governed so is it in matter of warre Further as his skill so his valour ought to bee most that his example may incourage and incite the rest Which is the cause that other commaunders also are placed in front and in the eye of the souldiers that theire valour forwardnes may bread an honest emulation in the souldiers to doe as they doe Besides the first place is most beseeming him that best deserveth and the more valiant a man is the more hee desireth to shewe it in the face of the enemy thereby to winne himself honor and reputation Furthermore hee may doe best service in the front by entring into the enemies battaile and making way for the rest Not vnlike a sworde whose edge maketh speedy passage into the thing it cutteth and draweth after it the rest of the iron bee it never so blunt In the front the ranke of the file leaders giue the push to gaine the field Which reason I thinke lead Gorgidas the first institutor of the Theban Hieros Lochos not to make an entire troupe thereof apart but to place it man by man in the first ranke of the Phalange Lastly the sight of the file leaders being the choice of the armie both for stature and resolution for so Aelian would haue them breads a terrour in the minde of the enemy Who seeing such gallants in the front haue cause to imagine that the rest of the armie which they see not is like to those they see And being never so valiant they had rather haue to doe with weake and relenting then stout and resolute adversaries As at the battaile of Cannae Annibal answered one that brought him newes that the Consull had commanded the horse men to alight and fight one foote how much rather would I quoth hee hee had delivered them bound into my hands I haue heard many hold opinion that the manner of the Graecians to bring theire best men first to fight is contrary Cap. 5. The ordering of a File 4 Enomoty 3 Enomoty 2 Enomoty 1 Enomoty Dimerites 2 Dimery or half File 1 Dimery or half File the File-header the birnger up and 4 Enomotarcha 2 leader 1 follower 1 leader 2 follower 2 leader 1 follower 3 Enomotarcha 2 follower 2 leader 1 follower 2 Enomotarcha 2 follower 2 leader 1 follower the Fileader and first Enomotarcha to the institution of the Romans who held the Triarij theire eldest and best souldiers in the rear and brought them not to ioyne till both the Hastati and Principes were beaten or retired But if wee consider the diuersity of both theire embattailings wee shall see noe great difference or at lest wee shall see that the reason of placing their-best men was not much different The Graecians in framing theire foure-fold Phalange made in length an even front of a 1024. files The files were 16. deepe and the best men therefore in front because being placed in the midst or in the reare there would haue beene no vse of theire valour and the Phalange might haue beene broken before it had come to theire turnes to fight The Romans contrary-wise in ordering a Legion made many maniples and gaue the front to the Hastati the middest to the Principes the reare to the Triarij Nowe the Triarij being ordered in the Reare might at the beginning bee brought to fight in Front if need were being noe need they kept theire place till their Generalls found it fitt to call vpon them So then this is the difference The File-leaders of the Graecians had the Front because otherwise in so deep a body as the Phalange was they could not haue come to fight The Triarij might alwayes haue beene imployed in Front in flanke or in the reare as pleased the Generall And that the Romans also in theire seuerall Maniples placed theire best men in Front I cannot doubt There stood the Centurions which were the leaders of the Maniples and in reason were to bee seconded with the hest men vnder theire commaund C. Crastinus may serue for an example whoe being noe Centurion but an Evocate in the battaile of Pharsaly betwixt Caesar Pompey bidde his Manipulers they were of the Maniple which hee once commaunded to followe him and said hee would make his Generall giue him thanks aliue or dead Yet must I confesse that the front was not the proper place of the Evocates But hee chose the front and held it a place worthy of his valour It is said of Catiline that when hee fought with C. Antonius hee placed in the front of his army all the chosen Centurions and Evocates and besides of common souldiers such as were best armed Livy speaking of a fight betwixt the Romans and the Latines and describing the forme of the Roman battaile after hee had limited the place of the Hastati Principes writeth thus of the Triarij After the ensignes hee meaneth the Standards of the Legions not the Ensignes of Maniples were ten other Maniples whereof every one had three Ensignes The first Ensigne led the Triarij ould souldiers of tryed valor the next the Rorarij not soe well esteemed for strength in either age or deeds the third the Accensi a troupe of lest trust which was the cause that they were cast in the reare The Accensi were put in the reare because there was noe great opinion of theire valor the Triarij had the front because they were ould souldiers and had beene sufficiently tryed Soe then in dividing of their armie into small bodies or battailions the Romans differed from the Graecians in placing the best men of theire maniples in front they observed the same manner that the Graecians did in placing theire file-leaders in the first ranke of the Phalange 2 A verse I haue translated stichos a verse The more vsuall signification is a rowe of any thing placed orderly Soe Xenophon applieth it to trees which were planted orderly one after another and Eustathius to the standing of dâ—uncers one after another in depth even as our souldiers are placed one after another in file Iulius Pollux also acknowledgeth that there were files and ranks in Choro that is in daunces vppon the stage But Suidas saith it was commonly taken for a line which was read from the left to right hand And to say the truth a verse as wee read at this day and as they read when Aelian wrote this treatise rather resembleth a ranke then a fiâ—e because in a ranke men stand side to side as words doe being placed in a line Yet because the word is received by vse in that other sence wee must like wise admitte the same 3 A decury This in Greeke Aelian calleth Decania a word which in this sence I find in no other Author then in him and in Suidas Xenophon calleth it Decas soe doeth Vrbicius and Arrian and likewise Hesychius Leo calleth it decarchian and Akian 4 An Enomotie The word cometh from
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
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
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
the first ranke without advancing giues fire in the place they stand in and speedily as may be yet orderly falls away all the rankes doing the same successiuely one after another Thus much of the armes and exercise of the foote The horse ensue The order and discipline holden in Horse-troopes or in the Cavalry THE Caualry hath for his Cheife the Generall the Lieutenant Generall and the Comissary generall To the Cavalry there is a Quarter-master generall and a Prouost generall belonging the Iustice resorteth to the Councell generall of warre of the Army The Cavalry is of two sorts Har quebusiers and Curassiers The first haue for defensiue armes the Curace pistoll proofe and a light head-peece For offensiue the Carbine of 3 foote 3 inches length and the bore of 20 bullets in the pound and Pistolls like vnto the Curassiers The Curassiers haue for defensiue Armes a compleat armour the Curace pistoll proofe For offen siue two pistolls hauing the barrell of 26 inches in length and the bore of 36 bullets in the pound See the figure of Armes For the order in Regiments the 40 Companies entertained by the States doe make eleuen Regiments The Regiment of the Generall hath alwaies the Vantgard the others alternatiuely and by turnes and he that hath it this day the next day after hath the Reare the rest following in the same sort Those which command the Regiments are called Coronells The Regiments are compounded of 3 or 4 Companies of 3 at the least and the Coronells Company marcheth alwaies on the left wing of the Regiment The Captaines receiue orders from their Coronells as these from the Commissary Generall All the Companies are diuided in 3 equall parts which are called Squadrons and distributed to the three chiefe officers Captaine Cornett and Lieutenant hauing each of them adioyned an old Souldier which they doe know to bee of more desert called a Corporall Marching in the field euery Officer marcheth at the head of his Squadron the Lieutenant excepted which marcheth behind with the Quartermaster and the third Corporall at the head of the Lieutenants Squadron The Companies are diuided by files and rankes the file 5 deepe and no more how strong soeuer the Company be They obserue that in marching in battaile they must be close together and to doe the Motions there must be 6 foote distance from one Horseman to another The Companies being in battaile there must be 25 paces distance left between euery Company and 50 betwixt euery Regiment at the least The exercise of Armes for the Cavalry To open the Squadron you must first open the rankes and after the files To close the Squadron you must first close the files and after the rankes There be two sorts of distances betwixt the files the one close and the other open In the Close there must be no distance or intervalls betwixt the files to the open there must be 6 foote betwixt euery file Likewise there must be two sorts of distances betwixt the rankes the Close which must be without intervall or streete and the Open which must be six foote distance In a march it must be vnderstood that the rankes must neuer be more opened then the open distance of 6 foote And to the end that the Troope may march in good order and obserue well their distance betwixt the rankes without that the last may be forced to runne or goe to fast there must be heed taken that so soone as the first rankes begin to march all the Troope and the Reare also at one time march The words of Command are Open your Rankes Open your files Stand right in your rankes Stand right in your files To the right hand As you were So the left hand As you were To the right hand about To the left hand as you were To the left hand about To the right hand as you were Files to the right hand countermarch Files to the left hand countermarch To the right or left hand as you were Rankes to the right hand countermarch Rankes to the left hand countermarch Close your files Close your rankes To the right hand wheele To the left hand wheele Faults escaped in the Booke PAg. 2. in the margent beneath for Spartionem read Spartianus Pag. 9 lin 20. for was were lin 31. for Bircanna Bircenna and in the marg lin 40. for Dipnoseph Dipnosoph pag. 10. lin 26. in marg for Adrian Arrian p. 14. l. 11. in marg for Dipnoseph Dipnosoph p. 15 l. 18. for Marsilians Massilians p 17. l. 47. for pluimes Plumes p. 18. l 49 for conceited by conceitedly p. 20. l. 45. for Thureo Thureoi lin 48. dele full p. 22. l. for Those These l. 11. for Ochanes Ochane l. 32. dele Then p. 23. l. 12. for Divarates Divarates p. 27. l. for immitation imitation p. 2â— l. 11. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 17. dele That p. 29. l. 4. for quiety quietly l. 25. slinges slingers p. 30. l. 35. in marg Analast Analact p. 31. l. 13. put in it p. 32. l 29. 33. for bellys bellies p. 33. l. 35. 38. 41. for Sotridas Soteridas p 34 l. 3. for forceble forcible l 19. Popana Popana 29. vnfailable vnfailible l. 42 dele once for all p. 35. l. 42. reduct reduce p 36. l. 40. in marg de bett de bell p. 39. l. 17. strok strooke p. 44. l. 12. in marg Enometis Enomâ—tis 24. Enomotarches Enomotarches 31. 33. Prucestes Peucestes lin 47. after Patricius a full point p. 49. l. 27. Bathera Batheia 40 liptismos leptismos p. 50 l. 14. after supported a full point 34. easily easily p. 53 l. 6. Prataxis Protaxis pag. 55. l. 35. for hauing giuing pag. 56. l. 18. sure safe lin 32 37. Ansetaus Ansetaus 41. Then They. 46. a full point after through p. 57. l. 31. betwixt the and examples put former p. 58. l. 2. Pharnabarus Pharnabazus l. 18. after Mâ—nomachy a full point 37. the â—hem 48. after number a full point p 59. l. 6. speedely speedily 36. motion motions 39. 40. your you 41. after forme a full point p 60 l. 16. fiâ—th fifth 18. after may be set the figure 2. 28. after sort dele as and for 2 read 4. p. 61. l. 18. never neither p. 62. l. 23. after Lydians a full point p. 63. l. 15. for 500 5000. lin 22. for 800 8000. p 66. l. 26. for 500 400. lin 25. read when it is greatest in Xenophon hath no more then 100. pag. 68. l. 35. besides to preterâ—it p. 70. l. 40. fight read marching p. 72. l. 1. after Sunne set read and. l. 37. for of p. 75. l. 19. 27. Lochagie Lochagi l. 32. Pempedarches Pempadarchs p. 78. l. 2. 4. of on p. 79. l. 11. for fourth third p. 80. l. 29. insert after an Army that c. â—oreth disorderly lin 47 after 21. insert foote pag. 82. lin Target Targets lin 30. for 6130. read 6144. pag 84. l. 14. Philopomen Philopoemen p. 87. l. 36. Quintus Quintius
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
length It is profitable in many respects For seeming to cary but few in so small a bredth it deceiueth the enemy and it easily breaketh his forces with the thicknesse and strength of the embattailing and may without perceiuing bee lead thorough straight and narrow passages The Foot-battaile to encounter it is called the Plagiophalange or broad-fronted Battaile For being but slender in depth it beareth foorth and extendeth it selfe in length so that albeit it be broken in the middest with the charge of the Horse yet is nothing broken but a little of the depth and the fury of the Horse is carried not vpon the multitude of the foote but straight and immediately into the open field And for that cause is the length thereof much exceeding the depth Of another kinde of Rhombe for Horsemen and of the foote-Battaile Epicampios Emprosthia to encounter it CHAP. XLVI ANother sort of Rhomboides there is whereof I need say no more but that it fileth and ranketh not For I haue before shewed the vse and that Ileon the Thessalian was the inuentor and that Iason Medeas husband most put it in practise The vse thereof is great being directed and lead in the foure corners by the Captaine the Lieutenant and the two flanke-Commanders It is commonly fashioned of Archers on Horsebacke as the Armenian and Persian manner is Against it is opposed the foote-battaile called Epicampios Emprosthia because the circumduction of the front is like an embowing The end of this forme is to deceiue and ouer-reach the Archers on Horsebacke either by wrapping them in the voide space of the front as they charge and giue on vpon the spurre or else disordering them first with their wings and breaking their fury by ouerthrowing them finally with their rankes about the middle Ensignes This kinde of Battaile was deuised to entrappe and beguile For opening the middle hollownesse it maketh shew but of a few that march in the wings hauing notwithstanding thrice as many following and seconding in the reare So that if the wings bee of power sufficient for the encounter there needeth no more if not retiring easily on either fide they are to ioyne themselues to the bulke of the Battaile Of the foot-battaile called Cyrte which is to be set against the Epicampios CHAP. XLVII THe Battaile to be opposed against the Epicampios is called Cyrte of the circumferent forme This also maketh semblance of small forces by reason of the conuexitie of the figure For all round things appeare little in compasse and yet stretched out in length and singled they proue twice as much as they appeared to be as is euident in pillars which are round and therefore in sight shew the one halfe and conceale the other The greatest piece of skill in embattailing is to make a shew of few men to the enemy and indeed to bring twice as many to fight Of the Tetragonall Horse-battaile and of the wedge of foote to be opposed against it CHAP. XLVIII THe Tetragonall Horsebattaile is square in figure but not in number of men For in Squares the number is not alwaies the same and the Generall for his aduantage may double the length to the depth The Persians Sicilians and most of the Graecians doe affect this forme and take it to bee easie in framing and better in vse Against it is opposed the Phalange called Embolos or Wedge of foote all the sides consisting of armed men This kinde is borrowed of the Horse-mans wedge And yet in the Horse-wedge one sufficeth to lead in front where the Footewedge must haue three one being vnable to beare the sway of the encounter So Epaminondas the Theban fighting with the Lacedemonians at Mantinea ouerthrew a mightie power of theirs by casting his armie into a Wedge It is fashioned if the Antistomus Diphalangy in marching ioyne the front of the wings together holding them open behind like vnto the letter A. Of the foot-Battaile called Ploesium and of the winding or saw-fronted foot-battaile to encounter it CHAP. XLIX THe Battaile Ploesium hath the length much exceeding the depth And it is called Ploesium when armed foote are placed on all sides the Archers and Slingers being throwne into the middest Against this kinde of Battaile is set the winding-fronted-battaile to the end that with the vnequall figure they may Cap. 47. The Cyrte or convex half Moone The front The Epicampios The front Cap. 48. The foote wedge The front The Horsbattaile square in figure not in horse The front Cap. 49. The Peplegmene The front The Plesium Cap. 50. The aduerse battaile The overfrontnig battaile Cap. 50. The aduerse battail The overwinging battail traine out those of the Ploesium to cope with the foremost of the winding-fronted-battaile and by that meanes dissolue and disorder the thicknesse oâ— the same And the file-Leaders of the winding-battaile are to obserue and marke the file-Leaders of the Ploesium that if they still maintaine their closenesse and fight serred they also incounter them in the like forme if the Ploesium file-Leaders seuer themselues and spring out from their maine force then they likewise bee ready to meet them man to man Of Hyperphalangesis and Hyperkerasis and of Attenuation CHAP. L. HYperphalangesis or ouer-fronting is when both wings of the Phalange ouer-reach the enemies front Hyperkerasis or ouerwinging is when with one of the wings we ouer-reach the front of the enemy So that hee that ouerfronteth ouerwingeth but hee that ouerwingeth ouerfronteth not For they that match not the enemy in multitude may yet ouerwing them Attenuation or lessening is when the depth of the battaile is gathered vp and instead of 16 men a smaller number is set Of conueying the Cariage of the Army CHAP. LI. THe leading of the cariage if any thing else is of great importance and requireth a speciall Commander It may bee conueyed in fiue manners either before the Armie or behinde or on the one flanke or the other or in the middest Before the Army when you feare to bee charged behind Behind the Army when you would leade toward the enemy When you feare to bee charged in flanke on the contrary side In the middest when a hollow-Battaile is needfull and fit Of the words of Command and certaine obseruations about them CHAP. LII LAst of all wee will briefly repeate the words of direction if we admonish first that they ought to be short then that they ought to be without double-signification For the Souldiers that in hast receiue direction had neede to take heede of doubtfull words least one doe one thing and another the contrarie As for the purpose If I say turne your face some it may be that heare mee will turne to the right some to the left hand and so no small confusion follow Seeing therefore these words turne your face import a generall signification and comprehend turning to the right or left hand we ought in stead of saying turne your face to the pike to pronounce it
were called Thureo and were in forme like a doore from whence they had theire name For Thura signifieth a doore These the Romans and Gaules vsâ—d albeit sâ—me what different in forme The round had eight full handfulls in diameter as Alian saith and were termed Asâ—ides Long targets were much disliked by the Graecians Cyrus in Xenophon derideth them as both hindering the sight being vnwieldy and Philopoemen chaunged them into round targets following the Macedonian manner The targets of PhilopoemeÌ„ Pausanias termeth Argâ—lican targets It may be because they were first vsed by the Argiues in the battaile betwixt Acrisius Danaes father and Praetus who contended about the kingdome of Argos Of what matter these targets were is a quaestion Some take them to haue been made of other matter covered over with brasse that otherwise the souldier should not haue been able to haue born them for the weight I deny not that in auncient time some targets were plated with brasse the rather because I find that Alexander to match the Indian pompe covered the targets of his souldiers with plates of silver But that the ordinary Macedonian target was so covered I deny Aelian after calleth them chalce brasen not epichalce covered with brasse Polyb. saith that the Macedonians in the time of K. Philip the sonne of Demetrius were called Chalcaspides Brasen targetiers not epichalkitai by which name as Hesychius hath they were called that had their targets covered with brasse So likewise in the time of Perseus And the Megapolitans whoe imitated the Macedonian manner of arming are termed Chalcaspides in Polybius I haue shewed that the Lacedemonians had brasen targets by the institution of Lycurgus that in the time of the Heroes almost all armour was made of brasse The targets of the Lacedemonians that were slaine at the battaile of Leuctra were brasse and to bee seene in the time of Pausanias and the brasen target of Pyrrhus Which he left at Argos being there slaine was kept in the temple of Câ—es As for the weight it is not so great but it may become lighâ— enough by vse and exercisâ— wee see iron targets in vse at this day and not hard to be borne And albeit the weight bee not for euery mans strength yet since it hath beene and is the manner to make choice of souldiers and to fitte them with armes according to the ability of their bodies I see noe reason but the stronger sort might well bear them Another sort of targets there was which differed from the Macedonian not so much in forme of roundnesse as in matter and manner of carieng They were made of wicker and borne in the left hand as our bucklers which wee vsed not long since and some covered over with hides some not Xenophon saith that Cyrus the elder armed the Persians with these wicker targets reko ning vp the nations through whose Countries the Graecians passed in their returne out of Persia describing their armes reporteth that the Chalybes Taochi Phasians had targets of this kinde Now that they were borne in the left hand is clear by the same Xenoph. Hee writeth thus of the fight betwixt Cyrus Craesus The Egyptians Persians encountring together the fight was hard sharpe the Egyptians aswel in number as in armes had the advantage For they fought with stiffe long pikes theire large targets better covered their bodies then Curaces or wicker targets and being borne on their shoulders availed to joint-thrusting foreward Serring therefore their targets close they advaunced ranne on The Persians were not able to endure the shock by reason they bore theire wicker targets at the armes end but retiring by litle litle giving taking blowes they mainteined the fight till they came to the Engins So farre Xenophon Out of which words a man may plainely vnderstand the manner af bearing these wicker targets which by reason of lightnesse might easily bee held out at armes end And as the Egyptian target which reached downe to the foote must needes bee heavy and therefore had â—eed of the shoulder to support it so was it with the brasen targets of the Macedonians which were also weighty by reason of the matter they were made of These therefore were likewise caried on the shoulder Plutarch witnesseth it in the life of Aemilius And the same Plutarch rehearseth that Cleomenes the King of Sparta taught his Lacedaemonians in steede of a speare to vse a pike with hoth handes and to beare theirâ— targets vpon the strappe not by the handle The wordes are obscure need light which I will giue as shortly as I can I find three wordes emongest the Graecians all perteyning to a target They are those Telamon ochane or ochanon and porpax Telamon in this sence for it signifieth otherwise a band is by all confessed to bee the broade strappe which is fastened to the handle of the target holdeth the target being cast about the necke vnto the back Of Ochane porpax is some variance Suidas saith that Ochanon is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The hold of the target Hesychius calleth it the Porpax of the target the band 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of Porpax Hesychius saith it is the handle of the target taketh Porpe iâ— the same sence making it the thing bearing vp the targett into which the hand and arme to the elbow is thrust Suidas saith Porpax is it that they hold the target by which is called ochanes againe that some take it for the band of the target other some for the middel iron that goeth through the target on which the souldier taketh hold So that both Hesychius Suidas agree that Ochanon Porpax are sometime alone and signify the handle of the Target In which sence Herodotus Pausanias take Ochanon also Hesychius further interpreteth it for the band of the target 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signification better agreeth with the meaning of Plutarch who maketh an apparant difference betwixt theÌ„ reporting that Cleomenes taught the Lacedemonians to cary their targets by the Ochane not by the Porpax When he saith by the Ochane bee meaneth by the strappe by which being fastened about the necke the target is throwne over to the back resteth vpon the left shoulder That which I say will better appeare if we marke what the Lacedemonians did before what Cleomenes adviseth them vnto Before they caried a speare in the right hand and a target by the handle in the left so that both their hands were ful The speare was not able to match the enemies pike for Cleomenes had often to doe with the Macedonians Achaeans whoe both vsed pikes pikes the Lacedemonians could not wield with one hand So then to giue them liberty of both hands he counselled theÌ„ to cary their targets at theire backs by the strappe
darte is named Doration Doru as I said being a Speare and Doration according to Suidas a litle speare or darte Aelian vseth the word in this Chap. Lonche albeit it properly signify the head of speare or darte yet doth it sometimes signify the darte it self So is it taken in Xenophon when hee telleth that flieng weapons began to walk on all sides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is dartes arrowes and stones out of slinges and some out hands And Diodorus Siculus hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to throwe dartes even in the actes of Alexander Yet wee finde that speares were also cast vnder that name and Xenophon saith that the Thebans cast Dorata against the Lacedaemonians The Darte hath beene in vse emongest all nations The matter fashion and force of the Roman darte may bee seene in Vegetius and in Lipsius his Commentaries ad Polybium The manner of the darting of the Macedonian armed appeareth in the fight betwixt Choragus and Dioxippus before by mee mentioned where wee find that Choragus cast first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lanceam saith Curtius at Dioxippus when hee thought him with in his reache But the darters heere spoken of are of the light-armed Such were the Agrians in Alexanders Campe whoe in all attempts of speed were imployed by Alexander and served to purpose by reason of theire lightnesse The darte of the Graecian was a slender shaven piece of wood about three foote long armed at one end with a head of iron with a sharpe point to the end to pierce whatsoever it should fall vpon For the length I giue it differeth not from the Roman darte in Polybius and Xenophon seemeth to affirme it when speaking of the arrowes of the Carduchans he saith they were longer then two cubits addeth the Graecians sent them backe againe at the enemy in stede of Dartes About the middest of these dartes they fastened a thong which was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein inserting theire forefinger they launced the darte with more facility Xenophon witnesseth it in the same place and â—n another place hee saith Xenophon commaunded the targetiers to marche with theire fingers in the thonges of theire dartes the archers with theire arrowes nocked the slingers with their scryppes full of stones that they might be redy to let fly when they were commaunded These dartes were forcible enough to pierce armoures of that time and that with them alone Iphicrates overthrew and distroyed a whole Mora of the Lacedaemonians which people were accounted the best armed and the most valiant of the Greekes before the Macedonians came in credit 9 Stones There are heere mentioned two manner of throwing stones the one with the sling the other with hand alone The stones thrown with the sling fly with much more violence then the stones throwne with the hand and being cast with a skillfull and strong arme they reache a greater way then a man would thinke And yet not so farre as bullets throwne out of a sling which by Xenophons report outreached the Persian arrowes I haue before touched the story I will nowe lay downe Xenophons wordes The Graecians those ten thowsand that returned out of Persia vnder the leading of Cherisophus Xenophon had not marched farre before Mithridates appeared againe with 200. horse and 400. Archers slingers which were very nimble light Hee came close vp to the Graecians as a friend Being neer some of his horse foote began to shoote other to sling to wound the Graecians The reare Commaunders of the Graecians were hardly bested Yet could they doe nothing to anoy the enemy For the Cretans shoote not so farre as the Persians carieng noe armour of defence they were faine to hide themselues with in the body of the armed the Darters were not able to reache the slingers of the enemy Xenophon therefore having the rear thought good to charge and follow the enemy But hee was not able to overtake them for the Graecians had noe horse the Barbarian horsemen shooting backward in theire flight wounded many of them that gaue the chace To remedy this inconvenience Xenophons advice was to provide horse as many as they could And hearing that there were many Rhodians in the Campe skillful in slinging whose slings reached twice as farre as the Persian sling for the Persians vsed stones that filled the hand the Rhodians leaden bullets hee likewise advised to arme them with slings and vse theire service The next day the Graecians furnished out 50 horse 200. slingers And when Mithridates shewed himselfe againe with a thowsand horse foure thowsand archers slingers and came vp to charge both the Rhodian bullets light emongest his troupes and the 50 horse issuing forth fell vpon the enemy and put him to flight and slew manâ— of the foote in the chace and tooke eighteene horse Wee may heer note two kind of slinges one with the stone the other with the bullet and besides that the Rhodian sling with the bullet over-reached both Cretan and Persian bowe which was yet afterward more plainely declared when Tissaphernes charging the Graecians with his Persian archers the Rhodian slinges so terrified him that both himselfe and his troopes with drewe And allbut hee followed a farre of yet durst hee noe more approache but suffered them quiety to marche all that day and many other afterward In this arte of slinging allthough many nations laboured yet were there very fewe that excelled The Bible maketh mention of seaven hundred Gybeonites whose skill was excellent in slâ—nging Of other nations none might compare with the Baleares of whome Diodorus Siculus writeth thus Theire armor is three slinges whereof they haue one about theire heades another about theire waste the third in theire hand In warre they cast greater stones then any other and with such force that they may seeme to bee sent out of a Catapult Therefore in sieges and assaults of Cities they wound the defendants of the walles and in the field breake targets and head-pieces and all defensiue armes They ayme so certeinely at any marke that they seldome faile in hitting The cause is theire continuall practise from theire childhode theire mothers continually enforcing them to sling even when they are yet children For setting vp bread vpon a poste as a marke they are not allowed to eate vntill they hitte it and haue it given them by theire mothers to eate So farre Diodorus Siculus with whom Vegetius agreeth The same Vegetius saith that slinges were made either of flaxe or of haire The forme was that it had two ends the one fastened to the hand the othâ—â—o let slippe being broadest in the middest lest the stone should fall out Diodorus hath before expressed with what force a stone went out of a sling Vegetius addeth that they are more violent then any arrowe piercing head-pieces Curaces and other armes The same Vegetius limiteth the space
said are the files of the Phalange But if the conueniency be obserued it will not seeme impertinent For all the Leaders being in front therefore are they called Leaders because they precede and the rest follow it makes both a gallant shew and that rancke being as it were the edge of our battaile not only serues to hew a sunder and rent a pieces the forces of our enemie But also standeth as an assured bulwarke of defence before the rest of the Armie that followeth And it is well noted by Leo that the multitude of Commanders in orderly diuisions both signifies that there are many worthy and valiant men in the armie And is a meanes to keep the Souldiers in greater obedience and to giue vndoubted effect to all directions Of what qualitie and disposition those Leaders ought to be you may see in the fourth Chapter of Leos Tactickes Onely I will adde that as they are higher in dignity so ought they in vertue and valour exceede those that are vnder their command 1 A Dilochy Consists of two files for so signifies the word Dilochia and the Leader is called a Dilochite 2 A Tetrarchy Of foure files and the Leader is called a Tetrach one that hath the command of foure files And here I must once more admonish that in the words of diuers signification we must not weigh what is the proper signification but how they are vsed in this Art and booke For the word Tetrarch signifieth sometimes a King as Hesychius hath and Deiotarus in Tully is called a Tetrarch and Herode in the Gospell who both are commonly knowne for Kings Thessaly likewise was diuided into 4. Principalities Thessaliotis Pthiotis Pelasgiotis and Astiotis whereof euery one was named a Tetrarchy Onely the difference is that a Tetrarch being a King or a Gouernour signifies him that hath the gouernment of the fourth part of the land for a Tetrarchy is the gouernment of the fourth part But a Tetrarchy in Aelian signifies a body military consisting of foure parts 4. files and the Tetrarch commands not ouer one alone but ouer all the 4. parts 3 A Taxis As the word Tetrarchy is diuersly taken so is Taxis likewise For sometimes it imports Order in a generall signification as I noted before Sometimes the order of a battaile sometimes a company of any kinde of Souldiers foote or horse as Taxis Peltastarum Taxis Equitum Sometimes a single Phalange as in Arrian mention is made of Taxis Ooeni Taxis Perdiccae and Taxis Meleagri c. who were Phalangarches as the story sheweth i Sometimes for all the armed as Taxis Phalangitarum Sometimes a rancke of men standing embattailed as in Thucidides who discribing the battell of the Lacedemonians saith the front which he calleth the first rancke teen proteen Taxin consisted of 448. But in a more speciall signification it is taken for a band of Souldiers And in that signification the number varieth In Xenophon it comprehendeth a hundred men What the number of the Athenian Taxis was I finde not deliuered by any Writer That they had Taxiarchs Polyenus sheweth plainely And if a man with leaue might gesse I would imagine their Taxis consisted of 250 men For I finde in the same place of Polyenus that they had Chiliarchies Pentecosiarchies Taxies and Lochagies I haue before shewed that Lochos in Xenophon is made sometimes of aboue 100. men Out of which may be inferred with probability that Taxis being the next degree aboue the Lochagie hath the double number or more The rather because a Chiliarchy hauing in it a 1000. the Penticosiarchy must haue 500. and by likelihood the Taxis 250. as being the next office vnder the Pentecosiarchy But whatsoeuer the Taxis of the Athenians or of other people was Aelian maketh his Taxis vp with 128 men and 8. files which is a double number to the Tetrarchy With whom Suidas agreeth giuing 2. Tetrarchies to a Taxis and saith it consists of 128 men The Commander of the Taxis is called a Taxiarch as the Commander of the Tetrarchy is a Tetrarch Here I am to note by the way that the Interpreter of Xenophon translateth Taxiarcha the Commander of a Cohort wher 's Taxis in the straighter signification cannot be taken for a Cohort because a Cohort differeth much in number hauing in it at the least 500. and odde men where the Taxis when it is greatest hath no more then 128. And Polybius saith plainely that spira is the Greeke word that fully expresseth the Romane Cohort 4 A Syntagma The word commeth of Syntasso or Syntatto to place together and a Syntagma is a body compounded of many parts artificially put together But it may be taken for anybody in the armie Diodorus reports of Dionysius the elder That after he had diuided his whole Armie which had in it 30000 into three parts he imployed two against the Carthaginian Campe in diuers manner himselfe tooke the Syntagma or third part which consisted of mercenary Souldiers and led against that quarter of the campe which had the Engins Aelian also vseth the word diuerslie For he calles the whole armie by the name of Syntagmata in the plurall number and sometimes Syntagma in the singular And further giues the same name to a file Suidas likewise discribing the length of a Phalange saith it is the first rancke Syntagma of file Leaders which stretcheth forth in a right line from winge to winge Whereby appeareth that which the Logitians affirme which I touched before that there are more things then names of things And that fit names cannot be giuen to all The names that haue beene giuen by antiquity to expresse the seuerall bodies of the Phalange are to be reteined by vs as proper enough to signifie the thing they meant Neither are we to vary from them vnlesse we our selues can inuent better The Syntagma that Aelian here mentioneth is framed of two Taxies that is of 16. files of 256 men The Commander of it is named a Syntagmatarch And where he addeth it is called of some a Xenagy we are to vnderstand that Xenagos was he amongst the Grecians that had the command of a band of strangers as he that leuied strangers was called Xenologos and the band it selfe was called a Xenagy Why the Syntagma should haue the appellation of Xenagy I cannot diuine vnlesse the reason were because it was about the number wherof strangers made their companies that serued amongst the Graecians And I thinke and shall till better information that the body of the light armed called a Xenagy mentioned hereafter had that name likewise for the same reason Now of all the bodies in this Chapter mentioned there is none that commeth so neere the companies vsed at this day as doth the Syntagma for excepting that our numbers differre and are in diuers places more or lesse the offices of each are alike You haue in
Souldier which fought vnder the Ensigne had excepting the Target both to assure himselfe from the flying weapons of the light armed and from the pike and sword of the armed in case the battaile were entred and pierced as farre as the Ensigne For it was no reason he should carry a Target lest both his hands should be bound the right with the Ensigne the left with the Target and so he haue no vse of either against the enemy And in the left hand I would giue him a speare or â—auelin not a pike which cannot be weilded with one hand for his owne defence and to offend the enemy Which weapon I haue read Ensignes of ancient time did beare What the Ensignes place was whether in front or in the middest of the Battatle I see it controverted Patricius absolutely affirmeth that the Ensignes were placed in the middest of the front and had 8 files on the right and 8 on the left to the end they might be seene and followed by all That Ensignes were first invented to be a marke of seuerall bodies military in an Army I haue before shewed But it followeth not thereof that they were placed in the front in time of fight For being in the middle they no lesse gaue notice what the body was than in the front The reason of following is of lesse force Inasmuch as the Souldier well knoweth whom to follow though he had no Ensigne at all the Commander alwaies with his motion giuing him direction when to advance forward when to turne his face to the right or left hand when to countermarch when to double and when to vse all other motions military And the Commanders were therefore called Leaders because they went on before and the Souldiers followed after So that the Ensigne in regard of following neede not to be set in the front Yet in exercising the troupes and in marches I finde that the Ensigne was in the front together with the Captaine Crier Trumpeter and Guide But I take the reason to be because being in the middest and hauing neither file nor ranke with the rest they might happily bring a confusion and be a hinderance to the changes and diuers figures of the Battaile When the time of fight was the Ensigne retired to his place that is to the middest For so Leo interpreteth himselfe in his precept of closing files which must be done saith he not onely by File-leaders in front Commanders of fiue and Bringers-vp in the Reare but in the middest also where the Ensigne standeth And I rather agree to Leo herein because I see it was the manner of the Romans also to place their Ensignes in the middest of their Maniples From whence came the appellations of Antesignani Souldiers that stood before the Ensignes and Postsignani that stood behinde Besides the Ensigne being in the front the Ensigne bearer may soone get a clap who falling the Ensigne goeth to ground and is in danger of loosing which was the greatest disgrace among the Romans that might befall Lastly Aelian himselfe in plaine words placeth the Cornet of horse farre from the front For speaking of the ordinarie Horse-troupe he saith it is to consist of 64 horse the first ranke of 15 horse the 2 of 13 the 3 of 11 the 4 of 9 descending still and diminishing 2 horse in euery ranke till you come to one He addeth he shall carry the Cornet that standeth in the second ranke next the ranke-Commander on the left hand which ranke is the second ranke himselfe declareth making the ranke of 15 the first the 2 the 13 which is the 7th from the front and next the reare but one If the Cornet haue no place in front why should the Ensigne considering both serue to one vse and the reasons of seeing and following are equall to both And albeit Suidas place the Ensigne the Crier the Trompet and Sargeant before the Battaile the Lieutenant in the reare he is notwithstanding to be vnderstood of the times of marching or of exercise which I noted before For what should that Rable of vnarmed being 4. in euery Syntagma and in the whole Phalange 256. doe in the front in the time of fight but onely pester the chosen of the Armie who therefore haue the front that they may make speedier way into the enemies battell 7 A Reare-commander Was the same that a Leutenant is with vs. He commandeth the Souldiers in the Reare no lesse then the Syntagmatarch in the front and had his place in the Reare What the duty of a Reare-commander was I haue shewed out of Cyrus words in Xenophon And Aelian afterwards setteth it downe most plainly He was armed as the rest of the armed of the Syntagma namely with Pike and Target and with such other armes as I haue described in my notes vpon the second Chapter 8 A Trumpet The invention of the Trumpet is attributed to Tirrhenus Hercules sonne But the different vse of these officers is worth the noting out of Suidas The Crier saith he serueth to deliuer directions by voice the Ensigne by signall when noise taketh away the hearing of the voice the Trumpet by sound when thorough thicknes of dust a signall cannot be discerned The Sargeant to bring such things and dispatch such messages as his Syntagmatarch commands So that these officers were held all necessary for a Company the one supplying the defect of the other and seruing for vse when the other failed The Trumpet then was to be vsed according to Suidas when neither the Crier nor Ensigne could doe seruice With the Trumpet was the signall giuen for the Campe to remoue for the Campe to lodge By the Trumpet the Souldiers were taught their time to fight their time to retreate The Trumpet set and discharged the watch From the Trumpet came the measure of the Marche and the quicknes and slownes of Pace In briefe the Trumpet did all the offices that the Dromme doth with vs at this day Whether the Trumpet or Dromme are of most vse in the field I may not now dispute Onely I will say that the Graecians and Romans the most expert and iudicious Souldiers that euer were held themselues to the Trumpet and neuer vsed the Dromme The Dromme was first invented by Bacchus who as Polyenus reporteth fighting against the Indians in stead of Trumpets gaue the signall of Battaile with Cymballs and Drommes From him it came to the Indians who vsed it altogether as Curtius noteth in the battell betwixt King Alexander the Great and Porus. The Dromme of Parthians is described by Plutarch in the life of Crassus and by Appian And Leo saith the Saracens who invaded Christendome and infected the Turkes with their superstition ordered their fights by the Dromme From this Easterne Asiaticall people it was brought into Europe and now the generall custome is among stall Europaean Nations that the foote haue Drommes in the field the horse Trumpets And
body an Epitherarchy Of eight 4 Ilarcha and the body an Ilarchy Of 16 5 Elephantarcha and the body an Elephantarchy Of 32 6 Keratarcha and the body a Keratarchy That which consisteth of 64 wee call 7 a Phalange of Elephants as if a man should name the Commander of both the wings Phalangarcha Notes THe vse of Elephants was greater amongst the people of Asia and Africa Those of Europe esteemed them not much And yet we finde that they were brought into the field by the Romans also who first saw Elephants in Italy in the warres they had against King Pyrrhus â— The Indian Elephant was preferred before the African for greatnesse of body strength and courage Many things are written concerning the seruice of Elephants But because Aelian toucheth no more then the names of the bodies and the degrees of Commanders I will only note such things as I finde concerning them in Histories Their kinde of armor and furniture I haue taken out of Liuy and expressed them as neere as I could in figure For their power strength and manner of fight see Diodor. Sicul. lib. 17. 609. lib. 19. 717. Polyb. lib. 1. â—5 D. lib 5. 425. C. Their place in battaile Diodor. Sicul. lib. 17. 685. Arrian lib. 5. 111. Liu. decad 4. lib. 7. 141. B. Appian in Syriac 107. Polyb. l. 1. 34. D. The distance one from an other Arrian lib. 5. 111. Light armed in the distances betwixt Elephant and Elephant Diodor. Sicul. lib. 17. 609. lib. 18. 665. lib 19. 685. 716. Plurarch in Pyrrho Remedies against Elephants Diodor. Sicul. lib. 18. 665. lib. 19. 717. Polyb. l. 1. 42. A. Hirt. de bell African 416. Liu. decad 3. lib. 7. 194. C. I haue noted before the improprietie of names giuen to militarie bodies as well in the armed and the light armed foote as in horse troupes and in Chariots That defect is no lesse in Elephants The Commanders and commands of them hauing names which were at first large and improper enough but afterward made good by vse and receiued by the Tacticks as significant to expresse the things for which they were inuented The first is giuen to him that is to command one Elephant Who is called 1 Zoarchos The Commander of a liuing creature that is of one Elephant The next is 2 Therarchos A Commander of Beasts which name is appropriated to him that commandeth two Elephants and the body it selfe is named a Therarchie 3 An Epitherarcha Hauing the authoritie ouer the Therarchie and the body is called an Epitherarchie comprizing foure Elephants 4 An Ilarch As it were the Commander of a troupe and the body is called an Ilarchie I le is commonly applied to horse and signifieth a horse troupe and Ilarcha the Captaine But here Ilarcha signifieth the Commander of 8 Elephants 5 An Elephantarch A Commander of Elephants as thougâ— the other bodies before mentioned were not of Elephants Such straights are men often times driuen vnto in deuising new names for new things which notwithstanding passe afterward and growe familiar by vse Elephantarcha commandeth 16 Elephants and the command is called an Elephantarchie 6 A Keratarch The Commander of a wing the body a Keratarchie hauing in it 32 Elephants A wing of Chariots had as many 7 A Phalange This is the greatest body and consisteth of 64 Elephants But as Chariots may be ordered into many Phalanges and yet the same names retained in euery one of the Phalanges so it is in Elephants For that armies haue had in them at once aboue 64 Elephants appeareth by Histories Polybius and Diodor Sicul testifie the first that the Carthagineans the last that King Porus against Alexander had the one 140 the other 130 Elephants in their armies The same Polybius saith that Ptolomey had against Antiochus 73 Elephants in his armie and Antiochus 102. And Plutarch reporteth that Androcottus King of a part of India gaue to Seleucus at on time 500 Elephants The names of military motions expressed in this booke CHAP. XXIV THus haue we set downe in particular the kindes of perfect Forces together with the seuerall names of euery body Which being premised it seemeth Cap 25 〈…〉 Faces turned to the right hand The Front Câ—â—s or one Turning of Faces to the right hand The Front The first standing The Front fit to deliuer the words of exercise that when the Commander shall will any thing to be done the Souldier in daily experience acquainted before with the signification of euery of them and with the moouing in each figure may easily performe and execute whatsoeuer is commanded There is a motion called Clisis whereof one kinde is to the Pike the other to the Target Another is called Metabole another Epistrophe another Anastrophe another Perispasmus another Ecperispasmus besides we say to file to ranke to returne to the first posture to countermarch to double Likewise we vse the words Induction and Deduction to the right or left hand a broad-Phalange a deepephalange and vneuen-fronted Phalange and Parembole and Protaxis and Entaxis and Hypotaxis and Epitaxis and Prostaxis The signification of which words I will shortly deliuer And yet I am not ignorant that the precepts of warre are not by all Tacticks expressed in the same tearmes Notes AElian in the Chapters precedent hath numbred vp all kindes of forces as well foote as Horse and Chariots and Elephants that in ancient time were accounted necessarie for warre And hath giuen them their armor and furniture and distinguished them into militarie bodies and imbattailed them and taught the distances that they ought to hold in fight It followeth now that he speake of motions military which are the life of an armie and onely giue meanes of victorie and without which all preparation of forces is vaine and auaileth nothing in the field nor to the end for which they were leuied This Chapter then conteineth the names of those motions the following Chapters the particular explication of them To which we will note what we finde in ancient writers For the signification of the words I referre them to the seuerall Chapters where they are expounded Of turning and double turning the Souldiers faces as they stand embattailed CHAP. XXV 1 CLisis or turning of the face is the particular motion of euery Souldier declining his face either to his Pike that is to the right hand or to his Target that is to the left hand The vse of it is when the enemie sheweth himselfe in flanke 2 to encompasse our winges or else to charge vs or for some other cause whereof I will speake in conuenient place 3 Two turnings of the face towardes the same side transferre the sight of the Souldier to the reare of the battaile And this kinde of motion is called Metabole being also vsed either to the Pike or to the Target In the first standing the mouing of the Souldiers face toward the Pike is called Clisis the second mouing the same way
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
number When the front hath twise as many files as it had before this is Doubling in number or in men or in persons For the persons or men make the number in the files And the files carrying an euen depth of men and being doubled double the number of the front or length Aelian speaketh but of one kinde of doubling namely of number and that must be done in open order as I said before For the files of 16 standing in open order if you command the Middlemen as we terme them at this day they were called in the Macedoman files the third Enomotarchs to double their ranks These middle men with the hinder halfe file march vp to the front so doubling the front in number leaue yet the same measure of length The figure sheweth how it is done Yet are there two other waies when the Phalange standeth in close order both which double the number and place One is when the Middlemen diuide themselues and one halfe with their followers turning their faces march out of the right flanke The other of the left flanke of the Phalange And then turning their faces againe sleeue vp and ioyne themselues in an euen line with the File leaders in front The other when all the Middle turne their faces one way and march out with their followers beyond one flanke right or left and turning faces againe sleeue vp to the front and stand euen with the File-leaders One of these is done when we desire to enlarge both the wings of the Phalange the other when but one wing Of these two last waies I haue set downe no figure because I finde them not expressed in Aelian Cleandridas the Lacedemonian vsed yet an other kinde not spoken of by Aelian Polienus telleth the story thus Cleandridas making warre vpon the Thurians hauing halfe as many men againe as they conceiuing if they had intelligence hereof they would hardly bee brought to fight imbattailing his Phalange stretched it out in depth The Lucans therefore contemning the small number drew out their forces in length with intent to ouer-front the enemy which Cleandridas perceiuing commanded the followers to march vp and ranke with their Leaders and by that meanes increased the length of his Phalange and ouer-fronted the enemy who being incompassed and assailed with missiue weapons on all hands perished intirely excepting a few that saued themselues by shamefull flight The words seeme obscure to a man not acquainted with the Tacticks There are two kinde of soldiers saith Aelian in a file Leaders and followers All the Leaders are the odde of the file as the first the 3. the 5 the 7 and so forth the followers are the euen as the 2 4 6 8. Those that are in the same ranke are called side-men Now saith Polien Cleandridas willed the followers to step forward and to ranke and become side-men with their Leaders that is he willed the euen files to double their ranks with the odde and so extenuated the depth but increased the length of his Phalange by which art he ouerfronted inclosed the enemy on all sides This way then to double ranks or the length of the battaile is to insert the euen ranks man by man into the odde All the Doublings that haue beene rehearsed were Doublings either in number alone or else both in number and place For doubling of place alone nothing is said in Aelian The Insertion I recited supplyeth this defect saying the place is doubled with 124 files onely by commanding halfe to turne to the Pike halfe to the Target till the Phalange be stretched to a convenient length as from 5 furlongs to ten which is as much to say in few words as to open the Phalange Or to bring it from order to open order For so the front possesseth double ground to that it had before 4 The vse of Doubling the length is Two causes are assigned for the doubling of the length One to ouerwing the enemy the other to auoide ouerwinging our selues Cleandridas in the example aboue performed both For he both disappointed the Lucans that sought to incompasse him and besides incompassed and inclosed them The narrower the front is it is the more in danger of ouer-fronting being drawne out in length it is freer from enclosing because a greater compasse must be fetched before it can be inclosed Yet are we to take heed that in doubling of the front we giue it not so much length that it faile in depth The want of length or depth is alike dangerous and giueth advantage to the enemy I haue touched before and quoted Leo glancing onely at his words Now I will set them downe as they lye When the thicknes or depth of the Phalange saith he is gathered vp and made more thinne it behoueth not so to lengthen it that it become altogether weake and without depth For it will so come to passe that the enemy shall easily cut it in peeces and make a passage thorough it and not onely seeke to incompasse it before but passing thorough the middest bee found behinde and there indamage it And this it behooueth a Generall not onely to take heede hee suffer not himselfe but also indeuour to put vpon his enemy Hitherto are the words of Leo shewing the disadvantage of a battaile too much thinned by doubling the length But Leo elsewhere aâ—deth an other cause of doubling namely to make shew a faire sight of the Armie For the more ground it taketh in front the more will the number appeare and the bravery of euery man in particular discouered Further Antigonus vsed also this doubling for a policâ—e to beguile his enemy Polien reporteth the fact thus Antigonus incamped against Eumenes with an armie inferior in number And when messengers were sent often from one to an other Antigonus at the receit of a messenger of the enemy commanded one of his souldiers to come running in as it were out of breath and all to be-sullied with dust and to bring newes that his Confederates were come Antigonus hearing the newes leaped for ioy and sent away the messenger The next day he led his Armie out of his trench doubling the length of his front When the enemy heard of their messenger the newes that was brought to Antigonus concerning his Confederates and saw the length of his battaile doubled they imagined that the depth was answerable to the front And therefore they dislodged being afraid to ioyne with him 5 There are that mislike Countermarches and Aelians doublings of number are dangerous the enemy being ready to charge Because the files of the Battaile must be kept in open Order â—ill the motions be ended which posture is not fit to receiue the charge of the enemy as we saw out of the eleuenth Chapter The other two doublings are done in close order whereof I made mention a little before The one diuiding the middle men in halfe anâ— sleeuing them vp by the battaile on both sides The other
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
thus To your Pike turne your face that is we ought to set the particular before and then inferre the generall Like reason is if you say turne about your face or countermarch For these are also generall words And therefore wee should do well to set the particular before As to the Pike turne your face about or to the Target turne your face about Likewise the Lacedemonian countermarch not the Countermarch Lacedemonian For if you place the word Countermarch first some of the Souldiers will happily fall to one kind other to another kinde of Countermarch For which cause words of double sense are to be auoided and the speciall to be set before the generall Of silence to be vsed by Souldiers CHAP. LIII BVt aboue all things silence is to bee commanded and that beed be giuen to directions As Homere specially signifieth in his discriptions of the Graecian and Troian fights The skilfull Cheef-taines pressed on guiding with carefull eie Their Armed troupes who followed their Leaders silently You surely would haue deem'd each one of all that mighty thronge Had been bereft of speach so bride led he his heedfull tongue Fearing the dread Commanders checke and awfull hest's among Thus march't the Greekes in silence breathing flames of high desire And feruent zeale to backe their friends on foes to wreake their ire As for the disorder of the Barbarians he resembleth it to birdes saying As sholes of fowle geese cranes and swannes with necks far stretched out Which in the slimy fennes Caïsters winding streames about Sheare here and there the liquid skie sporting on wanton wing Then fall to ground with clanging noise the fennes all ouer ring None otherwise the Troians fill the field with heaped sounds Of broken and confused cries each where tumult abounds And againe The Captaines marshall out their Troupes ranged in goodly guise And foâ—rth the Troians pace like birds which lade the aire with cries Not so the Greekes whose silence breathed flames of high desire Fernent in zeale to back their friends on foes to wreake their ire The words of Command CHAP. LIIII Thus then are we to command TO your Armes Stand by your Armes Cariage away from the battaile Marke your directions Seperate your selues Aduance your Pikes File and ranke your selues Looke to your Leader Reare Commander order your file Keepe your first distances Faces to the Pike moue a little further stand so as you were Faces to the Target moue a little further stand so Faces about to the Pike moue a little further stand so Double your Depth To your first posture Double your Length To your first posture The Lacedemonian countermarch To your first posture The Macedonian countermarch To your first posture The Choraan countermarch To your first posture Battaile wheele to the Pike To your first posture Battaile wheele about to the Pike To your first posture These precepts of the Art Tacticke most inuincible Caesar I haue laide out to your Matie which will be a meanes of safety to such as shall vse them and of â—he ouerthrow of their enemies THE EXERCISE OF THE ENGLISH IN the seruice of the high and mighty Lords the LORDS the ESTATES of the vnited PROVINCES in the Low COVNTRIES THE Soldiers are diuided into two kindes Foote and Horse The Foote againe are of two kindes Pikemen and Musketiers Pikemen are armed with a head-peece a Curace and Tases defensiue and with a Pike of fifteene foote long and a Rapier offen siue The Armour is all yron the Pike of Ashen wood for the Steale and at the vpper end an yron head of about a handfull long with cheekes about the length of two foote and at the butt-end a round strong socket of yron ending in a pike that is blunt yet sharpe enough to fixe to the ground The forme thereof is expressed in the grauen figure The Musketier hath a head-peece for defence a Musket the barrell of the length of 4 foote the bore of 12 bullets to the pound a Bandelier to which are fastned a convenient number of charges for powder sometimes as many as 15 or 16 a lether bagge for bullets with a pruning yron a Rest for the Musket with an yron forke on the vpper end to support it in discharging and a pike on the nether end to sticke into the ground lastly a Rapier The figure of this armour also is here inserted These soldiors both Pike-men and Musketiers are diuided into Companies and euery Company consisteth halfe of Pikes halfe Musketiers The Companies are some more in number some lesse Some reach to 300 men some 200 some 100 some 90 some 80 some 70. Euery Company hath these officers of the field A Captaine a Lieutenant an Ensigne 2 Serieants 3 Corporalls two Drommes and for other vses a Clerke a Surgion and a Prouost Companies are compacted into Regiments and the Regiments commanded by Coronells Regiments conteine not alwaies a like number of Companies some hauing 10 some 11 12 13 14 15 some 30 Companies and aboue In euery Regiment are a Coronell a Lieutenant Coronell a Serieant Maior all officers of the field a Quarter-master and a Prouost-martiall for other imployments It shall not be greatly to the purpose to mention higher officers then Coronells my principall intent being no other then to set downe the armes and exercise of our Nation in the said vnited Provinces Their armes are spoken of Their exercise followes FIrst both Pikes and Muskets are ordered into files of 10 deepe The Musketiers are sometime placed before sometime in flanke sometimes in the reare of the pikes To exercise the motions there are two distances to be obserued The first is when euery one is distant from his fellow 6 foote square that is in file and ranke 6. The second is when euery Souldier is 3 foote distant one from the other aswell in file as in Ranke And because the measure of such distances cannot be taken so iustly by the eye the distance of 6 foot betwixt the files is measured when the Souldiers stretching out their armes doe touch one an others hands and betwixt the Rankes when the ends of their pikes come well nigh to the heeles of them that march before And the measure of 3 foote betwixt the files is when their elbowes touch one another betwixt the rankes when they come to touch the ends of one anothers Rapiers For to march in the field the distance of 3 foote from file to file is kept and of 6 foote from Ranke to Ranke To order themselues in Battaile as also to goe towards the enemy the distance of 3 foote in file and ranke is obserued and likewise to conversion or wheeling The Musquettiers also going for to shoote by Rankes keep the same distance of 3 foot but going to skirmish they goe a la Disbandade which is out of order There is yet another sort of distance which is not vsed but for to receiue the enemy with a firme stand
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
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