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rest_n	bullet_n	great_a	piece_n	3,327	5	10.1042	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12567	Certain discourses, vvritten by Sir Iohn Smythe, Knight: concerning the formes and effects of diuers sorts of weapons, and other verie important matters militarie, greatlie mistaken by diuers of our men of warre in these daies; and chiefly, of the mosquet, the caliuer and the long-bow; as also, of the great sufficiencie, excellencie, and wonderful effects of archers: with many notable examples and other particularities, by him presented to the nobilitie of this realme, & published for the benefite of this his natiue countrie of England	Smythe, John, Sir, ca. 1534-1607.	1590 (1590)	STC 22883; ESTC S117657	85,512	138

resisting of the Enemie in their Ports and Hauens but also to haue as great regard to some such open and commodious shoares as are before mentioned Which cannot be performed 〈◊〉 with ensconcing of Sconces 〈…〉 but onelie with a great and extraordinarie wisedome and with the valiant hands of a puissant Armie and Campe formed Now whereas they attribute such excellencie vnto Mosquettiers with their Mosquets that being in great numbers and backed with some squadrons of Piques they are able 20 or 24. scores off to break and dismember squadrons both of horsemen and footmen True it is that Mosquets being in the hands of skilful Mosquettiers are of great effect for diuers purposes and that kinde of weapon of that length with restes and so ranforced was first vsed in Italie aboue 60. yeares past as I haue diuers times heard auncient Captaines of the Italian and Spanish Nation say and that at that time they were employed for the defence of places fortified as also out of trenches against places fortified being besieged which were the verie naturall places and of greatest effect for that weapon howbeit since that time they haue been vsed in most Armies in the field both on horsebacke and on foote but chieflie on foote but neuer in anie great number vntill the Duke of Alba came to gouerne the Lowe Countries who greatlie encreased the nūber of that weapon for soldiers on foote To the which encrease of Mosquettiers he long before had perswaded with the Emperour Charles howbeit he could neuer bring it to passe because there were diuers great notable Captaines such as the Marquesse of Guast Don Fernando Gonzaga Iuan Baptista Castaldo Antonio Dorea and the Marquesse of Marin●an with diuers other principall men of his councell of warre that did vtterlie mislike the encreasement of that weapon for the field as too burdensome and heauie for soldiers to vse in battailes or great encounters but for within townes besieged or out of trenches against places fortified they did greatlie allow of them But the Duke at this time being Lieutenant generall and absolute Gouernour in the Lowe Countries as aforesaid seeing the numbers of Rutters in all Armies encreased and that the most of those Rutters as also that manie Captaines and Officers of footmen were armed at the proofe of the Harquebuze he to the intent to frustrate the resistance of their armours did encrease his numbers of Mosquettiers the blowes of the bullets of which no armours wearable can resist And this I haue heard of diuers auncient Captaines both Italians and Spaniards who did rather allowe of the opinion of those great Captaines than of the Duke of Albas so great encreasing of that weapō Since whose time the Duke of Parma after the death of the Commendador and Don Iuan d' Austria being appoynted by the King of Spaine to bee Lieutenant generall and gouernour there seeing the greatest part of the Lowe Countries reuolted and lost through Don Iuan d' Austrias composition that he was therfore to recouer citie after citie and towne after towne because they were all fortified more or lesse and that when he had won them he must keepe defend them with garrisons for the which two effects of winning defending of townes places fortified that kind of weapō being verie excellent he encreased his Mosquettiers to a farre greater number as I haue heard than the Duke of Alba euer had Howbeit I knowe that the Duke of Alba had more cause to vse Mosquettiers in seruices of the field vpon diuers occasions than anie of his successors gouernours of those Prouinces euer had by reason of the often inuasions of Counte Lodowick the Prince of Orange and others and therefore he being as he was a great Captaine and of great experience and skill in all discipline and science Militarie did vse to conferre with his Coronells and Maestros de Campo and Sergeants Maiors of the vse of all weapons in their due times and places and of their distances in euerie sort as of verie important matters belonging to the Arte Militarie in such wise as there was not anie Captaine Alferez Sergeant of band or Cabo de Esquadra that did not knowe both by instruction and practise the particular operations and effects of all weapons and chieflie of the Mosquet and Harquebuze in which two weapons the Spaniards haue been accompted of manie yeares to bee most perfect and skilfull in such sort as there were not anie Captaines or Leaders in his Milicia so ignorāt that would permit their Mosquettiers to giue anie volees from their restes either at horsemen or footmen in march or anie motion aboue 8. or 10. scores at the farthest because they knewe both by instruction and experience that with that weapon being for diuers causes verie vncertaine they should in discharging farther of haue wrought verie small or none effect to the anoyance of their Enemies For although the Mosquet ranforced and well charged with good powder would carrie a full bullet poynt and blancke 24. or 30. scores doth it therefore followe that they should giue volees of Mosquet shot 20. or 24. scores of whereas in failing to take their iust sight at poynt and blancke no more but the length of a corne their bullets doo worke as much effect against the Moone as against the Enemie that they shoote at Besides that in so great a distance of ground how truelie soeuer they take their sights at poynt and blancke the ayre doth worke verie great effect with their bullets that are lower by a bore than the height of their peeces to carrie them from the marke or markes that they are shot at As also that by proofe they may finde that in giuing their volees of Mosquet shot but onlie twelue scores at either horsemen or footmen that are in motion they shall worke no great annoyance by reason that the bullets being so much lower than the heigth of their peeces as is aforesaid doo naturallie mount and flie vncertainlie Besides that no Mosquettiers in actions of the field can haue the time to charge their peeces and take their sights at poynt and blancke as they may being within trenches or from out of Bulwarkes Curtins and Rampiers in places fortified where with great leisure they may charge their peeces with full bullets and charges and shoot from verie certeine rests as it were de man puesto as the Spaniards call it By which reasons and experiences of the vse of that weapon in the field the lacke of experience and iudgement in our such men of warre that talke of 24. or 20. scores like nouices and Vison̄os may verie euidentlie appeare and giue occasion to anie such as haue seene the true effects thereof to thinke that they neuer sawe anie important matter performed with that kind of weapon in the field Now whereas they giue so great commendation to the Caliuer that with that kind of weapon soldiers may giue volees of shot in the plaine fields 10. or

12. scores off to the great annoyance both of horsemen and footmen To that I answere that it is a verie vnsoldierlike opinion and contrarie to all experience and vse of old soldiers and chieflie of the old bands of Italians Spaniards Wallons who by long experience do better knowe what effects both Harquebuzes and Mosquets of all heighthes doo work than they doo And because that by cōtinuall experience they know the wonderfull vncertaintie of those kinds of weapons in the field they will neuer skirmish nor otherwise giue anie volee aboue 10.20.30 or 40. paces off at the farthest although it bee at a whole squadron or troupe of horsemen or footmen sauing that true it is that the old soldiers Harquebuziers Spaniards seeing their enemies in the field some 8.9 or 10. scores off by the commandement of their officers doo sometimes giue a verie fewe shot at their enemies with no other intent but to abuse and procure them to giue their volees with all furie that thereby they may spend their powder and bullets heate their peeces and worke no effect whereby they still keeping the force of their shot may after giue their whole volees at their enemies approaching within 10.15 or 20. paces and for that effect the Spaniards doo vse this phrase disparese de lexos para atraher y engan̄ar bobos which our such men of warre may truelie confesse if euer they sawe and encountred with anie puissant numbers of those Nations in the field Now because they doo so much mistake the effects of those two weapons of fire the Mosquet and Caliuer attributing such excellencie vnto them for the field as is not to be performed with them thereby to bring our Magistrates and the better sort of our people Nation into misliking of our ancient weapon the Long Bowe wishing the vtter extinguishing of that kind of weapon as vnprofitable and of none effect for the warrs of these our daies I will set down the perfections and imperfections both of the Mosquet Caliuer and the Long Bowe attributing vnto each one of them the true effects that by commō experience and reason haue been and may be wrought with euerie sort of them in the field that by comparing the perfections imperfections and effects of the soldiers and their weapons of fire with the perfections imperfections and effects of the Archers their Bowes all men of consideration and iudgement bee they soldiers or men of peace may iudge which of those three sorts of weapons are of greatest effect for battailes and great encounters and other actions in the field and not in places fortified And therefore beginning with Harquebuzes by many miscalled Caliuers which Harquebuzes if they bee well ranforced and the Cannons of them not aboue a yard in length and the bore bullets not too great with stocks of good forme I think them to be verie maniable weapons for such soldiers as are well practised do know how to vse them do worke most effect in woods and whereas vines or shrubs do grow from behind old ruined walls as also whereas there be trenches deepe waies bancks hills rocks or hedges or anie other couert where they may lie close and finde anie thing to serue them for rests to discharge their peeces from and so vpon the sodaine giuing volee after volee are of great seruice chiefly for ambushes being faire weather ouer head And also in the plaine fields two or three ranckes of them being placed almost close to the frunt of a squadron of piques and likewise vpon the flanckes and backe of the same squadron are of good effect to giue their volees at a squadron or diuers squadrons of Launces charging the piques and that they must performe altogether vpon their right knees frō vnder the piques which must garde them against the charge of the Launces But they must take heede that they doo not giue their volee at the horsemen till they come within eight tenne or twelue 〈◊〉 and not eight tenne or twelue scores as our such men of warre do fondly talke and teach and in that sort they may worke verie good effect if their peeces bee charged as they ought to be If two squadrons of Piquers also should come to ioyne and charge the one the other certeine nūbers of Harquebuziers being reduced into sleeues wings and troupes vpon the flanckes and corners of a squadron are of good effect giuing their volees not too farre off so long as there are no horsemen in the field to breake them Harquebuziers also being reduced into wings and little squares and troupes in the field aduanced and retired with some societies or Cameradas of loose shot are of good effect for skirmishes against the like weapons and against Mosquettiers so that they be backed with Piques Halbards or Battleaxes and that in that kind of action they doo not discharge their peeces aboue thirtie fortie or fiftie yards or three score at the most and that with great order and discretion And these are the chiefe effects of that kind of weapon Now as for Mosquettiers with their long ranforced and heauie peeces of great munition and bullet they doo worke verie good effect in the like places and seasons sauing that they are not to be imployed as loose shot in skirmishes howbeit the verie proper and apt places for Mosquettiers in the field is to be reduced into sleeues wings broad squares or troupes to flancke a 〈…〉 of armed men or to defend a straight For those kind of soldiers hauing their Mosquets long ranforced and of great munition and bullet clapping their peeces vppon their forkes may shoote with some certaintie from of those rests to the annoyance and mischiefe of well armed men be they on horseback or on foote howbeit for the skirmish they worke little effect by reason that the soldiers being in continuall motions and troubled with heauie peeces of great length as also with their forkes hanging vppon their fingers cannot vse their Mosquets with so much readines and dexteritie as the Harquebuziers their Harquebuzes being a great deale more light and short and without forkes And to vse their peeces without restes as some of our such men of warre doo permit them when they come newe to the field lustie and strong is contrarie to the vse of that weapon because they performe no effect against the Enemie by reason they are not able how strong soeuer they bee to beare their Mosquets with their left armes at anie point and blancke being in continuall motions besides that it is the next way to make them lame in their armes shoulders and backes Two ranckes of Mosquettiers also beeing reduced before the frunt of a squadron of piques kneeling vppon their knees and encouered with piques and vsing their Mosquets as skilfull soldiers should doo maie worke the like effect or better against a squadron of Launces charging than three ranckes of Harquebuziers can doo But they must take heed that they giue not