Muskets by the left hand Demiranke the whole Pikes to the right hand and the Demiranke of the Muskets to the left hand that so by the word of command March they may interchargablie take vp one anothers place for so I vnderstand the Author when he says It sera saire a scavoir l'Aide Major a gauche au Demirang de lagauche des Mouquets an droict aux Picques The Adjutant says he shall make the left Demiranke of the Muskets face to the left and the whole Pikes to the right and then by a command march c. But let the translation be as it will To the thing it selfe I say that in forming a Battaillon consisting of two wings of Musketeers and one Bodie of Pikes any of the ordinare ways vsed formerlie seemes to me as formall more easie as the way prescrivd by this French Author And when the Major hath drawne the Musketeers in one Bodie And the Adjutant the Pikemen in another twentie paces behind the muskets according to the Anthors direction I shall by his permission say the Pikes may joyne the Battaillon of muskets with seuer words of command in a shorter time and with lesse trouble and embarras then by the way mentiond by the Author I say with fewer words of command thus The Author will have the Pikes to march in foure severall Divisions for so I vnderstand his quarter rankes and this requires foure severall words of command for to everie quarter ranke he must say march When the Pikes have marchd to the left hand of the muskets for there the Author will needs have them to be They must face to the right hand and that requires the fifth word of command Immediatlie after the halfe of the muskets must be orderd to face to the left hand and that is the sixth word of command Then the halfe Bodie of muskets and the whole Bodie of pikes must march or rather countermarch to take vp enterchangeablie one anothers ground that is the seventh word And lastlie when muskets and pikes have changd their grounds they must be orderd to face as they were and that will be the eight word of command Bot I say foure words may serve the turne first let the halfe ranks of muskets face to the left hand that is one nixt let that halfe ranke of muskets march till there be a competent Intervall made betueene it and the other Demiranke of muskets to receave the pikes that is the second word thirdlie order the pikes to march all in one entire Bodie from the reare and take vp that Intervall that will be the third word of command lastlie cause the forsaid Demiranke of muskets face as it was and that is the fourth word of command and then your Battaillon is formd without more words Secondlie I say in a shorter time as thus To march in a whole bodie is a worke of quicker dispatch by three parts of foure then to march in foure severall Bodies or quarter ranks as the Author orders the pikes to doe before they joyne the musketeers Secondlie a bodie greater or smaller will twice as soon march twenty paces in a straight and parallel line then fortie perhaps fiftie in an oblique or croocked line as these pikes must doe which stand twentie paces behind the Battaillon of muskets and must march to the left hand of them Now the Author in this section says without loosing time therfor it is that I propose a way that looseth lesse time then this way of his Thirdlie I say The Battaillon of muskets standing in one Bodie and the pikes in another twentie paces behind the other as the Author appointeth them to be The pikes may be receavd in the middle of the Battaillon of muskets with much lesse trouble and embarras then by the way prescrivd by the Author thus Let the Demirank of the Battaillon of muskets face and march to the left hand leaving the right Demirank standing firme and so make an Intervall this is done without any embarras at all nixt let the whole Bodie of the Pikes advance at one time and take up that intervall and this is likewise done without any embarras Thirdlie the Demirank of muskets which did face and march to the left hand being commanded to face as they were doe it also without any embarras at all Bot when the Pikes that stand on the left hand of the whole Battaillon of muskets and the left Demirank of the muskets are orderd to face one to another and then by a Countermarch to take up one anothers ground there will be some shouldering some justling and some clashing of armes even among the best trained Soldiers and that I call Embarras The French Kings Officers are obliged by this Section to marshall their Regiments according to its prescriptions and no other way Bot these Officers Drill-masters who receave no French pay may try either this way of the Author or the good old way or a third if they please and then retaine any of them they find most convenient for themselves and most easie for their Soldiers Lastlie This Author requires a Sergant to be at the wing of each Division to prevent their falsifying Observe here that a Regiment standing in Battel there are two divisions of muskets and one of pikes Two Sergants being required to attend each division will be sixe that are appointed for that dutie In my observation upon the nixt section we shall see how the rest of the Sergants are disposed of FRENCH AUTHOR When a Battaillon is formed the first Lieutenant shall stand in the reare of the first division of muskets and the last in the reare of the last division an Ensigney in the reare of the Pikes with one half of the Sergants to hinder the Souldiers from dispersing or breaking their ranks Animadversion I Never had so strong a conceit of the usefulness of a Lieutenant in a Companie or a Lieutenant Collonel in a Regiment that I need care where this French Gentleman place the Lieutenants whether with the Pikes or the Muskets In the front or the reare nor should I be much troubled if in imitation of a wise and a warlike Nation he should banish them for ever out of all his Battaillons Bot indeed I am astonished to fee him make Lieutenants Ubiquitaries for in the sixth section of the way to forme a Battaillon as I have observed he appoints the Lieutenants to be in the reare of the pikes if there be Ensigneys and in the front of the pikes if there be no Ensigneys and consequentlie still with the pikes either in front or reare whether there be Ensigneys or not Now in this section which I last cited he orders one of the Lieutenants to be in the reare of the first division of muskets and another Lieutenant to be in the reare of the second division of muskets Can two Lieutenants be with the muskets if all the Lieutenants be with the pikes unless a Lieutenant can be in two places at
one time If it be said the Lieutenants are to be with the pikes when the Battaillon is forming bot when it is formed they may be otherwise disposed of to shun contest I am content to be so charitable though I see no reason for it to beleeve the Author meant so bot then I say why takes he so much notice of the first and last Lieutenants and tells us nothing where the rest of them shall have their stations whether still with the pikes which most probablie he meanes or some more of them then two with the muskets which most rationallie he sould have meant or that he leaves the rest except these two to be individua vaga to wander where they please And indeed though he doe so with all of them I am sure I shall not fall out with him for the matter In the nixt place I desire it may be rememberd that in the eight section of the way to forme Battaillons the Author requires a Sergant to be at the wing of each division which in my animadversion on that section I reckond to be sixe in this section he requires the halfe of the Sergants to be with an Ensigney in the reare of the Pikes Now let us suppose there be in one Regiment ten Companies these have twentie Sergants allowd them of these the Author takes the halfe to wit ten and placeth them in the reare of the Pikes and sixe on the wings of three Divisions this is in all sixe teene there remaines then bot foure of the twentie to attend the reare of the Musketeers which being twice as numerous as the Pikes makes this Division of the stations of Sergants very disproportionable Sergants formerlie were obliged onlie to attend the wings Bot if the Author doth allow as he doth Sergants to be in the reare as well as on the wings I shall agree with him for I have oft wonderd why so necessare an Officer as a Sergant sould be pind to the flanks as I have seene too oft practisd Bot I will still dissent from him in allowing so many Sergants for the reare of the Pikes and so few for the reare of the Muskets till he make it appeare that Pikemen may break their ranks bot Musketeers cannot FRENCH AUTHOR The Drums shall be placed on the right hand and the left Animadversion IF he meane on the right and left hands of the whole Battaillon or Regiment I would gladlie know what they sould doe there I sould thinke it most consonant to reason not to speake of practise that when a Battaillon Brigad or Regiment is formd everie Officer among whom Drummers ordinarlie are reckond sould have his station assignd him in that place where he can doe best service whether they be to fight or to march Bot to what use Drums shall serve either on the right or left hands of the whole Battaillon and in no other place when they are either to fight or to march is a thing not so easilie understood Bot if the Author meane that Drums shall be placed on the right hand and the left onlie so long as the Battaillon is Exercising I say he was obliged to tell us at what distance on the right and left hand the Drums sould have their stations for I am sure The French Drill-masters will confesse that there be some motions of Exercise which will not suffer either Drummers or other people to be within a great distance of either right or left hand of the whole Battaillon As when halfe files are commanded either by halfe File-leaders or Bringers up of whole files to double the front of the Battaillon Entire or to the right and left hand by Division when this word of command is obeyd the Battaillon possesseth in front twice as much ground as it did before bot these halfe files can not performe this till they chace the Drums a great way from both the right and left wings of the Battaillon Bot before I part with this head of forming a Battaillon I shall take leave to say that I conceave The Author hath not said so much on it as he might at least not so much as he sould and consequentlie that his rules concerning it are Defective and because I am obliged to give reasons for my opinion I offer these first he hath not told us what Companie sould have the precedencie of another that is where the Lieutenant Collonels Musketeers and Pikes sould stand for I suppose he allows the Collonels the right hand where the Majors where the oldest Captaines where the youngest and where the rest that everie one of them may have their due according to their prioritie This is a point wherin there is neither custome nor law of warre universallie observed it being variable according to the pleasure of the Prince or State who wageth the warre or of their Generalls who mannageth it Secondlie he has not assignd to everie Officer belonging to the Battaillon their proper stations for thogh it may be soone knowne where the Officers of a private Companie fould stand so long as it is a Companie apart yet when the several Companies are incorporated in one Bodie the stations of the Officers are sensible changed as any who never saw a Battaillon bot in paper may easilie understand All he hath done in this so necessare a point is to tell us where the Ensigneys Sergants and Drums and the Lieutenants sould be and that in so confusd and unintelligible a way as I have demonstrated that he might better have said no more of them then he hath done of the Captaines and the three Field Officers Nor doe I imagine any man will be so litle the Authors friend as to say he needed not speake of these two points because they are knowne in the French Armies for by that reason he might have held his peace of very many things mentiond by him in his Booke which were not onlie knowne in France bot in most places of Christendome long before his Grand-father was borne To support these reasons given for my opinion I shall say further that a Battaillon Regiment or Brigad or give it what name else you please is formd for one of foure reasons These are either to be lookd upon and viewd by a Prince a General or some great Personage or to fight or to march or to Exercise In the first case it is very proper and convenient that everie Companie be placed according to its prioritie and everie Officer have his station assignd him according to his Dignitie In the three last cases those two points are not onlie convenient bot purlie necessare And therfor I conclude a Battaillon is not formd or not formd as it sould be where any of these two things are either omitted or forgot The Author haveing with many niceties formd his Battaillon as you have seene proceeds thus FRENCH AUTHOR The Generall Exercise for the Infanterie After haveing drawne the Regiment into Battailla they draw out the files of Halberdeers which are
of the Authors doublings by Leaders of files Leaders of halfe files and Bringers up of whole files by whole rankes halfe rankes and quarter rankes to the front and the reare of these of the middle to the wings and of the wings to the middle which middle The Translator renders constantlie The Center I hope not a Geometricall one and both of them Inwards are in may be all of them prettie for show bot not the halfe of them for use As to the conveniencie of them let it be considerd that those of them that are most for use are most easie for the Drill-master to teach and the Souldiers to learne wheras these that are meerlie for show are more difficill both to teach and to learn As to the Exercise by quarter files I suppose these Officers who understand it or thinke they doe so will find worke enough to instruct their Souldiers in it and certainlie much time will be spent before they make them capable to obey readilie and perfectlie the severall commands that belong to it How little it serves for use may be known by this that you must alter the deepth of your battell before you can practise it and the Author himselfe tells you the Battaillon must be eight deepe the reason is cleare because the quarter of that file which is composd of sixe men is one and a halfe and Drill-masters must not be permitted to devide a man in two halfes To prove that this Exercise by quarter files can not be made use of before an Enemie thogh he be at a great distance will be needless labour for I suppose it will not be denyed by the Author himselfe or any of his Abettors yea I thinke he tacitlie grants it when he says nothing of it in his particular Exercise for the foot where he speaks of things necessare and ordinare in encounters And yet in former times it hath beene layd downe for a ground that practise before an Enemie is the ultimate end of all militarie Exercises The antient Romans a people that deserved imitation exercisd their soldierie everie day summer and winter yet everie point of their exercise was not onlie frequentlie bot punctuallie practisd before an enemie which made the Jewish Historian Josephus say that the militarie Exercises of the Romans were bloodless Battels and their Battels were bloodie Exercises This exercise by quarter files cannot be made use of bot in these Bodies the quarters of whose files terminats in an equall number of men therfor you can not exercise by quarter files when your file is ten deepe as all the Infanterie of Europe was fiftie years agoe because the fourth part of ten is two and a halfe nor can you doe it when your file is sixe deepe as most if not all Europaan foot now are because the fourth part of sixe is one and a halfe and yet both ten and sixe are equall numbers Let it be a rule to those who exercise by quarter files that That equall number whose quarter terminats in an equall number is a number proper for them and onlie proper for them such are 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40. Bot the nixt equall number to any of these will not serve their turne a 10 14 18 22 26 30 34 and 38 because the quarters of all these terminates in an unequall and od number or rather in a number and the halfe of an unite as the quarter of 14 is 3 ½ the quarter of 22 is 5 ½ the quarter of 26 is 6 ½ and so of all the rest These who intend to make use of this exercise for show for I hope it pretends to nothing of necessitie had need to keepe constantlie the same men in these same rankes and files wherin they were when they were first exercised that way for if any of them be changd from their former stations The Drill-master shall have a new worke to beginne againe with them As by example The first and second men in the file make one quarter of it The third and fourth make the second quarter The fifth and sixth make the third and the seventh eight make the fourth quarter of the file Now if the men who have stood it may be sixe or seven dayes in one and the same place of the file have cund somthing of this abstruse Doctrine that is lecturd to them doe not change them or their stations If you doe your former labour is lost you must beginne againe because you have neither the Leaders nor followers of quarter files that you had before It is not so in the old and ordinare commands of exercise the performance wherof is with much lesse difficultie And trulie in this quarter-file exercise as the Author descrives it Officers wold not onlie be of a quick apprehension to understand all the hard words of command used in it bot they wold likewise have very tenacious memories to retaine them and these who have not I sould advise to exercise by booke bot then what shall become of the Souldiers that cannot read And thogh they could yet have no lessons writ for them how to obey these difficill commands Indeed I wold have lookd upon it as a charitable act of the Author and yet no more as what he was bound to doe both to have set down rules how all his new orders sould be obeyed and figures representing them all to the eye This all Tacticks and Masters of exercise before him thought themselvs obligd to doe In this he had done himselfe much right for then he had not left the rarities of his Invention to be misunderstood by the weake apprehensions of vulgar capacities who cannot reach his meaning I professe ingenuouslie that after some studie I fancy I have the Ideas of these motions or notions call them which you will in my head bot nixt morning I am to seek them nor can I find them till I find my Booke and then I must studie them de novo Let other Officers Drill-masters and Souldiers have as much braine as they will sure I am they have got worke enough cut out for them And that Reader of a Countrey Church who durst not hazard to read the names of Shadrach Meschah and Abednego for feare he sould not pronounce them distinctlie bot gravelie calld them the three Gentlemen with the difficill names wold rather have quitted his office then adventured either to give or receave these hard words of command of this exercise Take two of them for example Quarter files in front and reare take care To the right and left Quarter files of the front and reare double your ranks in front and reare upon the quarter files of the Center on the wings March march And within a litle Quarter files in the Center take heed to your selvs To the right and left Quarter files in the Center double your ranks in front and reare on the quarter files of the front and reare inwards March march Certainlie these words are so long
Exercises bot seldome or never in encounters for any thing I ever faw or heard till I read it in this Author The different ways how all these three Countermarches are performed are known well enough to ordinare Drill-masters Bot this Frenchman speaks bot of one kind nor doth he tell us of which of these three sorts it is or if it be of a fourth of his own finding out and therfor we know not whether by his Countermarch He will have us to winne ground to loose ground or keep the ground we have FRENCH AUTHOR Take heed to make a quarter Conversion To the right a quarter conversion March Halt To the left a quarter conversion March Halt Animadversion WE must suppose when these commands were given the files and rankes were at sixe foot distance for so the Author will have the Battaillon to be when it is exercised Bot why he doth not order both ranks and files to close to a nearer distance before he command them to make their quarter conversion I doe not apprehend I know the practise of others in doeing it will be no rule for him bot I wish he had given us a rule how to doe it convenientlie and handsomlie at so open a distance which to me seems so unfeasible that I conceave the bringing both rankes and files to some closer order then sixe foot wold be very needfull before the conversion be commanded What necessitie the Author hath found to use either halfe whole or quarter conversions before an enemie or in what place of the World they are ordinarlie used in encounters I cannot devine till he informe us what ever-use may be made of them in exercises I think they may be with no disadvantage forborne when an enemie is neare This is that Motion which our Scots Drill-masters used to call The great turne The English tearmd it properlie enough To wheele your Battel The Dutch Swenget euch Whether it be more proper for the horse then for the foot being it may be performd in farre shorter time and with much lesse trouble with the first then with the last shall not be debated heere I shall in this place take occasion to tell you in few words the opinion of another French Author concerning Faceings Doublings Countermarches and Wheelings That is Louis de Montgomerie Sieur of Carbousin whom I once mentiond before he was a Cousine of that famous Count de Montgomerie whose sad fate and not fault it was to kill his Master Henry the second of France at justing A great Captaine this Louis was and had served long under a farre greater Captaine and a great King too Henry the fourth of France I shall speake first of Wheelings Before you make your conversion says Montgomerie you must close your files and your rankes beginning with the files and when you have made your conversion and wold open them to their former distances you must begin with the ranks whether they be to open to the front or the reare and then with the files whether they be to open to the right or the left As to faceings he says it is enough to face to the right hand or right about to face to the left he conceaves may make some disorder because of the Soldiers Swords Concerning doublings He thinks if ranks and files be taught to double to the right hand it is sufficient for he holds it not necessare for ranks or files to double to the left or to double ranks by halfe File-leaders or Bringers up or yet to use countermarches and conversions Yet concludes it is in the discretion of the Commander to use them all or none of them as he pleaseth His words are Cela neantmoins demeure a discretion It is to be observed that this Montgomerie had seene the Warres of the Low-countreys when they were hotlie mannaged by the renouned Captains Maurice Prince of Orange for the Estates and the Duke of Parma and Marques Spinola for the King of Spaine And in these times martiall Exercises frequentlie reducd to practise were in Vogue The Netherlands being indeed Schooles of warre FRENCH AUTHOR Take notice all Order your armes The Pikemen rest their Pikes on the ground Animadversion THe French word is Reposes vous sur vos Armes Rest upon your Armes The Translator renders it Order your Armes The properest English word he can give Bot trulie I think the French word more proper then the English one and the hie Dutch word as proper as any of them which is stellet euer gevehr bey den rechten fus Set your Armes by your right foot Bot order your Armes to speake strictlie is too generall a word to denote that speciall posture which it sould import for there is no posture either of Musket or Pike which sould not be done orderly a Pike either shoulderd ported or comported so it be handsomlie done is a Pike ordered as well as when the but of it is set on the ground Bot as in this so in severall other motions I find a penurie and defect of words which makes some of them signifie the thing intended very improperlie This may be observed in the French in the hie and low Dutch as well as in the English In all your doubling of ranks by halfe File-leaders and Bringers up and doubling of files by halfe rankes the things intended are not fullie nor well enough expresd by these words which were invented and are still used for them As by example when you say Bringers up of files double your ranks to the right hand this word strictlie and properlie imports that you sould make the rankes double the number or twice as many as they were and consequentlie since they were sixe before you sould by that command make them twelve Bot when the word of command is obeyd according to the usuall way the very contrare appears for wheras they were sixe ranks before they are made to be bot three the number of men in each of the three formost ranks is indeed doubled bot the ranks themselves are made feuer It is the same thing in the other languages I spoke of And suppose you are exercising a Bodie of twentie files you will say halfe ranks to the right hand double your files If a man who never had seene any of these exercises before were standing by you he wold assuredlie think you intended to make your twentie files fortie bot he shall see just the contrare when he perceaves that by the performance of that command your twentie files are made bot ten The number of men in everie one of the ten files on the right hand are indeed doubled bot the files themselves are made feuer by halfe And as to this motion I last spoke of I believe it wold be more proper to say halfe ranks double the ranks on your right hand for therby indeed the ranks which stand on the right hand and were bot sixe are made really twelve and that is the double number of sixe If you please
so harsh that they require not onlie a nimble apprehension and a readie tongue bot also good lungs that they may be pronouned with one breath and with a loud voice And whether a readie obedience to them be very easie if we can not judge we may at least guesse and hit right enough As to the conveniencie of much of this generall exercise I desire to know what conveniencie what delight what pleasure in a thing that is very troublesome to a Master to teach more troublesome to a Schollar to learne and of no use at all when it is both taught and learnd Exerciseing of Souldiers sould render to the lookers on an inward content of mind to see their compatriots expert and readie in feats of armes to withstand and repell the violence of malignant Neighbours that wold disturbe their peace at home bot litle content they can have to heare an Officer command that which puzles his Soldiers so in the obedience that he must be glad to bring them to the posture As they were Indeed I confesse it will be no small matter of ridiculous sport to beholders who love to be merrie with a mischief to see a desperate Drill-master stampe stare sweare looke like one frighted out of his wits and behave himselfe like a man something more then halfe mad when neither by words of his mouth nods of his head gesticulations of his bodie nor grimaces of his face he can get his Soldiers either one way or other to obey these commands which most mercieleslie are imposed on the poor Drill-master himself to pronounce without any methood or rules how to teach performance to his Soldiers Just as that inward sweet delight which Spectators expect to enjoy by seeing Tragicall and Comicall events of by-gone times represented to the life before their eyes is turnd to a loud and confused laughter when these on the stage act their parts foolishlie and impertinentlie notwithstanding all the endeavors of the Master of the play and the prompter to the contrarie Bot it will not be amisse to examine one or two particulars of this generall exercise FRENCH AUTHOR Half ranks take care to close with your files To the right and left Demiranks close to your files March Halfe file-leaders take care to double the ranks on the wings in front To the right and left half file-leaders double your ranks in the wings in front March march Bringers up make good your siles as you were march march Half Bringers up take heed there To the right and left half file Bringers up double your ranks on the wings in the reare march march File-leaders make good your ranks as you were march march Halfe file-leaders take heed there To the right and left half file-leaders double your ranks in front inward March march Bringers up make good your ranks as you were Halfe file-bringers up take heed there To the right and left halfe file-bringers up double your ranks in the reare inwards March march File-leaders make good your ranks as you were March march Demiranks take heed there To the right and left by Demiranks regaine your distances march halt to the right and left Animadversion IF any old Drill-master had been standing by the Author when he commanded Demiranks to close to their files he wold have concluded that the nixt command wold have been one of two either to make a conversion whole halfe or quarter or for Demiranks to open to their former order Bot this old Drill-master wold have been much deceived for he sould have heard nothing of a conversion nor sould he have heard Demiranks orderd to regaine their distances till twelve commands were given and obeyd Besides the word March fifteene times repeated In his exercise by quarter files he does worse for there after he hath orderd the files to close by Demiranks He gives 33. words of command before he orders the Files to take up their former distances beside the word March 47. times repeated For my part I am so shallow that I cannot so much as conceive how a bodie of men can feasiblie handsomlie I had almost said possiblie obey any one of these twelve commands when either Filos or rankes are at close order The old rules of exercise required open order or open open order bot antient and approved customes are too weake barrs to confine this Authors unbounded conceptions yet I thinke they sould be limited by his owne rule which is that when the Battaillon is exercised The Files shall be at sixe foot distance FRENCH AUTHOR Exercise by quarter files To the right by quarter files double your ranks in front march To the left by quarter files double your ranks in the front To the right by quarter files double your ranks in the reare To the left by quarter files double your ranks in the rear To each of these commands he subjoyns as you were Then follows halfe file-leaders take heed there To the right halfe file-leaders double your ranks in front c. Animadversion WHat a strange sally is this First with some trouble and some losse of time to alter the deepth of the Battailla to no other purpose bot to exercise by quarter files and before he had given five commands concerning it to runne full speed backe to the exercise by halfe files which was sufficientlie done by him before for in this place you shall heare him give these same commands and in these same very words for ranks to be doubled in front and reare by halfe file Leaders and halfe file Bringers up that he gave when the Battaillon was sixe deepe Why this repetition Is it to let us see he can exercise by halfe files when the Battaillon is eight deepe as well as when it is sixe deepe Who doubts bot he can doe it thogh the Battaillon be two and thirty deep Is not then this exercise by halfe files out of purpose and a litle impertinent when he promiseth Exercise by quarter files And is not an ayrie repetition of these some things and words he had given us before a Battologie Unless there be a misterie in it which I cannot comprehend And yet I sould thinke militarie Exercises sould not be misterious I wish once more that the Author or some of his Proselites wold write a Commentarie on this new Exercise of his FRENCH AUTHOR Particular Exercise for the foot for things most necessare and ordinarie used in encounters Take heed the whole Bodie to present your armes Musketeers make readie The Pikes charge at the same time Animadversion I Can hardlie be induced to believe that all that is containd in this particular Exercise be necessare much lesse most necessare or if some of them be used in encounters I conceave it must be done on extraordinarie occasions and not ordinarlie Nor doe I imagine the French Generalls will be perswaded in any encounter to double their files by either Demiranks of the wings or yet Demiranks of the Bodie If they doe they have good lucke if
they put not their Battaillons in an inextricable confusion then which an enemie can desire no fairer advantage As to that that the Pikes sould charge at the same time that the Musketeers make readie the originall hath it present their Pikes which the Translator as I observd before renders charge I know not to what purpose Pikes sould either present or charge when the Musketeers are either makeing readie or giving fire unless they be comd within the length of their Pikes of an enemie nor doe I thinke it convenient they sould for it is neither a necessare nor an easie posture for Pikemen to keep their Pikes presented the whole time they are advancing towards an enemie which I suppose both they and the firemen are bound to doe thogh all that while the Musketeers are either making readie or giving fire FRENCH AUTHOR To the right double your ranks in front ranks as you were To the left double your ranks in front ranks as you were To the right double your ranks in the reare ranks as you were To the left double your ranks in the reare ranks as you were Animadversion THis way of doubling ranks mentiond here is done thus The second ranke doubles the first the fourth the third and the sixth doubles the fifth for what use this doubling serves let these tell who are more in love with it then I am Is it necessare and usefull in encounters I trow not nor am I bound to take this Gentlemans word for it But waveing that question I affirme The Author hath committed two grosse errors in this one Paragraph First by mentioning onlie this way of doubling ranks after he had promisd to give us the Exercise of foot in things necessare and usefull he prefers it to any other way of doubling ranks wheras it may be done with more conveniencie and advantage by making either Leaders of halfe files or Bringers up of files to double ranks My reason is because thogh when by the last two ways ranks are doubled the files of these ranks are at a closer distance yet the ranks doubled keepe the same distance they had bot by this way of the Author not onlie files are at a closer distance bot the ranks doubled are at twice as great distance as they were before and so the more unserviceable The truth is the most advantagious way to double ranks is to make the last three halfe files by right and left hand double the three rankes that stand before them Entire or as this Author calls it on the wings for therby you not onlie keepe both your ranks and files at the same distance they were at before their doubling bot also you possesse twice as much ground in front as you did before your doubling His second error is that he orders ranks to double in the reare which must be done thus The first ranke doubles the second the third doubles the fourth and the fifth ranke doubles the sixth Assuredlie then the ranks doubled stand with their faces to the Drill-master bot the ranks doubling turne their backs to him and stand still with their backs to him for against this ridiculous posture the Author hath provided us with no word of command either before or after the doubling Bot to strike home the necessitie of doubling ranks in the reare must needs arise from the news you have of an enemies approach in your reare In this case you will resolve either to leave him or stand and fight him If the first I pray you trifle not away your time in doubling ranks either in front or reare If the second that you mind to fight then I suppose you will face your Battaillon to the reare whether you doe this by a Demy tour which is the best way or by a Countermarch which is not so good or by a halfe conversion which is the worst of the three is not the question here Bot the face of your Battel being changd that which was your reare is your front and what was your front is your reare and consequentlie your Collor's and Officers must change their places and stations If then you thinke it fit that ranks double you may doe it without bidding them double either to front or reare for by what I have said you may see that ranks must all wise double to the front bot never to the reare If you be please to consider this rightlie you will perhaps conclude with me that all the Authors doublings of ranks in the reare either by this may prescriv'd in this section or by Leaders of halfe files or Bringers up of files wherof he speaks in his generall exercise are not onlie needless useless and inconvenient bot redundant to call them no worse FRENCH AUTHOR The whole Bodie take care to Countermarch To the right by ranks Countermarch March halt to the right To the left by ranks Countermarch March Halt to the left Animadversion WHy not a Countermarch by files as well as by ranks The one is as necessare everie bit as the other And if he had said that neither the one nor the other was necessare or yet ordinarlie used in encounters I sould not at all have contradicted him Bot the Author in his generall Exercise speaks of Countermarches by files as well as by ranks So doe some others who write of exercising bot I wish that seeming difference were expunged out of all their Books for it does bot puzle a young Soldier when he hears or reads of two several Countermarches one by files and another by ranks and if his judgement be not subtiler then mine he will never distinguish them And indeed they are bot one thing files cannot countermarch bot ranks must doe it too nor can ranks countermarch bot files must doe it likewise Imagine a regiment of a thousand men drawne in battell on a Field wheron they may march a hundreth in breast That Bodie is drawne up ten deep in file and so there are one hundreth files and ten ranks It were superfluous nay ridiculous for the Colonell of that regiment to bid the ten ranks march or yet the hundreth files march because the one cannot move but the other must move also It is the very same thing in a countermarch And therfor in exercising Officers sould say no more bot To the right or To the left hand Countermarch without mentioning either file or ranke Countermarches in the dayes of old were on some occasions thought usefull till the force of Gun-powder made the performance of them before an enemie dangerous and consequentlie the command for it somthing Impertinent The old Graecians and other nations too made much use of them in their bodies of foot which were sometimes eight very oft sixteene deepe as also in their bodies of Horse which were foure five eight and sometimes ten deepe There were three kinds of those Countermarches The Macedonian The Laconian and the Persian which was also calld the Choraean All these three are still used in our Europaean
make so great an alteration as to change the deepth of their Battaillons which in all armies belonging to one Prince or one State sould be constantlie one and the same And Sir to cry up the singularitie of your device I shall tell you that the antient Groecians drew vp their foot Battaillons sometimes eight sometimes sixteene in file yet had not so nimble wits as to exercise by quarter files To come to our own times The great Earle of Strafford orderd his Majesties Infanterie in Ireland to be eight deep in file which certainlie so judicious a person as he was knowne to be did for good reasons if one wherof had beene to exercise by quarter files he had lost perhaps much of that reputation of militarie skill which fame hath so bountifullie bestoud vpon him Sir in this place you appoint the Companies to be sixe deep before they come to the Field and in another place you order the files to be made eight deepe when they are in the Field Bot since you must exercise sometimes at sixe deepe and since you will exercise sometimes at eight deepe I shall make no bones to tell you that it will be much more convenient to exercise your foot one day at sixe deepe and another day at eight deepe then to put your Captaines to a double labour in one day first to make their Companies sixe deep before they come to the Field and then eight deepe before they goe out of the Field For to change the deepth of files in the Field purposlie for quarter file exercise is not so easie a worke as perhaps you at first imagine it to be my reason is this In a file of sixe deepe you have bot three leading men these be The Leader of the file The Leader of the halfe file and the Bringer up of the file In a file of eight deepe when you are to exercise by quarter files you have foure Leaders and foure Bringers up for divide a file of eight men in quarters there will be in each quarter a Leader and a Bringer up these must be leasurlie chosen as fit persons to obey the words of command of that harsh exercise which needs not be so punctuallie done in exercises at sixe deepe Now the stations of these files at eight deepe cannot constantlie be keepd by the same men because of sicknes forloss and many other accidents which may withdraw them for a time and their stations being changd or other men put in their roomes you shall not misse to meet with an embarras the danger wherof yow need not feare in exerciseing at fixe deepe in file it being neither so knottie nor difficill as the other FRENCH AUTHOR The Captaines or Officers must leade their Companies with a Pike in their hand The Lieutenants must be at the reare of the Pikes when there are Ensigneys and when there are none they are to place themselvs at the head of the Pikes when they are drawne into Battailla Animadversion THe Author tells vs not whether the Officers shall cary their Pikes shoulderd as the Spaniards doe or comported as the French used to doe Nor shall I tell my opinion whether Pikes halfe Pikes Pertisanes or Canes be most proper for Commissionated Officers Onlie I shall desire the Lieutenants to take notice that this Master fixes them all with the Pikes whether in the front or reare of them makes no matter FRENCH AUTHOR The Companies being come to the designed ground shall file of one after another and passe vpon the left wing of the Pikes and in the first place shall leave their Pikes in the Field of the batle and the Muskets shall pursue their march till they have joyned the front of their Muskets Animadversion ONe of the hardest lessans ever I red As it is worded I shall never reach the meaning of it Companies which the Author himself acknowledgeth to consist of both Muskets and Pikes shall passe on the left wing of the Pikes Dura Dictio who can understand it Companies which consist of Pikes and Muskets shall in the first place leave their Pikes in the Field of batle First a Companie is no more a Companie bot a part of a Companie when the Pikes are left behind Nixt how can the Pikes be left in the Field of batle since that must of necessitie be the Field of batle where both Muskets and Pikes of the whole Regiment are formd in one Battaillon Bot take head Muskets shall pursue their march till they have joynd the front of their Muskets Where are we now O for an Interpreter I am affrayd The Printer hath wrongd both the Author and the Translator Must Muskets or Musketeers pursue their march till they joyne the front of their Muskets O Sence where art Thou In what corner of this Paragraph hath thou hid thy selfe I am sure I cannot find the. Bot lest we offer to wrong the Author let vs heare him speake in his owne language Both in his generall and particular Exercise of the Infanterie he hath these formall words Les Compagnies arrivants dans le Champ de Battaille desileront consecutivement iront passer sur l'aisle gauche des Piques auparavant laisseront leurs Piques dans le Champ de battaille les Mousquets suivront le front des Mousquets It is not in my power to English this otherwise as the Translator hath done Yet I wold gladlie be so just to the Author as to thinke his meaning were this When the Companies arrives at the place of Battoll they shall leave their Pikes behind at that distance spoke of to wit twentie paces and the Musketeers shall march these of one Companie after another on the left hand of the Pikes still forward till they come to the place appointed by the Major for the front of the Muskets And when all this is done we may aske why may not the Musketeers of each Companie leave their Pikes and march straight in a direct line to the place appointed for them and not be obliged to march in an oblique line vpon the left wing of the Pikes but more of this heer-after FRENCH AUTHOR So soon as the last Companie hath joyned the Battaillon the Adjùtant shall file of the Pikes by quarter ranks to goe joyne the Battaillon on the same front of Muskets on the left wing and without loseing time as soone as the last quarter ranke is arrived he shall face them to the left in Demi ranke to the left the Muskets and to the right the Pikes and by a word of command March the Pikes and the Muskets shall possesse the same ground after which he shall give command As you were takeing care that in all these moveings a Sergeant shall be at the wing of each division to prevent their falsifying Animadversion NOr is this Paragraph renderd so smooth as it sould be or as I thinke as it might be for assuredlie the Adjutant must not face the Pikes by Demirankes bot by whole rankes and the