whiche I beare to these orders, and the grief that I feele, seyng thei
be not put in use: notwithstanding, doubt not but that I will tourne to
the purpose: as I have saied, the chief importaunce that is in
thexercise of the battailes, is to knowe how to kepe well the armies:
and bicause I tolde you that one of these battailes, ought to bee made
of fower hundred men heavie armed, I wil staie my self upon this nomber.
Thei ought then to be brought into lxxx. rankes, and five to a ranke:
afterward goyng fast, or softly, to knit them together, and to lose
them: the whiche how it is dooen, maie bee shewed better with deedes,
then with wordes. Which nedeth not gretly to be taught, for that every
manne, whom is practised in servise of warre, knoweth how this order
procedeth, whiche is good for no other, then to use the souldiours to
keepe the raie: but let us come to putte together one of these
battailes, I saie, that there is given them three facions principally,
the firste, and the moste profitablest is, to make al massive, and to
give it the facion of two squares, the second is, to make it square with
the front horned, the thirde is, to make it with a voide space in the
middest: the maner to put men together in the first facion, maie be of
twoo sortes, tho together in the first facion, maie be of twoo sortes,
thone is to double the rankes, that is, to make the seconde ranke enter
into the first, the iiii. into the third, the sixt into the fift, and so
foorth, so that where there was lxxx. rankes, five to a ranke, thei maie
become xl. rankes, x. to a ranke. Afterward cause theim to double ones
more in thesame maner, settyng the one ranke into an other, and so there
shall remain twentie rankes, twentie men to a ranke: this maketh twoo
squares aboute, for as moche as albeit that there bee as many men the
one waie, as in the other, notwithstandyng to wardes the hedde, thei
joine together, that the one side toucheth the other: but by the other
waie, thei be distant the one from the other, at least a yarde and a
haulfe, after soche sorte, that the square is moche longer, from the
backe to the fronte, then from the one side to thother: and bicause we
have at this presente, to speake often of the partes afore, of behinde,
and of the sides of these battailes, and of all the armie together,
knowe you, that when I saie either hedde or fronte, I meane the parte
afore, when I shall saie backe, the part behind, when I shall saie
flankes, the partes on the sides. The fiftie ordinarie veliti of the
battaile, muste not mingle with the other rankes, but so sone as the
battaile is facioned, thei shalbe set a long by the flankes therof. The
other waie to set together the battaile is this, and bicause it is
better then the firste, I will set it before your ives juste, how it
ought to bee ordeined. I beleve that you remember of what nomber of
menne, of what heddes it is made, and of what armours thei are armed,
then the facion, that this battaile ought to have, is (as I have saied)
of twentie rankes, twentie men to a ranke, five rankes of Pikes in the
front, and fiftene rankes of Targaettes on the backe, twoo Centurions
standying in the fronte, twoo behinde on the backe, who shall execute
the office of those, whiche the antiquitie called Tergiductori. The
Conestable with the Ansigne, and with the Drumme, shall stande in
thesame space, that is betwene the five rankes of the Pikes, and the
fiftene of the Targeaettes. Of the Peticapitaines, there shall stande
one upon every side of the ranckes, so that every one, maie have on his
side his men, those peticapitaines, whiche shalbe on the left hande, to
have their men on the right hand, those Peticapitaines, whiche shall be
on the right hand, to have their menne on the left hande: The fiftie
Veliti, muste stande a long the flankes, and on the backe of the
battaile. To mynde now, that this battaile maie be set together in this
facion, the men goyng ordinarily, it is convenient to order them thus.
Make the men to be brought into lxxx. rankes, five to a ranke, as a
little afore we have said, leavyng the Veliti either at the hedde, or at
the taile, so that thei stande out of this order: and it ought to be
ordeined, that every Centurion have behinde his back twentie rankes, and
to bee nexte behinde every Centurion, five rankes of Pikes, and the
reste Targaettes. The Conestable shall stande with the Drum, and the
Ansigne, in thesame space, whiche is betwene the Pikes, and the
Targaettes of the seconde Centurion, and to occupie the places of three
Targaette men. Of the Peticapitaines, twentie shall stand on the sides
of the rankes, of the first Centurion, on the lefte hande, and twentie
shall stande on the sides of the rankes, of the last Centurion on the
right hande. And you muste understande, that the Peticapitaine, whiche
hath to leade the Pikes, ought to have a Pike, and those that leade the
Targaettes, ought to have like weapons. Then the rankes beyng brought
into this order, and mindyng in marchyng, to bryng them into battaile,
for to make the hedde, the first Centurion must be caused to stande
still, with the firste twentie rankes, and the seconde to proceade
marchyng, and tournyng on the right hand, he must go a long the sides of
the twentie rankes that stande still, till he come to bee even with the
other Centurion, where he must also stande still, and the thirde
Centurion to procede marchyng, likewise tournyng on the right hand, and
a long the sides of the rankes that stande still, must go so farre, that
he be even with the other twoo Centurions, and he also standyng still,
the other Centurion must folowe with his rankes, likewise tournyng on
the right hande, a longe the sides of the rankes that stande still, so
farre that he come to the hed of the other, and then to stand still, and
straight waie twoo Centurions onely, shall depart from the front, and go
to the backe of the battaile, the whiche cometh to bee made in thesame
maner, and with thesame order juste, as a little afore I have shewed
you. The Veliti muste stande a long, by the flankes of thesame,
accordyng as is disposed in the first waie, whiche waie is called
redoublyng by right line, this is called redoublyng by flanke: the first
waie is more easie, this is with better order, and commeth better to
passe, and you maie better correcte it, after your owne maner, for that
in redoublyng by righte line, you muste bee ruled by the nomber, bicause
five maketh ten, ten twentie, twentie fourtie, so that with redoublyng
by right line, you cannot make a hedde of fiftene, nor of five and
twentie, nor of thirtie, nor of five and thirtie, but you must go where
thesame nomber will leade you. And yet it happeneth every daie in
particulare affaires, that it is convenient to make the forwarde with
sixe hundred, or eight hundred men, so that to redouble by right line,
should disorder you: therefore this liketh me better: that difficultie
that is, ought moste with practise, and with exercise to bee made easie.
Therefore I saie unto you, how it importeth more then any thyng, to have
the souldiours to know how to set themselves in araie quickly, and it is
necessarie to keepe theim in this battaile, to exercise theim therin,
and to make them to go apace, either forward or backward, to passe
through difficulte places, without troublyng thorder: for asmoche as the
souldiours, whiche can doe this well, be expert souldiours, and although
thei have never seen enemies in the face, thei maie be called old
souldiours, and contrariwise, those whiche cannot keepe these orders,
though thei have been in a thousande warres, thei ought alwaies to be
reputed new souldiours. This is, concernyng setting them together, when
thei are marching in small rankes: but beyng set, and after beyng broken
by some accident or chaunce, whiche groweth either of the situacion, or
of the enemie, to make that in a sodaine, thei maie come into order
againe, this is the importaunce and the difficultie, and where is
nedefull moche exercise, and moche practise, and wherin the antiquitie
bestowed moche studie. Therefore it is necessarie to doe twoo thynges,
firste to have this battaile full of countersignes, the other, to keepe
alwaies this order, that those same men maie stand alwaies in the ranke,
which thei were firste placed in: as for insample, if one have begon to
stande in the seconde, that he stande after alwaie in that, and not
onely in that self same rancke, but in that self same place: for the
observyng whereof (as I have saied) bee necessarie many countersignes.
In especially it is requisite, that the Ansigne bee after soche sorte
countersigned, that companyng with the other battailes, it maie be
knowen from theim, accordyng as the Conestable, and the Centurions have
plumes of fethers in their heddes differente, and easie to be knowen,
and that whiche importeth moste, is to ordaine that the peticapitaines
bee knowen. Whereunto the antiquitie had so moche care, that thei would
have nothing els written in their hedde peces, but the nomber that thei
were named by, callyng them firste, seconde, thirde, and fourthe xc. And
yet thei were not contented with this, but made every souldiour to have
written in his Targaet, the nomber of the ranke, and the nomber of the
place, in whiche ranke he was appoineted. Then the menne being
countersigned thus, and used to stande betwene these limites, it is an
easie thyng, thei beyng disordered, to sett theim all againe quickly
into order: considering, that the Ansigne standyng still, the
Centurions, and the Peticapitaines maie gesse their places by the iye,
and beyng brought the left of the left, the right of the right, with
their accustomed distance, the souldiours led by their rule, and by the
differences of the cognisances, maie be quickly in their proper places,
no otherwise, then as if the boordes of a tunne should bee taken a
sunder, whiche beyng first marked, moste easely maie bee set together
again, where thesame beyng not countersigned, were impossible to bryng
into order any more. These thynges, with diligence and with exercise,
are quickely taught, and quickly learned, and beyng learned, with
difficultie are forgotten: for that the newe menne, be led of the olde,
and with tyme, a Province with these exercises, may become throughly
practised in the war. It is also necessarie to teache theim, to tourne
theim selves all at ones, and when neede requires, to make of the
flankes, and of the backe, the fronte, and of the front, flankes, or
backe, whiche is moste easie: bicause it suffiseth that every manne doe
tourne his bodie, towardes thesame parte that he is commaunded, and
where thei tourne their faces, there the fronte commeth to bee. True it
is, that when thei tourne to any of the flanckes, the orders tourne out
of their proporcion: for that from the breast to the backe, there is
little difference, and from the one flancke to the other, there is verie
moche distance, the whiche is al contrarie to the ordinarie order of the
battaile: therefore it is convenient, that practise, and discrecion, doe
place them as thei ought to be: but this is small disorder, for that
moste easely by themselves, thei maie remedie it. But that whiche
importeth more, and where is requisite more practise, is when a battaile
would tourne all at ones, as though it were a whole bodie, here is meete
to have greate practise, and greate discrecion: bicause mindyng to
tourne, as for insample on the left hande, the left corner must stande
still, and those that be next to hym that standeth still, muste marche
so softly, that thei that bee in the right corner, nede not to runne:
otherwise all thing should be confounded. But bicause it happeneth
alwaies, when an armie marcheth from place to place, that the battailes,
whiche are not placed in the front, shall be driven to faight not by
hedde, but either by flancke, or by backe, so that a battaile muste in a
sodaine make of flancke, or of backe, hedde: and mindyng that like
battailes in soche cace, maie have their proporcion, as above is
declared, it is necessarie, that thei have the Pikes on thesame flancke,
that ought to be hedde, and the Peticapitaines, Centurions, and
Conestables, to resorte accordyngly to their places. Therefore to mynde
to dooe this, in plasyng them together, you must ordeine the fower skore
rankes, of five in a ranke, thus: Set all the Pikes in the first twentie
rankes, and place the Peticapitaines thereof, five in the first places,
and five in the last: the other three score rankes, whiche come after,
bee all of Targaettes, whiche come to bee three Centuries. Therefore,
the first and the laste ranke of every Centurion, would be
Peticapitaines, the Conestable with the Ansigne, and with the Drumme,
muste stande in the middest of the first Centurie of Targaettes, and the
Centurions in the hed of every Centurie. The bande thus ordained, when
you would have the Pikes to come on the left flancke, you must redouble
Centurie by Centurie, on the right flancke: if you would have them to
come on the right flancke, you must redouble theim on the lefte. And so
this battaile tourneth with the Pikes upon a flancke, and the Conestable
in the middeste: the whiche facion it hath marchyng: but the enemie
commyng, and the tyme that it would make of flancke hedde, it nedeth not
but to make every man to tourne his face, towardes thesame flancke,
where the Pikes be, and then the battaile tourneth with the rankes, and
with the heddes in thesame maner, as is aforesaied: for that every man
is in his place, excepte the Centurions, and the Centurions straight
waie, and without difficultie, place themselves: But when thei in
marchyng, should bee driven to faight on the backe, it is convenient to
ordein the rankes after soch sorte, that settyng theim in battaile, the
Pikes maie come behinde, and to doe this, there is to bee kepte no other
order, then where in orderyng the battaile, by the ordinarie, every
Centurie hath five rankes of Pikes before, to cause that thei maie have
them behind, and in all the other partes to observe thorder, whiche I
declared firste.
COSIMO. You have tolde (if I dooe well remember me) that this maner of
exercise, is to bee able to bryng these battailes together into an
armie, and that this practise, serveth to be able to order theim selves
in the same: But if it should happen, that these CCCCL. men, should have
to doe an acte seperate, how would you order them?
[Sidenote: How a battaile is made with twoo hornes; The orderyng of a
battaile with a voide space in the middeste.]
FABRICIO. He that leadeth them, ought then to judge, where he will place
the Pikes, and there to put them, the whiche doeth not repugne in any
part to the order above written: for that also, though thesame bee the
maner, that is observed to faighte a fielde, together with thother
battailes, notwithstandyng it is a rule, whiche serveth to all those
waies, wherein a band of menne should happen to have to doe: but in
shewyng you the other twoo waies of me propounded, of ordering the
battailes, I shal also satisfie you more to your question: for that
either thei are never used, or thei are used when a battaile is a lone,
and not in companie of other, and to come to the waie of ordering them,
with twoo hornes, I saie, that thou oughteste to order the lxxx. rankes,
five to a ranke, in this maner. Place in the middest, one Centurion, and
after hym xxv. rankes, whiche muste bee with twoo Pikes on the lefte
hande, and with three Targaettes on the right, and after the first five,
there must be put in the twentie folowyng, twentie Peticapitaines, all
betwene the pikes, and the Targaettes, excepte those whiche beare the
Pike, whom maie stand with the Pikes: after these xxv. rankes thus
ordered, there is to be placed an other Centurion, and behinde hym
fiftene rankes of Targaettes: after these, the Conestable betwene the
Drum and the Ansigne, who also must have after him, other fiftene rankes
of Targaettes: after this, the thirde Centurion must be placed, and
behinde hym, xxv. rankes, in every one of whiche, ought to bee three
Targaettes on the lefte flancke, and twoo Pikes on the right, and after
the five first rankes, there must be xx. Peticapitaines placed betwene
the Pikes, and the Targaettes: after these rankes, the fowerth Centurion
must folowe. Intendying therefore, of these rankes thus ordered, to make
a battaile with twoo hornes, the first Centurion must stand still, with
the xxv. rankes, whiche be behinde him, after the second Centurion muste
move, with the fiftene rankes of Targaettes, that bee behinde hym, and
to tourne on the right hande, and up by the right flancke of the xxv.
rankes, to go so farre, that he arrive to the xv. ranke, and there to
stande still: after, the Conestable muste move, with the fiftene rankes
of Targaettes, whiche be behinde hym, and tournyng likewise on the right
hande, up by the right flancke of the fiftene rankes, that wer firste
moved, muste marche so farre, that he come to their heddes, and there to
stand stil: after, the thirde Centurion muste move with the xxv. rankes,
and with the fowerth Centurion, whiche was behinde, and turnyng up
straight, must go a long by the right flanck of the fiftene last rankes
of the Targaettes, and not to stande still when he is at the heddes of
them, but to followe marchyng so farre, that the laste ranke of the xxv.
maie come to be even with the rankes behinde. And this dooen, the
Centurion, whiche was hedde of the firste fiftene rankes of Targaettes,
must go awaie from thens where he stoode, and go to the backe in the
lefte corner: and thus a battaile shall be made of xxv. rankes, after
twentie men to a rank, with two hornes, upon every side of the front,
one horn, and every one, shall have ten rankes, five to a ranke, and
there shall remain a space betwene the twoo hornes, as moche as
containeth ten men, whiche tourne their sides, the one to thother.
Betwene the two hornes, the capitain shall stande, and on every poinct
of a horne, a Centurion: There shall bee also behinde, on every corner,
a Centurion: there shal be twoo rankes of Pikes, and xx. Peticapitaines
on every flancke. These twoo hornes, serve to kepe betwene theim the
artillerie, when this battaile should have any withit, and the cariages:
The Veliti muste stande a long the flankes, under the Pikes. But mindyng
to bring this horned battaile, with a voide space in the middeste, there
ought no other to bee doen, then of fiftene rankes, of twentie to a
ranke, to take eight rankes, and to place them on the poinctes of the
twoo hornes, whiche then of hornes, become backe of the voide space, in
this place, the cariages are kept, the capitain standeth, and the
Ansigne, but never the Artillerie, the whiche is placed either in the
front, or a long the flankes. These be the waies, that a battaile maie
use when it is constrained to passe alone through suspected places:
notwithstandyng, the massive battaile without hornes, and without any
soche voide place is better, yet purposyng to assure the disarmed, the
same horned battaile is necessarie. The Suizzers make also many facions
of battailes, emong which, thei make one like unto a crosse: bicause in
the spaces that is betwen the armes therof, thei kepe safe their
Harkebuters from the daunger of the enemies: but bicause soche battailes
be good to faight by theim selves, and my intente is to shew, how many
battailes united, do faight with thenemie, I wil not labour further in
describing them.
COSIMO. My thinkes I have verie well comprehended the waie, that ought
to be kept to exercise the men in these battailes: But (if I remember me
well) you have saied, how that besides the tenne battailes, you joyne to
the maine battaile, a thousande extraordinarie Pikes, and five hundred
extraordinarie Veliti: will you not appoincte these to be exercised?
[Sidenote: To what purpose the Pikes and Velite extraordinarie must
serve.]
FABRICIO. I would have theim to bee exercised, and that with moste great
diligence: and the Pikes I would exercise, at leaste Ansigne after
Ansigne, in the orders of the battailes, as the other: For as moche as
these should doe me more servise, then the ordinarie battailes, in all
particulare affaires: as to make guides, to get booties, and to doe like
thynges: but the Veliti, I would exercise at home, without bringing them
together, for that their office being to faight a sonder, it is not
mete, that thei should companie with other, in the common exercises: for
that it shall suffice, to exercise them well in the particular
exercises. Thei ought then (as I firste tolde you, nor now me thynkes no
labour to rehearse it againe) to cause their men to exercise them selves
in these battailes, whereby thei maie knowe how to kepe the raie, to
knowe their places, to tourne quickly, when either enemie, or situacion
troubleth them: for that, when thei knowe how to do this, the place is
after easely learned, which a battaile hath to kepe, and what is the
office thereof in the armie: and when a Prince, or a common weale, will
take the paine, and will use their diligence in these orders, and in
these exercisyng, it shall alwaies happen, that in their countrie, there
shall bee good souldiours, and thei to be superiours to their
neighbours, and shalbe those, whiche shall give, and not receive the
lawes of other men: but (as I have saied) the disorder wherein thei
live, maketh that thei neclecte, and doe not esteme these thynges, and
therefore our armies be not good: and yet though there were either hed,
or member naturally vertuous, thei cannot shewe it.
COSIMO. What carriages would you, that every one of these battailes
should have?
[Sidenote: Neither Centurion nor Peticapitaine, ought not to ride; What
carriages the Capitaines ought to have, and the nomber of carrages
requisite to every bande of menne.]
FABRICIO. Firste, I would that neither Centurion, nor Peticapitain,
should be suffered to ride: and if the Conestable would nedes ride, I
would that he should have a Mule, and not a horse: I would allowe hym
twoo carriages, and one to every Centurion, and twoo to every three
Peticapitaines, for that so many wee lodge in a lodgyng, as in the place
therof we shall tell you: So that every battaile will come to have
xxxvi. carriages, the whiche I would should carrie of necessitie the
tentes, the vesselles to seeth meate, axes, barres of Iron, sufficient
to make the lodgynges, and then if thei can carry any other thyng, thei
maie dooe it at their pleasure.
COSIMO. I beleve that the heddes of you, ordeined in every one of these
battailes, be necessarie: albeit, I would doubt, lest that so many
commaunders, should confounde all.
[Sidenote: Without many capitaines, an armie cannot be governed; To what
purpose Ansignes ought to serve; For what purpose Drummes oughte to bee
used; The propertie that soundes of instrumentes have in mens myndes.]
FABRICIO. That should bee, when it were not referred to one man, but
referryng it, thei cause order, ye and without theim, it is impossible
to governe an armie: for that a wall, whiche on every parte enclineth,
requireth rather to have many proppes, and thicke, although not so
strong, then fewe, though thei were strong: bicause the vertue of one a
lone, doeth not remedie the ruine a farre of. And therefore in tharmies,
and emong every ten men, it is convenient that there bee one, of more
life, of more harte, or at leaste wise of more aucthoritie, who with
stomacke, with wordes, and with example, maie kepe them constante, and
disposed to faight, and these thynges of me declared, bee necessarie in
an armie, as the Heddes, the Ansignes, and the Drummes, is seen that wee
have theim all in our armies, but none doeth his office. First to mynde
that the Peticapitaines doe thesame, for whiche thei are ordeined, it is
necessarie (as I have said) that there bee a difference, betwene every
one of them and their men, and that thei lodge together, doyng their
duties, standyng in thorder with them: for that thei placed in their
places, bee a rule and a temperaunce, to maintaine the raies straight
and steddie, and it is impossible that thei disorder, or disorderyng,
dooe not reduce themselves quickly into their places. But we now adaies,
doe not use them to other purpose, then to give theim more wages, then
to other menne, and to cause that thei dooe some particulare feate: The
very same happeneth of the Ansigne bearers, for that thei are kept
rather to make a faire muster, then for any other warlike use: but the
antiquitie used theim for guides, and to bryng theim selves againe into
order: for that every man, so sone as the Ansigne stoode still, knewe
the place, that he kept nere to his Ansigne, wherunto he retourned
alwaies: thei knewe also, how that the same movyng, or standyng, thei
should staie, or move: therfore it is necessarie in an armie, that there
be many bodies, and every bande of menne to have his Ansigne, and his
guide: wherfore havyng this, it is mete that thei have stomackes inough,
and by consequence life enough. Then the menne ought to marche,
accordyng to the Ansigne: and the Ansigne to move, accordyng to the
Drumme, the whiche Drumme well ordered, commaundeth to the armie, the
whiche goyng with paces, that answereth the tyme of thesame, will come
to kepe easilie thorders: for whiche cause the antiquitie had Shalmes,
Flutes, and soundes perfectly tymed: For as moche as like as he that
daunseth, proceadeth with the tyme of the Musick, and goyng with thesame
doeth not erre, even so an armie obeiyng, in movyng it self to thesame
sounde, doeth not disorder: and therefore, thei varied the sounde,
accordyng as thei would varie the mocion, and accordyng as thei would
inflame, or quiete, or staie the mindes of men: and like as the soundes
were divers, so diversly thei named them: the sounde Dorico, ingendered
constancie, the sounde Frigio, furie: whereby thei saie, that Alexander
beyng at the Table, and one soundyng the sounde Frigio, it kendled so
moche his minde, that he laied hande on his weapons. All these maners
should be necessarie to finde again: and when this should bee
difficulte, at least there would not be left behind those that teache
the Souldiour to obeie, the whiche every man maie varie, and ordeine
after his owne facion, so that with practise, he accustome the eares of
his souldiours to knowe it: But now adaies of this sounde, there is no
other fruicte taken for the moste part, then to make a rumour.
COSIMO. I would desire to understande of you, if ever with your self you
have discourced, whereof groweth so moche vilenesse, and so moche
disorder, and so moche necligence in these daies of this exercise?
[Sidenote: A notable discourse of the aucthour, declaryng whereof
groweth so moche vilenes disorder and necligence in these daies,
concernyng the exercises of warre.]