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

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Collation.
Tp., Ai.—Ded. to William Davison, A2.—Verses, A3-4.
Author's pref., B I -b2.—Cts., b2.—Diags., one folding.—R.H. : "The . . .
Booke of Militarie Discipline."—Sigs. in 8», A, B (2 fF.), €-¥4; A and B in
4*.— 38 and 37 11. to p. (See No. 42.)
Copies. B.M.
Contents. One of the most famous, most widely read, and most widely ^
The titlepage of the
quoted of sixteenth century books on the military art.
4th ed. of the original (Rigaud, Lyons, 1592), states that the work was "first
executed and compiled by the author from what he had read in Ancient and
Modern writers, such as Polybius, Vegetius, Frontinus, Cornazan and others,
as well as from what he had seen and done in the armies and wars of his
time." For a century de Fourquevaux's work was ascribed, almost without
question, to Du Bellay, such writers as Brantome^ and Naude* helping to
perpetuate the mistake ;
and even now, it is commonly, for convenience' sake,
spoken of as Du Bellay's. Grud6 de la Croix Dumaine,* indeed, doubted
his claim, on the ground that the author praises himself for his learning and
soldiership. " Had he read the work attentively," Bayle remarks, " he would
have found other and stronger proofs." At last, in 1643, J. ^" ^^^' ^^"^ ^°
the press Francois de Fourquevaux's MS., ** Les Vies de plusieurs capitaines
Francois," *
written many years before, in which Francois states the " Instructions
" to be his father's work, and proves it historically impossible that Du
Bellay should have written it. The mistake arose through the finding among
Du Bellay's papers of a MS. of the original, which had been sent to him by
the author, that he might pass judgment upon it, and had never been returned.
" If the Author's kinsman had acquainted the public with the truth of this
fadt," says Bayle," " before the Sieur
de Naud6 had published his Syntagma
de Studio Militari, it is probable that this Syntagma would not have contained
the common error." De Fourquevaux's claim, however, is not uncontested ;
some, like Voltaire, attributing the work to Francis I.
Raimond de Fourquevaux( 1509-15 74), a Gascon belonging to a family of
the robe, was engaged in many of the campaigns of his time, and also in
various diplomatic missions to Italy, Germany, and Spain.
" The Instruftions " consists of three books of 1 2, 7, and 5 chapters respe(5lively,
dealing with recruiting, arming, exercising and manoeuvring of
troops, cavalry, marches, vi6lualling, encampments, crimes and punishments,
rewards for good service, etc. De Fourquevaux has taken his description of
a battle (Bk. L, chap, xi.) from Macchiavelli.
[V. Orig. 515.]
*
"M6moires des grands capitaines Fran9ois," Leyde, 1666, 12°.
' "Syntagma de Studio Militari," Rome, 1637, 4".
' « Bibliotheque," Paris, 1584, fol.
* Paris, 1643, 4% pp. 331-331-
' " Didtionnaire Historique," Rotterdam, 1720, fol., vol. i., p. 497.
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