reasoning of the affaires of warre, ought not to passe the boundes of
Europe: when thus it is, I am not bounde unto you, to make accompte of
the same, which is used in Asia, yet I muste saye unto you thus, that
the warring of the Parthians, was altogether contrarye, to the same of
the Romanes: for as muche as the Parthians, warred all on horsebacke,
and in the fight, they proceeded confusedlye, and scattered, and it was
a maner of fighte unstable, and full of uncertaintie. The Romanes were
(it maye be sayde) almoste al on foote, and thei fought close together
and sure, and thei overcame diversly, the one the other, according to
the largenesse, or straightnesse of the situation: for that in this the
Romaines were superiours, in thesame the Parthians, whom might make
greate proofe, with thesame maner of warryng, consideryng the region,
which thei had to defende, the which was moste large: for as moche as it
hath the sea coaste, distant a thousande miles, the rivers thone from
thother, twoo or three daies journey, the tounes in like maner and the
inhabitauntes few: so that a Romaine armie heavie and slowe, by meanes
of their armoures, and their orders, could not over run it, without
their grevous hurt (those that defended it, being on horsebacke mooste
expedite) so that thei were to daie in one place, and to morowe distaunt
fiftie miles. Hereof it grewe, that the Parthians might prevaile with
their chivalrie onely, bothe to the ruine of the armie of Crassus, and
to the perill of thesame, of Marcus Antonius: but I (as I have told you)
doe not intende in this my reasonyng, to speake of the warfare out of
Europe, therfore I will stand upon thesame, whiche in times past, the
Romaines ordained, and the Grekes, and as the Duchemen doe now adaies.
But let us se to the other question of yours, where you desire to
understande, what order, or what naturall vertue makes, that the
footemen overcome the horsmen. And I saie unto you first that the horses
cannot go, as the footmen in every place: Thei are slower then the
footemen to obeie, when it is requisite to alter the order: for as
moche, as if it be nedefull, either goyng forward, to turne backwarde,
or tournyng backwarde, to go forwarde, or to move themselves standing
stil, or goyng to stand still, without doubt, the horsemen cannot dooe
it so redilie as the footemen: the horsemen cannot, being of some
violence, disordained, returne in their orders, but with difficultie,
although thesame violence cease, the whiche the footemen dooe moste
easely and quickly. Besides this, it happeneth many tymes, that a hardie
manne shall be upon a vile horse, and a coward upon a good, whereby it
foloweth, that this evill matchyng of stomackes, makes disorder. Nor no
man doeth marvell, that a bande of footemenne, susteineth all violence
of horse for that a horse is a beaste, that hath sence, and knoweth the
perilles, and with an ill will, will enter in them: and if you consider,
what force maketh theim go forwarde, and what holdeth them backwarde,
you shall se without doubt thesame to be greater, whiche kepeth them
backe, then that whiche maketh them go forwardes: For that the spurre
maketh theim go forwarde, and of the other side, either the swearde, or
the Pike, kepeth theim backe: so that it hath been seen by the olde, and
by the late experience, a bande of footemen to bee moste safe, ye,
invinsible for horses. And if you should argue to this, that the heate,
with whiche thei come, maketh theim more furious to incounter who that
would withstande them, and lesse to regard the Pike, then the spurre: I
saie, that if the horse so disposed, begin to see, that he must run upon
the poincte of the Pike, either of himself, he wil refrain the course so
that so sone as he shall feele himself pricked, he will stande still
atones, or beeyng come to theim, he will tourne on the right, or on the
lefte hande. Whereof if you wil make experience, prove to run a horse
against a walle: you shall finde fewe, with what so ever furie he come
withall, will strike against it. Cesar havyng in Fraunce, to faighte
with the Suizzers, a lighted, and made every manne a light on foote, and
to avoide from the araies, the horses, as a thyng more meete to flie,
then to faight. But notwithstandyng these naturall impedimentes, whiche
horses have, thesame Capitaine, whiche leadeth the footemen, ought to
chuse waies, whiche have for horse, the moste impedimentes that maie
bee, and seldome tymes it happeneth, but that a manne maie save hymself,
by the qualitie of the countrie: for that if thou marche on the hilles,
the situacion doeth save thee from thesame furie, whereof you doubt,
that thei go withail in the plain, fewe plaines be, whiche through the
tillage or by meanes of the woddes, doe not assure thee: for that every
hillocke, every bancke, although it be but small, taketh awaie thesame
heate, and every culture where bee Vines, and other trees, lettes the
horses: and if thou come to battaile, the very same lettes happeneth,
that chaunceth in marchyng: for as moche as every little impedemente,
that the horse hath, abateth his furie. One thyng notwithstandyng, I
will not forgette to tell you, how the Romaines estemed so moche their
orders, and trusted so moche to their weapons, that if thei shuld have
had, to chuse either so rough a place to save theim selves from horses,
where thei should not have been able, to raunge their orders, or a place
where thei should have nede, to feare more of horses, but ben able to
deffende their battaile, alwaies thei toke this, and left that: but
bicause it is tyme, to passe to the armie, having armed these
souldiours, accordyng to the aunciente and newe use, let us see what
exercises the Romaines caused theim make, before the menne were brought
to the battaile. Although thei be well chosen, and better armed, thei
ought with moste greate studie be exercised, for that without this
exercise, there was never any souldiour good: these exercises ought to
be devided into three partes, the one, for to harden the bodie, and to
make it apte to take paines, and to bee more swifter and more readier,
the other, to teach them, how to handell their weapons, the third, for
to learne them to kepe the orders in the armie, as well in marchyng, as
in faightyng, and in the incampyng: The whiche be three principall
actes, that an armie doeth: for asmoche, as if an armie marche, incampe,
and faight with order, and expertly, the Capitaine leseth not his
honoure, although the battaile should have no good ende. Therfore, all
thauncient common weales, provided these exercises in maner, by custome,
and by lawe, that there should not be left behinde any part thereof.
Thei exercised then their youth, for to make them swift, in runnyng, to
make theim readie, in leapyng, for to make them strong, in throwyng the
barre, or in wrestlyng: and these three qualities, be as it were
necessarie in souldiours. For that swiftnesse, maketh theim apte to
possesse places, before the enemie, and to come to them unloked for, and
at unwares to pursue them, when thei are discomfaicted: the readinesse,
maketh theim apte to avoide a blowe, to leape over a diche, to winne a
banke: strength, maketh them the better able to beare their armours, to
incounter the enemie, to withstande a violence. And above all, to make
the bodie the more apte to take paines, thei used to beare greate
burthens, the whiche custome is necessarie: for that in difficulte
expedicions it is requisite many tymes, that the souldiour beside his
armours, beare vitualles for many daies, and if he were not accustomed
to this labour, he could not dooe it: and without this, there can
neither bee avoided a perill, nor a victorie gotten with fame.
Concernyng to learne how to handell the weapons, thei exercised theim,
in this maner: thei would have the yong menne, to put on armour, whiche
should waie twise as moche, as their field armour, and in stede of a
swearde, thei gave them a cudgell leaded, whiche in comparison of a
verie swearde in deede, was moste heavie; thei made for every one of
them, a poste to be set up in the ground, which should be in height twoo
yardes and a quarter, and in soche maner, and so strong, that the blowes
should not slur nor hurle it doune, against the whiche poste, the yong
man with a targaet, and with the cudgell, as against an enemie did
exercise, and some whiles he stroke, as though he would hurte the hedde,
or the face, somewhile he retired backe, an other while he made
forewarde: and thei had in this exercise, this advertisment, to make
theim apt to cover theim selves, and to hurte the enemie: and havyng the
counterfaight armours moste heavy, their ordinarie armours semed after
unto them more lighter. The Romanies, would that their souldiours should
hurte with the pricke, and not with the cutte, as well bicause the
pricke is more mortalle, and hath lesse defence, as also to thentent
that he that should hurt, might lye the lesse open, and be more apt to
redouble it, then with cuttes. Dooe not marvaile that these auncient
men, should thinke on these small thynges, for that where the
incounteryng of men is reasoned of, you shall perceive, that every
little vauntage, is of greate importaunce: and I remember you the same,
whiche the writers of this declare, rather then I to teache you. The
antiquitie estemed nothing move happie, in a common weale, then to be in
thesame, many men exercised in armes: bicause not the shining of
precious stones and of golde, maketh that the enemies submit themselves
unto thee, but onely the fear of the weapons: afterwarde the errours
whiche are made in other thynges, maie sometymes be corrected, but those
whiche are dooen in the warre, the paine straight waie commyng on,
cannot be amended. Besides that, the knowlege to faight, maketh men more
bold, bicause no man feareth to doe that thing, which he thinketh to
have learned to dooe. The antiquitie would therefore, that their
Citezeins should exercise themselves, in all marcial feates, and thei
made them to throwe against thesame poste, dartes moche hevier then the
ordinarie: the whiche exercise, besides the makyng men expert in
throwyng, maketh also the arme more nimble, and moche stronger. Thei
taught them also to shote in the long bowe, to whorle with the sling:
and to all these thynges, thei appoincted maisters, in soche maner, that
after when thei were chosen for to go to the warre, thei were now with
mynde and disposicion, souldiours. Nor there remained them to learn
other, then to go in the orders, and to maintain them selves in those,
either marchyng, or faightyng: The whiche moste easely thei learned,
mingeling themselves with those, whiche had long tyme served, whereby
thei knewe how to stande in the orders.
COSIMO. What exercises would you cause theim to make at this present?
[Sidenote: The exercises that souldiers ought to make in these daies;
The exercise of swimmyng; Tiber, is a river runnyng through Rome the
water wher of will never corrupte; Thexercise of vautyng, and the
commoditie thereof; An order that is taken in certain countries,
concerning exercises of warre; What knowledge a Souldiour ought to have;
A Cohorte is a bande of men; Of what nomer and of what kind of armours
and weapons, a maine battaile ought to bee, and the distributing and
appoinetyng of thesame; veliti are light armed men; Thecapitaines that
ar appointed to every band of men; Twoo orders observed in an armie; How
a captain muste instructe muste instructe his souldiours how thei ought
to governe themselves in the battaile.]
FABRICIO. A good many of those, whiche have been declared, as runnyng,
and wrestlyng, makyng theim to leape, makyng theim to labour in armours,
moche heavier then the ordinarie, making them shoote with Crosse bowes,
and longe bowes, whereunto I would joyne the harkabus, a newe instrument
(as you know) verie necessarie, and to these exercises I would use, al
the youth of my state, but with greater industrie, and more
sollicitatenesse thesame parte, whiche I should have alreadie appoincted
to serve, and alwaies in the idell daies, thei should bee exercised. I
would also that thei should learne to swimme, the whiche is a thyng
verie profitable: for that there be not alwaies bridges over rivers,
boates be not alwaies readie: so that thy army not knowyng howe to
swime, remaineth deprived of many commodities: and many occasions to
woorke well, is taken awaie. The Romaines for none other cause had
ordained, that the yong men should exercise them selves in Campus
Martius, then onely, for that havyng Tiber at hande, thei might, beyng
weried with the exercise on lande, refreshe theim selves in the water,
and partly in swimmyng, to exercise them selves. I would make also, as
the antiquitie, those whiche should serve on horsebacke to exercise, the
whiche is moste necessarie, for that besides to know how to ride, thei
muste knowe how on horsebacke thei maie prevaile of them selves. And for
this thei had ordeined horses of wood, upon the which thei practised, to
leape by armed, and unarmed, without any helpe, and on every hande: the
whiche made, that atones, and at a beck of a capitain, the horsmen were
on foote, and likewise at a token, thei mounted on horsebacke. And soche
exercises, bothe on foote and on horsebacke, as thei were then easie to
bee doen, so now thei should not be difficult to thesame common weale,
or to thesame prince, whiche would cause them to be put in practise of
their yong men. As by experience is seen, in certaine citees of the
Weste countrie, where is kepte a live like maners with this order. Thei
devide all their inhabiters into divers partes: and every parte thei
name of the kinde of those weapons, that thei use in the warre. And for
that thei use Pikes, Halbardes, Bowes, and Harkebuses, thei call them
Pike menne, Halberders, Harkebutters, and Archars: Therefore, it is mete
for all the inhabiters to declare, in what orders thei will be
appoincted in. And for that all men, either for age, or for other
impedimentes, be not fitte for the warre, every order maketh a choise of
men, and thei call them the sworen, whom in idell daies, be bounde to
exercise themselves in those weapons, wherof thei be named: and every
manne hath his place appoincted hym of the cominaltie, where soche
exercise ought to be made: and those whiche be of thesame order, but not
of the sworen, are contributaries with their money, to thesame expenses,
whiche in soche exercises be necessarie: therfore thesame that thei doe,
we maie doe. But our smal prudence dooeth not suffre us, to take any
good waie. Of these exercises there grewe, that the antiquitie had good
souldiours, and that now those of the Weste, bee better men then ours:
for as moche as the antiquitie exercised them, either at home (as those
common weales doe) or in the armies, as those Emperours did, for
thoccasions aforesaied: but we, at home will not exercise theim, in
Campe we cannot, bicause thei are not our subjectes, and for that we are
not able to binde them to other exercises then thei them selves liste to
doe: the whiche occacion hath made, that firste the armies bee
neclected, and after, the orders, and that the kyngdomes, and the common
weales, in especially Italians, live in soche debilitie. But let us
tourne to our order, and folowyng this matter of exercises, I saie, how
it suffiseth not to make good armies, for havyng hardened the men, made
them strong, swift, and handsome, it is nedefull also, that thei learne
to stande in the orders, to obeie to signes, to soundes, and to the
voice of the capitain: to knowe, standyng, to retire them selves, goyng
forwardes, bothe faightyng, and marchyng to maintain those: bicause
without this knowlege, withal serious diligence observed, and practised,
there was never armie good: and without doubt, the fierce and disordered
menne, bee moche more weaker, then the fearfull that are ordered, for
that thorder driveth awaie from men feare, the disorder abateth
fiercenesse. And to the entente you maie the better perceive that,
whiche here folowyng shalbe declared, you have to understande, how every
nation, in the orderyng of their men to the warre, have made in their
hoste, or in their armie, a principall member, the whiche though thei
have varied with the name, thei have little varied with the nomber of
the menne: for that thei all have made it, betwene sixe and viii. M.
men. This nomber of men was called of the Romaines, a Legion, of Grekes
a Fallange, of Frenchemen Caterva: this verie same in our tyme of the
Suizzers, whom onely of the auncient warfare, kepe some shadowe, is
called in their tongue that, whiche in ours signifieththe maine
battaile. True it is, that every one of them, hath after devided it,
accordyng to their purposes. Therefore me thinkes beste, that wee
grounde our talke, upon this name moste knowen, and after, according to
the aunciente, and to the orders now adaies, the beste that is possible
to ordaine it; and bicause the Romaines devided their Legion, whiche was
made betwene five and sixe thousande men, in ten Cohortes, I will that
wee devide our main battaile, into ten battailes, and that we make it of
sixe thousande menne on foote, and we will give to every battaile,
CCCCL. men, of whiche shall be, CCCC. armed with heavie armour, and L.
with light armour: the heavie armed, shall be CCC. Targettes with
sweardes, and shalbe called Target men: and C. with Pikes, whiche shalbe
called ordinarie Pikes: the light armed shalbe, L. men armed with
Harkabuses, Crosse bowes, and Partisans, and smal Targaettes, and these
by an aunciente name, were called ordinarie Veliti: all of the ten
battailes therefore, comes to have three thousande Targaet men, a
thousande ordinarie Pikes, CCCC. ordinarie Veliti, all whiche make the
nomber of fower thousande and five hundred men. And we saied, that we
would make the maine battaile of six thousande; therefore there must be
added an other thousande, five hundred men, of whiche I will appoinet a
thousande with Pikes, whom I will call extraordinarie Veliti, and thus
my menne should come (as a little before I have saied) to bee made halfe
of Targaetes, and halfe of Pikes and other weapons. I would appoinete to
everie battaile, or bande of men, a Conestable, fower Centurions and
fouretic peticapitaines, and moreover a hedde to the ordinarie Veliti.
with five peticapitaines; I would give to the thousande extraordinarie
Pikes, three Conestabelles, ten Centurions, and a hundred
peticapitaines; to the extraodrinarie Veliti, two Conestabelles, v.
Centurions, and l. peticapitaines: I would then apoinet a generall hed,
over all the main battaile: I would that every Conestable should have an
Ansigne, and a Drum. Thus there should be made a manne battaile of ten
battailes, of three thousande Targaet men, of a thousande ordinarie
Pikes, of a thousande extraordinarie of five hundred ordinarie Veliti,
of five hundred extraordinarie, so there should come to bee sixe
thousande men, emongeste the whiche there should bee M.D.
peticapitaines, and moreover, xv. Conestables, with xv. Drummes, and xv.
Ansignes, lv. Centurions, x. heddes of the ordinarie Veliti, and a
Capitaine over all the maine battaile with his Asigne and Drume, and I
have of purpose repeated this order the oftener, to the intent, that
after when I shall shewe you, the maners of orderyng the battailes, and
tharmies, you should not be confounded: I saie therefore, how that, that
king, or that common weale, whiche intendeth to ordeine their subjectes
to armes, ought to appoincte theim with these armoures and weapons, and
with these partes, and to make in their countrie so many maine
battailes, as it were able: and when thei should have ordained them,
according to the forsaid distribucion, minding to exercise them in the
orders, it should suffice to exercise every battaile by it self: and
although the nomber of the men, of every one of them, cannot by it self,
make the facion of a juste armie, notwithstandyng, every man maie learne
to dooe thesame, whiche particularly appertaineth unto hym: for that in
the armies, twoo orders is observed, the one, thesame that the men ought
to doe in every battaile, and the other that, whiche the battaile ought
to doe after, when it is with the other in an armie. And those men,
whiche doe wel the first, mooste easely maie observe the seconde: But
without knowyng thesame, thei can never come to the knowlege of the
seconde. Then (as I have saied) every one of these battailes, maie by
them selves, learne to kepe the orders of the araies, in every qualitie
of movyng, and of place, and after learne to put them selves togethers,
to understande the soundes, by meanes wherof in the faight thei are
commaunded, to learne to know by that, as the Gallics by the whissell,
what ought to be doen, either to stande still, or to tourne forward, or
to tourne backwarde or whiche waie to tourne the weapons, and the face:
so that knowyng how to kepe well the araie, after soche sorte, that
neither place nor movyng maie disorder them, understandyng well the
commaundementes of their heddes, by meanes of the sounde, and knowyng
quickly, how to retourne into their place, these battailes maie after
easly (as I have said) beyng brought many together, learne to do that,
whiche all the body together, with the other battailes in a juste armie,
is bounde to dooe. And bicause soche universall practise, is also not to
bee estemed a little, ones or twise a yere, when there is peace, all the
main battaile maie be brought together, to give it the facion of an
whole armie, some daies exercisyng theim, as though thei should faight a
fielde, settyng the fronte, and the sides with their succours in their
places. And bicause a capitaine ordeineth his hoste to the fielde,
either for coumpte of the enemie he seeth, or for that, of whiche
without seyng he doubteth, he ought to exercise his armie in the one
maner, and in the other, and to instructe theim in soche sorte, that
thei maie knowe how to marche, and to faight, when nede should require,
the wyng to his souldiours, how thei should governe theim selves, when
thei should happen to be assaulted of this, or of that side: and where
he ought to instructe theim how to faight againste the enemie, whom thei
should see: he must shewe them also, how the faight is begun, and where
thei ought to retire: being overthrowen, who hath to succeade in their
places, to what signes, to what soundes, to what voices, thei ought to
obeie, and to practise them in soche wise in the battaile, and with
fained assaultes, that thei may desire the verie thyng in deede. For
that an armie is not made coragious, bicause in thesame be hardie menne,
but by reason the orders thereof bee well appoineted: For as moche as if
I be one of the first faighters, and do knowe, beyng overcome, where I
maie retire, and who hath to succeade in my place, I shall alwaies
faight with boldnes, seing my succour at hand. If I shall be one of the
seconde faighters, the first being driven backe, and overthrowen, I
shall not bee afraied, for that I shall have presuposed that I maie bee,
and I shall have desire to be thesame, whiche maie give the victory to
my maister, and not to bee any of the other. These exercises bee moste
necessarie, where an armie is made of newe, and where the old armie is,
thei bee also necessarie: for that it is also seen, how the Romaines
knew from their infancie, thorder of their armies, notwithstandyng,
those capitaines before thei should come to thenemie, continually did
exercise them in those. And Josephus in his historie saieth, that the
continuall exercises of the Romaine armies, made that all thesame
multitude, whiche folowe the campe for gain, was in the daie of battaile
profitable: bicause thei all knewe, how to stande in the orders, and to
faight kepyng the same: but in the armies of newe men, whether thou have
putte theim together, to faight straight waie, or that thou make a power
to faight, when neede requires, without these exercises, as well of the
battailes severally by themselves, as of all the armie, is made nothing:
wherefore the orders beying necessarie, it is conveniente with double
industrie and laboure, to shewe them unto soche as knoweth them not, and
for to teache it, many excellent capitaines have travailed, without any
respecte.
COSIMO. My thinkes that this reasoning, hath sumwhat transported you:
for asmoche, as havyng not yet declared the waies, with the whiche the
battailes bee exercised, you have reasoned of the whole armie, and of
the daie of battaile.
[Sidenote: The chief importance in the exercisyng of bandes of men;
Three principall for thorderyng of menne into battaile raie; The manner
how to bryng a bande of men into battaile raie after a square facion;
The better waie for the ordring of a band of men in battaile raie, after
the first facion; How to exercise men, and to take soche order, whereby
a band of men that were by whatsoever chance disordred maye straighte
wai be brought into order againe; What advertisement ought to bee used
in tourning about a whole bande of menne, after soche sorte, as though
it were but one bodie; How to order a band of menne after soche sort
that thei maie make their front againste thenemie of whiche flanke thei
list; How a band of man oughte to be ordered, when in marchyng thei
should bee constrained to faighton their backes.]