to the file the File-leader and the Bringer-vp Aelian foure the foure Enomotarchs For the number of the Officers in the Phalange they agree And yet the names are not all one Aelian beginneth with a Dilochite commanding two files thirtie two men Vrbicius with the Lochagos who likewise commandeth two files of his and fiue men more namely 25 men The next in Aelian is a Tetrarch ouer sixtie-foure men in Vrbicius a Pentecontarch ouer fiftie men Vrbicius hath next a Taxiarch a Syntagmatarch a Pentecosiarch a Chiliarch a Merarch a Phalangarch And so hath Aelian The next in Aelian is a Diphalangarch Commander of 8192 men Vrbicius termeth him a Myriarch that is the Leader of ten thousand men The Tetraphalangarchy is last in both But Vrbicius assigneth no more then 16 thousand to his Phalange Aelian 16 thousand 384. Iulius Pollux thus diuideth his bodids a Myriarchie a Chiliarchie a Taxiarchie a Hecatontarchie and a Lochagie What a proportion Leo makes is to be seene in the fourth Chapter of his Tacticks Because he hath a mixture of the Roman and Greeke Orders I remit the Reader to the booke So then Aelian hath in his Phalange of armed besides the two Diphalangarchs 1020. Officers Dilochites 512. Tetrarchs 256. Taxiarchs 128. Syntagmatarchs 64. Pentecosiarchs 32. Chiliarchs 16. Merarchs 8. Phalangarchs 4. Â 1020. I haue set downe the figures of all the bodies described by Aelian as farre as the Phalangarchy The rest would haue beene troublesome to insert as requiring more paper then would stand with any reasonable proportion neither are they greatly needfull For two Phalangarchies ioyned in an euen front and in a conuenient distance will figure out a Diphalange foure in an euen front with a like distance will make the fourefold Phalange So that thereby the forme of it will appeare The precedence and dignitie of place in the offices of the Phalange CHAP. X. 1 THe best of the Phalange Commanders is placed on the right wing the second on the left wing the third in valour in the right hand next the second Phalange toward the middle section The fourth on the left hand next the first Phalange toward the middle section likewise So the first and fourth Phalange haue Commanders of the first and fourth worth The second and third Phalange haue Commanders of the second and third worth Now wee will shew by demonstration that the first and fourth worth and valor are equall to the second and third So that the Commanders in each wing are of valor alike 2 The Leaders also of the seuerall Merarchies are thus disposed The first hath his place in the head of the first Phalange on the left hand The second on the right hand of the second Phalange The third on the left hand of the third Phalange The fourth on the right hand of the fourth Phalange Also the Leaders of files in euery Tetrarchy are so placed that the Leader of the first file hath preheminence in valor and place the Leader of the fourth file standeth next him Then the Leader of the third file and the Leader of the second file last For then are Dilochies of equall valor when the first Dilochie hath the first and fourth Leaders the second Dilochy the second and the third Leaders in valor and reputation For it appeareth in the Mathematicks that when there are Analogies or answerable proportions of foure magnitudes propounded that which ariseth of the first and fourth will counteruaile that which ariseth of the second and third magnitude And because there are foure Tetrarchies in euery Syntagma wee may giue the Leaders of the Tetrarchies place according to the same proportion as to place the Tetrarch of the first Tetrarchy on the right hand giuing him the first place of worth on his left hand the Tetrarch of the fourth Tetrarchy in the fourth place of worth Then againe next him the Tetrarch of the third Tetrarchy in the third place of worth and on his left hand the Tetrarch of the second Tetrarchy in the second place of worth In like manner are the greater commands also to be proportioned Notes THe former Chapter was of the Officers and of the bodies of the Phalange this is of the place of euery one according to his worth And first wee are to note that all the Commanders were placed in front of those that they commanded to the â—nd they might direct and lead them as occasion should require For Xenophon saith of Cyrus army the Decadarchs or file Leaders had care of the files the Lochagie of he Decadarchs the Taxiarches of the Lochagie the Chiliarchs of the Taxiarchs the Myriarchs of the Chiliarchs So in the Phalange of Aelian the file Leader had the command of his file the Dilochites of the file Leaders the Tetrarchs of the Dilochites the Taxiarchs of the Tetrarchs and so the rest till you come to the Generall who cared for all directed all and vnder whom all the Commanders were The Generall â—ath beene placed sometimes in the right winge sometimes in the middest of the Phalange Vegetius saith that the Generall of the Armie is accustomed to be in the right winge betwixt the horse and the foote Hee addeth this is the place which gouerneth the whole battaile from whence the salying out is most direct and free Therefore he standeth betwixt both that hee might both gouerne horse and foote with counsell and with authority exhort them to fight Cyrus in his battaile against Cresus took his place in the right wing betwixt the right hand point of the battaile and of the horse that were ranged in the wing Alexander the great in his battailes tooke the same place Timoleon in his fight against the Carthaginians placed himselfe in the middest of the battaile Diodorus Siculus saith that it is the manner of the Scythians that the King should stand in the middest of the Phalange The like doth Arrian affirme of the Persians and saith that Darius had that place Leo also giueth the middest of the battaile to the Generall And there placeth the battaile ouer which he would haue him to command 1 The best of the Phalangarchs This ordering of the Phalangarchs the best on the right hand wing the second on the left the third next him in the left wing on his right hand toward the middlesection The fourth in the right wing on the left hand of the first toward the middlesection thus 2 3 4 1 commeth out of a Geometricall proportion which proportion giueth law to the ordering of the rest of the Commanders The rule is this 4. Magnitudes which equally exceede the one the other being compared together that which ariseth of the first and fourth is equall to that which ariseth of the second and third As 2. 8. 14. 20. each exceedeth the other 6. The addition of 2. to 20. begetteth an equall number to 8 and 14. added together So is it in all other numbers that haue the same equalitie of excesse one
aboue an other Out of this rule of proportion Aelian deriueth the giuing equalitie of strength in the Leaders to euery bodie in the Phalange For Leaders and Commanders are or ought at least to bee chosen by worth and valour and the preferments of the feild haue beene held the due reward of vertue Say then the Phalangarchs are preferred to their places according to their worth and that the first Phalangarchs is most worthy the second next him the third next the fourth least deseruing of the foure If you should place them as their worth is in a rancke successiuely one after an other the best before the first Phalangarchie in the right wing the second before the next Phalangarchie in the same wing and leaue the other two Phalangarch's to command the left wing the disproportion would bâ— great the third and fourth not being able to match the worth of the first and second But if you place the best Phalangarch before the first Phalangarchie on the right wing the second before the second Phalangarchie of the left wing the third Phalangarch next him before the third Phalangarchie on the left wing toward the middle Section the fourth before the fourth Phalangarchie of the right wing toward the same Section the valours of the Commanders will be equall in both winges For as in the number 1. 2. 3. 4. one and 4. make 5 as many as is made by ioyning 2 and 3 together so the worth of the fourth Phalangarch ioyned to the worth of the first will arise as high in true valuation as the worths of the second and third ioyned together And where the Phalangarchie on the left corner of the left wing is called the second and the next Phalangarchie standing in the same wing the third it is to be vnderstood that it is second in dignitie not in succession of number for the fourth Phalangarchie in dignitie standeth in place and number next the first and the second Phalangarchie hath the last place of the whole Phalange Their places then are after this manner according to Aelian 2 b f c 3 g 4 d e a 1 For the vnderstanding whereof you are to note that a signifieth the first Phalangarchie b the second Phalangarchie c the third Phalangarchie d the fourth Phalangarchie e the Section of the right winge f the Section of the left winge g the middle Section 1 the place of the first Phalangarch 2 the place of the second Phalangarch 3 the place of the third Phalangarch 4 the place of the fourth Phalangarch 2 The Leaders of the Merarchies As the Phalangarchs so are all the other Commanders of the seuerall bodies placed by foure and the same obseruation to be had of the dignities of the place that was in the Phalangarchs and these 4 Merarchies for Aelian speaketh of no more than 4 must stand thus P 2 M 2 M 3 P 3 P 4 M 4 M 1 P 1 P standeth for Phalangarchs M for Merarchs Robertellus confesseth he findeth these Merarchs so placed in a written booke and it is the true placing The figures he setteth downe out of his owne wit as he termeth it carry with them no sauour of Aelians proportion Patricius likewise seemeth to haue mistaken this proportion in the figures he hath set downe of which not one is right I will referre the Reader to their bookes admonishing him onely of the mistaking But Aelian placeth here but 4 Merarchs what order shall be for the other foure I haue alwaies thought Aelian defectiue in this place neither could I hitherto finde any man that hath brought light to cleare the doubt Patricius that purposely discourseth of this place of Aelian speaketh of bestowing 4 Merarchs onely as though the rest were to be throwne away from the Phalange Robortellus seeking to bestow all 8 bestoweth them indeed but not according to Aelians proportion which notwithstanding he would seeme to follow His figure is this P. 1. M. 8. M. 4. M. 3. M. 6. P. 3. P. 4. M. 5. M. 2. M. 1. M. 7. P. 2. The right wing The Middle The left wing The proportion is his as I said and not Aelians For Aelian placed the first Merarch in the right wing he placeth him in the left Aelian the second in the second Phalangarchie he in the fourth Aelian the third in the left wing he in the right Aelian the fourth in the fourth Phalangarchie he in the first The rest are so iumbled together as though any thing else had beene sought for rather than proportion I take not vpon mee to over-rule any doubt but if amongst the rest I enterpose mine opinion I hope I shall not incurre iust blame Thus then seeing Aelians meaning is by evenesse and worth of number of both wings to finde out the worth of the Commanders of both if I so distribute them that the number of the one side shall counterballance the number of the other I cannot much stray from Aelians meaning The figure following will doe it P. 1. M. 5. M. 1. M. 4. M. 8. P. 4. P. 3. M. 7. M. 3. M. 2. M. 6. P. 2. The right wing The Middle The left wing In this figure I haue obserued precisely the place that Aelian gaue to the 4 Merarchs The first standeth on the left hand of the first Phalangarch the second on the right hand of the second Phalangarch the third on the left hand of the third Phalangarch the 4th on the right hand of the 4th Phalangarch The rest I haue added and diuided according the placing of the first So that the number that ariseth of the addition of both wings is alike and the proportion held In all the rest of the bodies where there is a Command ouer 4 the keeping of the proportion hath no difficulty So euery Phalangarch commandeth ouer 4 Chiliarchs euery Merarch ouer 4 Pentecosiarchs euery Chiliarch ouer 4 Syntagmatarchs euery Pentecosiarch ouer 4 Taxiarchs euery Syntagmatarch ouer 4 Tetrarchs euery Taxiarch ouer 4 Dilochites euery Tretarch ouer 4 files In all which the Commander which hath the right hath the first place he that hath the point of the left hand the second place he that standeth on the right hand next to him the third place the last place is his who standeth next to the Commander of the right point on the left hand And for the place of the Phalangarchs and of 4 of the Merarchs and the file-leaders and of the Tetrarchs they are laid out by Aelian The rest appeare by these and are to be squared by the same rule of proportion as Aelian admonished The distances to be obserued betweene Souldier and Souldier in opening and shutting the Phalange CHAP. XI WE are now to speake of distances both in length and depth betwixt Souldier and Souldier as they stand ordered in Battaile The distances vary in three sorts For first they are placed in thinner distance for some speciall causes And a Souldier so placed taketh vp 1 4 cubits But in 2 Densation or closing
antiquitie were repulsed by it at a siege forced to retire in a battell durst not come neare it after they had gained the field of the rest of the Army And the Consull Aemilius a man that had seene much seruice and fought many a battaile and was one of the best Generalls of that time confessed he neuer saw so fearefull a sight as when he beheld the Phalange advancing into the field the bodies ioyned the Targets serred and locked together darting out fire like lightning the front rough with couched and charged pikes and armed with yron and threatning present death to him that durst approach 3 Occupying two Cubits of ground We may not take it as though the souldier betwixt file and file had two Cubits or three foote of ground For we learned before that in locking vp the Phalange the distance betweene man and man in front was but a Cubit But it is to be vnderstood betweene ranke and ranke For Polybius saith that the souldier ought to haue roome for the vse of his weapon which cannot be without granting him three foote behinde the pike being some-times to be pushed forward some-times to be drawne backe sometimes otherwise handled as occasion of fight shall require The length of the Pike is 16 Cubits a Sixteene Cubits which is twenty foure foote is a great length for a Pike and it verifieth the words of Livy that the Macedonian Pike is vnwealdy by reason of the length and weight yet doe wee read of pikes of that length The Aeâ—essans had such The Chalybes pikes were about 15 cubits long But 16 was the length at the first the Maccdonians brought it to 14 which they tooke to be a sufficient length against the enemie and easier for the Pike-man to beare and handle 4 The space in charging betwixt the handes taking vp two cubiâ—s Herein is a difference betweene Aelian and Polybius Aelian would haue no more then 2 cubits lost in charging Polybius saith 4. are lost and with Polybius agreeth Leo. But the cause of the difference arisetâ— out of the forme of the pike and of the manner of holding it in the charge If it be held at the butt end with the right hand and supported toward the armed end with the left as the manner in charging is it cannot loose aboue two cubits and Aeâ—an is in the right But if in holding it you set the right hand 2 cubits from the butt and then must 4 cubits of necessitie be lost Whereof 2 rest behinde the right hand the other two are taken vp by the space betwixt both hands Our manner of charging is at this day to take the butt end in the right hand and in so doing we loose but two cubits But it seemeth our pikes are not made in that forme they were in Polybius time In Polybius age they had weiâ—hts at the but end to make the sharpe end the lighter as the heauie pummell lightereth the sword in handling This weight was called secoma as it were a counter-weight to the heauinesse and length of the pike Neither do I read any thing elsewhere then in Polybius concerning the counter-weight of a pike To the handle of an Oare I finde in Atheneus that lead was added to make the part standing out from the shippe more light But yet Polybius and Aelians opinions may well agree and in pikes that haue counterweights at their ends the hold for charging being taken two cubits from the butt end there may be lost foure cubits where the other sort being held at the butt end it selfe loose but 2 cubits 5 The pikes of the other behinde cannot reach to the first ranke How shall they beare their pikes then Polybius sheweth what the manner was Those rankes saith he that stand behinde the fifth can helpe nothing to the fight in front And therefore they charge not their pikes low but beare them towards their forestanders shoulders the points somewhat erected to secure the battaile from aboue intercepting by their thicke lying the missiue weapons which flying ouer the front would otherwise fall vpon their heads that are placed toward the reare Polybius saith the manner was neither to charge nor order their pikes but to beare them forwards stoping towards the shoulders of their companions before Yet by bearin them so what security they could â—ue from the missiue weapons that came aloft I cannot yet conceiue An arrow dart or stone vnlesse it hit iust on the middest of the pikes would do as much and sometimes more harme by glancing then if it had not touched them at all Some would haue the hinder pikes longer The opinion of them whom Aelian here speakâ—th of hath little reason to ground vpon For either the pike of thâ—m that come in the fiue rancks behinde especially the two last must exceede in length or else the fileleaderâ— pikes in shortnesse both which are â—like vnprofitâ—ble If they bee too long they cannot be weilded if these too short the enemie shall reach the file-leaders and not the file-leaders the enemie The measure of the longest pike was 16 cubits which yet for aptnesse and vse was by the Macedonians reduced to 14. Say then the sixteenth ranke carrieth pikes of 16 cubits two of the cubits according to Aelian are taken away in handling other ten by reason of the distance of the fiue former rankes Foure cubits alone remaine and reach ouer the front If the file Leader in the front shorten his pike to foure cubits to make an euen extention he shall not come neere the enemie by ten cubits who in pushing will reach home to him For what length soeuer is taken from the file-leader in front the same is giuen to the enemie that pusheth with him And hee shall bee able to wound the file-leader and not the file-leader him especially the pikes differing in so great a proportion 6 The superordinarie Lieutenant of euery Syntagma I haue before noted the dutie of a Lieutenant of the Syntagma and it is here well expressed by Aelian He that desireth to see more touching the same let him resort to Xenophons Cyropaedia lib. 3. 28. and lib. 7. 178. B. and to Leo cap. 14. § 79. The place of the light-armed and the number of euery file CHAP. XV. THus much of ordering and marshalling the armed-foote I will adde a word or two of the light-armed or naked 1 The Generall is to place the light-armed so that they be readie for all attempts of the enemy sometime in front sometime in flanke sometime in the Reare according to occasion or necessity For our purpose let them be thus ordered We will frame also of them 1024 files as many as the Phalange of the armed conteined So that the first file of the light-armed be placed directly behinde the first file of the armed and the second file behinde the second and so the rest 2 Yet shall they not be sixteene to the file but halfe so many namely eight
which respect a place fit hath alwaies beene sought for their seruice to secure them from the accesse of the Horse or of the enemies armed Which place was either behinde the Phalange as Aelian here would haue it or else in the wings betwixt the Horse and the armed or if they skirmished loose before the front and chanced to bee pressed with the enemy they retired into the interualls and conueied themselues behind the Phalange in safetie Leo saith if there be any place of strength it will much helpe the light-armed For after their flying weapons spent reâ—iring thither they will be in more securitie as a steepe rockie place or the bancke of a riuer or a high hill or such other Our stories report that at the battaile of Agincourt in France 200 English Archers were bestowed in a meddow fenced with a deepe ditch from whence they so gauled the French horse and foot that they were a great helpe to the victorie The like happened before at Poitiers where that braue Prince of Wales eldest sonne of Edward the third hauing to fight with the whole power of France vnder the leading of their King gaue safegard to his Archers with hedges and ditches and other strengths So that the French-horse hauing no accesse to disorder them were ouerwhelmed with the tempests and stormes of their arrowes and such a victory obteined by our nation as might maâ—ch the most renowmed of all antiquitie To say nothing of the inuention which Henrie the fifth vsed against the horse of France for securing his Archers The storie saith he deuised stakes of two yards long and armed both ends with pikes of iron the one to sticke into the ground and the other to gall and enter the horses bellies in case they came to charge our Archers home By meanes whereof he caried the famous victorie of Agincourt This for the assurance of the light armed when they come to fight without which assurance their seruice would be weake and scarce worth the hauing Their seruice then according to Aelian hath many particulars And they are good to Prouoke the enemie If the enemie be in a wood a fenâ—e a hill a fort a towne or other place of strength that admitteth no accesse the manner hath beene to send out the light armie to shew themselues and with a Brauado to towle him out of his aduantage and bring him into the field where he may more easily be dealt withall Examples are plentifull but I will content my selfe with a Macedonian example Alexander leading his armie against the Triballs that had hid themselues in a wood commanded his Archers and Slingers to runne out and to shoote and sling amongst the Barbarians to see if he could towle them into the plaine The Archers and Slingers spared not to let flie and the Triballs being wounded with arrowes threw themselues out of the wood with all speed to fall vpon the vnarmed Archers Alexander presently commanded Philotas with the Horse of vpper Macedonia to charge the right wing on which part they cast out themselues furthest And Heraclides and Sopolis with the horse of Bottiâ—a and Amphipolis the left himselfe stretching out in length the Phalange of foote setting the rest of horse before the Phalange led against the midst of the enemie As long as it was but a skirmish the Triballs had not the worst But after the Phalange close serred came vp roundly to them and the Horsemen charged them no longer with darts but pressed and ouerbore them with their horse they fled thorough the wood to the riuer To beginne the fight Leo agreeth If saith he we haue light-armed enough let them before the armie ioyne send their darts and arrowes at the enemie and after the fight of the armed is begunne plie the flanke with their missiue weapons that at ouce both their flankes may be assaulted It hath beene and is now the ordinarie course to beginne the fight with the light-armed And because wee shall read of no batâ—aile almost wherein it was not so I will forbeare examples To wound a farreof The light serue to great purpose if the Generall desire not to come neere to fight but seeke to annoy his enemie a farre of without danger of his owne folkes Liuy telleth of Cn. Manlius Volso that being to make warre against the Gallo Graecians that fled into the mountaines and awaited the Romans there and sought to defend themselues by aduantage of the place he prepared great plenty of darts arrowes bullets and small stones for Slinges and leauing his legionariâ— soulâ—iers behind led his light armed against the enemy that possessed certaine straights by which his armie must passe After some fight the Gallo-Graecians being not sufficiently armed to dâ—fend their bodies from the missiue weapons the light-armed of the Romans forced the passagâ— And following them euen to the Campe where their Companions came to their aide they first droue them into their Campe and after the Legionarie Souldiers comming vp they wonne it I haue before rehearsed the historie of Iphicrates who with his Targetires that came seldome to hand blowes but plied the enemie with darâ—s a farre of ouerthrew and slewe a whole Moira of the Lacedemonians The Acarnans likewise with this kinde of fight much incumbred Agesilaus that made an excursion into their Countrey The story is this a Agesilaus hauing taken a great prey in the territory of the Acarnans rested that day where he had taken it being busie in selling of it In the meane time many Acarnan Targetieres assembled themselues together where Agesilaus was incamped vpon the side of a mountaine and with darting and slinging they forced his Campe to descend to the plaine themselues in the meane time being free from hurt The next day Agesilaus led away his armie The passage out of the place was straight by reason of the mountaines lying about in a circle which the Acarnans possessing plied the Lacedemonians with darts and stones from the higher ground and sometimes descending to the skirts of the hills they pressed the armie so that it could not moue forward And when the armed foote or horse fell out vpon them they profited little For the Acarnans retired immediately to their strength Agesilaus perceiuing it would be hard for his armie to winde out of those straights so long as the enemy so hung vpon them resolued to charge those on his left hand For the ascent on that side was more easie both for his horse and armed foote Commanding therefore his men to charge the armed of 29 yeeres of age first fell on and the horse after them vpon the spurre Himselfe followed with the rest The Acarnans therefore that were descended and busie a darting were quickly put to flight and many slaine in seeking to remount the hills But their armed foote and most of their Targetiers stood imbattailed on the toppe and from thence both threwe other missiues and lanced Iauelines wherewith they wounded horsemen and killed
so that the 4 Horsemen embattailed in that forme neither file nor ranke conceiuing that turnings and other motions will be more easily performed in this figure nothing hindering before behind or in flanke And first they place the Leader then one at his right and an other at his left hand so distant that their Horses heads reach vp to his Horses shoulders as is said before And the first row they make of an vneuen number as 11 The Leader of the Troope standing in the middest and 5 other being laid to him backwardly on either side so that this Ranke conteineth two sides of the Rhombe Then the reare-Commander is placed directly behind the Leader and to him are other ioyned forwardly on either side and the number of euery following ranke after the first is to be two lesse than the former and therefore 4 must be added on either side to the reare-Commander and the number of the second ranke be 9. This ranke maketh two sides Parallel to the two former sides of the Rhombe The third must be 7 and so forward to one The whole Troope hath in it 36 Horse 5 Polybius expresseth the forme by the Greeke letter Δ. and maketh it to consist of 64 men Other Rhombes there are which 6 file but ranke not and are fashioned thus They make a file of any number the Captaine of the Troope being File-leader and the Reare-Commander the last of the file To both the flankes of this file they lay two other files either of them one lesse in number than the first These they begin to place euen with the middest of the distances of the first file on both sides as if there were 10 in the first file the next files on either side should haue 9 a peece and the next after them 8 a peece and still one lesse in all the rest aftercomming-files and so it will fall out that the Horsemen shall file but not ranke This forme is profitable for turning of faces when need is from one point of the Rhombe to another 7 Turning to the right hand is called turning to the staffe Turning to the left hand is called turning to the Raines But if a Troope be 8 to ranke and not to file it must be ordered thus The middle and greatest ranke is to be made of an vneuen number and the rest of the rankes on both sides laid euen with the distances of this ranke as was done in the filing troope So shall you haue a Troope that ranketh but fileth not Notes THE former Chapter had a generall diuision of Horse battailes into Rhombes wedges and squares this comprehendeth the sundry figures of Rhombes and the manner of framing them Rhombes therefore are of 4 kindes some filing and ranking some filing not ranking some ranking not filing some neither filing nor ranking 1 The heads of the horses reach to the heades of his shoulders Aelian saith that in a Rhombe the Captaine standeth first and the heads of the next horse reach to his horse shoulders This rule if it be taken generally and meant of all Rhombes will deceiue vs if for two kinde of Rhombs alone there is nothing more true The Rhombe neither filing nor ranking and the Rhombe filing not ranking haue the followers horses heads advanced to the shoulders of them that stand before But the Rhombe filing and ranking and the other ranking not filing come wholy behind the horse of the Captaine as the figure shewes and will appeare in the verball description of the Rhombe 2 A Rhombe both to file and ranke To make a Rhombe both file and ranke choice must first be had of an vneuen number for the ranke the middest of the Troupe where the manner is to begin the Rhombe which number must neither be too great least the Troupe grow also too great nor too litle lest there be in it no strength Aelian giues a 11 13 or 15 for that ranke and willeth vs to begin the frame by placing first the middle ranke to which the other rankes are to be ioyned on both sides the middle men against the middle man of the first ranke in a right line of file and the rest in like sort euery Ranke still decreasing 2 men till at last in the front and reare-angle you come to one The figure of this kinde of Rhombe I haue placed in the praecedent Chapter wherein the middle ranke is of 11 and the whole troupe of 61 and the horse heads of those that follow reach not to the former horses shoulders 3 The halfe Rhombe is called a wedge I haue spoken of wedges before but nothing of the framing of them Aelian here sheweth how they are framed when he saith that the forme of them appeareth in the Rhombe and that the halfe Rhombe is a wedge For as in a Rhombe filing and ranking you begin with placing the middle ranke first and so proceed adding on both sides ranke to ranke till you come to one man in the front So must you proceede in a wedge sauing that to the first and greatest ranke you ioyne the rest onely on the one side abating still in euery ranke 2 men till you come to the point of the front where the Captaine standeth alone And this was the ordinarie horse troupe amongst the Macedonians and is described in the next Chapter 4 That the horsemen neither file nor ranke The second kinde of Rhombe specified here by Aelian is directly opposite to the first The first both filed and ranked this neither fileth nor ranketh and is that kinde which I noted in the last Chapter to haue more curiositie than vse For the rest what is more easie to frame than they In which either files or rankes are laid together or files alone or ranks alone And out of that ioyning both in the inward parts of the Rhombe and the outward that is the flanks arise and are without difficulty figured In this you must first begin with the outsides and make two front lines or sides of the Rhombe and after adde as many to the Reare And then when the 4 sides are framed and haue their place patch vp by peece-meale the rest of the body within Wherein if there be not very large distances left betwixt horse and horse especially euery one being laid head to shoulder to an other it is not possible to convey so many horses within the foure sides as will make vp the full Rhombe And yet make it vp as you will the trouble is more than in the rest of the Rhombes And for the vse I see not how it can be greater than in the rest whatsoeuer is alledged for turnings and other motions And the more I thinke vpon it the more I am induced to thinke that it was the invention of some Tacticke master of whom were great plenty amongst the Graecians who seeing that some Rhombes filed aud ranked not other ranked but filed not other both ranked and filed and that the two first were opposite the one against
defence of their Countrey and onely two narrow waies betwixt he cast his armie into a hollow Plinthium or square and led it against the left hand passage whither all the Thebans flocked for defence But hee turning about faces from the reare hasted away and gained the other passage where no man was present to resist and entring spoiled the Countrey and returned without impeachment 4 There are two kinde of Metaboles Before were rehearsed two kinde of turnings of faces about one to the pike the other to the target here is added two more one from the enemy and the other against the enemie which are all one indeed and differ onely in name What the true meaning of these turnings should be I am in doubt Aelian expounding them one way Suidas an other Aelian esteemes them by the right and left hand Suidas albeit he haue that signification also esteemeth them by the front and reare Therefore Suidas defines the turning from the enemie to bee a turning about toward the reare that against the enemie a turning about toward the front Aelian would haue the first to containe two turnings toward the right hand the second two turnings toward the left I for my part assent rather to Aelian For touching the turnings of Suidas I cannot yet vnderstand why turning toward the reare should be a turning from the enemie Or toward the front a turning to the enemie Considering that whether soeuer you turne faces the enemie is imagined to be there faces and weapons being to bee opposed alwaies against the enemie which is the onely end of turning Aelians opinion seemeth to haue more probability in it at least if I conceiue the right reason For I take it thus That seeing the Graecians as the Romans likewise were Targetieres and caried their targets on their left side and in fight aduanced that side alwaies neerest the enemie which they sought to couer with their targets that therefore the turning about to the enemy was called turning to the Target as contrarily turning to the right side on which side the Pike was caried and which being naked of such defensiue armes was called the open side and therefore further remoued from the enemy might for the same cause be tearmed turning from the enemy So that I take turning about to the enemy and turning about to the target to be all one as also turning about from the enemy and turning about to the Pike howsoeuer the name differ This is my coniecture which I shall imagine to be true till I finde some man that will bee pleased to giue me a more probable reason I only adde now the words of command in this motion As you were Faces to the right hand Faces to the left hand Faces about to the right or left hand The figure sheweth the manner Of wheeling double and treble-wheeling of the battaile and returning to the first posture CHAP. XXVI 1 EPistrophe or wheeling is when the battaile being so closed that no man can turne or twice turne his face by reason of the neerenesse of man to man it wholy and iointly wheeleth as a ship or some other body caried about the order thereof remaining vndissolued When the wheeling is to the Pike we warne the right-corner-file-leader to stand still as it were the hooke of a doore hinge and the rest of the battaile proceeding forward to turne about the same file-Leader like the doore In the same manner is wheeling to the Target It may be thus defined Epistrophe is when shutting the battaile by gathering close the Followers and Side-men we turne it wholy as the body of a man toward the Pike or Target it being caried about the corner-file-leader as about a Center and changing the place of the front transferre the countenance of the souldier to the right or left hand the followers and sidemen euery one remayning in file and ranke as before How it is to be done I will shew hereafter Anastrophe or returning to the first posture is the restoring of the wheeling to the place where the battaile first stood close before it beganne to wheele Perispasmos or wheeling about is the motion of the battaile in two wheelings so that thereby the front commeth to the place of the reare 2 Ecperispasmos or treble wheeling is the motion of the battaile in three wheelings so as when it turneth to the Pike the front commeth about to the left flanke when to the Target it commeth about to the right flanke Notes THis Chapter hath a diuers kinde of turning from the other mentioned in the last Chapter which for distinction sake is called Epistrophe or wheeling The other turned no more then the souldiers faces euery man yet keeping the same ground be had before This wheeles the whole body and changeth the place of the Phalange either to the right or left hand or to the reare And as there was in the turning of faces a particular motion of euery particular souldier to the right or left hand called Clesis and an other turning about called Metabole so is there in this a generall wheeling of the whole body to the right or left hand called Epistrophe and an other wheeling about to the reare called Perispasmos But let vs heare the description 1 Epistrophe or wheeling is when the Battaile Shortly Epistrophe is no more then the first turning of the battaile to the right or left hand In doing whereof first the files must be closed to the hand you meane to wheele then the rankes Then the corner file-Leader on the same hand is to stand still then all the rest keeping their files and rankes closed to turne to the same hand iointly about the Corner-file-leader circle-wise who is to moue by little and little till he haue turned his face to that side which was intended And when the first ranke is euen with him and the rest wheeled enough to the same hand they are to stand still The words of the definition of Epistrophe or wheeling are plaine enough in Aelian I neede vse no exposition Now because in exercise we relie not vpon one forme of motion alone but acquaint our souldiers with all the kindes It is necessarie to bring the body againe to the first place to the end we may proceede in the rest This reducing to the first Posture is called Anastrophe by which the battaile returneth but by a contrary hand to that to which the Epistrophe was made And but for changing the hand the wheeling backe againe is all one with the wheeling forward Wee shall see hereafter how it is done To bring the battaile to haue the front where the reare was you must vse a double wheeling And that is called Perispasmos Which commeth of two Epistrophes and is made either to the right or left hand Onely it must bee obserued that if the Perispasmos or wheeling about be to the right hand the Anastrophe or reducing to the first posture must be to the left Contrarie it is if the Perispasmos were to
themselues of the weight of their Targets Where Diodore hath en ortho tò dorati menein to continue their Pikes vpright Polienus hath protinomenous ta dorata ortha holding before them their Pikes vpright But both haue pikes vpright and Diodorus his Continue hath relation to the Posture they were in which Chabrias would not haue them to alter Polienus his hold before to that they were commanded to doe In ordering of Pikes at this day I haue shewed that the Souldiers hold them vpright the but end set on the ground before and somewhat wide of their right foote Aemilius Probus reciting this historie peruerteth the Stratagem Hee saith that Chabrias forbad the Phalange to giue backe and taught his Souldiers to receiue the enemies charge kneeling with one knee the other set against the Target and with the Pike abased Wherein hee quite dissenteth from Diodore and Polien Diodore saith the command was to keepe their array Polienus not to runne forward but quietly to stand still Probus not to giue backe Probus saith they should kneele with one knee and rest against the Target with the other Diodore that they should hold their Targets sunke to their knees Polienus that they should carry their Targets before at their knees Probus that they should abase and charge their Pikes Diodore that they should continue and order them vpright Polien that they should hold their Pikes vpright So that Diodore and Polien agree and expound one another Aemilius Probus bringing in a new historie dissenteth as I said from the other two especially in making that to be a forme of fight prescribed by Chabrias a simple forme to receiue the charge vpon their knees which was a contempt to shew how little especially in that strength of ground he regarded Agesilaus which contempt also made Agesilaus retire not doubting but it proceeded from a great assurance of the enemy Therfore as I said I take these words ep ' orthon apodounai not only to appertaine to the aspect of the Souldier but also and that much rather to the erection and ordering of Pikes Of Countermarches and the diuers kindes thereof with the manner how they are to be made CHAP. XXVIII THere are two sorts of Countermarches one by file the other by ranke each of these againe is diuided into three kindes The first called the Macedonian The second the Lacedemonian The third the Choraean which is also the Persian and the Cretan 1 The Macedonian is that which leauing the ground it first had taketh in liew thereof the ground which was before the front of the Phalange and turneth the aspect of the Souldier backeward where before it was forward 2 The Lacedemonian is that which leauing likewise the ground it first had taketh in steed thereof the ground which was behinde the Reare of the Phalange and turneth also the face of the Souldier the contrary way 3 The Persian is the Cretan and Choraean This keepeth the same ground of the Phalange euery souldier taking another place for that he had the file-Leader the place of Bringer-vp and so the rest in order and turneth also the face of the Souldier the contrary way 4 Countermarches by ranke are made when a man would transferre the winges into the place of the Sections and the Sections into the place of the wings to the end to strengthen the middest of the battaile Likewise the right hand parts into the left hand parts and the left hand parts into the right hand parts They that feare to countermarch the Phalange in grosse the enemy being at hand doe it by Syntagmaes I will now set downe in what manner countermarches ought to be made The Macedonian countermarch by file is said to be when the file-leader turneth about his face and all the rest with the Bringer-vp go against him on the right or left hand and passing on to the ground before the front of the Phalange place themselues in order one after an other according as the file-Leader himselfe hath turned his face Therefore it maketh shew to the enemy appearing in the Reare of running away Or it is when the file-Leader turneth about his face and the rest passing by him on the right or left hand place themselues orderly one behinde another But the Lacedemonian is when the Bringer-vp turneth his face about and all the rest turning also their faces and proceeding forward together with their file-Leader order themselues proportionably in the ground which was behinde the Reare of the Phalange Wherefore to the enemy appearing behinde it makes a semblance of falling on Againe the Lacedemonian is when the file-Leader turning his face about to the Pike or Target transferreth the whole file to another place equall to the first and the rest following stand as before behinde him Or else when the Bringer-vp turneth his face about and hee that stood next before him passing by on the right or left hand is placed againe next before him and the rest following are placed one before another in their former order till the file-Leader be the first The Choraean is when the file-Leader turning about toward the Pike or Target precedeth the file and the rest follow till the file-Leader haue the place of the Bringer-vp and the Bringer-vp the place of the file-Leader And these are the Countermarches by file In the same manner are Countermarches made by ranke in case a man would countermarch by ranke For euery ranke Countermarching either keepeth the same ground or changeth the right hand place or else the left hand place of the battaile one of which must needes fall out and neuer faileth Notes THe two former motions are performed one in close Order the other in all Orders Epistrophe when the battaile is shut so close that as Aelian saith a man can turne his face neither the one way nor the other Clisis in open Order Order and close Order The two ◠following motions Countermarch and Doubling one is done in open Order the other for the most part in open order too and yet sometimes in Order and close order as we shall see in due place This Chapter handleth Countermarches the next Doublings Countermarch is a motion whereby euery souldier marching after other changeth his front for the reare or one flancke for the other For there are two kindes of Countermarches one by file and the other by ranke And each of these is againe diuided into three the first called the Macedonian the second the Lacedemonian the third the Choraean or Cretan A Countermarch by file is when euery souldier followeth his Leader of the same file By ranke when euery souldier followeth his sideman of the same ranke in the Countermarch 1 The Macedonian Countermarch In this Countermarch the purpose of the Commander is to turne the front of his battaile against the enemy that sheweth himselfe in the Reare and withall to take the ground that lyeth before the front of the Phalange It is called the Macedonian Countermarch saith Aelian because
the Macedonians were the inventers of it Which of the Macedonians he telleth not but excludeth Philip and Alexander who both vsed the Lacedemonian Countermarch And before their times I haue not read of any warlike Kings of Macedonia The manner of it is this First all the File-leaders turne their faces about either to the right or left hand then the next ranke passeth thorough by them on the same hand and being come to their distances place themselues directly behind their File-leaders and then turne about their faces the same way And so the third ranke after them and the fourth and all the rest till the Bringers-vp be last and haue taken the reare of the battaile againe and turned about their faces The figure expresseth not well the action For in it the Bringers-vp begin first to countermarch which according to Aelian should moue last Yet may this Countermarch be done as the figure is But I take Aelians way to be easier and readier And it may be also that the Countermarch expressed in the figure is lost in the text For one of the Lacedemonian Countermarches which proceedeth the contrary way beginneth the motion with the File-leaders as this doth with the Bringers-vp as wee shall straight see 2 The Lacedemonian countermarch In this Countermarch the proceeding is contrary to that of the former that tooke the ground before the Phalange this takes the ground after In that the mouing was from the Reare to the front in this from the front to the reare This is the invention of the Lacedemonians Aelian describeth it to be done in two manners One when the Bringers-vp first turne about their faces and the next ranke likewise turning faces beginneth the Countermarch and euery man thereof placeth himselfe directly before his Bringer-vp and the third doe the like and so the rest till the ranke of the File-leaders come to be first The other when the File-leaders begin the Countermarch and euery one in their files follow them orderly The figure expresseth this last Aelian preferreth the Lacedemonian Countermarch before the Macedonian because in it the souldiers seeme to fall on and goe to the charge where in the Macedonian they seeme to flie There are notwithstanding times when it is better to vse the Macedonian As in case you meane to march on and not to fight with the enemy except you be compelled Or else you seeke to gaine some ground of aduantage For the Macedonian continueth still the march and stayeth not the Lacedemonian returneth vpon the enemy and so looseth ground in marching Agesilaus after victorie gotten against the Argives against whom he stood in the right winge hearing that the Thebans had beaten the Orchomenians in the left winge vsed the Lacedemonian Countermarch against them The words of Xenophon sound thus Here the strangers were about to crowne Agesilaus thinking he had got the victory when newes was brought that the Thebans after they had broken the Orchomenians had forced a passage as farre as the baggage Then Agesilaus countermarching his Phalange led against them The Thebans perceiuing their Confederates were fied vp to the mount Helicon closed their troupes together as neare as they could seeking to open a way by force and to get vp vnto them Agesilaus albeit he might by giuing way to the formost haue followed them at heeles and charged the reare yet did he it not but met the Thebans front to front Thus encountring and clashing their Targets together they fought thrust on killed and were killed In fine some of the Thebans broke thorough to Helicon other some as they sought to escape were left dead on the place Agesilaus here followed the chase vpon the Argives toward the mount Helicon The Thebans vpon the Orchomenians the contrary way towards the enemies Campe. The Thebans seing their confederates fled to the mount Helicon returned toward them Agesilaus countermarched to meete them met them and fought with them For the Countermarch he vsed I make account it was the Lacedemonian himselfe being a Lacedemonian And he vsed it to meet the Thebans brauely in front The same Agesilaus after he had by night incamped in a peece of ground behind Mantinaea incompassed about with mountaines perceiuing the next morning that the Mantinaeans gathered together vpon the toppes that lay right ouer the head of his Rearegard determined to lead his Armie out of the place with all speed Now if himselfe should lead he feared the enemy would giue vpon his Reare Therefore standing still and turning his armes against the enemy he commanded the last of the Phalange to march backe againe from the Reare and come vp to him and so at once he brought his Armie out of the streights and made it by little and little stronger When the Phalange was thus doubled he proceeded in that order into the Champeigne there againe reduced the depth of the armed foote to 9 or 10 men in euery file This place of Xenophon if it be not corrupted is very obscure And I cannot tell whether to take it for doubling of the front or the Macedonian countermarch The words make for a doubling For Xenophon saith plainely the Phalange was doubled Besides he addeth it was made by little and little stronger which could not be done with a Countermarch And that a deepe Phalange or Hearse such as this by the euenings march and the straights it entred seemeth to be is made stronger by doubling the front there is no question On the other side the streights thorough which it was to passe perswade me it should be a Macedonian Countermarch For in doubling the front the length still increaseth the manner is not to inlarge but to extenuate the front when an Armie is to be conveighed thorough a narrow place And Xenophon saith expresly that Agesilaus led it thorough the streights into the Champeigne in that order to which it was reduced last that in the Champion the depth of the Armed was lessened and brought to 9 or 10 for there Agesilaus imbattailed his Phalange to receiue the enemy if he would charge And in a march through straight waies the front is commonly narrowed and proportioned to the way but in open ground the Phalange is againe brought to the iust length So that it seemeth the depth was much before it come into the plaine because in the plaine it was brought to 9 or 10 men and therefore no doubling Lastly Agesilaus and the front I doubt not of the Phalange with him turned face to the enemy before the Reare came vp to him which is done in no other motion than the Macedonian countermarch In which all the File-leaders first turne about their faces toward the enemy and then the whole battaile marcheth against the File-leaders and placing themselues orderly behind them turne their faces the same way that they haue done before Now where it is in Xenophon that Agesilaus hauing gained the Champeigne extended his Armie to 9 or 10 Targeteres I suspect a
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
bringers-vp The words of Command may be these For the Macedonian Countermarch by file File-leaders turne your faces about to the right or left hand The rest of euery File passe thorow in order one after another and place your selues at your distances after your Leaders turning your faces about and so stand For the Lacedemonian Countermarch by file The first manner Bringers-vp turne your faces about to the right or left hand The rest turne your faces about and beginning at them that are next to the Bringers-vp countermarch and place your selues in your distances before the Bringers-vp and one before an other till the File-leaders be first The second manner File-leaders countermarch to the right or left hand and let euery mans file follow him and keepe true distance For the Choraean countermarch by file File-leaders countermarch to the place of the Bringers-vp and stand and let your files follow you keeping their distance For the Macedonian countermarch by ranke The right or left hand corner file turne your faces to the right or left hand The rest of each ranke passe thorough to the right or left hand and place your selues orderly behind your side-men keeping your distance Cap 29 Dobling of Rankes The front before Dobling of rankes Dobling of rankes in action The front after Dobling of Rankes For the Lacedemonian countermarch by ranke The first manner The corner file where the enemy appeareth turne your faces to the right or left hand The rest of ech rankes turne your faces and passe thorough to the right or left hand and place your selues before your side-men orderly keeping your distances The second manner The right or left wing where the enemy appeareth not countermarch to the contrary wing and all in the Ranks follow euery man his side-man keeping your distance For the Choraean countermarch by ranke The vttermost corner file of the right or left wing countermarch into the place of the left or right winge and stand And the rest follow ranke-wise keeping their distance Of doubling and the kindes thereof CHAP. XXIX 1 THere are two kinds of doubling one of Rankes the other of Depth or files and 2 either of these double the number or the place 3 The length is doubled in number when of a front of 124 files we make a front keeping the same ground of 248 files by inserting in the spaces betwixt file and file some of the followers that stood in the depth This is done to the end to thicken the length of the battaile If we lift to recall them to their first posture we are to command those that were inserted to countermarch to the place they had before 4 There are that mislike these doublings especially the enemy being at hand and would haue a shew of doubling made without indeed doubling the Phalange already ordered by stretching out the light-armed and the Horse on both sides of the wings of the Battaile 5 The vse of doubling the length is when either we would ouer-wing the enemy or else our selues feare to be ouer-winged The Depth is doubled 6 by inserting the second file into the first so that the Leader of the second file be placed next behind the Leader of the first file and the second man of the second file be the fourth man of the first file and the third man of the second file be the sixt in the first file and so forth the rest till the whole second file be ingrossed into the first and likewise the fourth file into the third and all the euen files into the odde Doubâ—ing of the Depth by Countermarch is made either when the next side-files in seuerall as in the former example the second and the fourth and the rest of the euen files countermarch to the Reare and place themselues behind the Bringers-vp of the odde files or else the files remayning in their first place and number halfe of them diuiding themselues from the other halfe countermarch likewise to the Reare and conveying themselues behind the other there order themselues and so double the depth of the Phalange If we would returne them to the first posture we must recall those that were conveyed to stand behind to the place they had before the Countermarch Notes THE former three Motions alter not the forme of the Phalange For whether you turned faces wheeled or countermarched the Phalange the depth and length remained one The motion to be expressed in this Chapter induceth an other shape to the Phalange and maketh it seeme a different body from that it was before being by Doubling extended either in length or in depth For Doubling the number of men or the place of the Phalange in front maketh the length twise as much and doubling the same in flanke maketh the depth double to that it was before For Doubling is nothing else then making a military body twise as long or twise as deepe as it was before 1 There are two kindes of doubling The Doublings are either of length or depth Or which is all one as Suidas saith of ranks or files For ranks stretch out in length files in depth And these againe are diuided into two other kinds the body being 2 Doubled in number or place That which is here called number is called elsewhere persons or by Suidas men It is called persons in the Insertion which is made to Aelian I know not by whom in the precedent Chapter of Countermarches Which because it lay thrust in betwixt the description of Countermarches and nothing perteined to that argument I neuer made doubt was crept into the text And I am rather confirmed in my opinion because I saw it noteâ— with an Asteriske in that Aelian being of Robortellus Edition which the learned Isaack Casaubon had quoted and purposed to set forth if vntimely dâ—ath had not prâ—vented him I will here set downe the words because they differ not much from Aelian and may giue some light to the manner of Doubling It is to be vnderstood so are the words â—hat a Phalange is doubled in persons or place when we therefore take halfe the souldiers from the Depth and making files of them place them euen with the rest in length of the front so that of 124 files we make 248 this is Doubling of persons In like sort we double the place with 124 files not increasing the number but onely commanding some to turne to the Pike some to the Target till the Phalange be stretched out to a convenient length as from 5 furlongs to 10. In the same manner is the depth doubled For either one file is inserted into an other man for man so that the second File-leader becomes the follower of the first and the second man in the second file the follower of the second in the first file and so the rest Or else 16 men are so extended that they hold as much ground in length as 32 vsuallydoe So farre the insertion It followeth in Aelian 3 The length is doubled in
three-fold gate or doore How the motions of wheeling double and treble wheeling of the battaile are to be made CHAP. XXXII IT followeth to shew how a battaile may be turned or wheeled and how after reduced to the first posture or Station Cap. 30. Plagiophalanx or the Brode-Fronted Phalange Orthiophalanx or the Herse Protaxis or forefronting The Front Lâ—â—halanx or the vneven fronted Phalange Cap. 31. Hypotaxis or double-winging Entaxis or insertion Protaxis or forefronting Cap. 32. The manner of wheeling The first posture Closing of files Closing of rankes forward The Front But in case we desire to wheele to the left hand we command the left-hand-file to stand still and all the rest to turne their faces to the left hand and mooue forward close vp to the left hand file Then to turne their faces as they were Then to gather vp the hinder rankes Then to wheele the battaile to the left hand and stand and so is it done that was commanded But if restitution to the first posture be needfull we must doe as we did in returning from the right For euery man must turne about his face to the Pike Then the whole battaile wheeling about the left-hand-corner-file-Leader must returne to the place it had Then all the file-Leaders stand firme and turne about their faces and the rest open their rankes in mouing forward and make Alte Then the left hand file is to stand firme for it hath the place it first had and the rest turning their faces to the right hand to open their files and moue forward till they haue recouered their first distances then to turne their faces as at first and so shall euery man be in his first posture Now if we would wheele the battaile about to the pike we are to make 2 wheelings to the same side so will it come to passe that the file-Leaders shall in the change haue their faces turned to the Reare where before they had them looking out from the front But in restoring to the first posture we command it to wheele about to the right hand That is we giue it two wheelings more the same way So the file-Leaders will haue their faces set as at first Then we command the file-Leaders to stand firme and the rest to open their rankes behind then to turne their faces about Then the right hand file to stand still for it hath the right place and the rest turning their faces to the right hand to march on till the former distances are regained then to make Alte. So is the battaile reduced to the first Station If you would haue the battaile turne about to the Target you are to giue contrarie directions That is in stead of commanding a double wheeling to the Pike to command a double wheeling to the Target Then by making two turnes the contrary way to vse the like changes we spake of before There is likewise a treble wheeling of the battaile when it turneth thrice to the same hand namely to the Pike or Target The double wheeling to the Pike transferreth the Souldiers face from the front to the backe of the battaile The treble wheeling to the Pike bringeth his face to the left flanke The treble wheeling to the Target contrariwise to the right flank Notes BEfore in the 26 Chapter Aelian discoursed of wheeling and the kindes thereof The manner how it is to be done is reserued for this place I neede not therefore remember any thing else besides the words of command The words of command in Epistrophe The vttermost file on the right or left hand stand firme The rest turne faces to the side purposed and march vp to the file standing firme Faces as you were Close your rankes forward Wheele the body to the hand appointed and when you haue your ground stand Returning to the first Posture or Anastrophe Faces to the right or left hand Wheele backe the body to the ground it first had File-Leaders stand firme the other rankes open to their first place Faces about to which hand you will The corner file to which the turning was stand firme the rest open to their first ground Faces as you were and order your Pikes Perispasmos or wheeling about In wheeling about the same wordes to close the files and rankes are to bee vsed which were vsed in Epistrophe there remaineth no more then to say Wheele about your body to the right or left hand Anastrophe or returning to the first Posture Returne to your first Posture The same forme is vsed that was held in the former returning vnto the first posture for opening rankes and files Ecperispasmos or treble wheeling In this motion the same course is held that was in the wheeling But only that you command a treble wheeling And the returning to the first Posture or Anastrophe is all one but for the same difference Of closing the battaile to the right or left hand or to the middest CHAP. XXXIII Cap â—â— Of Changes The front after closing Closing to the right hand in action Closing to the left hand Closing to the middell Closing to the right hand The Front before closing The Front of the 〈◊〉 before closing If the Phalange be to be closed in the middest the Diphalange on the right hand must turne their faces toward the Target and the Diphalange on the left hand their faces toward the Pike Then moue forward toward the middest of the Phalange Then after their true distance gained to set their faces as they were and to gather vp the Rankes behind When we would reduce the Phalange to the first posture wee command to turne faces about then to open the Rankes and all to moue on but the first Ranke then to turne their faces againe and the right Diphalange turning to the Pike and the left Diphalange to the Target to follow their Leaders till they haue recouered their first distances Then to set their faces as they were This rule is to be obserued in all turnings about of faces when they are made out of closings that the Pikes be aduanced least they hinder the Souldier in making his turning The light-armed are to be taught and exercised after the same manner Notes IN the 11 Chapter the distances that ought to bee betwixt souldier and souldier are particularly treated of This Chapter sheweth how they are to be gained that is how we are to proceede out of one distance into another And because the open order is it that is commonly begunne withall it is here taught how from thence to passe to the rest and to returne to it againe The end of closings is spoken of before In regard of place they are said to be of two kindes One to the wing right or left the other to the middest of the Phalange I cannot expresse the manner better then by setting downe the wordes of command or direction which are these in Closing to the right wing The right-wing-corner-file stand firme The rest turne faces to the Pike and moue according to
the distance required to the right hand Faces as you were Close your hinder ranks forward and order your Pikes Restoring to the first posture File-Leaders stand firme The other Rankes turne faces about and open behinde to the first distance Faces as you were The right-wing-corner-file stand firme the rest turne faces to the Target and proceede to your first distance Faces as you were and order your Pikes Closing to the left wing It differeth not from the other but that the mouing is to the contrarie hand Closing to the middest of the Battaile The right-wing turne faces to the Target the left to the Pike Each moue vp to the middest of the Phalange and stand at the distance named Faces as you were Close the hinder rankes forward and order your Pikes Restoring to the first Posture The first ranke stand firme The rest turne faces about and open the rankes to the first distance Faces as you were The files next the middle section stand fast and the right wing turne faces to the Target the left to the Pike and moue on till the first distance recouered Faces as you were and order the Pikes We may not forget Aelians generall rule for turning of faces out of Closings that the Pikes be alwaies aduanced For when you come vp to the closenesse required the Pike vpon the shoulder will hardly admit turning of the face The like falleth out when you would open from the Closing The vse and aduantage of these exercises of armes CHAP. XXXIV THese precepts of turning about of faces of wheeling and double wheeling of the Battaile and of reducing it to the first posture are of great vse in suddaine approches of the enemy whether hee shew himselfe on the right or left hand or in front or in the reare of our march The like may bee said of Countermarches Of which the Macedonians are held to bee the inuentors of the Macedonian the Lacedemonians of the Lacedemonian and for this cause either to haue name accordingly The Histories witnesse that Philip who much enlarged the Macedonian kingdome and ouercame the Graecians in battaile at Cheronea and made himselfe Generall of Greece and likewise his sonne Alexander that in short time conquered all Asia made small account of the Macedonian countermarch vnlesse necessitie forced it and that they both by the vse of the Lacedemonian became victorious ouer their enemies For the Macedonian countermarch the enemy falling vpon the reare is cause of great confusion in as much as the hindermost dismarching toward the front and making a shew of running away it more encourageth and emboldneth the enemy to follow For feare and pursuit of the enemy ordinarily accompanieth that kinde of countermarch But the Lacedemonian is of contrarie effect For when the enemy sheweth himselfe in the reare the Leaders with their followers brauely aduancing and opposing themselues it striketh no small feare and terror into their mindes Cap. 30 The File-leaders A Deduction to the left hand A right induction The Front A Deduction to the right hand Cap. 36. The Coelembolos or hollow fronted wedge The Front The right Induction Cap. 36. The Coelembolos The left wing The right wing The front The Phalange set against the left wing of the Coelembolos The Phalange set against the right wing of the Coelmebolos The forbearing Phalange Of the signes of direction that are to be giuen to the armie and their souerall kindes CHAP. XXXV WEe are to acquaint our forces both foote and horse partly with the voice and partly with visible signes that whatsoeuer is fitting be executed and done as occasion shall require Some things also are to be denounced by the Trumpet for so all directions will be fully accomplished and sort to a desired effect The signes therefore which are deliuered by voice are most euident and cleere if they haue no impediment But the most certaine and least tumultuous are such as are presented to the eye if they bee not obscured The voice sometime can hardly be heard by reason of the clashing of armour or trampling and neighing of Horses or tumult of cariage or noyse and confused sounds of the multitude The visible signes also become many waies incertain by thicknes of aire and dust or raine or snow or sun-shine or else thorow ground that is vneuen or full of trees or of turnings And sometimes it will not be easie to find out signes for all vses occasions eftsoones presenting new matter to the which a man is not accustomed Yet can it not fall out that either by voice or by signal we should not giue certaine and sure direction Of marching and of diuers kindes of Battailes fit for a March And first of the right-induction of the Coelembolos and the Triphalange to be opposed against it CHAP. XXXVI BEing now to speake of marching I will first giue to vnderstand that some kind of march is a Right-induction other some a Deduction on the right or left hand And that in a single or double or treble or quadruple-sided-battaile In a single when one enemy is feared In a double when two In a treble when three In a quadruple when the enemy purposeth to giue on on all sides Therefore the march is vndertaken sometimes in a single Phalange sometimes in a twofold Phalange or else in a threefold Phalange or in a fourefold Phalange A right-induction is when one body of the same kinde followeth another as if a Xenagy lead and the rest follow Xenage-wise Or a Tetrarchy lead and the rest follow according to that forme It is so called when the march stretcheth it selfe out into a wing hauing the Depth much exceeding the length Against it is opposed the Coelembolos which is framed when the Antistomos Diphalange disioyneth the Leading-wings closing the Reare in manner of the letter V as the figure after placed doth teach In which the front is disseuered the reare ioyned and knit together For the Right-induction pointing at the middest of the enemies battaile the Coelembolos quickly opening before serueth both to frustrate the charge of the front and to claspe in and circumuent the flankes of the right-induction Furthermore a Triphalange is to be set against the Coelembolos one Phalange fighting against one winge of the Coelembolos The second against the other and the middle and third forbearing and expecting a time fit to charge Of Paragoge or Deduction CHAP. XXXVII PAragoge or Deduction is when the Phalange proceedeth in a wing not by file but by ranke hauing the Commanders or file-Leaders either on the right hand which is called a right-hand-Deduction or on the left hand which is called a left-hand Deduction For the Phalange marcheth in a double treble or quadruple-side accor̄ding to the place and part it is suspected the enemy will giue on And both the Paragogies beginning the fight in flanke doe make the length double to the depth This forme of fight was deuised to teach a Souldier to receiue heedfully the charge of
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
farre Plutarch The souldiers care therefore ought to bee first for surenesse then for fitnesse lastly sor comelinesse and ornament in armes If the two first faile the last availeth litle and will proue rather a burden then a defence And thus much of armes in generall Nowe followe the particulers of armes as they are in Aelian 1 Preparacions absolutely necessary for warre The preparacions whereof Aelian speaketh are so necessary that without them noe warre can be made or continewed For purposing to fight by water you must haue shippes by land you must haue foote and horse For which if you prouide noe armes you put them into the field not to fight but to bee slaughtered The manner of fight in the field is not of one sort Some time celerity is needfull to attempt or prevent the enemy sometime a slowe and sure proceeding lest with to much hast wee be overtaken our selues Therefore the divers arming of souldiers ought to be such that they may serue for all occasions and vses and that wee may employ alwayes to service such as by reasâ— of theire armour shall most fitte our purpose Wherefore Iphicrates fittly resembleâ— an army to a mans body calling the heavy-armed the body the light-armed the hands the horse the feete and the Generall the head and as if any of the rest were wanting the army should bee lame and halted so if there want a Generall it is vnprofitable and of noe vse The heavy armed are the body which giue life and foode as it were to the rest and to which the rest being distressed retire The light-armed are the handes which vppon euery occasion being put out to grype and â—ake hold vpon the enemy are drawen in againe when it is expedient The horse aâ— feet moue with celerity the Generall is the head that ruleth that watcheth that careth foâ— thâ— rest directing the times of theire motion and of their rest So then the whole force of the field consisteth of horse and foote And the foote are reparted into three kindes 1 Armed Targetiers and light-armed These seuerall kindes of souldiers were vsed by all the Graecians especially by the Athenians Lacedaemonians and Thebans whoe were the mightiest and tâ—e most warlick people of Greece Alexander had them in his army against Darius When Alexander saith Arrian came to the place where Cyrus with whom Xenophon was encamped and sawe the streights of Cilicia possessed with a strong gard hee left Parmenio with the heavy-armed to stay behind himselfe about the first watch taking with him the Hypaspistes archiers and Agrians marched on toward the streights in the night The armed were left with Parmenion himselfe tooke with him the Hypaspists targetiers archers and Agrians These Agrians were darters on foote The like is to be found in divers other places of Arrian Pyrrhus allso that followed the Macedonian manner in arming his souldiers had the same division of armes And Philip King of Macedony sonne of Demetrius And Antiochus that warred against the Romans 2 The armed beare the heaviest furniture This heavy furniture appeareth not by description of the armes which Aelian giveth them which are a Macedonian target and a pike onely Iphicrates besides the target lesse then the Macedonian target which he armed his Targetier withall gaue him both a pike a linen â—urace So that if the Macedonian armed bore noâ— more then a Target and a pike his armes should be lighter then Iphicrates his Targetier who had a target a pike a linen Curace It hath been the manner of some Nations to beare targets alone without Curaces So did the Egyptians in Xenophon So the Gaules in Pausanias There are againe that haue born Curaces without Targets as Phorcys the Phrygian in Homer of which kinde of Curace because it some what resembleth the Curaces of our time I will reherse the descriptioÌ„ out of Pausanias There lay vpon the aulter saith hee a brasen Curace the forme whereof agreeth not with the vse of our times but of old it was common It had two plates of brasse one fitte for the brest and the belly the other to cover the backe That before was called gyalon the hollow part that behynd Prosegon because it was added to the other They were fastened together with buttons behinde It seemeth to bee a sufficient defence for a mans body without a Target Therefore Homer maketh Phorcys the Phrygian to fight without a target because he wore such a Curace But yet that it was not the manner of the Macedonian armed to beare pike target alone may be plaine many wayes First Polyen giueth them headpieces greues and targets and pikes Then doubt I not but they were as well armed as the rest of the Graecians within whose Panoplia Curaces were comprehended as S. Paule testifieth rekoning as parcels of the Panoplia a Curace a target a headpiece Now that the Macedonians had also their Panoplia full or compleate arming is to be fownd in Diod. Siculus Where also Choragus the Macedonian whom Q Curtius calleth Horatas is said in the fight betwixt him Dioxippus to be fully armed Leo describeth the Panoplia of the Macedonians after this manner Alexander saâ—th hee armed his Macedonians with a large target a sword a head piece greues vambraces and a long pike Philopaemen as is before rehersed reducing his Achaeans to the Macedonian arming bringeth them to Curaces head pieces greues The names also that are attributed to the Armed shew they were otherwise armed Plutarch calleth them Pephragmenos Cataphractos as having theire bodies all armed opposâ—th them to Euzoni light or naked And by Vegetius the armour it self is named Cataphracta because the whole body is covered there with Xenophon termeth them Thorâ—cophoros bearing Curaces These are the strength of the battaile and a strong wall or rather a fortresse of the field to whom the light-armed and the horse also retire in time of need As long as they stand the field is not lost being defeated the rest can make noe resistance Being armed with a single target without other armes they incur the same daunger that the Romans in Gratians time did whoe for want of Curaces were entierly destroyed with the arrowes of the Gothes Wherefore it seemeth Alian heer pointeth at the principall armes onely of the armed Macedonian For after ward discoursing of the light-armed he saith they neither had Curace nor greue nor long or round target implieng thereby that the armed had them all So Livy comparing the armes of the Romans and Macedonians together saith noe more then that the Macedonians were armed with a round target and a pike the Romans with a long target and a darte called Pilum when himself had before declared they had head-pieces Curaces and greues 3 Vsing targets after the Macedonian manner Targets were of two sortes round targets and long targets Long targets
beene of speciall esteeme for the field and preferred before the other kindes of light-armed Many nations haue beene commended for theire skill in shooting Emongest the Graecians the Cretans were of aâ—ncient time sole archers as Pausanias witnesseth Yet was not theire service aequall with the service of the Persians For Xenophon confesseth that the Persian bowe overreached the Cretan a great way and that the Rhodians with theire sling owt-threw the Cretan bow Of the Carduchans a people through whose Countrey the Graecians passed at theire returne out of Persia Xenophon writeth thus They caried noe other armes then bowes and slinges They were excellent archers and had bowes well nighe three cubits long arrowes more then two Cubits When they shotte they drewe the string applieng theire hand some what toward the neither end of the bowe setting theire left foote foreward With theire arrowes they pierced both targets and Curates The Graecians putting thonges to the middest of theire arrowes sent them back at the enemy in steede of Dartes The same in effect is reported by Diodorus Siculus Of the Parthian horsemen Appian saith When Crassus commaunded the light-armed to disband goe to the charge they went not farre but meeting with many arrowes and being sore galled with them they retired streight and hid themselues emongest the armed and gaue beginning of disorder and feare repraesenting to the sight of the rest the force and violence of the shotte that rent all armes they fell vppon and made way aswell thorough bodies that had the best as the worst furniture defensiue giving mighty and violent strokes from stiffe and great bowes and forcing out the arrowe boisterously with the compasse and bent of the bowe Plutarch hath the very wordes that are in Appian The Indians also were good archers albeit not much praised by Q. Curtius Hee saith theire arrowes were two Cubits long which they deliver out of theire bowes with more labour then effect for as much as the arrow whose whole efficacy is in lightnesse becometh altogether vnwieldy by reason of the weight And yet hee telleth that Alexander at the assault of the principall City of the Mallians was strooke thorough his Curace into the side beneath the pappes with an Indian arrowe with whome Plutarch and Diod. Siculus accord Arrian addeth the wound was so deep that his breath was seene to issue out together with his blood The Gothes and other people of the north that invaded the Roman empire had theire chiefe victories against the Romans by the help of bowes and arrowes Vegetius before alleaged speaketh it plainely So our souldiers saith hee vnarmed both bodies and heads encountring with the Gothes were oftentimes wholy defeated and slaine with the multitude of theire arrowes I may not pretermitte the praise of our nation in this skill Our owne stories testify that the great battailes we gayned against the french were gayned by the ioint-shooting of our archers principally And that the English haue heretofore excelled in archery shooting is cleere by the testimony even of Strangers Cicuta whom I named before commending the vse of bows as necessary for the sâ—rvice of the field that long after gunnes were invented praeferreth the English before all other and setteth him downe as a patterne for other to follow Aâ—d Patritius disputing of the violence of arrows doubteth not to affirme that an English arrowe with a litle waxe put vpoÌ„ the point of the head wil passe through any ordinary Corslette or Curace Howsoever the credit of bowes is lost at this present with many great souldiers yet haue they of auncient time been highly prised Vegetius saith how great advantage good archers bring in fight both Cato in his bookes of military discipline doth shewe evidently and Claudius by augmenting the number of archers and teaching of them the vse of theire bowes overcame the enemy whome before hee was not able to matche Scipâ—o Africanus the yonger being to giue battaile to the Numantines that before had forced a Roman army to passe vnder the yoake thought hee could not otherwise haue the better vnlesse hee mingled chosen archers in euery 〈◊〉 And Leo the Emperour in his Constitutions military hath this Constitution â—ongest other You shall commâ—un â— all the Roman youth till they come to fourty yeares of age whether they haue meane skill in shooting or not to cary bowes quivers of arrowes For since the art of shoo ting hath been neglected many great losses haue befallen the Romans Aâ—d in another place you shall enioyne the Commaunders vnder you in winter to take a view and to signify to the Turmâ—ches Coronells now many horse what kinde of armes the souldiers vnder their commaundes stand in need of that necessary provision bee made the souldiers be furnished in time convenient But specially you are to haue care of archers that they whoe remaine at home haue vacation from warre hold bowes and arrowes in their howses For carelessnesse heerin hath brought great dammage to the Roman State So Leo. This of ould time was the opinion of the Romans concerning archers Howe wee are fallen out with them in our dayes the skill of the bowe being a quality so commendable and so proper to our nation I knowe not vnlesse fire-weapons perhaps haue put them out of countenaâ—nce And surely it may not bee denied that the force of fireweapons of our time doth farre exceed the height of all old inventions for anoyeng the enemy And when I haue given them the first place I will not doubt to giue the second to bowes and arrowes being so farre from casting them of that I would rather follow the wisdome of the Graecians whoe albeit they esteemed arrowes the best flieng weapons yet thought it not amisse to hold in vse slinges and dartes Every weapon hath it property and that which is fitte for one service is not so fitte for another The fire-weapons haue theire advantages They haue also theire disadvantages Theire advantage is they pierce all defence of armour and lighting vpon a place of the body the wound whereof endaungereth life they bring with them certeine death Theire disadvantages are they are not alwayes certeine sometimes for want of charging sometimes through over charging sometimes the bullet rowling out sometimes for want of good powder or of dryed powder sometimes because of an ill dryed matche not fitte to coale or not well cocked Besides they are somewhat long in charging while the musketier takes downe his musket vncockes the matche blowes proynes shuttes casts of the pan castes about the musket opens his charges chargeth drawes out his 〈◊〉 sticke rammes in the powder drawes out againe and puts vp his skowring stick layes the musket on the rest blowes of the matche cockes and tryes it gardes the pan and so makes ready All which actions must necessarily bee observed if you will not faile of the true vse of a musket In
the light armed and shutt them vp with in theire battels themselues kneeling vpon one knee hâ—ld out theire targets before the second rankes with theire targets covered the heads and vpperparts of the foremost the following rankes did the like one for another the figure was like the tyling of a house represented a shew worth the seeing and was the surest defence that might bee to make the arrowes glaunce of without harme doing The Parthians imagining this kneeling proceeded from wearinesse and faintnesse layed aside their bowes and taking in hand theire launces ranne vppon the Romans whoe giuing a iointe showte sprung vp presently and striking them with their darts slewe the first and put the rest to flight By these two testimonies the launce of the Cataphract is clearly proved In what manner the Cataphracts came to fight Nazarius cited by Stewechius sheweth plainely in a Panegyrick of his The Cataphracts saith hee in whomâ— was the principall strength of the field vse this discipline in charging After closing theire files they keepe an equalitie in moving forward to charge being free from wounds they break without difficulty any strength of battel opposed against them They are saide to bee free from wounds because both themselves horses especially before are covered with sure armes Theire moving must be slow because of the weight of theire armes which slownesse was recompenced with the violence of theire charge which neither horse nor foote was able to resist And yet they had another incoÌ„venience in that being overthrowne or slipping or falling to the ground neither horsâ—â—or man were able easily to raise themselues againe Such was the weight of theire armo 14. Launciers are such Launciers saith Aelian ioine with the enemy fight hand to hand with the launce And did not the Cataphracts so They did but theire armour differed much The Cataphracts both horse and man were all over armed The horse of the Launciers was not armed and himselfe albeit hee were armed yet not so armed but that many parts of his body were bare of armes And his armour came much short of the compleate Arrian saith that the Macedonians being launciers were not able to encounter with the Scythians whoe were Cataphracts both because of theire number and also of theire manner of arming And as the Launciers armour was not so â—eauie as the Compleate so was it more heauie then the armour of the foote Xenophon seemeth to signifie so much telling of himselfe that taking the targetiers of the front and some out of the midst of the hollow square battaile and three-hundred chosen men that Cherisophus had with him in the front hee marched away with all speed to seise vpon the toppe of a certaine hill And exhorting his souldiers to haste you may well quoth Sotridas the Sâ—cionian talke of haste that are on horseback I in the meane time with this heauie target am scarce able to marche Xenophon hearing this streight dismounted and disranking â—otridas tooke away his target and with it on his shoulder continued his hast in marching By chance hee had on at that time a horsemans armour where with although he were overpressed yet slacked hee nothing of his pace The rest of the souldiers beating and reviling Sotridas compelled him both to his target and place againe At last they gained the hill they purposed and made the enemie abandon the nether ground Xenophon was 〈◊〉 overpressed with the horsemans armour If it had beene but equall in weight with a foote mans hee might as well haue endured it as the rest Plutarch sheweth likewise the weight of the horsemans armour Philopaemen saith hee willing yet to giue more strength to the Kings party hee meaneth Antigonus the gardian of Phillip afterward King of Macedonia to come to hands with the enemy that was already in route lighted from his horse and in a horsmans Curace and heauie armour wrestling hardly and laboriouslye on foote with the ground that was rough full of brooks ditches hee was strooken through the thighes with a darte the stroke beinge not daungerors but forceble so that the head passed through both his thighes Hence both the heavinesse of the Launciers furniture may bee seen and that Philopoemens thighes were vnarmed through both which at once hee was wounded with a darte And so the Launcier not so surely armed as the Cataphract The armes that the Launcier bore are described by Polybius speaking of the armes of the Roman horsemen who writeth thus The armour of theire horsemen is at this day like the Graecian Of old they had noe curaces but fought in short gownes girded to them By reason whereof they were ready actiue to alight from and gett vp quickly on theire horses But their fight was daungerous with the enemy because they wanted armes Theire staues had two incommodities For being made slender and quivering they neither could touche the mark they aymed at and most of them shaken with the motion of the horse fell out to bee broken before the head touched or fastened vpon any thing Ioyne that having no iron point at the butt end they served but for one stroke onely and that at the first And yet the head being broken of the remnant of the staffe was of noe vse The targets they had were made of oxe-hyde in forme like to cakes named Popanae which are vsed in sacrifices And they were neither fitte to encounter the enemy by reason they had noe stiffnesse or fastnesse in resistance and being resolved and soked or putrified with raine they could not bee any thing worthe Finding these inconveniences by experience they quickly chaunged for the Graecian armour In which the first stroke of the head of the staffe is certeyne and worketh the designed effect by reason of the forme which is not quivering but stiffe and sturdy likewise turning foreward the butte end which is armed with a sharpe point they might therewith fasten a sound and forcible blowe vpon the enemy The like may be said of the Targets which both in charging and defending haue a sure vnfailable vse Which they noe sooner saw then imitated For the Romans if any other nation are good to change their fashions and to choose that which is best wheresoever they finde it The Launcier then had a Curace a head-piece a launce and a sword for his armes and this was generall in Launciers but some had besides a target and were therefore called targetiers The Launciers were called in greeke Doratophoroi or Xestophoroi two seuerall appellations in shewe but signifieng in deed but one thing the one being derived from the matter the other from the forme of the launce Doru as I said before signifieth wood and because all the Launciers armes excepting the launce were of other matter then wood the launce was called Doru of the wood and the Launciers Doratophoroi As for Xyston or Xeston for they signify one thing it commeth of the verbe Xuo
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
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
the other would needs bring in a fourth neither filing nor ranking to make an opposition likewise against the third But because this kinde also is specified by Aelian let vs see how it is to be framed Aelian for examples sake would haue the Troope to consist of 36 horse To put these 36 horse in a forme that shall neither file nor ranke we are thus to worke First we must begin with the two front sides of the Rhombe and make them of 11 horse placing them thus The Leader and Captaine in the point next him backwardly on each side a horseman his horse head reaching to the shoulders of the Captaines horse then on the outward side of each of these a Horseman and their horses heads must likewise reach to the shoulders of the next horses before So must you goe on till you haue in like manner bestowed 2 a peece more on each side still opening the two sides of the Rhombe proportionally Thus done you haue two sides of the Rhombe which will be in this forme Then are we to fashion the two Reare sides of the Rhombe of 9 horse placing them after this manner The Lieutenant in the Reare angle directly opposite to yet looking toward the Captaine on either side of him forward toward the front 2 Horsemen their horses shoulders lying euen with the head of the Lieutenants horse And after them the other 6 3 on one side and 3 on the other in the same proportiō And so haue we the other two sides of the Rhombe in this forme which being ioyned to the former make the 4 sides of the Rhombe In the framing whereof 20 of the 36 horse are bestowed There remaine 16 which are thus to be ordered Within the Rhombe we must at reasonable distance place a horseman behind the Captaine in aright line and in the manner as before lay 3 to him on each side The number will amount to 7 and this is the figure Then another horseman is to be set at the same distance directly before the Lieutenant and on ech side of him two other toward the front which will be 5 in all and in this forme And these 12 horse ioyned together will fashion out a lesser Rhombe comprehended within the sides of the first So are 32 horse disposed of The 4 that are left are thus to be ordered In a right line againe after the Captaine and at the former distance is another horsemā to be set Then 2 one of the one side the other of th' other side of him their horses heads reaching to his horses shoulders thus The horseman left must supply the voide place standing directly before him that stood next before the Lieutenant thus And this is the true description of the Troope neither filing nor ranking I haue beene the longer in describing it because the figure grauen is not fully to my minde no horse head reaching to the shoulders of the horse that standeth before him 5 Polybius maketh it to consist of 64 men Aelian tooke the number of 36 horse to frame this Rhombe Polybius requireth 64. The number is not materiall so the forme be obserued If you make it of 64 you are to take 15 horse for the 2 front sides and 13 for the 2 reare sides and so in euery ranke within to diminish 2 as you did in the former 6 Which file but ranke not The third kinde of Rhombe fileth but ranketh not It is easie to frame Take what number of horse you please and make a file then lay to the distances betwixt horse and horse of that file on each flanke two other files each file conteyning one lesse in number than the first And the heads of the files are to be laid right against the space which is betwixt the Captaine and his follower and the rest of the horses against the other spaces successiuely In all the paires of files that follow and are laid to the flanks you must still diminish a horse a peece till you come to the points which haue but one either of them And of this abatement of one in euery file both front and reare and flankes grow into points and make a Rhombe As of the euen number in euery file a square battaile would arise See the figure This was the forme the Thessalians fought in as appeareth by Aelian 7 Turning to the right hand The turnings of horsemen and footmen to the right and left hand are not termed by the same names And the difference commeth of the diuersitie of weapons caried on the right or left side The horseman in his right hand held his staffe in the left the raines of his bridle The armed-foote in his right hand his pike on the left shoulder his Target Hence was it that when the horseman was commanded to turne to the right hand they bid him turne to his staffe the footeman to his pike When to the left hand they bid the horseman turne to the Raines the footman to the Target 8 To ranke and not to file This is the last kinde of Rhombe and it ranketh but fileth not It is made by a contrary way to the former The filing Rhombe began at the front point reare-point proceeded to the flanks This beginneth at the flanke points proceedeth to the front and reare First therefore a ranke is to be laid of what number you list Aelian would haue it of an vneuen number but it will fall out as well in an euen number as the figure sheweth To the distances of this ranke you must lay 2 ranks more one on either side whose number must be one lesse a peece than the former ranke Thus continue laying ranks still toward the front and reare and in euery paire of ranks diminish one a peece till you come to the points either of which haue but one namely the Captaine the Lieutenant and the Rhombe will ranke and not file Cap 20 The ordinary horse troupe consisting of 64 The right Flank Commander The Capteine The Front The Lieutenant The left Flank Commander The place of Horsemen in the field the number of an vsuall horse troupe the degrees and names of the officers of the Horse in generall CHAP. XX. THE Troopes of Horse as the light-armed are placed sometime before the Phalange sometime on the right or left hand in flanke of the Phalange sometime behind the light-armed in the Reare For our purpose let them be placed in the Reare and 1 let the first Troope be of 64 men and the first ranke thereof 15 Horse The next 13. The next 11 and in all the rest abate 2 till you come to the last which is one 2 He shall carry the Cornet that standeth in the second ranke next the Ranke-Commander on the left hand All the Troopes shall be 64 in number The horsemen in all 4096. 3 Two Troopes are called an Epilarchy of 128 horse Two Epilarchies 4 a Tarentinarchy of 256 horse Two Tarentinarchies 5 an Hipparchy of 512.
the right hand 2 Ecperispasmos I could neuer hitherto conceiue any vse of a treble wheeling for so Aelian takes the word vnlesse a Perispasmos were first made and the battaile had the front already brought to the reare and so an Epistrophe added from the reare to the same hand Otherwise seeing that one wheeling is sooner made then two and therefore sooner then three I see no neede of three wheelings especially seeing we may doe that wee desire with one For example let vs wheele our battaile thrice to the right hand the front will come to be in the place of the left flanke The same will be performed as well with one wheeling to the left hand Et frustra fit per plura quod potest fieri per pauciora especially in matter of warre where the least moment of time often carieth the whole businesse The like may be said of Ecperispasmos to the left hand The vse of the motions of wheeling and double wheeling is when the battaile being closed and the enemy comming to assault you in any other one place then the front you seeke to bring the best men to fight For if you be to be charged in two places at once or more wheeling helpes little except it be to turne the front to one enemy and in that case your onely shift is to turne faces against them that come to charge on what side soeuer they come Examples of these two motions I meane Epistrophe and Perispasmos meete vs almost in euery Greeke Historie Of which I will represent one or two especially of the latter the rather because practise giueth both light and life to precepts Plutarch recounteth that after King Pyrrhus had in vaine assaulted Sparta he was invited by an Argiuan named Aristaeus to receiue Argos into his protection and that hee marched thitherward with his armie Arieus the king of Lacedemonia laying ambushes for him and taking the principall streights by which he was to passe charged his reare wherein the Galatians and Molossians were When Pyrrhus heard the bruite and noise he sent his sonne Ptolomy with the band of Companions to aide himselfe with all speede marching out of the streights led on his armie The medly being sharpe about Ptolomy and the chosen Lacedemonians commanded by Eualcus standing close to their busines Oroesus a Candiot of Aptera valiant of his hands and swift of foote running crosse against the young Prince gaue him a deadly stroke and ouerthrew him His fall made the rest to flie And the Lacedemonians hauing the victorie and following the chase came into the Champian ground still killing but not remembring they were not followed with armed foot Vpon whom Pyrrhus hauing euen then heard of and being much mooued with the death of his sonne wheeled about the Molossian horsemen And himselfe first aduancing vpon the spurre imbrued himselfe with the slaughter of Lacedemonians He alwaies seemed mighty and terrible in armes but then he exceeded himselfe in daring and valor For turning his Horse vpon Eualcus who shunning him shifted a side and with all strooke at his bridle hand as he passed by and wanted but little of cutting it off But missing the hand he light vpon the raines and carued them quite a sunder Pyrrhus with all strooke him thorough the body with his Launce Then leaping from his horse and fighting a foote hee cut in pieces the chosen Lacedemonians that fought to recouer the body of Eualcus This was the fight that Pyrrhus made by wheeling about his Horsemen against the Lacedemonians that followed vpon his Reare Another example of Wheeling about is reported by Polybius and it is of Amilcar Annibals father this is the history The mercenary souldiers of the Carthaginians reuolted from them and ouerthrew some of their Generalls and shut them vp within the Citie of Carthage possessing both other streights that led into the Countrey and also a bridge laide ouer a riuer called Macar which riuer was not passable but by that Bridge Besides they built a City for defence of that Bridge Amilcar seeking to dislodge the enemie from that Bridge and hauing no way to come at them conueniently obserued that when certaine windes blew the mouth of the riuer toward the sea was commonly filled vp with sand and would giue passage sufficient for his armie Finding then a fit time hee put ouer his army in the night and before day or ere any man knew of it made himselfe Master of the passage and presently led against them that held the bridge Spendius hee was one of the chiefe Rebells hearing thereof aduanced to meete Amilcar in the plaine and both ten thousand from the City at the bridge foote and fifteen thousand more from Vtica came out one to aide another thinking to wrappe in the Carthaginians betweene them who were not aboue ten thousand Souldiers of all sorts and 70 Elephants Amilcar led on his armie Before were the Elephants the horse and light armed followed next the armed foote came last And perceiuing the enemie that followed his Reare pressed hard vpon him he commanded his whole armie to turne about Those that were in the Vangard of the march hee willed to returne to him with speede the other that at first had the reare hee wheeled about and straight opposed against the enemy The Lybians and mercenaries imagining the Carthaginians fled for feare fell vpon them disorderly and boldly came to hands But when they saw the Horsemen being now turned about and come vp neere to the foote and already put in order make a stand they themselues by reason they looked for nothing lesse fell into a feare turning their backes fled presently as before they gaue on vnaduisedly and straglingly And some of them falling vpon their owne people that were comming on wrought both theirs and their owne destructions othersome were trampled vpon and trode to death by the horse and Elephants that followed the chase Thus farre Polybius And thus farre of Wheelings The figure and words of command are reserued for the 32 Chapter where the manner of wheelings and returning to the first posture is set downe Of filing ranking and restoring to the first posture CHAP. XXVII TO file is when euery particular man keeping equall distance from other standeth in his owne file lineally betwixt the file-Leader and bringer-vp To ranke is to be in a right line euen with his sidemen in the length of the battaile 1 To restore to the first posture is to bring the sight of the Souldier to the same aspect he had before the first turning As if his face were at first towardes the enemy being commanded to turne towards the Pike and thence to returne to his first posture hee is againe to returne his face toward the enemy Notes OF filing and ranking enough is spoken before 1 To restore to the first posture This motion differeth from Anastrophe before specified For Anastrophe bringeth backe againe the whole body to the first place after a Wheeling This the Souldiers faces
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