The Great Art of Artillery, Part One

TO THE READER.

...and all with one voice proclaim it a great art, to which so many other arts serve. But now, let us look at the military order and status: is not the highest honor held there for this art? It is absolutely so: for its Prefect is called the Grand Master, holding a dignity specifically after the General of the army and the Master of Horse. His lieutenants and other officers, in various ranks and offices—among whom some are distinguished by the title of Nobility—possess a proper treasury and distinct camps, for which the first and best place is now chosen. Among the Romans also, in the past, when there was only a certain shadow of this art, a place was assigned to the right of the Praetor, and as near as possible—even above the legates—in the quaestorian vessel for all war equipment and machines from which our art derived its beginnings. If you ask about the various prerogatives and immunities of the persons who look to this and make a profession in this art, you will find that they enjoy them above all others who follow the military. And this is not without cause; for, to pass over other matters of greater preeminence and dignity, upon which the safety of the entire army very often turns, and from which so many benefits redound to the whole, a single common operator of siege engines, whom others call a gunner, stands before a hundred infantry soldiers; indeed, he far surpasses them, provided only that the thing itself matches the name. But let those also pronounce their opinions whom military practice has taught that our war machines, and the countless things our art teaches, are the heart of the entire military; and those who handle such things, are they not the principal members of the entire body of war? If they languish due to inexperience or some defect, it is necessary that the whole body also languish.

The name of the art, as in the past, so now is varied, and the etymology is also uncertain. In ancient times, it was called the Bombard Art original: "Ars Bombardaria" from the terrible "bomb," or sound, and heat of the engines; whence those who devoted themselves to this art were called Bombardiers original: "Bombardarii", which word has remained to this day among the Italians, for such men are called Bombadieri by them. Or if one wishes to inquire into the derivation of this name from their idiom, we will find it said to come from the vehement striking and infliction of the machines, since they say bombardare una città to bombard a city, which for us means to attack with engines and shake a city.

The term Pyrotechnics original: "Pyrotechnia" was also not inappropriately applied to it, from the Greek πυρ fire and τεχνη art, as if it were the fire-art, through which it teaches how to prepare artificial fires, or as many miracles—which you might also call certain tricks, or techniques. And τεχνη and τεχνικος signify artificial and ingenious, whence also πυροτεχνία denotes a fire-engineer, or an ingenious artificer of fires. We retain this appellation in our work, and we attribute it more often both to the art and to its practitioners.

But some have also given it the name Pyrobolics original: "Pyrobolia", whose etymology is also to be sought from Greek letters, namely from fiery projectiles; or because it proposes the nature of fire and the method of throwing with fire; for βελος signifies to the Greeks a dart or projectile, and βαλλω is the same as for us to throw or hurl.

It could also, in a way, be called Ballistics and Acontismology original: "Acontismologia", deriving its name from projectiles and the method of throwing; but these terms belong properly not so much to the whole art as to a part of it only, namely that which deals with the proper balancing of projectiles.

Furthermore, the name Artillery, by which this art is now distinguished, and than which nothing is more known or celebrated—from where it derives its etymology, critics have nothing certain. Yet this word seems to have come from the Italians: for Artigliaria is what they call the art itself, as well as any major engine of war. This name, however, is derived from their word artigli, which signifies claws, or artiglio, which for the Latins is articulus joint. For they once named, and even now name, war engines—not only the Italians but others as well—after birds of prey (such as gyrfalcons, falcons, hawks, sakers, and others of that kind) because of their hooked claws and joints, which wise nature gave them for seeking their food, and because of their swift flight, the lightness of their bodies, and the perpetual rowing of their wings, by which they surpass other birds and are hostile to them. This is also due to the similarity of their movement through the air and the impetus of the cannonballs exploded from the engines. But we are not too anxious about the name given to the art and its derivation; whatever you call it, know for certain that it is a Great art, and one that will never be adorned with enough praises. Therefore, moved by its dignity and enticed by its sweetness—because, besides the highest pleasures of the mind...