one manner of sounding in the field whether it be to sounde an allarme or to make a Crye to put themselues in battell for to marche forward or backward for to turne toward any part and for a retreate and in some to signifie all those other points with other Drums which by the sound of one Drum alone cannot so well be made knowne as by manye who make themselues to be heard in the greatest tumult and preases that may be The Souldiers likewise ought to be so attentife to listen vnto that which they are commaunded that they should neuer faile The Drums ought also to bee readye to sounde according vnto the sound of the Colonel his Trumpet by whome they must gouerne themselues in all that they do The Colonel his Trumpeter ought to be expert in all his soundings to handle them so clearly that one thing be not mistaken for an other but to expresse the Collonel his commaundement as he ought to do and to be alwayes attendant vpon him and not to be from his hand And to tell you the reasons that make me to ordaine a Trumpet amongst footmen is that it might bee better vnderstoode in a great noyse then the Drums or that when as the Drums should alter their stroke they might gouerne themselues by the sound of the Trumpet whose sounde is much lowder then the Drums which the Switzers knowing who are the inuenters of the Drums do vse Trumpets before their Bataillons wherby their Chefes do signifie what the Batailon ought to doe and it is not long since that they vsed great Hornes All these small things ought to be shewed vnto euery band a part before that the Legion should be assembled together to the intent that they might know to keepe their order and ranks that no force whatsoeuer might disorder them and that the sound of the Trumpet might be so familiar vnto them that they should not erre nor take one thing for another but afterwards might easilie learne all that the Bataillon ought to doe when they are assembled to-together And forasmuch as we put an armie into battell eyther for that we see our enemies or for that we doubt them not seeing them euery bande ought to be practised and instructed in such sort that it might marche vpon the waye surely and fyght if need require and euery Souldier to be taught what he ought to do if they should be assaulted vpon a sudden And when you do instruct them in the manner that they ought to keepe to resist their enemies vpon a day of Battell it shal be necessary to shew them how a battell dooth begim and after what maner one Batalilon dooth encounter another of the enemies and vnto what place they must retire being repulsed and who they are that should put themselues in their places vnto what signes sounds and cryes they ought to obey and what they should doe when they heare those soundes and cryes and see those signes and to accustome them so well with those fained battailes and assaults that afterwards they should not onely dare to abyde an enemie but desire the battaile which bouldnesse will rather proceede of the good order and raunging that they doe finde to be in themselues then of their owne proper hardines and specially because their battailes shal be ranged that the one may succour the other easilie which is a thing of no small importance to imboulden Souldiors For that if I be of the first battell that fighteth and know vnto what place to retire when I am repulsed and who it is that should come in my place I shall alwaies fight with a better courage seeing my succour neare then whē I see them not or knowe not of them Likewise if I be of the second battell although the first be repulsed and that I see them to giue backe that shall nothing dismaye me because I know before what that geuing backe doth signifie but shall be more desirous that it might be so to the intent to be of that number that should winne the victorye and that the first should not haue all the honour alone These exercises heere spoken of are necessarye both for our new men and for those that are practised also for we finde that although the Romanes knew all that they ought to doe in a perticular bande and also in an armie and learned all those pointes in their youthe notwithstanding they were practised aswell in time of peace as when their enemies were at hand Iosephus saythe in his Historie that the continuall exercise of the Romanes armie was cause that the multitude of those that did follow the Campe did serue vpon a day of battell aswell as the men of war for that they did know aswell as the others to keepe their rankes and to fight well But for an hoast of new mē whether it be you leauie them to haue present seruice of them or to haue seruice of them heereafter it would be worth nothing without these exercises wherfore sithe that order is so necessary a thing it must be shewed vnto them with double industrie and diligence that vnderstand it not and maintained in them that doe know it as we finde that many excellent Captaines haue taken paines to teach maintaine this discipline But this matter hath brought me somwhat out of the way for that I doe speake of the practising of the whole armie before I haue declared how to exercise the bands particularly but it is the affection that I beare vnto this matter that is the cause wherefore I will returne vnto my first purpose How to raung one band in battaile and the order that it ought to keepe in trauailing through the countrie and the manner how to lodge it in a campe in his quarter a part and a Legion together The 7. Chapter THe first thing of importance in the exercising of these bands is to teache them to keepe their rankes well wherefore they must be first raunged in single order that is three and three together or fiue and fiue or eyght and eyght as it will best fall out with-out respect of the number wheather it bee euen or od for that dooth nothing in this matter but is an obseruation with-out any grounde and Vegetius him selfe can giue no good reason for it but custome I haue sayd before that euery one of the ten bands that shal be appointed for the bodie of the Battailion of euery one of the newe Legions which I doe ordaine for I leaue a side the Legions heretofore leuied shall haue 510. men not coumpting the Captains which 510. ought to be brought into 102. ranks that is fiue men in euery ranke and afterward their ranks augmented either marching slowly or in hast as of two rankes of fiue to make one of ten and of two of 10. to make one of 20. and soddainly to reduce them out of this ranke into their first single order and to aduertise them that the second should alwaies follow the first not
lyke vnto the Hastaries or these two bandes may bee behinde occupyeng the place of the Triaries according vnto Polibius his order who would that the Triaries should bee alwayes the one halfe lesser then the Princes or Hastaries so that in eache of the other Battailes there should bee foure bandes and in this but two prouided that whereas these two bands before made 20. rankes they should then make but 10 to the intent that their frontes should stretch as wide as the frontes of the other Battailes Wee might also range one of these Legions in forme of a Phalange but to make it iust square as the order of the sayde Phalange requireth wee must alter a great part of the order of these Legions for to doe it so that there should be no difference But as concerning one of those Legions that I haue framed heere before I haue shewed the order that I would obserue in ranging one of them in Battaile or manie notwithstanding if I should range one of those Legions which the King hath ordeined in Fraunce I would proceed after another maner if so bee that the manner of Hastaries Princes and Triaries before spoken of were disliked for in this case I would make but two Battailes in the first I would place three bands and their Ensignes and in the last three bandes and their Ensignes and this I would doe according vnto the manner that I haue spoken of in the seauenth Chapter where I haue shewed howe to range one of these bandes alone so that the three bandes should make 75. men in front which bandes with the two spaces of 5 paces broade left betwixt euery one of them will occupie 160. paces in breadth and the 24. rankes will occupie 70. paces in length I would place the other three bandes behinde them in the selfe-same order that they are in but as they should make the force behinde and stand euen in ranke with the first so I would haue a distance of 20. paces broad betwixt them and the first by this meanes the length of the Battailon might be 160. paces The extraordinarie Pikes of three bands should serue for the one flanke and these of the other three for the other ranged two and two together and the Harquebusiers for the flankes a little distant from them The forelorne hope shall march before vppon the winges and the horsemen shall keepe the same place that they kepe in the Legions aboue saide and the Colonell shall be at one of the corners betwixt the bands and the Pikemen in the flanke or else where it might bee thought most expedent And although that this forme might seeme to be very good yet is it so that the manner before spoken of is much more sure because of the meanes that it hath to relieue it selfe three times and to fight thrice which this Legion here last ranged cannot doe for if it fought well once it woulde bee all notwithstanding it might bee taught through long exercise how the one ranke might fight after the other which to do it should be necessarie to teache the first ranke to retire within the second and so the others vnto the verie last man not putting any men out of his place which may be easilie done so that those which should make place for them to passe do put themselues a little aside immediatly come into their places againe The like must bee done when the second shoulde retire and the other also so that this manner might bee obserued I woulde much esteeme of this last manner And at the vttermost which soeuer of these manners you range them in it may serue so that the Souldiers be often practised therein But to repeat my sayings from the fyrst vnto the last the Legion which I haue framed after the auncient manner should be exercised in diuerse exercises euerie day as long as it contineweth together and by this meanes the Colonell should finde the diligence and negligence of the Captaines in the practising of their Souldiers to the intent to praise or blame them in the presence of al men according vnto their desarts the souldiers shall learne also to range themselues together vnto whome shall be shewed all the exercises that they ought to do in general being before accustomed vnto their perticular exercises And for their better instruction it should be necessarie that the Legion should assemble twice a yeare at the least and that the bands should excercise thēselues perticularly euerie moneth or oftener if it were possible and the Souldiers by themselues euerie holie day with their Deceniers Chiefes of squadrons and Corporals The Colonell ought to exhort them vnto this and vnto all other vertuous exercises both publikly and priuately and afterward to giue them leaue to tourne vnto their owne houses which retourning shall bee in euerie poynte like vnto their going to the muster keeping the same manner of matching lodging and well lyieng that is spoken of Which ought to be obserued as often as the Kings doeth leuie a Legion for his warres I haue caused in this place the forme to bee shewed that one of these Legions abouesaide shall haue being ranged in battaile Here must the figure be placed which doeth shewe the forme that a Legion shall haue being ranged in battaile This figure must be placed after the page 80. A The flankes to wit Harquebusiers ranged two and two together and Pikes likewise ranged two and two together B The Forlorne hope ranged in 16 ranks of Harquebusiers 21 mē in euerie ranke and 4. rankes of Pikes C Men of armes vnder their Ensigne and light Horsmen vnder their Guidon D Hargoletiers E Harquebusiers on Horsebacke How from poynt to poynt to raunge foure Legions in battayle wherein the Author doth giue the best order that may be obserued The 11. Chapter SIth we haue instructed the Legions seuerally it followeth that we should now speake of the manner of raunging of one whole Battaile together And for to do this it were necessary in this passage to declare amply after what manner the Greekes and the Romanes ordered their Battailes but sith that their manner may be found and considered of by euery man in the auncient Authors that do write thereof I will leaue many perticulars of their fashions and will speake only of the most necessaryest and of that which we ought to borrow of them to giue some little perfection vnto the Militarie Discipline of our time This doing I will shew all vnder one how an Army must be ordered vpon a day of Battaile and in what order one Hoast doth approach and assayle another being their enemyes and the manner how to exercise them in fayned Battailes We must vnderstand that in an ordinary Hoast of the Romanes which they called Consularis there were but two Legions of the Citizens of Rome which were in number 600. horssemen and 10000. footemen besides they had as many of their assistants as of their owne who were deuided into two parts the
lesse number of people then his enemies he might raunge them amongst vines and trees and other such like as did the great Captaine of the Spanyards at Serignolle whē the Frenchmen were ouerthrowne For by that meanes horsemen could not hurt them nor footmen very well because that trees bushes and such other like do hinder an enemies approaching without breaking their rankes and the Generall his armie which do stand firme to receiue them shall haue the aduantage so that the place where they are raunged bee open and plaine fourtie or fiftie paces before the battaile It hath been seene heretofore that by those selfesame Souldiers that Battailes haue bin lost victories haue immediatly after bin wonne by chaunging their order or accustomed manner of fight as it came to passe amongst the Carthagenians who hauing oftimes been vanquished by Marcus Regulus were afterwards victorious by the counsaile of Xantippus the Lacedemonian who only by chaunging and altering of the place turned the fortune of the Punicke warre and lifted them vp agayne for he seeing the Carthagenians to bée stronger of horsemen then the Romanes were and also to bée well accompanied with footmen and to haue many Elephants and notwithstanding all this to keepe themselues in the mountaines and that the Romanes who were strong only but in footmen kept the plaine caused the Punickes to go into the plaine and there fought and ouercame the Romanes Me thinke that almost al the auncient Captaines when they knewe that their enemies placed all their greatest forces in one of the poynts of their armies haue not placed before the sayd enemies their greatest forces but haue offered them the weakest battailes that they had and giuen commaundement vnto their best forces that they should only stand firme to resist their enemies but not repulse them commaunding the sayd weakest battailes whō they esteemed least to assay to vanquish their said enemies and to retyre vnto the battailes behind them And this they did with great reason knowing that this policie might bring their enemies into two great disorders The first was that the sayd enemies should haue their best Souldiers inclosed betwixt their aduersaries battailes The second was that when they should thinke to haue gotten the victorie it would bee greatly to bee merueiled at if their bands did not put themselues into disorder aswell for the victorie which they thought to haue gotten as for to fall to pillage Cornelius Scipio being in Spayne agaynst Asdruball knowing that the sayd Asdruball was aduertised that hée was accustomed to raunge his Romane Legions in the middest of the front of his Battailes and that hée raunged vppon the two poyntes or corners those whome hée made least accompt of and that for this purpose Asdruball had placed also in the middest the best Souldiers that hee had to make front with them vnto the Romane Legions the sayd Scipio altered his custome vpon the day of battaile and placed his Legions vpon the corners of his armie and placed his light armed people in the middest of whose force he made no great accompt Afterwarde when they came to the fight the sayd Scipio caused his middle Battailons to march fayre and softlie and caused the two poyntes or corners to march forwarde with great diligence and haste so that the two corners of both their armies fought onely and those in the middest approached not each other and so the strongest Battailons of Scipio fought against Asdrubal his weakest and the stoutest Souldiers that Asdrubal had serued but to looke on for the Romanes armie with their two corner battailes marching forward and their middle battailes retyring were like vnto a newe Moone by which policie the Punickes were ouerthrowne When a Captaine Generall doth finde his Souldiers to be a more greater number then his enemies and would inuiron his sayd enemies vpon euery side before he should perceiue it he must raunge the front of his Battailes of the same breadth that his enemies are raunged and when they come to ioyne the two poynts or corners might stretch themselues out and inuiron their enemies not looking for it as were the Romanes at Cannes by the Souldiers of Anniball If a Lieutenant Generall will fight in safetie and without hazarding to bee quite ouerthrowne he must frame his Battailons neere vnto some such place as might serue him for a refuge to retyre vnto if so be that they should be forced and this refuge must bee at the backes of his Battailes as some marish or hilles or some strong towne for although he should lose the Battaile yet they could not bée vtterly put to the sword which aduantage his enemies should not haue but he might followe them if he thought it good Annibal oftimes helped himselfe with this foresight after that his fortune began to chaunge when as he had to do with Marcellus Diuers Chiefes to bring their enemies into disorder haue commanded their light armed Souldiers to begin the battaile and the battaile being begun that they should retyre themselues in the spaces left betwixt the Battailons and that when the armies were come to aboord one another and the enemies attentiue vnto the fight they should then issue out at the flanckes and should assault the sayd enemies vpon the sides of the Battailons I would thinke it not amisse sometimes to place a ranke of Target men before the first rankes of the Hastaries which Target men should bee furnished with fire pots balles and other such like fire workes which they might throwe amongst their enemies when they are approached within tenne or twelue paces one of an other And this done it might bee thought that these fireworkes would spoile many a man or at the least breake their order And put rase that this do no effect yet it is a most certaine thing that the Targets will greatly anoy the enemyes Pikemen in cutting off their Pikes with their Swords which they might do without any great daunger because of the Targets which do couer them the Hastaries are at their héeles to defend them for if the Targets should get vnder the Pikes they might easily cut their throates whilest the Hastaries do occupy them in fight Concerning this matter I haue heard say that at the battaile of Serignolle the Spanyards with their Targets entred within our Switzers vnder their Pikes and constrained them to forsake their Pikes and to take their swords because the Pikes for their length might do them no more seruice whereof insued that the Switzers were ouerthrowne It failed but a little that the like did not happen vnto our Lantsknights at the battaile at Rauenna for the Spanyards with their Targets had taken away the vse of our Pikes and did cut them at theyr willes so that if our horssemen had not come to their succour they had slaine them all If a Lieutenant Generall had too fewe horssemen he might place Pikemen to backe them and appoint that when they should come vnto the fight the horssemen should make place for the
said Pikemen to the intent they might fight against their enemyes horssemen in good order And therefore the said Lieutenant Generall should alwayes haue a certayne number of footemen both Pikes and Harquebusiers who should be practised as I haue said before to fight among horssemen for it may stand him in great stéede and many good Chiefes haue héeretofore helped themselues by that meanes and specially the Harquebusiers at this day may do great seruice therein Caesar ouercame his enemyes in Pharsalia by meanes of mingling footemen amongst horssemen Likewise Scanderbeke Duke of Epire hath woon many good victories within this 90. yeares against the Turks by this manner of fight Forasmutch as we do speake of those that haue found aduantages by altering the forme of the ranging of their men in Battaile I must say that Scipio and Anniball were the two most expertest men in this arte in their time or that haue béene since Caesar excepted vnto whome I dare attribute this commendation that he was the best man of warre that euer was and the other two were the most excellentest next him who shewed theyr good wits chiefely at that day that they fought in Africke for which they haue been commended of euery man and shall be eternally For these two Chiefes being readie to giue Battaile which they could not with honesty auoide ordered their Armyes in these formes that I will shewe you Anniball hauing in his Army diuers Nations placed 80. Elephants in the fronts of his Battailes behinde whome he placed his aydes or pertakers and behinde them the Carthagenians and raunged his Italyans whome he trusted not behinde all He ordered them after this manner to the intent that his assistants being betwixt his enemyes and the Carthagenians might not flye so that the sayd assistants being constrained to fight should either vanquish or wearie the Romanes meaning afterward to ouercome the sayd wearyed Romanes with his Carthageniās who were fresh men Against which ordered Battaile Scipio placed his Legions after their accustomed manner and made the front full of distances or spaces left betwixt his Batailons and to the intent that these spaces should not be séene but that the front might séeme to be furnished as it was wont he filled the sayd spaces with his Velites or light armed men giuing them commaundement to make way for the Elephants to passe when the Battailes did approach néere together and to retyre themselues into the spaces betwixt the Battailles meaning thereby that the force of the said Elephants should come to nothing and it happened so This done the Battailes of Scipio came to fight hand to hand with those of Anniball and ouerthrewe them during which combate Scipio ioyned his Princes and Triaries together and caused the Hastaries to open themselues to make way for the others to passe betwixt them and placed the said Hastaries vpon the sides seeing them to be wearyed with fighting against the first Battailes and that the greatest forces were yet behinde which were the Carthagenians themselues who were placed in the second Battaile as is aforesaid And because that Anniball had placed all the force of his army in his second Battaile Scipio to present him the like force caused his Princes and Triaries to come forward for he accompted not his Hastaries to be of that valewe that his Princes were and in truth it was so for the Princes were reputed to be more valiant then the Hastaries and the Triaries more then the Princes by this assembling of his thrée Battailes into one he ouerthrew his enemyes This direction both in the one and the other procéeded of a very good wit And if we at this instant should haue warres with a people that would vse Elephants we might imitate Scipio yet they are subiect vnto Ordnance how great and strong so euer they be As for the order that Anniball vsed it might be imitated as often as we haue an Hoast framed of many Nations and sutch as we did giue no great credit vnto but only vnto our owne Mounsieur de Lautrec whome I may well name amongst all the most excellent Chiefes that haue béen of long time ranged his Battailes in another order as that day that he presented Battaile vnto the Emperour his army in the kingdome of Naples before Troy For although that he had diuers nations in his army as Italyans Almaignes Switzers Gascons Frenchmen notwithstanding to make shew that he mistrusted no more the loialty of Strangers then of the Frenchmen themselues made but one front of all these 4. or 5. Nations togethers so that the one could not say that he was more preferred then the other nor more kept backe yet there were amongst them that did require the first point or to tearme it better to make the Forlorne hope And I heard it spoken that this new order which I tearme to be new with vs who are accustomed but to heare speak of a Vantgard Battaile and Reregard was sutch as the Lord Dartigueloue then Lieutenant to Mounsieur Negrepelisse of whose companie I was sometime tolde me and certayne other hys familier friendes that this Battayle was raunged according vnto the auncient manner the which is the best and most surest that may be as I haue afore said And likewise that the aforesaid Mounsire de Lautrec knewe well that the nations whome he gouerned had each others honour in great iealousie for the Switzers were iealous ouer the Almaignes and the Frenchmen ouer the Italyans and contraryly therefore he could not haue preferred the one without discrediting the other so that to make his profite of the malice that was amongst them it was better to place them all in one front to sée what they could do for to spight one another then to vse the accustomed manner for it is no small occasion to moue Souldyers withall to tell them that such haue vanquished those with whom they fought or whē as they feare they should do it before them had it pleased God that the enemyes heate had not béene so cooled as it séemed it was at that time but that they had come out of their Fort for through the good will that was in our men and the good order that was aswell amongst the footemen as the horssemen it is most certayne that there hath not béen a battaile giuen in many a day that had béen better fought then that was like to do but he that ordereth all things had determined that it should happen otherwise and therefore it was not fought but to returne to my purpose Héeretofore in Asia they vsed certayne Waggens garnished with sharp sythes made fast vnto the sides of the same Waggens who serued not only to open a Battaile by meanes of their violence for that the said Waggens were drawne by the swiftest horsses that might be found but also the sythes were good to cut as many in pieces as they touched which Waggens might be resisted after thrée manner of wayes first with ranks of the Pikes secondly
vnto the Generall during the combat which might dismay his souldiers it is a point of great wisedome to couer it and to make the best of it presently as Tullius Hostilius who seeing that his assistants whiche ought to enter battaile with him went theyr wayes without striking stroake and that their departure would haue greatly dismayed his souldyers caused it to be giuen out through all his Hoast that they went away by his commaundement which did not only apease his people but did moreouer so incourage them that they were victorious The like did Silla when a great part of his horsemen forsooke him And another time when as he had sent certaine of his assistants into a place where they were all ouerthrowne and slaine except one person fearing least his Army should be dismayed sayd incontinently that it was done by his owne will and counsayle because they had conspired against him and that therefore he had sent them vnto that place to dispatch them to preuent their mischiefe Sertorius being in Spayne in battayle against his enemyes slew a messenger that brought him word of the death of one of his Captains doubting that this newes should haue discouraged and taken away his souldyers good wills for to fight Titus Didius hauing lost many of his people in battaile against his enemyes who on both sides had giuen ouer not knowen who had the better to hide the losse he had sustained caused all the night long his dead men to be caryed away and to be buryed the next day his enemyes seeing a great number of dead men on their side and very fewe of the Romanes imagining thereby that they were greatly weakened forsooke the place not offering battaile any more It is a hard matter to stay and to bring an Army backe againe vnto the Combat when it is fleeing I meane if they be all in going but if it were but part of them there might then some remedie be found and sutch a remedie as diuers Captaines haue helped themselues withall héeretofore which hath béene to place themselues before those that fledde shewing them the danger and shame that doth follow a flight Of which Captaines was Silla who seeing that a great part of his Souldyers chaced by Mithridates had turned their backs got before thē with his sword in his hand and vsed these words vnto them in a lowde voice as in reproach You Romane Souldyers that flye away when you are returned vnto your Citie if any man do aske you where you haue left your Captaine aunswere them that you forsooke him in Boetia fighting against his enemyes Attilius the Consull seeing that a great part of his army did fight valiantly and that another part began to flye tooke those that made no shew to flye and placed thē against those that were flying saying vnto them that those that would not returne againe vnto the Combate although they had escaped their enemies hāds should not escape their friends Phillip King of Macedon knowing that his souldyers feared greatly the Scithians against whome he was constrained to fight appointed that a great number of his best horssemen and those whome he trusted most vnto should be placed vppon the wings and taile of his battailes commaunding them to kill all those that would make any shew to turne their backs whereof his people being aduertised chose rather to abide the aduenture of the Battaile then to trust vnto the flight and by that meanes ouercame them The Romanes not only to stay a flight but also the more to animate their souldiers in the fight haue sometimes taken their Ensignes from those that carried them and thrust them forward into the thickest prease of their enemyes who remembering the shame and punishment that might come vpon those that should suffer their Ensignes to be lost haue fought manfully At other times it hath happened that the Romane Consuls séeing their Ensignebearers to march too slowly coldly against their enemyes haue caused them to be slayne vpon the place and if it chaunced that all the army did flye before their enemies they did then shut the gates of their Camp saying that no souldier should enter before they had vanquished their enemies which caused them to re-enter in battaile and to begin the Combat in better order I do héere remember my selfe somewhat as touching the forme of ranging of an army in battaile there haue bin heretofore Captaines that haue ranged their battailes in point that is to say narrow and strong their chiefest forces before thinking by that meanes to open the enemies Hoast the easier against which manner hath bin inuented a forme of battaile like vnto a paire of sheares or forke for to receiue the said point and to enuiron it and to fight with it vpon euery side in which cases this generall rule must be vsed that is that the greatest remedy that a man may find against his enemies pretence is to do that voluntarily which he shall be enforced to do for that doing it voluntarily it may be done in good order to his aduantage and vnto the preiudice of his enemies whereas if he be enforced to do it vpon an extremitie it will be his manifest perdition And to verifie this I must repeate certaine things spoken of before if our enemy do make the head of his battailes sharp and strong before to open our battailes and that we attend or assayle him hauing ours open we are sure to put our enemies into disorder without any doubt and they shall not be able to put our men to any foyle To proue it to be true Anniball placed Elephants in the front of his army to open Scipio his Battailes which Scipio marching with his Battailes open did thereby ouerthrow him Asdruball placed the best souldiers that he had in the middest of the front of his army for to enforce Scipio his men but Scipio commanded that they should retyre of themselues and so ouercame them so that we do sée that an enemy may be frustrated of his imagination when as we do prouide for it betime and when as we do that voluntarily which we thinke we must do either by force or extremitie What a Lieutenant Generall ought to do after the winning or leesing of a Battaile and what considerations he ought to haue before that he do enter into Battaile The 2. Chapter IT shall not be amisse to adde vnto this discourse the chances that may happen after the winning or léesing of a Battaile specially for that those things which I do meane to intreate of concerning this matter are so appertinent therevnto that they ought not to be left vnspoken and may be written briefely Let vs say then that Battailes may be woon and lost as euery man knoweth who so winneth ought to follow the victory with all diligence imitating Caesar in this case and not Anniball who lost the opportunitie of hauing the vpper hand of the Romanes after that he had vanquished them at Cannes because that he rested too much and
occupation For a Generall ought neuer to stay in such like places except he haue meanes as I haue before said to plant all his forces that there be no other place to passe farre from that hee dooth kéepe yet it is necessarie that the place where the Campe should stay should haue all these commodities that are necessary for it as wood water forrage the passages for victualers to come to the Campe free and open and moreouer that the scituatiō should be wholly as necessary as might be A Lieutenant Generall lying neare vnto his enemies Campe may somtimes bee importuned by his Souldiers to giue battaile although that hee knoweth by the number of his people or by the scituation of the place or by some other reasō that it should be to his great disaduantage to fight It may likewise come to passe that when either necessitie or occasion giuen do constraine him to fight that he shall then find his Souldiers discomforted and not disposed to doe well therefore it is necessarie to knowe howe to bridle their desire in the one case and howe to animate them in the other As concerning the first case if perswasions would not suffice there were no better remedye then to suffer some small companie to léese themselues at their owne desires to the intent that the rest might giue him the more credit which happened vnto Fabius Maximus vnlooked for for when as his hoast was desirous to fight against Anniball Minutius the Captaine Generall of the Romanes Horsemen being himselfe as forward in the matter as the rest which although it was contrary vnto the opinion of the sayd Fabius being Dictator yet proceeded so farr in this variance that they deuided the armie the armie being deuided Minutius presenting battaile vnto his enemies who accepted it had bin vtterlye ouerthrowne had not the Dictator helped to succour him Which the said Minutius and his Souldiers séeing gouerned themselues euer after by the counsell of Fabius as the most surest without enterprising at any time after any thing of their owne heads Sertorius when he could not bridle the bouldnes of his men was content to suffer part of them to be well beaten yet least that they should be vtterly ouerthrowne he succoured them at their néed after which correction he was euer after better obeyed Concerning the animating of Souldiers vnto the Combate it is not amisse to make them to haue their enemies in contempt and to account but little of them by giuing them to vnderstand that their enemies speake reprochfull words of them or to make shew to haue intelligence with some of the chiefest of their armie and that a great part of them are corrupted and also to lodge the Campe in some place where the Souldiers may fee their enemies and skirmish with them because that those things which men doe dayly see they doe acquaint themselues withall by little little but we must handle these skirmishes so wisely that our Souldiers may alwaies haue the better hand of their enemies for if they should haue the repulse at the first it is a thing most certaine that their feare want of courage would bee much more increased and so it might happen quite contrarye vnto the Generall his meaning in approching so neare and skirmishing with his enemies to wit for the imbouldening of them and not for the dismaying of them wherefore a Generall must employ his studie that nothing may take away his Souldiers harts from dooing well what accident soeuer might happen And nothing may more discourage them then to bee beaten at the first and therefore all the remedie that I can see in this matter is so to procéed against his enemies that his may haue the better hand of them at their first arriuall if it be possible And to doe this he ought not to skirmish at all with his enemies but to keepe his men within his fort vntill that hee see an aduantage and séeing the aduantage manifestly that then they might issue out of the forte vpon their enemies vanquish them A Lieutenant Generall may likewise make shew that hee is angrie with his people and may make vnto them some oration of purpose wherein he may reprooue them for the little valor that is in them and to make them ashamed he might say that hee would fight with his enemies although he should bee left all alone or if hee had but such and such to follow him and this may bee an occasion that the one to be accoumpted of no lesse estimation then the other will present themselues and the other to maintaine their reputation will shew themselues the readier to come vnto the Combate Caesar helped himselfe by this meanes in Fraunce his souldiers being afraid of the Almaignes to make them to fight resolutely and bee the better serued of them in the Battaile Souldiers ought neuer to bee suffered to send anye of theyr booties or of their owne goods home vnto theyr houses or out of the Campe vntill such time as the warre bee ended to the intent that they might knowe that although in running awaye they might saue theyr liues yet they could not saue theyr goods the loue whereof will bee an occasion to make them to fight as resolutelye as the daunger of the loosing of theyr liues And as touching the perswading and diswading of a small number to doe any thing is a thing easie ynough to be done for that if they will not obey the Lieutenant Generall his words he may vse his authority and force but the greatest difficultie is when as it shall be expedient to remooue a multitude from an euill opinion which might be contrary vnto their common welfare or vnto his will in which case for that he may but vse perswasion he must doe it publikely in the hearing of all his Souldiers because the matter dooth touch them all for this cause good Captaines ought to be good Orators for that not knowing how to exhort a whole armie it will be hard to do any thing ought worthe But at this day we make no great accompt of it and yet it is a thing so necessarie that to doe well without it is almost a thing impossible I meane for to doe anye act of importance Who so would read the life of Alexander the great of many other Princes and Chiefes that haue bin héeretofore he should finde that it hath oft times beene néedfull for them to speake publikely vnto their armies and to vse exhortations vnto them when as they would haue any great matter doone for many times there maye accidents happen in an armye by meanes whereof it might be ouerthrowne if the Generall could not play the Orator or if hee should not speake vnto them publikely as the auncient Chiefes were accustomed to doe the reason is that speach hath manye and sundrye effects in it selfe for it taketh away feare it enflameth the hearts of Souldiers it maketh them the more firme and resolute for the
Combate it discouereth deceits it promiseth recompence it sheweth danger and the meane to auoide them it reprooueth entreateth exhorteth filleth full of hope praiseth and blameth and in sum a Lieutenant Generall may by his speach doe all those things wherwith mens passions are either mortified or kindled Wherfore if the King were determined to maintayne his first Legionaries or to leauie other after the maner spoken of in the firste booke or a better he should cōmaund his Colonels to accustome thēselues to speake publikely to their souldiers that they might bee accustomed to heare them to speake to the intent that they should not find it strange to come together vnto the declaration that their Lieutenant Generall would make them whensoeuer they should be called therevnto by his Trumpet Heeretofore the reuerence that men had vnto religion was much worthe to kéepe Souldiers in feare and obedience and likewise the othe whith they made when they were led into the field for then those that committed any offence or those that did contrary vnto their othes and promises were not so greatly threatned to incur corporall paines which equitie and lawe ordeined as they were threatned that they should fall into the indignation of the gods whom they worshipped which being mingled with other superstitions was oftentimes an occasion that the Chiefes who were at that time came more easily vnto the end of their enterprises and at this day it would doe no lesse if so be that God were feared better then hee is and that wee made a greater account of Christian religion then we doe Sertorius did make his Souldiers to beléeue that a tame Deare which he had did aduertise him of all things touching the pleasure of the gods which was cause that the Spaniards gaue too great credit vnto his words specially for that they beléeued that he knew their newes secretly before that they did themselues and as for those things that were doone farre from the Campe and those things that hee tooke in hande with an assurance to bring to passe hee made shew that he vnderstood them by the sayd beast Silla said that he had intelligence by an Image that he had out of the Temple of Apollo in Delphos which hee carried alwayes in his bosome when he entered into Battaile In the time of King Charles the seauenth in the warres which he had with the Englishmen was Iahane the maiden of Fraunce esteemed to bee a diuine person and euery one affirmed that she was sent from God but some wil say it was the King that inuented this policie to incourage the Frenchmen giuing them to vnderstand that God had a care of the realme and therewithall the King tooke great paines that the sayde Iahane might bee found veritable in her words and that the most part of her enterprises might come to good effect for the execution whereof shee armed hir selfe and was alwaies amongst the knights in the combate The Frenchmen were so encouraged through the trust that they had therin that from thenceforth the Englishmens force did diminish and theirs did augment Moreouer there may bee meanes found to make Souldiers to make but little accompt of their enemies which to doe Agesilaus King of the Lacedemonians shewed vnto his Souldiers certaine Persians naked to the intent that they séeing the bodies of the saide Persians white and delicate should haue no occasion to feare them but to estéeme of them as softe and effeminate people Diuers good Captaines haue hetherto made their Souldiers to fight through verye force taking from them all the hope that they might haue to saue themselues if they should breake or séeke to escape otherwise then by the victory Agathocles helped himselfe by this means in Affrike and it is also the most surest to make Souldiers resolute which resolution will bee augmented through the confidence that they haue to get the victorie also through the loue that they doe beare vnto their Captaine Generall vnto their Prince which confidence procéedeth of that they are better armed or better ranged then their enemies and of their getting of some battaile of fresh memorie and likewise of the good opinion that they haue of their captaine Generall As for the loue which they do beare vnto their naturall Prince country it is nature that is cause of it as vertue is cause of the affection that Souldiers doe beare vnto their Captaine Generall which may doe much more in this matter then giftes or any other thing and although that a man may vse other meanes to win the hearts of men of war yet the reputation that a Generall Chiefe hath to be a valiant good man passeth all the other that may be thought vpon Concerning the constraining of an armie to fight against their wils may be in diuers manners notwithstanding that is the greatest which constraineth an armie to vanquish or to die in the field which is a fit remedie for those who fight not for the loue that they do beare vnto the Prince that dooth pay them nor for the confidence that they haue in their Generall Of which sorte are all the mercinaries properly who would neuer giue one only thrust with a Pike if they should not be forced therevnto or that it were not too great a shame for them not to do it as for any other cause they will neuer put themselues in danger wherfore it is most certaine that the seruice of those who fight for the loue of their naturall Lorde and their countrie is much better and more assured for besides this bonde of amitie they shall be renowmed to bee valiant men which is of no lesse value with them then force and constraint is with the other The order that a Lieutenant ought to keepe in martching through the enemies countrie and the maner howe to range a square Battailon with foure faces leauing an emptie place in the midst of it The 4 Chapter I Haue héertofore spoken of the maner that an hoast ought to keepe in giuing of a battaile and after what maner it ought to be gouerned hauing their enemies harde by them and also the manner how to vanquish them Moreouer I haue spoken of many circumstances appertinent to this busines wholly according vnto the accidents that might happen before the giuing of a battaile in fighting after the vanquishing of an enemie or the receiuing of an ouerthrow as I thinke I haue said so much therein that it were now time to change purpose and to shewe how foure such Legions as these which I haue ordained ought to be ranged in traueling although no enemies be seene when as a Leiutenāt Generall that hath foure such legions in charge is continually in doubt to be assaulted which may happen when as he marcheth through his enemies country or through a countrie suspect First of all we must vnderstand that the Romanes armie being in this case did alwaies send out certaine troopes of Horsemen far before their battailes for to discouer the
waies and after them marched the right pointe of their Battailon in order ready to sight at the taile of it marched all the baggage of the same point After that marched another Legion and their baggage behinde them and afterward the third Legion their baggage last of all the left point their baggage at their tailes behind which baggage marched all the horsmē this maner did the said Romans ordinarily vse in going through the country if the hoast were assayled either before or behinde they caused theyr baggage and carriage to be retired all at once either vpon the left side or vpon the right side as came best to hande and when the Souldiers and place were free of all incumbrances the Battailes turned their faces towardes that side that their enemies came to assault them on And if so bee that they were assayled vpon one of the flankes they put their baggage one the other side and made head vnto their enemyes Me thinkes that this manner of marching through an enemie his countrie should be the best that might be imitated in this case we might likewise send out before on euery side a good number of Hargoletiers and Harquebusiers a Horsebacke to discouer the wayes round about our hoast send part of our light Horssemen to follow the said Hargoletiers and Harquebusiers somwhat néere to succour them if they should haue anye encounter the battailes as is aforesaid marching in good order with their rankes at large so that the way were broad ynough or at the least that in euery ranke should be ten mē As for to marche at length being in an enemies country is an euill counsell The Legions ought euery one to march by themselues with their cariages at their backes after the maner of the Romanes And for that there are two sorts of baggage to wit one that perteineth vnto the Soldiers particularly and the cariages which doe appertaine vnto the common vse as the prouisiō of victuals armes Ordnance it would not bee amisse to deuide the sayd carriage into foure parts and to giue vnto each legion besides their particular baggage the one fourth part of the publke cariages Moreouer it would be well done to deuide the Ordnaunce into fower partes if it were but to auoyde the enuie that would bee amongst men of warre if the one part of the armie should haue it in charge and the other not or if the one should haue more then the other And likewise the vnarmed people ought to be deuided equally such as Pyoners Carters Victualers men of occupation and other poore people that do follow a Campe to get their liuing to the intent that euery number of armed men might haue iustly their charge that the one should not be more aduantaged and charged then the other But when as it dooth happen that an hoaste doth trauaile through a countrey that is not onely suspected but also is such an enemie as the sayde Hoaste dooth looke euerye hower to bee assayled then the forme of martching before spoken of may be altred and the hoast ranged in another order which order should bee so good that neither the people of the Countrey or an enemie his armie might at any time finde the Lieuetenaunt Generall nor his battailes in disorder in any one poinct nor likewise giue him any repulse or to doe any domage vnto his men To auoide the daunger of these suddaine assaults which are made by stealth the auncient Chiefes were accustomed to martch with their hoastes square not that they were altogeather square but they were raunged with foure faces and by that meanes they martched through their enemie his Countrey beeing ready to defend themselues whensoeuer that they should bee assaulted and vsed no other forme except they were constrained to fight with their Battailes raunged or that they were charged with too great a force of enemies This manner of marching will I vse in this place and will shew how to order fower Legions after this manner by immitating of whose example a greater armie may bee conducted to martch through out all Countries without daunger af enemies and to make head one what part soeuer that it should be assayled The Battailes must bee raunged in suche sort that the first Legion must be at the right corner of the said square and the Hastaries of this Legion should occupie their accustomed place towardes the east for it shal be supposed that they do martch toward the east and afterward the Princes and Triaries must place themselues towardes the South so that they and the said Hastaries shall make a right angle which is one fourth part of a quadrant The seconde Legion shal be placed vpon the left corner and the Hastaries of the saide Legion shal be raunged on the east part as the Hastaries of the first Legion so that the Hastaries of these two legions shall make the front of the said square vppon the east side leauing a space of ten paces distaunt betwixt the saide two legions The Princes and Triaries of the second legion must bee raunged on the north side who beeing ioyned vnto their Hastaries shall make another angle and by that meanes these two legions are the one halfe of the quadrant and to finishe it the third Legion must bee raunged behinde the first in suche sort that the Hastaries of that legion shall make the one halfe of the angle towardes the West to shew their faces that way if it should be needfull and their Princes and Triaries shall make the other halfe of the corner and shal haue their faces towardes the South if it should be needfull and shal ioyn vnto the Princes and Triaries of the first Legion reseruing the space that ought to be left betwixt them which shal be ten paces as is aforesaide and these spaces shall likewise be obserued betwixt the people and the other Legions to the intent that they do not touch one another and there must bee a regard had that those spaces may be kept The fourth Legion shal be raunged behind the second placing the Hastaries on the west side and the Princes and Triaries on the north so that the Hastaries of the first and second Legions shal make the front and the Hastaries of the third and fourth shall make the taile The Princes and Triaries of the first third Legions shall make the right side the Princes and Triaries of the second and fourth shall make the left side these two said sides when neede requireth shal turne the faces towards their two Regions to wit those vpon the right side towards the South those on the left side towards the North. All which fower Legions shall make one quadrant not that it shal be perfectly square forasmuch as it shal be a little more in length then in breadth for from the front vnto the taile there shal be a more space left then from the one side vnto the other which square or quadrant shal be ordred
and how to traine them to haue seruice of thē in euery place The second shall treate of all the points that a Captaine Generall ought to know how to conduct the warres to his honor and to ouercome his enemies The third shall also treate of the same matter and shall likewise speake of the lawes that ought to raigne amongst Souldyers Of all which things shal be so largely spoken that peraduenture I shall be found too troublesome vnto those that shall see my worke specially for that I determine to make ample mention of all that appertaineth vnto this science except it be how to defend a place For I do presuppose that the hoast which I will make shall be alwayes so strong that it shall not at any time be constrained to enclose itselfe where it may be besieged but I meane to make it sutch a one that it may besiege and assault al others Which to do throghout the whole book I haue chosen for my chiefe guide the vses and customs which I do find haue bin obserued of the auncient Souldiers after whose example I do gouerne my selfe more then after the manner that is now in vse amongst vs because ours is too far differing frō that Militarie discipline which ought to be obserued among vs for the better And the reason that maketh me to beleeue that it is so contrary and of mutch lesse value then theirs is that all things concerning this matter were mutch better done by them then they are by vs and that their Souldiers were more orderly more painefull more vertuous and better men of warre then we are as the deedes both of the one and the other would make shew who so would compare them together Wherefore I would frame them of whome I intend to speake after the auncient manner and according vnto my small capacitie And although I follow the auncient manner in most part of the actions which a Campe doth notwithstanding it is without reiecting our owne fashions in any thing that I thinke them to be surer then theirs And if I put too any thing of mine owne it is not without due examination and that I know that there is some aduantage to be had in vsing the manner I do speake of If then mine opinion be thought anything worth let it be taken in good part for I haue done it for the desire I haue to see our Discipline in better state then it is at this day But if so be it be found to be worth nothing let it be then left wholly vnto those that I haue borrowed it of and vnto me And if peraduenture the affayres of Fraunce do stand at any time in ill state for want of foresight which God forbid let the fault be layd vppon their necks that might haue remedyed it if they had would and not vppon his that would haue remedyed it if he might ¶ The Contents of the Chapters conteined in this treatise are these following The Chapters of the first Booke HOw the King ought to make his Warres with the force of his owne subiects Chapter 1. The number of Souldyers that might be leuied in Fraunce Chapter 2. The manner how to leuy Souldyers and to inrowle them and the qualities that are requisite to be in a new Souldyer Chapter 3. How Souldyers ought to be armed and weapened both according vnto the manner that was vsed in the old time and the manner that is vsed at this present Chapter 4. The manner how to distribute a great number of Souldyers into many bands and how to bring many bands into one principall Chapter 5. How newe Souldyers ought to be exercised in diuers exercises and the bands perticularly exercised before that the Legions should be assembled Chapter 6. How to raunge one Band alone in battaile and the order that it ought to keepe in trauailing thorough the Countrey and the manner how to lodge it in Campe in his quarter apart and a Legion together Chapter 7. How certaine number of Horssemen should be ioyned vnto euery Legion Chapter 8. How it is necessary to deuide euery Battaillon into three battailes the one separated from the other Chapter 9. How to raunge a Legion in battaile and after what manner it must be practised Chapter 10. How from point to point to raunge foure Legions in battaile wherein the Author doth giue the best order that may be obserued Chapter 11. The Author sheweth by a fayned Battaile how an army of foure Legions raunged after the manner that he teacheth should vse their fight against theyr enemy vpon a day of battaile Chapter 12. The Author yeeldeth a reason for euery thing that was done both before the battaile and after Chapter 13. The Chapters of the second Booke How a Generall may raunge his Battailes after diuers manners vnto his aduantage with certaine pollicies that may do him pleasure when as he shall be at the poynt to fight with his enemyes Chapter 1. What a Lieutenant Generall ought to do after the winning and leesing of a Battaile and what consideration he ought to haue before that he do enter into Battaile Chapter 2. How a Captayne Generall ought to deferre to come vnto the combate with his enemyes as mutch as he may possible when as the sayd enemyes are entred into his Princes Countrey and whether is the greater daunger to attend for them at home in his owne Countrey or to goe seeke them in theirs and likewise if the sayd Generall should be importuned by his Souldyers to fight how he might auoyd it and how to encourage them if so be that they were afraid of their enemyes Chapter 3. The order that a Lieutenant Generall ought to keepe in marching through his enemyes Countrey and the manner how to raunge a square battayle with foure faces leauing an empty place in the middest of it Chapter 4. The order that a Lieutenant generall ought to vse for the victualling of his Army and how the auncient Chefs did vse their booties with dyuers meanes that a Generall may vse to endamage his enemyes and to keepe himselfe from surprice Chapter 5. How a Lieutenant Generall ought to gouerne himselfe when as he findeth that he is too weake to abide his enemyes with certaine polycies to escape their danger when as he is fallen into it and how to haue the aduantage of them Chapter 6. How to lodge foure Legions together in a Campe and what watch they ought to keepe with other poynts concerning the sayd manner of lodging in Camp and whilst the Camp is making Chapter 7. The Chapters of the third Booke How a Generall may help himselfe with diuers policies in the warres Chapter 1. The order that a Generall ought to keepe in the besieging of a towne Chapter 2. How Souldyers ought to gouerne themselues according vnto the lawes of Armes with the chiefest lawes and manner of proceeding in iudgement against an offendor Chapter 3. After what manner diuers crimes haue bin seuearely punished in times past and how it
like vnto the Mammeluks of the Souldane or the Ianissaries of the Turke which manner although it seemed at the first sight to haue been for the profit of the Empyre notwithstanding it turned it oftentimes vpsidowne because that this number of Soldiers disposed of that dignitie at their pleasure being vpon the place and in armes against naked men and vnarmed On the other side the other armies which were in Fraunce Barbarie and elswere would stand in their owne conceipts the one naming one to be Emperour and the other another insomuch that sometime there were two or three pretendants who in thinking to consume one another consumed the Empyre which had cost so much the getting a thing that they were ignorant of But after that most of the Emperours were of straunge nations as the soldiers which had made them were it was an occasion that they had lesse care of the preseruation of the Empyre then if they had béen borne within the citie Whereof insued that as well those that were declared Emperours as those that had elected them marched against the sayd citie with one consent as against their enemies with intent to triumph ouer it And God knowes whether that these things might be handled without the committing of many robberies insolencies in those chaunges and also of many murthers aswell of the Emperours them selues as of the Senators other great personages in Rome Certainly wee must say that it was impossible seeing that wee may beleeue that if the institutions which the Romanes had at that time that their vertue florished had béen alwaies maintained that was to make warre with their owne people and not to haue waged straungers nor likewise to haue suffered their neighbours and alliance in their camps in greater number then they themselues were their Empyre had not been deuided nor had not béen transported out of their hands nor their citie so many times destroyed and abandoned as it hath béen For if they had maintained their first manner of warre they had escaped all their inconueniences and had brought all their enterprises to as happie ende as they did while they serued themselues with their owne citizens Michaell Paleologus the Emperour of Constantinople may likewise be an example who calling a number of Turkes to his aide to make warres against certaine princes of Greece that rebelled against him shewed them the way to passe out of Asia into Europe and therevpon the said Turkes tooke occasion to come vpon Greece with great force and to inuade it by little and little Of which mischiefe the sayd Emperour was cause for that he chose rather to cause straungers to come to his assistance then to take vp in his countrie those that were necessarie for him to make his warres withall with whom if he had would he might with little labour haue vanquished a Lord of Bulgarie his subiect and haue chastened him without thrusting an armie of Turkes into his countrie who if they had not come there Greece had not suffered the miseries which it hath suffered in time past and which it must yet euery day suffer And therefore without hauing regard vnto the old opinion that is to say whether the countrie be cold or hot and to withstand the manifold inconueniences that may happen vnto those that may make their warres with the helpe of straungers me thinke that euery Prince ought to strengthen himselfe with his subiects without making any accompt to hyer others or at the least if he would be serued with strangers not to make them his principall force for the daunger that might happen As for to commit the person of a king or of the greatest personage of a kingdome vnto the trust of those that are not his subiects and who loue him not and the seruice which they do him is but for a few crownes is a counsaile grounded vpon no reason because it is to bee thought that straungers are much more easie to bee corrupted then those that are borne and bred in the same countrie that their king is The preseruation of whom ought to bee more deare vnto them then vnto those that serue him but for his monie which once failing they abandon him as if they had neuer knowne him Herevpon I may alleadge that which a great troope of Launceknights did vnto Monsiure Montpensier in Naples who left him there at the mercie of the Spanyards only because his monie failed and that the enemies promised them payment at their first arriuall and assoone as they were turned from that parte which was cause of the losse of the same kingdome the first time And not to accuse the Almaignes only I say that the Switzers left Monsiure de latrec at that time that the terme of their payment was expired because they doubted that they should haue borrowed vppon the moneth following And although that the sayd Switzers did not go from vs vnto our enemies yet euery man knoweth well that they forsooke the sayd Lord when as his enemies were equall vnto him in strength which was cause of the losse of the Dutchie of Millain Since that the Grisons departed frō our campe before Pauie and abandoned the King his person euen at that instant that the Spanyards were determined to hazard the battell and to assault him which happened within few daies after so that the going away of those bands did greatly weaken our armie for they were sixe or eight thousand and was cause that the enemie did enterprise more boldly to assault vs and that our men were more discouraged to receiue them in so much that putting thereunto the euil behauiour of our Switzers who went away without striking stroke we lost the battel Whereby appeareth plainly the little trust that is to bée giuen vnto straungers and how daungerous it is for vs to repose our state in their forces Whosoeuer he were I wil not be of opiniō that a King should make his force of straungers nor that he should entertaine so many that they should bee of equall force with his owne subiects if it were so that he were constrained to take any For if the straungers be as strong as his owne people and that it were necessarie that the sayd straungers should doe any thing that were contrarie vnto their mindes which they refused they must bee fought withall or there will bee no obedience but if they finde themselues the weaker they will neuer haue the heart to disobey nor to busie themselues with the authoritie of a Captaine Generall as they are when there is no meane to bridle them For which cause a Prince that might find himselfe in extremitie not to be obeyed of the straungers which he might retaine ought to haue in his campe such a number of his owne subiects that if he were driuen to vse force they might be of power sufficient to constraine the rebels to accomplish his will For otherwise there will be nothing done because the seruice of the sayd Prince will be slacked and sometime
one was called the right corner the other the left They would neuer suffer that theyr assistants should be more in number then theyr Legionaries but as for the horssemen they made no great accompt although they were more in number then theirs With such an army of 20000 footemen and about 1500. horsse of seruice at the vttermost a Consull of Rome did enterprise all factions and did execute them True it is that when as they were to deale with a verye great force of theyr enemyes they assembled two Consuls and caused the two Hoastes Consulares to ioyne together We must note moreouer that in all the thrée principall actions that an army doth as in marching lodging and fighting the aforesaid Romanes did put theyr Legions in the middest because they would that the force which they trusted most should be most vnited yet their confederates were not inferiours vnto them because of the great practise that they had together for in truth they were practised and raunged after one manner As they had two Legions of their owne Citizens and two of their assistants in euery one of their hoasts so likewise I will take foure Legions of Frenchmen or two at the least and they shall be of 6100. footemen for this number liketh me best for that Vegetius hath vsed it in the framing of his Legions and of the two abouesaid Legions I will make my principall force If so be that we would haue strange souldyers amongst them I would place the sayd strangers at the two corners of the army as the Romanes did their assistants But I suppose that there shall be no strangers in the hoast that I will make at this present or if there should be I would not haue the number of the Legions which I require to be diminished but that there should alwayes be foure by the ordering of which foure may easily be vnderstoode how a greater armye should be raunged for if there should be a greater number of people then the sayd foure Legions there were no more to do but to make many small Batailons and to place them behinde and at the sides of the Bataile in forme of Subsides to succour any part of the Batailon that might be oppressed of which Subsides it shall be necessary to vse for the diuers formes of Batailons that enemyes oftentimes do make to the intent that without changing or taking any thing out of place we might at all times haue wherewithall to resist them as if any of the enemyes Batailons should be raunged in Point that is with a narrow strong battaile we might immediatly bring forward those that are behinde and those vpon the flanks and range them in the forme of two vnited forces to receiue and inclose betwixt them the enemyes Point when it shall approch or if the said enemyes should march with their front of great breadth they then might march in Point and force to breake into them These people would be also good to repulse those that should sodainely charge vpon the flanks of the Batailon or behind they may also serue to relieue those that are in danger or to strike downe those that runne away and for many other good actions which I leaue to speake of wherein we might employ those that might be in our Camps ouer and aboue the said four Legions notwithstanding for these purposes there néede none to be leuied sith the Forlorne hope those of the flanks might serue the turne Furthermore I thinke that it shall not be néedfull to recite againe the number of people that I haue appointed for euery Legion nor that there are tenne ordenary bands and two extraordinary nor what armes and weapons they should carry nor the diuersitie of Pikemen nor what officers Chiefs there should be in euery Legion because that I haue before recited them perticularly wherefore without any more repetition I say that the first Legion for they must all be distinguished by degrées ought at all times to be raunged in the Batailon in one place and the others likewise Therefore I would that the first Legion should keepe the right side and the second the left and that the first rankes of the Hastaries of these two Legions should be raunged as farre forward the one as the other and all the other rankes following And for a more manifest demonstration suppose that the enemyes be towards the East and that we do raunge the fronts of our battailes towards them the first Legion being vpon the right hand on the South side the second Legion vpon the left hand on the North side and their backs towards the West and the Hastaries one right against another one as far forward as an other and the Princes Triaries of both these two Legions must likewise kéepe one and the selfe-same order ranks spaces distances there must a space be left betwixt the two Legions from the front vnto the tayle which must be thirty paces broade these two Legions shall occupy the place that the two Legions of the Citizens of Rome did occupy I would haue the third Legion to be placed on the right corner the fourth on the left and raunged in the selfe-same order that the two Legions betwixt thē are with spaces betwixt thē of 30. paces broade so that the foure Legions should occupy in breadth a thousand pases or more The Forlorne hope shall be at the head and the horssemen of the first and third Legion shall be on the right wing and the horsemen of the second and fourth Legion vppon the left wing And for to gouerne this army well it would be necessary to haue certayne principall Chiefes and Officers who should be subiect and obedient vnto one Lieutenant Generall There shall be therefore two Chiefes to wéet one Captaine generall of the horssemen vnto whome all the Captaynes that haue charge of horssemen must be obedient The other shall be Captayne generall ouer the footemen vnto whome all the Colonels and Captaines that haue charge of footemen shall be obedient The dignitie of these two Chiefes is equall because that the one commaundeth ouer the one kinde of Souldyers and the other ouer the other and they are the highest degrées that are in an army excepting the Generall chiefe and vnto which estates all other degrées may aspire each one in his facultie as he that is a horsseman may attaine to be Captayne generall ouer horssemen and he that is a footeman may attayne to be Captayne generall ouer the footemen to arise vnto which dignities there must be as many degrées passed in the one facultie as in the other for I make twelue degrées in either of them First amongst the footemen there is the Forlorne hope amongst whom I would place all those which I would inrowle to fill a Legion The second place is to be of the flanks in these two places they should passe through all offices except the Corporals before that they should be of the Battailon being of
enuiron your Battayles vppon euery side for what side so euer should be assayled you haue Pikemen to defend the same moreouer the officers numbers Chiefes are distributed into sutch places that they may easily commaund their people obey their Captain generall The distances betwixt the ranks bands battailes do not only serue for to receiue one another but also to make place for those that come and goe to carry re-carry the commaunds of the Chiefes Furthermore I haue said that the Romanes had in foure of their Legions the number of 21000. footemen which were all the people that they commonly had in one of their armyes This Hoast which I frame heere hath 25000. not accompting the principall Chiefes and Officers who also haue some followers Finally they had horssemen so likewise mine haue a good number who are better armed and furnished then theirs were wherefore sith the battailes are raunged in all points readie to fight there resteth nothing but to set these people aworke I do require therefore that I may be héere permitted to giue battaile with these foure Legions against another great Hoast of Enemyes to the intent to shewe after what manner I would haue them to fight afterward I will giue a reason for that I cause them to do during the battaile which battaile I do fayne by imagination The Author sheweth by a fayned Battaile how an army of foure Legions raunged after the manner that he teacheth should vse their fight against their enemyes vpon a day of battaile The 12. Chapter WE do suppose that euery one doth sufficiently vnderstand the ordering of this Hoast and do imagine to sée it readie to begin battaile when so euer it shall be néedfull Or else let vs put case that our enemyes are come out of their Fort and our men also and that both the one and the other meane nothing else but to méere and are approched within Cannon shot Let vs also suppose that the said enemyes are raunged in very good forme of battaile and that they haue a great force of all sorts of people aswell footemē as horsemen besides good store of Ordnance And furthermore that the place wherein these 2. armies do attēd to enter into battaile is large and plaine so that the scituation cannot helpe the one to annoy the other The matter being in these termes and the two armies in sight there resteth no more but to giue fire vnto the péeces and to discharge them You may now see that the gunners do not sleepe on neither side and also heare how the cannon doth rore Let vs marke what murder it doth Haue you seene how little hurt our Ordnance hath done vnto the enemies at the first vollie Herevpon the King his Lieutenant Generall doth cause his Trumpet to sound to begin the battaile This done you see our Forlorne hope and our Harquebuziers of the flanckes do go forwards out of their places and our Harquebuziers on horsebacke and Hargoletiers likewise and they altogether assault their enemies without kéeping any ranke approaching them most furiously and with the greatest crye that they can make The enemies Ordnance hath passed ouer our footmens heads not hurting them and to hinder it for shooting the second time our Forlorne hope Harquebuziers on horsebacke and Hargoletiers do runne vpon it and do all their endeuour to winne it and the enemies to defend it so that neither their Ordnance nor ours may do any more seruice You see how our horsemen and footmen mingled one with another do fight valiantly and to good purpose succouring one another the practise which they haue had and the trust that they repose in the Battailons that are at their backes are causes of it which Battailons haue alreadie kist the ground and march orderly as you see a good pace with the horsemen at their wings euery ranke of men of armes being one hundred horse And the light horsemen who do make as many rankes as they are vpon the out-side of the men of armes and are one ranke after an other and do march all very close marke how our Ordnance is retired into the spaces that are left betwixt the Legions for to make place for our Battailes and to leaue them the way free Do you see how the King his Lieutenant Generall and the Captaine Generalls of the horsemen and footmen do go before the Battailons encouraging the Souldiers to do well and the Captaines also calling euery man by his name or by his office declaring vnto them the victorie to be in their hands so that they abide and resist the enemies charge without feare Do you marke how our Harquebuziers on horsebacke and our Hargoletiers do open themselues to make place for our battailes and how the Harquebuziers of the flanckes do returne into their places The Forlorne hope of the right side do returne vnto the right side and those of the left vnto the left and do retire without feare or flight although they haue the enimie at their héeles and a farre greater number then they are and how they do returne all at once to weet the Forlorne hope of two Legions together toward the one side and the Forlorne hope of the other two Legions together toward the other side to put themselues into a newe order the Pikemen by themselues and Harquebuziers by themselues which Pikemen of each two Legions do ranke themselues in eight rankes and euery ranke is a Squadron of 21. men for they are all of this number which is a sufficient number to represent a small Battailon But these two small Battailons are raunged as you may see behind the Triaries each of them right behind the space that is betwixt the two Legions the Harquebuziers do raunge themselues in troopes by them to defend them behind while the fronts do fight They do also remaine there for to bée imployed when as the Lieutenant Generall should haue occasion to vse them But whilest I appoynt our Forlorne hope their place at the tayle of our Legions I do see that the two armies are come together vnto the push of the Pike Marke how resolutely our Battailons do withstand the violence of the enemie and with what vertue and silence they do it The King his Lieutenant Generall commaundeth the men of armes stoutly to resist but not to assaile and that they should not seperate themselues from the footmen and therevpon commaundeth the light horsemen to assaile and after they haue executed their charge they should returne againe into their places On the other part I see that our Harquebuziers on horsebacke and the Hargoletiers and Harquebuziers of the right flancke are gone to charge certaine troopes of the enemies Harquebuziers who would charge our men vpon the flanck and I see that the enemies light horsemen haue succoured their men immediatly and that at this instant the horsemen on both sides are so intermingled that the Harquebuziers can do no seruice with their Harquebuzzes but are constrained to retire vnto
by making them way through the Battailes as hath béen spoken of the Elephants and thirdly by placing somewhat vpon the way that might keepe them from approching the Battailes as Silla did against Archelaus who hauing many of these Waggens caused great plants of Pine trees to be set in the ground behinde his Hastaries in the place left void betwixt them and the Princes and seeing the Waggens approching neere he gaue a signe that the Hastaries should retyre within the Princes who being retired were out of danger to be slaine with the said sythes and the Waggons were stayed from approching the Battailes Moreouer vpon the same day Silla inuented a new manner of ranging of an Hoast for he put all his light armed men behinde his Battailes and left many spaces betwixt his said Battailes for them to passe through to go forward as often as it should be needfull And when the Battaile was begun he caused his light armed men and his horssemen to come forward to charge his enemyes who being out of their course because their Waggons were repulsed were broken and ouerthrowne in short time There is yet many other formes to be vsed in the ranging of a Battaile of which I will speake as the matter will leade me therevnto not staying otherwise to the intent to speake in few words a little of euery thing that concerneth this discipline and that which is néedfull to be knowne for to haue seruice of these Legions ordered as I haue shewed it is necessarie that I should ouerpasse them all briefely and yet not so briefely as to leaue those points vnspoken of that ought to be touched or at the least the most necessaryest therefore I will begin with those things that ought to be done during the Combat and will speake of other things that may trouble and discourage an enemy whilest he attendeth for the Combat A Generall Chiefe may cause a voice to be giuen out that he hath a new supply of men comming vnto him and may make a shew of some matter like a truth that may signifie his succour to be neere and it may happen that through this bruite his enemyes would be discouraged at the likelyhood of the sayd succour and being discouraged he might ouerthrowe them with little difficultie Minutius Rufus and Acilius Glabrion two Romane Consuls helped themselues with this subtletie Sulpitius put all the seruants and labourers of his Hoast vppon Moyles and other Beasts vnfit for fight causing them to be ranged in sutch sort that they séemed a farre off to be a great number of horsemen whome he sent vp vpon a Mountaine somewhat neere vnto his enemyes Campe commaunding thē to kéepe themselues close vntill the Battaile was begun and that then they should shewe themselues in many troupes like horsemen faigning to come downe vpon the Gaules who thinking that certayne newe bands had come vnto the Romanes retyred notwithstanding that they were in a good forwardnes to get the victorie whereby we see that faigned assaults do helpe to amaze enemyes while they are in fight And therefore it may be thought that the assault that might be giuen them in good earnest would do mutch more seruice specially if they were giuen vpon the flanks or behinde at vnwares when the fight is at the hotest Truth it is that this can not be done but very hardly except the ground be very fit for the purpose for if the countrey be plaine and open it will be impossible to hide your people in any place which is a thing necessary in such like enterprises for the ground must be bowing or full of bushes hedges or otherwise fit for the purpose in which places the Generall might lay part of his people in ambush to issue out and sodainly assault his enemyes not giuing them leisure to prouide for it And this must be handled so secretly that his enemyes do not perceiue it for if the said ambush do wisely execute their enterprise in due time it shall neuer fayle to obtaine victorie This manner of warre did Scanderbeg oftimes vse against the Turks who hath ouerthrowne more Turks with his ambushes and surprices then any other Prince that I do knowe how great a number of people so euer he hath had It hath ofttimes serued to good purpose to giue out a voyce during the Combate that the Captayne Generall of the enemyes is slayne or to encourage souldyers with crying that they haue the victorie An enemyes Horse may also be troubled with horrible sights and vnaccustomed noyse which policie Craesus vsed placing Camels before his enemyes horssemen and Pirrhus placed Elephants before the Romanes horsemen the sight whereof so feared and disordred their horsses that they could not be maisters of them Semiramis caused many artificiall Elephants to be made which representing naturall Eleplants put the horsemen of Staurobates King of India to flight because the horsses were feared with that newe shape and with a smell that was contrary vnto the Elephants that they had béen accustomed vnto It is not long since that the Turke Soltan Selim ouerthrewe the Sophy in Persia and the Souldan in Siria principally with the noyse of the Harquebusery which was a thing that they had not bin accustomed vnto and therefore so skared their horsses that it was not possible to kéepe them in order to fight but did put them to flight incontinent he that best might fastest The Spanyards to vanquish the army of Amilcar placed before their Battails diuers Waggons full of light wood and brimstone which were drawne by Oxen and when the battailes approched they put fire into their Waggons wherevpon the said Oxen to flye from the fire which they perceiued at their tailes thrust into the battailes of Amilcar so forceibly that they opened them and put them in disorder An enemy may be deceiued if in fighting he may be brought vnto an ambush as is abouesayd But if so be that the countrey be not fit for ambushes there may be diuers great ditches made which may be couered with bushes and earth lightly layd ouer agayne and certaine firme places be left betwixt the ditches with good marks for to finde them at which places those may retire that are sent to charge their enemyes faigning to be afrayd in their returning backe againe to cause their enemyes to follow them the faster and to fall into the snare A King of the Etheolytes which are a people neere vnto Persia vsed this policy against Perosas King of Persia The Egyptians also at a day of Battaile hauing certaine quagmyres néere them couered the said quags with an hearbe called Alga to hide the euill places from the sight of their enemyes and when the battaile began the said Egiptians faigning to flye retyred vnto the quags and passed through at certayne sure passages and theyr enemyes who pursued them in great haste soonke into the myre vp to the throates and so were ouerthrowne Viriatus did as mutch against the Romanes If any accident should happen
Caesar would neuer rest after that he had the victory but followed his enemies more fearcely after that he had broken their forces then he did assault them being in their intier But whē a battaile is lost a Captaine Generall must sée if by his losse he may not haue a meane to hurt his enemies to repaire his losse specially if he haue any people left to do it withall The oppertunitie may be giuen through the small care that an enemy hath oftimes after a victory for that many times he doth become negligent hauing no care of watch nor regard of being surprised wherfore a Captaine Generall may then haue meanes to repaire his losse as did Martius the Romane after that the two Romane armies were ouerthrowne the two Scipios dead who ouerthrew the Carthagenians at that time they thought thēselues to be most surest and whē as they doubted not that the remnant of two vanquished hoasts durst assault their vanquishers so that through the great trust that they had in their owne assurance they neglected to kéepe good watch the night following in which the said Martius assailed ouerthrew thē for euery man knoweth that there is nothing so easy to be brought to passe as that which an enemy thinketh dare not be put in practise and they do oftimes take hurt on that side that do least looke for it And if a Captain Generall could not help himselfe by this meanes because of the vigilancie of his enemies yet he must study to make his losse as little domageable as he may possible Which to do it were necessary that he should handle the matter so that his enemies might not follow his men nor ouertake them flying from the battaile but finde some policy to hinder his said enemies vpon the way As concerning the flying without being followed or being followed not to be ouertaken vtterly ouerthrowne he must imitate the example of Sertorius who being vanquished by Metellus knowing that it would but little auaile him to flye away commaunded his Captaines men of war that they should retyre vnto diuers places as skattered dispersed as they might possible hauing before aduertised them of the place where they should all méet together againe Viriatus did as much In our time hapned almost the like amongst the Spanyards which retired from Marcellus in great disorder who hauing the King at their tailes knowing that he made haste to cut off their passages to arriue at Milan before them and to inioy all the strong townes of Italy could not imagin a better remedy to helpe it then to name the places vnto which euery man should retire and to dispearse themselues diuers wayes for the spéede safety of their iourney for all the countrey was full of French souldyers but what one way and other they did so get through that they assembled at the townes that were appointed them by their principall Chiefe and there made themselues strong namely at Lodes Pauie and Cremona which was the cause that we could not recouer the Duchy of Milan but receiued diuers losses This aduertisement might ofttimes be giuen before the beginning of a Battaile if it were thought that the end of the Combat might happen to our losse but this aduertisement might be giuen vnto the principall Chiefes that haue the greatest authoritie in an Hoast who afterward might aduertise the Captaines when as they do sée no likelyhood of victorie and not before and thereof might this profit ensue that is that the Generall of the enemyes doubting to deuide his army might suffer either all or the greatest part of the vanquished to escape Furthermore to stay an enemy that should follow those that flye he might cast his gold and treasure in the way as he flyeth and it is sure that the enemyes will stay to gather it vp and in the meane while his army may haue time to escape and to win ground of them By this meanes haue diuers Princes great Captaines helped themselues and amongst others King Mithridates to escape from the hands of Lucullus and Triphon King of Siria to escape from the hands of Antiochus Frotho King of the Danes being landed in England did as mutch to deceiue the Englishmen that pursued him who were so laden with the baggage of the Danes that when they should haue defended themselues being assaulted they were scattered héere there to gather vp the spoiles that the Danes left behind them so that the Danes had as good a match at their hands as they did desire and slew them at their pleasures It resteth yet if I do well remember my selfe to speake of the considerations that a Captayne Generall ought to haue before that he come so farre as to giue battaile for I haue promised before to speake somewhat thereof Vnto which point I do say first of all that a Captaine Generall ought neuer to hazard a Battaile except he sée an aduantage or that he be constrayned therevnto The aduantage procéedeth of his enemyes wéerynes ill ordering of his Battailes of the hauing of a greater number of people then the said enemy hath or of the hauing of better souldyers The constraint procéedeth of an assurance that we haue to léese if we fight not as if so be that the want of money should cause an army to breake or if so be that the assistants should force the said Generall for to hazard the battaile as it hapned vnto Mounsieur de Lautrec at Bicocque where the Switzers being the strongest enforced him to fight with the Spanyards and to assault them in their fort threatning the said Lord and protesting that at that very instāt they would returne into their countrey if so be that he gaue not battaile And héerein they did so greatly importune him that he was forced to yéeld vnto their wills and to fight at his great disaduantage at which time he was repulsed and consequently chased out of Italy It is also requisite to hazard a battaile when an army is in danger of a present famine or that the enemyes do looke for a new supply within short time in such a case a Generall ought to giue battaile although that the aduantage be not on his side for it is better to try if fortune would fauour him any thing then not trying it to abide the arriuing of his ruyne And a Lieutenant Generall deserueth as great a check when he falleth into these inconuenients as if he had a fit opportunitie to vanquish his enemyes and had not knowne it through his ignorance or had lost it through his sloath These aduantages are sometimes offered by an enemy and sometimes our owne wisedome doth giue vs them The aduantages which an enemy doth giue are after diuers manners as whē they are separated far distant one from another hauing their enemyes neere vnto them as were the souldyers of the Duke Destoutuille vpon the day that they were ouerthrowne at Adrian for the Auantgard the greatest part of the army
were so far frō the battaile the Arriergard that they could not be aduertised in time to returne to ioine themselues together wherefore being separated so far off the Spanyards made of them what market they would A Lieutenant Generall doth likewise cause his owne ouerthrow when he doth send any part of his people out of his Camp lodging them far off in weake places at the mercy of his enemyes for there néedeth no man but the enemyes to knowe of it to cut their throates as it happened vnto Mounsieur Bayard at Rebethe who lay there vnfortified by the commandement of the Lord Admirall Bonniuet looking euery houre whē the enemies should assault him which they did in the end slew both him his It hath many times hapned that an army hath béen ouerthrowne in passing ouer great riuers through the good aduisement of the Captaine Generall who hath staied vntill the one halfe hath bin past afterward hath charged vpon that part that stood best for his hand as Caesar did against the Switzers being come downe alongst the riuer of Sone where he staied vntill 3. parts of thē were past after charged vpon the fourth that was behind ouerthrewe thē the others by no meanes able to succour thē Sometime an enemy doth ouer-trauaile himselfe at which time if he should assault vs being fresh rested we ought by no meanes to let this oppertunitie to slip for we should haue thē as good cheape as we would our selues as the Englishmen had the Frenchmen at the battaile of Cresye Moreouer a Generall may spend a good part of the day before his issuing out of his Camp when he thinketh that his enemies haue bin long armed and after that they haue lost their first heate This manner did Scipio Metellus vse in Spaine the one against Asdrubal the other against Sertorius A Captaine Generall may likewise hazard the Combat if he knew that his enemies haue diminished his hoast as did the Spanyards in Nauarre against the Lord of Espattez or that he had diuided thē as the two Scipios did in Spaine wherby they were ouerthrowne slaine We did likewise weaken our hoast at Pauy to send vnto Naples other places which was cause that the enemies did the bolder assault vs that we were so much the weaker to defend our selues against thē A wise Captaine ought rather to resist the violēce of his enemies then to assault them furiously for fury is easily resisted by fast sure men and if it be once withstoode the rest is nothing both because they do put thēselues out of breath also their battailes out of order how little so euer they martch hastily as also for that the first heat doth coole whē as they sée the constācy of the attendant to be other then they loked for before By the meanes of this patience in staying to receiue the enemyes army without stirring foot did Fabius Maximus ouercome the Gaules the Samnits and the Englishmen ouerthrew the Frenchmē at the battaile of Poitiers only because they staied for our battailes receiued them standing fast yet that staying to receiue an enemy without mouing foote may sometime be dangerous specially whē those that assault are good souldiers expert men that their hasty marching doth not put them out of order for all men haue a naturall heat in them and a brauery of minde which is set on fire through the desire that they haue to fight which must be mainteined by the Captaine Generall not be cooled Sith then marching hastely doth encrease it because one man doth incourage another going doth heat them more more therefore this manner to assayle is better then the other to resist true it is that practiced expert souldiers may vse it not others for the reason that I haue shewed and if Caesar his souldiers had not bin so good as they were Pompey his maner had preuailed in Pharsalia who commanded his souldiers to stand to receiue their enemies and if the Frenchmen had bin well practised being so great a number as they were the Englishmē had abidden their fury but a while notwithstanding that they were inclosed in a strong place Certaine good Chiefes when as their enemies souldiers haue bin more in number then theirs haue giuen battaile in the euening to the intent that if they were vanquished they might saue the greatest part of their mē through the darknes of the night as did Iugurtha against Metellus Others knowing that their enemies hoast was gouerned by superstitions that they would not fight but on certain daies haue chosen at that time to giue thē battaile haue vanquished thē but this policy would take no place amongst vs at this day for that superstitiōs haue no more that course that they had heretofore in the time of Caesar when he fought against Ariouistus when Pompey fought against the Iewes The wisest point that a Captaine Generall can do is to kéepe a good number of faithful men commonly about him who are wise expert in that feats of the wars with whome he may consult at all houres confer with thē touching his owne force and his enemyes to discerne whether of them hath the greatest power best souldiers best armed and best practised men or which of their two armyes can best abide the extremities of the warres Likewise he ought to debate with his said counsaile whether he might trust most vnto his horsemen or vnto his footemen and whether it were for his most aduantage to put himselfe in the plaine or to keepe the hills Furthermore whether the place that he is in be of more aduantage for him then for his enemyes and to consider whether of the two armyes may be most commodiously victualled and whether it be good to defer the giuing of battaile or to come to the fight immediatly what aduantage the time may either giue or take for many times when souldyers do sée the warre prolonged they waxe discontented and therefore being wearied with paines and griefe and moued with a desire that they haue to returne vnto their owne houses they might be like ynough to forsake the Camp and to goe their wayes Aboue all things he ought to knowe the Captayne Generall of his enemyes army and what people he hath about him and seeke to vnderstand whether he be rashe or warie a coward or valiant and whether his men be new souldyers or hardened and with what enemyes they haue had to do and whether the said enemyes were men of warre or not Furthermore the said Lieutenant ought to consider whether he may repose his most trust in his assistants other strange souldyers or in his owne countreymen and consider in which of thē there is the greatest likelyhood and if so be that he sée his Hoast dismaied or out of hope to vanquish their enemyes he ought then to haue the greatest care that may be not to giue battaile for
and to stop the passage which oft times doth happen I do knowe no better remedy therein then to imitate Caesar who hauing his Hoast at the edge of the riuer to goe into Auuergne perceiuing that Vercingenberix did kéepe the other side against him who had caused all the bridges to be broken so that by that meanes he could not passe He trauailed certaine daies alongst the said riuer waighting an opportunitie that might helpe him to passe but for that his enemyes marched on the other side of the riuer right against him to hinder him for passing Caesar could finde no meanes in certaine daies to do it vntill at length he found a place couered with trées where he lodged and in the morning he stayed in that place with part of his army and sent the rest to follow their way coasting the riuer as they did before and this he did to the intent to repayre a Bridge there which was broken but a fewe dayes before and when his enemyes were dislodged Caesar fell to worke for Vercingentrix thinking that the Romans had béen altogether continued his way and neuer perceiued Caesar his policy vntill the Bridge was layed and fortified Let vs also speake of the inclosing of an army betwixt two high Mountaines where there is but two issues to passe through to wéete that before the said army and the other that it is entred in at and let vs suppose that both these wayes the army being entred are ceazed vpon by their enemies and the tops of the Mountaynes also the best remedy in this case is to make a great ditch toward that issue that the army is entred at to the intent that their enemyes might thinke that it were done to stop those behinde them from assaulting them whilest they did assay to open the passage before them and to confirme theyr enemyes the better in this opinion they may make shewe to march forward to repulse those that keepe the passage before them and it will be a great chaunce but that both those that are behinde and those vpon the Mountaynes will make haste to succour the others at the place where they thinke that the army will seeke passage and if so be that they do forsake the place where the army entred there is no more to be done but speedely to make passage ouer the ditch and to returne that way that they are entred After this manner escaped Pericles from the Peloponesians Quintus Fabius Consull of Rome being inclosed in the Mountaynes of Genes not knowing how to get out except he might helpe himself with some policie sent a good company of his Numidian horsemen towards one of the straights that his enemies kept who at the first sight ranked themselues in battaile to keepe the passage against them but seeing that the Numidians did make no great shewe or to be of no great force to winne the passage and that they were in poore estate and their Horsses verie leane they made so little accoumpt of them that a great part of those that had the passage in charge went home and others stoode gaping vpon the Numidians expressely to sée them wherevpon the said Numidians perceiuing the euill order and little accoumpt that theyr enemies did make of them pricked their horsses all at once and charged theyr sayd enemies so violently that they passed through the straight and after that they were past they ranne vpon the countrey to spoile it so that their enemies were constrained to leaue the passage open for the sayd Consull and his men to reskue their owne goodes which the said Numidians did make spoile of Brasydas the Lacedemonian being assayled by a great number of Athenians did kéepe his men close vp together as néere as he could that his enemyes might the better enuiron him but séeing himselfe inclosed he charged with all his men vpon the weakest part of his enemyes and made them to make him way by force of armes Mark Anthony as he marched in retyring out of the countrey of the Parthians where Crassus had béene newly slaine seeing that his enemyes did assayle him ordinarily earely in the morning and skirmished and troubled him all day long vntill that he lodged and that then they let him alone and lodged themselues farre from his Campe to passe the rest of his way with the lesse trouble he determined one day not to dislodge vntill it was very late and did so wherevpon the Parthians being dislodged and séeing that the Romanes remained in their Campe thinking that they would not haue sturred that day returned againe vnto their lodging and Mark Anthony remoued immediatly after and had leisure ynough to march all the rest of that day without trouble In this place I must make mention of one thing which his souldiers did through his counsaile to couer themselues from the great number of arrowes that the Parthians did shoote amongst them that was as often as the said Parrhians did charge them they knéeled downe vpon one knée and those of the second ranke did lay their targets vpon the heads of those of the first ranke and those of the third vpon the heads of those of the second ranke and those of the fourth vpon the heads of those of the third and so following so that all the ranks were couered as if it had been vnder a roofe which manner might be obserued by our Legionaries by meanes of their targets if so be that at any time they were in danger of archers During the warres with the Englishmen Shields were in vse which at this instant would not be ill so that a Harquebusse could not pearce them for to haue one ranke of men that should carry them before the battailes to the intent that the first ranks of the battailes might continue whole when as they should come hand to hand with their enemyes I will not forget in this place this one rule of the science of the warres which is of great importance that is to make ouerture and passage for an enemy on some one side when as he is so inclosed that he can escape no way except a man haue some great aduantage of them for it is to be feared that they would do some great mischiefe seeing themselues out of hope for that all good Souldyers which do make theyr reckoning to dye but once will sell their liues so deare that the remembrance of it may continue long after and sometimes this desperation is cause of their safety that are in this danger because that then they do make of necessitie a vertue as the Englishmen did at the battaile of Poytiers where they were but a handfull of people inclosed by a great number of Frenchmen who would take no reasonable compositiō at their hands wherefore as men out of hope to escape from the place the said Englishmen stoode all vpon this resolution that it was more honor for them to be ouerthrowne in fighting vertuously although that they should all dye then to escape and to
because that of himselfe he shall easily vnderstand what space and how much place euery man ought to occupy in his quarter which may not be vnderstood and obserued by those that do seeke to lodge their Camps in strong places because that they are constrained to alter the formes of their Camps according vnto the varietie of the scituation wherevnto the Romans would in no case be subiect for as I haue said before they did alwaies fortifie by their arte the scituations which were weake of themselues as we may do if we will and vse it in the same sort that they did or in better for we haue Ordnance which they had not albeit that they had certayne other engins which neuer haue béen put in vse since the sayd Ordnance hath béen inuented neither were they of that violence that it is nor so easy to be carryed too and fro For the rest it is knowne that the greatest part of theyr fortresses were made of wood which might not endure against one shot of those pieces that we do vse to beate places withall at this instant against which there is no other remedie but to make rampars of earth and of the greatest thicknes that is possible which yet can very hardly withstand them and were it not that it doth yéeld vnto the shot and by that meanes doth kill it a man should make but sorie worke in ramparing with earth or with other matter for it would be time lost I do meane for the strengthning of a Towne but not of a Campe for that Camps do thinke themselues to be as strong in the field as their enemyes are and consequently will not suffer themselues to be besieged beaten with Ordnance so that they néede not to make any such great rampars as I speake of except that they be very weake and feare to be forced to fight or do forbeare attending succour for in these cases they must séeke by all meanes to fortifie themselues and to haue all the aduantages that might be thought vpon as to make plat-formes of earth and caualiers raysed high to beate round about the Campe a farre off The Lord Constables Campe that was before Auignon was of the most incomparable force of all other that euer I haue séene in my time for a camp scituated in plaine ground By this appeareth that we haue the meanes industry to fortifie a Camp as well as the auncient Romanes had if we do consider of the little force of their engins of the marueilous violence of ours And furthermore that our rampars being of earth we néede not to build towres or castles of wood to the intent to be the surer against the violence of the Cannon which breaketh shiuereth to pieces all that it doth meet withall wherefore we must not thinke that it would be hard for vs to keepe alwaies one forme of camp if we would but also we must belieue that it is as easy for vs to do it as it was for the said Romanes and easier because wood is hard to be found but there is earth ynough to be had euery where In this passage I must speake somewhat of the considerations that a Lieutenant Generall ought to haue when he will incampe néere vnto his enemies before that he enterprise to approach so néere vnto his enemies that the two armies cannot afterwards depart the one from the other without shame or battaile He ought to haue consideration of his estate and force to knowe whether his men haue a good will to fight or not or if they are strong enough to doe it whensoeuer his enemies should assault him or else I would not bee of opinion that he should put himselfe into that daunger forasmuch as it would be to be doubted that his enemies would assayle him at such time as he would thinke to lodge and before that his Campe could be fortified Suppose that he were not fought withall at that instant I cannot thinke but that the sayd enemie atttendant would famish him or else the scituation of the countrie must bée very fauourable For to auoyd these incoueniences the aforesaid Generall ought to looke vnto his busines and if so be that he bée strong enough to deale with thē there is no daunger if he do approach them within Cannon shot hauing viewed himselfe the place whereas he will plant his Camp or caused it to be viewed before that his Legions do ariue And the Legions being ariued he must cause the Hastaries and Princes to keepe themselues in order of battaile with their faces towards their enemies and must helpe himselfe with the Triaries to make his trenches vpon the flankes when as he is not sufficiently furnished with Pioners and to inclose the other sides he might imploy the seruants and boyes with other followers of the armie all which should labour at the backe of the battaile being couered by the Hastaries and Princes The Forlorne hope should be in their order of battaile and the horsemen likewise If the enemie would fight in the meane time the Triaries should alwaies haue time enough to leaue their worke and to take their armes and to raunge themselues in their order whilest that the Hastaries do make resistance so his battailes should by no meanes bee surprised But let vs suppose that his enemie do make no great shewe to assayle him raunged in battaile but doth giue him skirmishes all day long to trouble his people and to keepe them in armes to hinder the fortification of his Campe this bragge must be no cause of stay but they must do the like by thē and giue them good store of great shot withall causing the Hastaries and others as I haue sayd to keepe themselues continually in battaile and the Triaries to continue at their worke not stirring from it vntill such time as the Campe were fortified and the quarters made This done the sayd Triaries must bee first lodged and the prouision immediatly And after them the Princes and the Ordnance which must be brought into the place where it is accustomed to be placed The Hastaries must afterwards take their places and afterwards the horsemen to wéet the men of armes first the light horsemen after them and the Hargoletiers and Harquebuziers on horsebacke after them and last of all the Forlorne hope so that those that ought to bee formost when they should enter into battaile against their enemies shall bee the last that shall bee lodged and in lodging them after this manner there might be no disorder nor cryings as there is amongst vs. For when our Souldiers are to bee lodged in Campe euery man runneth to bee the first lodged crying and making such a noyse that it is a confusion ofttimes lodging thēselues before their turnes making no accompt to leaue their Ensignes and to abandon them hauing their enemies in their teeth The Lord Marshall of Montian was in great distresse through this disorder with his Auantgard before Montcailer for that euen at that
a disobedience may be cause of many great domages as was that of the Almaignes which Monsiure de Humiers had with them in Italie which made the King not only to loose all that season but also was cause of the losse of diuers places that held for vs and put all Piemount in great daunger to be lost without recouerie And this is most certaine insomuch that if the Lord Constable had any whit deferred to succour them and had not vsed his accustomed diligence that which was left had fallen in fewe daies after into the Spanyards hands without striking stroke Yet he arriued so luckely that the townes that had but the newes of his comming were preserued and part of those that were lost were recouered and others also but not without a merueilous charge and all to repayre the fault of the foresayd Almaignes who had conducted the warres both according vnto their owne appetites against the will of the sayd Lord of Humiers as euery man knoweth who besides that he was disobeyed in his charge being Lieutenant Generall for the King was also in hazard of his life which is a thing that I cannot so much meruell at nor likewise at the arrogancie of the sayd nation But I must much more meruell at our negligence seeing the iniuries that straungers commonly do vnto vs and that we notwithstanding cease not to dispraise the seruice of our countrimen to become tributaries and subiects vnto straungers as if we could not do without them now aswell as wee haue done at other times and alwaies vntill the time of King Lewes the 11. who was the first King of Fraunce that did giue pension vnto strangers especially vnto the Switzers for he kept ordinarily in wages sixe thousand King Charles the 8. followed him who carried a great band to Naples King Lewes the 12. serued him self long time with them and with Almaignes and other strangers So likewise hath the King that raigneth at this present in all his warres yet in the ende he perceiued that his subiects were as fit to serue him as straungers so that they were practised or if he hath not had that opinion of the Frenchmē yet he hath made a proofe of it And to that ende as I thinke haue a very great number of Legionaries béen leuied in this realme which number if it had béen leuied by a true election had béen sufficient to haue withstood all our enemies But the Frenchmens fortune would not that this leuie should haue had his perfection for that if this leuie had been made as it ought to haue been wée should haue been become their maisters vnto whom wee now are subiects Wherfore it hath left vs in the same state that wée haue béen learned to liue in many yeares ago and for that wee make so little accompt of our owne forces and do so much esteeme of straungers it may one day happen to be the occasion of our ruine if our neighbours should enterprise ioyntly to come vpon vs. For one part alone hath put Fraunce in great feare to weet the Switzers when as they came downe into Burgundie so that to make them to retier back againe it cost vs great sommes of monie And so much fayled we of the courage to present our selues in battell to resist them that the greatest part made their accompt to make them place and to runne out of the country O almightie God! what was become of the ancient valour of Fraunce At the name whereof all the nations both on this side and on the other side of the sea did tremble and which was in possibilitie to assault other countries and not to be troubled at home but by her owne nor constrained to buy peace sith those that sould it vnto vs were in fewe yeares before not able to resist in their owne countrie the armie of King Charles the 7. vnder the conduct of Lewis his sonne being at that time Daulphine since king We may beléeue that their comming down was for our profite sith they serue vs for an example for by the great troubles that Fraunce was in for 20. or 30. thousand Switzers all a foote ill furnished with artillerie and with all other things to inuade such a countrie may bee coniectured what it would do if the same Switzers should come againe And furthermore if the Almaignes Flemings Englishmen Spanyards and Italians should come vpon vs with one common consent who could want nothing but good agreement I could not imagine how we should find meane to withstand such a coniuration For to tarrie to make hed vnto them were a much worse counsaile then that of Monsiure Tremouille was to appease the Switzers with crownes because that disordred people ill trained and ill furnished cannot serue for any other purpose against people well ordred well trained and well furnished with armes and withall that appertaineth vnto such a busines but to harten and to encourage them the more And as for vs to trust vnto that the frontiers are well furnished with strong townes is a hope euill assured for whosoeuer is Lord of the plaine countrie I meane of so great and large a countrie as Fraunce is shall easily afterward haue the vpper hand of the places that they keepe principally when so great a number or a great part of those that I haue spoken of shall enter in at diuers places euery nation vpon his quarter that they had deuided the countrie before hand For else we might haue some reason to hope that in forbearing they might seperate themselues through discord or that a part taking might be practised notwithstanding these things must haue time and in the meane while wee should suffer many euills to be committed before our eyes without remedie And suppose that to see such a desolation to come to passe vpon so noble a realme were almost a thing impossible yet is there none more apparant remedie to withstand it and to take away from our sayd enemies all the occasions that might hinder them from the conceipt of this impossibilitie then to make our selues strong with our owne people I meane so strong that those that now do take pension of vs should be very glad to be simplie allied vnto vs and others which priuilie haue shewed themselues to be our enemies should be constrayned to dissemble and those which dissemble should openly shew themselues to be our friends by good proofe Which to bring to passe I would not counsaile that our force should be any whit mingled with straunge souldiers aswell for to haue the credite vnto our selues when as our souldiers should do any good seruice as also to auoyde the great daungers that might happen by an armie made of many nations for that is the occasion oft times that our enemies do knowe our secrets almost assoone as they are spoken except it should be to weaken our enemies or to content our confederats and to get the good will of the countrie where the warres should be made
in an ill minde a dishonest bodie and a cankered heart there can neuer enter nor dwell any poynt of vertue If then the souldiers may be found well conditioned at the first there must bee order taken that they may so continue while they are in their bands and therefore it should be necessarie that they might alwaies be occupied to kéepe them from idlenes and this occupation should be either in doing their owne busines or in exercising their armes which they might vse vpon holidaies and vpon other daies attend vnto their own busines and labour in their science and they that haue no occupation ought to bee constrained to learne one within a certaine time I speake of those that are no gentlemen to the intent that they may haue maintenaunce when as the warres are ended that haue no lands In this doing the king should finde himselfe without comparison to bee better serued of them then he is of those who make the warres their occupation At the vttermost if the danger that might happen by this leuie should be thought to be asmuch as the profite or more and that the king his counsell rested vpon this conclusion that it were more sure for to let his commons to sleepe in time of peace then to awake them by putting armes into their hands At the least me thinke that when warres did happen and when there is question to leuie men in Fraunce wee ought to helpe our selues in chusing souldiers after this manner and that they should be compelled to inroule themselues in such sort as I haue sayd for which there must be good authoritie giuen vnto the Captaines and likewise good time to choose and leuie them in As for to leuie them as we are accustomed it hath no order in it I meane if wee will haue men of seruice for in this case the Captaines are constrained to receiue all that come vnto them aswell the good as the bad and sometimes the worst do make themselues to be intreated and to bee bought dearer then if they were any thing worth and notwithstanding they must bee had if it were but to fill vp the number I would therefore that the Captaines might haue more time to make their bands then they haue in which time they should bee bound to vse great diligence in trayning their men and in trayning them to march toward the place of meeting making small iornies to exercise them vpon the way How Souldiers ought to be armed and weaponed both according vnto the manner that was vsed in the old time and that which we do vse at this present The 4. Chapter AFter that these men are chosen and inroulled they must bee armed the best and surest way that may bee deuised and in such sorte that they may haue an aduauntage of all other men For which cause me thinke it were good to examine what armes the auncient souldiers did beare and those that wee do vse at this day to the intent to take those that might be thought most surest The Romanes deuided their footmen into heauie armed men and into light armed men They called their light armed men Velites vnder which word were vnderstood all those that vsed Slings Darts and Bowes the greatest part whereof as saith Polibius were armed with a Sallet and carried a Target vpon their armes to couer themselues and fought with out order a good distance from their heauie armed men Those that were heauie armed had a head-peece that came down to their shoulders and were armed vpon their bodies with curets whose tasses did couer them vnto the knees Moreouer their armes and legges were armed and they carried a Shield that was foure foote long and two foote broade which Shield was bound with yron aloft and belowe to keepe it from cleauing and wearing and in the middest of it was a bosse of yron fastened to abide blowes the better Besides that they had a sword girt to their left sides on their right sides a short dagger and in their hands a Darte called Pilum which they threwe when they began the combate Some wrighters do say that besides the foresayd Shield they carried a Pike namely the souldiers of Greece but that should seeme impossible for as much as they would haue béen troubled enough to haue vsed one of those weapons alone and as for to vse them both at once would haue been but little for their ease for the Pike alone requireth both handes On the other part the Shield serued but only to couer them because it was not very maniable nor likewise would the Target bee handled very well for it would bee too combersome except that at the beginning of the combate they should vse the Pike hanging their Targets vpon their backes and entring the approach so neere that the Pike might stand them in no more steade they then casting it from them might helpe themselues with their Targets and their Swordes And as for those that do carrie the Pike as if they could carrie nothing else I say that if they did but thrust with their Pikes the Target might hinder them nothing at all although they should beare it in that manner that it ought to bee borne The Greekes laded not themselues with so heauie harnes as the Romanes did but they gaue themselues more to the vse of the Pike principally the Phalanges of Macedonia who carried Pikes of ten cubites long called Sarisses with the which they enforced their enemies to beate their rankes and yet kept themselues in order but sith the Romanes did conquer the whole world wee may beleeue that they were the best armed of all others The fashiō at this day is to arme a foot man with a corselet cōplet or with a shyrt of male and a head-piece which me think is suffcient for the defence of a man and I finde our manner of arming to be better then the Romanes And as for our offensiue weapons we do carry the sword as they did but somewhat longer the other weapons are the Pike the Halbard the Pertisan the Harquebusse and many others lesse in vse amongst Souldyers and the Target but that there is but little accompt made of it except it be for some assault neither is there almost any man that will lade himselfe with it except Captaines The Harquebusse hath bin inuented within these fewe yeares and is verie good so that it be vsed by those that haue skill but at this present euery man will be a Harquebusier I knowe not whether it be to take the more wages or to be the lighter laden or to fight the further off wherein there must be an order taken to appoint fewer Harquebusiers and those that are good then many that are worth nothing for this negligence is cause that in a skirmish wherein tenne thousand Harquebussados are shot there dieth not so mutch as one man for the Harquebusiers content themselues with making of a noyse and so shoote at all aduentures The Halbards are armes newly inuented as
their enemies that féeling their bodies so laden with harnesse they should not hope to saue themselues by flight but to dye in the place or to win the victory Vegetius complaineth that the Souldiers in his time were too light armed and followed not the auncient Romanes who commonly did surpasse vanquish their enemies because they were alwaies well armed and the others ill armed If our souldiers will then be accompted for to be valianter men then their neighbors it is necessary that they should arme themselues as sure as they might possibly chiefely those that should be the force of the battailes and so likewise should the others that are for skirmishes to giue their enemies the more trouble to defend themselues and to be of the more force to resist them And for this intent I say that the extraordinary Piks should be armed with curets sléeues of male and with a good headpéece The halbards should be armed likewise after the same manner and the Harquebusiers Archers and crossebowmen should be armed with a shirt sléeues of male and with a good headpeece or for want of a shirt of male they should haue cotes of plate and good Iacks yet they are almost out of season but that maketh no matter so there be any aduantage to be found by them They ought to be furnished of all these armes by the King but the armes should be better chosen then those were that were giuen vnto the other Legionares The Captaines must haue a care to disperse these armes and to distribute them as they ought to be giuing the heauyest armes to wéet the Pikes and Halbards vnto the greatest and strongest men and those which were meet to be handled by nimble fellows should be giuen vnto the lesser sort of men not forgetting to inrowle the armes and weapons that euery man doth take vpon him to beare to make them to be coumptable for them and to punish those that should alter their armes without leaue for that after a Souldyer hath taken vpon him to carry a Pike he may not take vppon him to carry a Harquebusse without leaue of the Colonel nor the Harquebussier may not take a Pike or a Halbard for that if the Souldyers should be at libertie to change armes at their pleasure the number of euery sort of armes would increase or decrease at all houres and I do intend that the number of euery sort of armes should be alwayes one to raunge the Legions in battaile the readier And if it should happen any of those that should make the bodie of the battaile to dye or to be sicke or to runne away because the place should not be emptie there must one of the Pikes of the flanks be put in his place Of these Pikes of the flanks shall be more spoken of héereafter When as the armes are distributed euery Captaine ought to furnish himselfe with certaine honest men amongst whome he shall choose one of the most vertuous for his Lieutenant and another for his Ensigne bearer and the other for Officers and for that these Offices ought commonly to be serued by Gentlemen and I haue said before that Gentlemen should be exempted out of the leuy at the first they must not be offered any wrong But if so be that they do once inrowle themselues they shal be bound afterward to serue the King in the same sort and as long as the simplest of the Legionaries and not be discharged after they haue once giuen their names vntill the King do giue them leaue It were good that a certaine tearme should be limited as 15. yeares or more at the King his discretion The manner how to distribute a great number of Souldyers into many bands and how to bring many bands into one principall number The 5. Chapter THe nations which héeretofore haue had ordinarie bands of footemen did make one principall number of the people which they leuied which number although it hath béen diuersly named yet hath it béen almost one because that they haue all instituted it to be betwixt sixe and eight thousand men and this number by the Romaines was called Legion by the Greekes Phalange by the Frenchmen Caterue and the Switzers Almaignes do tearme it in their language Hourt which is as mutch to say as Battailon in ours the Italians Spanyards do vse this word Battailon but for that men chosen by election do deserue to be called Legionares the King himselfe hauing vsed this tearme as the most fittest I will vse it likewise as he hath done And for that the Romanes as sayth Vegetius made their Legions of sixe thousand and one hundred men I will make these Legions which I do ordaine to be of the same number and will afterwards deuide the said number into twelue bands and therein I shall differ from them for they deuided their Legions into tenne bands of which they made their Battailons and I will do as they did and yet haue two bands for the Forlorne hope for so I will tearme them that shall begin the Battaile Euery one of the tenne Bands shall be gouerned by a Captaine and vnder euery Captaine there shall be a Lieutenant and an Ensigne bearer one Sergeant of the Band a Clarke two Drums and one Phife and besides these members and officers euery Captaine shall haue fiue C. ten men vnder his charge the which shall be deuided into sixe small companies which six Corporals or Centeniers shall gouerne of which Corporals fiue shall be reserued for the body of the Battailon the sixt shall serue for the flanks Vnder euery Corporall there shall be four Chefs of Squadrons vnder euery Chefe there shall be two Deciniers and vnder euery Decinier shall be nine men so that euery Chefe of squadron shall gouerne twentie men he himselfe shall be the one and twentith The Corporall shall be Chefe of 85. with his owne person Foure of these Corporalls shall haue all their men to carry Pikes and the fift shall haue all his to be Halbardiers except that for to arme the flanks of the Halbardiers euery one of the Deciniers vnder this Corporall shall haue thrée Pikemen and all the rest shall be Halbardiers Those of the sixt Corporall shal be the one halfe Pikemen the other halfe Harquebussiers except that we would mingle some Archers amongst them and make that the one chiefe of squadron should haue all his men to be Harquebusiers and that the other chiefe of squadron should haue one Decene of his men to be all Archers and the other Decene to be all Crossebowes to the intent to haue seruice of these people in places where the Harquebusiers should be vnseruiceable as in the rayne as is aforesaid or to make any secret charge where the fire might discouer them or in any other place where these two weapons might serue more sure then the Haquebusse The two bands of the Forlorne hope shall be 868. men so that either of them shall be 434. men
the Battailon they should first be Pikemen or Halbardiers amongst the Hastaries which is the third place the fourth are the Princes the fift Triaries the sixt to be Decenier the seauenth to be chiefe of Squadron the eight to be Corporall the ninth to be Ensigne-bearer whether it were of the Batailon or of the Forlorne hope the tenth Lieutenant the eleuenth Captaine the twelfth Colonell And for the Horssemen the first point is to be Harquebusiers the second Hargoletiers the third light horssemen the fourth a man of Armes the fift a Decurion of Harquebusiers the sixt a Decurion of Hargoletiers the 7. a Decurion of light horsemen the eight a Decurion of men of armes or conductors of hargoletiers or Harquebusiers the ninth Guydon the tenth Ensigne the eleuenth Lieutenant and the twelfth Captaine Concerning the other places as Harbingers Sergeants of Bands Sergeants Maiors Marshals of Legions Maisters of Campe or Prouost for it is all one and others theirs are offices but not degrées whereby a man ought to attaine vnto the estates of the two Soueraignes except the King did appoint it to be so who may alter and change all orders As concerning the officers that ought to be in an Hoast besides these that I haue héere spoken of there must be first of all some wise man who should execute the office of Chauncellor or Councellor as you will tearme him and a maister of the Ordinance a Threasorer and a Marshall of the Campe we might appoint also a Prouost generall Now to appoint vnto euery one of these principall Chiefe their places the army being ready for the Combate and likewise vnto the other officers heere aboue named we must say that the Lieutenant Generall ought to be vpon the right side betwixt the footemen and the horssemen for that is the fittest place to gouerne an army The Kings Lieutenant Generall may haue in his company a 100. or 200. chosen men some a horssebacke and some a foote of which number there shall be some sufficient to execute a charge of importance he himselfe must be a horssebacke and so armed that he might helpe himselfe both a horssebacke and a foote according vnto the occasion that might be giuen His Cornet must be by him which is the Ensigne of those that are Chiefes of Armyes and the Kings Trompet generally after whose sound all the Trompets of the army must gouerne themselues and the souldyers likewise The Lieutenant generall of the army ought then to be vpon the right side for it is the fittest place to giue order vnto all parts of the battaile and to ouer-looke them with least trouble except the scituation of the place were fitter vpon the other side but I suppose that this Hoast is raunged in some faire plaine The Captaine generall of the footemen shall be at the head of that space that is left betwixt the two middle Legions to gouerne all the foure Legions and to remedy the accidents that may happen and therefore he shall haue about him certaine extraordinary footemen or may vse certaine Pikemen and harquebusiers of the flanks if he will specially those of the flanks betwixt the two middle Legions for it will be long before that they should be assayled there The Captaine Generall of the horssemen shall be vpon the left side to gouerne there as the Lieutenant Generall doth gouerne the right side and may haue about him certaine footemen Pikes and Harquebusiers which he shall take from the Forlorne hope and shall cause them to fight amongst the horssemen without kéeping order The Ordnance ought to be placed at the front of the Army except the ground were such that it might be placed vpon the flanks or else-where in some sure place where the enemyes might not easily come to it The maister of the Ordnance ought to be with his charge and his Officers and Gunners with him a good number of the chiefe Officers ought to be about the King his Lieutenant Generall and the rest behinde the Battailes to haue a regard vnto that might happen there As for the Baggage it should be placed in some place either strong by nature or by arte and the seruaunts of the Hoast may kéepe it and for this purpose I required that they should be chosen to be such as might serue for souldyers at a néede And an Hoast ranged after this manner héere spoken of might in fight do asmutch as the Greekes Phalanges or as the Romane Legions might do because that there are Pikemen in the front and vpon the sides and moreouer the Souldyers are ranged in sutch sort that if the first ranke should be slaine or beaten downe in fight then those that are in the second might presently supply theyr places and fill theyr ranks according vnto the vse of the Phalanges On the other part if the first ranks of Hastaries were so violently charged that they should be enforced to breake they might then retire vnto the Princes which are at their backs and range themselues anew betwixt their ranks who are not so thicke placed as the Hastaries for they are two bands lesse then they Moreouer there is a greater distance from the first ranke of the Princes vnto the last then the said Hastaries do occupie in their order and therefore they may fight anew and shew their faces being ranged with the Princes And when as this would not serue the turne they might retyre the second time as they did the first and enter betwixt the Triaries and fight the third time so that this manner of relieuing furnishing of the places of those that are striken downe is both according vnto the Greekes and Romanes manner Furthermore it were not possible to frame a more stronger forme of Battaile then this because that all the sides of the Battailes are most excelently well furnished with Chiefes and good armes so that they can not be assayled at any part that is not strong and well gouerned héerewith considered that the enemyes are verie seldome so great a number as they might assayle those with whome they should haue to do alike vpon all partes And if it were so that they were strong ynough to do it I would neuer counsaile the weaker to offer the Battaile nor to accept it nor to goe out of his Fort into an open Countrey But if the enemy were so strong that he had three times as mutch people as you and as good Souldyers as yours and should assayle you in diuers places if you could repulse but the one part the others would do no great deede for who so should assayle hys enemyes vpon diuers sides must of necessitie weaken and diminish his Battayles and be constrained to range them so farre asunder that if one part should be repulsed hauing no body to succour it the other parts would be dismayed or at least would but weakely resist And as for the enemy his horsemen if they were stronger then you yet are you assured from them by meanes of the Pikes which
occasioned to make the Halberdiers of the Hastaries to fight but only the first eight rankes of pikes neither haue we béen inforced to retire the Hastaries within the Princes nor to make the Triaries to feele of the warres for the Hastaries haue béen strong enough of themselues to abide the enemie his forces and to ouercome them Wherefore there resteth no more to be spoken in this matter but to shewe the reasons that made me to raunge these Battailes in the manner aforesayd and what moued me to order the things that are happened in this Battaile as I haue ordred them which I will do aswell and as briefly as possiblie I may The Authour yeeldeth a reason for euery thing that was done both before the beginning of the battaile after The 13. Chapter TO giue a reason why I made our Ordnance to discharge but once and why I caused it immediatly to bee retired betwixt the Battailes and what hath béen the occasion that I haue made no mention of it since and likewise why I sayd that the enemies had shot too high for it should séeme that I had layd the Ordnance at mine own pleasure to make it to shoote high or lowe as I would my selfe As concerning the first poynt I say that all men ought to haue a more regard to defend themselues from the enemie his shot and that it is a thing of more importance then to offend them with theirs For if so be you would that your Ordnance should shoote more then once of force your enemies must haue as great leisure to discharge against your battailes as you haue to discharge against theirs which cannot be without the hassarding of your people vnto the daunger of the sayd Ordnance which may do you many great domages before you come to handie strokes Wherfore it is better that your Ordnance should cease his effect then that in vsing of it your enemies Ordnance should weaken you in killing your good Souldiers for you must take heed of the blowes that do come farre of being assured that through the good order that your men are in so that your rankes may aborde the enemie you shall easilie obtaine the victorie for that your people are better practised raunged and armed then your enemies are So that you ought to haue care of nothing so much as to bring your Souldiers to encounter with your enemies their rankes being whole And for to keepe you from being indomaged with your enemies Ordnance it would bee necessarie that you should bee in such a place whereas it might not offend you or behind a wall or a rampar for there is nothing else that might saue you Yet to bee well assured it were necessarie that they should bee very strong but forasmuch as Captaines that wil giue battailes may not be couered with walls and rampars nor likewise put themselues into places where Ordnance may hurt them it must be therefore of necessitie that sith they cannot finde a meane to wholly assure themselues that at the least they do finde some one meane which may saue them from being too much indomaged And the best remedie that I do see herein is that that I am about to tell you which is presently to seeke to hinder the vse of the sayd Ordnance by assayling it speedilie without keeping order not slowlie or in troope for by meanes of the diligence that you vse herein you shall giue them no leisure to double their shot And for that your men are scattered it shall hit the fewer when it doth shoot and you knowe that a band being in order may not do this because that if it should march in so great hast as it were necessarie it should do it is certaine that the rankes would put themselues into disorder And if so be that the said band should be spred wide the enemie might breake it easilie because the rankes are broken of themselues without vsing any other force vnto them To withstand which perill I haue ordred this armie after that manner that it may do both without danger to wéete the Forlorne hope the Harquebuziers of the flancks who with the Hargoletiers and Harquebuziers on horseback are appoynted expressely for to charge vpon the enemies Ordnance and to hinder the vse of it which cannot be done if that the Ordnance should shoot alwaies for the reasons that I haue aboue alleadged which is that you cannot haue that leisure your selfe and take it away from others It followeth then that to make the Ordnance to bee of no value there is no other remedie but to assault it speedilie And if you can enforce the enemies to abandon it then you may vse it your selfe and although they would hinder you from the vsing of it yet they must leaue it behind them so that being inioyed by you or troubled by them it shall remaine vnseruiceable I conclude then that if you will defend your battailes from the Ordnance you haue no other remedie but to surprise it with the greatest speede that may bee possible As concerning that poynt that it might seeme that I had guided the enemies Ordnance at my pleasure making the shot to flye ouer our footmen I aunswere that great Ordnance doth oftner misse footmen then touch them for that the sayd footmen are so lowe and the Ordnance is so troublesome to bee vsed that how little soeuer it bee raysed the shot doth flye ouer their heads and if it be layd a little too lowe the shot liteth vpon the ground so that it commeth not amongst them If the ground wherein they are raunged bee any thing bowing it saueth them also but if the place were plain I would put the horsemen behind the battailes chiefly the men of armes and the light horsemen vntill such time as the Ordnance were vnseruiceable for by meanes of their height and close raunging for that they are raunged closer then the Hargoletiers or Harquebuziers on horsebacke they may be sooner hit then footmen One thing there is the enemies small shot may greatly annoy vs but we haue it aswel as they But to auoyd the worst there is no better remedie then to come to the combate although that at the first assault there are alwaies some slaine as some alwaies must dye at the first encounter yet the perticular daunger is not so much to be feared as the generall for that the losse of fiue hundred or a thousand men cannot bee so domageable but that the losse of a greater troope would be more except the losse should fall vpon some of the Chiefes and yet in such a case wee must not bee too much amased nor accompt the battaile to be lost for that for the default of one principall Chiefe there are so many other Chiefes distributed and raunged in so good order that the losse of one perticular Chiefe could not be mist so much as a man woulde thinke it shoulde be But this busines cannot bee done with out perill and all being well waied our maner is
enemie or to do any other good action they dare scant to do it before that they haue giuen aduertisment vnto those that haue giuen them the charge of the hoast Which manner hath béen borrowed of the Venetians and therfore their armies are called Campes of safetie because they seldome or neuer come time enough for when as their Generalls haue any good oportunitie to fight or to assault a towne they loose it whilest they are constrayned to send vnto the Senate for counsaile stay for answere so the time passeth and their enemies prouide in the meane time If the King therefore do permit him that shall be his Lieutenant to vse his own will he shall bee much better serued then if he do limit vnto him his charge and the said Lieutenant likewise will not at any time do any thing but to his contentment if the king do make choyse of a man of the good conditions spokē of before and the said Lieutenant haue regard vnto that that shall be spoken of after that I haue sayd somewhat of the matter which I left before which to take in hand againe to procéed further I pray the reader to remember that which hath bin spoken of before for it is necessarie for the vnderstanding of that which followeth For that I do thinke the manner of raunging of an armie in battaile by me shewed in the first booke to be better then all the other vsed vntill this day I haue made choyse of it And although it bee a good and sure manner notwithstanding we must looke if the auncient men of warre haue not vsed some singularitie in this matter wherewith the Captaine Generall which may haue charge of these Legions or of other better ordred may helpe himselfe at this day and then immediatly we must speake of certaine considerations that he must haue before his eyes at all times before that he do giue battaile and all vnder one I will speake of the accidents that sometimes do happen in that poynt and of the remedies that may bée found for it is a matter of no small importance to haue the gouernment of this busines for although the combat betwixt two armies cannot continue much longer then two or three houres yet the repentance of the euill gouernment is of too long a continuance and of a merueilous consequence Note that of all the manners of raunging of a battaile that may bee vsed there is none more daungerous then to make the fronts of the Battailons broade and by that meanes to make the fewer rankes except you haue a great number of people and that they likewise bée good Souldiers for else you must rather make the Battailon thicke and not too large in front then of great breadth and so much the thinner because that the thicknesse of a Battailon is that which doth resist an enemie and ouerthrowe him for the number of rankes do serue to amend the formost ranke and to come to the combate in their places and likewise to giue horsemen the more trouble to breake through them And if the generall Chiefe haue too small a number in comparison of his enemies then must he seeke to bring his armie into some place which may be inuironed on some side either with riuer or marish or other place naturally strong and there range it in battaile hauing a regard not to bee assaulted on euery side nor to be inclosed And if the place were such the none of all these cōmodities might be found he must then make trenches vpon the two flancks of his battailes and behind if he will and take this for a generall rule that is to enlarge or to narrowe the fronts of his Battailons according vnto the number of his people and according vnto the force of his enemies hauing alwaies regard vnto the place that he is in for in a narrow place you must narrowe the rankes and in an open place not enlarge them too much These Legions may at all times keepe one forme for they haue their rankes so ordred that they are no wider nor narrower then they ought to be notwithstanding the place doth rule all But let vs put case that the enemies haue a lesse number then our Generall hath he ought then to intice them into a large and open ground to the intent not only to haue scope to charge them vpon euery side but also to stretch out his rankes and order his battailes according vnto our Militarie discipline which is an aduantage that he cannot haue in straight and troublesome places for that he might not order his people vnto his will nor according vnto their order whereof the Romanes in times past were very carefull and auoyded asmuch as they might narrowe vnfit places sought open and large places If so be that this Generall haue too fewe people or that those which he hath were not well practised Souldiers he must do the contrarie for then he must seeke out those places that are fit to preserue a small number in as mountaines prouided that he might find victualls not suffer want for so a strong countrie might preserue a small number and he must alwaies make choise of the higher ground to haue the better meane to offend an enemie and bee well aduised neuer to plant his armie vpon the side of a hill nor in any lowe ground neere vnto any bancke or hill because that the lower ground would be subiect vnto the enemies Ordnance if they should occupie the higher against which inconuenience there could no other remedie be found but to chaunge the place and to get further of Moreouer he that doth order an armie to giue battaile must haue a regard of the Sunne and the winde to the intent that neither of them should be in his Souldiers faces for they would greatly hinder their sight to weet the Sunne with his brightnesse and the winde with that it driueth before it Moreouer the violence of the wind oftimes is such that it doth trouble the pikemen horsemen and archers that they cannot helpe themselues with their Pikes Launces and Bowes so well as when it is calme Imagine how they should be serued if they had it in their faces The Romanes thereby lost the battaile at Canouse agaynst Anniball And as for the Sunne it is requisite to take heed that it bee not in the faces of the Battailons when they are readie to giue battaile and also consideration must bée had that in mounting or descending it do not trouble them and therfore the Battailons must bée raunged at the Sunne rising with their backes towards it and giue battaile before the Sunne should decline to bée in their faces or if the enemie had the aduantage of the Sunne in the morning then must they deferre to enter into battaile vntill noone and so they might haue the aduantage of the Sunne at afternoone This was obserued by Marius agaynst the Cimbres and by King Phillip Augustus against the Flemings If this Generall had a
kept themselues in the higher ground being there placed to haue doone him mischiefe enough if it had not béene spéedily looked into the sayd Lorde sent immediatly part of his people vnder the charge of Monsieur Dambres to get the higher ground to driue away his enemies which thing those that were sent did so well execute marching alwayes vpon the higher ground on the winges of his Battailes that there was not a Frenchman hurt afterwardes whereas before they were a marke for their enemies to shoote at it is all the remedye that may bee vsed in suche lyke passages But if it were in a plaine Horssemen with the helpe of Harquebusiers may staye an enemie farre off without hindering of the Battailes in loosing of theyr time for that Horsemen may maintaine a skirmish with an enemy winning ground alwaies not running far from the battaile nor forgetting themselues otherwise True it is that in marching in this order square it were necessary that the Country should be euen open that the battail might alwaies continew as it was ordred and therfore it should be necessary to haue a great number of Pioners to make the way plain open wheras it should passe the said Pioners might be defended by the Hargoletiers and other discouerers if their enemies were not able to repulse them but if so be that their enemies were of force sufficient to repulse the saide discouerers the other horsemen following at their backs would relieue them or if it came to the worst the Pioners might retyre within the battailes and the horsemen vnto the flanks if they could not stay their enemies otherwise for which enemies there néede no iot of this order of martching be changed except that they were so great a number that they might assail these Legions ranked in battaile but this assault cannot be done so suddainely but that the Generall shal haue time inough to retire the Pyoners to range his people in order to giue battaille for as he in marching on his way doth go but an ordinary pace so an enemy in comming towards him doth martch but an ordinary pace so that the one aswell as the other doe goe so leasurelie that they shall alwaies haue leasure inough to prouide on both sides Besides the discouerers who are abroad will aduertise the said Generall time inough then hee may bring the Legions into the same order that is taught in the first booke and if he be assaulted vpon the front he may turn the mouth of the Cannon towardes his enemies and put the horsemen vpon the wings and cause the third Legion to range themselues in their first order and accustomed place and the fourth likewise and the Princes and Triaries of eache Legion to take their places In the meane while the ordnance may play their partes and the forlorne hope with the Harquebusiers a horsebacke and hargoletiers many likewise doe theirs The Baggage must bee retyred behind the Legion with the Pyoners and the vnarmed men who may make themselues strong with wagons coffers packes and other carriages with al which they may entrenche themselues if so be that they had no strong place neere to retyre vnto or time to fortifie Yet if leasure would serue it would be better to stay and to make some place strong before the battail then to hazarde a battaile before a Campe were made to retyre vnto if néed were And if so bee that the said enemie would assault these Legions behinde the Lieuetenant Generall must make the head of the Battailons that way or towardes any other part that he looketh to be assaulted vpon And if so be that the said enemie should assault him vppon two sides and that hee were of force inough to doe it this Generall ought to take Souldiers from the other two sides that are not assaulted to strengthen those that are assaulted or els hee must vse another manner of order to witte to raunge the Princes and Triaries all in one front or to do otherwise that is in euerie Legion to retyre one band of Hastaries and to place it with another band of Princes and that those two bands should raunge themselues in 10. rankes at the backes of the said Hastaries and the other two bandes of Princes should retyre backwards to be ranged with the Triaries so that at the front their should be fower bandes and at the taile as many and the two bands in the midst shoulde stretche out their rankes and shoulde occupie asmuche ground in breadth as the other fower and this must bee doone throughout al the Legions and so their would be two fronts wel furnished and the Flankes also would bee sufficient inough of them selues besides the Pikes of the Flankes for to helpe them And when as the front were broken they might retire vnto the two bands in the midst to make an enemy to fight againe with them I haue spoken before of these two formes and therefore to returne to my matter I saye that if the Generall of our enemies Armie shoulde assayle these our aforesayde fower Legyons vppon two or three partes that eyther hee or wee were not bee thought wise For if a Generall Chiefe bee wise hee will neuer put hym selfe into a place where an enemye maye assayle hym with a great power vppon so many sides or parts For so it is that hee that will hurt another man and bee sure to take no hurt hym selfe but deale vppon the aduantage must néeds haue vpon euery side that hee would assaile his enemy asmuch people or very neer asmuch as his said enemie hath in all his if so be then that our Generall should he so euill aduised as to enter into a Prince his Countrie his enemie who had three or fower times as many Souldiers as him selfe and should take anye hurt there were no reason but that he should blame his owne lacke of vnderstanding not put the fault in his ill lucke But let vs put case that the General of our enemies hoast hath but a fewe Souldiers more then wee haue and not withstanding thinking to put vs into disorder he chargeth vs in diuers places you may say then that the folly is his and the aduantage is ours As for to assayle our fower legions in which of the fourmes abouesaid soeuer they should bee raunged hee shal be forced to make his battailes so thinne and small that our armie might easilie resist the one and beat the other and by that meanes get the victorie Our Generall might also if he thought it good raunge his Legions two and two together or euery one a part in manner of a square leaue a place emptie in the midst which he might doo after this maner that is that one Legion should make the front with his Hastaries the left Flank with his Princes and Triaries and that the other legion should make the tail with his Hastaries and the right Flanke with his Princes and Triaries and so these two Legions should
occupy 230. paces in breadth and 350. in length and the square that should be left empty in the midst should haue 110. paces in breadth and 230 in length Touching the raunging of these legions by themselues three bandes of Hastaries might make the fronte and the other two should be placed one band vpon the one Flanke and the other Bande vppon the other Flanke Likewise two bandes of the Princes might raunge themselues vpon the Flanks behind the other two bandes of the said Hastaries in a right line the third band should make the taile with the Triaries for by that means the space that one legion so ordred would occupie might bee 136. paces in breadth and 219. in length the space which is left empty in the midst should haue by this reckoning 16. paces in breadth and 99. in length This forme might serue as often as it should bee necessarie that the Legions should march through the countrie one after another or one alone not being accompanied with some good number of horsemen if so be that they would be prouided against the surprises and sodaine assaults of their enemies haue their sicke and hurt men and also their baggage out of daunger of the sayd enemies For that this manner of martching doth require that the way where it should passe should be large and euen and is also inuented but to withstand people that should assayle it without keeping order and at vnwares to the intent to put those that trauell into disorder if they could or at the least to make their hands with the baggage the chiefest remedie as I haue aboue said is to raunge the Souldiers in such order that they might defend themselues on euery side and also haue their baggage in a sure place for otherwise it would not be possible to defend it so well if it should bee without the battaile but that in martching and staying there might be much lost wherefore this order of martching for doubt of our enemies whom we see not is most necessarie And it would bee a most profitable thing to accustome our Legionaries to put themselues together and to martch in this order And vpon the way to take them out of this order and raunge them according vnto their first manner of battaile or like vnto the others which we haue shewed and immediatly to bring them againe into the order of martching that is here spoken of Moreouer to cause them to make the tayle of their battailes the head and the head the tayle and afterwards to make of either of the two flankes sometimes the one and sometime the other This done they may then be raunged againe in their first order and it shal be necessarie to exercise them often in these exercises if we will haue them to be right good and expert Souldiers for Militarie discipline is nothing else but to know how to begin and to execute the things aboue sayd wherein all Captaines and others that haue charge of the gouernment of Souldiers ought to take paines And I beleeue that an hoast so ordred should bee alwaies the vanquisher and could neuer at any time bee broken and vanquished If so bee that the formes aforesayd do seeme any thing hard it is most certaine that the difficultie will become easie enough by meanes of exercise Moreouer who so doth knowe how to raunge an hoast and to order them in these formes shall knowe the easier how to raunge and order an hoast in others which are not altogether so hard The order that a Lieutenant Generall ought to vse for the victualling of his armie and how the auncient Chiefes did vse their booties with diuers meanes that a Generall may vse to endomage his enemies and to keepe himselfe from surprise The 5. Chapter A Lieutenant Generall ought to haue a care so to prouide for his hoast that it might be frée of all incombrances as might bee possible and ought to looke into all those causes that might hinder the compassing of his enterprises Amongst all which there is none greater then this to weet to keepe a Camp furnished with bread and wine The auncient Chiefes were not carefull for wine for when the wine fayled them they dranke water mingled with a little vineger to giue it colour and sauour And amongst their prouisions for their hoasts there were no speeches made of wine but only to haue water and vineger Moreouer the auncient Souldiers had not their bread baked in ouens as we haue at this instant euery where but baked cakes themselues of a certaine quantitie of meale that was deliuered vnto them day by day out of the store and besides that a certaine quantitie of larde and this was all so that the victualls whereof the auncient Chiefes made their prouision for the sustentation of a Campe was only meale vineger and lard for the Souldiers and barley for the horses They had moreouer a great number of cattell both great and small that followed their Campes which cattell for that it needed not to be carted or carried nor likewise was fed with any thing that was carried was not chargeable nor troublesome vnto an armie which was the occasion in times past that their armies went many iournies through deserts and solitarie places without lacke of victualls for that they liued of victuall that might easely follow a Camp The Turke his Souldiers neede no wine because that their lawe doth forbid them to drinke it and also they go long without eating bread if so be that they may haue water and rice and seldome it is that they do suffer want for they carrie ordinarilie sackes full of poudered flesh minsed so fine that it seemeth to be a pouder and to eate this poudered flesh they take but a little at a meale and temper it in warme water and afterward sup it vp and so doe the sayd Turkes liue Moreouer if they haue great want of victuall the said flesh being spent they do let their horses bloud for they are almost all horsemen and do liue certaine daies with this bloud And if so be that the famine doe too much oppresse them they do kill their horses and eate them before they do forsake to do their Prince loyall seruice and the vttermost of their power which our delicate Souldiers will not do for they will very hardly serue one day without they bee in wine vp to the eares or full crammed readie to burst but when I say our Souldiers I meane those that are at this instant but not those that might bee leuied in Fraunce for that they might easely be made temperate enough so that the Chiefes themselues would giue them example and that they were not so much giuen vnto disordinate eating and drinking as they are The Scotchmen as sayth Froisard haue a very good manner to liue in time of warre for first of all they do carrie no prouision of bread and wine with them Moreouer they content themselus long time so that they may haue flesh but halfe
of their wages for being yong men and without care the more goods that they had the more they spent without neede the other reason was that the Souldiers should fight the more resolutly with the better wills defend him that had their goods in keeping So that by this meanes they became rich and valiant which manner we must vse and also the others before spoken of if we will reduce the exercise of the warres into it first estate But to returne to speake of the office of a Generall that would surely conduct an armie marching through an enemie his countrie from place to place because that sometimes there may happen many accidences wherein there are great danger which to withstand me thinke that it were requisit that a Lieutenant Generall should imploy his wittes and his Souldiers their vertues therefore it shal be necessarie to speake somewhat thereof Wherefore I say that as often as a Lieutenant Generall doth trauell with a great companie or a small that aboue al things he ought to prouide for the sodaine assaults and ambushes of his enemies into which he may fall two manner of waies for either he falleth thereinto of himselfe in trauailing or else he is entised thereunto by his enemies for lacke of taking heed To withstand the first manner it shal be néedfull to send out two or thrée troopes of discoueries before The first troope ought to be but a small number to runne on the one side the other to discouer The second should be of a reasonable force to back them if they should be assayled And the third ought to be stronger then the second for to resist a good force of their enemies if that they did méet them in the teeth And how much the fitter the countrie were for ambushes as full of woods hills and such like so much the greater should the troopes of the discouerers be for ambushes are most commonly made in a wood or behind a hill somtimes in caues and ditches alongst the banks of riuers if they be high enough sometimes in vallies and houses and behinde olde walls In briefe ambushes may be laid in all places how little couered soeuer they be specially for that footmen may lie down flat vpō the ground to be the lesse perceiued But as an ambush where there is no héed taken may do great hurt so being prouided for discouered it can do nothing at all The foules of the ayre haue oftimes discouered ambushes and so likewise hath the dust of the ground discouered the comming of an enemie because of the dust which an armie doth cause to rise in trauailing Paulus Aemelius Consull of Rome being to passe through a forrest with his men neere vnto a water seeing a farre of that many foule rose vp sodainly coniectured that in the water there were men hid because that the foule rose wholly afeard flewe ouer the water to fro without ceasse he therefore sending discouerers to see what it was and finding that there were 10000. Bohemians in ambush for to haue surprised him in passage caused his Legions to turne back again tooke another way that his enemies doubted not of surprised ouerthrew them that would haue surprised him Likewise Thyamenus the sonne of Horestes being aduertised that his enemies lay vpon the toppe of a high mountaine where he and his men should passe hauing sent to knowe the trueth by his discouerers who reported vnto him that it was otherwise then had béen told him before as the sayd Thyamenus was procéeding vpon his way he sawe a great number of foule rise from the place that he doubted which flewe round about not lighting whereby he vnderstood of his enemies ambush and sought another way to passe through As concerning the second poynt that is to bee inticed vpon an ambush a Generall ought alwaies to stand vpon his guard and ought neuer to giue credite vnto things that are but like vnto a trueth as if an enemie doth place before him some troope of cattle or other thing to pray vpon he may beléeue that it is but a hooke to catch him with all and a couering of his deceipt Likewise if a great number of his enemies Souldiers should flye before a small number of his men or that a small number of his enemies dare assault a great number of his he may be assured that it is not done without a consideration Moreouer if an enemie do sodainly flye without cause a Generall may bee assured that it hath a subtile meaning in it True it is that these things may oftimes be done without thinking of any euill specially when as they that make these shewes haue asmuch reason to doubt on their sides as the others on theirs notwithstanding the surest way in these cases is to take all that is done by the enemie at the worst except a man had a most certaine aduertisement Moreouer a Generall must not beleeue but that his enemie can do his busines with wisedome Wherefore if a Generall would take heed for being deceiued endomaged he ought to esteeme of his enemie most when he perceiueth him to be weakest and worst counsailed and in this busines he must vse two contrarie termes First of all he ought to doubt his enemie in his owne thought and in the gouernment of his armie but to dispraise him in speach and by all his outward demonstrations to make shewe that he maketh no accompt of him This doing the last manner will bee an occasion to animate his Souldiers to conceiue the better hope of the victorie against their enemies and the first will make him the more wary and aduised to kéepe him-selfe from surprice which is a thing more then necessary when as a Generall is in an enemy his countrey because that an army is there a thousand times more in danger then it may be vppon a day of Battaile And therefore he ought to be circumspect and ought to haue all the countrey described vnto him and platted in sutch sort that he might know all the places in the countrey distances from one place vnto another waies footepaths mountains fluds marshes riuers and all other qualities And for to vnderstand all this the better he must get those about him that know the countrey and must interogat them seuerally from point to point and afterwards hauing penned their answers he must conferre them together to try whether they be like or contrary And to be the better assured he must send out horsemen somewhat before into the countrey and certaine wise Chiefes with them to discouer the force and estate of his enemies and to sée if the description made vnto him by the others do agrée with the truth He must likewise haue a great regard that his guides be safe kept for many times false and traiterous guides haue bin the occasion of the losse of many a good man and so likewise haue false spies of whome to be well serued he must promise to giue
them great recompence for their paines in doing theyr duties faithfully and also must threaten them with death if that they should faile and deceiue him and aboue all things his army must neuer know vnto what place he doth determine to bring them for in all the exercise of the warres there is no one point more profitable then to kéepe secret that which is pretended And to the intent that an army should not be troubled or astonied through any sodaine assault the souldiers ought to be alwayes in a readinesse to receiue their enemies that is to say to be aduertised and taught what they should do if that they should be assailed either by night or by day while they rest or are vpon the way for things that are prouided for do least hurt We must also note this aduertisement to vse it when as we do trauaile through the countrey that is that the one part of the army should not be too farre from the other And for that some do goe sometimes too fast and others too slowe it should be néedefull to place certaine expresse Chiefes both before behinde and betwixt the battailes who should haue charge to cause them to march all of one forme and time kéeping backe those that goe too fast and hastening those that goe too slowly for if a Generall do not cause that to be done they will fall into a disorder which might happen to cause their ouerthrowe Euery man shall measure his pace according vnto the stroke of the Dromme and so their gate will be all one The single order of euery Legion for the time that they do march together I meane when they do march one after another and that they be farre from enemyes must be 21. men in a ranke who so would raunge the Legions readily in battaile and therefore there must be order giuen that the waies where that they should passe should be at the least broad enough to receiue the sayd number A Generall ought also to consider of the custome and qualitie of his enemy to wéete whether he vse to assayle in the euening or in the morning or in the night and whether he be strongest of footemen or of horsemen to the intent to prouide for him How a Lieutenant Generall ought to gouerne himselfe when he findeth himselfe too weake to abide his enemyes with certaine policies to escape their danger when as he is fallen into it and how to haue the aduantage of them The 6. Chapter I I hapneth sometimes that a Generall doth raise his Campe being néere vnto his enemyes because that he doth perceiue himselfe to be too weake and therefore is neither determined to offer nor to accept Battaile but would auoide it by all meanes possible but so it is that his enemies are alwayes at his backe and endeuour to follow him as much as they may and therefore the said Generall séeking to auoid the danger he is like to fall into doth get away as fast as he can vntill at lēgth he doth ariue at the edge of a riuer which doth hinder him for want of ready passage so that his enemyes may ouertake him whilest he is at this point and enforce him to fight how vnwilling soeuer he be The remedy in this case is to imitate the example of Sertorius who hauing his enemies at his héeles being ariued at the edge of a riuer which he should passe deuised to stay his enemies whilst he did passe to enclose his Campe with a trench in forme of a halfe Moone and placed wood and other things apt to burne round about the said trench and afterwards set it on fire the flambe whereof was so vehement that his enemies durst neuer aduenture to make way through and by that meanes he passed ouer the said riuer at ease and saued himself Pelopidas of Thebes did the like in Thessalia Hanno being inclosed with his enemies enuironed the place where he would issue out at with a great many fagots not making any trench at all and causing the wood to be set on fire wherevpon his enemies assembling to keepe the other issues for they neuer thought that he could haue passed that way he went through the fire with his people hauing admonished thē that they should couer their faces with their targets their thighes with their skirts Quintus Luctatius being neere pursued of that Cimbres comming vnto the edge of a riuer that he should passe made shew to tarry for thē to haue that safer passage faigned to place his Camp there causing trenches to be made certaine tents to be raised and sent out certaine boyes for forrage by reason whereof the Cimbres thought that the Romanes would haue lodged all that night in that place and therefore they camped also deuiding themselues into many parts some going for forrage and other seeking to recouer victuals which when Luctatius perceiued he caused his forragers sodainly to be called back againe and immediatly passed the riuer without impeachment for his enemyes being scattered as is said could not assayle him at that instant for they could by no meanes haue béen assembled so sodainly to follow him Craesus seeing that he could not passe through a riuer called Halis and that he had nothing to help himselfe withall to make a Bridge caused a great ditch to be made which came from the saide riuer behinde his Campe which ditch was made so deepe that all the water in the riuer or at the least the greatest part thereof might issue out of the first currant into it which being done the riuer was drawne so lowe that his souldiers passed through almost dry shod And as for the passing through riuers with horssemen and footemen that are but of meane deapth but runne maruellous strong there is no other thing to be done but to place the greatest part of the horssemen which are best mounted vppermost toward the streame to resist and breake the force of the water and to place another part beneathe them leauing a broade passage betwixt them for the footemen and the other worst horsses to passe through without perill and if so be that the force of the water should ouerthrowe any of them those that were lowermost should succour him and take him vp But riuers that are not to be waded through must be passed ouer with bridges placed vpon boates which bridges and boates may be both carted and caryed alongst with an armye as we haue séene in our time one which the King caused to be made which was strong ynough to passe all carriges and the great Ordnance passed surely vpon it also and notwithstanding it was portable easy to be carted for one Waggon caryed one of those boates easily and the planks that were layd vpon it There may be many sorts of bridges made to passe riuers but that with boates is the surest and if there should be enemyes on the other side of the riuer to impeach the laying of a bridge or to kéepe the riuer
be reproached euer after and vpon this deliberation they fought so well that the Frenchmen who were tenne to one were fouly ouerthrowne and King Iohn taken Therefore in such a case it is good to be somewhat gratious specially when we are at that point that our enemies must defend thēselues of méere force for it were better to giue thē passage vpon some one side and by that meanes to giue thē some hope to saue thēselues the lesse will to resist then by thinking to ouerthrow thē quite to fall into the danger to be ouerthrown or to léese many men for this passage which I speake of is not to giue thē leaue to depart for altogether but is to haue a better meane to breake thē for that in thinking to scape quite and out of danger euery one of those that would defend themselues stoutly being constrained therevnto would not séeke or hearken to any other thing but how to saue themselues wherefore they would all thinke to escape some one way and some another and in this doing they would breake for as much as euery man would haue care but of himselfe A Generall ought likewise to let an enemy his army to passe whē it séemeth to be strong ynough to defend it selfe in the playne field and doth forsake the place without fighting mistrusting it selfe not to be strong ynough or dare not stay the comming of their enemyes for the departure only is greatly for his reputation vnto whome the place is left and how much more secretly that his enemyes do depart so much the greater is his credit that doth feare them away It is well knowne what retreat that the Spanyards did make at their departure from Troy without sounding Trompet or Dromme and that the said retreat was as great an honor vnto Mounsieur de Lautrec as almost the victorie would haue bin And that he looked into before which was the occasion that he constrained not his enemies for to fight least that he should haue fallen into any danger by that constraint also to shew apparantly that his enemies were no wayes equall vnto him he did not force them so much as to amend their gate and being aduertised time ynough of their flying and perswaded to pursue them he aunswered with Scipio that a man ought not only to leaue the way frée before his enemies to flye but also to amend and open it This matter requireth that we should héere speake of another great point that is how an Hoast might retyre from another when as it feeleth it selfe too weake to fight with an enemy or to abide his comming for all good Captaines affirme that in all the actions of the wars there is none more dangerous For that when a Generall doth retire without Combat being néere vnto his enemies he doth take away the valew of his souldiers and giue it vnto their enemies but so it is that these things do happen oft ynough and therefore I will shew how we may retire with the least daunger Aboue all things the souldiers may not knowe that their Generall doth retire to auoide the Combate but they must be made to beleeue that the retreat is made to draw their enemies into some other more commodious place to haue a more aduantage of them or that it is doone to make theyr enemies to follow them to bring the saide enemies vpon some ambush for who so would not alledge vnto his Souldiers some reason lyke a truthe for his sudden departure should make them to thinke that theyr Generall dooth retyre for the feare that he hath of his enemies being out of hope of his abilitie to resit them if he should come vnto the combate by means whereof they would fall into such a feare that how little force so euer their enemies should doe vnto them they would immediatly flye cheefely if it were by night for the prouerbe is that shame shutteth hir eyes by night and seeth not one iotte We must therefore in such cases dislodge so stilly that our enemies doe not perceiue it for it would be to be doubted that in the raising of the Campe they would giue vs an assault in which dooing those which before were in feare would by by put themselues into disorder therefore they that heeretofore haue béene constrained to vse such retreats placed their Horssemen vpon two sides like vnto two hedges and left awaye betwixt them through which way their footmen did retyre being couered with their Horssemen so that they could not bee perceiued by theyr enemies And after this maner they caused their battailes to passe one after another and when one battaile was eskaped it fortified it selfe in some place out of the enemie his sight staying whilest the others came who retyred in like manner as the first did and in the end all the armie did put themselues in saftie We must note that if this were doone by day that it ought to be in some couered place or plaine countrie for how little a hill soeuer that their enemies might haue vpon their side they might easily discouer this departing The order that an armie obserued heeretofore in remoouing by night was this first of all after it was determined what waye that they should take to saue themselues and at what crie or sound of the Trumpet that they should be ready to depart the Generall sent a good number of light armed men before as we would say the Forlorne hope which I haue appointed in this woorke to ceaze vpon all the places of aduantage and of all the straights that the Campe should passe through in retyring and when the Generall thought that they had ceazed vpon them all hee then set foorth with the rest of his armie and followed the first with as little noyse as might bee possible Now if his enimies vnderstood of this departure they immediatlye vsed all the diligence possible to ceaze vpon the passages which were taken before and kept by the light armed men not breaking their order if they were followed in this retreat the rest of the light armed men that were with the armie for it is to bee vnderstood they had remaining with them the one halfe or more kept at the tayle and vpon the flankes with the Horssemen who resisted their enemies with all their power skirmishing in retyring not stayeng long in a place but following the battailes as neare as they could as for to stay behind them there were no great wisdome and with these skirmishes both the Battailes and they went forwarde vpon their waye being little endamaged by their enemies nor hindered to arriue at the passages that their men kept for them At which passages when they were arriued hauing all their men together they incamped if the place were fit to doe it and that they knew an aduantage by it and might haue in it things necessarie for them without daunger and might bee reléeued in despight of their enemies or else they passed further and their light armed
men that were before at the tayle of their battailes marched now at the front and all the hoaste followed them and those who had kept the passages before who were fresh and had rested kept at the tayle to maintaine skirmish against their enemies whilest the others did goe theyr wayes they themselues following them skirmishing and resisting theyr enemies all daye long vntill such time as they did come vnto theyr lodging And this is concerning those that doe retyre in the sight of theyr enemyes which is more harde then when as they doe depart not beeing discouered in a good while after that they are remooued or vntill the next daye for in such a case they shall haue time enough to get away farre enough off from their enemies And those that would so dilslodge that theyr enemies being neare should not perceiue it ought to vse all the meanes that they may possible to make their enemies to thinke that they do still remaine in their fort they must dislodge by night their fyers must bee refreshed that they should not goe out in long time after their departure but continue burning vntill it were day Moreouer they must place the bodies of their dead if they haue any round about their trenche which should bee vnderset with shoores and clothed and weapened as if they were alyue or they should plant some bushes and clothe them with Souldiers apparell or stuffe the sayde clothes with grasse and leaue certaine head peeces placed vpon the trenche layeng stakes by them with matche burning for to represent Harquebusiers the one of these deuises will serue by night and the other by daye Moreouer they might leaue Dogges Bullockes Asses and Horsses made fast within their Campe whose cryeng neyeng and howling might make theyr enemies to beléeue that the Campe were not remooued and Cockes also would doe the like if there were anye in the Campe the Almaignes doe carrye good store I thinke not but these policies would couer the departing of an armie And when as the Ordnaunce could not be saued it might bee broken in péeces and carryed away to be new melted afterward or might bee buried so that it might afterwarde bee hard to be founde or if it should come vnto the woorst it coulde bee but loste although it should fall into our enemyes handes the losse whereof coulde not bee so great but the losse that might fall vpon the men would bee more to bee feared because that Ordnance might be easier recouered then the men that would bee loste to defende it notwithstanding at this daye wee doe make such accoumpt to preserue it that we doe almost forget all our other busines making our accoumpt that if it maye bee saued it is all that wee doe care for and that if it were left behinde all were loste for which cause wee leaue oft times to giue order for many things of great importance being troubled with a great quantitie of Ordnance which may not be left without a great gard to kéepe it notwithstanding the estimation that we doe make of it if it were requisite for an army to make any extreame hast whether it were to indomage an enemy or to kéepe vs from their hands through these occasions we must eyther abandon the said Ordnance or doe our busines ill as we did ours at Landrian for the desire that we had for to saue a naughtie Cannon Wherefore as often as we are in this extremitie it were much better for to saue the men albeit that the ordnance baggage other mooueables should be lost then to hazard men for a thing that may so easily afterward be recouered Sithe I haue before spoken of a retreat made in the sight of an enemie I will now speake of a retreat made which an enemie dooth not see Let vs put case that a Generall dooth retyre by night so secretlye that his enemies doe not perceiue his going vntill long time after his dislodging it is to be thought that in short time he will bee farre on his way and so far as it were not possible for his enemies to ouertake him what hast soeuer they should make whether they should pursue him or might pursue him if they would the sayd Generall can vse no better counsell then to trauaile daye and night without rest vntill such time as he were out of daunger in resting by the way to take great héed not to be one minute of an hower without good watch nor without Horssemen skouting out vpon the wayes a good waye of from his Campe and not suffer his Souldiers to goe out of their quarter but to be ready with their armes at euerye hower for to resist those that would assayle them and to set forward vpon the waye when they should depart and this order must bee kept at the meales that they doe make by daye and as concerning their night resting it must be as short as it may be possible the Souldiers hauing continually their armes in their hands that euery man might bee readye to defende himselfe If the stay that they did make by night should bee anye thing long I would counsell the Generall to lodge his men in some strong place of aduantage but the surest and safest waye is not to staye but to winne grounde as much as he may possible thinking vpon the daunger that he was in but a little before and the daunger and greefe it would bee vnto him to bee ouertaken through his owne default It were therefore better for him to vse diligence whilst he may doe it without let then to tarry the comming of his enemies and to bee constrained to fight or to fall into their mercie this dooing he shall saue himselfe and his people and giue his enemie no time to ouertake him or to force him to fight but the pursuer must take heed least in pursuing foolishly rashly he fall into the ambushes that are made in such cases against the pursuers who oft times become so audacious that they doe thinke scorne to foresee into anye thing that might hurte them so that those whome they doe pursue might easilye surprise and greatlye endomage them and sometime put them vtterlye into disorder if the Lieutenant Generall who is pursued be a man any thing hardy and aduenterous into which inconuenience they doe sometimes fall that are fullest of pollicy but those good Chiefes which will auoide it pursue as coldlye as they can the colder that they doe pursue the more they doe staye the gate of their people which staye dooth giue them the more leasure to get a way that doe retyre Moreouer it is better to be too slowe in this busines then too hastie for those that doe retyre haue many wayes to annoye them that doe pursue them specially if their way doe lye through a strong countrey or forrest for that they may cut downe trées and fell them crosse the wayes and likewise may laye ambushes which they may make vnto their aduantage being in
strong and couered places and in wayes fit for ambushes which sayde ambushes must be made by those that are the beast footmen or if that they should make ambushes of Horssemen they must bee of those that are best mounted to the intent they might retyre in safetie when they haue executed their charge in their ambushes they must not tarry or staye to long behinde the hoast least theyr enemies perceiuing them should cut them off from the armie But if the retreat be wisely handled the troopes not staying too long behind the armie the pursuers shall be in daunger to take more hurte through their pursute then those that doe retire through their retreat for the retirers shall better succour one another at their néede being néere together then those that do pursue vndiscréetly he that best may fastest And if that those that retyre doe diligently take héede of these small points and doe ceaze vpon the troublesome passages through which they must passe betime not delaying vntill that their enemies should get them it is to be hoped that they should saue themselues in despighte of their enemies except that some other inconuenience doe happen vnto them vpon the way which must be foreséene into after one of the maners spoken of before in shewing the meanes that a Generall might vse to eskape frō a dangerous place And although I had not spoken of all the perils into which they may fall sometimes that doe exercise the warres I suppose that hauing spoken of the most commonest a Generall Chiefe if he bee ought worth will finde a remedie of himselfe for the other In the maner aforesayde in mine opinion maye those retyre that finde themselues too weake to abide the aduenture of a battaile On the contrarye part if the pursuers haue kept so ill watche that they haue not vnderstood of their enemies departing vntill that they were gone a good part of their way there is no other remedye but to take paines to repayre that negligence by some other meanes But if it were so that they did before hand vnderstand of their determination to depart they should séeke to ceaze the passages and to breake them with trenches and to fell trees in their wayes or other things that might trouble the passage And must moreouer keepe their Battailons in good order ready to fight and the hoast readye to depart at all times and to haue them the readier to cause them to eate their meate as they ranged in Battaile not breaking their order to the intent that they might be readye to assaile their enemies at what time soeuer that they should make shew to put themselues vpon the waye for to follow them at the héeles and to inclose them at the passages which are stopt and ceazed vpon before And if so be that the countrie were so open that there could be no meanes found to stoppe them vpon the waye me thinkes that in this case there were no waye to staye them but to charge them behinde thicke and often and to trouble them in such sort that the hindmost should be constrained to stay to defend themselues and consequently the formost to succour them and those charges should be made by the Harquebusiers a Horssebacke and by the Hargoletiers amongst whome there should bee a good part of the Forlorne hope or some other extraordinary bands if there were anye at that time in the Campe. And if the enemie were too strong of Horssemen for these skirmishes then part of the light Horssemen must bee sent to succour them and the battailes must marche diligently in verye good order to fight with theyr enemies with the lightest Ordnance that they haue leauing theyr heauiest in some stronge place and also their baggage to make the more haste that nothing might hinder them to pursue their enemies nor to fight with them when they haue ouertaken them And when as the sayde enemies are dislodged so secretlye that they are so farre vpon the waye before it bee knowne that by no meanes they may bee ouertaken in a whole daye I knowe no other remedie but to follow them and that the Generall who pursueth doe it wiselye standing alwayes vpon his guarde that he fall not into his enimies ambushes and in persuing them it may happen that his enemies will thinke that they are eskaped out of his handes and become so negligent of thēselues that they will giue him time enough to ouertake them peraduenture be the occasion of their owne ruine for those who thinke to be in safetie and are carelesse to looke vnto theyr businesse doe oft tymes tryfle awaye the tyme vpon the waye for small occasion and thereby are ouertaken and sometymes they are founde out of order whilest that they doe eate or sleepe as our men were at Brignolle or are out of theyr quarters heere and there for forrage as sometime happened vnto Simon the Romane in Calabria and vnto manye others both before and since will happen except that he that retyreth foresee before all things to kéepe good watch on euery side and to fortifie himselfe where he meaneth to stay any tyme if it were but to withstande the assaultes that hys enemy might attempt against him euery hower which is a thing that ought one bothe sides to bee looked into for the pursuer is as much subiect vnto this inconuenience as hee that dooth retyre specially if their enemies haue any spies whom they may intrap for that of force those which doe pursue others hastily do wearie themselues with the great iourneys that they do make and being wearied and tyred they will haue the lesse regarde of themselues by which meanes the others who haue alreadye gotten the aduantage of the waye are at libertye to goe forward or to stay and therefore may do eyther of them which they will For that I haue spoken ynough of this matter I will goe vnto another that is to shew how to lodge an armie in Campe to the intent it might rest in quiet without daunger of enemies Howe to lodge foure Legions together in a Campe and what watche they ought to keepe with other poyntes concerning the sayde maner of lodging in Campe and whilest the Campe is making The 7. Chapter WHosoeuer will lodge an hoaste surely ought to place his Campe where it may be strong and well ordered Concerning the ordering of it that dooth depend vpon the industrye of the Lieutenant Generall and as for the making of it strong it is the scituation and arte that dooth it Wee haue a custome at this day to lodge in no place except there be ditches or riuers or a great number of trees or mountaines or some other naturall rampar that doe make the place strong of it selfe Notwithstanding I finde that the Romanes vsed a farre better manner for they regarded not so much the strength of a place that was naturallye stronge as to place their Campe where that they might helpe themselues by their arte in which they
keepe their people in good quiet for as much as these two points do comprehend a great number in generall but sith I haue spoken mine opinion of many other perticularly me thinke I haue fully satisfied this matter But yet I will say further the foure aforesayd Chiefes ought to gouerne their people in such sorte that there might no one Souldier be found who should be the occasion of any disorder but that all things should be so gouerned and moderated that the Campe might be the harbour of all honest men and their refuge and Sanctuary within which all things ought to be as safe as in one of our Churches and therefore there must a regard be had that the Souldyers might liue well within the Campe and is also necessary to giue order that they should kéepe their hands from taking other mens goods without the Campe either néere or farre off except it be from their enemyes and yet not from them without leaue of the Generall of the Army for it is he that must permit before that any thing may be done that the Souldiers might spoile and bring away that they could finde and vse it afterwards as their owne But this rule is not obserued at this day amongst our Souldiers they will not stay while the spoiling of a towne or countrey be permitted by the Generall for they will take authoritie of themselues and they do not only vse this liberty against their enemyes and in a conquested countrey but also they handle those that yéeld vpon the brute of their comming long time before the army do come néere vnto their countrey as ill as those who haue stood obstinate vntill the comming of the army and vntill they are declared Rebels and enemies Yet if we will indifferently consider of the robberies raunsomes thefts and violences which they do in Fraunce not farre from their owne dwellings we shall thinke that the hurt that they do after that they are out of Fraunce in another countrey not to be strange but I leaue that for this time to take in hand to speake of the charge of foure principall Officers of the army the one of which is a Ciuilyan and doth execute the office of Chauncellor properly for that he is an assistant vnto the Generall as often as there is cause to speake of the administration of iustice be it in Ciuill causes or in Criminall and in cases of complaint whether it be one perticular person that complaineth or a whole countrey and for to aunswere the demaunds of Ambassadors and the requests of a perticular person towne or countrey and if any Proclamation should be made it is he that ought to penne it specially for that the knowledge of the lawes of the Emperours which are necessary are not commonly in the heads of the Lieutenants Generals that are now adayes This said Ciuilyan is to assist the Generall when he will make any newe orders concerning any matter of consequencie and finally to make aunswere vnto Letters that do come from any great personage chiefely if it be matter of importance in summe he is called to all counsailes wherein there lieth any difficultie And moreouer besides all these seruices abouesaid he may busie himselfe to cause victuals to be brought into the Campe and to all other places where any prouision ought to be layd whether it were to victuall the Campe a Towne or for a passage and yet this charge is more fit for the Marshall of the Campe or for the Prouost generall or for an expresse commissioner of the victuals then for a long gowne yet I haue séene the Lord Chauncellor that is at this instant execute this office as well within Fraunce as without continuing the warres that we haue had within these foure yeares Before him I neuer knewe any of his qualitie execute that office but to be a Counsellour vnto the Generall as is abouesaid I do not denie for I haue seene one with Mounsieur de Lautrec who vsed the title and office of Chauncellor Now to speake of the Marshall of the Campe who is one of the principall officers of an hoast vnto whome it apperteineth to place the Campe and to distribute it into quarters and to fortifie it he also is to regard that the victuals should be equally distributed throughout all the quarters of the Campe and that euery thing should be set in his place The controuersies which are not vnder the Colonels or of those that are not of the Campe the complaints of victualers of artificers and of other mē of occupation which do follow a Campe do come before him he also must haue care of the sick men The third principall officer is the maister of the Ordnance who is of no small estimation at this day because of the estimation that we do make of that instrument His charge is to cause his pieces to be well mounted and to haue them furnished with great quantitie of shot and powder Moreouer he ought to haue good Gunners many Pioners Smithes Carpenters Carters and other people fit for the occupation of the Ordnance It apperteineth vnto his office to be expert to make the approches before a place for to batter it to haue iudgement of himselfe and also to be inquisitiue of them that knowe the place where it may be best approched and beaten is weakest and easiest to be taken Moreouer he ought to haue vnderstanding in Mines to deuise them and to cause them to be made as they ought to be which being made with iudgement may do them great seruice that do besiege a strong place and hardly will they be preuented The Countie Pedro of Nauarre had the best skill in these Mines of any man in his time and ours and by the meanes of them hath taken many Townes and Castles as well against the King as for him We may say that the Lord of Bury hath succéeded in the said Countie his place for he in mine opinion doth vnderstand this businesse as well as any man in Fraunce or if I durst say better I should not greatly faile if I said better then any other nation Concerning the Ordnance it ought to be accoumpted amongst the most excellentest armes as in the vse of it we do see the effect but leaue that to it selfe which doth sufficiently commend it selfe I do say that he that doth exercise the office of the Maister of the Ordnance must haue an eye vnto all those that do belong vnto it and to punish those that do offend It had bin necessary that I had followed my Lord great Esquyer who is at this present to speake further in this matter for euery man knoweth that he doth vnderstand this occupation better then any other man but I haue neither had leysure to follow him nor time to learne after other wherefore I will content my selfe with these Generalities which I haue spokē of without passing further Now it is necessary to speake of the Threasurer who is one of the necessaryest Officers
in a Campe because of the charge that he hath vnder hys hands to wéete the King his money which is the maintenance of the warres without which it is impossible that an Army could be mainteined long hauing to do with a strong and obstinate enemy The said Threasorer is to imploy the Kings money many wayes for the preferment of his seruice moreouer he ought to receiue the tributes and taxes that the townes and countrey conquested do pay vnto the King and that those that are vnder his obedience do contribute or if so be that there be any league and that the said league should furnish money and no people he must also prouide that the Campe should be furnished with store of victuall and must haue a care that euery man as well the great as the small the Pyoners as the principals should be contented and paid their wages at the tearme that they ought to be paid if you would that the King should be well serued and that the souldiers should obey theyr Chiefes and be men of good life For if money do want I do not knowe how a Camp could be mainteined nor the souldiers kept from robbing and committing of a thousand mischiefes for I see no meanes how to correct them for any fault when as necessitie doth constraine them therevnto but I do not say but that they ought to haue patience and to haue a care not to offend although that money be long a comming for I do knowe well ynough that it cannot alwayes be brought at the time appointed because of the lets that they haue oft times that should bring it or that the threasurie is sometimes so neere emptyed that there must be a time to recouer newe and therefore the souldiers ought to haue patience vntill it be leuyed and do ariue but if the attending for it be too long there is nothing more iniust then to haue men to liue by the winde or without money like vnto gray Friers But then there must be daily a certaine quantitie of victuals distributed vnto them and other things necessary for their liuing and apparell to mainteine thē vntill that their pay do come or for to abandon them to their owne discretions that is to say that they may take where they can finde it which is a thing that ought neuer to be permitted but in an extremity and when as all other meanes do faile for that this liberty is cause that the souldiers do fall into such insolencie that it will be almost impossible to bring thē afterwards againe into their right course yet it is lesse dangerous then to see them to perish with famine and to see the army to decay before our faces The one of which two will happen if so be that it be not foreséene spéedely and the fault héereof must not be attributed vnto Chiefes or Captaines when as we do know that they cannot haue wherewithall to nourish themselues others seeing that their wages is behind as well as the souldiers and are as néedy or more néedy then the simplest souldier If we wil say that the speaches of the Chiefes do appease prolong the souldiers I do confesse it to be true but it is but for a few daies whilest the souldiers do giue some credit vnto their words but afterwards when they do sée that they are led frō day to day with bare words there will be no meane to keepe thē contented any longer but they will murmur after diuers manners will giue no more credit vnto their Chiefs afterwards it might also be an occasion that they would not credit thē at other times whē as they do tell them the truth and when as it shall be verie necessary to vse speaches vnto them for one of the principallest point that a Chiefe ought to haue in recommendatiō is not to lye vnto his souldiers if that the vntruth may be found discouered afterwards because that at another time he shall haue much to do to perswade thē to belieue him in speaking the truth for that he hath deceiued them before And although that there ought a regard to be had in this matter yet at this day we would that lyes should stand in stead of paiment that souldiers should be pacified with words by the meanes the Captaine is discredited for a thing that may be remedied another way when all is said to couer the Threasurers faults by another man who oft times do play the Dukes in good townes whilst the souldiers do sterue in a Camp or do imploy the money that is due vnto souldiers to their perticular vses whereas they ought to leaue all other busines vndone to be at the Campe in due time The Threasurer for the warres ought to prouide in such sort that the souldiers all others that do take wages might be paid at their tearme and if so be that the paiment do stay certain daies after that tearme that at the least the souldiers do not loose those daies for reason would that the workeman should be paide his hyre And when as the said Threasurer doth know that it will be longer before money do come then were néedefull it should be he must aduertise the Lieutenant Generall incontinent that order may be taken how euery man should liue and that prouision of victuals might be made before hand to be distributed afterwards vnto euery man according vnto his estate to attend whilst that money doth come And there would be no great hurt done if that the souldiers did knowe how long it would be ere that they should be paide for some would saue their money and haue to spare that make no reckening to spare thinking to receiue newe money at the ende of the moneth such as do liue but from hand to mouth without care what shall come after By meanes of this aduertisement the Captaines should not néede to content their people with words the souldiers should haue as little occasion to mistrust their Chiefes And this is all that I do pretend to speake of the foure Officers or Magistrats aforesaid who are to haue to do with many other things but these that I haue spoken of are the most generall I will therefore returne to my matter which I left before concerning the placing and ordering of a Campe for diuision whereof it were necessary that those that should haue that charge should be expert in the art of measuring to the intent that immediatly after that the place is chosen they may giue the Campe such square forme as is said and afterwards distribute the quarters places publike streates in summe all that is requisite in a Campe which doing they shall neuer be constrained to stay long for the ordering of a Campe for that they must keepe alwayes one selfesame forme and manner of lodging without varietie at any time and by that meanes euery man should knowe hys place after once lodging although that no bodie do shewe him his quarter
which do remaine three of euery Legion shall keepe watch alongst the rampars in the emptie space that I haue left betwixt the rampar and the quarter I do meane that three bands of the first Legion shall keepe watch against the quarter of the fourth Legion and those of the fourth against the quarter of the first those of the second Legion shall keepe watch against the quarter of the third and those of the third against the quarter of the second so that by this meanes the Souldiers should haue the lesse oportunitie to steale from their watch vnto their lodgings which they would doe perhaps if their watch were néere their quarter The greatest strength of the watch must be at the gates and at the fower corners of the Camp and in stead of the Skoutes which we do send out to be the better aduertised of our enemies comming the fourth part of the sayd watch must bee kept waking and so by that meanes the watch shall be deuided into fower watches and to proceede in this watch the more equally so that the one watch might not bee more grieued or burdened then the other the Generall his Trumpet shall signifie by his sound at what time they ought to be chaunged and for to do it iustly he ought to haue some sure clocke or the Marshall of the Campe should giue him the aduertisement This charge might be giuen vnto one of the foure Colonells who ought to watch euery man in his turne euery night one and each of them in his turne should haue the whole charge of the watch throughout the Campe. As for the horsemen their office shall bee to search the watch and should bee deuided into fiue night watches that is two Decuries of euery companie of men of armes and the accomplishment of other horsemen after that rate And if this number be thought to be too great for it doth amount vnto 480. horse for euery night there might bee but the one halfe of them appoynted or any other number that might bee thought sufficient and they might bee deuided into two watches or more Vegetius would that the horsemen should keepe Sentenell without the Campe by night but he doth alleadge no reason for it which is the occasion that I do not ground my selfe any way vpon his saying sith I haue very good reasons on my side and that I do presuppose that the Camp is a very strong place but if it were in an open place and without rampar I do not say that I would not put horsemen out vpon the waies As concerning the watch by day they must do it that watched by night or a great part of them And then I would keepe horsemen abroad round about the Campe to see who goeth and commeth and in so doing the Campe need not to feare surprise Concerning the giuing of the watch word and the renewing of it euery euening and sometimes to chaunge it foure or fiue times in one night I will say nothing nor of many other small poyntes that we are accustomed in this matter for they are well enough knowne vnto euery man Of one thing I do meane to speake which may do them some pleasure that do make accompt of it and contrariwise may do them some great mischiefe that do not regard it that is diligently to looke into all those that come into the Campe and those that go out and likewise vnto those that do want by night and vnto newe commers for this is a thing of great importance and may be easely done by the meanes of the diuisions of the quarters and lodgings for that it is not onely knowne what number of people should lodge in euery quarter but in euery tent perticularly by which meanes it may be easelie found if any do want or if there were any newe commers Those that do want or do lodge out of their quarter shall be punished as fugitiues except that they had leaue of their superiours and those that should bee found ouer and aboue the number should be demaunded what busines they had there should bee constrained to giue an accompt of their qualitie throughly This industrie will bee an occasion that our enemies could not practise or haue conference with our Souldiers how secretly soeuer they should go to worke And moreouer there would this commoditie proceed of it that is our enemies should seldome knowe any sure newes of our estate so that this obseruation might haue place which is a great poynt and hereof the Romanes made a very great accompt as wee do finde written in many places expresly by that which Claudius Nero did once in his Campe being lodged néere vnto Anniball in Calabria who departed so secretly frō his Campe to ioyne with Salinator who was at Anconne against Asdruball that he went vnto his companion and helped to ouerthrowe Asdruball and returned with his people backe agayne into his Campe Anniball not vnderstanding of his going or comming Hardly could this be done at this present in a French Campe for that all maner of persons are suffered there and because that those are not punished that go out without leaue what commaundement soeuer is giuen that they should not abandon their Ensignes and wée may make what cryes we wil either of this or other things sith there is no regard had to cause them to bee straightly obserued nor to punish those that do contrarie vnto the cryes yet there is nothing in this world that we ought to keepe so much in obedience as an hoast And therefore Militarie lawes ought to bee most sharpe and hee that hath the charge of Iustice to bee most rigorous Of this matter there shall hereafter bee spoken in his course To make an ende I say that in the olde time when as they would raise their Camps the Captaine Generall his Trompet sounded three times At the first sound they tooke downe their Tents and made their packes at the second they did lade and at the third euery man went into the field and martched towards the place that the Generall did appoynt them In our time the first sound commaundeth to saddle and serueth in stead of their first Our second commaundeth to put foote in the stirrupe and so was theirs It would not be amisse that wee did keepe amongst vs the silence that the Turkes do vse in their departing from their lodgings who do dislodge so quietly that it is almost impossible to perceiue it by the little noyse that they do make and their silence likewise in lodging is such that a man might thinke them rather to be dumme then otherwise whereas we do farre differ from them that whether it be in lodging or whilest wee do abide in the Campe or in our departing wee could not well heare if God should thunder amongst vs. A Lieutenant Generall ought yet to haue diuers other considerations in the placing of the Campe principally two the one is to lodge in a healthfull place the other that
his enemies may not besiege it nor cut it off from victualls and water He ought neuer to lodge in a marish ground or in a place of ill ayre for the auoyding of diseases which is easely knowne by the scituation of the place and the euill colour of the inhabitants that dwell there As for the other poynt to be free from siege he must consider of the nature of the place and how he may keepe the way open towards his friends and where his enemies do keepe and may annoy him and therevpon to make his coniecture whether he may be besieged or recouer victualls and other things necessarie in despite of his sayd enemies An armie may be besieged and ouerthrowne without striking stroke if it bee lodged where an enemie may drowne it by breaking of Sluses and fludgates as happened vnto the Christians in the yeare 1221. being alongst the Nile nere vnto Caire against the Souldan this matter must be looked vnto And certainely a Lieutenant General ought to haue great knowledge of the countries he must passe through and to haue those about them that do know them The sicknesse and famine that ofttimes do happen vnto an armie may bee auoyded by taking heed vnto the excesse that the Souldiers do vse and to keepe them the better in health there must bee prouision made that they may lye in tents and a care had to lodge them in places where there are good store of trees to shadowe them from the Sunne and wether and for to boyle their meate It is also necessarie to take heed that they doe not trauaile in hot wether and therefore in Summer they must depart from their lodgings before day and be lodged againe before the great heate of day and in winter they must neuer bee made to martch through snowe and yce except they may finde vpon the way wherewithall to make fire Moreouer they must not be suffered to drinke ill waters nor to be ill clad for all these do cause great sicknesses and they must be all carefully prouided for of how base condition soeuer they bee and this care doth binde the hearts of Souldiers more vnto their Generall then any other benefite he can bestowe vpon them And in so doing it shall be for his owne profite for if that he should haue warres with sicknes and likewise with his enemies he might quickly be ouerthrowne in resisting two such aduersaries Exercise helpeth much to keepe mens bodies in health wherefore the Generall must cause all the Souldiers of his hoast to exercise themselues in armes once a day at the least vntill that they do sweat if not longer for there is no better meane to keepe an armie in health and to make it victorious ouer their enemies then this Concerning the famine that may happen vnto a Campe it is not sayd that a Generall ought to take heed but of his enemies only that they should not cut off his victualls but furthermore he must foresee from whence it might be brought vnto him and to giue order that the victualls which he hath do not too hastely consume except he know incontinent where to haue others And for to do well he ought alwaies to haue one moneths victualls in store for his whole armie Suppose that he hath in his Camp of men of warre and all other maner of people 40000. persons and more 35 Muys of Paris measure will suffice them a whole day honestly out of euery one of which as sayth maister Bude will bee made 1152. loafes euery one of which loafes will suffice one man a whole day By this accompt the prouision for 30. daies doth amount vnto 1656. Concerning horse meate Oates and Barley is good but if that these cannot be had there would be no great daunger if that they liued sometime without them prouided that they did not want other foode if it were possible that is hey chaffe or grasse yet grasse doth weaken them greatly The leaues and small boughes of trees are good for them when as there is no better to be had and the staulkes of vines and for that they are hard they may bee broken with mallets and so the horses may eate them the better But to come againe to my matter I say that a Lieutenant Generall ought to taxe the townes in the countrie where he makes his warres or his aliance if that they bee néere to bring a certaine great quantitie of victualls vnto his Campe to feed his Souldiers if that monie do want or to cause them to sell it at a reasonable price both to refresh his prouision and to keepe it for a need for as all things that concerne the warres may be trayned long so also famine without helpe will bring a Campe lowe and ouerthrowe it in time and an enemie if he can haue meanes to ouerthrowe it by famine will neuer prooue to ouerthrowe it by battaile because that the victorie would bée so much the lesse bloudie and daungerous although it bee not altogether so honorable That which is sayd may suffice to auoyde this incouenience and Iustice if it be obserued will do seruice in an hoast and the order which may bee giuen to bridle Souldiers from liuing after their owne willes is likewise as necessarie as any other that can be named And to proue this to be true concerning the one all men do knowe that if Iustice do not gouerne in an armie all things will go quite contrarie and there is no victualler or other that will bring any thing vnto it And as concerning the other if there were no order a moneths victuall would not last one day wherfore Iustice ought to be maintained whosoeuer should vse force against a victualler ought to be grieuously punished Therefore euery Souldier must haue daylie giuen vnto him some such quantitie of victuals as he may spend in a day moreouer they must be forbidden to eate but at certaine houres This would bee an occasion that the victualls would bée the better spared and that those that do liue this soberly will bee much more peaceable watching and healthfull then if they should eate drinke at all houres as we don which causeth many perticular quarrells and the braue mutiâ—ies that wee see do raigne amongst vs. Furthermore if wee had more people to lodge then the number aboue sayd I say that they may be lodged in the places in the middest of the Campe and alongst the streates or with the Legionaries themselues for they are lodged at large But me thinke that these foure Legions with their horsemen Chiefes officers and others which I haue appoynted to followe the hoast are sufficient to enterprise any act of what importance soeuer it were for to fight with twice as many enemies as themselues The best is euery man may vse his owne free wil and make his warres with as great a number of people as he will himselfe Wherefore if the number were much greater the Campe must bee of greater compasse then that
weakned of people he must leaue the lodgings of those that are departed in the same state that they alwaies were in and the Ensignes likewise and the same number of fiers that were there accustomed to be made and furthermore the watch must be made as strong as euer it was On the other part he vnto whom the succour is sent if he would deceiue his enemies ought to take heed not to enlarge his Camp nor to suffer any newe lodgings to be made nor to make shew of any other Ensignes then those which were accustomed to bee seene but those which come last must lodge with the first to weet Captaines with Captaines Lieutenants with Lieutenants Ensigne-bearers with Ensigne-bearers and consequently officers with officers and simple Souldiers with their like like as those of the sayd Nero did with those of Salinator If our Generall desire at any time to knowe sure newes of the enemies busines he may imitate Scipio who being in Affrica against the Carthagenians sent certain of his men in Ambassage vnto Siphax fayning to treate of an agreement betwixt them with whose seruants he mingled certaine Captaines of his of the most expertest he had who were simply apparelled like vnto seruants expresly for to spie the state of his enemies fully when as the sayd Ambassadours were ariued before Siphax and doing their charge the spies in the meane while tooke occasion to do their busines by one of their horses which they did let scape to the intent to followe him throughout the hoast and to marke all things at their pleasure whereof they made their report vnto the sayd Scipio who being aduertised of all surprised two mightie Camps in one morning A Generall might likewise banish some one of his familiars and fayne some great displeasure against them which might retire vnto his enemies and from thence giue aduertisement of their estate he may likewise sometimes vnderstand their secretes by prisoners and by spies that he sendeth into their Campe vnder colour of bringing victualls or to serue there for some other turne And sometimes some of the chiefest of the sayd enemies armie may bee corrupted in suche sort that they may giue aduertisement For what is it that couetousnesse will not do amongst men True it is that for to maintaine these spyes and traytors the Generall ought to spare nothing because that the want of not hauing ofttimes newes of enemies procéedings doth make vs sometimes to feele the smart of it whereas onely good aduertisement might bee the occasion of the winning of a whole warre For to prooue what trust a man may haue in a towne or in a whole countrie he may helpe himselfe with the policie of Marius who being occupied in the wars against the Cimbres and willing to make proofe of the faith of the Gaules which dwelt in the parts of Italie which we call Lumbardie at this day and who were in aliance with the Romanes at that time he sent them two packes of Letters the one open and the other sealed In the open Letters it was forbidden them that they should by no meanes open the sealed Letters but at a certaine day but they could not so long forbeare but did open them before their terme and therevpon the Letters being demaunded againe by the said Marius he perceiued manifestly that he ought not to trust them no more then needed If a Prince were assayled in his owne countrie that would not attend at home for the warres he may enter vpon another part of his enemies countrie and by that meanes constraine him to returne for to defend his owne I meane if the sayd Prince haue his townes stronger and better prouided for or his countrie stronger and more difficile then his enemies If our Generall do find himselfe to bee besieged by his enemies in any parte that he could not escape without shame or losse in this case he may practise to agree with them and to take truce for in mine opinion they will then become so negligent that easely he may escape their hands or in the meane time while such agreements are in hand or whilest he hath truce he might practise to do his enemie a mischiefe for it is then that the scourge will be giuen better then at any other time and when the mischiefe is once happened he may say I haue been deceiued vnder shadow of true meaning but to thinke that an armie ouerthrowne or a place gotten whilest the entercourse doth continue should bee repayred or restored by the deceiuer is a vayne hope for I know not what we would do our selues if it were so that we should at any time haue the like aduantage of our enemies When the Generall should find himselfe at any time in that danger not to depart out of a place without vsing some pollicie he must excogitate all the inuentions that may serue his turne and proue them all one after another vntill such time as some one may do him good Amongst others he may proue these two the one is to assayle his enemies on the one side with a small number of souldiers and the most resolute men and with the others in the meane time to do all indeuour to open the passage on the other side whilest the enemies are busied to resist their assaults the other manner is to inuent some new thing to amaze his enemies to cause them to kéepe themselues close vpon their gard doubting that this noueltie hath some dangerous taile after it and this must be done by night to amaze them the more Anniball escaped the hands of Fabius by that meanes causing faggots to be made fast vnto the hornes of a great multitude of Oxen that he had in his Campe which being set on fire he caused them to be driuen towards Fabius his hoast and this sight was thought to be so wonderfull and strange vnto the said Fabius that he doubted to be surprised specially being in a darke night he durst not start out of his fort vntill it was day The said Generall ought to studie by all meanes possible to make his enemies to be iealous and to suspect and mistrust one another and beare as great an enuy one to another as might be possible and this may he do by preseruing the goods and possessions of some of them and by spoiling all that may be found of the others and moreouer by restoring their children parents and friends that he hath taken in the warres vnto their owne fathers and parents without taking any raunsome of any of them and it cannot be possible but that this good déede will proffit either to winne the hearts of those vnto whome the good hath bin done or make dissention amongst them that haue receiued it and others which will mislike it He may likewise cause diuers persons to be ill thought of by certaine faigned letters which may be made to fall into the enemyes hands directed vnto certaine of the principallest amongst them by which letters there may be
shewe made of the handling of some practize with them which may be an occasion that those vnto whom the letters were directed should no more be credited as they were before or at the least be looked at ouer the shoulder of which mistrust this profit will procéede that the chiefest which are most estéemed shal be holden suspect and therefore there will be but little credit giuen vnto their opinions which is one of the chiefest goods that may happen vnto a Generall and peraduenture it may be that those that shal be so wrongfully suspected may be of that nature that they will thinke to reuenge the wrong that is offered them or may cause them to absent themselues from counsaile Their Prince might likewise be so suspitious that he might reiect thē from his person or might cause them to be slaine as Iugurtha did cause the chiefest of his Counsaile because of the letters that Metellus did write vnto them albeit they were nothing in fault Anniball after that he was ouerthrowne by Scipio retired vnto King Antiochus with whome he was alwayes well entertained vntill the comming of the Ambassadors frō Rome who frequented him so often and after so many manners that the said Antiochus thought they had intelligence together and therefore would neuer after be counsailed by him and so poore Anniball lost his credit through the subtletie of the Romans It shall likewise not be amisse for the Generall to imploy his care to deuide the forces of his enemies if the assembly be of diuers sorts of people specially hauing meane to make a course vpon some of their countreys for in sending thither a sufficient number of souldiers those which are left in the countrey will quickly call their men backe againe for to defend their owne countrey The Spanyards vsed this pollicy against our people while the King was at Pauy for knowing the number of the Grysons that were there the which wanting our campe was greatly weakened for they sent the Castelein of Mur then being or otherwise the Marquesse Mortane to runne into the countrey of the said Grysons for which occasion they did abandon vs at our néede to goe to defend their owne countrey yet they might haue done well inough without going if they had willed considering the force of the countrey where they dwel which in my iudgemēt is one of the most strongest hardest that may be séene and besides so well peopled that the number of the people which the Castelein cōducted vpon their frontiers were not to feare them in that manner that they made shew neither for the losse of one Castell ought they to haue abandoned vs as they did notwithstāding it is one of the tricks that strangers do play ordinarily with those which ground themselues too much vpon the waging of other people then their owne proper nation If the Generall should be in camp so néere his enemies that those of both parts did looke for the battaile from time to time that there were other people cōming vnto his assistance if he feared that his enemies would goe méet them vpon the way to fight with them to cut them off before they should ioine with him he might make the brute to runne throughout his hoast that euery man should be ready by an houre or the next day to enter into battaile and might let scape some prisoner that might aduertise his enemies of this determination and in mine opinion this will be a meane to kéepe them together within their Campe without sending any body out nor diminishing their forces making their accoumpt to be fought withall at the houre spokē of by that meanes the bands which are to come might ariue safe whole To giue an enemy an occasiō to weaken his army the best way were to let thē to come far into the countrey and to abandon all the townes vnto him that could not be kept out of his hands and it is to be thought that to kéepe thē all he would put garrison into them and by that meanes his forces would be deminished then he might be fought withall vpon the letting goe of his people to imbrace more things then he could well defend And furthermore a Generall may sometimes vse dissimulation in his enterprises as whē he is determined to go into one countrey to make the brute to run that he pretendeth to assayle another must vse extreame diligēce to conquer the same said countrey which looked in no manner of wise for his cōming before they might be prouided for to defend thēselues or before his enemies might be transported thither for to kéepe it If a Generall do vnderstand that his enemies are oppressed by famine or by any other necessitie that for this cause they are as it were desperate and offer battaile in this rage he ought to kéepe himselfe within his fort and to defer the combat as long as he may and it may be that within few daies he shall haue them all at his mercy without striking stroke A Generall may sometimes haue to do with people ill practised and too couragious who so much abandon themselues to pursue those that flye that oftentimes there is no meane to retire them vntill such time as they are fouly beaten so that if the said Generall wil looke to his busines he may easily find an oportunity to do thē a maruellous damage in a small time for as much as he may lay his ambushes on that part of his enemies camp that séemeth to be most strōgest and where at no time there hath bin any fight or skirmish offered so that the place be fit to hide his people and ordaine his skirmishes towards the other part where they are accustomed to be fought withall and must entice them so cunningly that they may come all out of their Camp if it be possible or at the least that the watch on that part that his men are hidden might come to sée the pastime wherein there is no doubt that they will kéepe themselues from running out so that the said Generall his men do retire sometime to entice them out so much the more and to drawe them the farther from their fort Which being done the said Generall may giue a signe by certaine shots of the Ordnance or by some other meane vnto those that are in the ambush at which signe they must charge vpon their enemyes camp so swift fiercely without being perceiued of their enemies or of very fewe that fort may be gotten before the said enemies do sée into their owne errour It shall be necessary sometimes when two armyes are lodged neere one to another that the said Generall should send out certaine of his people to ouerrunne pillage the countrey that is in his subiection vnder collour of enemies to make his aduersaries to thinke them to be their souldiers or new succour that doth come vnto them so running to méete them in hope to haue their part of the pray may be
endomaged and surprised A Generall may also make great destruction of his enemies in giuing thē occasion to eate and drinke disordinatly I meane hauing to do with those nations that are subiect vnto Wine He might make shewe that he dare not abide them and for a collour abandon his Campe which he might leaue in as great disorder as might be possible to the intent to dissemble his pretence the better and might leaue his bagage tents and all the rest in their estate and his Campe as well furnished with Wine and meates ready drest as he might possible to the intent that his enemyes entring after his departure might fill their bellyes with the victuals that his men had left and when as the said Generall shall thinke his said aduersaryes to be ouercome with Wine and sléeping like Beasts he may returne vpon them and ouerthrow them for it is to be presumed that hauing them at that point he might haue of them as good a market as he would himselfe Grimault King of the Lombards did once ouerthrowe the Frenchmen at Ast by this pollicie and many others haue vsed it For to deceiue the enemyes we ought oftentimes to change our manner of doing or if not often at the least sometimes I speake not of the order of the Battailes nor of the lodging of a Campe nor of other generalties but I speake of little small things which haue but small shewe a farre off and at hand do serue more then we thinke for as this of a certaine Captaine who to haue it signified that his enemyes marched through the countrey caused a signe to be made with fire by night and with smoke by day and knowing that his enemyes were aduertised of these signes and therefore were the more wary knowing that they were discouered wherefore to take them in the snare he was driuen to vse some pollicy which he did after this manner that is he appointed his people to make fire and smoke as well by day as by night without ceasing whether they sawe enemy or none and that when as they did sée the enemyes armye they should make neither the one nor the other This being ordained as I haue said was executed from point to point by those which had the charge and when as his enemyes were in the fildes the signes ceassed and thereby the Captaine of whome I make mention at this present knewe that his enemyes approched the which on the other part séeing the accustomed signes to faile thought they were come the watches not knowing and therefore they were so much the lesse carefull to march in good order whereas the said Captaine was wholly prouided and comforted in his busines waighting to charge vpon his enemies which he did ouerthrowing them quite and destroying thē vtterly Mennon of Rhodes finding no meanes to drawe his enemyes out of a most strong place that they were in to cause them to come to the Combat in an open place sent vnto the Camp of his aduersaries one of his houshold seruants vnder collour of a fugitine who gaue them to vnderstand that the people of the said Mennon were mutined together that for that cause the greatest part went away at that instant and to the intent that there might be the greater credit giuen vnto his words there were sent away certaine bands whome they sawe to depart from the said Campe and so vnderstoode that there was a great tumult which was done of purpose and being perswaded by the said fugitiue to take that opportunitie and moued through the disorder that they thought for a certaintie to be in the Campe of the said Mennon they were so euill aduised that they issued out of their strong place to assayle those who afterwards ouerthrew them There are many other pollicies to be vsed then these that I haue spoken of héerebefore that haue bin put in practise to hurt an enemy which I might haue inferred in this place as well as those that I haue spoken off The order that the Generall ought to keepe in the besieging of a Towne The 2. Chapter I Haue shewed before how townes suspected might sometimes happen to fall into our hands without striking stroke those whom we do mistrust But suppose that there are Townes not only suspected but also haue declared themselues to be enemies so that there is no remedie but to procéede against them in this busines by armes and to proue to conquer by force that which we haue failed to get by pollicie In this busines there are two meanes to be vsed the one is to ouercome the townes either by assault or by composition In the first we may likewise vse two other meanes to wéete force mingled with fraud or manifest violence I call it force mingled with fraud when we haue any intelligence with the souldiers of the garrison or with the Citizens by whose meanes we attaine to get or win a good part of the inhabitants or of the men of war who kéep the townes to enter into them the rest not knowing I tearme it to be manifest violence when as we assault a towne vnlooked for or at our first arriuall not staying whilst the Ordnance hath beaten the walls or when we do assault it after that there is a breach made As touching that point that the townes do fall sometimes into our hands by composition we must note that this composition is voluntary or forced Voluntary hath place when as a towne doth deliuer it self from the iurisdiction of one to giue it frée vnto another as Geneua hath done within these few yeares hoping to be better gouerned by the Switzers then she was by her Duke And Casall of Montferat called in the Frenchmen and gaue her selfe vnto the King desiring rather to be on his side then on the Emperours I knowe not vppon what consideration this said voluntary composition is grounded likewise when as a towne doth giue it selfe vnto a Prince to be mainteined against her enemyes as Genes did who gaue her selfe vnto King Charles the seuenth throwing her self into his armes to be defended from King Alphonsus of Naples who made her warres but because this péece doth nothing serue my purpose I will leaue it aside and will speake nothing of it Concerning forced composition either it proceedeth of the long siege that is kept before a place or through the courses which are continually made not besieging it neere by which courses the countrey is ouerrunne pillaged and destroyed and the goods of the inhabitants and of those that are retired thither if they be of the countrey and furthermore in keeping them subiect in such sort that they can not issue out of their gates without danger of their persons nor suffer victuals or any other prouision to enter without great difficultie for which cause the sayde inhabitants shall be constrayned to yéeld themselues and their towne vnto those which doe so hardly deale with them least they should be afterwards euill vsed Also townes sometimes yéeld
soone as they do set forward to goe to a breach for that it is almost impossible that they should escape without death yet notwithstanding the custome is to send formost the most expertest and valiantest men of all the army who serue for no other purpose but to receiue vppon their persons all the mischiefes that an enemy hath studyed to inuent and prepared in long time before Moreouer when as these first valiant men are slaine it is not séene that those that did follow them do long abide the place or that they do any endeuour to reuenge the death of their Chiefes or to goe forward but are so skared with the losse of them that they haue neither heart nor will to do well so that the best and first being lost the rest will do nothing ought woorth I would confirme my sayings to be true by the assault that was giuen at the Castell of Hedin in the King his presence my Lord the Doulphine and in the presence of the greatest part of the Princes and Lords of Fraunce if I thought that many of those that were there appointed for to assault would not thinke euill of me who ought to haue béene incouraged by the forwardnes of many Lords Captaynes and other valiant men which shewed them the way to aboord their enemyes notwithstanding they were so skared with the slaughter of those that went formost that there was none of them afterward that would once sturre afoote indeede I would alleadge this for an authoritie but that I should haue ill will for it and therefore I will holde my peace for because that the Countie Danserne Captaine Harencourt his brother and certayne others were slayne and hurt lyke men of vertue the rest would not fight but retired quickly enough The Turks do make a better accoumpt in preseruing of their Ianissaries and other valiant men in their armyes for theyr Asaspes are appointed first of all to assault who are a certaine kinde of souldiers that are made little accoumpt of and do serue but only to discouer and endeuor all the inuentions that defenders can deuise so that when as the said Asaspes are repulsed the Ianissaries néede to feare nothing but handstroakes for that the murthers the traines firepots firepicks poddings fagots and all other fireworks do make haue playde theyr partes besides the Galtrappes tables with nailes and a thousand other mischiefes are couered with slaine and maimed men before that they do come vnto the breach and their trenches are couered ouer head so that they do but only fight against men and are so good men that there can be no better wherefore it is almost impossible that the defenders should resist them If the King in these like cases would be serued with those that are in prisons and haue deserued death causing them to be safely kept in following the army and hazard them at the first point of the assaults that might be giuen deuiding them so that they might serue for many times he should not léese so many good men as he doth and by that meanes it would be a hard matter to repulse his men at any time as they are repulsed for the sayd prisoners should be the first that should abyde the mischiefe that the defenders had prepared which prisoners should do nothing but carry boords planks and make bridges ouer the ditches and returne and then the souldyers béeing alwayes at their heeles in a readynes might enter and by that meanes they should be frée of the daunger which the first assaulters are subiect vnto for that the defenders will haue spued out all their venome vppon them first so that there is nothing to be doubted before the comming to handstroakes but certaine harquebusse shot And to the intent that these condemned prisoners should the more willingly aduenture themselues vnto this manyfest death all those must be promised to be pardoned that do their endeuors well who should by and by be quitted of all their offence Besides if any of them were hurt the Marshall of the Campe should cause them to be prouided for Who so should demaund to knowe what bands the Generall should vse in these assaults whether it should be to enter a breache or to skale a bullwarke or wall I would aunswere that although this question touch the ordinarie bands of the Legions yet he ought first of all to appoint certayne troupes of Pikemen of the Forlorne hope and as many of those of the flanks As for the Harquebusiers they must be in the trenches all alongst the edge of the ditch to shoote at the defenders when as they doe shewe themselues Let vs suppose that there is but one breach When the Generall hath caused all things to be done and is readie to assault the Princes and Triaries of the first and second Legion should be mingled together and raunged in one square Battailon of 50. ranks euery ranke hauing 85. men and the Princes and Triaries of the third and fourth Legion should be raunged together in like manner and in some place very néere vnto the towne and not subiect vnto the Ordnance and if the place be not couered ynough from the sayd Ordnance they must lye downe vppon the ground on their bellies attending in that order vntill that the Generall be readie to vse them As for the Hastaries they must be deuided into foure troupes and must take off those pieces off from their harnesse that might hinder them from mounting lightly and nimbly at a breache and when as the Trumpets and Drummes do sound to assault the Hastaries of the foure Legions must assault one after another the fourth Legion first and the Forlorne hope of the fourth Legion must skale it with ladders and if that they were not a number great ynough the Forlorne hope of the third Legion should be at hand to helpe them The Hastaries might haue theyr choise to vse theyr Pikes or their Targets If they did make choise of the Pike they might throwe downe their Targets in the breache to fill it to saue their féete from Galtrappes and such like If their Targets did like them best they might make a bridge with their Pikes if néede were and must fight valiantly as long as they may stande and if they were victorious they should enter the Towne and if the Hastaries of the fourth Legion were not ynough the Hastaries of the third Legion should followe them when as the Generall did make signe and after them the Hastaries of the other Legions Those which do enter first and those of the third Legion must execute the victorie and the rest must goe directly vnto the Market places and vnto the other great places within the Towne and raunge themselues in Battaile in them to kéepe them vntill such time as there were no more resistance made The Princes and Triaries must not sturre from their places except that they were commaunded But if so be that the aforesaid Hastaries who first assaulted should be repulsed it toucheth
them of the third Legion to assault after them and then those of the seconde and those of the first after them And if so be that all these Hastaries should be repulsed the Princes must assault after them euery Legion in his turne beginning with the fourth and ending with the first And if the Princes could do nothing the Triaries must haue their turnes one after another and by this meanes the defenders should be troubled with one assault vppon another and not haue leisure to take breathe and in so doing I do not blame the defenders if they can not withstande twelue assaults one béeing giuen presently after another by good souldyers and freshe men specially in the presence of the Generall of the army the Captayne Generall of the footemen and the Colonels who béeing neere assistants will iudge of euery mans valor As for the sending of the horssemen when all these haue fayled I knowe not what to say but the proofe will cost nothing Which saide horssemen vppon the dayes of batteries and assaultes ought to garde that side of the Campe next the Countrey to withstande the inconuenience that might happen on that side specially if there were any enemyes neere who might assault any quarter of the Campe to hinder the assault of the Towne at whiche tyme also the Campe might be troubled to make resistance vnto those of the Towne who might sally out at the same instant I haue sayde before that the Generall should appoynte the Princes and Triaries of two Legions to be raunged in one whole Batailion together and those of the other two together as néere vnto the towne as they might to be imployed when it should be néedefull who should serue for no other purpose but to make resistance vnto those of the towne if so be that they did sally foorth whilest the assault did continue and when as the Generall should take the Princes from one of his Batailons to send them vnto the assault it is méete that the Hastaries should be put in their places and by this meanes the Batailons might be reenforced and not diminished I must not héere forget a pollicy that was vsed before Golette in Barbery by the Emperour his Gunners at that instant that the Christians were readie to giue the assault that was for to deceiue the Turks and Moores that were within and to make them to belieue that the assaulters did continue in their trenches for it is a generall rule that the battery must ceasse when the assaulters are néere the breach the said Gunners continued their shooting vntill such time as the said Christians had aborded them in their fort and because the Ordnance should do no hurt amongst their men they did put in wadds of hay instead of shot wherein the infidels were deceiued for that they attended vppon the Ordnance which ceased not wherefore when as they sawe the Christians at handstroakes with them before that they did looke for them it did dismay and trouble them and caused them to breake In that manner before spoken of may the Legions be deuided for to goe vnto the assault the first day that the Ordnance doth beate or at any other time and if the Generall do knowe any great difficultie to winne it by batterie onely he may put the myne in practise also if it may be myned which myne may be vsed to enter into the towne withall and piersed through or may be vsed to ouerthrowe the walles and other defences through the violence of the powder that must be put into it which powder must not be fiered before the Generall sée his time conuenient to giue order to assault it The Generall should also enquire and cause it to be diligently searched if there were no vault or watercourse that issued into the ditches for they might be very necessarie helps to get a Towne by Naples was taken by Bellisarius in the yeare 538. by meanes of a conduct of water It was likewise taken in the selfe-same place by King Remus in the yeare 1463. Monople was taken by the Marques of Guast by meanes of an old caue that lay buried vnder ground Moreouer it would not be amisse to offer many skirmishes and to seeke by all meanes possible to drawe the defenders out of their fort to the intent to diminish and waste their people And if it were so that the plague were in the countrie there might be commaundement giuen to recouer some of the garments or other things that the infected did vse or the persons infected might be brought so that there were héed taken for bringing the infection amongst his men in stead of sending it amōgst others And hauing recouered these things or the persons infected they should bee layd in such places whereas they might fall into his enemies hands that by that meanes they might haue the infection to come amongst them This meanes vsed the Lord Rance against vs to infect our Campe when he was in Cremone Furthermore if the Generall did hope to vanquish them by famine he ought to haue a care that no victuall should enter If the towne he besieged were scituated neere the Sea it were necessarie that he should be maister of the Sea or else it will be victualled and refreshed of all things in despite of him And if it haue any great riuer neere he must keepe good watch that no victuall do enter by it and not only for boates but for all other things that the water may driue alongst For the Romanes maintained many daies the garrison of Casselin by meanes of barrels full of corne and nuttes which they cast into the riuer that passed by their walles which were afterwards taken vp by those of the towne Anniball not knowing of it in long time There are meanes also to be vsed for the famishing of a towne which do well serue in this place Fabius Maximus destroyed all the corne of the Campenois insomuch that there was nothing gathered in all the whole sommer season and when the seede time came he went farre of and forsooke them because that he would not hinder them from sowing again hoping that they would vnfurnish themselues of a great part of their graine which they did wherevpon the sayd Fabius returned againe afterwards destroyed all that was growne vpon the ground who finding themselues vnfurnished of victuals were constrayned to yeeld vnto his mercie After that he conquered many other townes and desiring that a towne called Rhege somtimes scituated in Calabria and now destroyed fayned himselfe to bee a friend vnto the townes men and vnder colour of friendship he required victuals for to maintaine his armie which being granted vnto him for his monie he liued a certaine time with their victualls and afterwards when he knewe that their victualls went lowe he then declared himselfe to bee their enemie and ouercame them By this meanes Alexander would haue taken Leucadie which abounded with all things who before he approached vnto it taking all the townes and
night as he did before in foure daies I had forgotten to tell that in pretending to besiege one towne a Generall may make shew to besiege another to the intent that the towne that doth doubt nothing might vnfurnish it selfe of garrison for to helpe the other wherevpon that may be left which is furnished the other besieged that is vnarmed as the Lord of Lautrec did when as he approached néere vnto Milan who fayned that he cared not for Pauie although it was the towne that he sought for after that he was aduertised that the Countie of Belleioyense had sent part of his people vnto the succour of Milan and thereby to haue disarmed Pauie which he ought to haue better furnished and armed the said Lord of Lautrec placed his siege before Pauie tooke it easie enough But for to get out of this matter leauing all these subtilties a part I say that a Lieutenant Generall ought neuer to keepe the field nor an assiege so long as winter lasteth for it will be a great chaunge if it do not happen ill in the ende for that a winter siege wasteth and consumeth an armie whereas those within a towne are well lodged and do take no more care then they neede Moreouer the besiegers are at the mercie of the colde snowes raines and a thousand other persecutions so that there néedeth no other enemie but the wether it selfe to ouerthrowe them if the siege do continue any time besides in winter victuals can hardly be brought vnto a Campe for the difficultie of the waies waters if so bée it should come by land and if it should come by sea the tempestes and outrages which are more common in the winter then at any other time would hinder the bringing of it so that we must conclude that all things necessarie for the maintenance of a siege will then fall out ill for the besiegers Winter therfore is a most daungerous season for those that do keepe the Campe and of most aduantage for those that are besieged so that if they bee strong and can tarrie for a time conuenient they may raise the siege and ouerthrowe all or at the least giue the besiegers some scourges Also the Garrisons of the other townes and forts that are in the countrie may be in short time assembled to charge the sayd Campe of whome in mine opinion they might haue as good a market as they would wish forasmuch as the sayd Garrisons are fresh and rested men and the others are pined and halfe dead with famine The like may happen vnto those that do keepe the fielde or do martch from place to place in an enemie his countrie in the winter for that ill wether will consume them in short time if so be that they lodge without doores and for to lodge them couered they shall be forced to seperate themselues in villages here and there and being assaulted when as they are so lodged they may bee ouerthrowne easely In fine the best way for a Generall is to retyre his men into townes when as winter doth come and to go into the field about the last of March and to keepe the field vntill the last of October the countries might be such where the wars should be made that the moneths of Iuly and August would be asmuch to be feared by reason of the extreame heate that it doth make in some regions as the most coldest winter that might be for these two extremities are not to be indured for either of them may be causes of many great sicknesses and euills who so doth not prouide for it Wherefore the Generall must haue a care to ende his warres before winter And being constrayned to keepe his armie in the field in a very hote countrie he must alwaies plant his Camp in such places where it might be couered with trees and watred with springs to refresh his Souldiers And moreouer lodge them housed if it were possible to keepe them from the heate But this matter hath lasted long enough specially for that mens wittes at these daies are so quicke that they do prouide of themselues for al things that are necessarie in such like cases I do but only say that if the Generall do get a towne by composition that he ought to keepe all the articles that haue béen agreed vpon betwixt him those of the towne from poynt to poynt for in doing otherwise he should neuer finde towne or man that would giue him credit or trust his promise afterward but they would do all that they could imagine before that they would fall into his hands As I do say he ought to keepe his promise vnto those of a towne that doth yeeld so meane I that he should keepe it vnto all others after that he hath once passed his word vsing towards all those that he doth conquer as great lenitie and méekenes as he may possible and aboue all things to eschue crueltie because that the true office of a conquerour is to pardon and to haue pitie vpon the conquered yet reason would that this pardoning should be done with aduise least he do giue them an occasion to begin the warres againe at their owne appetites For oftentimes the clemencie of Captaine Generalles of hoasts is so great that they do pardon all those whome they do conquer and all those that haue offended which facilitie in pardoning doth cause them ofttimes to commit newe offences for that they doe looke to bee receiued whensoeuer they should yéeld In such cases me think there ought a meane to be vsed somtimes some one ought to bee chastened to make others to bee afrayd specially those which do reuolt without cause I doe say moreouer that they ought likewise to bee chastened that are so foole hardie that they dare defend a place which is not defenceable and but a doue house hoping to be receiued vnto mercie at all times causing vpon this hope a great quantitie of prouision to bee spent and an armie to spend time for a thing of no value I say that such ought to be vsed somewhat rigorously so wee do reasonablie well at this day for their least punishment is to bee married vnto the Gallies for euer yet some doe vse it more gratiously then others of whome the Countie of Tende is one who might haue vsed prisoners more rigorously then he did but it is not sayd that faults should bee alwaies punished according vnto their deserts specially if he that hath fayled bee otherwise a man of vertue nor likewise that great harts should not shewe their greatnes many waies specially to pardon a fault that toucheth them perticularly as the sayd Countie did the offence of a certaine Captaine which he tooke in one of his fortresses in Piemont whome he vsed alwaies so courteously that the remembrance of that clemencie ought not to bee forgotten and for that cause I haue inferred it in this place But the crueltie that a Lieutenant Generall ought to flie is
they did fight a Combat in a place incloased and then no man shal be so hardy to bid hold but the Generall Whosoeuer should carry away money that another hath truly wonne or doth take his last hand except it be with the good will of him that hath wonne but to do wel and to auoid the manifolde inconueniences that doe proceed of play it ought to bee forbidden altogether Whosoeuer should vse couzonage or false play after what maner soeuer it were whereby any man should be deceiued Whosoeuer shall runne before the battailes whether it bee to be first lodged or for any other intent or whosoeuer shall stragle from the hands whilest that they do martch Whosoeuer should ransome his hoast or other person not being lawfull prisoner being lawfull prisoner do take more thē the conditions which are agreed vpon betwixt the chiefs of the two hoastes doe allow if so bee that there be any conditions made betwixt them and if there be none the raunsome must be as fauourable as may be possible because that the like may happen vnto vs. Whosoeuer should enter into a Camp or other place of war at any other place then at the gates accustomed to goe in and out at for going in out at any other place is a capitall crime Whosoeuer should not retire when the Trumpet one hys side dooth sound the retreat whether it bee in issuing out of a towne in skirmishing or in other fight Whosoeuer should speake loud or make great noise whilest the armie i◠in battaile or in other place where as they ought to keeepe silence except they be Chifes and officers Whosoeuer should passe one whole day without exercising of his armes in some part of the same except hee were otherwise imployed in the kings seruice Whosoeuer shall do any thing that may bee preiudiciall vnto the king his seruice or domageable vnto his frends in what maner soeuer it should be And finally whosoeuer should despite God and blaspheme him after the maner that they do at this day I would also willingly put in those that doe sweare take his name in vaine do cut of his armes head if I thoght it would be receiued amongst vs. I would likewise make mētion of false witnesses Sodomites and those that haue an ill opinion of our christian faith if these crimes were not so greatly priueleged as they are and that there is no man but hee doth knowe well that they ought not to be supported nor many other offēces which I doe leaue for breuitie I would haue all these lawes to be written in certaine tables and to bee hanged in the enterances of all the Colonels tents to the intent that the Souldiers might alwaies see the orders that they ought to keepe in campe and in following the warres vpon paine of death which paine shall bee measured according vnto the crime For I do meane that the one shal be more grieuously punished then the other hauing regard vnto the shame which is or may proceed of the offence and who so would that his souldiers should not excuse themselues with ignorance in this matter as to say that they knew not that this or that was forbidden or commaunded must cause these lawes to be published through his hoast once euery moneth and also cause them to be read publikely in the presence of the legions as often as they doe passe muster They must also bee taught them before that the Legions doe assemble and likewise when as the armie is assembled For the first thing that a generall ought to doe is to foresee vnto the disorders that his owne men might commit amongst themselues and afterwardes vnto the domage that they may do vnto the Countrey round about him if so be that they be his friends and this done he may with a greater libertie make warres with his enemies then if he had warres within his armie and without it with his enemies We read that Emperour Frediricke Barbarouse being entred into Italie with a great armie to the intent to punishe the Milannois who were rebelled would not begin his wars vntil such time as his men hadde sworne to obserue certaine lawes which he established because he would take away the occasion of controuersies which do happen amongest Souldiers from time to time and also punishe those that shoulde commit anye disorder The example of this Emperour ought our Generall to immitate at the beginning of the assembling of his Hoast causing them to sweare from the hyghest to the lowest to obserue the aforesaid lawes and to helpe with all their power to maintaine them and those thinges which I haue said the Souldiers should be forbidden to do one vnto another shall bee likewise forbidden to be done vnto those of the townes that are vnder our obedience and also vnto those of the conquered Countrie For reason would that we should liue with them as if we were one body But sith I haue proceeded so farre I must speake of the maner of iudging and condemning the Souldiers that do not obey the aforesaide lawes or the setting at libertie of those that are wrongfullye accused and to condemne those false accusers For after the giuing of lawes it is necessarye to shewe howe the same shoulde bee executed For as I haue saide beefore that it serueth to no purpose to make lawes proclamatiōs euery day if so be that they be not kept from point to point Wherefore sithence I haue spoken of the principall points where on life dooth depend and those that I doe thinke to bee most fit to bridle Souldiers from dooing those euils which they doe most commonly commit it is necessarye that the maner of proceeding in iudgement wherein death consisteth should follow for I wil not touch the other at all For the handling of thys busines mee thinke that euery Colonel ought to iudge those of his own legion taking vnto him his Captains with their members and officers who should proceed in that maner that I wil shew hereafter As for that which I haue saide in the first booke touching the perticular orders of these legions that in euery legion there should be a prouost I do meane that his office should extend but to the determining of ciuill causes and not to causes of life and death nor after any appeale So it is that an appeale should neuer be permitted except the matter did concerne some officer who were cōdemned to be punished corporally or to do some notable penance But as for the simple souldiers they shold not be permitted to appeale from the iudgment of a prouost except that he were condemned to die then the appeal shal come before the Colonel who with the other iudges aforesaid shal examine if the party condemned did rightly appeale or not Moreouer I doe not meane any way to diminish the authritie of the Prouosts nor of my maisters the Marshals although that I haue appointed other perticuler for I am not ignorant that they do
well ordred as any souldiers were since that the Romans were in their triumph and to prooue that it is so who so dooth looke into it shall find that they are first of all leuied and chosen according vnto true election besides so well armed weaponed that in mine opinion there is nothing to be founde fault with all Moreouer the destribution of them vnto bands and officers doth agrée partly with the ancient maner and partly with the maner that is now vsed besides the maner of ranging them is borrowed of both so that what maner soeuer the ancient Romans did vse that was better then ours that which we haue that is better then theirs hath bin here in obserued and as for the number if it be thought to bee too small I doe not say that it is forbidden to make it greater whether it were of footemen or horsemen But I am well assured that the ordnary hoast of a Roman Consall was not so great of Citizens alliance as these before spoken of neither is that much greater which Vigetius instituteth if so be that they be not equal all things compted and yet the Romaines helped themselues against the greatest part of their aduersaries with their small number except when as they had to deale with a mighty enemy and then they did put two Consuls hoastes together and then if their number amounted vnto 50000. Romanes Allies Voluntaries that came without commandment it was a whole world Sith then they did augment their number at their neede what shall let vs to leuie as many as we will hauing men enow as well as they had if it were 50000. or 100000. if it were requisit but this great leuie may be reserued vntill an extreamity the abouesaid fower legions might serue for a warre of meane importance to wit if wee were to encounter but with 30000. or 40000. enemies For I do make arcount that the order that is vsed in this small number is more worth then an enemy that hath fifteen or twenty thousand more And if so be that wee did leuie any small number more then these they might serue for suddaine courses and skirmishes and to put into garrisons in conquered townes as for a daye of battaile these fower legions with their accomplishmentes may doe as good seruice as if they were a greater number for peraduenture a greater number would make a confusion as great multitudes are accustomed to doe for that they cannot so well be ordred as a meaner number Pirrhus the king of the Epirotes vsed to saye that hee would haue but 15000. onely to fight against all men The small number of Alexander his souldiers do verify his words which number being wel ordred were more woorth then Darius great multitude ill gouerned Moreouer I doe thinke that I haue so well aduertised the Generall that might haue the conduct of this people of so many points that if he doe leese any thing or doe not bring his enterprizes to a good end it shal be his own negligence that wil hinder him and not the want of aduertisement of anye thing that might serue his turne for I haue shewed him how he shal take least hurt and haue taught him how to giue battaile and to get the victorie Moreouer I haue shewed him what might happen during the combat or after the way to remedy inconueniences Consequently I haue led him through his enemies so sure that he was not to bee surprized and haue made mention of the inconueniences that may happen vnto an hoast marching by the way afterward I haue lodged him so strongly incamped that he might rest with his people without feare of any man Moreouer he hath bin taught diuers pollicies for to ouercome his enemies that are left after a bataile what order ought to be obserued in the besiedging of a town Moreouer I haue giuen him laws to helpe him selfe withall for to haue good seruice of the people vnder his charge and therwith haue shewed him how he might proceede in his iudgementes for to condemne or release a prisoner Finally I haue inferred at the taile of these thinges before spoken of certaine examples of the seueritie that the auncient Chiefes did vse when as they did punishe any crimes of importaunce of all which there hath bin so largely spoken that as I haue tired my selfe in writing them so I doubt that those that shall throughly peruse them will be weary themselues in reading them What resteth now then but to conclude that who so would put this leauy in practise should make his Souldiers the most excellentst men of war that haue bin since the Romanes which is so easie a matter to be instituted in Fraunce and to be maintained that nothing is more easie If it had pleased God that the leuieng of our legions had bene like it for it might bee thought that the king would haue liked them so well that hee would not haue changed or released them for to haue bin serued with strangers or aduenturers as he hath done yet I hope he wil remember himselfe make his wars with his own people But suppose that he doth reiect the legions that the order spoken of in this worke be not worthy to be receiued yet I do hope shortly to see that Militarye Discipline shall bee restored vnto her auncient force by the sayd Lorde and through the diligence that you my Lorde Constable will imploy before all other both for your office sake and also for that I do thinke that you were ordained for to deliuer vs from the seruitude of strangers wherin we haue bene long time who may vaunt that they haue bene the disposers of all the warres that wee haue made within thys 30. yeares and haue made vs to léese as often as it pleased thē for in truth all our hope and trust consisted and it lay in theyr hands for to defend or to destroy vs but I am in good hope that through the good order that you will take that we shall no more héereafter be at their mercy which opinion both Frenchmen and strangers haue of you grounding their argument vppon that which you haue begun in shewing the Frenchmen that way how to resist all their enemies And moreouer because that you haue begun to reforme the state of the horsemen not long since it is thought that you will not leaue the footemen in their accustomed errour specially for that the horssemen had not so great néede of reformation as the footemen Besides it is not so requisite to haue good horssemen as good footemen for the footemen are they that may winne or léese a battaile and not the horssemen except that it be by a great chaunce I am assured that you putting your helping hand vnto this worke shall be well assisted by many good and auncient Captaines who do vnderstand this busines better then I can expresse it And moreouer there are my Lords the Marshals and so many other to
King doth keepe in his seruice or the greatest part of them What good order then may be taken in this matter Certainly my Lord you will aunswere me none but who would haue simple and plaine men so that they were the Kings subiects whom it were farre better to take into seruice supposing that they were leuied and chosen as appertaineth albeit that they neuer had been at any seruice and that they do come but from houlding of the plough then those that had long time exercised the occupation of armes although they be alswell experimented as they might be so that they were otherwise ill conditioned for that you shall finde that it is easier to make simple and newe men good Souldiers then it is to bring the wicked to good waies after that they are once gone astray It is not then without cause that I praise the leuie of those that may bée made good Souldiers with little difficultie and that I crye against those which are so excéeding wicked that there is not almost any remedie to amend them And therefore it were not conuenient that my sayings should be dispraised nor condemned if I haue spoken against the wicked for my meaning was to prick them only and no others nor it were no reason that I should bee reproued although I haue blamed the manner that wee do vse in leuying Aduenturers for I haue not done it before I had iustly praised to weet whether the Legionaries or the said voluntaries were better nor before regard taken diligently vnto the profite that may come of the one vnto the inconueniences and euils of which the others are commonly causers for if I had made any comparison on mine owne side I would neuer bee so rash as to put it to iudgement as I do But bee it that those that doe maintaine their part should finde mine opinion euill and the libertie I haue vsed in speaking yet will I not therefore leaue to exhort al those that vse the warres and doe delight to haue the title of Aduenturers that they should chaunge for some other maner that should be better then that which we haue handled hetherto and that of euill liuers as we are euery man should bestowe his labour to become a man of good life and if wee haue béen inexpert in the feates of armes heretofore let vs endeuour to reforme our selues hereafter in such sort that the King seeing vs to bee well conditioned and perfect good Souldiers may thinke himselfe happie specially finding such Souldiers to be in his realme that our enemies or neighbours who daylie raunsack vs being aduertised of our valour should make greater difficultie to mooue warre against the sayd Lord to morrowe or next day then they are accustomed or to hould themselues at too high a price if he had need of the ayd of his sayd neighbours knowing how much we do excell them in vertue and discipline Here endeth the third and last Booke FINIS THE PRACTISE of Fortification Wherein is shewed the manner of fortifying in all sorts of scituations with the considerations to be vsed in delining and making of royal Frontiers Skonces and renforcing of ould walled Townes Compiled in a most easie and compendious method by Paule Iue Gent. Imprinted at London by Thomas Orwin for Thomas Man and Toby Cooke 1589. To the Right Honorable Sir William Brooke of the most noble order of the Garter Knight Lord Cobham Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and their members of her Maiesties most honorable priuie Counsaile and Lord Lieutenant of the Countie of Kent And vnto the Right Honorable Sir Frauncis Walsingham Knight principall Secretarie to her Maiestie Chancelor of the Dutchie of Lancaster and of her Highnesse most honorable priuie Counsaile THe manifold benefites that I haue receiued at your Honors hands since my returne into England haue enforced me to seeke some meanes whereby J might make known my thankfulnes for the same And finding nothing more agreeable vnto your Honorable cares in the seruice of her Maiestie wherein I might do you more humble seruice then in the practise of Fortification hauing had sight therein since the view taken by the Marques Vitell for the oppressing of the Lowe Countries with the yoke of Citadels and exercise sithence Don Johns departing from Bruxels vnto Namure which practise although it be not so common amongst vs or of some thought altogether so necessary for vs as for the nations whose countries do lie adioyning together where an enemie may enter with a great number of horse men vpon the sodaine yet is the knowledge necessarie that when the practise should bee put in execution in the seruice of her Maiestie that perfection might be efected that might do her Highnesse seruice And therfore I haue compiled this little treatise of the practise of Fortification which J most humbly present vnto your Honors beseeching you to receiue it as a most humble token of the desire J haue to do you seruice Your Honors most humblie readie at commaundement Paule Iue The Practise of Fortification The necessary placing of a Forte The 1. Chapter THE reason that moued men first to enclose their Cities and other habitations with walles was to be assured from enemies and that a small number might defende themselues from the violence and oppressions of a great wherein their first practise extended no farther then the preseruation of priuate estates vntill such time as it was considered that not only perticuler places but also the generall estate of a Kingdome Prouince or Countrey might be defended by placing of walled Townes Castels and Fortresses vpon the edge and borders of the same of such sufficient strength and greatnesse as that in time of peace they might be kept with a fewe men and vppon a surmize of warre receiue a greater number by whome the enemye borderer should not only be anoyed in his Countrey and hindered to enter vppon the lands of his neighbours so frontierd with any small power vpon the suddaine but bringing any great army be constrained not to passe the Fort without subduing it for auoiding the great mischiefe he might receiue of so noysome an enemy left behinde him which to inuade would aske great charge time and trauell besides the danger that might happen In placing of which Fortresses two things are chiefely to be considered of the necessitie and the scituation for as a Forte not placed where it were néedefull might skantly be accompted for frontier so hauing no benefit of the place it standeth in it might hardly be reckoned for fortresse so that the one must helpe the other to the best effect that may be A Fort therefore that shall serue for a frontier must bée set néere the walled Townes Castels and frontiers of the enemy borderer or néere other places where an enemy may make any suddaine assembly of people in hys Countrey hauing the way from thence commodious to enter vppon the lands of his neighbours and the retreate good and vppon the Seacoasts