A discourse of military discipline devided into three boockes, declaringe the partes and sufficiencie ordained in a private souldier, and in each officer; servinge in the infantery, till the election and office of the captaine generall; and the laste booke treatinge of fire-wourckes of rare executiones by sea and lande, as alsoe of firtifasions [sic]. Composed by Captaine Gerat Barry Irish.

THE FIRSTE CHAP. Bigininge with the election and office of a Campe-master generall.

THIS Office troughe greate consideration is to by comended and bestowed uppon a personad∣ge of greate gravitie, prudence, and valeour, and of tried experience and exercice in warr, that therby he may comaunde with greate auctoritie, and by estimed acordinge his qualitie and truste; Whiche ought to by reputed in a personadge of so many a proved and goode partes. This office is of such greate importance, that the securitie and goode success of the whole army dependes for the moste parte on him, as a cheefe∣taine and head over the whole army, and all the orderes of the Kin∣ge are by him given, and by his comaunde observed. But when the Captaine generall is in presence, (all muste depende on him) beinge a Superior, and nexte under him the Camp-master generall, as Lugar∣teniente, and in his absence doth comaunde the whole army.

This office with the Romaines was of greate and high estimation; which they cauled Metador, he is to be of suche extraordinarie pru∣dence and care, that not withstandinge he givethe the necessarie or∣deres, he him selfe muste visite, and see who all thinges are ordered, for which he is to have nexte his person a rare Inginier for many effe∣ctes, and for the dividinge of the campe betwexte the Regimentes, Cavalleria and Artillerie, the necessarie grounde, distance, and cir∣cuide for the same, in dividinge the juste proportion of grounde due to severall sortes of nationes, in whiche greate consideration oughte to by used, for whiche purpose he hafe a Quarter-master generall, whiche oughte to by curiouse in thies.

Firste shall be a pointed the fitteste place for the Generall, and if theyre by any reall personadge consideration also is to be taken: This place is to by chosen for the moste a sureste and beste, placinge the Cavallerie on the outewarde side, and the Infanterie on the other si∣de, he beinge shutt and inviorened betwexte both. The quarter of

the Artillerie, and of his courte and traine is to be ordained in a sure place, and well garded rounde a boute on every side; Theyre traine of Officeres gastadores wourkmen pertrechos of sundrie sortes of munitiones, ocupies greate roome: The Cavalleres and pinsioneres nexte the generall is person, Auditor generall, Provoste generall, a Tambor mayor generall, and many more folowinge the Generall, are to be placed not farr from the Generall, and the Provedor generall is also to be placed not farr distance if a conveniente place can be foun∣de for his purpose, for he alsoe requireth muche roome for his amu∣nitiones and wagones. The Infanterie shall invieron the whole cam∣pe, the Ingineres are alsoe to visite all over the campe, and findinge that water is not plintifull to open pittes in the beste and convenien∣teste places for the same.

In the ocasiones and repartitiones that shall offer in imployenge the foote and horse in convoyes to scoute and recnowledge doupte∣full places and oecasiones, and to featche foradge, it oughte to goe by turne, soe that eache one shall take his share of the paines and troubles, excepte onelie in time of hote and extraordinarie service, for in suche ocasiones greate considerationes oughte to by had, in choysinge those that are more fitt for the purpose, which shall by im∣ployed as it shall by more fitt. Greate care oughte to by taken in due time to by well provided of all sortes of amunitiones, as alsoe of all sortes of vituales, and take a speciall care, that all thinges be preven∣ted in due time, that the enemy doe not let or hinder youre convoyes, nor the pasadges, where they come with all sorte of provision for the campe, and to by prevented a gainste all stratagemes they can pre∣vente: When the army shall marche, and that theyre shall by many regimentes of severall nationes, in theyre divisiones, and in the obser∣vinge of goode order greate care and industrie is required, givinge order that eache nation by theyre turne shall marche in the vangar∣de, battell, and rergarde, for beinge so conveniente for his Majesties service: If youe chance to marche troughe an enemy countrie, or nee∣re unto theyre frontieres greate vigilance, and goode order needeth to by observeth, it importeth alsoe to get goode and faithfull guides, and diferente spies of truste, for feare of fraude, as alsoe for to have goode inteligence of the enemies designes in due time.

In suche ocasiones nedeth muche to sende before some horse in a certaine distance to discover, and learne the plottes and stratagemes of the enemy to hinder oure journey. Havinge had inteligence, and

beinge well informed that the enemy are waitinge for to hinder yo∣ue; Cause the Artille••ie to marche with theyre garde, and drawe upp the Infanterie in goode order on the other side of the Artillerie be∣twexte them and the enemy, and the horse alsoe on the outewarde si∣de of the Infanterie, (and in a goode distance of.)

It is necessarie to by prevented of the enemies designes, and con∣sider the situation where youe marche, soe that youre divisiones may acordinglie be ordered, as the situation shall permit and require; In narowe and straighte pasadges, goode order is to by observed, and specially where the enemy is to be suspected, and that the Sardgentes be verie carefull in acomplishinge theyre obligationes, soe that they∣re be no crossinge nor confusion, and suche as shall not keepe theyre rankes to severelie punish them in publick, in as muche that they and the behoulderes may take notice of the same, soe that in oferinge o∣casion with grace and brevitie they may of a sodaine fall into battell. If inteligenee be had that the enemy be stronge on horse in the van∣garde or way where wee intende to pass, and that the pasadge where wee march be soe narowe that oure horse beinge in the vangarde, and beinge chardged and broken by the enemyes horse, and that the na∣rownes of the pasadge doe not permit that they may pass on eyther of the two flankes of the Infantery, and beinge brocken they fall on oure order, and wee incurr greate danger if the enemy doe followe with a brave resolution, if theyre be no remedie that they may pass on eyther of the two sides, of force way is to be made for them, and the shott are to come all on one side of the pasadge, and make way, and the pikes are to be opened on bothe sides of the way, in thies oca∣siones and many more occurrantes in warr greate danger may ocurr, excepte prevension be prudentlie taken in due time.

In suche ocasiones a troupe of musketes and arcabuseros are neces∣sarie to by sente in the vangarde, and then five or six rankes of pikes, which with theyre fronte shall ocupie the pasadge, which shall reviwe recnoledge, and advertice if theyre by any danger or ambuscado.

After thies the reste shall march in goode order as before declared in the office of the Sardgent mayor; In the rergarde shall the Cavalle∣rie marche with a garde of short and pikes, after which shall marche the Cavallerie in order, and if inteligence be had that in the vangar∣de, theyre by any impedimente, or lett that oure Artillerie can nott pass or any parte of the army, lett theyre marche a Company of ga∣stadores, with theyre Captaine to acomodate thies impedimentes,

and in case the enemy by suspected, to conducte them for theyre bet∣ter securitie with a troupe of lighte horse, (togither with an Inginier) with thies gastadores beinge in quantitie, unespected and dificulte matteres are broughte to pass, and sometimes riveres are taken from theire moother, and conducted to other places, as did Ciro Kinge of Percia goinge to beleager Babilonia he divided the river Gange into 360. partes for the revenge of the drowninge of a Gentleman a deere frinde of his, soe that this mightie river was lefte of no force? Kinge Ciro seinge it so fe oble saied thove haste not respected nor feared my, but nowe all thy forces for a revenge, are seperated that a wooman with a childe may pass thy over withoute feare or danger: So the Ge∣nerall of an army is allwayes to consider, that it is of greate importan∣ce to have many gastadores, for by theyre meanes matteres of greate dificulte are broughte to effecte with facilitie, for many handes ma∣keth lighte wourke.

Greate industrie and many aprooved goode partes are required for the rare executiones of this office of a Master de campe generall, of whose prudence and brave conduction greate exspectationes are to by hoped: When he aprocheth neere the place where he thinketh to pitch his campe uppon, he is to goe forwarde with a suficiente garde of horse to viwe all the circuide, and he is to be a companied with one or two Ingineres, to ordaine and divide the quarteres; And when, the army shall inter into the campe or place where they intende to pitch theyre quarter' the Generall of the horse shall remaine in the fielde, he and all his troupes mounted, till all the Infantery be in camped, and then to inter orderlie with his troupes, and repaire to theyre quarter, leavinge his scoutes in the fielde till the Trumpetes sound, and the watch by set, and the cinteries placed in theyre postes, at which time, and when the watches of foote and horse are set in theyre due places, they shall retire, and not before, for the better securitie of the cam∣pe, and that nothinge may happen withoute preventinge in due time the necessarie remedies, or as neere as can by posible.