Sweep and stone
38. He beareth a sweepe charged with a stone. This is another kind of engine by which great stones were cast into a citty, or
amongst people defending of a breach ... Such an engine as this is used to draw water out of wells that are not very deep as
you may see lib.2. cha.2. numb.11.
Battering ram
39. He beareth a Battering Rame betweene two murthering chaine shott (as Mr Gwilliams
termes them). These are all warre engines, of which I shall speak in perticular.
First for the Battering Rame. It is an engine of warre whereby they break downe, and destroyed the walls of beseeged cittyes; ... It was a great tree, or beame like to a mast of a ship of 30 cubits long; haueing a peece of Iron like a rams head fastned to the end thereof, which they hung vpon a beame, which lay acrosse ouer a couple of pillars or standing posts (like the forme of a Gallowes) hanging it so equally balanced (as the following figures demonstrate) that by force of men pulling it backwards, and then letting it recoil vpon the wall, it would by degrees shake it downe.
There is two other wayes of hanging the Battering Rame as you may se numb.40. 41.
Beacon pot or hanging lamp
The murthering chaine shott as Mr Gwilliams termes them fo:333 or as some thinke them to be, the heads of clubs, called holy-water
sprinkle; others suppose them to be Balls of wild-fire. But all these haue nothing of chaines belonging to them, neither haue they any
need thereof. But in my oppinion they are rather some kind of Lampe, or fire pot, to hang on poles, for Bacons to giue notice to
sea men and Travailers; or to giue the countrey notice (vpon fireing of them) of some eminent approaching enimy, or danger to
be ahead. And that the mistake hath risen through the Ignorance of some vnskillfull painter (as there is such in all ages) who hath
made pricks round the pot instid of flames, so that it is best blazoned a Bacon pot, or Lampe fired with chaines. Examples
whereof you may see numb.48. But for that which was now call a Langrell, or chaine shott, se its description, numb.37.
Murdering chain shot
The Murthering Chaine shott, as Bolton in his elements of Armory pa. 164
(yet gives it noe terme) is according to the figure set forth in the base of
this quarter, ascribeing it to the same familey of Clifford, Earle of
Cumberland ... But how that, and this should agree togather, is to me a
paradox for this I can Judge to be no othere, then such an Instrument, or
engine then I haue before set forth, numb. 30. by the name of a chaine turne
pike, onely of a rounder body. and therefore as I know nothing of it, I
shall say no more conserneing it, but leaue it to others, better able to
judge, what else it should be called.
Battering ram
40. He beareth a Battering Rame hung in a Testudo. It was termed a Testudo, or Tortoise, because men were as safe vnder it, as
that creature was in its shell, which is Impenitrible, neither could be crushed, though neuer so greate a weight went ouer it, or lay
vpon it, as some writ[e].
Battering ram
41. This is another way of Hanging the Battering Rame used by the Romans.
Battering ram with testudo
42. This is another way of secureing the workeing of the Battering Rame by a Testudo, or Tortoise.
Blunderbuss
43. He beareth a Blunderbush, or an or Harquabush.
This is a kind of Short Gun
most used for the defence of a Breach
in a wall; or the cleareing of the decks
of a ship when boarded by an enimy.
It is charged with 10 or 12 muskett
bulletts some more some lesse according
to the largenesse of the boare of the
Barrell.
Roman musculus or little mouse
In the Base of this quarter is a Roman engine which they called a Musculus, or the Little Mouse in English. The use of it was, that vnder
it the souldiers might approach to the walls of a citty, and vndermine them, as safely as the mouse, or Rate maketh their holes vnder the foundations of houses. It was called also, cuniculus, the little cuny, or Rabbett, which are vnderminers, and diggers in the earth whence
they generally gaue name to their engines from such creatures as they imitated. The matter whereof this engine was made, I have not
read: but the forme as it is set downe, I tooke out of Flavius Vegetius lib.4 cap.16.
Related text(s) Harquebus
Ballista
44. He beareth a Balista. The Romans called this engin here described a Balista, which in English may be a crosse bowe, but it is
much bigger, and of a different form as it is set downe by
Vegetius in his booke de re Militari.
Catapult with arrows
45. He beareth a Catapulta charged with darts or Arrowes ... in English may be called the Sling engin.
Scaling ladder
46. He beareth a scaling
ladder, and a double one in bend.
As the scaleing Ladder is borne single, so
it is borne double, that is to say two
Ladders ioyned togather, and such our enimyes
used against vs, in the seige, and stormings of the citty of Chester, in the late
warrs anno 1644 vpon which three men
in breast mounted the walls.
Beacon
47. He beareth a Bacon.
These Bacons are drawne
seuerall wayes, some haue them thus
with the fire pott on the top of a pole,
and an other assending to it with staves
throught it after the maner of a bend
brettessed, for a person to clime vp to
fire the Bacon, and to supply it with its
burning fuell.
Others draw it without this ascendant ladder, putting the staues throwe the erected pole, on which the fire pott is sett and so clime vp to the top by that meanes.
Fire pot
48. He beareth a Fire pott
hung in a chaine to the end of an ouerthwart crosse beames.
These kinds of Bacons are
hung thus, vpon erected poles with
crosse peeces; or else by a streight
pole, thrust out of a window, or ouer
the battlements of a Tower, or castle,
to be guides to travellers, and wafering
persons.
Rack pole beacon
49. He beareth a Rack pole
Bacon, with
a rope bond vp ready to be fired.
This is
the body of a tree with notches on one
side of it, by which meanes men easily
clime up to the top of it to fire the
bacon.
Bullet
50. He beareth a Bullett, or
pelletts for gunnes, between a fire Ball
and a Granado.
Fireball
The second is the fire ball, which is
in the cheife; this you must note, that
the fire ball is fired but at one place
but the ball of the Granado is fired in
seuerall parts representing a bursting
all to peeces, as the Granado doth
when it takes fire in the ball, or shell.
It is called a Fire ball, or a ball of
Wild fire; these are made of combustable stuffe; which being fired, will
not be quenched with water, but where
they are throwne, or shott into houses,
or townes, where they light, they will
fire that place.
Granado
The third Ball is that in base, which
is called a Granado or Bumb.
The Ball of the Granado is termed a
Granado Ball because it is all hollow,
and before it is to doe its execution is
filled with powder, and peeces of Iron,
and bulletts: haueing a Fusee of a slow
burning composition put in the hole of
the shell which being fired, and shott
into a towne or house, out of a Morter
peece; as soone as the Fusee is burnt
to the powder in the shell it fires, and
bursts the shell, and throwes the bulletts all about; blowing vp all before it.
it will by the force thereof, turne houses
vp side downe.
This is an engin or Instrument of much cruelty, a divellish invention, which was hatched in hell, and brought into the world by his Impes; nay the divell himselfe could neuer haue contrived such horridnesse, had not sin and wickednesse bine the fomentor of such cruelty. For by this diuellish Granado whole houses, towne, and citties, haue bine in a short tyme blowne all vp, and throwne in heapes, for there is no defence against it. Being as I haue said a Ball or bullett, or shell of Iron, cast hollow with a hole in it about an Inch diameter, and about threescore, and fourescore, and an hundred or 2 or 3 hundred weight according to the largenesse of the Morter peece.
There are three sorts of hand Granados which haue their shells made of Iron, copper and glasse.
The Orifice is the hole in the top of it by which it is charged or filled with powder, and bulletts. The Fusse is a wooden Forcett, or such like hollow peece of wood, two thirds of the diameter of the shell, which is filled with the slow composition of powder and other ingrediences, to burne slow till it be lodged where it is designed.
Related text(s) Gunshot terms
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