Selected quad for the lemma: order_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
order_n	hand_n	open_v	rank_n	2,740	5	12.3069	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06964	The souldiers accidence. Or an introduction into military discipline containing the first principles and necessary knowledge meete for captaines, muster-masters, and all young souldiers of the infantrie, or foote bandes. Also, the cavallarie or formes of trayning of horse-troopes, as it hath beene received from the latest and best experiences armies. A worke fit for all noble, generous, and good spirits, that loue honor, or honorable action. G.M.	Markham, Gervase, 1568?-1637.	1625 (1625)	STC 17388; ESTC S102642	32,968	76

heeles that march before Three foote in Ranke is when they come almost to the Swords poynt and twelue foote is the length of a Pike charged ever Next vnto distance of place is to be taught Marches and Motions and in teaching of Marches after euery man knowes his place and is willed to obserue his fyle and ranke In a plaine March there is no hardnesse nor yet in a Counter-march if the Leaders of the fyles be well chosen and that every man obserue well him that goes next before him Besides if there be any little disorder the Officers keeping a good eye and being every one of them in their due place will easily reforme it Now for the places of the Officers they are these The head of the Troope or Band is for the Captaine and the Reare for the Lieutenant except it be in a Retrayt and then the Captaine should be in the Reare and the Lieutenant at the Head The Ensigne in an ordinary Battalia vpon the head behinde the Captaine or within a Ranke thereof But marching in an extended Battayle then in the heart or midst of the Pikes The Drummes are in a square Battalia to beate before the right and left wings But in an extended Battayle the eldest Drumme shall beate before the third and fourth ranke of Shot which followeth next after the Captaine The second Drumme shall attend the Ensigne and the third if there be so many in one Companie shall beate betweene the third and fourth Ranke of Shot which marcheth in the Reare next before the Lieutenant The Phiphes if there be more then one the eldest shall march with the eldest Drumme and the second shall attend on the Ensigne The Sergeants are extravagantly to march on each side the Company and to see the Souldiers keepe their Rankes and Fyles according to the Captaines appoyntment as also to listen and performe any direction that shall come from the Captaine or other Officer in chiefe as also vpon any occasion to leade loose and disbanded fyles of Shot in Skirmish or els devisions of Pykes or Shot in ordinary Marches where superior Officers are absent Now to these Marches are added the teaching of Motions because there are many such that are not Marches at all As some without changing of place in onely turning of their faces to the right hand or the left or about that is to say the meere contrary way to that they were at the Command giuen which is necessarie if the enemy should charge of either side or behinde Some motions there are which change place But yet no more then a remouing from one Ranke to another or from one File to another when as commonly though some doe remoue yet others stand still and these kinde of Motions are doubling of Rankes or Fyles whereby the Battalia is made broader or longer as the Enemy or the ground you haue causeth you to make your Flankes Fronts Rankes or Files greater or lesser And here is to be noted in this doubling of Rankes or Fyles that Rankes when they double to the right hand must ever turne to the left hand to come to their former places againe and if they be doubled to the left hand they must turne on the right hand to come to their first places againe And Fyles when they are doubled to any hand by the doubling of Rankes to the contrary hand they are brought to their first places againe And so having doubled your Rankes to any hand by the doubling of Fyles to the contrary hand you also bring them to their first places againe There is also to be taught another Motion in which all doe moue and yet none doe march which is the Opening and Closing either of Rankes or Fyles and is of vs● not onely when you would haue one Ranke passe through another or the whole Body of the Battalia make a counter-march but when we would draw the Battayle quickly and in order more of one hand or other In teaching the Souldier how to know the sounds or Beatings of the Drumme you must make them obserue not onely what the Drum doth beat as whether it be a Call a March a Troope a Battalia a Charge a Retrait a Batterie a Reliefe and so forth but also what time he keepes for euer according to the measure of time the Souldier is to march slower or faster to charge with greater violence or to come off with greater speede also he shall know when by the Drum to attend his Captaines directions when to repayre to his Colour● and when to doe other duties And many other beatings as occasion shall administer and as by the sound of the Drum you doe teach your Souldiers to march so by the voice at their first instruction you shall teach them all other motions To make them therefore perfect in these and all other Motions it is good to vse them to some certaine words which being once learned● will serue for direction and they must bee the wordes● now most in vse in our English Armies The words which are now in vse both here and in the Netherlands are these and such like 〈◊〉 following First for all Motions in generall they must eyther be in Distance or in Forme If in Distance it must eyther be in File or Rank or in both together If the motion be in distance o● Files it must eyther be in closing or in opening If in closing then your words of proper directions are th●se First hauing drawne your Ba●●aile in order you shall say Leaders stand forward with your Files Then Close your Files Close your Files to the right hand Close your Files to the left And all these three motions you shal doe eyther closest close to Order or to open Order Open your Files Open to the right hand Open to the left Or to any order as aforesayd If in distance of Rankes then also in closing or opening if in closing then Close your Rankes Close your Rankes from the front to the reare Close your Rankes from the reare to the front And any of th●se to any order as aforesayd and if in opening then Open your Rankes Open your Rankes from the front reareward Open your Rankes from the reare forward And any of th●se to any order aforesayd And heerein is to bee noted that Rankes when they open ought for the most part to open downeward turning to the Reare and if they close it m●st euer be vpward to the Front Lastly if motion in distance be both of Rankes and File● at one instant then you shall say Files and Rankes close Files and Rankes open And both these to any order aforesayd Now if it be motion in forme it is also in files in rankes and in files and rankes both together If it be motion in forme of files the words of direction are Double your Files to the right hand Double your Files to the left Advance 〈◊〉 Files to the right hand Advance your Files to the left Advance

by devision to the right hand Advance by devision to the left Files ranke by conversion to the right hand Files ranke by conversion to the left Files ranke 3.5.7 c. Shorten your Files to 5.8 c. Lengthen your Files to 10.12.16 c. Files counter-march to the right hand Files counter-march to the left Files counter-march to both by devision And this counter-march may bee done divers wayes and manners as after the manner of the Macedonians the Lacedemonians the Persians or out late and more moderne vse and fashion all these motions must be done to some one or other order as aforesayd If it be motion in forme of rankes then the words are Double your rankes to the right hand Double your rankes to the left Rankes file by conversion to the right hand Rankes file by conversion to the left Rankes ranke 5.7 c. Midlemen double the front to the right hand Midlemen double the front to the left Midlemen double to both by devision to the right entire and to the left entire Rankes counter-march from the right hand to the left Rankes counter-march from the left hand to the right In the manner as formerly in fyles according to severall Nations when you will Counter-march to the right hand the first ranke of Leaders onely must advance one stepp forward with the right leg and then turne and all the other ranks must march first vp to the place from whence the first ranke did counter-march before they turne So likewise if you will counter-march to the left hand the first rankes must stepp forward one stepp with the left legge and then turne and all the other rankes behind must come vp to that place before they turne as before The same order is to be obserued when you will counter-march your Files Also in counter-marching though both are here set downe for distinction sake you are to name neither Rankes nor Files but are onely to say To the right hand counter-march or To the left hand counter-march Now if it be Motion in forme both in Files and Rankes iointly together then the words of direction are Faces to the right hand Faces to the left Faces to both by devision Faces about or all one Faces to the Reare all one Wheele by conversion to the right hand Wheele by conversion to the left Wheele to both by devision Charge to the right hand Charge to the left Charge to both by devision Charge to the Front Charge to the Reare Charge to both front and reare by devision Now to reduce any of these words of direction to the same order or station in which the Souldier stood before they were spoken you shall say As you were Now in these words of generall directions this is principally to be regarded that in charging with Pikes halfe the Rankes are but to charge their Pikes and the other halfe to carrie them advanced or ported so neare the heads of the formost as they may doe them no annoyance either in Charging or Retyring and they must also obserue when they doe Charge standing to fall backe with the right foote and Marching to step forward with the left There is also another motion in forme which is the giuing of fire by the Flanke or by whole Fyles one after another which are strange to the Dutch or Spanish yet exceeding frequent with the Irish and therefore necessary for our English vse And that is for the beating or Clayring of Paces which are narrow strait wayes through Woods and Bogs and the words for direction are Cast of your fyles to the right hand Cast of your fyles to the left Cast of your fyles to both by devision Now for the most of these words there can be hardly better chosen But it is not so materiall what words you first choose to trayne by as it is to vse some words constantly and yet the same words should be vsed generally through the Troopes of an Armie or els it will breed confusion And if it were also generally in the discipline of one Kingdome it were better and more absolute And thus much touching March and Motion which is nothing els but an actuall working of the bodie contained in foure severall circumstances The first being a marching forward as charging to the Front the second backward as by retrayt the third side-wayes as by closing opening or doubling of fyles to either hand and the last Wheeling as by conversion or turning to either hand all which must be performed as occasion shall be offered to the vnderstanding of the Commander observing every motion in true order place distance and posture All other motions in the mayne body of a Battalia being nothing but the parents of disorder and confe●sion 〈…〉 Art by the opinions of the Auncients● is o●●ly the true Science of Warlike Motion of the Emperiall Art of comely and well ordering of Battayle● Armes Gestures and Motions any of which will not indure monstrou● shape● 〈…〉 Next vnto these words of generall Motions wee will place the words of particular Motions which onely concerne the manage vse and carriage of weapons And these kinde of Motions are called in one present discipline Postures that is The true 〈◊〉 of men in Armes carrying all manner of mar●●all weapons in every Motion whatsoever in the comeliest ●●ad i● 〈◊〉 and easiest way both to 〈…〉 and not onely making everything 〈…〉 very deligh●full to the eye but also taking away all dangers and disorders which might otherwise happen either through igno●an●e or rudenesse To speake then first of those Postures which belong vnto the Pike and are published by the most excellent Prince the Count Ma●rice of 〈◊〉 Prince of Orange they are in number ●●●●one That is to say three which are exprest standing●●ixe ma●ching and seaven charging The three which are exprest standing are Lay downe your Pike Take vp your Pike Order your Pike The sixe which are to be done marching● are Advance your Pike Shoulde●● your Pike Levell your Pike Sloape your Pike Cheeke your Pike Trayle your Pike The seauen which are done charging are Port over hand Port vnder-hand Charge over-hand Charge vnder-hand Couch over-hand Couch vnder-hand Charge against the right foote and t●●aw yo●●●●ord over-arme As touching the Postures which belong to the Musquet they are fortie in n●mber and are to be done Fiue standing three marching eight-teene charging and fourteene discharging And are onely for Military Instruction in the time of Trayning and to make the Souldier most exquisite and perfect But in the time of present Service before the face of the enemy or in fight then all this great number of Postures the Captaine shall reduce into three onely and no more The three Postures or words of Command which are vsed for the Musquet in the face of the enemie in Fight or in Skirmish are these 1. Make readie 2. Present 3. Giue fire The Postures or words of Command which are vsed

in euery Conversion but chiefly in Wheeling Then Set a strayte turne to the right hand Set a strayte turne to the left This if the Horse be readie the Souldier shall doe by drawing vp his Bridle-hand strayte and turning it inward to the side on which he would turne and then clapping the calue of his outward legge hard to the Horses side and jetting it sodainly forward againe and if there be dulnesse by giuing the Spurre on the outside also he shall make the Horse turne Terra Terra in as small a Circumference as may be And this serveth for Counter-marches Charges or any sodaine Assault or Ingagement Then Passe sidewayes to the right hand Passe sidewayes to the left Passe sidewayes to both by devision Any of these the Souldier must doe by a constant restraynt of his Bridle hand and as it were carrying the foreparts of the Horse to that side he would passe as also laying his contrary legge and sometimes his Spurre to the contrary side and so making his hinder parts to goe equally with his fore-parts And this lesson serues for the Closing and opening of Fyles Lastly Passe a Cariere and stop close This the Souldier shall doe by thrusting the horse violently forward both with his legs and bodie and giuing libertie to the Bridle As soone as the Horse is started into his Gallop he shall giue him the even stroake of his Spurres once or twice together and make the Horse runne to the height of his full speede then being at the end of the Cariere which will not be aboue sixe score or eight score yards he shall then draw vp his Bridle-hand very hard and constantly and laying the calues of both his legges gently to the Horses sides make the Horse stop close to the ground with onely a comely Aduancement And this serveth for all manner of Charges whether it be Horse against Horse or Horse against Foote When your Souldier can doe these things perfectly he can then do as much as belongeth to the Manage and Government of the Horse You shall then proceede to the second instruction which is the Carriage and Vse of Armes contained in divers Postures Now for as much as the principall Weapons on Horsebacke are Pistolls Petronells or Dragons and that all these are with fire-lockes and those fire-lockes for the most part Snap-hances because the other are too curious and too soone distempered with an ignorant hand I will therefore vnder the name of the Pistoll onely without any tedious Comment giue you the names of the Postures not doubting but every man of Command will vpon the reading at the first sight finde out the application You shall vnderstand then that the Postures of the Pistoll-Snaphance are twentie-foure whereof three are to be done standing two Marching fourteene Charging and fiue Discharging The three Postures which are to be done standing are 1. Prepare for Service Which is to gagge the Flaske and to put Bullets into your mouth Then 2. The Scout Posture 3. The Saluting Posture The foureteene Postures which are vsed in Charging are 1. Draw vp your Cocke 2. Secure your Cocke 3. Open your Pann 4. Prime your Pann 5. Close your Pann 6. Shake off your loose cornes 7. Blow your Pann 8. Turne your Pistoll about into your left hand 9. Charge with Powder 10. Draw out your Scowring Sticke 11. Ramme in your Powder 12. Charge with Bullet 13. Ramme in your Bullet 14. Put vp your scowring sticke and stand readie The fiue Postures which are to be performed in Discharging are Draw downe your Hammer Vnloose your Cocke Present Giue fire Dismount your Pistoll and put it vp Now as in Foote Companies so in Horse-Troopes In the time of present service these many Postures are reduced vnto these three onely Make readie Present Giue fire The first is done Standing or Marching The second in the Charge and the last in the face of the Enemie Now for as much as time is precious this labour tedious and men vnwilling to take long paines it shall not be amisse for the speedier perfecting of the men first to labour the Leaders of the Fyles which should be the most sufficient men of the Troope in all these Lessons before shewed and then to make every Leader to instruct the Fyle he leadeth which will not onely make the Teachers striue to be excellent for their owne glory sake but also stirre in the other which are taught a braue ambition to equall or exceede those that informe them After they can thus Manage their Horses and handle their Armes in a decent manner you shall then come to the third Lesson which is Distance of place and orderly proportion A matter necessary and dependant vpon every Forme of Battayle and may not be absent eyther from Ranke or Fyle It is then to be vnderstood that in Horse-troopes there are but two sorts of Distances or Orders eyther in Rankes or Fyles That is Close Order and Open Order Close order in Fyles is Cuish to Cuish or knee to knee and Open order in Fyles is six foote which is accounted an Horse length So Close order in Rankes is to the Horses Crooper or without Streete and Open order is sixe foote aboue which the Rankes must never open And therefore that the Troop may March orderly and keepe their Distance truly let the whole Troope in Marching mooue all at one instant that is when the head begins then the Reare to be ready so shall they seldome be found to erre disorderly Also you must know that when the Troope cometh to March in Battalia that then they must March at their Close Order in Fyles and at Open Order in Rankes But when they come to doe the Evolutions or motions in warre then they must be at their open-Open-order both in Fyles and Rankes The distance betwixt Troope and Troope ought to be twentie-fiue paces and betweene Regiment and Regiment fiftie paces And thus much for distance or proportion of place The fourth Lesson succeeding for the vse of the Horse-Troopes is March or Motion both of the horse and man performed in an orderly and comely manner without neglect of any of the three former Lessons already described for in all these motions following there must be a true Manage of the Horse and government of the mans bodie a formall and cunning carriage of the Weapon and a due observation in keeping the iust measure and proportion in distances according to direction Now the words of especiall direction for the particular Motions on horsebacke in any Battalia are these or the like following Stand right in your Fyles Stand right in your Rankes And this is to stand truly man after man and horse after horse as also man against man and horse against horse Then Silence Open your Rankes Open your Fyles to the right hand Open your Fyles to the left Open your Fyles to both hands by devision And any of these to any order aforesaid

Close your Fyles to the right hand Close your Fyles to the left Close your Fyles to both hands by devision And these also to any order aforesaid also in opening the Squadron you must ever first open the Rankes which must be done downeward to the Reare and then the Fyles And in Closing you must first close the Fyles and then the Rankes which must ever be done vpward towards the Front Then Double your Fyles to the right hand Double your Fyles to the left Double your Fyles to both by devision And this to any order aforesaid Double your Rankes to the right hand Double your Rankes to the left Double your Rankes to both by devision And this to any order aforesaid Middlemen double the Front to the right hand Middlemen double the Front to the left Middlemen double the Front to both hands by devision Bringers vp double the Front to the right hand Bringers vp double the Front to the left Bringers vp double the Front to both hands by devision And these to either order aforesaid To the right hand turne To the left hand turne To both hands turne by conversion To the right hand about turne To the left as you were To the left hand about turne To the right as you were Now to reduce any Motion before shewed to the same station in which the Horseman stood before the Command given you shall vse this generall word As you were Countermarch to the right hand Countermarch to the left Countermarch to both by Conversion Wheele to the right hand Wheele to the left Wheele to both by Conversion And in this Motion of Countermarching you must obserue that the Leaders if it be in a standing Countermarch doe advance forward full one Horse length before they turne and then turne to which hand they are commanded all the Rankes successiuely following to make good the Leaders place of turning before they turne and so to perfect the Countermarch But if it be to be done vpon a greater advancement then shall either a Corporall or other higher Officer stand at the place of turning and the Leaders shall advance vp vnto him and there turne to either hand according to direction and so successiuely all the rest of the Rankes in the Troope till the Countermarch be made perfect So also in the Motion of Wheeling you must obserue if the Troope be vnder an hundred first to double your Front to the one or the other hand either by the Bringers vp or the Middlemen before you Wheele and then standing at their close order to Wheele about or otherwise at pleasure Againe obserue when you Wheele to the right hand to double your Front to the left hand and when you Wheele to the left hand to double your Front to the right hand for so the Leaders of the right and left hand Fyles will keepe their places on that corner to which you Wheele Lastly to reduce and bring every man into his first place againe You shall say Fyles to the right or left hand open to your Open order Bringers vp or Middlemen to your first places as you were And in this Motion obserue that if the Bringers vp did double the Front then shall the Middlemen being in the Reare first fall into their places then the Follower and lastly the Bringer vp And so if the Middlemen did double the Front then those Middlemen being in the Front shall in Countermarch fall into their first places after them their Followers and last of all the Bringer vp The fift and last Lesson belonging vnto the Horse-troope is to teach the Souldier the Sounds and Commands of the Trumpet and to make him both vnderstand the Notes and Language of the Trumpet as also in due time to performe all those duties and Commands which are required by the Trumpet And of these Soundings which we generally call Poynts of Warre there are sixe which are most necessary for the Souldiers knowledge The first is 1. Butte Sella or Clap on your Saddles Which as soone as the Souldier heareth in the morning or at other times he shall presently make readie his Horse and his owne person trusse vp his sacke of necessaries and make all things fitting for Iourney The second is 2. Mounte Cavallo or Mount on Horsebacke At which Summons the Souldier shall bridle vp his Horse bring him forth and mount his backe The third is 3. Al'a Standardo or Goe to your Colours Whether it be Standard Cornet ● or Guydon upon which sound the Souldier with those of his Fellowship shall trot forth to the place where the Cornet is lodged and there attend till it b● di●lodged Also this sound in the field and in service when men are dis-banded is a Retrayt for the Horseman and brings him off being ingaged for as oft as he heares it he must retire and goe backe to his Colours The fourth is 4. Tucquet or March Which being heard simplie of it selfe without addition Commands nothing but a Marching after the Leader The fift is 5. Carga Carga or An Alarum Charge Charge Which sounded every man like Lightning flyes vpon his enemie and giues proofe of his valour The sixt and last is 6. Auquet or The Watch. Which sounded at night Commands all that are out of dutie to their rest and sounded in the morning Commands those to rest that haue done dutie and those that haue rested to awake and doe dutie And in these Sounds you shall make the Souldier so perfect● that as a song he may lanquet or sing them and know when they are sounded vnto him Other Soundings there are as Tende Hoe for listning a Call for Summons a Senet for State and the like But they haue reference to the greater Officers and those haue no neede of my Instructions Having thus run through all those parts which make vp a serviceable Souldier on Horsebacke I will conclude this Discourse with these few notes following First You shall vnderstand that the Cavallerie or Horse-Armie haue for their chiefe Officers the Generall of the Horse the Lieutenant-generall of the Horse and the Serieant Maior of the Horse which in some discipline is called the Commissary-generall or Colonell generall of the Horse And betwixt these three the whole Armie of Horsemen is devided They haue also a Quarter-master and a Provost-generall The Iustice resteth vnder the Councell-generall of Warre in the Armie The Generalls Regiment hath alwayes the Vanguard and the rest alternately by turnes as he that this day hath the Vanguard the next day hath the Reare and so of all the rest The Colonells haue their Regiments Compounded of three or foure Troopes and seldome aboue fiue or vnder three and the Colonells Troope ever Marcheth on the left Wing of the Regiment The Captaines of Horse receiue their directions from the Colonells the Colo●ells from the Serieant-maior and the Serieant-maior from the Lord Marshall Thus much I haue thought fit to impart as an Introduction into these Military affayres leaving to those larger and better enabled Spirits the vnbounded Field of Discourse into which when they shall be pleased to enter no doubt but the studious Observer shall receiue a much more worthie satisfaction FINIS Vse of the Pike Vse of the Shot How to giue Volleys Volleys marching Volleys standing Volleys retyring Volleys vpon advancement Volleys vpon a swift retrait 2 2 Distance of place The measure of Distances 3 3 Of Marches The severall places of Officers Of Motion● 4 4 Of the sounds of the Drum Vse of words The words of proper directions Charging of Pikes Giuing of fire by the Flanke Constancy in words giuing What March Motion i● Words of particular motiō What Postures are The Postures of the Pike The Postures of the Musquet Postures in Smirmish Postures in exercising Of the Hargobus Repetition by way of advise The Dignitie of places The vse of the Table Leaders of middle fyles Middlemen to the Front and Reare Subdevisionmen The first sixe parts in Martiall discipline Carriage election and composition of Colours Mixture of Colours Colonells Colours Superior Officers Colors Where Gentlemen may finde their Colours Difficultie in this Art Things considerable in this Art 1 1 Election of Men and Horses 2 2 Arming of Gentlemen at Armes Arming for Triumph Arming of Launceirs Arming of Light-horse Arming of Cuirassiers Arming of Hargobusseirs Arming of Dragons Arming of Captaines Arming of Lieutenants Arming of Cornets Arming of the Trumpet Arming of Corporalls Captaine of Hargobusiers and his officers Captaine of Dragons or his officers Difference betwixt the Cornet and Guydon 3 3 Formes of Trayning The extent of a filo The extent of a Ranke Devision of the Troope Fiue things to be taught 1 1 Manage of the Horse Words of Command The performance The Word The performance The Word The performance The Word The performance The Word The performance The Word The performance The Word The performance 2 2 Carriage and vse of Armes Posture of the Pistoll Postures in Skirmish The best way to Teach 3 3 Distance of place Of Motion 4 4 Of Marches Words of especiall direction Observation in Countermarching Observation in Wheeling Observations 5 5 Of the Trumpet The first poynt of Warre The second The third The fourth The fift The sixt Speciall notes

is vtterly to be condemned For either the hind most must venture to shoot their fellowes before through the heads or els will overshoot and so spend their Shot vnprofitably Besides the volley being once given the Enemy comes on without impeachment or annoyance● But in stead of this kind of volley at once which onely serues to make a great crack let the first Ranke onely giue their volley and if the Bat●ali● ma●ch then that Ranke which hath giuen their volley to stand and the second to passe through it and so giue their volley and then to stand and the third to come vp and so consequently all the Rankes But if the Battalia stand then the first Ranke having given their volley shall fall back to the Reare either in Wheele or in Counter-march according to the number of persons in the Ranke And the second Ranke come into their places and so the third and fourth till the first Ranke be come to their places againe and so to continue to the end of commandement But if the Battalia shall fall backe or retire and loose ground then shall all the Shot stand still and no man advance a foote of ground But the first Ranke in its due place shall giue their volley and then fall backe behind the last Ranke and then the second Ranke shall giue their volley in their due place and so fall behind the first and in the same manner all the rest till they haue lost so much ground as to the Commander shall seeme convenient And so the volley shall be still continued whether in Marching Standing or Retyring and the enemy never free from annoyance All which is easily performed if before the Motion you doe make all your Shot open their Files well either to one or the other hand There are two other wayes of giuing fire the one vpon advancement the other vpon a swift and speedie retrayt That vpon advancement towards an enemy when your men skirmish loose and disbanded must be done by Rankes in this manner Two Rankes must alwayes make ready together and advance tenne paces forwardes before the bodie at which distance a Sergeant or when the body is great some other officer must stand to whom the Musquetiers are to come vp before they present and giue fire first the first Ranke and whilest the first giues fire the second Ranke keepe their Musquets close to their Rests and their pans guarded and as soone as the first are falne away the second presently present and giue fire and fall after them Now as soone as the two first Rankes doe moue from their places in the Front the two Rankes next it must vnshoulder their Musquets and make readie so as they may advance forwards tenne paces as before as soone as the two first Rankes are fallen away and are to doe in all points as the former so all the other Rankes through the whole devision must doe the same by twoes one after another The manner of giving fire in a swift retrayt is as the devision marcheth away the hinder most 〈◊〉 of all keeping still with the devision maketh readie and being readie 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 turnes to giue fire the Ranke next it makes readie and doth as the former and so the rest Next to the Carriage of Armes you shall teach the knowledg of Distance or Seperation of places being accounted a certaine orderly space betweene File and File Ranke and Ranke in such order and measure as the Gaptaine shall be disposed to nomina●e which not being obeyed the whole body of the Battalia is put out of order and neither carrying proportion● nor true shape are as men in rout or disorder● Therefore it ought carefully of all things to be observed and vsed according to the limitation or fitnesse of every Motion For the Stations of all Military persons and the Motions in Armes are not alwayes certaine or in one steadie role● but do● continually interchange and alter agree a●y one with another And the vse of this Distance is both in Rankes and Files in Marches and in Motions In Files as when they stand or march at the first Distance which is called Closest that is to say Pouldron to Pouldron or Shoulder to Shoulder or when they stand or march at the second Distance which is called Close and is a foot and a halfe distance man from man or when they stand or march at the third distance which is called Order which is three foote man from man or when they stand or march at the fourth and last Distance which is called Open Order and is sixe foote betweene person and person So likewise in Rankes to stand or march Closest is to be at the Swords poynt to stand or march Close is three foote to stand or march at Order is sixe foote and to stand or march at Open Order is ever twelue foote Now there be some Commanders which vary in the nomination of these termes though not in Quantitie or Distance for they will haue Close in Files to be Pouldron to Pouldron Order a foote and an halfe open-Open-Order three foote and Double-distance sixe foote● and so omit the word Closest And so like wise in Rankes Close they will haue to the Swords poynt Order three foote Open Order sixe foote and Double-distance twelue foote and so not the word Closest at all Others vary it another way and will haue but three Distances that is to say Open Order which they will haue to be six foote both betweene ranke and fyle Order three foote betweene Ranke and Fyle and close-Close-order a foote and an halfe betweene Fyle● and Fyle and three foote betweene Ranke and Ranke and when they come to open Rankes then they command Double-distance also which they make twelue foote and so by steps come to the fourth Distance also but I preferre the first discipline and hold the words fully as significant and most in vse which aboue all things are to be esteemed and imitated Now to take the true measure of these Distances because the eye is but an vncertaine Iudge you shall take the distance of sixe foote betweene fyle and fyle by commanding the Souldiers as they stand to stretch forth their arme● and stand so remoued one from another that their handes may meete To take the distance of three foot betweene fyle and fyle you shall make the Souldiers set their armes a kenbowe and put themselues so close that their elbowes may meete and to take the distance of a foote and an halfe euery other Souldier in the Ranke shall set one arme a kenbowe and his fellow shall neare touch it And thus likewise in Rankes wee take the distance of sixe foote when the but ends of the Pikes do almost reach their