Certaine vvayes for the ordering of souldiours in battelray, and setting of battayles, after diuers fashions with their manner of marching: and also fugures [sic] of certayne newe plattes for fortification of townes: and moreover, howe to make saltpeter, gunpouder and diuers sortes of fireworkes or wilde fyre, with other thinges appertayning to the warres. / Gathered & set foorth by Peter Whitehorne.

¶ Of Muynes and placing of poulder vnder grounde, wherewith inuinsible fortresses, by fire maye be ruignated, when ordinaunce cannot bee brought vnto them. Capi. xxviiii. (Book 29)

THe better and greater quan∣tetie of poulder which is put in a Caue that is made to o∣uerthrowe a Forte or Castel, the greater vndoutedlie shal∣be the effecte thereof: which caue is best to be made a good waye within the ground, and in a harde place, to the intent that when the same is shutte & well walled vp, the fire be not able easely to haue any other waye oute, then in ouerthrowing the thing y^t is to be ruyned, for as much as if the aire, & the fire in y^e roome of that inclosed place, may haue meanes to breathe out, the force therof wilbe of no effecte. Also it wold be takē héede of, that the caue be not by no other meanes marde, so that the fire maye breake oute:: for which cause, it ought to be made, with the beginning thereof somewhat distant frō the place, that you minde to ouerthrow: to the intent that in making thereof, the men of the same place doo not issue oute to let you, nor perceiue the certaine place of the hurt, to be able to prouide for it, and to make countermuynes to let the fire brethe oute and pas with∣oute anie effecte, whereby all youre coste and laboure may become vaine, Moreouer they make these muines the moste naroweste and moste crookedest that maye be, and in especially néere the very place that is ap∣poincted to be ouerthrowen, and therefore vnder such a place there muste be digged a hole that maye be at

least thrée yardes high or more, and twoo yardes broade and that the entrie vnto it bée vndergrounde in the maner, as by this presente figure you maye sée descri¦bed.

[illustration] woodcut of a cave and tunnel containing barrels of explosives

THE FOVNDATION ON THE MVINE DISCOVERED

THE PLACE OF GREATEST EFFECTE

And in this to put barrelles with their heades knoc∣ked oute full of good strong pouder, betwéene which you must also strawe pouder ynough vpon the bordes wher¦on they stande, laying to it a good great matche made of cotton, boyled in vinegre, brimstone, and Saltpeter, whiche muste bée well roled in good serpentine pouder well dried in the sunne: and hauing laide it to the place, you must make a trayne of pouder vpon it, euen to the going out, so that it may bée couered therwith: placing it in pipes of earth or tronkes of woode in the place of the entrie therof: & that done, you must wall it vp moste strongly, laying ouerthwarte great blockes of okes or other woode: so that with those & with the wall, if maye bée strong to resiste the furye of the fire, as muche as is possible: and the entrie in suche maner made vp and fortefied, when you shall thincke it time to bring the

effecte to pas, to destroye the aduersaries, or to make a ruine, you may cause the trayne to be set on fire, where you shall sée a maruaylous and horrible effecte followe. More aboute this matter I néede not to declare sauing that if it shoulde chaunce the muyne to be made in a stonie place, where the stones will fall downe, that then the best is to vnderproppe them with pipes of wood fil∣led full of pouder.