The Looking Glass of the Holy War, Chapter 16
CHAPT. XVI. The Fixing of the Coulours.
THE Campe thus being fitly ſeated, Et ſigna conſtituunt lib. 1. cap. 23.the enſignes or colours are therein to be fixed. The word uſed by Stuchius well expreſſeth the action: for the Enſigne-ſtaffe being ſharpe at the lower end was fixed faſt into the ground. And this muſt needs be materiall in war; becauſe God gaue this in particular in charge to his people. The Sonnes of Iſrael incampe every man by his ſtandard. Numb. 2.Againe in the colours a great deale of majeſtie, matter of command and conſervation of order is alwayes implyed. Thus much is well expreſt in the Chaldee word Tekes, a Standard, alluding to the Greeke vvord Taxis, vvhichwhich as it ſignifieth any order, ſo …athexochen, or by vvay of excellencie, that excellent ordering of vvar. Nii venerabilius eſt eorum majeſtate militibus. Coelius lib. 3As for the Majeſty begetting due regard in the eyes of the ſouldiers; there is nothing more venerable (ſaith one) in the eyes of ſouldiers then the Majesty of the colours. Yea it appeareth moſt in this, that our bleſſed Saviour is called by the name of an Enſigne. In that day the roote of Ieſſe shall ſtand for an Enſigne of the people. Eſa. 11.10The vvhichwhich propheſy the Apoſtle to the Romanes, expoundeth by that commanding povver that is in the Enſigne. Chap. 15.12The roote of Ieſſe shall riſe to raigne ouer the gentiles. Doth not the Armie march or ſtand as their colours Command them? Further, the noble ſouldier, loues not his life unto death, in regard of the colours. A memorable inſtāce wee hauehave of this, in that battle of Tarquinius king of the Romanes, againſt the Sabines. Where Servius Tullius a gallant ſparke, perceiving the Enſignes to grow cold in the fight, he ſnatcheth the colours out of the Enſignes hand, & flings them in the middle of the enemies, for the recovery whereof both the Enſigne himſelfe, and the whole forces, did ſo charge the enemy, Frontin: Strat. lib. 2. cap. 8.that they gayned both their colours and the victory. You may reade many other examples in the place quoted. In the laſt place, I may ad, that as the colors are ſtately to their Armies, ſo they are terrible to the enemy, as appeareth by that metaphore, uſed by the ſpirit in that ſpirituall battle of the Church againſt the devill, & all her other enemies, Chriſt ſaith, Cant. 6.4.his Spouſe is terrible as an Army of banwers. And ſo much for the generall.
Now to giuegive a touch of the particular colours. Every Company had their owne particular colours, with ſome ſignificant ſigne in them, for diſtinction and inſtruction. As amongſt the Romans, the Legionarie, Auxilliarie and Pretorian companies had divers colours. So the 12 tribes, had their twelve diſtinct colours, with ſignificant ſignes in them; But the particularities of their colours, were left to their choyce, and what they were the ſcripture doth not expreſſe. The Rabbins tell us that Reuben had a man, Iuda a Lion, Ephraeim an Oxe, and Dan an Eagle, together with their diſtinct colours and empreſſes. The chiefe amongſt the Romanes was the Eagle, but they had others, to the number of thirty. The ſame libertie of choyſe is left now to the diſcretion of the Commander Generall; who in his choyſe is to take heed to 3 things. Firſt, that his colours be voide of crueltie. The Angels carry in their colours, the moſt excellent creatures, but the perſecuters of the Church, deſcribed by Daniel, hauehave their colours embelliſhed with crueltie, Ch. 7.67.as the Beare hauing 3 ribbes in his mouth, the Leopard with 4 heads. The fourth monſter with Iron teeth, tearing all the reſt in peeces. The Dragon was one of ancient Romes chiefeſt colours, and the Companie draconarij milites, were under the ſame. As Rome hath, and doth make warr with Chriſt in his members: So the Frogges of Egypt, march under the ſame colours, and they may be called Draconarij milites, or Dragons themſelves. Firſt for their originall, for as the Dragon is a kind of Serpent, foreign.which must eat up another Serpent, before it be a Dragon; and the originall of the Dragon in the Romane coulors was from the death of the Serpent Pithon; ſo the Ieſuites muſt in their trayning up in Ignatius his Conclaue, be fed with nothing but Serpents (as that Indian maid ſent to Alexander, was fed with nothing but poyſon) while they come to be flying, fiery and bloudy dragons. Secondly, for their preying they are never ſatisfyed, Iulian and Valence, both Roman Emperours, cauſed the Prieſts and religious perſons to be bookt, and to ſerue in war: which company they called ſacram cohortem, the holy band; ſo theſe be the Popes holy band, who having the Dragon for their coulours, hauehave ſpread themſelues in Mountains and Valleys. And as they hauehave devoured others even at their dores; ſo through our own default, Plin. lib. 8.14.they are like to make us as much a doe, as that monſtrous Dragon made Attilius Regulus at the river Bagrada in the punick warre, who hardly with his whole Army could overcome it. But would to God that the Kings Majeſtie would doe as he did, for the ſafety of himſelfe and us, that is, either ſend themſelues, or their skins to Rome. A ſecond thing to be obſerved, that no idoll, nor badge of ſuperſtition be inblaſed in the Coulours. The Babyloniſh Banners, ſent to the Popes bewitched Vaſſals for waging war with the Turke, hath made Gods inheritance a prey to him, and the name of God to be blaſphemed by the uncircumciſed. Can God and idols joyn together? And howſoever, for our ſinnes, God for a time hath forſaken his inheritance, and the Babylonians are got into it; yea, they diſplay their banners in his own inheritance, and roare in the midſt of the Sanctuary: yet God will return, and ſet his feet upon the Dragon, & require, with vengeance, the bloud of his Saints.
The laſt thing in the coulours to be looked to is this, Applicatiōthat the ſignificatiue ſign in the coulors may giuegive ſome good inſtruction, without ſuperſtition. It is a foule fault in us profeſſing Chriſt, to giuegive the badge of the beaſt in our coulors, and to uſe the name of a Chimera Saint in our joyning battle.