How a Prince is to prepare himself to make warre, to raise an armie, and the manner of marching. CHAP. I.

A Prince being resolved to make warre (be it offensive or defensive) ought to make such provision of men, instruments, mo­ney, and victuall, as he shall know to be necessary for his enterprise.

In making his provision of men, he is to choose such as are fit for counsell, for command, and for souldierie.

For his counsels, such whose age, prudence, ex­perience and study renders capable of such im­ployments.

For commanders in his armies, he is to choose men of authoritie, respect, prudence, experience, and good fortune. Each of them having made such proof of their courage, sufficiencie, and good successe in their severall charges, as it be appa­rently known to all men; chiefly choosing such as are born courageous, and are habituated in all the exercises of warre: as, to handle all sorts of armes, to know all manner of militarie motions, to form all sorts of battaillons, to range armies in battalia, to make them march, encamp, embat­taile, to erect fortifications, to assault places of strength, and to defend them, to make the trenches, and place the batteries; briefly, that they know all the functions of warre.

For souldiers (whether they be Infanterie or Cavallrie) they ought to be elected, such as are strong, stout, and of fitting yeares, giving them such armes as are most fitting for them; and disci­plining them.

For the politick part, that they be sober and continent in their sustenance, abstemious from play and women, modest in their speeches, appa­rell, and all other actions.

Concerning the militarie part, they are to be instructed in the use and exercise of the sword, musket, and pike; and to be taught how to en­camp, entrench, and make their huts, how to keep themselves in order, and to be expert in all moti­ons requisite for the forming and ready dividing of such forms as shall be desired. To this end the Captains, Lieutenants, and Ensignes ought to be very carefull to instruct and discipline their soul­diers.

The militarie discipline for the foot is this; The musketiers ought to be exact in the use of their musket and rest together, to shoulder pro­perly, to make ready, and present all after one and the same manner, whether it be upon entring into the guard, to passe a muster, or to go to the charge; To give fire, either by themselves, by files, by ranks, or in a volly. The pikes to shoul­der (asloap and levell) advance, trail, charge to front and rear; And both pikes and muskets, how to wear their swords, how to keep their ranks and files, to take their distances, both for muster and fight; To use their motions, to the right, left, and rear; To double, open, close, and to reduce both files and ranks; to countermarch, and wheel.

• [Page 3]A. A calliver shouldred.
  The French continued the calli­ver longer then other nations.
• B. A calliber firing.
• C. A musketier shouldred.
• D. A musketier firing.
• E. A pike ordered.
• F. Advanced.
• G. Shouldred levell.
• H. Sloaped.
• I. Charged.
• K. Trailed.
• L. Charged at foot.
• M. Charged to the rear.

Concerning the horse, they ought to be in­structed how to manage their horses and armes. Their horses to the right and left, to advance, stop, retreat.

Their armes, how properly to put on and wear their defensive ones; and to make good use of the offensive, as how to charge and present their carbines and pistols, and to finde out the un­armed parts with their swords.

A troop of horse being to be mustered, march­eth three in rank; but to be embattailed, it ought to be so disposed, that for every three in rank there be one in file, so that a troop of 108 horse shall have 18 files and 6 ranks.

The distance of ranks ought to be (both for the length of the horse, as for the spaces between them) of six Paces here are to be under­stood steps, and not geometricall paces of 5 foot. paces, and of files one pace.

To make one grosse of many battaillons, the troops ought to be ordered into so many ranks as the flank of the battaillon shall be intended to contain horses, and then to draw up the troops flank to flank.

The provision of instruments of warre is prin­cipally of armes and horses; Of armes both of­fensive and defensive.

Of offensive, as Artillerie, muskets, carbines, pistols, pikes, halberts, partisans, half-pikes.

Of defensive, as head-pieces, casques, gorgets, cuirasses, pouldrons, vanbraces, corslets, taces, tar­gets, &c. And of draught horses in abundance for the train of the Artillerie, munitions, and vi­ctuall.

The provision of money is to be made by a ga­thering of it together long before hand in the most abundant measure that may be; by the preserving [Page 7] of it diligently without imploying of it upon vain and unprofitable things; and by distributing of it where it shall be found necessarie; and in needfull things not to be niggardly.

The provision of victuall consisteth in the col­lection and duration of it, the conservation and di­stribution.

Having made all these preparations, and filled the magazines, there must be choice made of some citie, there to make the staple of amunition, to put the train of Artillerie in equippage, and there to take the muster of the armie, as well of the In­fanterie and Cavallrie, as of the Artillerie; there also to put the armie into form of battaile, even as if they were that day to fight with the ene­mie.

The manner of ordering the armie for combat, is according to that which the Generall shall in­tend to execute; as to go and conquer a countrey, to releeve a place besieged, to give battaile, to march crosse through an enemies countrey, or to make a retreat.

If he purpose to conquer a countrey, he ought to know the estate of the same, as whether it be well peopled or not; whether he might be opposed by one or more armies, and what manner of ones; to know their alliances, and the means how to break them, or at least to hinder them from joyning together, if it be possible; to know the passages, their places of entrance and issuings out, the woods, mountains, straits, ports, keyes, bridges, havens; the situation of their cities and places of strength, their garrisons and munitions. He ought to be informed of the fertilitie of the [Page 8] countrey, to cause victuall to be carried thither if it be barren, or to discharge his armie of that train if it abound.

He is to have the plat of the countrey in a gene­rall map, and also in many particular ones, to know the situation and distance of places, and whether the countrey be plain and even, or the contrary, and to judge by the capacity of the place what front he may give to his armie.

If his designe be to releeve some besieged place, and to convey supplies within it, and (to effect that) desireth to force a quarter, he ought not to spread out the wings of his armie, but to keep himself serried close, as did Prince Maurice when he releeved Coevorden against the King of Spains army conducted by Verdugo; and the Marquis Spinola, when he went to releeve Groll.

If he intend to deliver battaile to his enemie (the occasion offering it self, and the countrey be­ing fit for it) he ought to extend the front of his armie as much as may be (yet not so much that it be not strong enough in the depth to sustain the enemies charge, but to have the van-guard, bat­taile, and rear-guard of sufficient thicknesse) to hinder his being surprised on the flanks, and to the end that every man may fight (which is one of the most important considerations) and to at­tempt to enclose the enemie within a crescent, so to charge him on the front, flanks, and rear, if it may be, as did Gaston de Fois at Ravenna against Raimond de Cardonne, and the Prince Maurice at Newport; and also when he traversed the plains of Gulick.

If he desire to cause his Army to traverse or march through an enemies countrey, he ought alwayes to cause them to be quartered together in one body, without disuniting of any part, and to march in Battalia, making choice of open places (free from woods) and such as are plain and even, securing his quarters, and carrying mu­nitions with him, requisite for the time of his pas­sing through: for it is a very hard matter to lead an armie through an enemies countrey, especially if it be divided by rivers, covered with woods, and mountainous, and if there be in it places of strength, and a mean armie to defend it self; for it alwayes molests you, cuts off the passage of victu­all, hindreth your armie in their march, alwayes troubleth them on the Hanks or Reare, waites upon advantag [...]s, seeks occasions of surprising, and continually layeth ambushes.

But after what manner soever your Army be embattailed, a care you must have that all hands may be brought to fight, and that your Army may deliver combat at least three times, which it shall doe if it be divided into Van, Battaile, and Reare. Let the horse be so disposed as they may alwayes second the foot, and that in such sort, as finding themselves disordered, they may finde place to rally themselves under their shelter; having no Battaillon behinde them so near, whereby they might be again routed after such a disorder. The Artillerie ought to be so placed, that it hinder not the passage of the Battaillons, & that it may easily discover those of the enemie. For the most part the Infanterie is within the body of the Armie, in severall Battaillons, disposed checquer wise: the Cavallrie on their Wings and Reare in severall [Page 13] Squadrons, and the Artillerie according to the convenience of the place, on the Front of the Armie, or on the Flanks of the Battaillons.

The Armie having been mustered at the place of rendez-vous, it doth usually march away in Bat­talia, to the place of their encamping that night (if the countrey will permit it) that so they may be taught how to march in order of Battaile; which if it cannot do by reason of the unevennesse of the countrie, the Pioners must be caused to make many severall wayes, filling the ditches, breaking down hedges, and laying bridges of boats or otherwise over rivers and brooks.

In the middle-way the Artillerie, Munition, and Baggage shall march; on the wings of these one part of the Infanterie is to march in their long order, either three or five in Ranke; on the Flank of these Foot some Carabines; the two third parts of Cuirassiers shall be in two Squa­drons at the head of the Armie, and the other one third part in the like disposition on the Reare; the Harquebusiers shall march before the Cuiras­siers in the Front of all the Armie with the Cara­bines and Dragons, saving some few which shall be on the Reare; the Infanterie o [...] t to march in the middle, in the forme of double Battaillons as much as may be, divided into Van, Battaile, and Reare: all which will be more cleare by the forme which the Marquis Spinola observed when he marched through Freeseland to besiege Lin­gen, whereof the figure followeth.

If the enemie be neare to the place where the armie is to arive, the Marshall of the Field (ha­ving chosen a fit place for the field of combat) gives order for the placing of the Artillerie, dis­parteth the quarters and places of the Regiments and Munitions, causeth all the camp to be en­trenched round about according to the art of for­tification. To this end he must endeavour to lodge at a seasonable houre, that so he may have time to make his retrenchments, to divide the quarters, to place the guards, to send out to for­rage, to cause the huts to be made, to discover the actions of the enemie; and to prevent a thousand inconveniences which the night produceth; dis­posing all things according to the place and time.

Of encamping the Armie. CHAP. II.

AN Army is quartered in the field or in some village: in the field when the enemie is at hand, then must it be quartered in Battail­lons, as if every houre there were occasion of cambat. Also, the lodging in the field is when you lay any siege, or when the infection compells you to flee the places of shelter, or when the countrey is wasted and without houses.

The quartering in villages is when the enemie is farre off, so as you may have time to put the Armie into form of Battaile in the place of A­larm, before he can be upon your jack.

Whether the encamping be in the field or in the villages, it must be commodious and assured.

It will be commodious if there be abundance of [Page 16] water, wood, forrage, and capacitie of roome con­venient to lodge the whole armie, and to make the Alarme-place.

It will be assured (being in the field) by forti­fying the camp round about, by causing it to be well guarded by good Corps-du-guards, and Sentinels within, and Sentinell-perdues without, having Redouts round about, if the enemie be to be feared, or that he be near. See the Leaguer of Prince Maurice before Sluys, and before Grave, Fol. 87, 88.

It will be assured in the villages when the A­larme-place shall front the enemy, being eminent and commanding the ground round about it, capable to range the whole armie into order o [...] battaile, fortified by art and nature, commodiou [...] for the advenues and sallies without confusion o [...] the troops; That it be not assaultable withou [...] great disadvantage to the enemie, being near t [...] the quarters, well defended by Artillerie and well secured by Corps-du-guards, aswell o [...] Infanterie as Cavallrie.

Concerning the quarters, they must be difficult to force and to assault (at lest unawares) f [...] cile to be releeved, and therefore near together fortified, retrenched, and well guarded.

So then, all that is to be considered about th [...] lodging of an Armie which is to be encampe [...] for a long time (for, for one night it is onel [...] re [...]uisite to make choice of places advantagiou [...] and such as are strong by nature, or to defen [...] them by waggons or other meanes of enclosin [...] the camp) consisteth in the commoditie of [...] things, namely, victuall, water, forrage, wood, [...] tuation, and enclosures of the field.

Having regard to the certaintie of victuall and munitions by not adventuring too farre of; and leaving none of the enemies towns on the Flanks which might intercept or cut off your way; seeking out the commoditie of rivers, to be ser­ved of water to drink, for conveyance, or to im­pale with waggons, and to secure the one Flank of the Armie; it being impossible to be with­out them, and chiefly good ones.

For these reasons mountainous places are to be avoided, and also valleys; the one for the barrennesse, the other for the badnesse and dis­commoditie of the filthy pooles, and for the bad aire which they cause, being crude and foggie.

Regard must be had of the abundance, com­moditie, and certaintie of forrage; for the horse make an incredible waste, besides that much is required for the Souldiers to lie upon and to cover their huts with.

Good store of wood must be had for sires in the Corps-du-guards, and to build huts.

A care must be had that the place where you intend to encamp be smooth, plain, and sandy (if it may be) farre from any place that commandeth it, or if there be any, it must be seased upon and taken in within the retrenchment, to discover and command the champain.

If there be any wood near, you ought to make use of it and guard it, somewhat enlarging the retrenchment, and leaving roome between both, to meet with ambushes which the enemie might lay within it.

The forme of a retrenchment of an Armie is usually square, and the sides thereof ought to be fortified by Tenailles, to defend the one by the [Page 18] other, and so to be disposed of, as in giving fire by night those of the Armie may not hurt each other; making them more or lesse strong, as the enemie is more or lesse to be feared.

Touching the particular things which con­cern the disparting of the lodgings within the en­closure of the camp, these things are to be obser­ved;

The retrenchement ought to be in breadth and depth two fadomes, and the paraper one fadom in height. Round about the inside of the re­trenchement there must be a space left of The pro­portion ge­nerally ob­served is 200 foot. 40 or 45 fadomes broad, which is called the Alarm-place, which must be spacious enough to con­tain the whole Armie in Battalia.

Then follow the quarters of 300 foot The Au­thour saith 300 foot broad, but that is a mistake. deep, which must be divided (for the making of the lodgings) after this manner;

For a Companie of 200 footmen there must be 56 foot in Front, and 200 in depth, to make 4 rowes of huts, 25 in each row: between which there must be 3 streets of 8 foot broad. Every hut hath 8 foot square to lodge 2 souldiers. All the doores of them open upon 2 streets, and an­swer just over against each other.

Of embattailing the Armie. CHAP. III.

THere be two kindes of occasions of giving battaile; the one is particular, hapning be­tween small troops, as encounters which (for the most part) are given by accident, and sometimes upon deliberation; also such skirmishes as are or­dinarily used to draw out, entertain, or discover the enemie.

The other is generall, as when one Armie coming to encounter the other, they give Bat­taile; wherein for the diversities of times before the combat, during it, and after it, there must be had divers considerations. Before the combat, you must know the enemies forces, both horse and foot, as also his Artillerie and Munitions; you must also know whereunto he chiefly trust­eth, in what order he useth to fight, also the situa­tion and passages of the countrey. You must make diligent discoverie of his designes and actions by your own spies, or the enemies, being corrupted with money or promises.

You must attempt to divide his forces, to raise jealousies and diffidences between his chiefs, or between them and their officers, to incite his soul­diers to mutinie.

You must strive to seize upon the most advan­tageous ground to range the Armie into Battalia, [Page 27] having regard to the winde to avoid the dust and smoak, and to drive it into their eyes; and to the sunne, that you be not dazled: directing your self according to the place, and the number of your own and the enemies forces.

The souldiers must be deprived of all hope of saving themselves by flight, and must be brought to a disposition to fight courageously; propounding to them the glorie, the bootie, the recompense, and the necessitie.

The order which must be observed in ranging the Armie for In my book of Cavallrie (before mention­ed) you may see divers formes of battaile in figure 8, 9, 10, &c. combat hath been shewed in the first chapter, being the same as the march in bat­talia.

The Artillerie must play so soon as they be­gin to discover the battaillons of the enemie, making the batterie fitly and speedily, to disorder and scatter them before they come to give bat­taile.

Whilest the Armie stands ranged in battalia, ex­pecting the signall for combat, the Marshalls of the field ought to ride before the Van, to cause them to advance when the fight shall begin, ac­cording to the Generalls order, and to command the battaillons to joyne and charge the enemie, or to receive his charge according to occur­rences.

The Generall of the Armie by his dili­gence ought to be as the soul in the body throughout all the members; alwayes obser­ving the countenance of the enemie, to make his men fight to purpose; assisting the broken battaillons by fresh ones, or by squadrons, and ordering those which (having been dis­banded) shall rally again, to send them to [Page 28] the combat to releeve their fellows. And be­cause such as have been beaten will hardly re­turn to fight again, you must not trust too much to them.

As soon as you be within reach of the Canon, you must go on directly upon the enemie, (un­lesse you be sheltered from his Artillerie) by this means your souldiers are encouraged, you avoid the danger of the enemies Canon, and you leave behinde you the place where your Armie stood ranged, which ground will serve to rally and or­der the Battaillons which shall happen to be routed. You must not give on so hastily, as that thereby the Battaillons be disordered; and on the other-side you are to use a marching pace un­till you come within distance of a Pistoll-shot, but then to double your pace and to charge furiously, the Pikes being close serried, and the Muskets continually playing on the Flanks, having certain Targetteers in Front which may shelter the Bat­taillon, and disorder the enemies Pikes.

You must give a sufficient Front to the Battail­lons, that so they may overwing the enemie, and charge him in Front and Flank, observing on which part the enemie giveth the most violent assault, and thither to send the troops of Reserve; as also, where he is weakest, that there he may be the more easily routed; dissembling and con­cealing all sinister accidents; and whatsoever proves prosperous, to cause that to be published aloud, for the raising of their spirits which happi­ly might be become heartlesse, either by over­much labour, or by the rumour of some disaster; propounding to them the faintnesse of the ene­mie, the death of his Commanders, the slight of [Page 29] his troops, the spoil, the honour of the victorie, and the great bootie; Sending the orders and commands by Officers and persons known, and not from hand to hand by passe parolle.

After the combat, either you are vanquisher or vanquished: If you be vanquisher, and have no cause to feare the enemie any more, as being not able to rally himself, either you content your self with the victorie, or you attempt farther to conquer.

If you rest content with this victorie, God is solemnly to be praised, the souldiers are to be re­duced, commended, and recompenced, principal­ly the Chiefs and such as have performed any signall acts, sharing out the spoil amongst them according to their merits, giving order that the prisoners be trustily kept and courteously used, causing the hurt to be carefully cured and the dead buried.

If you attempt to conquer the enemies coun­trey, you are to publish the victorie, for that will cause his confederates to shrink from their al­liance, it will affright your enemie, and will make the Neuters to declare themselves for the victour; it will keep your confederates faithfull and con­stant, your subjects obedient, and will procure fa­vour from all men. Then the Armie must be sup­plied with men and munitions, the enemies gar­risons must be summoned, recompensing such as shall yeeld the places within their custody, deal­ing rigorously with such as shall be headstrong, gaining the great ones of the countrey by money, estates, and honour, attempting to seize upon the advenues and passages, and to leave nothing at your back which might hinder the passage of [Page 30] your munitions and victuall. If you be vanquish­ed, either the enemie gives you time to retreat, or else he pursues you with all his forces. If he give you time, you must gather together all what possibly you can of your broken and scattered men, making your retreat resolutely and honou­rably, and shewing your self in the field again so soon as may be with the greatest number of soul­diers that can be gotten, to make head again against the enemie, to oppose his designes, to dis­quiet and molest his actions, to work his confe­derates to oppose him, to divert and divide his forces, to fortifie the passages, to provide and fur­nish your frontier places with victuall, munition, and garrisons.

If you be pursued with extremitie, you must re­treat in the best order you shall be able, making it appear you are not vanquished in your cou­rage, though you be so in your fortunes; causing all your countrey to take armes, and that such as shall be in armes do present themselves at the passage to hinder the enemies entrance, breaking down the bridges and landing-places of rivers, cutting of the high-wayes, and felling of trees to lay a crosse the high-wayes, breaking down the sluces, and drowning the countrey, if it be possi­ble, assuring your self of the fidelitie of your ci­ties and subjects, the one by forts, cittadels and garrisons; the other by hostages, offices and bene­fits.

Of the building of forts. CHAP. IIII.

BEfore the fortifying of any place, consideration must be had of the situation: for if it be on a mountain which is all a rock, and that the place comprehendeth all the top, it will be diffi­cult to approach, the flanks will be secured, it will be free from mines and command, it will easi­ly discover round about, it will do horrible exe­cution, and will be wholesome both for the inha­bitants and for the munitions. But such a place hath usually these discommodities, want of water and earth, hard to be retrenched, easie to be quickly blocked up, and the passages and ad­venues for the releeving of it, easie to be cut off

If it be on a mountain which is not a rock, it will be subject to mining, the trenches of ap­proach will be easily undermined, and it will have almost all the discommodities of the place above said; but it will also have the advantage of store of earth, and by that means it may easily be re­trenched.

If the place be seated on a mountain which hath one or more advenues which command it, such place will be easie to be assailed and battered from those advenues.

If the place be moorish, the approaches are difficult, but the discommodities are great for them within it; for they are soon shut up, their sallies are difficult and dangerous, the place is unwholesome for the inhabitants, the [Page 32] munitions are soon corrupted, and it is hard to be releeved.

If the place be on a plain, but commanded by one or more hills, it will have an infinite number of discommodities, and almost no conveniences.

If it be in a plain which is sandy, the works which there shall be made will hardly be worth any thing.

But if it be on a plain champain, and levell on all sides, the earth being fat and strong, it will be easie there to fortifie, and to prevent the discom­modities, having very advantageous conveni­ences.

But whatsoever the situation be, if you intend there to fortifie, you must first calculate whether your means be sufficient, whether the season be fitting, whether you have a sufficient number of workmen and tooles, time enough to finish it be­fore the season change, or the enemie can come upon you; whether you have souldiers enough to guard it, sufficient Artillerie to defend it, mu­nition enough for the souldiers and Artillerie, vi­ctuall sufficient for the men, and fodder for the horses, succours so near as that they may arrive within such time as it may be conceived the fort may be maintained against the violence of the enemie.

If all these things do favour you, you may boldly fall to work, having regard first to the matter, and secondly to the forme.

Concerning the matter, if you have the com­moditie of stone, brick, and chaulk, you must line all the works of the curtains, bullworks, and counterscarps with good and strong sloapings, af­ter this manner; those of the curtain and coun­terscarp [Page 33] have a fourth part of the height for their sloap, and those of the faces of the Bullworks a third.

The faces of the Bullworks must have spurres, ten foot distant from each other, of three foot thick and 25 foot long, the said spurres being strongly bound in with the wall, which must be built in arches underpropped 6 foot without the foundations onely on the spurres.

If you have onely earth, there must be such a sloap given to the works, according as they are strong or sandy, ordinarily of 5 foot one. Such works must be well furnished with pallisadoes, and environed with water, for they are subject to surprises, because the showers of rain and frosts make them moulder away.

Touching the forme, if it be regular (which is when it hath the sides equall) such as the forti­fication of one face is, such are all the rest. But if it be irregular (which is when the sides be un­equall, as all cities are which are repaired) the fortification on all parts must be disagreeing. But what forme soever it hath you must observe the rules following as much as may be, and labour to make it equally strong on all sides.

Of the defence of fortresses. CHAP. V.

THe defence of fortresses dependeth on the good order which the Governour observeth, as well within as without the place, be it for mat­ters politick or militarie.

The politick order within the place containeth all things belonging to a civill life, as livelyhood, conservation, and justice, both towards the towns­men and souldiers: alwayes having an eye to their manners, life and condition, being assured of their fidelitie (but principally of the souldiers) before they be brought into the place. And being there, to have subtile and secret spies among them, who must observe how they live, what practises they have, whether they be discontented at the Gover­nour, and what they say in publick and in private: finally to have an eye to all their actions.

Touching his care without, he must take no­tice of such as enter, which are either countrey­men, who (under pretext either of bringing some­thing to sell, or of coming to buy) are let into the towne: or else merchants, who by occasion of commerce do come in and go out at their plea­sure. Of these there must be regard had whether they deal with persons suspected, or that them­selves be such, or whether they come from some suspected place; and not to suffer any to enter, but persons of good assurance, and well known.

The militarie care hath respect either to the gates or the walls. Of the gates, either at the opening or shutting of them.

Concerning the opening of them, he must (be­fore the setting of them open) send out an officer with some souldiers, to discover whether there be any ambushes in the suburbs, churches, fields, decayed buildings, hollow wayes, valleys, ditches, inclosed gardens or woods: and at the shutting of them, the Sergeant Major must be there assi­sting as often as may be, and to search and feel the lockes with his own hands.

Touching the walls, he ought to have regard whether they be low, ill flanked, decayed, the moat drie; and to use the remedies; as also to the places where the water entreth, or issueth out.

The gates and walls must be secured with good corps-du-guards, and sentinells near each other. He must never slight the danger, but must alwayes suspect and fear surprises and treasons, being vi­gilant and active: often visiting his guards, and coming upon them at unawares: that so they may fear asmuch to be surprised by the Gover­nour as by the enemie; which course will hold them to their duties.

Of the taking of fortresses by petard or any other surprise, or by treacherie. CHAP. VI.

THey which have an enterprise upon any place, will surprise it either by petard, or by scalado, or by some other defect which is in the gates or walls, or else by intelligence and treacherie.

If you would surprise it by petard, you must first well know the gates, tails, barres, pallisadoes, draw-bridges, bridges, pitfalls, portcullices, and grates: and the places of the flanks, whether they be on the sides, above, or before; whether the ditch be drie or filled with water; whether it be broad or deep; whether there be loop holes over the gate, corps-du-guards, and in what place; whe­ther the entrance into the gate be right on or wind­ing; and in all these things you must observe how many paces there may be of length, breadth, height, and distance between piece and piece, as near as may be.

The place being discovered, you must make use of stratagems to cloak your intentions, and to divert your enemy to some other place.

When there be any suburbs, decayed houses or any woods near the place which you intend to surprise, you may make use of them to facilitate your approaches, and to lay your ambushes, also the easier to discover what is done about the gates of the town, so to lay hold on the occasion at the instant when you see it fair for you; and to re­ceive advertisements by those persons which you shall have sent to discover the place.

Being thus near, you may to good purpose re­leeve those which give the first onset, and dispatch the readier; yet you must not approach so near, as that you be under command of their canon, for fear (if you be put to the retreat) you be had by the breech.

The time well taken doth much facilitate en­terprises, which is usually a little before day, by reason that the sentinels (being wearie and saint) do sleep, and darknesse favoureth the approaches, and serves for cover of those which put the plot in practice, prepare the engines, and plant the pe­tards, and thence gives terrour to the assailed.

The petards must be made of fine or red cop­per, with a tenth part of brasse. That for the bridge must be 11 inches long, and at the breech 7 inches and a half about, and 5 inches wide with­in. The metall at the breech must be one inch and one fourth part thick, and a half inch thick at the neck, without reckoning the muzzel ring. The mouth must be 10 inches wide, and it must have three handles, and a pipe over the touchhole joyning to the breech. It must weigh from 60 to 70 pound of metall.

That for gates with overthwart barres, must be 9 inches long, five twelve parts of an inch thick at the neck, and one inch at the breech. The mouth 7 inches wide, 6 on the out­side of the breech, and 4 within. It must weigh near upon 40 pound.

That for gates with plain bolts, or for pallisa­does, must be 7 inches long, one third part of an inch thick at the neck, and three fourth parts of an inch at the breech, the mouth 4 inches wide, 3 inches and a half at the outside of the breech, and 2 within. It must weigh near upon 15 pound.

Between the petard and the bridge, there must be a madrier or wooden planchier placed, 1 foot and a half broad, 2 foot long, and 3 inches thick. If the wood be not very strong, it must be strengthened with plates of iron, being set on athwart on the outside of the planchier, and lengthwise on the other side.

The charge of the petard for the bridge is from 5 to 6 pound of poWder; of those for strong gates from 3 to 4 pound. And for palli­sadoes ftom one pound and a half to two pound. They must be charged with the finest powder that can be had, beating it hard into the petard (but not so that you bruise the grain) which must be stopped with a wooden trencher or plug of an inch thick, very justly fitted, and some mol­ten wax to be powred on it to close the rifts, and to keep the water from getting in, if perchance it should fall into the water. The petard must not be charged up to the mouth, but there must be 3 fingers breadth left, which room must be filled up with towe or such like, which must be pressed down very hard, and then there must be a linnen cloth to cover the mouth of the petard, close bound with a cord about the neck, to keep it in. Over the touchhole there must be applied a stopple of cork, and over it a plaister of wax or pitch, for fear of water.

Before the petard be hung on, you must have a priming iron to stirre the priming powder, which must be of a slow mixture (that so the petardier may have leisure to retire, before the reverse of the petard surprise him) and it must be fit to re­sist water. It is compounded thus; take 3 parts of fine powder, 6 of sulphur, and 9 of saltpeter, pound each of them apart very small, then mix them together in a dish with a stick; then poure oyle of peter into it by little and little (that so it may not become as a paste) and let it drie through­ly in the shadow, then lade your pipe with it.

The easiest way to hang the petard at the barres or gates is by a fork, as this figure sheweth.

But the petard for the bridge must be applied by a carriage, made as followeth.

It must have a counterpoise at the taile mount­ted on 2 wheels of three foot and a half high, and two inches and a half thick, mounted on a square iron axletree, one inch and a half thick. The point of the carriage A. B. must be broad enough to con­tain the petard, namely one foot; C. D. 3 foot, A. E. 20 foot, E. C. 6 foot. The carriage is compo­sed of 3 long planks C. A. G. H. D. B. each of which are made of 4 pieces, bound about with rings of iron, as is shewed in H. I. K. L. and are to be taken asunder, to make them portable, as is seen in M. N. And are then fastned together with the pin O as is shewed by ♉. These 3 planks are fast­ned together by barres 2 inches broad, and 1 inch thick, one foot distant from each other, as in F. The breadth of the planks is P. Q. 5 inches. Q. R. 2 inches, T. V. 8 inches, T S. 3 inches. Along the plank of the middle of the carriage G. H there must be a range made to lay a train to give fire to the petard.

The rowling briage must be made even as the carriage, saving that it is as broad at the end X as at the other Y. and is covered with planks, as is shewed in Z.

Two men may easily thrust forward the car­riage, and apply the petard to the bridge.

When there is a gate between the bridge and the draw bridge, the petard must be hung just at the middle of the bridge; but when there is no gate, the petard must be placed just against the drawbridge, that so meeting with the violence thereof, it may raise it on high, and by that means beat down the drawbridge.

If the bridge joyn not close aloft (as often it hapneth) the petard must be placed as high as may be; for the violence of the blow which it will give against the stone-work of the gate, will fell it down.

To fell down a drawbridge which joyneth not well to the wall, it may be done without petard, [Page 57] by a tortois of brasse placed between the wall and the bridge, which will fell it down with the crack of it.

This tortois is made thus; Take 2 dishes of brasse which are made hollow 5 inches, 1 foot broad, and 2 inches thick; joyn them one against the other, and fill them with powder.

Ordinarily the good order, and good provision of all things necessarie, causeth the execution to succeed well: so the least disorder hindreth it. Therefore every thing must be commodiously ordered, distributing to severall commanders the diversitie of things which must be executed; as to arrive at the place 2 houres before day, to send out to discover, to know whether the enemie be not advertised, and whether he keeps himself on his guards (which would give you cause of chan­ging your purpose) to cause your carriages and rowling bridges to be joyned together farre enough from the gate, that so they of the town may not hear the mule go which carrieth them, and the noise of them which are to unloade them: to cause the petardiers to advance, each of them carrying his fork and planchier, and on his side a man carrying his petard, which shall make over­ture of the barres, pallisadoes, and gates, so that the carriage of the petard for the bridge may passe, that so they may fell down the bridge. If the bridge be in severall pieces, they must be drawn together with hooks. If one shaft keep up aloft, a petard must be applied to it. If the bridge fall into the moat, you must make use of a rowl­ing-bridge. After that, there must be 2 crutches, shoats, or tressels set under the portcullice to hin­der it from being let down: but if it be let down [Page 58] down before, it must be overthrown by the vio­lence of petards with great planchiers (if it be of wood) but if it be of iron, you must have a petard with strong handles, to fasten one or more bowts of iron chains about them, having hooks at each end to grasp good store of barres.

The gate being opened, you must readily suc­cour the first which seized on it, charging furious­ly upon those which shall oppose and make head against you, casting granadoes and fire-pots amongst them to disorder them, attempting to gain their barricadoes by musketiers and pikes, making all possible speed (for in this businesse diligence doeth all) hindring the assailed from gaining time to joyn or rally themselves toge­ther, and to form a body to drive you out. You must place sure guards at the gate, and seize upon the corps-du-guard (which is upon the walls and ramparts) also on the market-place, the churches, the town-house, and all places where the inhabitants might assemble, fortifie, and render combat. You must also succour those of your men which shall meet with resistance, keeping them from pillaging, commanding every man to stand firm in his appointed place; untill the guards be placed, all the streets and parts of the town be secured, and the quarters and lodgings for every one be laid out. But if you would surprise a gate of a town without petard, you must by discoverie or intelligence know whether it be ill guarded, whether there be few souldiers, whether they wander farre from their armes, whether the corps-du-guard be placed in a fit place to be surprised, whether the souldiers keep within it or about it; whether they leave the gate at any certain houre, [Page 59] (as for their meals, their devotions, their sports, or gathering of corn or grapes.) To know whether their commanders know their severall charges, or whether they be negligent or ill obeyed, and that therefore the guards be disordered, whether there be any place near, fit to favour your em­buscadoes (as ditches, garden walls, hemp, corn, hollow wayes) to give on upon the gate at the opening of it, amongst the throng of those that issue out, or a little after; for the guards (having quitted their armes, and put out their matches) may be surprised, before they can have means to recover themselves.

You may cause the gates to be surprised by souldiers disguised, in the habit of countrey fel­lows, women, or merchants, bringing or conduct­ing of wares, wood, or hay, on their backs, by cart, waggon, or boat, (if there be a river, lake, or sea) which may seize upon the gate, and hold it so long till they which are in ambush come to re­leeve them.

If you would surprise a place by scalado, you must first (by discoverie) know the advenues, the counterscarp, and the moat; to know whe­ther you may come at it undiscovered, go in and out without difficultie, and that over against the place where you mean to give the scalado, with­out being compelled to take any great compasse about the same, otherwise you are in danger to be knockt, and taken in a trap. You must know whether the moat be drie or frozen, or the water shallow, without mud, and easie to wade through; whether the wall be low, so that it may be scaled, whether the place (where you mean to give on) be farre off from the corps-du-guard or sentinell, [Page 60] that you may not be discovered, whether the place be large enough to raise good store of lad­ders, and consequently for many men to enter at once; or strait, where you must enter one by one; and to see, whether (after some of the first be entred) you could make a greater overture on the place, or at least to have time to be all en­tred before day, or being discovered, to discover the place of the corps-du-guards, the nearest place to be ranged in battalia, the market-places and churches, and to cause them to be seized upon by bataillons, sending them at one and the same time towards the right and left hand, and right forward, the grosse remaining firm in battalia to send succours where need shall require, keeping neare some gate to gaine and open it, to let in the Cavallrie.

A place may be surprised (at the walls) without scalado, by some defect in them; as when they are old, decayed, weak, of little thick­nesse, of brick, stone, and clay, and without ram­part, for they may easily be pierced by some en­gine or instrument: or if there be any lowe win­dows along the curtain, or any sallie-ports, or any sink-holes or drains for filth, or places for wa­ter to passe in and out, being ill guarded and weak.

Intelligences and treacheries may take effect, when some occasion shall give you means to corrupt the fidelitie of those of the place, which are able to give you entrance and deliver you the same. These occasions will be when you shall discover a possibilitie to convey some desire of change into their mindes, which often hap­neth amongst high-minded souldiers which [Page 61] desire to make a fortune; or amongst those which are revengefull, when they be discon­tented at the Governour or some other of­ficer. Besides, most of them think themselves ill dealt with, when they be not advanced to of­fices, having a higher estimation of themselves then they deserve; and others be so cove­tous, as there is nothing which they will not undertake for money. These and the like things may accompanie intelligences and treache­ries.

How to besiege and expugne cities. CHAP. VII.

A Citie is said to be taken by force, when it is carried with an Armie by batterie; where­unto there belong three considerations: The first before the enterprise; The second, during the time of the siege; and the third, after the taking of the citie.

Before the enterprise, you must consider, whe­ther you ought and whether you be able to do it.

You ought, when by this means you recover your own, weaken your enemie, you secure and fortifie your self on that part, you encrease your revenue, and you get good store of bootie. But you ought not to do it, if the charges of the siege will surmount your profit, or that it will be difficult to hold the place after you have gained it, or when it is so strong, so well provided of all necessaries, [Page 62] or so near to places of releef, that there is greater likelihood of dammage, then hope of good suc­cesse.

You are able, when you have all manner of provision necessarie for the enterprise, and that in sufficient measure. The most necessarie things are money, souldiers, artillerie, munitions for the armes, as powder, bullets, morters, granadoes, muskets, pikes, &c. And for the instruments, as shovels, pickaxes, hand-barrows, wheel-barrows, sacks, baskets, &c. And for wood to make plat­forms for the artillerie, gabions, sauceidges, blindes, boats, &c. And victuall in abundance. The quantitie of all these must be measured by that which shall be requisite for the souldiers, the canon, and the time that the siege may be like to continue, which may be computed by the pro­portion of your forces compared to those of your enemie; by the qualities of the works of the place, with the number of your munitions and artillerie; by the garrison, with your number of souldiers; by the situation of the place, and the releef which might be brought to it, with the means which you shall have to stop and hinder it, and to facilitate the bringing of victuall into your camp; by the distance, with the meanes to lead your armie thither; by the qualitie of the ground, with the conveniences which you have to make your approaches.

And because that oftentimes accidents do be­fall which were not foreseen, as by unexpected releef, an inundation or overflowing of waters, a change of weather, a mutinie amongst your own men, or a contagion.

There must be a provident care taken for a re­treat, [Page 63] so as (being constrained to it) it may be made commodiously and easily without disorder, if it may be: for thereon dependeth the honour or dishonour, the profit or dammage of the as­sailant.

During the siege, you must observe many things with good order, and principally these; First, you must environ and shut up the place, en­trenching your self round about, fortifying your self as well against those which might come to re­leeve them, as against the sallies of the town, in such sort as not any person may be able to go in nor out; choosing a fit place for the Armie to set down, to make the field of battaile, to make your quarters and their alarm-places. Taking care that the quarters be secured by good retrenchments and forts, well flanked and guarded, within against the sallies, and without against such as might come to releeve the place, or disturb your Armie: that they be commodious to receive and conserve the munitions for actions and executions. You must dispose the approaches, run your trenches, make your way to arrive in safetie to the place where you intend to raise your batterie, obser­ving that it be as short as may be, sheltered and faithfully guarded by a good number of men, having room enough between piece and piece, and for their reverse, and that they command the place which you intend to batter; that the trenches be ample, large, deep, not straitned, well slanked and defended by forts more or fewer, according to the strength of the garrison which is within the place, and to the time in which the releef might arrive.

During the time whilest you are making the [Page 64] trenches of approach, you must take away all the high flanks with the canon, then ha­ving run your trenches to the counterscarp, you must raise platforms with beds for the Ar­tillerie, near the points of the counterscarp, to take away all the low flanks, by this means to render the passage of the moat secure. And whilest this batterie is a making, you must pierce the counterscarp, and advance your galleries, untill you joyn them to the Bull­work; at the same time beginning the sap and the mine. But if you be put to force it by Artillerie, dispose your batterie so that it may commodiously discover the place which you intend to batter; that there be room and libertie for the pieces, loop-holes, mu­nitions, guards and officers; that it be not exposed to the Artillerie of the enemie, or be­ing so, that it be sheltered by traverses and gabions, making it hollow underneath if you fear mines, and retrenching it round about to meet with the sallies of those of the town; furnishing it with planks and pent-houses against their granadoes and stone-pieces; also not approaching too near, to prevent their fire­works and granadoes. Make your batterie fu­riously and in good order, battering within a fathome of the foundation of the wall, piercing it in divers places; then batter it acrosse to make the wall to totter. The breach being made, you must cause it to be viewed by men chosen to that purpose, each ha­ving a head-piece on his head musket proof, and a target with a long rift, and another rift acrosse that. The breach must be accessi­ble [Page 65] and not too right on, capable of many assailants, having all the flanks broken both high and low. The souldiers which are to give the assault must ascend in good or­der, assail furiously, fight obstinately, and they must either be repulsed by those of the garrison, or remain masters of the place. If they be repulsed by the sole valour of the ene­mie, in this case (without delay or suffering the enemie to gather breath) you must charge them again with fresh men and in greater num­ber, so often, untill you enter by force; for fighting onely against men, it were a shame that a greater number of fresh men should not force them.

If some retrenchment and new fortification made by the garrison hath held the assailants from passing further; in this case, if that for­tification be weak, it must be forced by the sap and mine, scaling ladders, fireworks and granadoes; but if it be strong, you must lodge upon the breach, and presently again begin the sap and mine and approach, and draw up some piece of ordinance on the breach.

Whilest these things above said be in the executing you must molest the besieged by all possible means you can, as by attemp­ting them by treacherie, making them con­sume their munitions in short time and un­profitably, breaking the conveyances of their waters, making feigned batteries, confounding their signalls by making the like, stirring up causes of suspicion amongst themselves, often making false alarmes, [Page 66] taking heed that you be not affronted by spies, causing it to be made known that you want no­thing to bring the siege to an end, galling them with fireworks, granadoes, and artillerie, in their magazines, corps-du-guards, and alarm-places; finally giving no rest to the assailed untill you have either forced them, or be constrained to retreat.

If you carrie the town by force, and remain master of the place, the bootie is to be given to the souldiers (principally to those which made the assault) which are the prisoners and spoils of the enemie, alwayes having regard to the women and children to deal fairly with them.

If it be commodious and advantageous to the vanquisher to preserve the fortresse, he must re­pair it presently, emptying the moat where it was filled up, laying plain the trenches, throwing down the cavalleroes and batteries without, re­pairing and making up the breaches, returning the waters into their naturall course if they were turned our, fortifying the place better then for­merly it was, if it may be, providing it of a suffi­cient garrison, of good, valiant, and prudent Go­vernours and Captains, of victuall, armes, manu­factures, mechanicall instruments, and Apotheca­ries drugs.

If it be not advantageous to maintain the for­tresse, he must cause it to be demantled, and all the fortification of it to be rased; leaving the houses entire, provided that afterward they may not again fortifie there, nor endammage him.

Of taking fortresses by famine. CHAP. VIII.

THat is called taking fortresses by famine, when through want of victuall, they are constrained to yeeld themselves to the power of the besieger. You must therefore before you be­siege it, be well informed (by means of your in­telligencers and spies) of the munitions which be within the place, as well of victuall as drink. You must also know what townsmen and what garrison there be, and by that you are to judge how long their provision will last them, and what means you have to hinder their revictualling. You are to begin the siege a little before har­vest, because their provisions will be almost spent, and that they shall have no means to have new; making waste of that about the town which might stand them in stead, and hindring them from water if it be possible. You are to batter down their gates and bridges with your Artillerie, and also you must attempt to break down their mills and magazines, firing them by fire-balls. When you intend to besiege them, you must surprise them on the sudden, least they send out their unprofitable eaters, and attempt to pro­vide themselves. You must have good store of Cavallrie, to be master of the field, and alwayes to send out upon discoverie. The town must be shut up with trenches round about, fortified with many good forts, that so you may hinder their revictualling, and withstand the force of a releef, if it be to be expected: as the Prince Mau­rice did before Grave, anno 1602. and before Sluce anno 1604.

• A. The town. B. The trenches which shut it up.
• C. The trenches against releefs, with redouts round about. G. The trenches of approach▪
• E. Prince Maurice his quarter; and on the other­side of the river Count Ernests quarter.
• D. Count William his quarter.
• F. Colonell Vere his quarter.
• H. The trenches of the Spanish releevers.

• A. The town. B. The outworks. C. The castle.
• D. The Isle of Cassant, with the trenches of the Hollanders, marked with pricks in all this figure.
• E. Prince Maurice his quarter.
• F. Count William his quarter.
• G. Count Ernest his quarter.
• H. The quarters of Colonell Dort, and Colonell van der Noot.

Of the defence of fortresses against the petard, and other surprises and treacheries. CHAP. IX.

THey which would prevent being surprised must have two considerations; the one con­cerning the attemptours, the other touching the fortresse.

Concerning the attemptours, you must (if possibly you can) have spies amongst them; at least you must keep sentinels as farre distant from the fortresse as may be, that so the Enemie arrive not and be on your jack at unawares and with­out being discovered.

Touching the fortresse, you must not unfurnish it to supply other places, so as that which re­maineth be not sufficient to keep and serve it. You must appoint the place of rendez-vous for the souldiers and citizens in fitting parts of the town, and that they stirre not from their seve­rall places without command from the Gover­nour, or Sergeant Major, whatsoever pretence the enemie may make to charge the town in di­vers parts.

The lodgings of the Governour or Sergeant Major should be about the middle of the town, near some spacious place, which must be the alarm-place of the town.

There must be iron chains at the corners of the crosse streets which are before the gates of the town: and you must batter down the fronts of the houses which are just over against the gates, with canon shot: and place one corps-du-guard in the alarm-place, another about the [Page 86] middle of the moat before the bridge, in the manner of a dovehouse, into which the entrance is by a little draw-bridge; another on every gate of the town, into which none may enter but by a moving plank; and others round about the walls, near enough each to other: and these fur­nished with souldiers more or lesse, according to the capacitie of the place, and the danger.

The corps-du-guard of the alarm-place hath the charge to make the rounds, counter-rounds, and grand-round, and to place the sentinels; which must be at so near a distance, as they may heare and understand each others speech, and specially at the corners and the chanell holes, or drains of water.

You must place sentinell-perdues without the town, which is the charge of the corps-du-guard which is without before the bridge. If there be a dam of earth between two moats round about the town, there must be guards placed in the night, for that is a most secure remedy against surprises. This dam of earth may be apprehend­ed by the figure following:

A. The fort. B. One of the moats. C. The dam be­tween the moats, fortified with corps-du-guards on the angles. D. The other moat. E. The river Wael. F. The river Mase. G. A pallisado in the middle of the second moat. H. Two ravelines, wherein they kept watch in the night.

A. The pallisado and the barres. B. The bridge dormant. C. The trap-bridge. D. The turning-bridge. It were better to place it within the two towers G. without any other stay or prop save onely the tampin within the wall E. The corps-du-guard built within the moat. F. The draw-bridge. G. The portcullice. If the moat be drie, you must there make the two pallisadoes H. and sink the small ditch I. so low as the water, or very near it. K.L. The breadth of the moat.

The gates and bridges must be flanked on both sides, and on the upper part with loop-holes, which must be large enough to cast water out at them, also pieces of timber, stones, granadoes, to quench the fire of a petard, to beat it down, and to kill the petardiers. But not so wide that sur­prises may be made by them, and there to give the scalado. Some place a portcullice there, hung by a rope, which is very fit to beat down the pe­tards.

If you make half moons before the gates of the town, they will be the stronger, and the bet­ter sheltred from the champain.

You must keep a light piece of Artillerie (but having a great calibre) at the corps-du-guard of the gate, which must be charged with car­touches and rubbish or stones, to turn it towards the place where the enemie shall give on.

The moats must be deep, having a pallisado in the middle; such as have water need not be full, for that facilitateth the boats for the surprise.

The curtains and faces of the Bullworks must be seen and discovered by the flanks of the town, even by the low flanks, that so the canon may ruine all the ladders which might be at­tempted to be there raised.

The curtains must be high and out of danger of scalado, if it may be.

The holes by which the water comes in, or drains of filth passe out, ought to be very strait; built of lime and stone, oblique within the wall, bound with strong grates of iron, having a corps-du-guard or a sentinell on the wall just over against the said grate.

To be well assured of the gates and walls, the way is to appoint good guards, and those dili­gent, strong, and well placed: those on the walls must be set presently after the shutting of the gates before night; and they must not be dismissed untill day, and untill the sentinell on the steeple hath given the signall by the bell; and that no man knoweth the place where he shall be placed untill the very instant that he entreth the guard.

You may prevent treacheries knowing the cause; for either it proceedeth from the Go­vernour who hath evill entreated, disgraced, or offended the souldier in his reputation, person, or means, and provoked him to an evill disposition; or it proceedeth from the souldier who is am­bitious of honour and degrees, or covetous of greater means; or else from the citizens who are tyrannised over by the garrison.

This matter is so ticklish, that the very suspi­cion is punishable; but the better way is to dis­semble it, and to cause the matter to be further attempted; mean time doubling your rounds, and making extraordinarie counter-rounds.

Of the defence of fortresses against sieges. CHAP. X.

A Fortresse is said to have resisted the enemies forces, when (having well defended it self) it remaineth in its former libertie. To do this, you must draw into the fortresse whatsoever will be usefull for you, and ruine all without which might endammage you; laying flat houses, woods, barns, mills, hollow wayes, gardens, foun­tains, and whatsoever might batter you and com­mand your defences.

Take good heed that the fortresse be well dis­posed to resist the assault of the enemie: which is, that the flanks (whether they be high or lowe) may discover, and not be discovered but by im­bocking, that is, the canons mouth: that the coun­termines be well disposed and convenient; that the counterscarp (which is the buckler of the for­tresse) be flanked, sheltred, and spacious; that the casemats be secured and well sheltred, spacious, and fit to discover the plain of the opposite bull-work, and within the moat; that the sally-ports be secured, sheltred, lowe, and commodious that the parapets be of earth or unburnt brick, and that the platforms for the ordinance be made hand­somely and even, that so the pieces may ea [...]ly be moved and removed into their places, spacious for the motions, pioners, and canoniers, and to con­tain the munitions.

The number of the souldiers of your garrison you are to proportion according to the bignesse of the place, to the outworks which you would hold, to the labour of the retrenchments which [Page 92] you shall think fit to make, and to the sallies which shall be requisite.

The Governour must be courageous and ex­pert by long practice in assaulting and defend­ing, having been beaten to such services.

The souldiers should be men of choice, reso­lute, strong, obedient, and faithfull.

The quantitie of provisions as well for vi­ctuall and medicines as armes, must be measured by the time which you shall conjecture that the siege may continue.

And their qualitie must be for the victuall all sorts of grain, principally pulse, powdred flesh, salt-fish, cheese, butter, suet, oyl, salt, fresh wa­ter, wine, beer or cider, vineger, candles, torches, ship-pitch, good store of coals, and plenty of wood for the ovens, for the corps-du-guard, and for houshold uses.

To tend them which are hurt and sick there must be physicians, chirurgeons, & medicaments, as well for contageous diseases as those which are ordinarie, and for wounds; and good store of old linen.

A good quantitie of defensive weapons, as corslets, tasses, morions, headpieces of proof, cui­rasses, targets both proof and ordinarie: store of armes offensive, as well sharp, as pikes, When they were in use. lances, halberts; as fire-weapons, as great and small Artillerie, morters great and small, muskets, har­quebuses a crock, callivers, cartouches, crossebard shot, bullets of iron and lead, lanterns, cresset-lights, match, powder of a great, mean, and small grain.

For the fires as well simple as compound; for the simple, powder, saltpeter or salnitre, [Page 93] coal of willow or sallow, campher, sulphure, re­fine, peter-oyl, linseed-oyl, spike-oyl, tarre, Ve­nice-turpentine, colofonie of Spain, black pitch, Greek pitch, Spanish pitch, wax, tallow, varnish in the seed, mastick, sal armoniack, common salt, quicksilver, vitrioll, aqua vitae, vineger, frankin­cense, wood in abundance, of vine-trees, fir-trees, pines, osiers, hemp-stalks, of laurell, olive, and other fat and drie woods: for compounded fires which are used at an assault, pitcht ropes, fire-balls, granadoes, fire-wreathes, and fire-trunks.

Good store of master founders, armorers, car­penters, masons, forgers, miners, saltpeter-men, powdermakers, millers, cartwrights.

Instruments or tools to make carriages for the Artillerie and musket stocks; some to cut, as hatchets, hooks, sawes, axes, adzes; to knock, as beetles, hammers, mallets, crows of iron, and handspikes of wood; to quench the fire, as lad­ders, buckets of wood and of leather, portable soaes or tubs, squirts, iron hooks or cromes; to manage the earth, as cutting spades, hand-bar­rows, pickaxes, shovels, ladles, mattocks, wheel-barrows, tumbrels, scuttle-baskets, maunds.

Wood for the carriages, beds for the ordi­nance, pallisadoes, barricadoes, bridges, barques, sauceidges, hurdles, gabions, piles, summers, joysts and small joysts.

Metals; as copper, tin, lead, iron.

Materials for building; as stone, brick, lime, clay.

Good store of linen cloth; cordage, tow, needles and thred.

You must agree with your friends without o [...] some means to give them advertisements ordina­rily when you shall be so straitly shut up, as you must have recourse to signes.

When the enemie shews himself to begin his enterprise and to besiege you, his Armie being to move divided by reason of the diversitie of occa­sions, you must labour to discommodate him as much as may be.

During the time that he shall be busied in shut­ting up the town, in taking and cutting off the passages, it might happen that (in distributing of his troops) some one may fall into your hands, then lay hold on the time and occasion, of the si­tuation, of the commoditie and favour of your outworks, never abandoning them but upon great constraint.

Then in ordering of his quarters you must have an eye, that even upon this occasion you might molest him; neverthelesse if you conceive that by suffering him to go on securely, you should have means afterward to offend him to greater effect, you may defer it untill then: for those dis­commodities which succeed with losse of that which one possesseth, bring double dammage. Neverthelesse you must take great heed not to stay so long as that he be fortified, whether it be in his trenches, quarters, or lodging of his munitions and Artillerie.

When he shall begin his trenches, and make platformes to plant his ordinance to batter you, hinder him and molest him with all your power (which you shall hardly do if he hath earth and wood) observe the imperfections of his works, whether they be straitned or scant, imbocked, [Page 95] not well sheltred, ill flanked, ill conducted, ill guarded, and endeavour to make benefite there­of.

Draw him on by false appearances to assault you where you are strongest, he taking you to be there weakest, and this by means of assured spies, under the name of fugitives or such as come to him for refuge, or letters artificially written and suffered to be intercepted.

Compell your enemie to begin his batteries and trenches the furthest off from the town that possibly you can, by some retrenchments made without, defended by your half moons, counter­scarps and ramparts, made in such manner as (the enemie taking them) they may not stand him in any stead against you; therefore all the trenches which you make without the counterscarp must ly open all along to the view of the flanks of the ravelines, or of the town, as you may see in the fi­gures following.

For your sallies, take good heed to the time, whether it be fitting or contrarie; to the occa­sion, as when the enemie is wet, stiff with cold, sleepy, tired with labour, or when the guard is not in such number, qualitie, and order as it ought. Keep your self under the favour of your rampart and Artillerie, go on in good order and at un­awares, by means of your sally ports and coun­terscarps, place your pikes and halberts to sustain a charge, your muskets and callivers to give the charge, your fireworks and granadoes to break and dissipate those which are in the corps-du-guards and forts of the trenches, favouring the In­fanterie by the Cavallrie, principally at the retreat, which must be well secured, being sustained by those which you have left as a reserve on the counterscarp. Be not so prodigall of your soul­diers and munitions, that you shall not have suffi­cient to guard the town and to sustain the assaults. When the assailant shall begin to play his canon to batter your high and lowe defences, ply him on all sides with your Artillerie from your Bullworks, ramparts, and cavalleroes; repair the shoulders of your flanks and parapets the best you can. Make new places of retreat and new flanks, prin­cipally concealed ones.

When he shall pierce your counterscarp or open your moat, he will at the same time batter your walls; if he have forgotten nothing of that diligence which is requisite, you shall hardly hin­der nor offend him. But if he do mistake, seize you on the occasion, and have a watchfull eye, as if his Artillerie be discovered, you shall endea­vour to dismount his pieces, to kill his canoniers, to spoil his munitions; if it be ill fortified, make [Page 99] a furious sally upon it, to dismount and nail it up, making use of your Artillerie and muskets.

If the assailant be well experienced, whilest he is battering you to make a breach, he will batter all the low flanks which flank the place where he intendeth to give the assault (the high flanks be­ing already taken off before the Artillerie was brought on the counterscarp) but not before he become master of the moat, if it be drie, or of the counterscarp if the moat be full of water; making the platform for the Artillerie upon the gallerie which pierceth the counterscarp to enter the moat, keeping the boats and galleries to passe over the moat ready to lay suddenly when the time and occasion shall be fit to give the assault; or else to plant them during the batterie under favour of the Artillerie and musket shot. Now, against all this, an expert Governour will keep his flanks hid­den, which being opened unawares will much en­dammage the assailant, who (having made a breach) will cause it to be viewed by armed men (on which you must not spare your faulconet shot, nor that of the harquebus a crock) and ordi­narily they are of the most able and valiant men.

The breach being viewed, he will come to the assault, [...]or which you must order your self to give combat and resist him, either by handblows or re­trenching your self, or both; by handblows, so soon as he shall begin to shew himself and be­come a mark for you, beginning to mount up to the breach, repulsing him by armed men, which you shall have s [...]lected before the assault, being resolute and hardy, which must headstrongly withstand the first furie; which will either cause the enemie to retreat, or at least you shall notably [Page 100] mischief him. You are to make use of engines and instruments fitting to hinder the enemie from climbing up to the breach, as calthrops strewed upon the place, rowling I [...]ists, beset with nails and squibbes, morters, stone-pieces, and engines to cast granadoes, fireballs, cartouches, &c. Mines must not be forgotten, nor fire-works, as fire­trunks, pots, moveable mines, fire-garlands, &c. having carefull regard how, when, where, and from whence you cast them, doing it to good purpose.

If the enemie assault you by degrees, or that he make his batterie so leisurely that he give you time to retrench your self, make your retrench­ment well flanked and commodious, in such sort that by it you may resist him. To effect this, it ought to be difficult to be expugned, so flanked as it may be defended on the front and flanks, facile for sallies, having before it a broad and deep moat with a counterscarp and covert way, having the rampart strengthened by pallisadoes which go along the outside of the line, enclo­sures of the camp, and gabions: And by this means you shall draw the businesse to a great length: for he must draw up his Artillerie upon the breach, after that he be lodged upon it, he must make a new batterie, a new overture, new saps, mines, and chambers, which will give you leisure to make new retrenchments, and to gain and prolong the time, as the Hollanders did at Ostend, and in many other places.

The lines represent the fortresses of the town, and the pricks the retrenchments.

Of the defence of fortresses against famine. CHAP. XI.

THis defence may be reduced to three heads, the provision, the conservation, the distribu­tion. For the provisions, you must have regard to the quantitie and qualitie. The quantitie is judged by the persons ordinarie and extraordi­narie, which may be shut up within the for­tresses during the siege, the time that the siege may continue, and the portion which every one must have; besides that which wasteth by time, and by the imperfection of naturall things. The qualitie is for nourishment (as meat and drink) for diseases, and for wounds. To conserve the provisions, regard must be had to the inconveni­ences which may happen to the magazines, by means of those without by their Artillerie, by fire, by some inundation or corruption, or least some traitour set it on fire, or poison it, or that some vermine consume it not, or that the offi­cers steal it not, nor spoil it, nor give it away.

For the distribution, regard must be had to the time, to the persons, and to the quantitie. To the time, when you should begin to open the publick provisions, which is, when the private are con­sumed, knowing the persons and munitions of every family. To the persons, who for the diffe­rence of their condition must be diversly dealt with, according to their estate and qualitie. To the quantitie, which must be measured by that which every day one person shall necessarily re­quire for nourishment; having regard to their sex, age, exercise, and disposition.

Of releeving places besieged. CHAP. XII.

IN the releeving of fortresses, you must consider the means to effect it, or to hinder it.

To effect it, either openly or secretly, having regard to the place, to the enemies retrenchments, and to the releef.

To the situation of the place, which may be commodious and facile by reason of the open champains and freedome from impeachments; or discommodious and difficult, by reason of bogs, rivers, woods, and mountains.

To the enemies forts which are about it, as de­fences by pallisadoes, gabions, moats, trenches, and redouts; who may either remain within his trenches, or go forth into the champain to beat off the releef.

For the releef, it must be guarded by a good convoy, because otherwise the enemie might charge and rout it, pillaging the munitions, hin­dring the return, cutting off their way, being the stronger. You must know the means, the time, the stratagems, and the passages by which the releef may be conducted and introducted into the place, carrying with you sufficient provision of things necessarie, for the victuall, for the armes, and for all that concerneth the furtherance and execution of the releef, as pioners, boats, barks, and other engines, to passe rivers and marshes.

You must make good choice of the troop and grosse of souldiers which should execute the re­leef, as, that the souldiers be well selected out of the ancientest, and that the officers be able and willing courageouslly to perform all that is to be [Page 104] done, to execute the enterprise infallibly, or to re­treat honourably, or there to sell their lives at a dear rate.

A releef may be hindred, either by attending it within the trenches, or else by advancing to­wards them to give them battaile, and to oppose their passage, abandoning the siege to go with all the forces, or with part of the Armie, leaving (in the mean time) the siege maintained, and the trenches manned.

Of French Artillerie. Of foundings, mixtures, and measures of ordinance. CHAP. XIII.

IN the founding of ordinance, to 100 pound of fine copper, you are to adde 20 pound of bell-metall; or for want of bell-metall, adde 10 pound of soft tin.

Or else, to 100 pound of copper, adde 10 pound of latin, and 8 pound of soft tin.

In the founding of ordinance, in regard of the waste, in every 6 pound of metall you are to adde 1 pound over weight.

A singular care must be taken of the melting and mixing of metals, for the inward neatnesse of the pieces▪ To this end the materials must be good, so must the earth for the moules; being well beaten and through wrought with hair and flocks. The moules, models and cilinders well nointed and greased with good tallow, and bound with hoops of iron, well and throughly nealed, well placed and set. The trunions must be so just­ly [Page 105] placed, as the piece may be as in ballance on them, weighing almost equally forwards to her muzzel, as backwards towards her breech, that so a canonier may without trouble mount or im­base her.

The piece must be strong about the trunions, for thereabout she suffereth the greatest force, and first moving.

The touchhole must be of steel, that so the piece be not made unusefull so soon as if it were of metall, and must be close to the breech.

The pieces must be well repaired, cleared, and tried, having regard that there be not any chink, hole, hony-comb, crack, rift, flaw, or crany with­in them; which usually hapneth when the me­tall is run too cold, or that the moule be not well nealed, or that the tin was put in before the cop­per was well melted, or that it was not throughly mixed or incorporated.

The pieces ought to be tried before they be mounted on their carriages, the muzzels of them mounted, for so they bear the greatest stresse. When they be so repaired, cleared, and tried, they are to be weighed, and their weight to be cut on their breech.

There be six calibres of Artillerie, which are the canon, the culvering, the bastard culvering, the minion, the faulcon, and the faulconet.

• A. B. The diameter of the muzzel, concave, or bore of the piece.
• C. D. The neck.
• G. I. The thicknesse of the metall at the touch-hole or chamber.
• G. B. The length of the concave or cilinder of the piece.
• R. S The diameter or thicknesse of the truni­ [...]on.
• K. The muzzel ring or freese.
• N. A. The vacant cilin­der from the charge, for the guide of the shot.
• N. X. The chamber.
• L. The base ring, and the sight upon it.
• G. X. The breech.
• X. The cascabell or pum­mell.
• T. The astragall or coro­nice ring.
• Q. The reinforced ring.
• I The touch-hole.

Of weights. The pound (mark weight) consisteth of two marks, the mark of eight ounces, the ounce of eight drams, the dram three penie weight, This weight cannot be Troy weight, for that hath but 20 penie weight in the ounce, and this hath 24. the penie weight foure and twenty grains.

Of measure. The fathom containeth 6 foot, But the custome in England is to divide the inch into eight equall parts, which I follow. the foot 12 inches, the inch 12. lines.

The measures of the parts of a canon, and the use thereof. The diameter of the bore of the canon is six inches and one sixt part of an inch. Our Eng­lish found­ing of or­dinance differeth from the French proporti­ons, as ap­peareth in M ^r Nor­tons Gun­ner, page 53.

The diameter of the bullet six inches.

The vent or aire for the bullet to play one sixt part.

The bullet weigheth 33 pound and one third part, which is called the Calibre of the canon.

The metall is two inches thick at the neck, and six at the breech.

The cilinder or concave is nine foot long, and equally wide in each part of it.

The whole canon is somewhat longer then ten foot.

The diameter of the trunion is six inches.

The vacant cilinder or guide is five foot and an half.

The reinforced ring is distant from the muz­zell ring foure foot and a half.

The thicknesse or height of the muzzell ring is five inches.

The coronice ring is within half a foot of the muzzell ring.

The sight of iron is placed on the flat base ring.

The metall of the piece weigheth about 5600 pound.

Her carriage for the field is fourteen foot long, and the axletree seven.

The canon mounted on her field carriage is almost nineteen foot long.

The powder for her charge weigheth eigh­teen or twenty pound.

The ordinarie observation for all pieces is, That the charge of powder be at least the moy­tie of the weight of the bullet, and so to two third parts, which is rather better.

The canon may be laden ten times in an houre, and 120 times a day.

She shoots point blank almost six hundred Observe that paces are here understood to be onely steps: otherwise i [...] were im­possible. paces.

Her platform must be fifteen foot broad, and 20 foot long, for her reverse. The formost ten foot are to be of plank, and the rest of hurdles, if plank be wanting.

There must be twenty horses to draw a ca­non. A waggon drawn by foure horses carrieth a thousand or twelve hundred pound weight; it is about ten or twelve foot long in the body, and [Page 109] the waggon with the horses about fifty foot; and their breadth about the axletree is The breadth of the carri­ages, and of the waggons ought to be alike at the axle­tree, be­cause they are to go in one and the same rut. six foot.

One waggon carrieth three and thirty canon bullets.

There must be six waggons, and foure and twenty horses to carrie the munitions sufficient for a canon to play one whole day, namely, one hundred and twenty bullets, and two thousand and foure hundred pound of powder.

For the service of a canon imployed for bat­terie, there must be two canoniers, three char­gers, and thirty pioners.

The cordage of the canon must be a This ca­ble is not used in all countreys. cable fifteen fathom long, foure inches and a half about: which will weigh about seventy pound.

Of the offices of militarie men. CHAP. XIIII. Of the souldier.

HE must be armed with such armes as his cap­tain shall appoint him; for he knoweth bet­ter then himself what armes are most fit for him.

He must shew himself desirous to make mani­festation of his courage, but must not therefore at any time go out on any action without the ex­presse command of his chiefs, making it appear that he is discreet as well as valorous.

His eating and sleeping must be regulated ac­cording to his leisure, not according to his will.

He must not be a mutinier, neither must he change his companie without great reason, nor depart without leave obtained and authenticall certificate of his faithfull service. Good spirits are not known but upon occasions, which offer not themselves every day: besides that, a private souldier which desireth to attain to some place of command, hath need of a long time, to gain ex­perience sufficient to render him worthie, and to make his abilities known to such as can advance him.

He must study to know the use and managing of his armes, the duties of a souldier, the motions of companies, his marching, his quartering in the field, to make his guards, and place his sentinels, to understand the beats of the drum, to make a guard for his superiours.

The souldier should not enroll himself under a captain of mean reputation, or one that is cove­tous, [Page 124] lest he loose his labour and time, to pre­vent changing. So also a Captain ought not to re­ceive a souldier without knowing him, lest he happen on some mutinier, coward, feeble or dis­eased person.

Of fireworks. CHAP. XV.

IN the tenth chapter hath been shewed what materials were to be provided for fireworks; here shall be taught how they are to be com­pounded.

To make garlands or pitcht ropes for cressets. Take of black pitch twelve pound, of tallow six pound, linseed oyle six pound, hard resin six pound, turpentine six pound, melt these altoge­ther, and lay match therein, untill it suck up all the composition and be well incorporated; then make your garlands therewith.

To make torches against rain and winde. Take cords of fine hemp, very open twisted, about the thicknesse of ones little finger, beat them with a mallet till they be very soft; dis­solve saltpeter, and boil the said cords therein, then let them be dried. Make a paste of sulphure and gunpowder beaten together, soaked in lin­seed oyle untill it be liquid; steep your cords in this liquour, and let them drie again. Then take three parts of wax, two of resin, one of sulphure, one of black pitch, half of turpentine, a quarter of campher; melt and mix all that well together, then cover your cords after the manner of a wax candle, and joyn foure of them together, and in the middle of them a staff of sallow about the thicknesse of a finger, prepared as the cords or matches above said.

To dissolve saltpeter. Put to one pound of saltpeter two ounces of water, then set it a melting over the fire in a kettle. It will also dissolve alone, but not so ea­sily.

To bring saltpeter to flower. Dissolve the saltpeter over the fire, then stirre it with a stick untill it come to be like meal.

To make roch petre. You must melt it alone in a kettle, then let it grow cold.

To make flowers of sulphure. Melt sulphure in a limbeck, and the flowers will gather together about the helm.

To better the flowers of sulphure, melt them and lay them into strong vineger.

To make an excellent sulphure, take one part of flowers of sulphure, melt it: put into it half a part of quicksilver, and stirre it softly over a small fire, untill all be mixed, then slake it with strong vineger.

To make excellent coal. Take young twigs of hasle or sallow, or the stock of a vine, put them in small pieces into an earthen pot close covered, then set the pot on the fire untill the twigs be burnt; their coal is very good.

To make good powder for muskets and pistols. Take seven parts of saltpeter, one part of sul­phure, and one part and a quarter of charcoal; or rather eight parts of saltpeter, one part of sul­phure, and one part and one fift part of coal: beat it altogether very throughly, and sprinkle it over with good vineger, then grain it.

To make roch fire. Take one part of common sulphure, melt it in an earthen pot, being melted put into it half a part of course grained powder well dried, salt­peter one third part, beaten charcoal half a part; put these things together by little and little, be­ing well mingled, poure them on the flore, and you have the roch fire.

To make burning brush-faggots to cast into the moat, to shew light in the night. Take roch fire and melt it, then anoint the fag­gots with it, or joyners chips, or else anoint them with turpentine.

To make fireballs to set places on fire. Take roch fire one part, saltpeter one part, campher one eighth part, fine powder one eighth part, beat each of them severally, then mix them together with your hand, and put them into an hollow ball, having holes in divers places, with hards amongst it.

Otherwise. Take one part of campher, one part of salt­peter, half a part of sulphure, one third part of coal, all beaten to very fine powder, then mixed with petroll untill the matter be set in clods, then set it a drying; the older it be the better it is: then you must load the hollow balls, having holes of sufficient bignesse, and give fire to them by a match or week.

To make the match or week Take half a quarter of powder, a quarter of saltpeter, two ounces of aqua vitae, half a septier of vineger, and one pinte of urin, let all this be melted together; being dissolved, put into it course-spun-cotten, untill it have sucked it all up being warm, and you shall have a violent week. Take it out while it is moist, and by pieces of two, three, or foure foot long, rowl it with your hand on a table strewed with well beaten pow­der, and being so powdred, hang them in the shadow to drie, then lock them up in some drie place.

To make a fire trunk. Take a piece of light wood of three foot and an half, or foure foot long, bore it through from the one end to the other with a hole of an inch in diameter, make the wood very smooth with­in and without, which must be an inch thick, and of a like bignesse every where; place at the one end an half pike, which may enter half a foot in at the hole, and nail it sure; whip the trunk with strong packthred, then anoint and knutle it with resin and wax melted together, to keep it from water. The mixture of the powders are twelve parts of saltpeter, six of sulphure, six of ca­non powder, six of fine powder, two of glasse meanly beaten, two of quicksilver, and of sal ar­moniack; beat all these severally, then mix them together, and make a paste of them with oyle of peter, more hard then soft, then take hards and make little balls with the mixture above said, of the bignesse of the caliver of the trunk, and let them drie, and binde them with small wyer. To charge the trunk, put a charge of beaten powder in the bottome of the trunk without ramming of it, put a ball upon that, and then a little of your mixture, continue thus untill it be filled, augmenting the charges of powder, so that the last be of two charges. You are to give fire to this trunk by the mouth of it with a match or week.

To make rockets. All the parts following must be understood in weight and in measure.

The matter of rockets. Take a part of beaten sulphure, one part and an half of ashes of ivie or vinetree, twelve parts of common gun-powder, well beaten and sifted; put these three sorts of powders together into a bason or other vessell, and mingle them with both hands till they be well mixed together; and in doing so, you shall besprinkle them with a brush with common water, to keep the dust from flying away, and that the powders may concorporate to­gether, when you shall presse them within the concave of the rocket, you must take heed of powring on too much water, lest it come to a paste.

The concave cilinder of the rocket must be made of strong royall paper, which must be rolled and mouled on a moul.

I will not here speak of the manipulation, lea­ving that to the makers of them, as being common and vulgar, onely I will say that you cannot beat the matter for rockets too much with an iron ham­mer into the cilinders, and that the longest osier switch is the best, so as it weigh not more then the rocket.

These sorts of rockets, the older they be, the better: and if they be well whipped about, they will never burst. The coursest powder is best, be­cause it is the easier beaten, or else take the dust of powder, that is, that which hath not yet been grained.

• [Page] To make a rocket, you must have a mould to mould your paper on, as you see in figure. H.
• A rammer or drift. I.
• The mould to charge the rocket. A, F, G, O.
• The breech of the rocket. L.
• The needle of iron fastned in the breech. S.
• The bignesse of the starres. T.

¶ This leaf is to be placed betwixt folio's 156 and 157, in the Art of Warre or Militarie dis­courses.

To make cornet-rockets, which draw fire after them untill they burst. Take a part of beaten sulphure, a part of ashes of ivie or vine, half a part of osier coals beaten, and twelve parts of gun-powder beaten and sifted, and mix it as hath been said before.

To make the composition of serpents which are added to rockets. Take ashes of vine one part, and of gun-powder beaten and sifted twelve parts, and load the con­caves of the quills therewith; and if you would have the serpents to crack, you must make them of paper as the rockets, and they must have a pe­tard of grained powder at one end.

To make the composition to charge starres. Take one part of beaten sulphure, one part of powder, two parts of saltpeter, and half a part of coal of osiers; all being well beaten.

Of this composition take the bignesse of a musket bullet, cover it with hards, and tie it about with thred.

You must pierce through these starres with an iron bodkin of sufficient bignesse to thred them, as a string of beads or a string of match to give fire to them.

Of the militia of the Grecians. CHAP. XVI.

THeir foot were divided into two kinds, pikes, and such as used flying weapons.

The pikes bore a target, or a corslet and greves, a pike from 20 to 24 foot long, and a sword.

The strongest of them covered themselves with a Macedonian target of brasse, being foure foot in diameter.

All the pikes were called heavie armed.

They which used flying weapons (which were called the light armed) carried wicker targets, bows, darts, and slings.

The heavie armed souldiers were thus disposed of, 16 men made a file: the first man being the file-leader, commanded the whole file; the eighth man was the bringet-up of the front-half-file; the ninth man was the half-file-leader, and the six­teenth man was the bringer-up of the file.

The whole file was divided into foure equall parts, the first souldier of every fourth part was called Enomotarcba, and had command over the other three.

A companie had 16 files, which made 256 men.

The officers of a companie were, a Captain A. two Centurions B. foure Tetrarchs C. eight Di­lochites D. 16 file-leaders I, E. 16 bringers-up of the front-half-files H. 16 half-file-leaders G. and 16 bringers-up of the files F.

Besides these they had an Ensigne, a Sergeant, a Trumpet, a Rear-commander, and a Cryer.

The dutie of the officers was to instruct their souldiers in all the militarie motions; these mo­tions were, to stand right in ranks and files, to face to the right, left, and rear; to double files and ranks; to perform their countermarches and wheelings.

To render this more intelligible, I will describe each of them apart. First, the companie is drawn up into a body (as hath been shewed before) then the ranks and files are made straight and even, and they take their distances; E. F. is the first file, E. I. is the first rank.

There be three kindes of distances, one for ex­ercise, which is for every souldier foure cubits of ground (which is six foot.) The second, to be ready for battaile expecting an enemie, which is two cubits (three foot) that so the pikes may face every way. The third for combat, which is one cubit, that being so serried they may the more strongly charge the enemie, or sustain his charge.

The figure following sheweth in what order the souldiers ought to be to perform their moti­ons, and how they are to reduce themselves when they are commanded as they were.

This figure is represented in all the following battaillons by these marks o, ∘, the white ones signifie the file-leaders, or the front of the battaillon in the first standing before the com­mand given, and the black ones the ordinarie soul­diers. The small pricks shew the way by which every souldier moved, the figures of men shew in what form the battaillon standeth after the motion according to the command given them, and the cypher figures placed in the ranks and files shew which are to stand and which to move, or which are leaders, and which are followers.

To cause all the battaillon to face to the right, every souldier must turn his face to the place where his right hand was.

To cause all the battaillon to face to the left, every souldier must turn his face to the place where his left hand was.

To cause the battaillon to face to the rear, eve­ry souldier must turn his face by the right hand untill it be where his back was.

To double files or ranks, is to put two into one. Doubling of files is called doubling the flanks, or doubling the depth; doubling of ranks is called doubling the front.

Files are doubled after three wayes, either in inplacing the one within the other, which is called doubling of files sidewayes. In this doubling the even numbers of files mix themselves within the odde numbers, and the file-leaders which are to move, place themselves behinde them which are to stand fast, and every souldier behinde his right hand man.

Files are also doubled when one is placed be­fore the other, which is called doubling of files advancing, when the odde numbers place them­selves before the even numbers, as the following figure sheweth.

Files are also doubled, when the left flank, or half ranks, of the battaillon stands fast; and the right flank advanceth untill it be before the other, then causing it to face to the left, and to march untill they stand right before them, then to re­duce their facing.

Ranks are also doubled by three wayes, either by mixing them one within the other, which is called doubling by ranks, and here the even num­bers of ranks place themselves within the odde numbers.

Ranks are also doubled, by causing the half files to advance, untill the half-file leaders come up to the front of the battaillon.

Ranks are also doubled, when the battaillon di­vides it self at the half files, or rear division. The rear division again divideth it self into two equall parts at their half ranks, the one part to the right, the other to the left, and each of these parts ad­vanceth untill the half-file-leaders stand even with the front of the battaillon.

Countermarching is, when every souldier turn­ing his face to the rear, doth also change his place, so to exchange the souldiers of the one part of the battaillon, to another part.

It is performed by files and ranks, and each of these is done three wayes, the Macedonian, La­conian, and Persian or Cretan.

The countermarch by files is to turn the face to the rear, and so to bring the file-leaders again to be foremost.

The Macedonian countermarch by files is, when the file-leaders face to the rear and stand fast, then all the rest of each file passe through and stand behinde their own leaders, by which means the battaillon leaves before it, for the field of combat, the ground where it self stood, as appear­eth by the figure following.

The Laconian countermarch by files is when the file-leaders facing to the rear, cause all the rest of their file to follow after them, and lead them to another ground, leaving that ground behinde them where they formerly stood; or rather the bringers-up face about, and every man of the file placeth himself before his bringer-up, in their due places, untill the file-leader come up to the front.

The Persian or Cretan countermarch, is when the file-leaders face about, and draw their files af­ter them, and come into the place of the bringers-up; and the bringers-up come into the file-lea­ders places; the battaillon possessing the same ground it had before.

Countermarches by ranks are performed by the same rules and wayes, as hath been shewed in those of files.

Wheeling is when the whole body of the bat­taillon turneth, which is done upon the angles of [Page 174] the battaillon (upon the right or left hand file-leader) or on the middle of the front (the middle file-leaders being as the center) or on the center of the battaillon.

When the battaillon wheeleth upon the right hand file-leader, it wheeleth to the right hand. When it is upon the left hand file-leader, it wheel­eth to the left. A quarter turn is called the first wheeling, as when the battaillon A. comes to pos­sesse the place B. turning upon the center E. An half turn is called the second wheeling, which will be when the battaillon is come to possesse the ground C. Three quarter turn is called the third wheeling, which will bring the battaillon into D.

The words of command are, Make ready your armes, Put your selves in battalia, Make even your files and ranks, Take your distances, Advance your pikes. Faces to the right, As you were; Fa­ces to the left, As you were; Faces to the rear, As you were; Files to the right double, As you were; Double your files advancing, As you were; Dou­ble your files by the half ranks, As you were; Ranks double by ranks, As you were; Ranks dou­ble by the half files, As you were; Ranks double on both flanks, As you were. Countermarch, &c. As you were. Wheel, &c. As you were.

Sixteen companies made a regiment, which con­sisted of 4096 men; the officers of this regiment were, one Colonell, I. two Lieutenant Colonels, K. foure Sergeant majors, L. Eight Colonels as­sistants, M. The squares represent the companies, each of them having their Captain,

.

Foure regiments made the battaile of heavie armed foot; the two on the right hand were called the right wing, and the two on the left, the left wing.

The officers of these foure regiments were, the Generall of foot, N. The Lieutenants Generall, O. The regiments are, P.

So much concerning the heavie armed foot, which differed not from the light armed concern­ing their order, but onely in their number, for the light armed had their files but of 8 deep, in all the rest they were alike. For they had as many files, as many companies, as many regiments, as many offi­cers, disposed in the same order

Foure regiments made the front of their bat­taile, and two made a wing: their commanders were, The Lieutenant Generall, Q. The Lieute­nant Colonels assistants, R. The regiments, S.

Sometimes the light armed foot marched before the heavie armed, sometimes they marched on their flanks, sometimes between them, and some­times in their rear.

T. is the left wing. V. is the right wing. X. the heavie armed regiments. Y. the light armed regi­ments.

The horse were sometimes placed round about the armie by squadrons, sometimes on the wings, and also on the rear, sometimes amongst the armie on the wings of the battaillons, and sometimes onely on the wings of the armie, which they did most usually, dividing them into two equall parts, placing the one half on the right wing, and the other half on the left wing.

X. are the heavie armed foot. Y. the light armed foot. Z. the horse, the one half on the right wing, and the other half on the left.

As they which use flying weapons were but half the number of the pikes, so the horse were but half the number of those which used flying weapons, that is, a fourth part of the foot.

The Persians and Sicilians disposed their troops of horse in square bodies, as the French do now adayes, but the Scythians, Thracians, and Macedo­nians put them into a triangular form, or wedge; and the Thessalians into a rhomb or diamond.

They ordered their horse in these wedges and rhombs, sometimes by files, and sometimes by ranks, as in these figures.

The Grecians disposed their armies into fundrie forms, which was very easie for them to do, they being able to lengthen, thicken, open, close it, change the figure, or turn the front as pleased them; by reason their souldiers were practised in all the motions aforesaid; and at the sound of the trumpet both horse and foot knew what they were to do.

Sometime their armie marched with an even front, according to the form shewed before, when their enemie was before them; sometimes in two bodies, when the enemie was on their flanks; sometimes in foure, when they were in danger on all sides: sometimes in sithes, checquers, cres­cents, and manches.

• A. Double fronted.
• B. Foure fronts.
• C. The sithe, or open fronted wedge.
• D. The checquer.
• E. The crescent.
• F The manches.
• ♂. The horse.
• ♒. The light armed.
• ♊. The heavie armed.

A battaillon which had a greater depth then front, they called Orthion.

That which had the front exceeding the depth, Plagion.

That battaillon is called oblique which fight­eth by the wings, one wing serving for the van­guard.

When the battaile was begun to be ranged by the wings, and was ended at the middle, it was called Parembole.

When they began to range their battaile by the midst, and finished it on the wings, it was called Prostaxis.

When (the heavy armed foot being first placed) the light armed were placed at their front, it was called Protaxis.

When (after that the heavie armed were ran­ged) the light armed foot were placed in their rear, it was called Epitaxis.

When the light armed foot were ranged in the intervalls between the pikes, it was called En­taxis.

When the light armed were placed on the wings of the whole armie, they called it Hypo­taxis.

Of the Romane Militia, in the time of Polybius. CHAP. XVII.

THe Romanes managed their martiall affairs after this manner: They chose out of all the people such as were most fit to bear armes, as well for the Infanterie as for the Cavallrie.

Concerning the Infanterie, the poorest and youngest of them were appointed to be Velites; the next above these, to be Hastati; they which were in the flower of their age, to be Principes; and the ancientest to be Triarii.

The armes of these foure sorts of souldiers were these: The Velites bore a sword, a javelin or dart three foot long, and an inch thick, with an iron at the end one foot long, a target of three foot in diameter, and an head-piece of leather; some bore slings, and some bows.

The Hastati and Principes bore each of them a target (two foot and an half broad, and foure foot long, or foure foot and an handfull) a sharp-pointed sword, and cutting on both sides, and very stiff, an head-piece of brasse with crests and plumes, two piles of wood, the one slender as a dart, three cubits long, with an iron at the end; and one thick one, an handfull in thicknesse, three cubits also in length, at the end whereof there was an iron of the length of the pile, half whereof was driven into the wood, which was fa­stened strongly thereunto, the other half extended, with a sharp point, being furnished with hooks. [Page 186] This iron, next to the wood, was one finger and an half thick, the finger being accounted at foure barly kernels, and the handfull at foure fingers breadth.

The Triarii bore the same armes which the Principes did, saving the piles, for in steed of them they bore pikes.

The Hastati used to bear them in former time, and had their name from thence, but they quitted them to take piles.

The Hastati, Principes, and Triarii bore a breast-plate of brasse or iron, a foot square; and the richer sort armed themselves with scales or mails, fastned together with hooks.

In a legion there were 4200 men of the foure sorts of souldiers aforesaid, Velites, Hastati, Principes, and Triarii; divided after this manner: There were 600 Triarii, 1200 Principes, 1200 Histatï, and as many Velites.

As well the Hastati, Principes, as Triarii, were divided each into ten parts, called Maniples; so that in a legion there were 30 Maniples, without reckoning the Velites; for they were equally distri­buted amongst each Maniple. The Hastati being 1200, divided into ten Maniples, each contained 120 men; so much were those of the Principes, and 60 those of the Triarii; and dividing the 1200 Velites by 30, to serve for such as used fly­ing weapons to the Maniples aforesaid, it will ap­pear that every Maniple of Velites contained 40 men.

One Maniple of Hastati, one Maniple of Prin­cipes, and one of the Triarii with the Velites, made a Cohort: for there were ten Cohorts in a Legion, and six Maniples in a Cohort; namely, [Page 187] one of the Hastati, one of the Principes, one of the Triarii, and three of the Velites.

The Velites fought disbanded, keeping neither rank nor order, and it was their dutie to begin the skirmish and battaile; but the Hastati, Principes, and Triarii, were ranged into Maniples. All the Maniples of the Hastati stood in one front, so did those of the Principes, in the rear of them, and those of the Triarii in like manner in the rear of the Principes.

The distance of the Maniples was such, that one Maniple might stand betwixt two of them, because that if the Hastati were repulsed, they might re­treat into the intervalls or spaces which were be­tween the Maniples of the Principes, and so fight together. And if both Hastati and Principes were defeated, they might retreat between the Maniples of Triarii, and so fight again all together, as well Hastati, and Principes, as Triarii.

B. B. are the Maniples of Hastati. C. C. those of the Principes. D. D. those of the Triarii. The pricks which are about the Maniples, represent the Velites.

Over every Maniple were two commanders, called Centurions, a first, and a second; when both of them were present with their Maniple, the first [Page 188] commanded the right flank, and the second the left: and if one of them were absent, he which was present commanded the whole Maniple. In every Maniple were two Ensignes, one under each Cen­turion, and two Sergeants. Every ten men had also a commander, called a Decurion, and over all the Legion there were six Tribunes or commanders in chief.

Every Legion had 300 horse, divided into ten troops called Turmes, every one of which had 30 souldiers, three whereof were Decurions or file-leaders, and three bringers-up. The first file-lea­der, called the Prefect, commanded the troop, in his absence the second, and in eithers absence the third did it. In every troop there was a Cornet.

• B. The file-leaders.
• C. The three Cornets.

The Romanes made use of their Allies in their warres, and had a like number of foot of their Al­lies as they had of citizens of Rome, and the Le­gions were alike in form, armes, and number of men: but concerning the Cavallrie, the Allies [Page 189] were double the number of the Romanes. It is true that of the foot they took the fifth part, and of the horse the third part for extraordinarie, and the rest of the foot they divided into two equall parts, which they placed on the flanks of the armie, and called those on the right hand, The right wing, and those on the left hand, The left wing, so that when the Roman Legions consisted of 4200 men, the wings of the Allies were 3360, and the Maniples of the Hastati and Principes, each of them were 92; of the Triarii 60; and of the Velites 30. And the troop of extraordinarie foot in eve­ry wing was 840 men. The Cavallrie of the Al­lies for every of their Legions was 600 horse (double the number of the Romanes) of these they took a third part (namely 200) for extraor­dinarie, and divided the remaining 400 into ten Turmes, each of them of 40 horse, over which there were a Cornet, a Prefect, three Decurions or file-leaders, and three bringers-up, as amongst the Romanes. These extraordinaries were imploy­ed for guards for the Consuls, and for troops of reserve in combats.

When foure Legions were ranged in battaile, all the Roman Cavallrie was on the right hand, that of the Allies on the left hand, and the extraor­dinarie Cavallrie of the Allies was placed on the right hand of the Roman horse, and the extraor­dinarie Infanterie of the Allies was ranged be­tween the Legions and the wings, over against the Triarii.

• A. The Cavallrie of the two wings of Allies.
• H. I. K. The Hastati, Principes, and Tria­rii of the first Ro­man Legion.
• E. F. G. The Hastati, Principes, and Tria­rii of the second Ro­man Legion.
• L. M. N. The Hastati, Principes, and Tri­arii of the right wing of the Allies.
• B. C. D. The Hastati, Principes, and Tria­rii of the left wing of the Allies.
• Q. The two extraor­dinarie Cohorts of the left wing of the Allies.
• R. The 2 extraordinary Cohorts of the right wing of the Allies.
• T. The Imperator or Generall.
• N. The Legate of the right wing.
• D. The Legate of the left wing.
• O The Cavallrie of the two Roman Legions.
• P. The extraordinarie Cavallrie of the Al­lies.

When the Legion consisted of 4000 men, more or lesse, it was divided according to the aforesaid proportion; as when the Legion contained 5100 men, the Velites, Hastati, and Principes, were each of them 1500, and the Maniples of the Hastati and Principes 150. Concerning the Triarii, they never increased nor diminished their number of 600, nor their Maniples of 60, and the Mani­ples of the Velites were of 50 men a piece.

The Legions have oft-times been augmented; for in Romulus his time they contained 3000 foot and 300 horse.

In the time of Camillus, they were 4000 foot and 300 horse.

In Caesars time, 5000 foot and 600 horse.

And in the time when the Sabines joyned themselves with the Romanes, it consisted of 6000 foot and 600 horse.

When the armie was thus strong, the Legions were ranged in battalia by Cohorts, and not by Maniples. As when Caesar fought against Afra­nius, he placed in every Legion, foure Cohorts of Hastati, three of Principes, three of Triarii. The Velites were about the middle of the armie, and the horse on the flanks.

• A. B. C. Ten Cohorts of a Legion.
• D. E. F. Ten Cohorts of another Le­gion.
• G. H. I. K. L. M. N. O. P. are three other legions, each of them be­ing divided into ten Co­horts.
• R. The Cavall­rie of Allies.
• Q. The Roman Cavallrie.
• S. The extra­ordinary Ca­vallrie of the Allies.
• T. V. The ex­traordinarie Cohorts of the Allies.

Concerning their manner of encamping, it was also such as is here shewed by a quartering of two Roman Legions. And if the armie were greater, they lengthened the camp on the right and left hand. If there were two armies together, they made two equall quarters, which they joyned on that side of the Pretorian gate.

• A. The Pretorie, which contained 200 foot square.
• B. The treasurie, 200 foot long, and 100 foot in depth.
• [Page 194]C. D. The two Legates tents, the ground for each of which contained 50 foot in depth and 100 in length.
• E. The Prefects over the Allies, whose lodgings were square; each side having 150 foot; their tents were 12 in all.
• T. The Tribunes of two Roman Legions: their lodgings were square, of 150 foot aside, and 12 tents
• F. The lodgings of the Cavallrie of the Evocati amongst the Allies, having 80 foot to 125 in breadth.
• G. The Ablecti amongst the Allies, having 120 foot to 112 in breadth.
• H. The quarter of the foot of the Evocati amongst the Allies, having 80 foot to 238 in breadth.
• I. That of the foot of the Ablecti amongst the Al­lies, containing 120 foot, upon 252 in breadth.
• K. The extraordinarie Cavallrie, every lodging containing 80 foot in depth, for 167 in length.
• L. The extraordinarie Infanterie, having 70 foot, for 200 in breadth, every quarter.
• N. The quarter of 20 turmes of the Roman Cavall­rie, each having 100 foot square.
• O. The Triarii of the Roman Legions; the quarter of each Maniple had 100 foot in front and 50 in depth.
• P. The Principes of the Roman Legions; the quar­ter for every Maniple was 100 square.
• Q. The Hastati of the Roman Legions, each Mani­ples quarter was 100 foot square.
• R. The Cavallrie of the Allies; the quarter for their turmes was 34 foot in length and 100 broad.
• S. All the Infanterie of the Legions of the Allies, [Page 195] every Cohort having 100 foot in front and 200
  Observe that from the Decu­mane gate there run­neth a street, which di­videth the two Legi­ons, which have all their quarters, facing outward, and their backs meeting at that street, both fronting to their alarm-places X.
  in depth.
• V. The streets, being 50 foot broad.
• X. The alarm-place, being 200 foot broad.
• Y. Z. Two streets, each of them being 100 foot broad.
• ♉. The Pretorian gate.
• ♀. The right hand gate.
• ♂. The left hand gate.
• ♊. The Decumane gate.
• ♎. Void places reserved to lodge strangers.

The manner of forming all sorts of battaillons. CHAP. XVIII.

The au­thour fol­loweth other wri­ters in this chapter, which some (since) have also retained; but are (in my opinion) of little use, and savour of curious impertinencie.FIve sorts of battaillons are ordinarily made, namely, square of men, square of ground, dou­bled, when the front is to the depth according to a proportion given, and the broad fronted battail­lon.

The space which every souldier requireth, marching in battalia, is three foot in front and se­ven in depth.

To make a battaillon square of men. Suppose the number of men be 100, take the square root of 100, which is ten which is the num­ber of men which must be placed in front, and al­so in flank; As in the figure following.

To make a battaillon square of ground. Suppose the number be 105 men, multiply it by three (which is the space which every man occupieth in front) it will produce 315: divide this number by 7 (which is the space which a man requireth in depth) it will produce 45. Take the nearest square root to this number, which is 7, and that is the number of men which must serve for your files. After this divide your 105 men by 7, it will produce 15, which is the number for the front: so that this battaillon for every 7 men in front, hath 3 in flank.

To make a doubled battaillon, that is, which hath twice as many men in front as in depth. Suppose the number be 98 men, double this number, then will be 196. take the square root of this number, which is fourteen, and that is the number of men which must be in front, and the half of that, which is seven, must be placed in the depth.

To make a battaillon whereof the front shall be to the depth, according to any pro­portion propounded. Suppose the number be 135 men, to be ranged in battalia in such manner, that for every 5 which shall be in front, there be three in depth, that is, that there be a proportion between that and the flanks, as between three and five.

Divide 135 by 5, and multiply the product by three, and of the number which it will produce, take the square root, which will be nine, for the depth of the battaillon. And to finde the front, divide 135 by 3, and multiply the product by 5, and of the product take the square root, which is fifteen, as in the figure following.

To make a broad fronted battaillon. Suppose the number to be two hundred and ten men, whereof you would make a battaillon which shall have thirty men in front; to know how many there will be in depth, divide two hun­dred and ten by thirty, it will make seven. To finde the front by the depth, you must divide two hundred and ten by seven.

The square battaillons (of men or ground) are weak of front, and those of broad front are weak in depth. The Spaniards often use doubled bat­taillons. And the Hollanders broad fronted ones, for they make their files no deeper then Seeing that not onely the Hollanders, but all others, make not their files to exceed the number of ten (some be but eight, and the Swedes use but six) to what purpose should the square root serve, especially in a great body? ten men.