The Tactiks of Aelian; or Art of Embattailing an Army after ye Grecian manner Englished & illustrated with figures throughout. With engraved title and 50 plates

Aelianus Tacticus (fl. 2nd century CE). The tacticks of Aelian or art of embattailing an army after ye Grecian manner . . . Translated and edited by John Bingham. [4], 159, [7]pp. Engraved title by Aegidius Gelius, 50 engraved plates (mostly folding). London: Laurence Lisle, 1616. 302 x 202 mm. Replica binding in full morocco gilt by Sean Richards. Two or three marginal tears, a few small tears in the plates but very good.

First Edition in English of Aelian's Peri strategikon taxeon Hellenikon [On military arrangements of the Greeks], a handbook of military drill and tactics as practiced by Alexander the Great and his Hellenistic successors. The treatise, most often referred to as Aelian's Tactics or Tactica, is of particular value for its explanation of the operation of the Macedonian phalanx, an infantry formation developed by Alexander's father, Philip of Macedon, and used by Alexander to conquer much of the known world. Aelian's work remained influential long after his death: An Arabic translation made circa 1350 was used to train Muslim armies, and in the 16th and 17th centuries the Tactics was one of the primary training aids for Europe's pike-and-musket armies.

This English translation boasts an elegantly engraved title and 50 engraved plates illustrating the military formations discussed in the treatise. The translator, Captain John Bingham, served under General Maurice of Nassau during the Dutch wars of independence; he added copious notes and a section on "the exercise military of ye English by ye order of that great Generall Maurice of Nassau Prince of Orange of ye united Provinces."