antiquitie were repulsed by it at a siege forced to retire in a battell durst not come neare it after they had gained the field of the rest of the Army And the Consull Aemilius a man that had seene much seruice and fought many a battaile and was one of the best Generalls of that time confessed he neuer saw so fearefull a sight as when he beheld the Phalange advancing into the field the bodies ioyned the Targets serred and locked together darting out fire like lightning the front rough with couched and charged pikes and armed with yron and threatning present death to him that durst approach 3 Occupying two Cubits of ground We may not take it as though the souldier betwixt file and file had two Cubits or three foote of ground For we learned before that in locking vp the Phalange the distance betweene man and man in front was but a Cubit But it is to be vnderstood betweene ranke and ranke For Polybius saith that the souldier ought to haue roome for the vse of his weapon which cannot be without granting him three foote behinde the pike being some-times to be pushed forward some-times to be drawne backe sometimes otherwise handled as occasion of fight shall require The length of the Pike is 16 Cubits a Sixteene Cubits which is twenty foure foote is a great length for a Pike and it verifieth the words of Livy that the Macedonian Pike is vnwealdy by reason of the length and weight yet doe wee read of pikes of that length The Aeâ—essans had such The Chalybes pikes were about 15 cubits long But 16 was the length at the first the Maccdonians brought it to 14 which they tooke to be a sufficient length against the enemie and easier for the Pike-man to beare and handle 4 The space in charging betwixt the handes taking vp two cubiâ—s Herein is a difference betweene Aelian and Polybius Aelian would haue no more then 2 cubits lost in charging Polybius saith 4. are lost and with Polybius agreeth Leo. But the cause of the difference arisetâ— out of the forme of the pike and of the manner of holding it in the charge If it be held at the butt end with the right hand and supported toward the armed end with the left as the manner in charging is it cannot loose aboue two cubits and Aeâ—an is in the right But if in holding it you set the right hand 2 cubits from the butt and then must 4 cubits of necessitie be lost Whereof 2 rest behinde the right hand the other two are taken vp by the space betwixt both hands Our manner of charging is at this day to take the butt end in the right hand and in so doing we loose but two cubits But it seemeth our pikes are not made in that forme they were in Polybius time In Polybius age they had weiâ—hts at the but end to make the sharpe end the lighter as the heauie pummell lightereth the sword in handling This weight was called secoma as it were a counter-weight to the heauinesse and length of the pike Neither do I read any thing elsewhere then in Polybius concerning the counter-weight of a pike To the handle of an Oare I finde in Atheneus that lead was added to make the part standing out from the shippe more light But yet Polybius and Aelians opinions may well agree and in pikes that haue counterweights at their ends the hold for charging being taken two cubits from the butt end there may be lost foure cubits where the other sort being held at the butt end it selfe loose but 2 cubits 5 The pikes of the other behinde cannot reach to the first ranke How shall they beare their pikes then Polybius sheweth what the manner was Those rankes saith he that stand behinde the fifth can helpe nothing to the fight in front And therefore they charge not their pikes low but beare them towards their forestanders shoulders the points somewhat erected to secure the battaile from aboue intercepting by their thicke lying the missiue weapons which flying ouer the front would otherwise fall vpon their heads that are placed toward the reare Polybius saith the manner was neither to charge nor order their pikes but to beare them forwards stoping towards the shoulders of their companions before Yet by bearin them so what security they could â—ue from the missiue weapons that came aloft I cannot yet conceiue An arrow dart or stone vnlesse it hit iust on the middest of the pikes would do as much and sometimes more harme by glancing then if it had not touched them at all Some would haue the hinder pikes longer The opinion of them whom Aelian here speakâ—th of hath little reason to ground vpon For either the pike of thâ—m that come in the fiue rancks behinde especially the two last must exceede in length or else the fileleaderâ— pikes in shortnesse both which are â—like vnprofitâ—ble If they bee too long they cannot be weilded if these too short the enemie shall reach the file-leaders and not the file-leaders the enemie The measure of the longest pike was 16 cubits which yet for aptnesse and vse was by the Macedonians reduced to 14. Say then the sixteenth ranke carrieth pikes of 16 cubits two of the cubits according to Aelian are taken away in handling other ten by reason of the distance of the fiue former rankes Foure cubits alone remaine and reach ouer the front If the file Leader in the front shorten his pike to foure cubits to make an euen extention he shall not come neere the enemie by ten cubits who in pushing will reach home to him For what length soeuer is taken from the file-leader in front the same is giuen to the enemie that pusheth with him And hee shall bee able to wound the file-leader and not the file-leader him especially the pikes differing in so great a proportion 6 The superordinarie Lieutenant of euery Syntagma I haue before noted the dutie of a Lieutenant of the Syntagma and it is here well expressed by Aelian He that desireth to see more touching the same let him resort to Xenophons Cyropaedia lib. 3. 28. and lib. 7. 178. B. and to Leo cap. 14. § 79. The place of the light-armed and the number of euery file CHAP. XV. THus much of ordering and marshalling the armed-foote I will adde a word or two of the light-armed or naked 1 The Generall is to place the light-armed so that they be readie for all attempts of the enemy sometime in front sometime in flanke sometime in the Reare according to occasion or necessity For our purpose let them be thus ordered We will frame also of them 1024 files as many as the Phalange of the armed conteined So that the first file of the light-armed be placed directly behinde the first file of the armed and the second file behinde the second and so the rest 2 Yet shall they not be sixteene to the file but halfe so many namely eight
he taketh vp 2 cubits 3 In Constipation or shutting one cubit Densation then or closing is when we draw wide distances close together and by side-men and followers that is both in length and depth gather vp the bodie of the Phalange so notwithstanding that the souldier yet hath libertie to moue and turne about Constipation or shutting is when the Phalange by side-men gathereth it selfe yet closer together then in Densation so that by reason of the nearenesse there is left no Declination or turning of faces either to the right or left hand The vse of Closing is when the Generall leadeth the Phalange against the enemy Of Shutting when he would haue it stand fast and as it were locked vp and serred to receiue the charge of the enemy Seeing then there are 1024 File-leaders in the front of the Phalange it is plaine that 4 in their ordinary array they take vp in length 4096 Cubits 5 that is ten furlongs and ninetie six cubits In Closing fiue furlongs and forty eight cubits In Shutting two furlongs a halfe and fower and twenty cubits Notes AFter Souldiers are armed and distributed into bodies military the next care is to be had of their Mouing For as a man let him be neuer so well proportioned and strong if he pace disorderly and either set too great strides or reele here and there or so mince and tread out his steps as if his leggs were bound together groweth hereby deformed and not onely loseth his comelinesse but his actiuitie withall and possibility to performe any thing by strength So is it of an Armie that hath either too great distances or is thronged vp or pestred too close together Too much thronging bindeth as it were the souldiers hands and taketh away the vse of his weapons as on the other side falling one loose from another and standing or mouing too farre asunder maketh the Battaile weake and disiointed and subiect to the enemies entry and easie to be broken The meane betwixt both was brought in by King Philip King of Macedonia who first constituted and raised the Macedonian Phalange and invented the distances of opening and closing the same imitating the serring of Targets called Synaspismos practised by the old Heroes at Troy Out of his discipline sprung the distances mentioned here by Aelian which are of three sorts The first are large distances of 1 Foure Cubits Which amount to six foote For a Cubit conteineth a foote and a haâ—fe This distance was vsed in marching or else in solemne pompes and shewes And the souldier hauing a pike of 14 Cubits or 21 long whereof one halfe lay forward on his shoulder and the other halfe backward it was requisite he should haue a reasonable large distance both in file and ranke to the end that in turning this way or that Cap. 11. The first distance ordnary 6 foote in file asmuch in ranck The Reare The second distance called Closing foote in file asmuch in ranck The third distance called or serring foote in file shoulder to shoulder in rank way or that way or mouing out of his place for no man in his marche can alwaies hold his ranke he offended not his next neighbours therewith This distance our exercise at this day calleth open order The next distance is of Two Cubits Or three foote The name of it in Greeke is Pycnosis that is thickning In Leo it is called Sphinxis knitting together in our moderne exercise Order And it is when from the distance of 6 foote we draw our Phalange both by file and ranke so close that the souldiers stand but 3 foote one from an other euery way This distance is vsed when the Army approcheth neare to the enemy and onely commeth not to charge that it may be ready to shut and locke it selfe for the charge which is performed in the last distance of One Cubit A foote and a halfe This is called Synaspismos ioyning Target to Target For as I before shewed the pikemen of the Macedonians vsed also Targets with their pikes and in charging the enemy closed so neare in front that their owne Targets touched one another This kind of fight the Aegiptians vsed in Xenophon which he calleth locking together of Targets and by meanes therof had the advantage against the Persians The Parthian horse likewise comming to charge Crassus with their staues After they perceiued the depth of the locking of Targets and the setlednesse and stedfastnes of the Roman Phalange they retired and durst not come to hands with them And Diodorus Siculus writes that Alexander besieging the City of Halicarnassus there was in the City and in seruice of Darius one Ephialtes an Athenian a man of great valour and strength of body He by the permission of Memnon Generall of Darius Armie determined to make a saly And taking to him 2000 mercenarie souldiers all chosen men and giuing brands flaming with fire to one halfe and reseruing the rest for fight he opened the gates and fell out throwing fire vpon the engines of battery which soone caught a mighty flame And marshalling the rest into a thicke and deepe Phalange himselfe led on and was the first that fell on the Macedonians coÌ„ming to aide and to quench the fire Alexander aduertised hereof speeded to the medley ordered first the Macedonians in front after them other choice men for seconds and in the third place men of extraordinarie account for their prowesse himselfe leading them on sustained the enemy which seemed vnresistible and sent others to slake and put out the fire and to preserue the Engines The fight was hot and albeit the Macedonians found meanes to quench the fire yet had Ephialtes the better in the fight who both himselfe killed many with his owne hands and the towers from the walls furnished with many Catapelts annoyed greeuously the Macedonians In so much that some falling in the place other-some forsaking their ground by reason of the number of Engine Darts that fell thicke amongst them Alexander himselfe was reduced to extremitie Here the old souldiers of the Macedonians although otherwise freed from such seruice in regard of their age hauing of a long time followed the warres with King Philip and gained many a battaile were by this occasion tolled out to succour and as they excelled the yonger sort in greatnes of spirit and military experience so meeting with the run-a-waies they bitterly reuiled and taunted them for their cowardice Then serring themselues close and ioyning their Targets together they repressed and held the enemy short who now seemed to haue the victory in his hands Finally killing Ephialtes and many other they droue the rest into the City A memorable seruice of the vse of Targets and of the Synaspisme of the Macedonians which was not vsed but when they either gaue vpon or receiued the charge of the enemy And the Targets so knit together serued for a wall as it were to the whole Phalange and
forces to his sonne Aleander that he needed no other Allies to ouerthrow the Soueraâ—gnety of Persia. After his death Alexander â—ooke his langdome and Armie and with it encountring and v inquishing Darius in two great Battailes runne thorough Asia like a flash of 〈◊〉 renâ—ing a pieces aâ— that resâ—ted or stood in his way and laid the foundation of that kingdome which albeit afterward diuided continued long in his Successors Neither was the experience of their invinciblenesse against the barbarous people onely but as much against the Graecians who â—ill Philips time were esteemed the chiefe masters of Armes in Europe This is cleare by the victories the Macedonians obteined against the renowned Cities of Greece both ioyntly and seuerally Philip ouerthrew the Phoceans albeit the Lacedemonians and Athenians ioyned with them The same Philip at Cheronaea defeated the power of the Thebans and Athenians ioyned together Alexander tooke and sacked the Citie of Thebes that about that time was accâ—unted the mighttest Citie of Greece His Lieutenant Antipater foyled the Lacedâ—nians 〈◊〉 battâ—ile â—nd steâ— their King Agis Antigonus Tutor of King Phiâ—p the sonne of Demetrius broke an Armie of the Lacedemonians and Peloponesi◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and chased out of Greece Cleomenes the last brave King of Sparta 〈◊〉 they were not beaten in the field by any Nation but onely by the Romans And yet the iudgement of Polybius doth in this also proue it selfe good For where the Romans had these victories against the Macedonians he assigneth this to be the cause that the Phalange at the time of the fight had not the proper place nor meanes to vse it owne power in the encounter so long as the Phalange hath ground enough and can meete the enemy with a right front he holdeth it not possible to be foyled being diuided and in places vneven he is of opinion and experience hath taught it may easily be put in a route Plutarch compareth it for strength so long as it is one bodie and maintaineth the Synaspisme iointly to an invincible beast being disâ—euered he saith it looseth the force in the whole and in euery man particular both in regard of the manner of arming and also because the violence oâ— it consists rather in knitting of all parts together than in particular of any mans valour Three battailes to praetâ—rmit aiuers skirmâ—shes I finde the Romans 〈◊〉 with and thâ—em 〈◊〉 the Macedonians One against King Philip the sonne of Demeâ—us an 〈◊〉 against Antiochus the third against Perâ—eus the soâ—e of King Pâ—lip For I paâ— ouer those wherein they were beaten by Pyâ—hus 〈◊〉 worâ— Philip 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phalange and not vsing the whole together but fighting against the Romans with the right winge onely yet had the better and wâ— too â—ard for that part of the Roman Army that ioyned with him but the other winâ— comming into the field fit rather for a march than a fight and not being able to order themselues Phalaâ—ge-wise were soone defeated and the Roman victorious fell vpon the râ—re oâ— the right winâ— where Philip was and had now gotten the victorie and so 〈◊〉 the field Antiochus vnskilfull in true ordering of a Phalange truste◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 horse than his Phalange and being to fight with L Scipio where hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 giuen full scope anâ— extâ—nded the front of the Phalange by making it 16 deepe 〈◊〉 contrary-wise narrowed it 〈◊〉 out the depth into 32 whereby he lost the advantage of matching the â—ront of the Romans and after his horse were beaten gaue facilitie to the enemy of 〈◊〉 on it all sides Perseus ioyning â—attaile with Paulus Aemiâ—us 〈◊〉 long 〈◊〉 the Phalange continued in the right figure slew many of the Romans anâ— forced them to retire but following on too eagerly he came to vneuen and rough ground wherein the Phalange being disseuered left spaces and breaches for the Romans to enter and defeat it So long then as the Macedonian Phalange had fit ground and the right property of embattailing it stood fast against the Romans the greatest souldiers that euer were being in their hands that kâ—ew not how to vse it as a sword in the hands of a childe it yeelded to time and fortune The cause of the strength of the Phalange is assigned to be 2 The manner of embattailing Which consists principally in ordering of Target and pike in closing of the Targets by Synaspisme and in ioint charging of the pikes which lying out thicke from the front besides the horror of the sight giue almost an impossibilitie to enter the Phalange I haue alledged the iudgement of Aemilius concerning the sight presented by a Phalange when the Pikes lie so charged out of the front Polybius thinketh nothing can resist the force thereof Livy albeit many times more than partiall to the Romans yet in the selfe-same fight betweene Perseus and Aemilius giueth his iudgement thus of the Phalange The second Legion saith he inâ—inuated it selfe into the middle empty place and so broke asunder the Phalange Neither was there any more euident cause of victory then the fights in diuers places at once which first troubled the Phalange in turning many waies and afterward plainly disioynted and scattered it whose forces being vnited and rough with charged pikes are intollerable If by giuing on in diuers places you constraine it to bring about the pikes immoueable through length and weight it entangleth it selfe with confused crossings If at one time you charge it both flanke and reare they fall asunder like a ruinous building As then they were compelled many waies to answer the Romans and so to breake their battaile into many parcells And the Romans vpon the first opportunitie of a breach straight waies conveighed in their troupes who if they had met the enemy in front had runne vpon the pikes as in the beginning it hapned to the Pelignans being too forward to come to hand and could not haue resisted the Phalange fast shut and serred vp for the encounter thus Livy concerning the Phalange Who albeit a Roman holdeth the same opinion that Polybius doth And in another place telling of Philips encamping â—e saith he was lodged in a wooddy plot which was vnfit for the Phalange especially of the Macedons which vnlesse it cast the pikes as it were a muniment before the Targets and that cannot be but in open ground is of no great vse So then if Pikes may be charged out before the Targets the Phalange is of great vse But that I may not seeme to rely vpon bare opinion let vs heare by an example or two the experience of the Pike and Target of the Macedonian against the Roman armes When T. Quintus Flaminius the Rom Consull had driuen King Philip and his army from the streights neare Antigonia seeing that the enemy kept himselfe with his strength and absteined from the field he determined to try the Cities of Thessaly and hauing wonne some
and serueth for the pikes onely for the Musquettiers cannot be so close in files because they must haue their Armes at liberty that is when euery one is distant from file to file a foote and a halfe and 3 foote from Ranke to Ranke And this last distance is thus commanded Close your selues throughly But it is not to be taught the Souldiers for that when necessitie shall require it they will close themselues but too much of their owne accord without command To begin therefore to doe the exercises the Company is set in the first distance to wit of 6 foote in file and ranke and thus is said These are the generall words of Command which are often to be vsed Stand right in your files Stand right in your rankes Silence To the right hand As you were To the left hand As you were To the right hand about To the left hand as you were To the left hand about To the right hand as you were You must note that when they are commanded to be as they were they must returne thither from whence they parted and if they turned to the right hand they must returne to the left and so in countermarch The headpiece The forepart The headpiece close The backe the right gantlet The left vambrace The left cuishe The brest The backe the gard the left â—â—â—â—let The Armour of the Pikman The Gorget The Brest The Tales The Hedpiece The Back The Pike To the right double your rankes Rankes as you were To the left hand double your rankes Rankes as you were To the right hand double your files Files as you were To the left hand double your files Files as you were With halfe files to the right hand double your Rankes Halfe files as you were With halfe files to the left hand double your Rankes Halfe files as you were Files to the right hand countermarch Files to the left hand countermarch To the right hand or left at discretion as you were Rankes to the right hand countermarch Rankes to the left hand countermarch To the right or left hand as you were Close your Files to 3 foote distance Close your Rankes to 3 foote distance Vnderstand that in Closing from the outsides to the middle the Soldier is â—stand in his distance of 3 foote in file and not closer To the right hand wheele To the left hand wheele Open your Rankes backwards in your double distance to wit at 12 foote and this for a single Company Rankes as you were sc. at the first In opening Rankes or Files you must keepe them closed vntill the second Ranke or File beginning from the outsides haue taken their distances and so shall the rest remaine close vntill euery Ranke or File haue taken their distanceâ— in order Open your files to wit to the first distance of 6 foote If you will command to close files to the right hand or left hand the outmost file standeth still and the rest close to that file For the Pike with a firme stand Advance your Pikes Order your Pikes Slope your Pikes Charge your Pikes Order your Pikes Traile your Pikes Cheeeke your Pikes More for the Pikes first with a firme stand and then marching Charge your Pikes Slope your Pikes To the right hand charge your Pikes Slope your Pikes To the left hand charge your Pikes Slope your Pikes Charge your Pikes to the Reare Slope your Pikes Order your Pikes This must be obserued charging your Pikes with a firme stand to set the right foote behind and charging the Pikes marching to set the left foote before For the Musquet THe Postures in his Excellencies Booke are to be obserued but in exercisinâ— you must onely vse these three termes of direction Make ready Present Giue fire Your Musquettiers must obserue in all their motions to turne to the right hand and that they carry the mouth of their peeces high aswell when they are shouldred as in pruning and also when they hold their pannes garded and come vp to giue fire In advancing towards an Enemy when they doe not skirmish loose and disbanded they must giue fire by Rankes after this manner Two Rankes must alwaies make ready together and aduance ten paces forward before the body at which distance a Sergeant or when the body is great some other officer must stand to whom the Musquettiers are to come vp before they present and giue fire first the firstranke And whilest the first giues fire the second Ranke keepe their Musquets close to their Rests and their pannes garded and assoone as the first are fallen away the second presently present and giue fire and fall after them Now assoone as the first two Rankes doe moue from their places in the front The two Rankes next them must vnshoulder their Musquets and make ready so as they may aduance forward ten paces as before assoone as euer the two first rankes are fallen away and are to doe in all points as the former And all the other Rankes through the whole diuision must doe the same by twoes one after another A manner there is to giue fire retyring from an Enemy which is performed after this sorâ—t As the Troope marcheth the hindermost ranke of all keeping still with the Troope is to make ready and being ready the souldiers in that ranke turne altogether to the right hand and giue fire marching presently away a good round pace to the front and there place themselues in ranke together iust before the front As soone as the first ranke turne to giue fire the ranke next makes ready and doth as the former and so the rest We giue fire by the flanks thus The vppermost file next the Enemy must be commanded to make ready keeping still along with the body till such time as they be ready and then they turne to the right or left hand according to the sight of their enemies either vpon the right or left flanke and giue fire altogether When they haue discharged they stirre not but keepe their ground and charge their Peeces againe in the same place they stand Now as soone as the foresaid file doth turne to giue fire the vttermost next it makes ready alwaies keeping along with the Troope till the Bringer-vp be past a little beyond the Leader of that file that gaue fire last and then the whole file must turne and giue fire and doe in all points as the first did and so the rest one after the other A Sergeant or if the Troope be great some other better qualified Officer must stand at the head of the first file and assoone as the second file hath giuen fire and hath charged he is to lead forward the first file vp to the second file and so to the rest one after another till he hath gathered vp againe the whole wing and then he is to ioyne them againe in equall front with the pikes Last of all the Troope or whole wing of Musquettiers makes ready altogether and