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

Contents. A standard work of the time. It was published without the
knowledge or permission of the author, being coUedled and digested into one
volume, out of a heap of waste paper, by his friend, M. de Fresnes, whom the
troubles in France had enforced to keep company, for eight or nine months,
as a banished man, with de La Noue, during his captivity in the Low
Countries,
Liberty had been offered to the great general by Philip IL, if he
would, by consenting to the putting out of his eyes, render himself incapable
of ever again serving against Spain. These terms were rejedled, and de La
Noue wiled away some of the hours of his five years' imprisonment in writing
these Discourses, which, esteemed by himself as mere scribblings, not worth
the reading, have gained him an assured place among the writers of his
century.^ La Noue was nicknamed by his contemporaries, " Bras de fer.**
Discourses: XIIL pp. 169-176. On the necessity of a standing army of, at
least, four regiments of foot. XIV. pp. 177-184. Of the French Legionaries
J
their numbers, pay, composition, training and choice of officers.
XV. pp. 184-190. On Cavalry; their arms, formations, etc. ; the necessity
of forming them into squadrons for fighting purposes. XVI. pp. 190-194.
On " Camarades " or special followers of Captains. XVII. pp. 194-197. On
rewards to soldiers. Discourse XVIII. (pp. 198-203) contains Four Military
Paradoxes : I. That a squadron of Reisters should beat a squadron of spears ;
II. That 2,500 Corselets and 1,500 Harquebusiers may more- easily retire
three French leagues in a plain than 2,000 spears ; III. That it is expedient
for a Captain to have sustained an overthrow ; IV. That daily experience
have taught such means to fortify Holds, as are more profitable in respedl of
the small charge thereof, and no less defensible than such stately ones as the
Engineers have aforetime invented. Page 346 to end. Certain observations
of divers things that happened in the three first troubles of France, with a
true report of the same.
Three more French technical treatises of about this time have been unfortunately
lost. They were written by Sully, the minister and "maitre
d'artillerie " of Henry IV. (1553-1610), and were entitled "Trait^ de la
guerre ", " Le Mar6chal de Camp ", and " Instru6tions de milice et de police.'*
—Karcher, " Ecrivains Militaires."
Edward Aggas, who was a stationer, translated many French pamphlets.
[V. Orig. 560.]
38. Fifteen-eighty-eight. Tartaglia, Niccolo.
Three bookes of Colloquies con-
| |
cerning the arte ofshooting
in
I
great and small peeces of artillerie, variable |
randges,
^
For an account of de La Noue see " Correspondance de Francois de la Noue," by
Philip Kervyn de Volkersbaersbeke, Paris, 1854.
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