This drawing is one of a large set designed to illustrate a manual for the exercise of arms, specifically musket and pike drill (Wapenhandelinghe van Roers Musquetten ende Spiessen). It was published in London and Amsterdam in 1607, and dedicated to Prince Maurice of Naussau. The drawings had been commissioned about ten years earlier by Jan van Nassau-Siegen. The manual was intended as a training guide for the use of officers. Despite the repetitious nature of the subjects, the drawings are full of life and movement and include fine costume detail.