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

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by some to Maurice, and by others to one Orbicius, perhaps the compiler of
this vocabulary. He must in that case have been living between a.d. 491
and 518, for in the treatise he recommends to Anastasius I. a new invention,
in modern terminology, a " chevaux de frise," for enabling infantry to meet
an attack by barbarian cavalry. There is a translation by Guischardt of the
passage describing the invention (" Memoires Militaires", La Haye, 1758,
fol., pp. 104-106).
Anonymous (circa a.d. 527-565).
This anonymous Byzantine treatise
is in thirty-three chapters. The name of the author is unknown, but from
certain remarks in the text we learn that he lived in the reign of Justinian
(a.d. 527-565), and that he was the author of another work on the defence
of places. " The reader will notice especially in the eighth chapter,"
says d'Aiglun,* ** how the military art had declined since the time of Philo
yet this anonymous Byzantine writer has some points of great interest to
military engineers.
In the remarks on the choice of sites of fortresses and on
their strategical and ta6lical value in the defence of frontiers, he gives the
only details that have come down to us on this subjed: from the technical
writers of antiquity."
This treatise was commented on for the first time in
1854, byTh.-Henri Martin,^ in his dissertation on Hero, who has pointed
out that it was one of the sources from which Hero the Younger had drawn.
There is a German translation and notes, with Greek text, by Koechly and
Riiston.^ Contents : Chap, ii. On guards. Chap. iii. On signalling with
torches or beacon fires. Chap. iv. On watch towers. Chaps, v. and vi.
On fortification and the defence of places. Chap. xix. On the passage
of rivers. Chap. xxix. On the construdion and guarding of camps. The
other chapters relate to the arming, organization, and manoeuvring of troops,
and to the conduct of wars in general. First printed by Wescher.
Maurice, Emperor of the East (b. circa a.d. 539), was the author of
the *' Strategica", in twelve books, arranged as follows: Bk. I. On the
division, exercising, arming, enlisting, and punishment of soldiers. Bk. II.
On cavalry, their arms, exercising, equipment, etc. Bk. III. On the disposition
of the " tagma." Bk. IV. On ambushes. Bk. V. On baggage.
Bk. VI. The battle formations of the Scythians, etc. Bk. VII. On the
duties of the commander in chief. Bk. VIII. Precautions to be taken prior
to a battle. Bk. IX. On invasions. Bk. X. On sieges. Bk. XL Battle
^
"Memoires dc la Societe d'Emulation " (vol, vi., p. 330).
*
"Memoires prcsentes a I'Academie des Inscriptions", Paris, 1 8 54.
^
"Gricchischc Kriegsschriftstellcr " (Leipsic, 1853-55, 8").
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