Sir I pray show me how you would batter the point of a Bulwark as the figure 28 following demonstrates and give me some reasons aswel defensive as offensive Capt. I am willing to give your Lordship content and say If I were to batter the point of a Bulwark or a Bastion I would have the same number of battering Canon and planted in the same form and manner as they were for the Curtain and to shoot sloap and cross-wise also and if your approaches were advanced so far they should be planted upon the very brink of the moat and upon the Counterscharfe I would plant 4 of them so that they should dismount the Enemies Canon in their Casemates or any if they had sunk them in their Falsebray which should wait upon that occasion Gen. I am of your mind and prefer such a battery before all others who are of the opinion that they had rather choose a Curtain than a Bulwark to be battered Capt. You have heard my reasons for that and see the figures following traced out to you But as for your Bulwark the besieged may cut it off as you may mark in the figures of Retrenchments and Cuttings off in the second part of this book for indeed it will be a hard matter to force an Enemy out of a Bulwark who is resolved to loose it by peecemeal and degrees and there is not so much danger in assaulting of a Curtain which being once well battered and beaten down with your Ordnance you have an easier way and entrance to fall on with your Troops of men to enter the Town or Fortress but for the defence which is made from your Flanking Bulwarks or your Casemates you must make Batteries upon the brink of the moat against them as is said to dismount the Enemies Pieces and to flanker with your Ordnance the Parapets of the Bulworks to beat them about their ears that the Bulworks may lye the more open to you and I think this way is the least danger Gen. But the Besieged their cuttings off may they not be made aswel upon a Curtain as upon a Bulwark Capt. No for the Rampire being thinner you have neither so much ground nor the like accommodation in a Curtain as in a Bulwark and indeed a Governour of a Town or of a Fortress if he were put to his choice had rather to be assaulted on a Bulwark than on a Curtain by cutting it off into the form of a half moon that he might make a new resistance and defend it with a less number of men Besides in a Bulwark the Besieged have this advantage over the Assailants which is very dangerous for them that they may make a Mine within the bowels of their Bulwark when an Enemy shall attempt to assault it and thinking to enter the Breach and take the Town they may be blown up into the Air by a Countermine the like also may happen to the Besieged the Assailants springing their Mine also in a Bulwark when they think they stand upon their best defence Gen. May not the like be done also in a Curtain Capt. No it will not take the like effect as in a Bulwark for a Breach being once made in a Curtain for as an Enemy may assault it at large so they may bring a greater number of men to fight to help to defend it whereas in a Bulwark they are pen'd up and straightned in a narrow place which may be cut off and will require a fewer number of men to defend it whereas those which are to force it must be constrained to bring up a great many men to assault who in an instant may be in danger of blowing up Gen. Your reasons Good Captain are not to be slighted but as for me I hold it safer to batter and assault the breach of a Bulwark than of a Curtain For though the besieged may cut it off and defend it with a fewer number of men yet the Assaulters have this advantae over the Besieged defendants that they have more place and elbow room and may find a less resistance than in a Curtain seeing that one may make as a great a breach in a Bulwark as in a Curtain because your Ordnance may beat it flat and level with the ground and choosing rather a Bulwark I will herewith conclude this discourse and now shew you the figures both of the one and of the other in this following plate How one must Batter a Courtine How one must Batter a Bulwarke betwixt 86 and 87 CHAP. XXV Containing the demonstration of Morters and the use of them YOur great and small Morters are not only serviceable in a War offensive by shooting and casting of great Granadoes as of 100 150 170 pound weight and smaller of 40 and 50 pound but also by casting of Fire-balls Stones old Rubbidge and Pieces of Iron into Cities Towns and Fortresses and may be used also defensively to be shot from Towns and Forts into any Enemies works and approaches especially they are of singular use when an Enemy hath covertly approached and lodged himself under some Bulwark Tower or Turret and is a beginning to undermine them which if they do you may plant one of these Morters at a reasonable distance on the inside of your Wall and shooting your Granado as it were bolt upright into the air by its natural fall it may light just into the Enemies works and there with great violence breaking among them it will make them cry fly and forsake the place you may also fire them out of a place by casting good store of Hand Granadoes down among them and so annoy them that the work will be too hot for them Two of these Morters are represented unto you in the Plate and Figures following number Now for the shooting a way of your great Granadoes or Fireballs you must ever remember but to take â…• or 1 7 parts of fine Powder of the weight of your Granado or thing which you shoot but if you are to shoot away a Bullet without any Fire-works in it or some massie stone or such like solid thing then you must take but half the weight of it in fine Powder which having given fire to the Morter will send it going merrily The use of them is not to shoot in a right line as other Ordnance do but in an oblique line as you may see by the two Figures following unless your Morter be mounted to 90 degrees mounting them usually above 45 degrees namely to 60 70 80 and sometimes more or less as the distance and fall of your Granado or Shot shall require Having before shown you the making and use of the Quadrant it remains now that I come to the charging and use of a Morter now before you put in your Powder it must be well sponged and cleared whether you charge it with loose Powder or Cartouch turning the mouth almost bolt upright the Powder being put into the Chamber you must stop it with a Wadd either of
to your Piece to throw the shot where you intend it CHAP. XII Of Balls which Cast forth so great a smoak that they blind whomsoever they come near IT is accustomed to do great execution by favour of the night in occurrences of War as well as in many other occasions I mean not here to speak of the darkness of the night for that is naturally effected by the first Causer of all things from the order that he hath established amongst the Beings but I intend only here to treat of the darkness that is made Artificially and particularly such as may be produced and made to last a little time in a close or narrow place according to the Rules of our Art to be made for the blinding of the Enemy which would force into our beings and would attaque us by main strength in a design to take away our Lives Honour and Goods or when we have a design to facilitate the passage for the Assailants in confounding or oppressing the Besieged in their Forts with a cloudy and thick fume in such a sort that one may take them as amazed Fish in troubled waters For this purpose are Globes prepared which whil'st they are on fire produce a smoak so vehement and unpleasant and in so great aboundance that 't is impossible to withstand the incommodity without bursting asunder see here the Method Take Ship Pitch in the Stone 4 l. Liquid Pitch 2 l. Colophonia 6 l. Sulphur 8 l. Salt-Peter 36 l. melt all these Drugs upon burning Coals in any vessel whatsoever adding after 10 l. of Coal of Sawdust made of the Pine or Firr-Tree 6 l. Crude Antimony 2 l. incorporate and mix them very well together then put into this melted maâ—ter Tow Hemp and Linnen Cloaths a great quantity and boyl them well in this Composition and when they have drank up all the matter then form them into Balls of such a bigâ—â—ss as you please so that it may be cast with the hand or with the Engine mentioned in â—he last Chapter according as you shall find most convenient And this is out true way to make Night at Noon-day to obscure the Sun it self and to blind the Eyes of the Enemies for some time And this is the most lawful way that one may follow because it shews its original from natural things and we may believe thâ—â— it is alwayes sufficient justice so that the Wars where such things are practised be â—ot unjustly enterprized CHAP. XIII Stink Balls STinking Globes are made to annoy the Enemy by their stinking vapours and fumes disagreeable to Nature nay so unsufferable to the Nose and to the Brain it self by its most violent stink that by no means it can be endured The preparation is as followeth Take of Powder 10 l. of Ship Pitch 6 l. of Tar 20 l. Salt-Peter 8 l. Sulphur Colophonia 4 l. make all these Ingredients melt at the fire by a small heat in an Earthen or Copper vessel and all being well melted throw into the melted matters 2 l. of Coal dust of the cuttings or filings of Horses Hoofs 6 l. Assafoetida 3 l. Sagapenum 1 l. Spatula foetida half a pound Mingle and incorporate them well together then put into this matter Linnen or Woolen Cloath or Hemp or Tow so much as will drink up all the matter and of these you may make Globes or Balls of what bigness pleaseth your self best according to the method and order as we have heretofore prescribed The Globes or Balls may be made Venomous or Poysonous if to their Composition be added these things following viz. Mercury sublimate Arsenick Orpiment Cinaber to which may also be added many other Poysonous matters which I shall forbear to mention considering every one by Nature is apt enough to learn to do that which is mischievous CHAP. XIV Of the Shooting of Shot made red hot in the Fire IT is practice that hath been practised in former times to shoot red hot Fire-balls and was counted of great defence as you may find amongst many other things in the Works of Diodorus Siculus where he sayes Tyrios immisse in Alexandri Magni machinamenta massas ferreas candentes Out of many Authors may be proved the customary use in former times of Shooting red hot Pieces of Iron which we shall not dwell upon but come to the Practice First you must Charge the Piece of Ordnance according to the customary manner his due proportion of Powder upon this Powder you must put a Wooden Cylender or Fidd of a just and equal wideness with the bore of the Piece which must be driven very stiff home to the Powder and for your better security you must put upon this another wad made of Straw Hay or of Oakam or Tow this being done let the Piece be laid a little under Metal and then cleanse the vacant place or hollow of the Piece with a Spunge so that all the Grains of Powder that are there may be taken away This being done lay your Piece to bear with the place you intend to shoot at according to the method we have given in the second Part of Gunnery and let your Piece thus remain until you have put in your red hot Bullet your Bullet must be sure to be exactly round and not so high but that it may run freely down in the Piece to the wad the Shot being red hot take it out of the fire with a pair of Tongs made for that purpose and put it into the Piece and give an attentive Ear for as soon as the Shot is supposed to be up to the Wad give immediately Fire to your Piece of Ordnance There are others which put into their Pieces Boxes made of Plate of Iron or Copper Others do put into their Pieces Potters Clay and upon them the fiery Bullet which with a quick hand they thrust home with a Rammer which ought to be defended from fire by lining the Rammer head with Copper But these are more perillous and therefore we account that method above to be the best and most free from danger CHAP. XV. To Arm Pikes to defend a Ship or any other place TO arm Pikes to defend a ship or breach or to enter the same or to stick in the sides of a ship or other place take strong Canvas and cut it in length about a foot or 14 inches and six inches high in the Center and let the ends be both cut taper-wise then fasten the Canvas at both ends with strong twine and fill it with this receipt Powder bruised 8 parts Peter in Roch 1 part Peter in meal 1 part Sulphur in meal two parts Rozen Roch three parts Turpentine 1 part Verdigrease ½ part Bole-armonick â— 3 part Bay salt â— â— part Colophonia â— 6 part Arsnick 1 8 part mix them very well together and try them in the top of a Brass Candlestick when the fire doth burn furiously with a blew and greenish colour then fill the Canvas and roul it over being
three parts of Lattin or of Auricalque Those that are made of Iron are in thickness about the ninth part of the Diameter those that are made of Brass must have one tenth part of the Diameter in thickness of Metal Lastly such which you cause to be made of Glass must have one seventh part of their Diameter in their thickness The largeness of the Orifice in which you must put in your Fuse made of Wood whose upper part must be about 2 9 the Diameter of the Granado and the small hole in the Fuse should have the largeness of â— â—â— of the same Diameter the rest of the capacity of the Shell must be filled with well grain'd Powder the length of the Fuse must be about â…” of the Diameter and the top must be broad and a little rounding like a Hemisphere the hollow and inner part of the Fuse must be about 1 9 Diameter at the small or inner end and 2 9 at the outer end Men do generally fill the void place with Powder ground most subtilly which must be moistned with Gum-water or dissolved glue that it may joyn the better As for the Fuses they must be filled or charged with one of the Compositions hereunder written afterward you must fasten it well and close with Tow or Okham and the Pyrotechnian Lute which the Germans call Kit which is made of four parts of Ship Pitch two parts of Colophonia one part of Terrebinthe and one part of Wax you must put all these Ingredients in a glazed Vessel and melt them upon a small fire then mix and mingle them well together Compositions for Charging the Fuses of the Hand Granadoes Powder 1l Salt-Peter 1l Sulphur 1l Powder 3l Salt-Peter 2l Sulphur 1l Powder 4l Salt-Peter 3l Sulphur 2l Powder 4l Salt-Peter 3l Sulphur 1l Another sort of Granadoes I shall here represent you with a Hand Granado which may be hid at the entring of a passage or any such place where we suppose the Enemy must come This Granado hath two holes opposite passing just cross the Diameter in which must be fastned a Fuse of Wood or Metal with holes in several places and all about it within let there be beaten Powder and through it you must pass a common match lighted at one end and at top let there be a third hole by which it must be charged with a good grain'd Powder which must be close stopt again with a Tampion and then is your Granado prepared I suppose it not necessary to say much of the use of this Granado and since it is so easie to be understood by what we have said and that the occasion you will have of such things will forge your Inventions enough to put them in practice CHAP. X. How and where a man ought to heave Hand-Granadoes ACcording to the definition which we have given of them it is most evident and I suppose no body will doubt that they are to be taken in the hand and that we must grasp them to throw them at the Enemy It is said before that this kind of Arms is as well defensive as offensive therefore we shall not rest upon the proof of these things those that have been at the managing of them must instruct them that are ignorant We shall say only this that the Places where these Hand Granadoes are used at Sea are where Ships are Board and Board to clear the Enemies Decks so that the way may be cleared there Upon Land Service they are used immediately after the good and happy success of a Mine which hath made a great overture in a Rampire overthrowing one part of the Wall Bulwark or Bastion to give place to the Assailants to do their endeavour to get into the breach it is there that the Besieged as well as Besiegers may make use of these Hand Granadoes 't is there where you shall see the more generous of both sides armed with Fire and Flames defending valiantly the quarrel of their Prince the interest of their Party 〈◊〉 Liberties and their Lives They are imployed also upon other occasions to wit when the Besiegers are come up to the Walls of the Rampire and so well placed that making winding Stairs in the thickness of the Platform they mount insensibly by retact so that the Besieged cannot any way hinder by the defence of their Flanks nor be kept safe by the Rampires themselves Upon these occasions I say the Besieged ought to pour down a a quantity of Hand Granadoes from aloft or from the top of the Walls upon their under-miners And sometimes they are also thrown at a distance greater than ordinary according to the occasion but when this cannot be done by the natural strength of a Soldier without the aid of some artificial Instrument the Masters in this Art have invented certain small Engines made like unto one of our Ducking-Stools with a Rope at one end to pluck it down by force and at the other end a hollow place to lay the Balls in that are to be thrown and with this Engine well contrived one may throw upon the Enemy not only Hand Granadoes but also a quantity of other Artificial Military Fires as glistring or shining Globes Bombards Fire-pots and many other such like things of which we shall speak in their place may be thrown at a greater distance than is possible by the hand only This Instrument is not very difficult to make it may easily be comprehended by what we have said I shall only advertise you of one thing that the longer the arm of the Engine is on that side that is to hold the Granadoes more than the other part to which the Rope is fastned the greater force the Engine will have but you must understand this measure to be made from Axes or Iron Rolls upon which the Arm moves CHAP. XI Of glistring or bright shining Fire-balls DIssolve upon the fire in a Brass or Earthen Vessel an equal portion of Sulphur black Pitch Rozin and Turpentine then take a Ball of Stone or Iron that the Diameter be far less than the Diameter of a Cannon or Morter Piece for which you intend this Globe plunge this Shot in this melted matter until it be all over cover'd with the matter about its exterior part draw it from thence and role it gently in Corn Powder that done cover it all over with a Cotton Cloath then plunge it again in your Composition and reiterate the rolling it in Powder as before then cover it a second time with another Cotton Cloath and thus continue dipping your Bullet and wrapping it about with Cloath until your Shot has acquired a just bigness exactly to fill the Orifice of the Engine remembring that the last Coat of the Shot must be of Corn'd Powder Being then thus prepared it must be put into the Cannon or Morter Piece naked without any other thing compassing it immediately upon the Powder in the Chamber which must make the Bullet come forth Then give fire freely