Anglais

1685 · AQ22730 — London: Printed by the Assigns of John Bill deceas'd: And by Henry Hills and Thomas Newcomb 1685. 271pp 1. ESTC R7189 Wing A105. Bound with: Rules and articles For the better Government of His Majesties Land-Forces In Pay during this present rebellion. London. Printed by Printed by the Assigns of John Bill deceas'd: And by Henry Hills and Thomas Newcomb. 1685 36pp. ESTC R28828 Wing R2239. 8vo. Contemporary gilt-tooled speckled calf later rebacked preserving contemporary backstrip. Rubbed head-cap perished. Early manuscript shelf-marks to FEP early inscription of Hugh Scott to title page of first mentioned work dampstaining primarily confined to margins of first work more extensive in second. A scarce late seventeenth-century martial manual on the English army line infantry formations. First printed in 1676 the work is primarily devoted to the correct battlefield positioning of pikes and muskets; detailed instruction is provided for the efficient command of personnel in order to maximise damage inflicted and minimise friendly losses. The information is presented in an efficient and remarkably accessible manner the directions for the 'exercise of the musquet' for example are arranged as a list of succinct stages easily comprehended: 'Handle you Charger / Open it with your Teeth / Charge with Powder.' Successive editions each a revision on the last accommodated advances in military technology such as the introduction of flintlock firing mechanisms and the wide-spread employment of the bayonet. This copy is paired with a reissue of the regulations for the conduct of the infantry occasioned by the onset of the Monmouth Rebellion during which the ranks of the English Army swelled in response to the threat of the deposition of James II. . Printed by the Assigns of John Bill deceas'd: And by Henry Hills, and Thomas Newcomb unknown