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
sleeuing them vpon one side which you will may be vsed without danger as well when the enemy is neare as when the fight is in as much as they disturbe not the battaile but advance fresh aides against the enemy on the flanks of it 6 By inserting the second file There are two manner of doublings of the depth or of files one in number the other in place In number when one file is inserted into another the Leader or first man of the second file standing behind the Leader of the first the second behind the second the third behind the third and so forth of the rest Or when the euen files countermarch and their Leaders place themselues behind the Bringers-vp of the odde their files following them or which commeth all to one the files being whole they diuide themselues into two parts in the front and halfe countermarch and place themselues in the Reare of the other file to file albeit the two last are Doublings both in number and place and not in place alone The true Doubling of the place alone is not Aelian The Insertion whereof I spake remedieth this defect also There it is said that when 16 men that is a file are so extended that they possesse as much length as 32 should doe that is as 2 files it is doubling of place which is nothing else but changing of the Souldiers order into open order For in their order they haue 48 foote in depth in their open order 96 foote in depth In this Doubling of depth we must take heed that we make not the front of our Armie to narrow lest we giue oportunitie to the enemy to incircle and incompasse it Polybius noteth this a great faulâ— in Marcus Atilius Regulus at such time as he fought with the Carthaginians and was taken prisoner His words haue this effect k The Romans seing the enemy order his battaile marched out against him fuâ—l of courage Being notwithstanding somewhat appalled at and foreseing the Elephants violence in comming on they set their Darters before and placed many maniples of Armed behind one after an other and diuided the Horse halfe into one wing halfe into the other Then making the whole battaile shorter but deeper then they were wont they prouided well against the Elephants but not against the Horse that farre exceeded theirs in number Being now come to hands the Roman horse ouerpressed with multitude of the Carthaginians quickly fled from either wing But the foote of the left wing partly auoyding the Elephants partly contemning the Mercenaries fell on and charged the right wing of the Carthaginians and putting it to flight followed hard and gaue chase euen to the trench But of those that were placed against the Elephants the first sinking vnder the violence of the beasts perished being ouerturned and troden to death by heapes The body of the battaile remained a while vnbroken by reason of the depth of them that were after placed But when the Reare of all incompassed by the horse was forced to turne about and fight with them and the other that had by force made way thorough the middest of the Elephants and were now behind their backs came vp to the fresh Phalange of the Carthaginians standing in good order they were by them slaine Thus fortune being contrary on all sides the Romans for the most part were troden to death by the excessiue might of the beasts and the rest died with the darts of the horsemen in the place where they fought The error of Attilius Regulus was in ordering his battaile too deepe by meanes whereof it was easily incompassed and distressed by the Carthaginian horse Appian likewise blameth Antiochus for ordering his Phalange 32 men in depth where the Macedonian Phalange ought to but 16 deepe shewing that by that ouersight it was incompassed by the Romans and ouerthrowne I haue touched the historie in my notes before Many other examples might be alledged but these two are sufficient for our purpose The words of Command in doubling of the length by number Middle men double your Rankes to the right or left hand By this Command the middle men with their halfe files march vp to the front in the spaces betwixt the files and stand euen with the File-leaders and the rest euen with the rest of the Ranks Doubling of the length in place Stand in your open order One halfe openeth their files to the right hand the other to the left and stand six foote one from another Doubling of the depth in number Double your files to the right or left hand The euen files fall into the spaces of the odde files Double your files by countermarch to the right or left hand The euen files countermarch and fall behind the reare of the odde and place themsâ—lues lineally after them obseruing their first distances Diuide your files and double them by countermarch to the right or left hand Halfe the files diuide themselues from the other halfe and countermarch out behind the Reare then turne their faces towards the place behind the Reare of the standing files which remoued not then march on and place themselues orderly behind them file to file then turne their faces as at first Doubling the depth in place Ranks open behind to your open order The broad-fronted Phalange the deep Phalange or Herse and the vneuen-fronted Phalange CHAP. XXX PLagiophalanx or the broad-fronted Phalange is that which hath the length much exceeding the depth Orthiophalanx or the deep Phalange commonly called the Herse is that which procedeth by wing hauing the depth much exceeding the length In generall speach euery thing is called Paramekes which hath length more then the depth and that which hath the depth more then the length Orthion and so likewise a Phalange The Phalange Loxe or vneuen fronted is that which putteth forth one of the wings which is thought fittest toward the enemy and with it beginning the fight holdeth off the other in a convenient distance till oportunitie bee to advance Of Parembole Protaxis Epitaxis Prostaxis Eutaxis Hypotaxis CHAP. XXXI PArembole or insertion is when placing souldiers before we take off the hindmost and ranke them within the distances of the first Protaxis or fore-fronting is when we place the light-armed before the front of the armed and make them fore-standers as the File-leaders are When we place the light-armed behind it is called Epitaxis as it were an after-placing Prostaxis or adioyning is when to both flanks of the battaile or to one flanke some part of the hindmost is added the front of them that are added lying euen with the front of the battaile such addition is called Prostaxis Entaxis or Insition is when it seemeth good to set the light-armed within the spaces of the files of the Phalange man to man Hypotaxis or Double-winging is when you bestow the light-armed vnder the wings of the Phalange placing them in an embowed forme so that the whole figure resembleth a
the notable effect thereof at Mantinaea Now Aelian bringeth reasons why the wedge was holden better than the square Let me with leaue adde a word or two why I take it to be better than the Rhombe And first it cannot be denied that the wedge hauing the same manner of disposition that the Rhombe hath that is a front ending in a point where the Captaine standeth two points of the two flanks where the flanke-commander stands the Lieutenant in the reare and the best men in the flanks but it must be as powerfull to open the enemies battaile as the Rhombe is Then it hath this advantage of the Rhombe that it bringeth more hands to fight For let the Rhombe and wedge be framed of an equall number the wedge in figure resembling the forepart of the Rhombe must haue the horse that should be ranged in the reare of the Rhombe orderly couched within the 3 sides thereof where by both the number of the horse in the sides is increased and the bulke of the body betwixt flanke and flanke inlarged And seing both the Rhombe and the wedge goe to the charge with the point of their front the wedge both hath the property to pierce and enter the enemies battaile by art and sleight as well as the Rhombe and doth it with more strength because of the great number of hands in the sides which all come to fight Ioyne that the hinder part of the Rhombe serueth onely to auoide surprizes and worketh nothing in charging For after the two flanke points are entred the rest of the Rhombe growing narrower and narrower toward the Reare falleth further off from the enemy and is content onely to follow the way that was made to hand by the front and flanks without being able to strike a stroke especially if it preserue the order it ought to keepe whereas all parts of the wedge are effectuall the point to enter the sides euen to the flanke corners where the Reare endeth to dispart and disseuer and finally to disorder the enemy whereby the victorie ensueth And if we may rely vpon authority the authority of King Philip will sway much for the wedge For vnlesse he had held it better than the Rhombe hee would not haue chosen nor accustomed his Macedonians to it nor Alexander after reteined it if he had not beene of the same opinion Neither did the euent deceiue them for almost in all battaileâ— their horse thus disposed caried away the victorie But as I before noted neither Rhombe nor wedge haue found grace in the eyes of the great Generalls of our daies nor can we tell what to insist vpon till experience hath taught how well these formes will agree with the weapons and seruice of our moderne warres 4 The Persians made choice of squares The square is the third and last forme of horse-battaile that Aelian mentioneth whereof there are three kinds one with a larger front then flanke an other with a larger flanke then front the third with front and flanke equall All these three were vsed amongst the Persians and Graecians For two of the first Xenophon may witnes When Agesilaus after Tissaphernes the King of Persia's Lieutenant in part of the lesser Asia had broken truce with him made an incursion into Phrigia Xenophon telleth that the rest of his iourney was without impediment till he came not farre from Dascylium There when his horsemen galloped to a hill to discouer the country by chance the horsemen of Pharnabazus an other of the King of Persians Lieutenants being about the same number that the Graecians were and sent by Pharnabazus vnder the command of Rathynes and Bancaeus his bastard brother galloped vp the same hill and discouering one the other no further of than two parts of a furlong at the first they stood still the Graecians ordered Phalange-wise 4 in depth the Barbarians making their front 12 in length the depth many more Afterward the Barbarians began first to charge when they came to hands all the Graecians that ioyned broke their staues The Persians hauing Corneil darts killed some 12 horsemen and 2 horses Herevpon the Graecians fled But when Agesilaus came with the Armie to the reskew the Barbarians againe forsooke the field The Persians then vsed a square longer in flanke then front The Graecian a square longer in front theu flanke But which of the three squares is most to be esteemed Aelian sheweth in the words following saying those squares are best that 5 Double the number of the length to the number of the depth What the length and depth in a battaile are we haue seene before Yet to vnderstand Aelian the better let vs repeat that the length of a battaile is the extension of the front the depth the extension of the flanke To double then the number of the length to the number of the depth is to place twise so many men in front as in flanke As for the purpose 6 in front 3 in flanke or 8 in front 4 in flanke or 10 in front 5 in flanke And that this was the manner of the Lacedemonians appeareth by the Oulamos or horse-troupe instituted by Lycurgus which was figured Tetragonally with 4 equall sides and conteined in it 50 horse Now that it could not be a square of number that is to haue as many horse in flanke as in front may hereby be shewed because no square number will make 50. The nearest is 7 times 7 which amounts to 49. But proportioning the number of the length double to the number of the depth that is 10 in front and 5 in flanke euen 50 will arise So that the horse troope of the Lacedemonians had the number of the length double to the number of the depth and made a square in the equality of measure of the sides not in number which is the Tetragonall figure whereof Plutarch speaketh And where Xenophon as I haue alledged before reporteth that the horsemen of Agesilaus were but 4 in depth it hindereth not this truth For as I noted before the ordinary aray of the Lacedemonians foote was 8 in depth Yet did Pausanias the Lacedemonian King cast his men into a deepe Phalange against Thrasibulus Other examples I haue alledged in the same place touching the same matter Besides this appeareth to be but a tumultuous fight either of the parties comming soddainely in the sight of the other and going presently to charge before they could haue time to alter the order they then were in And to say the horse troupe of the Lacedemonians ought to haue beene but 4 in depth it must thereof necessarily follow that they were 12 in length which yet will come short of 50 4 times 12 makes but 48. Indeed Leo holdeth opinion that in a horse battaile the depth ought to be no more than 4. I will set downe his words as neare as conveniently I can english them The depth saith he or thicknes as it was of ancient time limited is sufficient if it be of 4
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
or Xeo to shaue or polish as our ioyners doe and the launces being made of wood shaven or polished are named Xysta or Xesta of the forme as I said that is given them by shaving and the Launciers that beare thesâ— launces Xestophoroi or Xystophoroi And heere I am once to note for all that wee are not to presse wordes according to the proper signification of theire primitiues from whence they are derived For considering there are more things then names of things as Logicians say the most copious language that is cannot giue proper names to all Heereof come the wordes of divers significations And howsoever names seeme at first rough straunge vse and custome maketh them smooth and gives them passage As the coyne of a Prince is currant by the stamp hee setteth vpon the mettalle what mettalle so euer it bee fine or base 16 Acrobolists The word importeth such as throwe aloft or from alofte Ballo signifieth to throwe Acron the highest or the vttermost By common vsage Acrobolizo is taken for to dart and by consequent to skirmish a farre of Because such as cast flieng weapons as darts and stones and the like came not to stedfast fight but lay aloofe and onely threwe their weapons at the enemy and of so doing are called Acrobolists Acrobolismos in Polybius is interpreted Skirmishing And Diodorus Siculus ioyneth Acrobolismos and a short meddley in fight together which Xenophon termeth Acrobolisis by another word flowing from the same fountaine 17 Tarentines They are so called of a Citty in Italy Tarentum by name the inhabitants whereof that were horsemen vsed this manner of fight But he maketh two kinds of Tarentines one that ever fought a farre of with darts and never came to hand with the enemy the other that after a dart or two cast came close vp and fought hand to hand Livy speaketh of a third kind of Tarentines who vsed in fight two horses at once made fast together and one being weary leaped vpon the backe of the other 18 Some vse darts a farre of Of the manner of fight of these horsemen the passage of Xenophon is worth repeating After these things done saith hee the aide of Dionysius which hee sent the Lacedemonians arrived being more then twenty Gallyes They brought French and Spaniards and aboue fifty horse The next day the Thebans and theire confederats embattailing theire armie and filling theâ—â—ith the whole plaine even to the sea-side to the hills that lay about the City of Corinth destroyed whatsoever might serue to any vse The horsemen of the Athenians and Corinthians seeing the strength and multitude of the enemy came not neere vnto them but the horsmen of Dionysius albeit fewe in number galloping heere and there dispersedly and putting spurrs to theire horse charged them with their darts and in case the enemy followed they returned with all speed and then turned againe and threw darts afresh In doeing these things they vsed to alight from theire horse and rest themselues and if any of the enemy singled out to fall vpon them leaping quickly againe to horse-backe they fled and being pursued any distance from the army as soone as those that pursued them retired the Tarentines followed and plyed them with their darts and put them to great distresse forcing the whole armie to advance and retire as they list themselues So farre Xenophon Another example I will adde out of Livy of the Numidians whose manner of fight is all one with the Tarentine manner In Liguria saith hee nothing worthy of memorie was done a long time At the end of the yeare all things were brought to extreame hasard For both the Consuls camp being assaulted was hardly defended and not long after when the armie was ledd through a forrest the way whereof was streight and narrowe the Ligurians possessed themselues of the mouth of the straights Through which when the Consull could find no passage hee turned about his armie and purposed to reduct it the way he came But the mouth of those straights was likewise possessed by a part of the enemies forces And now the remembrance of the Desaster of Caudium presented it self not onely to the minds but even almost to the eyes of euery man There were wellnigh eight hundred Numidian horse at that time in the camp The Commaunder of them promised the Consull to breake through on which side hee pleased onely he desired to know on which side most hamblets and villages were Vpon them said hee I will fall and sett the houses on fire presently that that feare may compell the Ligurians to forsake the streights they hould and runne severall wayes to defend theire owne The Consull much commended the man and laded him with hopes of promises The Numidians vp to horse and began to ride heere and there before the enemies gards provoking yet no man Nothing at the first sight was more contemptible The horse and men were little and leane The horsman vngirded and vnarmed saving that hee carried darts the horse without a bridle galloping deformedly with a stiffe neck and a head thrust out at length They purposely augmenting this contempt slid from their horses and dallied and sported to bring the enemie to a gaze Wherefore the enemy which at first were intentiue and ready for a charge became gazers on and the most part vnarmed themselues sett downe vpon the ground The Numidians rode vp neerer and then backe againe and by little and little gott to the skirts of the forest as if theire horses being resty had caried them forward against theire wills At last putting spurres to they broke through the midst of theire enemies gards entring into a larger field they sett fire on all the houses next the way then burned they the next village and wasted and filled all things with fire and sword The smoke first scene then the cry of the people affrighted lastly ould men and children flieng for succor raised a tumult in the campe Therefore without counsell or commaund every man of himself ranne to the defence of his owne and in amoment both the enemies camp was forsaken the Consull delivered from his siege came to the place intended By these two examples the kinde of fight that these darters one horse-backe maintained may he perceiued which was not to come neer the enemy but to keep a loofe and lett theire darts fly Besides not to obserue any order in files or rankes but straglingly to gallop the field seeking by theire disbanding to tolle the enemy out of his strength and so to worke theire advantage And albeit in the second example the Numidians vsed not theire darts yet they would haue done it if need had beene and you shall find in other places of Livy and Polybius they did vsually as also in Caesar. 19 After they haue spent one or two These darters on horsebacke differ from the other before mentioned because at the last they ioyne and fight hand
battaile where in the Graecians marched from breaking they appointed six Lochoi of a hundred a piece for that purpose and Commaunders to leade them And after hee reckoneth seventy men to a Lochos And in the first booke of Cyrus his expedition hee telleth of two Lochoi of the armed of the Regiment of Menon that were slaine by the inhabitants of Cilicia and counted them a hundred men Cyrus in the same Xenophon commaundeth his Lochos to bee made of twenty foure men But the Lochos that Aelian heere speaketh of is a lesse number namely sixteene which was the file of the Macedonians as appeareth by Arrian and Polybius Albeit Arrian calleth it not Lochos but Decas and Polybius the depth of the battaile This number of sixteene was vsed by the Graecians also before King Phillips time as appeareth by Xenophon in his historie of the Graecians And likewise by Thucydides who reporteth that the Siracusans were so ordered against the Athenians Leo saith it was the manner of the auncient warriers to make a file of sixteen calleth it a Tetragonall number 2 Some allow it eight some twelue The Lacedaemonians made the depth of theire battaile sometimes eight men for a file is it that measureth the depth of the battaile and so fought with theire enemies Thucydides witnesseth as much the Lacedaemonians saith hee were not alwaies ordered in depth alike but as theire Lochagoi they were commaunders of fiue hundred and twelue a piece thought good commonly notwithstanding the depth was of eight a piece Xenophon also writeth that Dercyllidas the Lacedaemonian being to fight with Tissaphernes and Pharnabazus ordered his Phalange into eight The same proportion was helde by Mnasippus the Lacedaemonian against the Corcyraeans and by Clearchus the Lacedemonian against his enemies Xenophon saith that Thrasybulus the Athenian salieng out of Pyraeum against Pausanias the Lacedemonian King ranged his men into eight His wordes are When Thrasybulus and the other armed sawe these things they quickly gaue aide to theire owne people and put theire armed in order eight deepe Pausanias being hardly layed vnto and retiring foure or fiue furlongs commaunded the Lacedemonians and theire Allies to resort vnto him and there casting his men into a deepe Phalange ledde against the Athenians Out of which words wee may note that the Lacedaemonians observed not alwaies that order of eight deepe but varied according to place or other circumstance Yet ordinarily they gaue but eight to a file or to the depth of theire Phalange as Thucydides witnesseth before The same Thrasybulus with his complices entring the base Citty of Athens called Pyraeum to free his countrie from bondage of the thirty tyrants having but a fewe with him possessed the court which led to the temple of Diana called Munychia and being assaulted by the garrison of rhe Lacedaemonians ordered his armed men into ten deepe and the light armed behinde them The tyrants and theire followers stood in battaile fifty deepe At the battaile of Leuctra the Lacedaemonian armed were twelue in depth the Thebans fifty Alexander the great leading his armie against Clitus and Glaucias the way being so narrow that no more then foure might marche in front made the depth of his armie a hundred and twenty And the souldiers that Xenophon brought backe out of Persia when they purposed to sacke Byzantium put themselues without commaunde in order of fifty deepe In the text is fifty deepe but the margent hath eight which I take to bee the truer reading because Xenophon saith the place was faire to sett a battaile being voide of building and having an even plaine And it was not the manner of the Graecians to make a Phalange fifty deepe vnlesse there were extraordinarie occasion In the battaile of Delos betwixt the Athenians and Thebans the Thebans were fiue and twenty in depth the Athenians but eight The same Athenian were eight in depth against the Syracusans So that the depth of eight was much vsed among the Graecians How-be-it I find not that they called a file of eight by the name of Lochos Cyrus the elder made his files of twelue men and the leader thereof hee called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the file it selfe decas which in signification albeit it importe ten yet wee must retaine the word as it is vsed and not fly to the originall of the Etimologie as I noted before vpon other occasion But Aelian maketh his file of sixten His reason followeth 3 For whether they vse darts c. The file being sixten in number the souldiers therein every one having after-distance from other three foote take vp in the whole depth fourty eight foote and being doubled to thirty two men they take vp ninety six foote which amounteth to thirty two yards That bowes and slings easilie out reache this distance appeareth by Vegetius before by mee alleaged who saith they stroke their marke six hundred foote of which in our account by scores is ten score Of the darte a man may rather doubt which notwithstanding with an exercised arme is sent much further then thirty two yards Lipsius writeth that a dart was vsually cast foure hundred foote which amounteth to a hundred thirty three yardes or as wee in shoting measure it six score and odde The reason why Aelian placed the light armed behind wee shall see beere after in fitt place The order and parts of a file or Decury CHAP. V. ' THE best man of every file is the first in place and hee that leadeth the file who is also called the file-leader the Commaunder the fore-stander The last man of the file is called the Reare-Commaunder or bringer-vp The whole file it self is termed 2 a verse and 3 a Decany and of some 4 an Enomoty Yet there are that hold Enomotia for the fowerth parte of a file and the Commaunder of an Enomoty they call Enomotarcha and two Enomoties they take for a Dimery name the Commaunder thereof Dimerites so that the half file is said to bee a Dimery 5 and the Commaunder Dimerites This man is the last of the file Hee that standeth next behinde the file-leader is named a follower and the next after him a Leader and the next after him againe a follower So that the whole file consisteth of Leaders followers placed successiuely one after another 6 It behoueth the file-leader to bee more sufficient then the rest of the file and next him the Leader of the half-file or bringer-vp They define a file to bee a Rowe of followers placed according to theire worth successiuely after a file-leader Notes 1 THE best man of every file Why the file-leader ought to bee the best man of the file many reasons may bee given first because hee commaundeth the rest And as in all other things hee that is to rule and governe another ought to haue more knowledge then hee that is commaunded and
fiâ—nge the division of the Phalange into winges the place of the armed foote of the light-armed and of the Horse CHAP. VII 1 THE whole bodie of the multitude of files is termed a Phalange whose 2 length is the first ranke of file-leaders and is named the front the face the edge of the battaile the ranke the mouth the Commaunders the fore-standers the head of the files As much of the Phalange as stretcheth backward from the front to the reare 3 is named the depth The bearing straight foorth of side-men in length whether they bee Leaders or followers is ranking And the standing of Leaders and followers directlie in a line in depth is filing A Phalange is divided into two whole partes beginning at the middle section of the front and houlding on cleane through to the vttermost parte of the depth whereof the one half is called the 4 right wing and head the other half the left winge and taile 5 The two fold section it self that divideth the length hath the name of the Navell and the Mouth 6 The Light-armed are placed after the Phalange of the Armed and behind them the Horse Yet if occasion require both light-armed and Horse are otherwise disposed as after in this discourse will appeare Notes THE whole body of multitude of files is termed a Phalange Ioyning of files makes ranks and a sufficient number of files and ranks together make a body which is called a Phalange For that name is given to any entire body of an indifferent greatnesse compacted and vnited for fight Hesychius deriveth the originall of the word Apo tou pelas allelois inai from the standing of the souldiers in battaile neere one to another Suidas in the same sence albeit hee differ a litle in words saith the Phalanges are so called apo tou pelasai anchi of approching one neere to an other The great Etymologicon goeth yet a little further and saith that Phalanges are as it were Palanges para to pelas kai eggys einai as it were Pelangys These are the coniectures about the originall of the name Which of them is truest is not greatly to the purpose It is enough to vnderstand in what sence the word Phalange is commonly taken amongst Tactick writers who as I said in a generall signification call any great body of armed gathered together and vnited for fight a Phalange Soe Caesar nameth the battaile of the Heluetians into which they cast themselues when they fought against him and likewise the battaile of Ariovistus a Phalange So speaketh Xenophon of the Plaesium or square holow battaile into which the Graecians that went with Cyrus the younger into Persia fashioned themselues at their returne out of Persia. And the same Xenophon saith the horse of the Graecians when they were to encounter the Persians ordered themselues foure in depth in forme of a Phalange And Arrian that the Persians at the River Granicus were ordered in a long Phalange and Xenophon againe discoursing how Iphicrates exercised his nauie when hee expected to fight with the Lacedaemonians saith hee sometimes lead in a wing that is in a large depth sometimes in forme of a Phalange in a broad front The first inventer of the Phalange is thought to bee Pan the generall of Bacchus his armie Polyaenus saith Pan was the commaunder of Bacchus his armie This man was the first that invented the order of a battaile called it a Phalange and parted it into the Right and left wing For which cause Poets faine that Pan carieth two hornes vpon his head Besides hee was the first that by slight and cunning cast a feare vpon his enemies For when Bacchus incamping in a hollow forest was advertised by his spies that an infinite number of enemies were lodged one the further side hee began to be afraide But not Pan who commanded the same night the armie of Bacchus to giue as great a shoute as they could The Rocks and hollownesse of the forest rendered it againe double to the enemy made shewe of a greater armie then Bacchus had Where with the enemy falling into a feare fled foorth with In honour of this strategeme wee faine that Eccho is Pans loue the causlesse night-feares which fall vpon Armyes were attributed to Pan. So farre Polyenus about the inventer of the Phalange The number of the Phalange is not alwayes one It may consiste of ten thousand twenty fiue thousand or as many as you list Antigonus the King of Macedony had his Phalange of ten thousand Ptolomaeus King of Aegipt of twenty fiue thousand The ten thousand Graecians that went with Cyrus into Persia are called a Phalange What number the Helvetians and Ariovistus had in theire Phalange is not preciselie set downe by Caesar. Yet it seemeth by Caesar that the most parte of the fighting multitude of the Helvetians cast themselues into a Phalange and those of Ariovistus likewise But Aelians Phalange is restreyned to a certeine number as the next following Chapter will teache 2 The length whereof The length of the Phalange is to bee accounted by the ranke not by the file The file is but sixteen men deep The ranke from the pointe of one wing to the pointe of the other conteyneth a thousand and twenty foure men in Aelians Phalange So that the files being short in comparison of the ranks it is reason that the length of the Phalange bee measured according to the ranke not to the file Suidas agreeth with Aelian sayeng that the length of the Phalange is the first Syntagma the first ranke of file-leaders which is ordered in a right line stretching from one wing to another and is called the face and the mouth and the front the edge and the first-filing and the first standers of the battaile The next rowe lyeng Parallel to this is called the second ranke and the third the third ranke and soe the rest The length is termed in Greeke Mecos to which is opposed the depth which is named Bathos Neither is there in true account any other dimensions in a Phalange besides the length and the depth which are in this chapter mentioned by Aelian Other names are given in Greeke writers sometimes but they signifie either the one or the other 3 Is named the depth As the length runneth along by front from one wing to another so the depth beareth backward from the front to the reare The depth is properly called Bathos as I said And Bathera Phalanx is a deepe Phalange And Arrian saith Alexander ordered his Phalange es Bathos in depth And Polybius that the Romans made theire battaile much shorter then before but much deeper Bathyteran And as it is called Bathos for the most part so is it by Leo called also Pachos For the depth of a file is by him termed depth or Thicknes Bathos etoi Pachos in two severall chapters of his Tacticks not in respect of the file it selfe which is no
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
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
euer slaine in battaile by byting or stroke of a horse Men they are that performe whatsoeuer is done in fight As for vs the foote he meaneth our mounting is much more firme and stedfast then theirs They hange vpon their horse and are in feare not onely of vs but to be shaken of and throwne to ground We contrariewise haue stable footing and shall be able both with great assurednesse to strik and direct our aime with more certainty One aduantage the horse-men haue they may more securely runne away Hitherto Xenophon And so much is summarily spoken of the seruice of horse 1 The Thessalians whose power was great in horse The Thessalians inhabiting about the mountaine Pelius were the first that fought on horse-backe and were therefore called Centaures When they watered their horses in the riuer Peneus the horse heades stooping to drinke made the vnskilfull multitude who saw the bodies of men ioyned to the shoulders of the horse conceiue that the vpper part was man and the neither Oxe For it should seeme horse were not so well knowne then as Oxen with which they laboured and plowed their land The Poets therefore fained that they were monsters compounded of two diuers natures man and oxe or bull and that Centaurus the beginner of the race was begotten by Ixion vpon a cloude which was figured like Iuno Howbeit Seruius giueth a better originall of the name saying that certaine seruants of a Thessalian King seeing their masters Neate raging with the Brimse a flie that biteth cattell got a horse backe and pricking them with goades reduced them to their stables and that they were after called Centaures Para kentein tous taurous of pricking the neate The great Etymologicon giueth yet an other beginning of the name For where I haue said that Centaurus was begotten by Ixion vpon a cloude which was figured like Iuno with whom Ixion was in loue The Etymologicon saith the sonne of Ixion and of the cloude was called Centaurus Apo tou ton patera autou kentein ten auran But Diodorus Sicul. reporting the historie of the Centaures speaketh not of Centaurus the father of the race but saith notwithstanding that they were bred of a cloude and that the Nymphs brought them vp and that they were the first horsemen and therefore called Hippocentauri which gaue occasion to the fable that they had two natures It is generally agreed that these Centaures were Thessalians and that they were the first horsemen that are mentioned in any history And as they were the first so by reason of their long practise they were accounted the best the most valiant and the most expert horse-men of all Greece euen to the time of Philip sonne of Amintas King of Macedonia who conquered all Thessaly saith Iustin not of desire to make himselfe rich of the prey of that Countrey but to winne to his armie the strength of the Thessalian horsemen Whose seruice he vsed afterward in all his war Neither did they lesse seruice to his sonne Alexander in whose greatest battailes their vertue clearelie appeareth and is especially commended by histories Pyrrhus also principally by their valor put the Romans to flight Agesilaus returning out of Asia towards his Countrey led his armie through Thessalie and being much incumbred in his mareh by the Thessalian horsemen that were his enemies hee charged them and ouerthrewe them and pleased himselfe maruellously therein because with troupes of horse which himselfe had raised and disciplined hee had ouerthrowne the Thessalians that were saith Xenophon so highly renowned for horsemanship 2 Fashioned and forme of a Rhombe There are three kindes of horse battailes mentioned by Aelian the Rhombe the Wedge and the Square And the square is either a iust square or longer in flanke then in front or in front then in flanke The Rhombe was the inuention of the Thessalians and in that forme they vsually fought But where he maketh Iason to be the inuentor of it he afterward expoundeth his owne meaning attributing the inuention to Ileon the Thessalian from whom also it was tearmed Ile but the chiefe practise to Iason Euclyde defineth a Rhombe in this sort f A Rhombe is a square figure that hath the sides equall but the angles not right That is the foure sides of the square are of one and the same length but the points which make the angles are two of them stretched out in greater length and become more sharpe two of them brought narrower together and made more blunt then the right angles of a Tetragonall square See the figure It is the same figure in a battaile that at this day we call the Diamond battaile which is sometimes practised amongst the foote for shew and evercise sake but amongst the horse I haue not seene it practised And as the square goeth to charge with all the souldiers that stand in one of the sides that is with the front for the front is but a side of the square so the Rhombe chargeth with one of the points which is the front of the Rhombe Whether of them is of most vse in the field I am not to determine For the square standes the practise of our daies besides the vsage of the Persians Sicilians and most Graecians as Aelian saith For the Rhombe the Thessalians alone which notwithstanding were acknowledged the best horsemen of Greece vnlesse we allow the Wedge for a parcell of the Rhombe a Rhombe being but a double Wedge as making two wedges when it is diuided in two and then haue wee for the Rhombe not onely the Scythians and Thracians both nations very good Horsemen but King Philip Amintas sonne and Alexander the great and his successours Either of both formes haue their reasons For the squares they that vse them held opinion as Aelian saith that they were easier to frame and fitter for ioint mouing of horse and sooner in order of file and ranke and that the Commanders iointly charged the enemy which in no other forme could be done For the easinesse to frame I see no great difference onely custome and vse must in euery for me yea in the squares themselues make the horseman ready to know and take and keepe his place The same may be said for the ioint moouing of the horse Now to file and rancke is common to the square with some Rhombes and as soone done in the one as in the other the number of the troupe being once knowne and euery horseman hauing his place assigned and the forme resolued vpon into the which it must be cast For where there are 4 kinds of Rhombes one that fileth and ranketh an other that fileth but ranketh not the third that ranketh but fileth not the last that neither fileth nor ranketh as Aelian teacheth in the next Chapter The first will finde no more difficultie of fiâ—ing and ranking then the square the two next albeit the one ranke not the other file not yet the want of filing or ranking
the Macedonians were the inventers of it Which of the Macedonians he telleth not but excludeth Philip and Alexander who both vsed the Lacedemonian Countermarch And before their times I haue not read of any warlike Kings of Macedonia The manner of it is this First all the File-leaders turne their faces about either to the right or left hand then the next ranke passeth thorough by them on the same hand and being come to their distances place themselues directly behind their File-leaders and then turne about their faces the same way And so the third ranke after them and the fourth and all the rest till the Bringers-vp be last and haue taken the reare of the battaile againe and turned about their faces The figure expresseth not well the action For in it the Bringers-vp begin first to countermarch which according to Aelian should moue last Yet may this Countermarch be done as the figure is But I take Aelians way to be easier and readier And it may be also that the Countermarch expressed in the figure is lost in the text For one of the Lacedemonian Countermarches which proceedeth the contrary way beginneth the motion with the File-leaders as this doth with the Bringers-vp as wee shall straight see 2 The Lacedemonian countermarch In this Countermarch the proceeding is contrary to that of the former that tooke the ground before the Phalange this takes the ground after In that the mouing was from the Reare to the front in this from the front to the reare This is the invention of the Lacedemonians Aelian describeth it to be done in two manners One when the Bringers-vp first turne about their faces and the next ranke likewise turning faces beginneth the Countermarch and euery man thereof placeth himselfe directly before his Bringer-vp and the third doe the like and so the rest till the ranke of the File-leaders come to be first The other when the File-leaders begin the Countermarch and euery one in their files follow them orderly The figure expresseth this last Aelian preferreth the Lacedemonian Countermarch before the Macedonian because in it the souldiers seeme to fall on and goe to the charge where in the Macedonian they seeme to flie There are notwithstanding times when it is better to vse the Macedonian As in case you meane to march on and not to fight with the enemy except you be compelled Or else you seeke to gaine some ground of aduantage For the Macedonian continueth still the march and stayeth not the Lacedemonian returneth vpon the enemy and so looseth ground in marching Agesilaus after victorie gotten against the Argives against whom he stood in the right winge hearing that the Thebans had beaten the Orchomenians in the left winge vsed the Lacedemonian Countermarch against them The words of Xenophon sound thus Here the strangers were about to crowne Agesilaus thinking he had got the victory when newes was brought that the Thebans after they had broken the Orchomenians had forced a passage as farre as the baggage Then Agesilaus countermarching his Phalange led against them The Thebans perceiuing their Confederates were fied vp to the mount Helicon closed their troupes together as neare as they could seeking to open a way by force and to get vp vnto them Agesilaus albeit he might by giuing way to the formost haue followed them at heeles and charged the reare yet did he it not but met the Thebans front to front Thus encountring and clashing their Targets together they fought thrust on killed and were killed In fine some of the Thebans broke thorough to Helicon other some as they sought to escape were left dead on the place Agesilaus here followed the chase vpon the Argives toward the mount Helicon The Thebans vpon the Orchomenians the contrary way towards the enemies Campe. The Thebans seing their confederates fled to the mount Helicon returned toward them Agesilaus countermarched to meete them met them and fought with them For the Countermarch he vsed I make account it was the Lacedemonian himselfe being a Lacedemonian And he vsed it to meet the Thebans brauely in front The same Agesilaus after he had by night incamped in a peece of ground behind Mantinaea incompassed about with mountaines perceiuing the next morning that the Mantinaeans gathered together vpon the toppes that lay right ouer the head of his Rearegard determined to lead his Armie out of the place with all speed Now if himselfe should lead he feared the enemy would giue vpon his Reare Therefore standing still and turning his armes against the enemy he commanded the last of the Phalange to march backe againe from the Reare and come vp to him and so at once he brought his Armie out of the streights and made it by little and little stronger When the Phalange was thus doubled he proceeded in that order into the Champeigne there againe reduced the depth of the armed foote to 9 or 10 men in euery file This place of Xenophon if it be not corrupted is very obscure And I cannot tell whether to take it for doubling of the front or the Macedonian countermarch The words make for a doubling For Xenophon saith plainely the Phalange was doubled Besides he addeth it was made by little and little stronger which could not be done with a Countermarch And that a deepe Phalange or Hearse such as this by the euenings march and the straights it entred seemeth to be is made stronger by doubling the front there is no question On the other side the streights thorough which it was to passe perswade me it should be a Macedonian Countermarch For in doubling the front the length still increaseth the manner is not to inlarge but to extenuate the front when an Armie is to be conveighed thorough a narrow place And Xenophon saith expresly that Agesilaus led it thorough the streights into the Champeigne in that order to which it was reduced last that in the Champion the depth of the Armed was lessened and brought to 9 or 10 for there Agesilaus imbattailed his Phalange to receiue the enemy if he would charge And in a march through straight waies the front is commonly narrowed and proportioned to the way but in open ground the Phalange is againe brought to the iust length So that it seemeth the depth was much before it come into the plaine because in the plaine it was brought to 9 or 10 men and therefore no doubling Lastly Agesilaus and the front I doubt not of the Phalange with him turned face to the enemy before the Reare came vp to him which is done in no other motion than the Macedonian countermarch In which all the File-leaders first turne about their faces toward the enemy and then the whole battaile marcheth against the File-leaders and placing themselues orderly behind them turne their faces the same way that they haue done before Now where it is in Xenophon that Agesilaus hauing gained the Champeigne extended his Armie to 9 or 10 Targeteres I suspect a
hapned a like to both they found a safe retreat within the battailes of foote But when the Armies were come within 500 paces one of an other Scipio giuing a signall of Retreat and opening his battaile receiued all the horse and light-armed into the middest and diuiding them into two parts placed them as seconds behind the wings Now when time was come to begin the fight he commanded the Spaniards who had the middle ward to march on leasurely and sent a messenger from the right winge for hee commanded there to Syllanus and Martius willing them to stretch out the left winge as they saw him stretch out the right and to charge the enemy with the light-armed and horse before the middle wards might be able to come vp and ioyne The winges being thus stretched out they led with all possible speed three Cohorts of foote and three troupes of horse a peece against the enemy besides the light-armed and those that were receiued into the Reare who followed a thwart There was a great empty space in the middest because the Ensignes of the Spaniards came slowly on And now the wings were in fight when the old souldiers Carthaginians and Africans the strength of the Armie were not yet come to vse their darts neither durst they runne into the wings to helpe them that fought for feare of opening the middest of the battaile to the enemy who was comming on against them The winges were pressed with a double medley The Horse light-armed Velites wheeling about their Troupes charge their flanks The Cohorts pushed on in front to the end to breake of the wings from the body of the battaile And the conflict was vnequall both in all other respects and especially because a rable as it were of drudges and vntrained Spaniards were opposed against the Roman and Latin souldiers The day being now farre spent the Armie of Asdruball oppressed with the mornings tumult and compelled to take the field before they had strengthned their bodies with meat began to faint and faile in strength which was the reason that Scipio lingered out the day made the fight somewhat late For it was past the seuenth houre before the winges of foote attached one an other and yet the fight came later to the middle wards So that the scorching heat of the south-sunne and the labour of standing armed and hunger and thirst first afflicted their bodies before they came to hands with the enemy Therefore they stood leaning vpon their Targets and being weary both in body and minde they gaue backe at last keeping notwithstanding their array no otherwise than as if the battaile being yet entire had retreated at the commandement of the Generall But when the victors perceiuing them to shrinke so much the more eagerly pressed on the brunt could hardly be indured any longer And although Asdrubal restrained and stopped them that gaue ground crying that hills and a safe place of retreat was at their backs if they could be but intreated to retire easily yet feare ouercomming shame and the enemy killing them that were next to hand they forthwith turned their backs and vniuersally powred out themselues into flight This stratagem of Scipio resteth principally in shifting his best men the Romans into the winges the Spaniards his worst into the middest and in keeping the Spaniards aloofe from ioyning and in hasting to try the day with the Romans against the weakest of the enemy Asdrubals way to meete with this stratagem had beene to countermarch by ranke halfe his Carthaginians and Africans into one winge and halfe into the other And by that meanes his Spaniards should haue had the middest against the Roman-Spaniards and his old souldiers Carthaginians and Africans beene opposed in the wings against the Romans and Latins and the advantage eluded that Scipio sought As the Countermarches by file were of three kindes so are the Countermarches by ranke namely the Macedonian the Lacedemonian and the Choraean The Macedonian beginneth to moue at the corner of the wing which is nearest to the enemy the enemy appearing to either flanke And therefore incâ—rreth the same imputation that was laid vpon the Macedonian countermarch by file as seeming to runne away because it dismarcheth from the enemy Yet is there vse of it as well as of that by file For by this countermarch you may set the strongest part of your Armie against the enemy and apply the weakest to some Riuer Lake hill or such like so that the enemy can not come to incompasse it It taketh the ground that lyeth on the side of the contrary wing The Lacedemonian taketh the ground that lieth on the side of that wing which is toward the enemy and bringeth the best men to be formost against the enemy And therefore beginneth the moving on the contrary side The vse of it is when your forces are such as are able to incounter the enemy and you desire to bring your best men to fight The Choraean keepeth the same ground the battaile had at first bringeth one wing to possesse the place of the other Or else the Sections to possesse the place of the wings as might haue beene done in the last example cited concerning Scipio and Asdrubal The manner of countermarch by ranke is contrary to the countermarch by file In countermarch by file the motion was in the depth of the battaile and either the front remoued toward the reare or the reare toward the front and tooke one an others place In this the motion is in length of the battaile flanke-wise the wing either marching into the middest or else cleane thorow to the other wing In doing it the souldiers that stand vttermost in the flanke of the wing must moue first to the contrary wing and the rest of euery ranke seuerally follow them in order The figure will shew the manner of the motion Patritius vtterly mistaketh the countermarch by ranke and groundeth himselfe vpon a wrong principle namely that in all Countermarches the File-leaders must march toward the reare and the Bringers-vp towards the front And therefore in changing the winges into Sections he makes the winges to fall of behind in the reare the File-leaders wheeling about and there to ioyne themselues as neare as the middle Section will giue leaue and the Sections falling backe likewise to ioyne themselues to the flanks of them that were the wings Whereas the nature of this Euolution is clearely to leaue the File-leaders in front and Bringers-vp in reare as they were at first And albeit the File-leaders then change their places yet change they their place with none but with File leaders and the change is but a change of hands the right hand for the left or the left hand for the right For whereas the File-leaders of the right wing had before the right hand now in countermarch by ranke being transposed to the left wing they haue the left hand of all the rest of the File-leaders as likewise the Bringers-vp of the other
the first ranke without advancing giues fire in the place they stand in and speedily as may be yet orderly falls away all the rankes doing the same successiuely one after another Thus much of the armes and exercise of the foote The horse ensue The order and discipline holden in Horse-troopes or in the Cavalry THE Caualry hath for his Cheife the Generall the Lieutenant Generall and the Comissary generall To the Cavalry there is a Quarter-master generall and a Prouost generall belonging the Iustice resorteth to the Councell generall of warre of the Army The Cavalry is of two sorts Har quebusiers and Curassiers The first haue for defensiue armes the Curace pistoll proofe and a light head-peece For offensiue the Carbine of 3 foote 3 inches length and the bore of 20 bullets in the pound and Pistolls like vnto the Curassiers The Curassiers haue for defensiue Armes a compleat armour the Curace pistoll proofe For offen siue two pistolls hauing the barrell of 26 inches in length and the bore of 36 bullets in the pound See the figure of Armes For the order in Regiments the 40 Companies entertained by the States doe make eleuen Regiments The Regiment of the Generall hath alwaies the Vantgard the others alternatiuely and by turnes and he that hath it this day the next day after hath the Reare the rest following in the same sort Those which command the Regiments are called Coronells The Regiments are compounded of 3 or 4 Companies of 3 at the least and the Coronells Company marcheth alwaies on the left wing of the Regiment The Captaines receiue orders from their Coronells as these from the Commissary Generall All the Companies are diuided in 3 equall parts which are called Squadrons and distributed to the three chiefe officers Captaine Cornett and Lieutenant hauing each of them adioyned an old Souldier which they doe know to bee of more desert called a Corporall Marching in the field euery Officer marcheth at the head of his Squadron the Lieutenant excepted which marcheth behind with the Quartermaster and the third Corporall at the head of the Lieutenants Squadron The Companies are diuided by files and rankes the file 5 deepe and no more how strong soeuer the Company be They obserue that in marching in battaile they must be close together and to doe the Motions there must be 6 foote distance from one Horseman to another The Companies being in battaile there must be 25 paces distance left between euery Company and 50 betwixt euery Regiment at the least The exercise of Armes for the Cavalry To open the Squadron you must first open the rankes and after the files To close the Squadron you must first close the files and after the rankes There be two sorts of distances betwixt the files the one close and the other open In the Close there must be no distance or intervalls betwixt the files to the open there must be 6 foote betwixt euery file Likewise there must be two sorts of distances betwixt the rankes the Close which must be without intervall or streete and the Open which must be six foote distance In a march it must be vnderstood that the rankes must neuer be more opened then the open distance of 6 foote And to the end that the Troope may march in good order and obserue well their distance betwixt the rankes without that the last may be forced to runne or goe to fast there must be heed taken that so soone as the first rankes begin to march all the Troope and the Reare also at one time march The words of Command are Open your Rankes Open your files Stand right in your rankes Stand right in your files To the right hand As you were So the left hand As you were To the right hand about To the left hand as you were To the left hand about To the right hand as you were Files to the right hand countermarch Files to the left hand countermarch To the right or left hand as you were Rankes to the right hand countermarch Rankes to the left hand countermarch Close your files Close your rankes To the right hand wheele To the left hand wheele Faults escaped in the Booke PAg. 2. in the margent beneath for Spartionem read Spartianus Pag. 9 lin 20. for was were lin 31. for Bircanna Bircenna and in the marg lin 40. for Dipnoseph Dipnosoph pag. 10. lin 26. in marg for Adrian Arrian p. 14. l. 11. in marg for Dipnoseph Dipnosoph p. 15 l. 18. for Marsilians Massilians p 17. l. 47. for pluimes Plumes p. 18. l 49 for conceited by conceitedly p. 20. l. 45. for Thureo Thureoi lin 48. dele full p. 22. l. for Those These l. 11. for Ochanes Ochane l. 32. dele Then p. 23. l. 12. for Divarates Divarates p. 27. l. for immitation imitation p. 2â— l. 11. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 17. dele That p. 29. l. 4. for quiety quietly l. 25. slinges slingers p. 30. l. 35. in marg Analast Analact p. 31. l. 13. put in it p. 32. l 29. 33. for bellys bellies p. 33. l. 35. 38. 41. for Sotridas Soteridas p 34 l. 3. for forceble forcible l 19. Popana Popana 29. vnfailable vnfailible l. 42 dele once for all p. 35. l. 42. reduct reduce p 36. l. 40. in marg de bett de bell p. 39. l. 17. strok strooke p. 44. l. 12. in marg Enometis Enomâ—tis 24. Enomotarches Enomotarches 31. 33. Prucestes Peucestes lin 47. after Patricius a full point p. 49. l. 27. Bathera Batheia 40 liptismos leptismos p. 50 l. 14. after supported a full point 34. easily easily p. 53 l. 6. Prataxis Protaxis pag. 55. l. 35. for hauing giuing pag. 56. l. 18. sure safe lin 32 37. Ansetaus Ansetaus 41. Then They. 46. a full point after through p. 57. l. 31. betwixt the and examples put former p. 58. l. 2. Pharnabarus Pharnabazus l. 18. after Mâ—nomachy a full point 37. the â—hem 48. after number a full point p 59. l. 6. speedely speedily 36. motion motions 39. 40. your you 41. after forme a full point p 60 l. 16. fiâ—th fifth 18. after may be set the figure 2. 28. after sort dele as and for 2 read 4. p. 61. l. 18. never neither p. 62. l. 23. after Lydians a full point p. 63. l. 15. for 500 5000. lin 22. for 800 8000. p 66. l. 26. for 500 400. lin 25. read when it is greatest in Xenophon hath no more then 100. pag. 68. l. 35. besides to preterâ—it p. 70. l. 40. fight read marching p. 72. l. 1. after Sunne set read and. l. 37. for of p. 75. l. 19. 27. Lochagie Lochagi l. 32. Pempedarches Pempadarchs p. 78. l. 2. 4. of on p. 79. l. 11. for fourth third p. 80. l. 29. insert after an Army that c. â—oreth disorderly lin 47 after 21. insert foote pag. 82. lin Target Targets lin 30. for 6130. read 6144. pag 84. l. 14. Philopomen Philopoemen p. 87. l. 36. Quintus Quintius
l 37 after himselfe with insert in p. 88. l. 39. fought sought p. 90. l. 41. they those p 91. l. 30. twenty six sixteene pag. â—2 l. 29. after 1024 men insert Two Systremmâ—s an Epinenâ—gy of 204â— men p. 96 l. 44. after flankes insert and front p 98. l. 37. after Ambâ—shes are insert or may be p. 99. l. 18. for flights flight p. 112. l. 44. neaâ—er nearer p. 114. lin 23. read Episyzygy Harmatarchy p. 115. l. 34. greater great p. 122. l. 4. Lacedemon lin 21. a comma after cutting it of another comma after a sunder p. 124. l. 19 after proceed put out but. p. 130. l. 28. for and but. p. 135. lin Middle Middlemen pag. 136 l. 4. after particular insert be lin 20. after doublings insert which p. 138 l 15. read Entaxis the folio's are false pag 138. 139. pag. 142. l. 19 for Chap. 24. read 34. pag. 153. l. 23. after Rapier insert for offence pag. 154. l. 6. after 6 adde foote lin 3â— after thus insert it pag. 155. lin 1. after right insert hand THE CONTENTS OF THE NOTES CHAP. II. OF Armes in generall Pag. 12. Defensiue armes of old time Pag. ibid. Offensiue armes Pag. ibid. Strength of armes therein of the matter Pag. 13. Fitnesse for the body Pag. 15. Fitnesse for the field Pag. 15. Comelinesse Pag. 17. Three kindes of Footemen Pag. 19. 1. Armes of the armed Pag. 20. The forme of the Macedonian Target Pag. 20. The matter Pag. 21. The Macedonian Pike Pag. 23. The wood it was made of Pag. ibid. Target and Pike both vsed together Pag. ibid. How the Target was caried Pag. 22. 2. The light-armed and their appellations Pag. 24. 1. Arrowes and the Nations that were Archers Pag. 25. The estimation of Archers of ancient time Pag. ibid. That good seruice might be drawne from our bowes euen at this day Pag. ibid. 2. Dartes and the diuers names giuen them Pag. 27. The matter fashion and force of Darts Pag. 28. 3. Slingers Pag. 29. The best slingers Pag. ibid. How farre a sling will reach Pag. ibid. 3. Targetiers Pag. 30. The forme of their Target Pag. ibid. Their Pikes Pag. ibid. Their other armes Pag. ibid. The Hypaspists in the Historie of Alexander Pag. ibid. Horsemen Pag. 32. Cataphractes Pag. ibid. Their and their horses armor Pag. ibid. Their Launce Pag. 33. Their manner in charging Pag. ibid. Launciers Pag. ibid. Their and their horses armour Tarentines Pag. 35. Their armes and manner of fight Pag. ibid. Archers on horsebacke Pag. 36. CHAP. III. Levies of Souldiers Pag. 37. Confiderations in Levies Pag. ibid. What number Pag. ibid. The heads of the Art of Warre Pag. 38. The effect of exercise in Soldiors Pag. ibid. CHAP. IV. Files and the diuers significations of Lochos a file Pag. 40. The number of Aelians file Pag. ibid. Other files more or lesse Pag. ibid. The reason of Aelians number in a file Pag. ibid. CHAP. V. Disposing of files Pag. 42. The best man the leader and why Pag. ibid. The difference betwixt the Romans and Graecians in bringing their best men to fight Pag. 43. An Enomoty Pag. 44. The place of Enomotarchs Pag. ibid. The Dimeritt or Commander of the halfe file Pag. 45. The worth of the File-leader Pag. ibid. Leo his disposing of a file Pag. ibid. CHAP. VII A Phalange Pag. 48. The etymology of the name Pag. ibid. The Phalange not alwaies of one number Pag. ibid. The Inventor of the Phalange Pag. 49. The length of it Pag. ibid. The depth Pag. ibid. The thicknes Pag. ibid. The breadth Pag. 50. The winges Pag. ibid. The middle Section Pag. ibid. Whether there ought to be more then one Section Pag. ibid. The place of the light-armed Pag. 53. The place of the horse Pag. 55. In the winges Pag. 56. In the reare Pag. 57. In the front Pag. ibid. CHAP. VIII What motions transfigure the Phalange into another shape Pag. 59. The number fit for motion of the Phalange Pag. 60. The number of the Macedonian Phalange Pag. 61. The number of the light-armed Of horse the number CHAP. IX The Commander of the Phalange Pag. 65. The number of them Pag. ibid. The double signification of the word Tetrarchy Pag. ibid. The manifold signification of Taxis Pag. ibid. And of Syntagma Pag. 66. The officers of the Syntagma Pag. 67. The Ensigne Pag. ibid. The beginning of Ensignes Pag. ibid. Why they are borne Pag. ibid. The forme of the Ensigne Pag. 68. The matter of the Ensigne Pag. ibid. The place of the Ensigne-bearer in fight Pag. 60. The Trumpet and vse thereof amongst foote Pag. 70. It was the signall instrument of the Graecians Pag. ibid. The Drumme Pag. ibid. How it came into Europe Pag. ibid. The Lacedemonians vsed both Flute and Trumpet Pag. 71. The place of the Trumpet in Battaile Pag. ibid. A Sergeants duty Pag. ibid. Qualities requisite in a Sergeant Pag. ibid. His dignity Pag. ibid. His place in fight Pag. ibid. A Cryers office Pag. ibid. His place in fight Pag. 72. The tetragonall forme of a Syntagma Pag. 73. The number of the Chiliarchy Pag. ibid. The Roman Tribuneship and it differ Pag. ibid. Our Coronells come neerer the Chiliarch Pag. ibid. Whether it were first instituted by Alexander at Babilon Pag. ibid. The Persian Chiliarch Pag. 74. The Merarchy Pag. ibid. The Phalangarchy Pag. ibid. The bodies military of the Lacedemonians Pag. 75. Of the Athenians Pag. ibid. Of Cyrus in Xenophon Pag. ibid. Of Vrbicius Pag. ibid. Of Iulius Pollux Pag. ibid. The number of the officers of Aelians Phalange Pag. 76. CHAP. X. The places of the officers of the Phalange All the Commanders in front Pag. 77. Alternatiue Commanders Pag. ibid. The place of the Generall Pag. ibid. Of the Phalangarches Pag. ibid. Of the Merarches Pag. 78. Of the rest Pag. 79. CHAP. XI Distances Pag. 80. Open order Pag. ibid. Order Pag. 81. Close order Pag. ibid. The ground a Phalange possesseth in eche order Pag. 82. CHAP. XII The matter of the Macedonian Target Pag. 83. The hollownesse Pag. ibid. The breadth Pag. ibid. The length of the shortest pike Pag. ibid. Advantage of long pikes Pag. ibid. CHAP. XIIII The strength of the Macedonian Phalange Pag. 85 The conquests of King Philip and Alexander his Sonne Pag. ibid. Battailes wherein the Romans beate the Macedonians Pag. 86. Proofe of the Macedonian imbattailing against the Romans Pag. 87. Distance betwixt soldior and soldior in fight Pag. 89. How much of the length of the pike is lost in charging Pag. 90. How the pikes of the sixth ranke and the other after them are to be held in fight Pag. ibid. The pikes of the Reare longer than those in front Pag. ibid. CHAP. XV. The place of the Light-armed Pag. 91. The place of Targetiers Pag. 92. The File of the Light-armed Pag. ibid. CHAP. XVI The names of the Light-armed Pag. ibid. The cause of impropriety of names Pag. ibid. The curiosity of the Graecians in their names
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