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.

¶ The maner how to make trombes or trunkes of fyre, as well to assaulte as to defende a breache, or gate, and to set a fyre a towne or Campe or anye thing else. Cap. xxix.

FIrst cause a cane of good wood to be made at the corners as big as a mans thigh and the length of an ell, after such sort that y^e hole therof be as wide that a man maye thrust in his naked arme, and cause that the bottom of the sayd trūcke be made in suche wise with a litle hole, that the staffe of a partesan may enter into it, and so to bée made fast ther∣vnto, binding the sayde truncke with yron wyre at both endes, and in the middest for more suerty that it breake not, through y^e fury of the fire. Then fil it with this mix∣ture here following. Take serpentine pouder iiij. pound rosen i. pound, cāphere half a poūde, beaten glas iiij. on∣ces, & mingle euerything together, then begin to fil and put in the trumbe a handefull of serpentine pouder vn∣mixte, nexte a handefull of the foresaide mixture, after a litle pouder, then a stoppell of cotten wet in oyle of gi∣neper, and put in vppon the sayde cotton as you haue done at the firste, that is to saye pouder, and then mix∣ture

&c. And thus you must doo till you haue filled it full, stamping in the stuffe alwayes lightyly, and if for lacke of gineper oyle you wet the cotten in aqua vitae, it is very good putting after euery quantitie of pouder a litle quick siluer, then when it is full, put in the mouthe some good pouder, making it a single couer of parchement boūd a∣bout with packthréed, & with a litle hole in the middest of the parchement, wherin you muste put a matche made with gunpouder, the whiche easyly and quickelye with your common matche may kindle the fyre, being come to the face of the enemie: whiche is an excellente thing for the fight on the sea, or for to disorder a band of horse∣men.

[illustration] woodcut of 3 trombes