plumes of fethers in their heddes differente, and easie to be knowen,
and that whiche importeth moste, is to ordaine that the peticapitaines
bee knowen. Whereunto the antiquitie had so moche care, that thei would
have nothing els written in their hedde peces, but the nomber that thei
were named by, callyng them firste, seconde, thirde, and fourthe xc. And
yet thei were not contented with this, but made every souldiour to have
written in his Targaet, the nomber of the ranke, and the nomber of the
place, in whiche ranke he was appoineted. Then the menne being
countersigned thus, and used to stande betwene these limites, it is an
easie thyng, thei beyng disordered, to sett theim all againe quickly
into order: considering, that the Ansigne standyng still, the
Centurions, and the Peticapitaines maie gesse their places by the iye,
and beyng brought the left of the left, the right of the right, with
their accustomed distance, the souldiours led by their rule, and by the
differences of the cognisances, maie be quickly in their proper places,
no otherwise, then as if the boordes of a tunne should bee taken a
sunder, whiche beyng first marked, moste easely maie bee set together
again, where thesame beyng not countersigned, were impossible to bryng
into order any more. These thynges, with diligence and with exercise,
are quickely taught, and quickly learned, and beyng learned, with
difficultie are forgotten: for that the newe menne, be led of the olde,
and with tyme, a Province with these exercises, may become throughly
practised in the war. It is also necessarie to teache theim, to tourne
theim selves all at ones, and when neede requires, to make of the
flankes, and of the backe, the fronte, and of the front, flankes, or
backe, whiche is moste easie: bicause it suffiseth that every manne doe
tourne his bodie, towardes thesame parte that he is commaunded, and
where thei tourne their faces, there the fronte commeth to bee. True it
is, that when thei tourne to any of the flanckes, the orders tourne out
of their proporcion: for that from the breast to the backe, there is
little difference, and from the one flancke to the other, there is verie
moche distance, the whiche is al contrarie to the ordinarie order of the
battaile: therefore it is convenient, that practise, and discrecion, doe
place them as thei ought to be: but this is small disorder, for that
moste easely by themselves, thei maie remedie it. But that whiche
importeth more, and where is requisite more practise, is when a battaile
would tourne all at ones, as though it were a whole bodie, here is meete
to have greate practise, and greate discrecion: bicause mindyng to
tourne, as for insample on the left hande, the left corner must stande
still, and those that be next to hym that standeth still, muste marche
so softly, that thei that bee in the right corner, nede not to runne:
otherwise all thing should be confounded. But bicause it happeneth