The Looking Glass of the Holy War, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Of Diſcipline in Generall.
THe laſt perſonall circumſtance, but not the leaſt, is diſcipline, which is the key of all. This, in all the paſſages of war, from the levying of ſouldiers till they be diſmiſſed, is duely to be looked unto. On the wings of this, did the Romanes ſoare from ſmall beginings (as Vegetius obſerveth) ”Diſciplina parentibus Romanis antiquior fuit quam ſalus quam ſalus liberorum. Diſciplina optime exercitus munitur.to be conquerors of the world. This (as a Civilian obſerveth) was dearer to them then the life of their childrē. Casſiodorus obſerveth, that it is the ſtrongeſt guard that an armie can have. By diſcipline men doe not onelyonly attayne their ends; but they keep that, The uſe & neglect of Diſcipline with the effects.by it, whereunto they attayne. As in the ſtrict law of diſcipline, the weale of Armies and Kingdoms doe confiſt; ſo from the want of this, or remiſſe and looſe execution of it, ariſeth the ruine of Armes, and the advancement of the enemies. Diſciplina majorum Remp. tenet, quae ſi dilabatur & nomen Romanum & imperium amittemus. In orat. ad milites apud Lamp. In Epitom. Dioni. In ſtitut. cap. 8 Ioſephus de bello Iudaico lib. 3. cap. 5.This teſtifieth Alexander Severus, as great a ſouldier as an Emperor, being ſo called for his ſtrict exerciſe of militarie Diſcipline; The Diſcipline of our ancients (ſaith the Emperour) preſerveth the common-wealth, which if wee let ſlip never ſo litle, wee looſe both our name and Empire. Evagrius in effect hath the ſame obſervation. By the wiſdome of Commanders, and ſtrict diſcipline, with obedience amongſt ſouldiers, how great things are effected! But if either of theſe, or both be wanting, then all is undone. Lactantius relateth the looſneſs of militarie diſcipline, as one of the fore-running ſinges of the latter day. As Ioſephus excedingly commends the ſtrictneſs of militarie Diſcipline, that he obſerved among the Romanes; ſo the beſt and greateſt ſouldiers, amongſt Chriſtians, hauehave heavily complained of the want of this amongſt us, and that not without cauſe: for this appeareth in the loſſe of our renowne, and Territories, to the Turke; whoſe obſervancie of Diſcipline to his advantage, & our loſſe, may make us bluſh. Our woe for want of Diſcipline.Seidlitzius, a Noble and militarie man, being captiue to the Turke, did admire (as he writes) the diſcipline of the Turkiſh armie, the modeſtie of their carriage, Historia Peregrinat.and the ſecuritie of the country people, by whom they did March. But on the contrary, with deteſtation, he vehemently reprehendeth the diſſolution, raven, and more then beaſtly looſneſs, of our ſouldiers, that will be called Chriſtians. Whence is our fall, and their rize and ſtanding; but from theſe contrary courſes? The Turkes ſtrictneſs of diſcipline hath got what he hath, and our looſneſs of living hath loſt what he hath got. Non eſt mihi (crede) tantum ab hoſtibns armatis periculi, &c. Lib. 10. Decad. 3.I may well take up the complaint in the words of Scipio in Livi, ſpeaking to Maſiniſſa: wee need not ſo much to feare the forces of our enemies, as wee hauehave cauſe to feare our owne ill conditions. Therefore all Chriſtian Commanders this day, if they would hauehave Gods war to proſper, honour to themſelves, glory to God, and good to the common-wealth, muſt goe about reformation of this ſo abſolutely neceſſary diſcipline. It is true that great Commanders, as Emperours and others, hauehave not onelyonly exerciſed diſcipline ſtrictly, but cauſed books to be written; as a booke in Greeke and Latine of Diſcipline, ſet forth by the command of Iuſtinian. The Emperiall ſanction for diſcipline, in the Parliament of Spier, Anno 1570, But for want of executors of theſe good lawes, wee may cry out with, Horace: ‘Quid leges ſine moribus vanae proficiunt.Lawes are in vaine where manners are not mended.
All good Commanders of what ſort ſoever, ſhould take that charge to themſelues, that Aurelianus gaue to his Generall in a military Epiſtle: ‘Si vis Tribunus eſſe, (imo ſi vis vivere) contine manus militum. RecenſeturIf thou wilt be a Tribune (ſaith the Emperour) yea if thou wilt liue, keepe backe the ſouldiers hand from doing evill. In this worke, wiſe Commanders muſt begin with themſelves; the greateſt that is, muſt not ſay with Pericles; I am not ſubiect to order: but for this, he became a proverbe and was called by the people: foreign.
a Flavio Vopiſco. Commanders muſt begin with Diſcipline at themſelves.He that orders others, muſt firſt order himſelfe. The diſcipline of a looſe Commander will doe little good upon others. And therefore Adrian is much commended; not onelyonly for his admirable valour, and exquiſite experience, but alſo for his ſtrictneſſe towards himſelfe. In the warres he fared hard, his lodging was anſwerable; he marcht many times on foot with his ſouldiers, he ſpared no paines, underwent willingly all labours; inſomuch that Florus the drunken Poet would not hauehave his honour with his paines: His eie was alwaies over his ſouldiers, he deſired to know them in partiticular; he would viſit them in ſickneſſe; and hee removed all things from the Camp that might remoue Diſcipline. So Alexander the Great would deſire his Souldiers to undergoe no ſtricter rules, then he would himſelfe. Such were Severus Scipio, Phirrhus, and others.
Would to God our Commanders would imitate thoſe, Application.and doe but as much for an eternall weight of glory, as they did for their Country, and a name upon earth. I hauehave not onelyonly read, but mine eares hauehave heard to my griefe, the heavie and true complaints of Souldiers, injuried by their Captaines and higher Commanders; namely, in detayning of their pay, which is indeed next unto ſacriledge. It offers violence to the whole Army, indangers the cauſe, be it never ſo good; it cuts the throat of diſcipline. And therefore great Ones, if they louelove their liues, and the honour of themſelues and their Country, let them with Caeſar, and others, take heed that this ſtrange fire be not in their Armies, for fear they cannot quench it when they would. This is one main cauſe, why our Souldiers now a daies come ſhort (for the moſt part) of the Romanes valour; that they are neither ſo regarded, rewarded, nor juſtly dealt with. For beſides the puniſhment, it was an indeleble Character of infamy to defraud a ſouldier of his due.Souldiers ſhould not wrong any Diſ… line ad duo dividitur, in inſtructionem, & correctionem, quorū primum amore, ſecundū timore efficitur. De moribus Eccleſia. Minimae negligentiae erant eapitales lib. 3. de bell. ludaico.
But as they ſhould hauehave no wrong, ſo they ſhould be kept from wronging their calling, themſelues, or others, and that by the exerciſe of diſcipline, whereof there be two parts, as Austin well obſerveth, though in another kinde, namely, Inſtruction and Correction; the former of theſe muſt be effec…d with louelove, and the latter with fear. Alexander Severus …d his name from his watchfull eye that he had over their …erformances, and his ſtrict puniſhment of delinquency. …uch were the Laws of the Romans (as Ioſephus telleth us) that the leaſt negligence was capital, and the Captains were more terrible then the Lawes themſelus. Labienus the Cap…in, being forbidden by Caeſar to fight before he came; though in likelyhood, by an advantage given, he might hauehave defeated the enemy, yet he would not violate the Lawes of Diſcipline. Yet in the exerciſe of diſcipline, a Commander ſhould be diſcreet: for as the Commenter upon Vegetius, well obſerveth, Too too much lenity marreth all; ſo too too …uch acerbity hazardeth all: Therefore the golden mean is to bee kept; but alwaies with Tully his obſervation, Rigor ſal… taris vincere debet inanē ſpeciem Clementiae. Acer in rerum geſtarum rationibus repoſcendis, inexorabilis autem in ſuppliciis Dion. in v… ta Pomp.That …ſaving rigidity, ſhould goe beyond a vain ſhew of clemency. …ucullus, otherwiſe a braue Captaine, undid himſelfe with …is too grear ſeverity: He could command much, but hee was …ot affable; He was ſevere in the exaction of ſervice; but …e was indeprecable in puniſhment: at length he was forſaken of his ſouldiers, who proved as faithfull to Pompey, as they were unfaithfull to him; which argued much his indiſcretion. Tra…an in his diſcipline had ſuch a braue temper, that …is ſouldiers vvere more aſhamed, then afrayed to be inſolent. Likewiſe Souldiers muſt learn to ſubject their necks to the yoke of diſcipline, which is the bond of war: for the Commander beareth not the ſword for nothing; and the ſouldier that doth well need not fear. They muſt not repine … the due inflicted puniſhment; for as the Commander doth …ot willingly inflict it, ſo one muſt rather periſh then unity, Pereat unu… potius qu… unitas.…eſpecially where it is deſerved.) They muſt know, how …ardly ſouldiers are kept in order, and vvhat a dangerous …ing diſorder is in warre. To conclude this point, I wiſh from my heart that our ſouldiers now, may deſerue the commendation that Ioſephus gaue to the Romane ſouldiers: They ſo obſequiouſly obeyed their Commanders, that in peace the were an ornament, and in warre the whole Army was as on body; ſo that, with ready eares, and quick eies, to receiu… ſignes and precepts, they performed their ſervice couragiouſly and ſtrennuouſly. How could they then (ſaith he) not conquer?