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WHen a Squadron is broken, to rally and bring them again suddenly into order, two things are convenient; first, that several Colours or Countermarks be assigned to every Battalia: and secondly to observe this rule, that the same Foot stand still in the same Files. For example, if a Soldier's place was formerly in the second File, let him
continue in that File, and not only in that File, but in the same place; and in order to that, as I said before, several Countermarks are necessary. And first it is convenient that the Ensigns and Colours of each Company be so handsomly distinguished, that being joyned with other Squadrons, they may know one another. Next, that the Captains and Centu∣rions have Plumes of Feathers of Scarfs, or something that may make them conspicuous and remarkable; and last of all (as being of more importance) the Capidieci or Corporals are to be so accoutred that they may be known; and of this the ancients were so extraor∣dinarily curious, that their numbers were written upon their Helmets in great Characters, calling them the first, second, 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 Companies being in this manner made distinguishable by their Colours, and accustomed to their Ranks and Files by practice and experience, it is no hard matter though they be disordered, to rally, and reduce them suddenly again; for as soon as the Colours are stuck down in the ground they are immediately visible, and the Captains and Officers knowing which are their own, repair themselves, and dispose their Soldiers imme∣diately to their places, and when those on the left have placed themselves on the left hand, and those which belong to the right hand on the right; the Soldiers directed by their rules, and the difference of their Colours fall immediately into their Ranks, as easily as we put together the Staffes of a Barrel when we have marked them before. These things if learned with diligence and exercise at first, are quickly attained, and hardly forgot; for your raw men are directed by the old, and in time a Province by these exercises might be made very fit for the War. It is necessary 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 first Ranks when occasion is offered.
And this is no hard matter to do, seeing it is sufficient, that every man faces to that side he is commanded, and where they turn their faces, that is the Front. True it is, when they face to the Flank, their Ranks do not hold their proportion, because the distance betwixt the Front and the Rear is thereby much lessened, and the distance betwixt the extremity of the Flanks is much encreased, which is quite contrary to the genuine order of a Battalia, for which cause great practice and discretion is required to rectifie it, and yet this may be remedied by themselves. But that which is of greater consequence, and which requires more practice, is when an Officer would turn his whole Company together, as if it were a single man, or a solid and massy body of it self. And this requires longer experience than the other. For if you would have it turn to the left, the left corner must stand still, and they who are next them, march so leisurely, that they in the right may not be put to run; if they be, it will breed confusion.
But because it always happens that when an Army marches from place to place, that the Companies which are not in the Front, are forced to fight in the Flanks, or Rear, so that one and the same Company is many times compelled to face about to the Flanks and Rear at one and the same time, that these Companies therefore may in this exigence hold their old proportion, according to what is said before, it is necessary that they have Pikes in that Flank which is most likely to be attacked, and Capidieci Captains, and other Officers in their proper places.