second ranke,
ought to enter into the first, the fowerth into the thirde, and so
foorth: in this case, thei ought not to begin before, but behinde, so
that redoublyng the rankes, thei maie come to retire backewarde not to
tourne forward: but to aunswere to all thesame, that upon this foughten
field by me shewed, might of you bee replied. I saie unto you again,
that I have ordained you this armie, and shewed this foughten field for
two causes, thone, for to declare unto you how it is ordered, the other
to shewe you how it is exercised: thorder, I beleve you understande
moste well: and concernyng the exersice, I saie unto you, that thei
ought to be put together in this forme, as often times as maie be: for
as moche as the heddes learne therby, to kepe their battailes in these
orders: for that to particulare souldiours, it appertaineth to keepe
well the orders of every battaile, to the heddes of the battailes, it
appertaineth to keepe theim well in every order of the armie, and that
thei knowe how to obeie, at the commaundement of the generall capitain:
therefore, it is conveniente that thei knowe, how to joyne the one
battaile with thother, that thei maie knowe how to take their place
atones: and for this cause it is mete that thansigne of every battaile,
have written in some evident part, the nomber therof: as well for to be
able to commaunde them, as also for that the capitain, and the
souldiours by thesame nomber, maie more easely knowe theim againe: also
the maine battailes, ought to be nombred, and to have the nomber in
their principal Ansigne: Therefore it is requisite, to knowe of what
nomber the maine battaile shall be, that is placed on the left, or on
the right horne of what nombers the battailes bee, that are set in the
fronte, and in the middeste, and so foorthe of the other. The antiquitie
would also, that these nombers should bee steppes to degrees, of honors
of the armies: as for insample, the first degree, is the Peticapitain,
the seconde, the hedde of fiftie ordinarie Veliti, the thirde, the
Centurion, the fowerth, the hedde of the first battaile, the fifte, of
the second, the sixt, of the thirde, and so forthe, even to the tenth
battaile, the whiche must be honoured in the seconde place, nexte the
generall capitaine of a maine battaile: nor any ought to come to thesame
hedde, if first, he have not risen up by all these degrees. And bicause
besides these heddes, there be the three Conestables of the
extrao