The gentlemans recreation in two parts : the first being an encyclopedy of the arts and sciences ... the second part treats of horsmanship, hawking, hunting, fowling, fishing, and agriculture : with a short treatise of cock-fighting ... : all which are collected from the most authentick authors, and the many gross errors therein corrected, with great enlargements ... : and for the better explanation thereof, great variety of useful sculptures, as nets, traps, engines, &c. are added for the taking of beasts, fowl and fish : not hitherto published by any : the whole illustrated with about an hundred ornamental and useful sculptures engraven in copper, relating to the several subjects.

Of the Faussebray.

AT the Foot of the Rampert Engineers make [ 40] a Faussebray all round a place, but especi∣ally before the Faces of the Bastions; they are large, from 18 to 24 Feet of a Terraplane, with a Parapet, as that of the Rampert; of late they have neglected to make Faussebrays alledging for rea∣sons,

1. Since the Faussebray is but a Parapet raised above the Level of the Campaign, the Enemy be∣ing [ 50] advanced to, and possessed of the Counterscarp, which is ordinarily of the same height, it may enfile it with their Batteries so easily, that it were impos∣sible for the Besieged to stay thereon, and hinder that the Enemy might not pass the Ditch.

2. That the Ditch being passed, the Miners find place to Mine the Faces of the Bastions where they will, and in many Places at a time, and the Mine being made, the Besiegers may not only make the Assault at the Breach, but also on the [ 60] Right and Left, in the Faussebray, and Attack o∣ver all.

3. And that which is the greatest reason, that the quantity of Bombs, which are at present Shot, the Faussebray will in few Hours be Totally ruin∣ed.

But in considering the great Advantages the Faussebray gives to a place, since from them the escape which the Enemy is obliged to make through the Covered Way is easily discovered, and the Enemy not only annoyed on the side, but likwise on the Front, and so hindered by Musquet-Shot, Granadoes, and Artificial Fire to fill the Ditch, and make a Gallery; and seeing also they defend the Ravelins, and Covered Way, much better than an high Rampert, it is more reasonable to remedy the Faults, than to reject the use of the Faussebray before the Faces of the Bastions.

As to the first Reason, viz. the Enfilement that the Enemy may make, the Faussebray may be made 9 Feet higher than the Parapet of the Co∣vered Way.

The second, and third Faults may be reme∣died by Traverses, Caponiers, with little Palisa∣does and Countermines; the rest of the Faults are remedied by making a small Ditch of 20 Feet between the Rampert of the Town, and the Faussebray.

When the Ditch, or Moat is dry, then the Faussebray is not found so convenient, as when it is full of Water.

See (concerning the Advantage of the Fausse∣bray) Chap. 2. Lib. 1. Dogen, and Chap. 28. Lib. 1. de Ville.