rhcir l.mmiaije, which in ours is called Battalion. True ic is, that afterxivards every one divided it into Companies, and ordered them as they pleaftd. My advice is, that we found our di^coutfe upon the name wiiich is molt known, and raiif^e it as well as we ni?v, according to the order, both oF the ancients and modems. And becaufe the Ro- mam divided their Legions, wliich conliited of betwixt 5 and 6000 men, into ten Cohorts^ \ think He that we divide our Battalions into ten Companies, and the whole confining of 6000 iVlen, allot to every Company 450, of which 400 may be cortipleatly armed, and the remaining fitty ilightly. The compleatly aim'u, may be 30b with fwords and bucklers called Siudati, and an hundred with Pikes called Piktmen. Thofe which are lightly arm'd may be fifty foot, carrying Hirquebuffes, Crofs bows, Partizans and Hal- bards, which according to the old name may be called f4:/nes; fo that all the ten Com- panies make 3000 bucklers, looo ordinary Pikes, and 500 ordinary Vtlites, which in all will amount to 4500 foot. But bccaufe we (ay that our Battalion is to contain 6000 Men, 1500 more, are to be added, of which 1000 are Pikts, which we will call Pikes in extraordinaiy, and the other 500 are to be Ilightly aim'd, and called Velites in extra- ordinary. So that rny foot (as is faid before) will be compofed half of Bucklers, and the other half of Pikes, and other Arms. I would liave every Battalion have a Com- mander in chief, four Centurions, and forty ( apidieci or Corporals; and over a,nd a- bovc, a Commander in chief of the inordinary, with five File-leaders. I would alHgn to the I'^clitet in extraordinary two Officers in cluef, five Centurions, and Bity Cor- porals, then make a General of the whole Battalion. 1 would have every Confiable to have his Colours and Drums, by which means the Battalion would confill of ten Com- panies, 300 Bucklers, 1000 Pikes in ordinary, 1000 extraordinary, 500 ^^t/z/fj in ordi- nary, and 5C0 cxtrordinary; fo as they would amount in ail to 6coci foot, among which there would be 600 Corporals, 15 Conilables, 15 Drums, 15 Colours, 55 Cen- turion*;, 10 Commanders of the Velitei in ordinary, and one General of the whole Battalion, with his Standard and Drum.
1 have repeated this order the oftner, that afterward when I fliew you the way of or- dering a Battle or Army, you may not find your felf confounded 1 fay therefore, that a King or Commonwealth is to order his fubjeds, which he defigns for the Wars, with thefe arms, and into chcfe divifions, and raife as many Battalions as his Country will af- ford. And when he has difpofed them fo, being to exercile them in order, he is to ex- crcife them in their feVeral divifions. And although the nymber of each of them can- not bear the form of a juft Army, yet thereby every man may learn what belongs to his own Duty, becaufe in Armies there are two orders obferved; one what men are to do in every battle, or divifion diflindly; and the other what they are to do when uni- ted with the reft; and thofe men who know the firft well, will eafily learn the other i but wiciiout knowledge of the firfl, they will never arrive at the difcipline of thefecond.
Every one (then) of thefe Companies may learn by it felf to keep the order of their ranks in all motions and places, to open and clofc, iwA underftand the direction of their Drums, by which all tilings are commanded in a battle; for by beating of that (as by the whillle in the Gallies) every man knows what he is to do, whether to ftand firm to his ground, to advance, or fall back, and which way they are to turn their faces and arms. So chat underfl;uiding the order of their files in that exaftnefs, that no motion nor no place can diforder them; underlianding the commands of their Officer, deri- ved to them by his Drum, and how to advance, and fall back into their places, thefe Companies (as 1 have faid before) as foon as joined, may ealily be taught what an uni- ted Body of all the Battalions is obliged to do when they are drawn together into an Army. And becaufe this univerfal practice is of no flight importance, in time of Peace it would be convenient once or twice in a year to bring them to a general Rendez^vous^ and give them the form of an Army, excroiing them for fome Days as if they were to fight a battle with an entmy, drawing them up, and difpofing them into front, flank, and referve. And becauf. a General orders his Army for a battle, either upon the fighc or apprehcnfion of an enemy, he is to exercife his Army accordingly, and teach them liow to bf.have themlelves upon a march, and how in a battle, and how upon a charge either upon one fide or other. When they are excrcifed as if an enemy was before them, they are to be taught how they are to begin the fight, hov/ they are to retreat upon a repuHe, who are to fucceed in their places j what Colours, what Drums, what Word.s of commands they are to obey, and fo to train them up, and accuflom them to thcfc falfe alarm.s, and counterfeit batrcl.<;, that at length they become impatient to be at it in earneft. For an Army is not made valiant and couragious for having brave and va- liant men in it, bi t for the good order which is obferved; for if 1 be in the forlorn, and know, being beaten, whitl cr I am to retire, and who are to fucceed in my place, I fliail fight boldly becaufe my relief is at hand. If 1 be of t4ie f^^cond body that is to O o o engage, 458 The An of WA R. Book II, engage, the diftrefs, or repulfe of the firft will not fright me, becaufe I confidered it might happen before, and perhaps defired it, that 1 might have the honour of the Vi- ^lory» and not they. Where an Army is new, this way of exercifing is abfolutely ne- ceflary, and where it is old, it is convenient; for we fee the Reman Captains before they brought them to fight, continually exercifed their men after this manner, though they had been brought up to their Arms. Jofephus tells us in his HiRory, that this continual exercifing in the Roman Army was the caufe that all the multitude of idle Pco* pie which followed the Camp either for Traffick or Gain, were made ufeful and fer- viceable, becaufe they underftood their orders and ranks, and how to preferve them in time of Battle. But if you had raifed an Army of young men never in the Wars be- fore, whether you intend them for prefent Service, or to eftablifh them as Militia, and engage them afterwards, without this way of exercifing by fingle Companies, and fome times a conjundion of them all, you do nothing. For order being perftdly neceflary, it is convenient with double induftry and labour to reach fuch as are not skilful already, and pradife fuch as are; as we have feen feveral excellent Commanders, to pradife and inftrud their Soldiers, take extraordinary pains without any refped to their digni- ties.
Cojimo. It feems to me that this difconrfe has a little tranfported you, for before you have told us the way of exercifing by Companies, you have treated of entire Armies and the managing of a Battle.
Fahitio. You fay right, and the true reafon is the affedion I bear to thofe orders, and the trouble I am under that they are no more ufed; yet do not think but I will recoi- led ray felf and return. As I told you before, in the exercifing of a Company, thefirll thing of importance is to know how to keep your ranks; to do this, it is neceflary ro exercifethem in that order which they call Chiocaofe, or the Snailorder. And becaufe I have faid that one of thefe Battalias or Companies is to confift of four hundred Foot compleatly armed, I will keep to that number.
Thefe four hundred men (then) are to be reduced into 80 files, five in a file, after which they arc to be carried forward upon a quick march, or a flow, wheeling, and doubling, charging or retreating, which indeed is more deraonfirable to the eye, than the undcrftanding. But this Snai/ way of exercifing a Company is not fo necefl'ary, be- caufe every one that knows any thing of an Army, knows how 'tis to be done; and in* deed it is notconfiderable in any refped, but to teach Soldiers how to move their files; but let us now draw up one of thefe Conrpanies, and difpofe them into their ranks.
CHAP. VIII.
Of three principal wjys of drawing up a Company, and putting them into a pojture to fght.
T Say that there are three principal forms of drawing up men; tlic firfi and mod ufeful is to draw them up clofe, in the figure of two Squares. The fccond is'ro draw thcni up in a fquare with two Wings. The third is to draw them up with a vacuity in the middle, which they call Piaz,z,a. To draw them up in the nrft figure, there are two ways. One is to double rheir files, that is, the fecond file entring into the firfl, the fourth into the third, the fixth into the fifth, and fo fucccflively; fo rh.it whereas they w-cre 80 fifes of five in a file, they may become forty files of 10 in a file. After this, you are to double them again in the fame manner, thrulling one file into another, and then they will be 20 files, and twenty men in a file. This makes two fquares, or very near; fo though there be as many men on one fide as the other, yet towards the head they join together, fo as one Hank may touch the other; but on the other fide, their di- llance is at leafl; two yards one from the other; lo that the fquare is longer from the Rear to the Front, than from one Hank to another. And becaufe we are to fpeak of- ten of the fore part, and hinder part, and the fides, of thk Bat: a/i a or Company, and of the whole Army when joineJ; you muft know that when I fay the hc.id or the front, 1 mean the fore part of ihe Battle; when I lay the /houldcrs, I rne^in the hinder part; and when I fay the flanks, I mean the lides. The fifty lA/ites in ordinary do nor min- gle withe refl of the files, but when the Battalia is formed, they;irc difpoled by its Hanks. The other way of drawing up a Company is tUifiy (and otcaulc it is better than the firfl, 1 refolvc to defcribe it fo plain, that you fliall underfland it as well as if it were before your eyes) I fuppofc you remember of what number of men, of what OfHcers it is Book 11. The An of IV A R. 4 59 is corapofcd, and what Arms ic is to carry. The form therefore of this Battalia is of twenty Files, twenty men in a File, five Files of Pikes in the front, and fifteen Files of Biicklers in the rear. Two Centurions in tiie fionr, and two in the rear, Which the ancients called TtrgtduSiores. The Conftable or Captain with his Coloui^s and Druiti is to ftand in the fpace betwixt the five Files of I'lkes, and the fifteen Files of Bucklers; Corporals, upon the flank of every File one^ lo chat each of them may have his men by his fide; tho:e who are on the right hand, will have them on their left, thofe on the <> left on their right; the fifty Vvntes are to be drawn up on the flanks and rear. Now that your Soldiers may put themfclves into this poflurc in their ordinary march, it is to be done in this manner. You are firft to reduce your Battalia into 80 Files, five men in a File, leaving your Velitei either in the front or the rear, but they raufl be fure to be placed without this order. Every Centurion is to be at the head of twenty Files, five of Pikes are to be immediately behind him, and the reil Bucklers.
The Conftable or Captain is to ffand with his Drum, and Colours in the fpace betwixt the Pikes and the reff of the Bucklers belonging to the fecond Centurion, and may take up the place of three of the Bucklers. Of the Capidtect or Corporals, twenty aretofland in the flank of the Files of the fir/1 Centurion, upon the left hand, and twenty upon the flank of the lafl Centurion upon the right hand. And it is to be obferved that every Cor- poral who leads the Pikes, is to have a Pike in his hand: and they who lead the Scudi are to have Bucklers in theirs.
Having put > our Files into this order, and being defirous upon their march to reduce them into a Battalia to make head againfi an Enemy, you mufl caufe the firft Centurion with his firft twenty Files to make a halt, and the fecond Centurion to continue his march to the right all along by the fides of thofe twenty Files which ftand firm, till he comes cheek by jo!e with the firft Centurion, where he alfo makes his ftand, and then the third marching on likewife on the right hand by the flank of the faid Files, advances till he be even with the other two Centurions, and then he making his flop, and fo the the reft; which being done, two of the Centurions only are to depart from the front into the rear of the Battalia^ which by this means is in the fame order as I faid before. The Velites are to be drawn up by the fide, as they are difpofed in the firft way, which is called redoubling by a right line, for the fecond way redoubles them in the flanks. The firft way is moreeafy, this is more orderly and ufeful, and may be better corre(Sed and refo"med to your mind; for in the firft you are obliged to conform to your number, for five double, make ten, ten twenty, twenty forty; fo that if you would double your Files in a right line, you cannoc make a front of fifteen, five and twenty, thirty, nor thirty five, but you muft go where the number will carry you. And therefore it happens every Day upon particular recounters, that it is neceffary to make head with 7 or 800 foot, and in fo doing to double in a right line would undo you. For thefe reafons this way pleafes me bcft, and the difliculties therein are eafily removed by exercife and pradice. 1 fay then that nothing is of greater importance than to have Soldiers which can put themielves inftantly into their ranks, and ro learn that it is neceftary to exercife them in thefe Companies at home, to teach them the quick and the flow march, to ad- vance orto retreat, and topafs thorough flreights, and difficult places, without difturbing their order: For Soldiers that can do that well, are good Soldiers, and may be called old Soldiers, though they never looked an Enemy in the face; whereas on the contra- ry, if a man has been in a thoufand Battels, and underftands not that, he is but a Novice, and a frefh warer Soldier. This is only as to clofing their ranks upon a march when they are in fmall Files; but having clofed their Files, and being afterwards broken by fome accident (either from the place or the Enemy) to rally, and recoiled them- fclves then, there lies the difficulty and importance, which requires great exercife and pradice, and by the ancients was endeavoured with much induftry. In this cafe it is neceffary therefore to do two things.
C H A P IX.
The manner of rallying Soldiers after a rout^ and to make them face ahout a whole Company at a time.
f'abr, TIT Hen a Squadron is broken, to rally and bring them again fuddenly into or- *^ der, two things are convenient; firft, that feveral Colours or Countermarks be afligned to every B atalia; and fccondly, to obferve this rule, that the fame Foot ^land ftill in the fame Files. For example, if a Soldier's Place was formerly in the fe- O o 0 2 40nd 460 The An of WA R. Book 11.
cond File, let him continue in that File, and not only in that File, but in the fame place; and in order to that, as I faid before, feveral Counrtrmarks are necelfary. And firft, it is convenient that the Enligns and Colours of each Company be fo liandfomely diftinguiftied, that being joined with other Squadrons, they may know one another. Next, that the Captains and Centurions have Flumes of Feathers or Scarfs, or fome. thing that may make them confpicuous and remarkable; and laft of all (as being of ° more importance) the Capidieci or Corporals are to be fo accoutred, that they may be known; and of this the ancients were fo extraordinarily curious, that their numbers were written upon their Helmets in great Charafters, calling them the firft, fecond, third, and fourth, &c. And not content with this, every Soldier had the number of his File, and the number of his place in that File engraven upon his Buckler. Your Com- panies being in this manner made diftinguiftiable by their Colours, and accuflomed to their Ranks and Files by pradice and experience, it is no hard matter, though they be difordcred, ro rally, and reduce them fuddenly again; for as foon as the Colours are fluck down in the ground they are immediately vifible, and the Captains and Officers knowing which are their own, repair themfelves, and difpofe their Soldiers immedi- ately to their places, and when thofeon the left have placed themfelves on the left hand, and thofe which belong to the right hand on the riqht; the Soldiers direded by their rules, and the difference of their Colours, fall immediately into their Ranks, as eafily as we put together the Staves of a Barrel when we have mark'd them before. Thefc things if learned with diligence and exercife at firft, arc quickly attained, and hardly forgot; for your raw men are direftedby the old, and in time a ProviiKe by thefe ex^rcifcs might be made very fit for the War, It is necelfary therefore to teach them how to turn all together, when to face about in the Rear, or the Flanks, and make Rear and Flank of the firft Ranks when occafion is offered.
And this is no hard matter to do, feeing it is fufficient, that every man faces to that fide he is commanded, and where they turn their faces, that is tht Front. True it is when they face to the Flank, their Ranks do not hold their proportion, becaufe the diflance betwixt the Front and the Rear is thereby much leifened, and the diftance bC' twixt the extremity of the Flanks is much cncreafed, which is quite contrary to the ge- nuine order of a Battalia, for which caufe great pradice anddifcretionis required to re- dify it, and yet this may be remedied by themfelves. But that which is of greater confequence, and which requires more pradice, is when an Officer would turn his whole Company together, as if it were a fingle man, or a folid and mafly body of ic felf. And this requires longer experience than the other. For if you would have it turn to the left, the left corner mufl ffand flill, and they who are next them, march fo iei- furely, that they in the right may not be put ro run; if they be, it will breed confufioii. But becaufe it always happens that when an Army marches from place to place, that the Companies which are not in the Front, are loiced to fight in the Flar.ksj or Rear, fo that one and the fame Company is many times compelled to face about to the Flanks and Rear at one and the fame time, that thefe Companies therefore may in this exigence hold their old proportion, according ro what is f:i!d before, it is necelfary that they have Pikes in that Flank which is moft likely to be attack'd, and Capidted Captains, and Other Officers in their proper places.
CHAP. X.
To range a Company in fuch order that it may he ready to face the Enemy ^ on which fide Joever he comes.
Kz^y.tirHen you have marfhalled your forefcorc Files, five in a File; you are to put all ' your Pikes into the firfl twenty Files, and place five of your Corporals in the head of them, and five in the Rear. The other 60 Files which follow, are Bucklers all, and conhfl of 300 men. So then the firfl and laft File of every Company, arc to be Corporals; The Captain with his Enfign and Drum, is to ffand in the midfl'of the firft hundred of Bucklers, and every Centurion at the head of his Divifion. When rhey are in this order< if you dcfirc to have your Pikes on the left hand, you are to double chtm Company by Company from the right Flank; if you would have them on the right, you are to double from the left; and this is the way by whicii a Company turns with the Pikes upon on6 Flank, with their Officers at the Head and the Rear of them, and their Captain in thcmidft, and it is the form which is obfcrvcd in a match. But u. on tiic approach of an Enemy j when Book II.
llx Art of IF A R.
461 when they would make a Front of a Flank, they have no more to do but to command that all oi them face about to that Flank where the Pikes are, and in fo doing the whole Battalia turns with its Files and Officers at the fame time, in the manner aforefaid; for (unkfs it be the Centurions) they are all in their old places, and the Centurions can quickly be there. But when a Battalia marches in the Front, and is in danger to be engaged in the Rear, the Files are to be fo ordered, that the Pikes may be readily behind; and to do this there needs no more, but whereas ufually in every Battalia, every Cen- tury has five Files of Pikes in the Front, thofe five Files may be placed in the Rear, and in all other places the fame order to be obferved as before.
Ccfimo. If my memory fails not, you faid that this way of exercife is in order to the uniting thefe Battalias into an Army, and that this pradicc is fufRcient to direct them in that. But if it fliould happen this Squadron of 450 Foot fliould be to fight fingly and by it felf, how would you order it then?
Fahritio. He who commands them is to judge where his Pikes are to be difpofed, and place them as he thinks fit, which is not at all confiftent with what I have prefcribed before j for though that be a way to be obferved in Battle upon an union orconjunftion of feveral Squadrons, yet it may ferve as a rule in whatever condition you fall into. But in fhewing you the two other ways which I recommended for the ordering of a Battalia, 1 will fatisfie you farther.
CHAP. XI.
To draw up a Company with two bonis, or another with d Piazza, or vUcuity in the middle.
TO come to the way of drawing up a Battalia or Squadron with two horns or points, I lay you muft order your 80 Files, five in a File, after this manner. In the midftyoumuft place aCenturion with 25 Files, two of Pikes to the left, and thtee of Bucklers to the right: When thofe five are difpofed, bring up the other twenty, with twenty Files and Filc-leaders, all of them to be placed betwixt the Pikes and the Bucklers; only thofe who carry Pikes are to ftand with the Pikes. After thefe twenty five Files are fo placed, draw up another Centurion with fifteen Files of Bucklers; after which the Conftable or Captain is to draw into the middle with his Drum and his Colours, with other fifteen Files of Bucklers. This being performed, the next to march up is the third Centurion, who is to be at the head of 25 Files, of 5 in a File, three Bucklers to the left, and two Pikes to the right; and after the 5 firft Files, let there be twenty File-leaders placed betwixt the Pikes and the Bucklers, and after thefe the fourth Centurion. Having drawn your Men into this order j to make a Battalia confiding of two horns, the firft Centurion is to make a ftand with his 25 Files at his heels; then is the fecond Centurion to advance with his 15 Files of Bucklers, and place himfelf on the right hand of the firft Centurion, and marching along by the fide of the 25 Files, he is to advance 'till he comes to the 15 Files, and there he is to flop. The next that marches is the Captain, with his Divifion of 15 Files of Bucklers be- hind him, and advancing on the right hand by the flank of the other 15 Files, he is to march up to their Front. After him the third Centurion is to move with his 2^ Files, and the fourth Centurion after him, and paffing along by the right flank of the laft 1 5 Files of Bucklers, they are not to ftop at the Front of the faid Files, but to ad- vance 'till the lafl of the 25 Files be parallel with the Files which are behind them. As foon as this is done, the Centurion at the head of the firft 1 j Files of Bucklers^ is to remove into the lelt Angle in the Rear, and by this means you lhall form a Bat- talia of five and twenty firm Files of twenty men in a File with two horns, on each fide of the Front one, each of them confifting of ten Files of 5 in a File, with a fpace betwixt the two horns, Sufficient to receive ten men a breaft. Betwixt the two horns the Captain is to be pl^ed, and a Centurion at each point or angle; there are like- wife to be two Files of Pikes, and twenty Corporals on each Flank. Thefe horns or \vings are ufeful to receive and fecure Carriages or Artillery, when they have any with them; the Velites are to be drawn up along the flanks under the fhelter of the Pikes. But to reduce this horn'd Squadron into another Figure with a fpace in the middle, ro more is to be done, than, out of the 15 Files of twenty in a File, to take eight, and place them upon the point of the two horns, which will make a good Rear, and turn it itito a Battalia della Piazza, or a Battalia with a fpace in the midft; in this Space or Area, the Carriages arc difpofed, and the Captain and his Colours, but not: • - the 462 The An of WA R. Book 11.
the Artillery, for they are placed either in the Front, or along the Flanks. Thcfe are the Forms robe obferved in a Battalia or Squadron, \rhen it marches alone through dangerous places. But the fingle Battalia without horns or vacuity is better, though to fecure fuch as are difarmed, the horned Figure is convenient. The S-wijJei have fe- veral forms of drawing up their Battalias, one is the fafbion of a Crofs, placing their Harquebufliers betwixt the Arms of the faid Crols to fecure them from the Enemy. But becaufe thofe Figures are proper only when Squadrons fight firgly and by them- felvcs, and my Intention being to fliow they may fight united and in copjundion, I fhall not trouble my felf with them.
Cofmo. I fancy I fufficiencly comprehend the way that is to be obferred to ex- ercife men in thefe Battalias; but (if I miltake not) you rold us that to the ttn Batta- lias, (which united, make a Battallion) you would add a Thoufand extraordinary Pikes, Four hundred of the extraordinary Velttes. And rhtfe would you not advile Ihould be exercifed?