in the Phalange there are 10. bodies out of these doublings the Dilochy being the first and the fourefold Phalange the last So doth Aelian appoint for euery body a Commander who albeit they seuerally command each his owne troupe yet are they subordinately one vnder an other the lesser vnder the greater till at last the souerainty of the command rest in the Generall of the Army The Dilochites are directed by the Tetrarches the Tetrarches by the Taxiarches the Taxiarches by the Syntagmatarchs the Syntagmatarches by the Pentecosiarches and they by the Chiliarchs ouer whom are Merarches and ouer the Merarches the Phalangarchs and ouer them the Commanders of the winges or Diphalangarches and the soueraigne of the Armie or Generall is the highest and last The number of these Commanders a man would think were to no great purpose being in all the 2. Diphalangarchies therein comprized 1022 besides the file Leaders which standing in the heades of their files amount but to two men more that is to 1024. For so many as I haue
said are the files of the Phalange But if the conueniency be obserued it will not seeme impertinent For all the Leaders being in front therefore are they called Leaders because they precede and the rest follow it makes both a gallant shew and that rancke being as it were the edge of our battaile not only serues to hew a sunder and rent a pieces the forces of our enemie But also standeth as an assured bulwarke of defence before the rest of the Armie that followeth And it is well noted by Leo that the multitude of Commanders in orderly diuisions both signifies that there are many worthy and valiant men in the armie And is a meanes to keep the Souldiers in greater obedience and to giue vndoubted effect to all directions Of what qualitie and disposition those Leaders ought to be you may see in the fourth Chapter of Leos Tactickes Onely I will adde that as they are higher in dignity so ought they in vertue and valour exceede those that are vnder their command 1 A Dilochy Consists of two files for so signifies the word Dilochia and the Leader is called a Dilochite 2 A Tetrarchy Of foure files and the Leader is called a Tetrach one that hath the command of foure files And here I must once more admonish that in the words of diuers signification we must not weigh what is the proper signification but how they are vsed in this Art and booke For the word Tetrarch signifieth sometimes a King as Hesychius hath and Deiotarus in Tully is called a Tetrarch and Herode in the Gospell who both are commonly knowne for Kings Thessaly likewise was diuided into 4. Principalities Thessaliotis Pthiotis Pelasgiotis and Astiotis whereof euery one was named a Tetrarchy Onely the difference is that a Tetrarch being a King or a Gouernour signifies him that hath the gouernment of the fourth part of the land for a Tetrarchy is the gouernment of the fourth part But a Tetrarchy in Aelian signifies a body military consisting of foure parts 4. files and the Tetrarch commands not ouer one alone but ouer all the 4. parts 3 A Taxis As the word Tetrarchy is diuersly taken so is Taxis likewise For sometimes it imports Order in a generall signification as I noted before Sometimes the order of a battaile sometimes a company of any kinde of Souldiers foote or horse as Taxis Peltastarum Taxis Equitum Sometimes a single Phalange as in Arrian mention is made of Taxis Ooeni Taxis Perdiccae and Taxis Meleagri c. who were Phalangarches as the story sheweth i Sometimes for all the armed as Taxis Phalangitarum Sometimes a rancke of men standing embattailed as in Thucidides who discribing the battell of the Lacedemonians saith the front which he calleth the first rancke teen proteen Taxin consisted of 448. But in a more speciall signification it is taken for a band of Souldiers And in that signification the number varieth In Xenophon it comprehendeth a hundred men What the number of the Athenian Taxis was I finde not deliuered by any Writer That they had Taxiarchs Polyenus sheweth plainely And if a man with leaue might gesse I would imagine their Taxis consisted of 250 men For I finde in the same place of Polyenus that they had Chiliarchies Pentecosiarchies Taxies and Lochagies I haue before shewed that Lochos in Xenophon is made sometimes of aboue 100. men Out of which may be inferred with probability that Taxis being the next degree aboue the Lochagie hath the double number or more The rather because a Chiliarchy hauing in it a 1000. the Penticosiarchy must haue 500. and by likelihood the Taxis 250. as being the next office vnder the Pentecosiarchy But whatsoeuer the Taxis of the Athenians or of other people was Aelian maketh his Taxis vp with 128 men and 8. files which is a double number to the Tetrarchy With whom Suidas agreeth giuing 2. Tetrarchies to a Taxis and saith it consists of 128 men The Commander of the Taxis is called a Taxiarch as the Commander of the Tetrarchy is a Tetrarch Here I am to note by the way that the Interpreter of Xenophon translateth Taxiarcha the Commander of a Cohort wher 's Taxis in the straighter signification cannot be taken for a Cohort because a Cohort differeth much in number hauing in it at the least 500. and odde men where the Taxis when it is greatest hath no more then 128. And Polybius saith plainely that spira is the Greeke word that fully expresseth the Romane Cohort 4 A Syntagma The word commeth of Syntasso or Syntatto to place together and a Syntagma is a body compounded of many parts artificially put together But it may be taken for anybody in the armie Diodorus reports of Dionysius the elder That after he had diuided his whole Armie which had in it 30000 into three parts he imployed two against the Carthaginian Campe in diuers manner himselfe tooke the Syntagma or third part which consisted of mercenary Souldiers and led against that quarter of the campe which had the Engins Aelian also vseth the word diuerslie For he calles the whole armie by the name of Syntagmata in the plurall number and sometimes Syntagma in the singular And further giues the same name to a file Suidas likewise discribing the length of a Phalange saith it is the first rancke Syntagma of file Leaders which stretcheth forth in a right line from winge to winge Whereby appeareth that which the Logitians affirme which I touched before that there are more things then names of things And that fit names cannot be giuen to all The names that haue beene giuen by antiquity to expresse the seuerall bodies of the Phalange are to be reteined by vs as proper enough to signifie the thing they meant Neither are we to vary from them vnlesse we our selues can inuent better The Syntagma that Aelian here mentioneth is framed of two Taxies that is of 16. files of 256 men The Commander of it is named a Syntagmatarch And where he addeth it is called of some a Xenagy we are to vnderstand that Xenagos was he amongst the Grecians that had the command of a band of strangers as he that leuied strangers was called Xenologos and the band it selfe was called a Xenagy Why the Syntagma should haue the appellation of Xenagy I cannot diuine vnlesse the reason were because it was about the number wherof strangers made their companies that serued amongst the Graecians And I thinke and shall till better information that the body of the light armed called a Xenagy mentioned hereafter had that name likewise for the same reason Now of all the bodies in this Chapter mentioned there is none that commeth so neere the companies vsed at this day as doth the Syntagma for excepting that our numbers differre and are in diuers places more or lesse the offices of each are alike You haue in
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
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
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
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
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
Two Hipparchies 6 an Ephipparchy of 1024 horse Two Ephipparchies 7 a Telos of 2048 horse Two Telos make 8 an Epitagma of 4096 horse Notes HItherto of squares and Rhombes vsuall horse battailes amongst the Graecians Now followeth the horse battaile of the Macedonians of which P Aelian hath thus afterward This forme of horse battaile is called a wedge by Tacticks and it was invented by Philip King of Macedonia who placed his best men before that by them the weaker might be held in and inabled to the charge As in a speare or sword the point whereof by reason of sharpnes quickly piercing maketh way for and letteth in the middle blunt yron I haue spoken somewhat of the wedge in the two last Chapters Aelian in this Chapter sheweth the number and manner of framing it and how many troupes ought to attend the Phalange and vnder what offices and degrees 1 Let the first troupe be of 64 men The number of the wedge ought to be 64 horse You make it beginning as the Rhombe that ranked but filed not with a ranke of 15 horse Then must you proceed toward the front with an other ranke of 13 the middle man filing with the middle man of the first ranke and the rest with the rest And so you are to continue abating still two in euery following ranke till at last you come to one who is the Commander of the Troupe and standeth in the point of the front 2 He shall carry the Cornet The place of the Cornet is not right set downe in the figure He there standeth on the right hand of the middle man of the second ranke where as he should stand on the left And you must not account the second ranke to be the ranke next to the Commander in the front but as Aelian doth that was secondly placed after the first consisting of 15 which was in the Reare So that the Cornet is to stand in the next ranke to the Reare But here is nothing said concerning the distances that ought to be betwixt horse and horse Of the distances betweene foote and foote he hath spoken in the 11 Chap But of the distances betwixt horse I finde nothing but generall words That which wanteth in Aelian I will supply out of other Authors We must vnderstand then that two kinde of distances were obserued amongst horsemen one for marching an other for fight In marching there ought to be 6 foote betwixt horse and horse Aelian hath before giuen this distance to the foote And that horse held it likewise appeareth by Polybius Who reprehending Calisthenes for carelesnesse in describing the battaile betwixt Alexander and Darius at Issos specially taxeth this That he placed thirty thousand horse and thirty thousand mercenaries in foureteene furlongs of length whereas the place was not capeable of halfe the horse His words haue this sense The order of horse when they are prepared for fight is for the most part 8 in depth And there is a distance to be left in front betwixt euery troupe to giue liberty to wheele and double-wheele So that one furlong will conteine 800 horse and 10 furlongs 8000 4 furlongs 3200 And eleuen thousand and two hundred Horse will fill the space of 14 furlongs in length The words seeme at first somewhat obscure being well weighed they will be cleare enough Polybius saith that these 800 horse were ordered 8 in depth and that they tooke vp a furlong of ground in length There must be therefore of them a hundred files For a hundred files of 8 horse a peece will arise to 800 horse Compare then these 100 files the length of the battaile to the length of a furlong And seing a furlong conteineth 400 Cubits or six hundred foote euery file shall haue 4 cubits or 6 foote space betwixt them And so the distance betwixt file and file in a march will be 4 Cubits or 6 foote The other distance of three foote appeareth in Leo whose words stand thus Put the case that the battaile is of 600 horse in length and 500 in depth seing that euery horse in length of the battaile possesseth three foote in breadth the number of feete will amount to 1800 And seing againe that euery horse in depth possesseth 8 foote there will arise hereof 4000 feete so that in the foure-sided figure out of the length of 1800 and the depth of 4000 feete arise 720 Myriades of square feete And the Perimeter alone of the outward foure sides conteineth 11600 feete And because 6 feete make a fathome and a 100 fathoms make a furlong and 7 furlongs and a halfe make a mile the whole Perimeter of 11600 feete will come to two mile and a halfe and neare a 10th part In this distance therefore according to the closest order or shutting the thirty thousand horse are conteined But if they stand not so close you must alter your account according to the thinnesse and out of the greatnesse of place coniecture of the multitude of the people So Leo. Which place albeit it seeme to require a large interpretation because many things worth the noting offer themselues in it yet for this time I will onely insist vpon that which I first propounded that is the distance of three foote betwixt horse and horse when they goe to charge for that is the meaning of Leo when he speaketh of the closest order which distance is expresly here set downe And the matter will yet seeme more cleare if we adde the words of Leo in the Paragraph next but one to this which are these The oldest Tacticks in ordering of foote Battailes giue euery man at the first distance foure Cubits when the battaile is closed two Cubits when serred and shut one Cubit Out of which proportion a Scout may exactly discouer by the quantitie of the place the number not onely of horse but of foote also These oldest Tacticks that Leo mentioneth agree with Aelian as wee haue seene But where the foote haue three distances the horse are to haue but two The open order of six foote they ought to haue and likewise that of three foote nearerer they cannot come together because of the bredth of their horse and because they are to haue roome sufficient for the weilding of their weapons All the Troupes are to be in number 64 A Troupe consists of 64 men and to the Phalange belong 64 Troupes as the Phalange conteineth 64 Ensignes or Syntagma's of armed foote To which Ensignes the 64 Troupes of horse are proportioned Their place is according to Aelian after the light-armed not one troupe after or behind an other but one beside an other in one front and that front in a right line which stretcheth out as long as the Phalange of armed it selfe Now the files of the armed being 1024 in number and the number of the horse in the last ranke which conteineth the length of the Horse-battaile and should answer the number of files but 960 we must seeke out a proportion to
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
hapned a like to both they found a safe retreat within the battailes of foote But when the Armies were come within 500 paces one of an other Scipio giuing a signall of Retreat and opening his battaile receiued all the horse and light-armed into the middest and diuiding them into two parts placed them as seconds behind the wings Now when time was come to begin the fight he commanded the Spaniards who had the middle ward to march on leasurely and sent a messenger from the right winge for hee commanded there to Syllanus and Martius willing them to stretch out the left winge as they saw him stretch out the right and to charge the enemy with the light-armed and horse before the middle wards might be able to come vp and ioyne The winges being thus stretched out they led with all possible speed three Cohorts of foote and three troupes of horse a peece against the enemy besides the light-armed and those that were receiued into the Reare who followed a thwart There was a great empty space in the middest because the Ensignes of the Spaniards came slowly on And now the wings were in fight when the old souldiers Carthaginians and Africans the strength of the Armie were not yet come to vse their darts neither durst they runne into the wings to helpe them that fought for feare of opening the middest of the battaile to the enemy who was comming on against them The winges were pressed with a double medley The Horse light-armed Velites wheeling about their Troupes charge their flanks The Cohorts pushed on in front to the end to breake of the wings from the body of the battaile And the conflict was vnequall both in all other respects and especially because a rable as it were of drudges and vntrained Spaniards were opposed against the Roman and Latin souldiers The day being now farre spent the Armie of Asdruball oppressed with the mornings tumult and compelled to take the field before they had strengthned their bodies with meat began to faint and faile in strength which was the reason that Scipio lingered out the day made the fight somewhat late For it was past the seuenth houre before the winges of foote attached one an other and yet the fight came later to the middle wards So that the scorching heat of the south-sunne and the labour of standing armed and hunger and thirst first afflicted their bodies before they came to hands with the enemy Therefore they stood leaning vpon their Targets and being weary both in body and minde they gaue backe at last keeping notwithstanding their array no otherwise than as if the battaile being yet entire had retreated at the commandement of the Generall But when the victors perceiuing them to shrinke so much the more eagerly pressed on the brunt could hardly be indured any longer And although Asdrubal restrained and stopped them that gaue ground crying that hills and a safe place of retreat was at their backs if they could be but intreated to retire easily yet feare ouercomming shame and the enemy killing them that were next to hand they forthwith turned their backs and vniuersally powred out themselues into flight This stratagem of Scipio resteth principally in shifting his best men the Romans into the winges the Spaniards his worst into the middest and in keeping the Spaniards aloofe from ioyning and in hasting to try the day with the Romans against the weakest of the enemy Asdrubals way to meete with this stratagem had beene to countermarch by ranke halfe his Carthaginians and Africans into one winge and halfe into the other And by that meanes his Spaniards should haue had the middest against the Roman-Spaniards and his old souldiers Carthaginians and Africans beene opposed in the wings against the Romans and Latins and the advantage eluded that Scipio sought As the Countermarches by file were of three kindes so are the Countermarches by ranke namely the Macedonian the Lacedemonian and the Choraean The Macedonian beginneth to moue at the corner of the wing which is nearest to the enemy the enemy appearing to either flanke And therefore incâ—rreth the same imputation that was laid vpon the Macedonian countermarch by file as seeming to runne away because it dismarcheth from the enemy Yet is there vse of it as well as of that by file For by this countermarch you may set the strongest part of your Armie against the enemy and apply the weakest to some Riuer Lake hill or such like so that the enemy can not come to incompasse it It taketh the ground that lyeth on the side of the contrary wing The Lacedemonian taketh the ground that lieth on the side of that wing which is toward the enemy and bringeth the best men to be formost against the enemy And therefore beginneth the moving on the contrary side The vse of it is when your forces are such as are able to incounter the enemy and you desire to bring your best men to fight The Choraean keepeth the same ground the battaile had at first bringeth one wing to possesse the place of the other Or else the Sections to possesse the place of the wings as might haue beene done in the last example cited concerning Scipio and Asdrubal The manner of countermarch by ranke is contrary to the countermarch by file In countermarch by file the motion was in the depth of the battaile and either the front remoued toward the reare or the reare toward the front and tooke one an others place In this the motion is in length of the battaile flanke-wise the wing either marching into the middest or else cleane thorow to the other wing In doing it the souldiers that stand vttermost in the flanke of the wing must moue first to the contrary wing and the rest of euery ranke seuerally follow them in order The figure will shew the manner of the motion Patritius vtterly mistaketh the countermarch by ranke and groundeth himselfe vpon a wrong principle namely that in all Countermarches the File-leaders must march toward the reare and the Bringers-vp towards the front And therefore in changing the winges into Sections he makes the winges to fall of behind in the reare the File-leaders wheeling about and there to ioyne themselues as neare as the middle Section will giue leaue and the Sections falling backe likewise to ioyne themselues to the flanks of them that were the wings Whereas the nature of this Euolution is clearely to leaue the File-leaders in front and Bringers-vp in reare as they were at first And albeit the File-leaders then change their places yet change they their place with none but with File leaders and the change is but a change of hands the right hand for the left or the left hand for the right For whereas the File-leaders of the right wing had before the right hand now in countermarch by ranke being transposed to the left wing they haue the left hand of all the rest of the File-leaders as likewise the Bringers-vp of the other