ABSTRACT
The Knowledge of Warfare is thrown away on a General who dares not make use of what he knows. The author commend it only in a Man of Courage and of Resolution; in him it will direct his Martial Spirit; and teach him the way to the best Victories, which are those that are least bloody, and which tho' atchiev'd by the Hand, are manag'd by the Head. The early modern era saw the European art of war transformed, with military leaders and theorists reviving certain ancient Greco-Roman military practices, especially the use of massed infantry formations, while simultaneously modernizing to meet the challenges brought by the new gunpowder weapons. Since the early medieval era, elite fighting men had begun their military training at home or fostering at another noble court, where in addition to the exercises common to their class, such as riding and hunting, young men might sign on to serve as pages or squires to older knights.
