s is, concernyng setting them together, when
thei are marching in small rankes: but beyng set, and after beyng broken
by some accident or chaunce, whiche groweth either of the situacion, or
of the enemie, to make that in a sodaine, thei maie come into order
againe, this is the importaunce and the difficultie, and where is
nedefull moche exercise, and moche practise, and wherin the antiquitie
bestowed moche studie. Therefore it is necessarie to doe twoo thynges,
firste to have this battaile full of countersignes, the other, to keepe
alwaies this order, that those same men maie stand alwaies in the ranke,
which thei were firste placed in: as for insample, if one have begon to
stande in the seconde, that he stande after alwaie in that, and not
onely in that self same rancke, but in that self same place: for the
observyng whereof (as I have saied) bee necessarie many countersignes.
In especially it is requisite, that the Ansigne bee after soche sorte
countersigned, that companyng with the other battailes, it maie be
knowen from theim, accordyng as the Conestable, and the Centurions have
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 lear