A bibliography of English military books up to 1642 and of ...

y Koechly and Riiston, Leipsig, 1853,
8^' ^neas is also said to have
written on signalling by fire, or beacons (Polybius, bk. x.), " On Stratagems"
(Suidas, p. 38, ed. Bernhardy), and he himself speaks of his books "On
Castrametation ",
"On preparations of War", and "On Finances" (chaps.
xxi., viii., xl., and xiv.).
Pyrrhus (b. circa B.C. 316, d. 272), one of the greatest generals of
the greatest
antiquity, was the author of works on tadics which were held in
estimation by the ancients, and used by the Romans as text-books. They are
praised by Cicero, and are mentioned by JEYian (" Tadics", chap. i.). They
were in existence as late as the time of Plutarch (circa a.d. 30-117), but
nothing now remains of them.
BiTO [circa b.c. 300-200), a Greek mathematician, of whom little is
known, is mentioned by Hesychius, Hero the Younger, and -^lian, who calls
him Bion. His only remaining treatise is dedicated to Attila, King of Pergamos,
and describes
the stone-throwing machine of Charon of Magnesia,
the moving tower of Damius of Colophon, the balista of Posidonius of
Miletus, and another weapon for throwing missiles, a kind of arbalist.
Printed
in Thevenot's colledtion, Paris, 1693, fol., p. 105, etc., and in Wescher's
" PoUorcetique ", Paris, 1867, fol.
Polybius (b. circa b.c. 214-204) wrote a treatise on tadtics, two fragments
of which are included in Book VI. of his history. For editions of
these apart from the history, see No. 127.
the complete treatise in its separate form.
Athen^us {circa b.c.
Both Arrian and iElian mention
200), a Greek mathematician and contemporary
of Archimedes, dedicated his treatise " On machines of war " to Marcellus.
Printed by Thevenot ; and also by Wescher, with the addition of many
long passages hitherto unpublished.
Ctesibius {circa b.c. 200-150). Vitruvius refers to various books of
Ctesibius, but none have come down to us. However, the treatise " Ctesibii
Belopoica" of Hero the Elder probably incorporates a work of Ctesibius.
According to Philo of Byzantium, a contemporary, Ctesibius was the inventor
of an air-gun, closely resembling in principle the air-gun of the
present day.
Philo of Byzantium {circa B.C. 146). All but Books IV. and V. of
his " Mnj^a^jxT lvuToc,]^\jg
" are lost. Book IV. is on the making of darts,
balistas, catapults, and other machines, many of which were of his own in-
*
Recent eds. of the Greek text: BeroHni, 1870, 8° (two) ; Lipsije, 1874, 8". A critical
study, by A. Mosbach, Bcrolini,
1 880, 8°. xxxiv