neede of a long aunswere. It is true, that I made not thartillery to
shoote more than ones, and also of thesame ones, I stoode in doubte: the
occasion was, for asmoche as it importeth more, for one to take hede not
to be striken, then it importeth to strike the enemie. You have to
understande, that to purpose that a pece of ordinaunce hurte you not, it
is necessarie either to stande where it cannot reche you, or to get
behinde a wall, or behinde a banke: other thing there is not that can
witholde it: and it is nedefull also, that the one and the other be
moste strong. Those capitaines whiche come to faight a field, cannot
stand behind a wal, or behind bankes, nor where thei maie not be
reached: therfore it is mete for them, seyng thei cannot finde a waie to
defende them, to finde some mean, by the whiche thei maie be least
hurte: nor thei cannot finde any other waie, then to prevente it
quickly: the waie to prevent it, is to go to finde it out of hande, and
hastely, not at leasure and in a heape: for that through spede, the
blowe is not suffered to bee redoubled, and by the thinnesse, lesse
nomber of menne maie be hurt. This, a bande of menne ordered, cannot
dooe; bicause if thesame marche hastely, it goweth out of order: if it
go scattered, the enemie shall have no paine to breake it, for that it
breaketh by it self: and therfore, I ordered the armie after soche
sorte, that it might dooe the one thyng and the other: for as moche as
havyng set in the corners thereof, a thousande Veliti, I appoincted that
after that our ordinaunce had shotte, thei should issue out together
with the light horsemen, to get the enemies artillerie: and therfore, I
made not my ordinance to shoote again, to the intente, to give no tyme
to the enemie to shoote: Bicause space could not be given to me, and
taken from other men, and for thesame occasion, where I made my
ordinaunce not to shoote the seconde tyme, was for that I would not have
suffered the enemie to have shot at al, if I had could: seyng that to
mynde that the enemies artillerie be unprofitable, there is no other
remedie, but to assaulte it spedely: for as moche as if the enemies
forsake it, thou takeste it, if thei will defende it, it is requisite
that thei leave it behind, so that being possessed of enemies, and of
frendes, it cannot shoote. I would beleve, that with out insamples these
reasons should suffice you, yet beyng able to shewe olde ensamples, to
prove my saiynges true, I will. Ventidio commyng to faight a field with
the Parthians, whose strength for the moste part, consisted in bowes and
arrowes, he suffered theim almoste to come harde to his campe, before he
drewe out his armie, the whiche onely he did, to be able quickly to
prevent them: and not to give them space to shoote. Cesar when he was in
Fraunce, maketh mencion, that in faighting a battaile with the enemies,
he was with so moche furie assaulted of them, that his menne had no time
to whorle their Dartes, accordyng to the custome of the Romaines:
wherfore it is seen, that to intende, that a thyng that shooteth farre
of, beyng in the field, doe not hurte thee, there is no other remedy,
then with as moche celeritie as maie bee, to prevente it. An other cause
moved me to procede, without shotyng the ordinaunce, whereat
peradventure you will laugh: yet I judge not that it is to be
dispraised. Ther is nothyng that causeth greater confusion in an armie,
then to hinder mennes fightes: whereby many moste puisaunte armies have
been broken, by meanes their fighte hath been letted, either with duste,
or with the Sunne: yet there is nothyng, that more letteth the sight
then the smoke that the artillerie maketh in shotyng: therfore, I would
thinke that it wer more wisedome, to suffer the enemie to blinde
hymself, then to purpose (thou being blind) to go to finde hym: for this
cause, either I would not shote, or (for that this should not be proved,
considering the reputacion that the artillerie hath) I would place it on
the corners of the armie, so that shootyng, it should not with the smoke
thereof, blinde the front of thesame, whiche is the importaunce of my
men. And to prove that it is a profitable thyng, to let the sight of the
enemie, there maie be brought for insample Epaminondas, whom to blind
the enemies armie, whiche came to faight with hym, he caused his light
horsemen, to run before the fronte of the enemies, to raise up the
duste, and to lette their sight, whereby he gotte the victorie. And
where it semeth unto you, that I have guided the shot of the artillerie,
after my owne devise, making it to passe over the heddes of my men, I
answer you, that most often tymes, and without comparison, the greate
ordinaunce misse the footemen, moche soner than hitte theim: for that
the footemen are so lowe, and those so difficult to shoote; that every
little that thou raisest theim, thei passe over the heddes of men: and
if thei be leveled never so little to lowe, thei strike in the yearth,
and the blowe cometh not to theim: also the unevenesse of the grounde
saveth them, for that every little hillocke, or high place that is,
betwene the men and thordinance, letteth the shot therof. And concernyng
horsmen, and in especially men of armes, bicause thei ought to stand
more close together, then the light horsemen, and for that thei are
moche higher, maie the better be stroken, thei maie, untill the
artillerie have shotte, be kepte in the taile of the armie. True it is,
that the Harkebutters doe moche more hurt, and the field peces, then the
greate ordinance, for the whiche, the greatest remedy is, to come to
hande strokes quickly: and if in the firste assaulte, there be slaine
some, alwaies there shall bee slaine: but a good capitaine, and a good
armie, ought not to make a coumpte of a hurte, that is particulare, but
of a generall, and to imitate the Suizzers, whom never eschue to faight,
beyng made afraied of the artillerie: but rather punishe with death
those, whiche for feare thereof, either should go out of the ranke, or
should make with his body any signe of feare. I made them (so sone as
thei had shotte) to bee retired into the armie, that thei might leave
the waie free for the battaile: I made no more mencion of theim, as of a
thyng unprofitable, the faight beyng begun. You have also saied, that
consideryng the violence of this instrument, many judge the armours, and
the auncient orders to be to no purpose, and it semeth by this your
talke, that men now a daies, have founde orders and armours, whiche are
able to defend them against the artillerie: if you knowe this, I would
bee glad that you would teache it me: for that hetherto, I never sawe
any, nor I beleve that there can any be founde: so that I would
understande of soche men, for what cause the souldiours on foote in
these daies, weare the breastplate, or the corselet of steele, and thei
on horsebacke go all armed: bicause seyng that thei blame the aunciente
armyng of men as unprofitable, considryng the artillery, thei ought to
despise also this? I would understande moreover, for what occasion the
Suizzers, like unto the auncient orders, make a battaile close together
of sixe, or eight thousande menne, and for what occasion all other have
imitated theim, this order bearyng the verie same perill, concernyng the
artillerie, that those other should beare, whiche should imitate the
antiquitie. I beleve thei should not knowe what to answere: but if you
should aske soche Souldiours, as had some judgement, thei would aunswere
first, that thei go armed, for that though thesame armoure defende theim
not from the artillerie: it defendeth them from crossebowes, from Pikes,
from sweardes, from stones, and from all other hurt, that commeth from
the enemies, thei would answere also, that thei went close together,
like the Suizzers, to be able more easely to overthrow the footemen, to
be able to withstand better the horse and to give more difficultie to
the enemie to breake them: so that it is seen, that the souldiours have
to fear, many other thynges besides the ordinance: from which thynges,
with the armours, and with the orders, thei are defended: whereof
foloweth, that the better that an armie is armed, and the closer that it
hath the orders, and stronger, so moche the surer it is: so that he that
is of thesame opinion, that you saie, it behoveth either that he bee of
smalle wisedome, or that in this thyng, he hath studied verie little:
for as moche as if we see, that so little a parte of the aunciente maner
of armyng, whiche is used now a daies, that is the pike, and so little a
parte of those orders, as are the maine battailes of the Suizzers, dooe
us so moche good, and cause our armies to bee so strong, why ought not
we to beleve, that the other armours, and thother orders whiche are
lefte, be profitable? Seyng that if we have no regard to the artillerie,
in puttyng our selves close together, as the Suizzers, what other orders
maie make us more to feare thesame? For as moche as no order can cause
us so moche to feare thesame, as those, whiche bryng men together.
Besides this, if the artillerie of the enemies should not make me
afraied, in besiegyng a Toune, where it hurteth me with more safegarde,
beyng defended of a wall, I beyng not able to prevente it, but onely
with tyme, with my artillerie to lette it, after soche sorte that it
maie double the blowe as it liste, why should I feare thesame in the
field, where I maie quickly prevent it? So that I conclude thus, that
the artillerie, according to my opinion, doeth not let, that the
aunciente maners cannot be used, and to shewe the auncient vertue: and
if I had not talked alreadie with you of this instrument, I would of
thesame, declare unto you more at length: but I will remit my self to
that, whiche then I saied.
LUIGI. Wee maie now understande verie well, how moche you have aboute
the artillerie discoursed: and in conclusion, my thinkes you have
shewed, that the preventyng it quickly, is the greatest remedie, that
maie be had for thesame, beyng in the fielde, and havyng an armie
againste you. Upon the whiche there groweth in me a doubte: bicause me
thinkes, that the enemie might place his ordinaunce in soche wise, in
his armie, that it should hurt you, and should be after soche sort
garded of the footemen, that it could not be prevented. You have (if you
remember your self well) in the orderyng of your armie to faight, made
distaunces of three yardes, betwene the one battaile and the other,
makyng those distaunces fiftene, whiche is from the battailes, to
thextraordinarie pikes: if thenemie, shuld order his armie like unto
yours, and should putte the artillerie a good waie within those spaces,
I beleve that from thens, it should hurte you with their moste greate
safegard: bicause menne can not enter into the force of their enemies to
prevent it.
[Sidenote: A generall rule againste soche thynges as cannot bee
withstoode.]
FABRICIO. You doubt moste prudently, and I will devise with my self,
either to resolve you the doubte, or shewe you the remedie: I have tolde
you, that continually these battailes, either through goyng, or thorowe
faightyng, are movyng, and alwaies naturally, thei come to drawe harde
together, so that if you make the distaunces of a small breadth, where
you set the artillerie, in a little tyme thei be shootte up, after soche
sort, that the artillerie cannot any more shoote: if you make theim
large, to avoide this perill, you incurre into a greater, where you
through those distances, not onely give commoditie to the enemie, to
take from you the artillerie, but to breake you: but you have to
understande, that it is impossible to keepe the artillerie betwene the
bandes, and in especially those whiche go on carriages: For that the
artillerie goeth one waie, and shooteth an other waie: So that havyng to
go and to shoote, it is necessary, before thei shote, that thei tourne,
and for to tourne theim, thei will have so moche space, that fiftie
cartes of artillerie, would disorder any armie: therfore, it is mete to
kepe them out of the bandes, where thei may be overcome in the maner, as
a little afore we have shewed: but admit thei might be kept, and that
there might be found a waie betwen bothe, and of soche condicion, that
the presyng together of men should not hinder the artillerie, and were
not so open that it should give waie to the enemie, I saie, that it is
remedied moste easely, with makyng distances in thy armie against it,
whiche maie give free passage to the shot of those, and so the violence
thereof shall come to be vain, the which maie be doen moste easely: for
asmoche, as the enemie mindyng to have his artillerie stand safe, it
behoveth that he put them behinde, in the furthest part of the
distances, so that the shot of the same, he purposyng that thei hurt not
his owne men, ought to passe by right line, and by that very same
alwaies: and therefore with givyng theim place, easely thei maie bee
avoided: for that this is a generall rule, that to those thynges, whiche
cannot be withstoode, there must bee given waie, as the antiquitie made
to the Eliphantes, and to the carres full of hookes. I beleve, ye, I am
more then certaine, that it semeth unto you, that I have ordered and
wonne a battaile after my own maner: notwithstanding, I answeer unto you
this, when so moche as I have saied hetherto, should not suffice, that
it should be impossible, that an armie thus ordered, and armed, should
not overcome at the first incounter, any other armie that should bee
ordained, as thei order the armies now adaies, whom most often tymes,
make not but one front, havyng no targaettes, and are in soche wise
unarmed, that thei cannot defende themselves from the enemie at hand,
and thei order theim after soche sorte, that if thei set their battailes
by flanck, the one to the other, thei make the armie thinne: if thei put
the one behind the other, havyng no waie to receive the one the other,
thei doe it confusedly, and apt to be easly troubled: and although thei
give three names to their armies, and devide them into thre companies,
vaward, battaile, and rereward, notwithstandyng it serveth to no other
purpose, then to marche, and to distinguis the lodgynges: but in the
daie of battaile, thei binde them all to the first brunte, and to the
first fortune.
LUIGI. I have noted also in the faightyng of your fielde, how your
horsemen were repulced of the enemies horsemen: for whiche cause thei
retired to the extraordinaire Pikes: whereby grewe, that with the aide
of theim, thei withstode, and drave the enemies backe? I beleve that the
Pikes maie withstande the horses, as you saie, but in a grosse and
thicke maine battaile, as the Suizzers make: but you in your army, have
for the hedde five rankes of Pikes, and for the flancke seven, so that I
cannot tell how thei maie bee able to withstande them.
[Sidenote: A Battaile how greate so ever it bee, cannot atones occupy
above v. rankes of Pikes.]
FABRICIO. Yet I have told you, how sixe rankes of pikes wer occupied at
ones, in the Macedonicall Falangi, albeit you ought to understande, that
a maine battaile of Suizzers, if it were made of a thousande rankes, it
cannot occupie more then fower, or at the most five: bicause the Pikes
be sixe yardes and three quarters longe, one yarde and halfe a quarter,
is occupied of the handes, wherefore to the firste ranke, there
remaineth free five yardes and a half, and a halfe quarter of Pike: the
seconde ranke besides that whiche is occupied with the hande, consumeth
a yarde and half a quarter in the space, whiche remaineth betwene the
one ranke and thother: so that there is not left of pike profitable,
more then fower yardes and a halfe: to the thirde ranke, by this verie
same reason, there remaineth three yardes and a quarter and a halfe: to
the fowerth, twoo yardes and a quarter: to the fift one yard and halfe a
quarter: the other rankes, for to hurte, be unprofitable, but thei serve
to restore these firste rankes, as we have declared, and to bee a
fortificacion to those v. Then if five of their rankes can withstande
the horse, why cannot five of ours withstande theim? to the whiche also
there lacketh not rankes behinde, that doeth sustain and make them the
very same staie, although thei have no pikes as the other. And when the
rankes of thextraordinarie pikes, which are placed on the flanckes,
should seme unto you thinne, thei maie bee brought into a quadrante, and
put on the flancke nere the twoo battailes, whiche I set in the laste
companie of the armie: From the whiche place, thei maie easely
altogether succour the fronte, and the backe of the armie, and minister
helpe to the horses, accordyng as nede shall require.
LUIGI. Would you alwaies use this forme of order, when you would pitche
a fielde.
[Sidenote: An advertiement concernyng the pitchying of a field.]
FABRICIO. No in no wise: for that you ought to varie the facion of the
armie, according to the qualitie of the situacion, and the condicion and
quantitie of the enemie, as before this reasonyng dooe ende, shall bee
shewed certaine insamples: but this forme is given unto you, not so
moche as moste strongeste of all, where in deede it is verie strong, as
to the intente that thereby you maie take a rule, and an order to learne
to knowe the waies to ordeine the other: for as moche, as every science
hath his generalitie, upon the whiche a good part of it is grounded. One
thing onely I advise you, that you never order an armie, after soche
sorte, that those that faight afore, cannot bee sucoured of theim,
whiche be set behind: bicause he that committeth this errour, maketh the
greateste parte of his armie to bee unprofitable, and if it incounter
any strength, it cannot overcome.
LUIGI. There is growen in me, upon this parte a doubte. I have seen that
in the placyng of the battailes, you make the fronte of five on a side,
the middeste of three, and the last partes of twoo, and I beleve, that
it were better to ordain them contrariwise: for that I thinke, that an
armie should with more difficultie bee broken, when he that should
charge upon it, the more that he should entre into the-same, so moche
the stronger he should finde it: and the order devised of you, me
thinkes maketh, that the more it is entered into, so moche the weaker it
is founde.
[Sidenote: How the front of the armie ought to bee made; How the middell
part of the armie ought to be ordered.]
FABRICIO. If you should remember how to the Triarii, whom were the
thirde order of the Romain Legions, there were not assigned more then
sixe hundred men, you would doubt lesse, havyng understode how thei were
placed in the laste companie: For that you should see, how I moved of
this insample, have placed in the last companie twoo battailes, whiche
are nine hundred men, so that I come rather (folowyng the insample of
the Romaine people) to erre, for havyng taken to many, then to fewe: and
although this insample should suffice, I will tell you the reason, the
which is this. The first fronte of the armie, is made perfectly whole
and thicke, bicause it must withstande the brunt of the enemies, and it
hath not to receive in it any of their felowes: and for this, it is
fitte that it bee full of menne: bicause a fewe menne, should make it
weake, either thinnesse, or for lacke of sufficiente nomber: but the
seconde companie, for as moche as it must first receive their frendes,
to sustain the enemie, it is mete that it have greate spaces, and for
this it behoveth, that it be of lesse nomber then the first: for that if
it wer of greater nomber, or equall, it should bee conveniente, either
not to leave the distaunces, the whiche should be disorder, or leavyng
theim, to passe the boundes of thoseafore, the whiche should make the
facion of the armie unperfecte: and it is not true that you saie, that
the enemie, the more that he entereth into the maine battaile, so moche
the weaker he findeth it: for that the enemie, can never faight with the
seconde order, except the first be joined with thesame: so that he
cometh to finde the middest of the maine battaile more stronger, and not
more weaker, havyng to faight with the first, and with the seconde order
altogether: the verie same happeneth, when the enemie should come to the
thirde companie: for that there, not with twoo battailes, whiche is
founde freshe, but with all the maine battaile he must faight: and for
that this last part hath to receive moste men, the spaces therof is
requisite to be greatest, and that whiche receiveth them, to be the
leste nomber.
[Sidenote: The orderyng of the hinder part of tharmy.]
LUIGI. It pleaseth me thesame that you have told: but answere me also
this: if the five first battailes doe retire betwene the three seconde
battailes, and after the eight betwene the twoo thirde, it semeth not
possible, that the eight beyng brought together, and then the tenne
together, maie bee received when thei bee eight, or when thei be tenne
in the verie same space, whiche received the five.
[Sidenote: The retire of the Pikes, to place the Targaet men.]
FABRICIO. The first thyng that I aunswere is, that it is not the verie
same space: For that the five have fower spaces in the middeste, whiche
retiryng betwene the thre, or betwene the twoo, thei occupie: then there
remaineth thesame space, that is betwene the one maine battaile and
other and thesame that is, betwene the battailes, and the extraordinarie
Pikes, al the whiche spaces makes largenesse: besides this, it is to bee
considered, that the battailes kepe other maner of spaces, when thei bee
in the orders without beyng altered, then when thei be altered: for that
in the alteracion: either thei throng together, or thei inlarge the
orders: thei inlarge theim, when thei feare so moche, that thei fall to
fliyng, thei thrust them together, when thei feare in soche wise, that
thei seke to save them selves, not with runnyng a waie, but with
defence: So that in this case, thei should come to be destingueshed, and
not to be inlarged. Moreover, the five rankes of the Pikes, that are
before, so sone as thei have begun the faighte, thei ought betwene their
battailes to retire, into the taile of the armie, for to give place to
the Targaet men, that thei maie faighte: and thei goyng into the taile
of the armie, maie dooe soche service as the capitain should judge, were
good to occupie theim aboute, where in the forward, the faight beyng
mingled, thei should otherwise bee altogether unprofitable. And for this
the spaces ordained, come to bee for the remnaunte of the menne, wide
inough to receive them: yet when these spaces should not suffice, the
flankes on the sides be men, and not walles, whom givyng place, and
inlargyng them selves, maie make the space to containe so moche, that it
maie bee sufficient to receive theim.
[Sidenote: How the pikes that are placed on the flankes of the armie
ought to governe them selves when the rest of the armie is driven to
retire.]
LUIGI. The rankes of the extraordinarie Pikes, whiche you place on the
flanckes of the armie, when the first battailes retire into the second,
will you have them to stande still, and remain with twoo homes to the
armie? Or will you that thei also retire together, with the battailes?
The whiche when thei should do, I see not how thei can, havyng no
battailes behinde with distaunces that maie receive them.
[Sidenote: Thexercise of the army in generall; The nomber that is mete
to be written in the Ansigne of every band of men; The degrees of
honours in an armie, whiche soche a man ought to rise by, as should bee
made a generall capitain.]
FABRICIO. If the enemie overcome theim not, when he inforceth the
battailes to retire, thei maie stande still in their order, and hurte
the enemie on the flanck, after that the firste battailes retired: but
if he should also overcome theim, as semeth reason, beyng so puisaunte,
that he is able to repulce the other, thei also ought to retire: whiche
thei maie dooe excellently well, although thei have not behinde, any to
receive them: bicause from the middest thei maie redouble by right line,
entring the one ranke into the other, in the maner whereof wee reasoned,
when it was spoken of the order of redoublyng: True it is, that to mynde
redoublyng to retire backe, it behoveth to take an other waie, then
thesame that I shewed you: for that I told you, that the second ranke,
ought to enter into the first, the fowerth into the thirde, and so
foorth: in this case, thei ought not to begin before, but behinde, so
that redoublyng the rankes, thei maie come to retire backewarde not to
tourne forward: but to aunswere to all thesame, that upon this foughten
field by me shewed, might of you bee replied. I saie unto you again,
that I have ordained you this armie, and shewed this foughten field for
two causes, thone, for to declare unto you how it is ordered, the other
to shewe you how it is exercised: thorder, I beleve you understande
moste well: and concernyng the exersice, I saie unto you, that thei
ought to be put together in this forme, as often times as maie be: for
as moche as the heddes learne therby, to kepe their battailes in these
orders: for that to particulare souldiours, it appertaineth to keepe
well the orders of every battaile, to the heddes of the battailes, it
appertaineth to keepe theim well in every order of the armie, and that
thei knowe how to obeie, at the commaundement of the generall capitain:
therefore, it is conveniente that thei knowe, how to joyne the one
battaile with thother, that thei maie knowe how to take their place
atones: and for this cause it is mete that thansigne of every battaile,
have written in some evident part, the nomber therof: as well for to be
able to commaunde them, as also for that the capitain, and the
souldiours by thesame nomber, maie more easely knowe theim againe: also
the maine battailes, ought to be nombred, and to have the nomber in
their principal Ansigne: Therefore it is requisite, to knowe of what
nomber the maine battaile shall be, that is placed on the left, or on
the right horne of what nombers the battailes bee, that are set in the
fronte, and in the middeste, and so foorthe of the other. The antiquitie
would also, that these nombers should bee steppes to degrees, of honors
of the armies: as for insample, the first degree, is the Peticapitain,
the seconde, the hedde of fiftie ordinarie Veliti, the thirde, the
Centurion, the fowerth, the hedde of the first battaile, the fifte, of
the second, the sixt, of the thirde, and so forthe, even to the tenth
battaile, the whiche must be honoured in the seconde place, nexte the
generall capitaine of a maine battaile: nor any ought to come to thesame
hedde, if first, he have not risen up by all these degrees. And bicause
besides these heddes, there be the three Conestables of the
extraordinarie Pikes, and twoo of the extraordinarie Veliti, I would
that thei should be in the same degree of the Conestable of the first
battaile: nor I would not care, that there were sixe men of like degree,
to thintent, that every one of them might strive, who should doe beste,
for to be promised to be hedde of the seconde battaile. Then every one
of these heddes, knowyng in what place his battaile ought to be sette
in, of necessitie it must folowe, that at a sounde of the Trompette, so
sone as the hedde standarde shall bee erected, all the armie shall be in
their places: and this is the first exercise, whereunto an armie ought
to bee accustomed, that is to set theim quickly together: and to doe
this, it is requisite every daie, and divers times in one daie, to set
them in order, and to disorder them.
LUIGI. What armes would you that thansignes of all the armie, shoul'd
have beside the nomber?
[Sidenote: The armes that oughte to bee in the standarde, and in the
ansignes of an armie; The second and thirde exercise of an armie; The
fowerth exercise of an armie; The soundes of the instrumentes of
musicke, that the antiquitie used in their armies; What is signified by
the sounde of the Trompet.]
FABRICIO. The standarde of the generall Capitaine oughte to have the
armes of the Prince of the armie, all the other, maie have the verie
same armes, and to varie with the fieldes, or to varie with the armes,
as should seme beste to the Lorde of the armie: Bicause this importeth
little, so that the effect growe, that thei be knowen the one from the
other. But let us passe to the other exercise: the which is to make them
to move, and with a convenient pace to marche, and to se, that marehyng
thei kepe the orders. The third exercise is, that thei learne to handle
themselves in thesame maner, whiche thei ought after to handle
theimselves in the daie of battaile, to cause the artillerie to shoote,
and to bee drawen out of the waie, to make the extraordinarie Veliti to
issue out, after a likenes of an assault, to retire theim: To make that
the firste battailes, as though thei wer sore charged, retire into the
spaces of the second: and after, all into the thirde, and from thens
every one to retourne to his place: and in soche wise to use theim in
this exercise, that to every manne, all thyng maie be knowen, and
familiar: the which with practise, and with familiaritie, is brought to
passe moste quickly. The fowerth exercise is, that thei learne to knowe
by meane of the sounde, and of the Ansigne, the commaundemente of their
capitaine: for as moche as that, whiche shall be to them pronounced by
voice, thei without other commaundemente, maie understande: and bicause
the importaunce of this commaundement, ought to growe of the sounde, I
shall tell you what soundes the antiquitie used. Of the Lacedemonians,
accordyng as Tucidido affirmeth, in their armies were used Flutes: for
that thei judged, that this armonie, was moste mete to make their armie
to procede with gravetie, and with furie: the Carthaginens beyng moved
by this verie same reason, in the first assaulte, used the violone.
Aliatte kyng of the Lidians, used in the warre the violone, and the
Flutes: but Alexander Magnus, and the Romaines, used hornes, and
Trumpettes, as thei, that thought by vertue of soche instrumentes, to
bee able to incourage more the myndes of Souldiours, and make theim to
faight the more lustely: but as we have in armyng the armie, taken of
the Greke maner, and of the Romaine, so in distrihutyng the soundes, we
will keepe the customes of the one, and of the other nacion: therefore,
nere the generall capitain, I would make the Trompettes to stand, as a
sounde not onely apt to inflame the armie, but apte to bee heard in all
the whole tumoult more, then any other sounde: all the other soundes,
whiche should bee aboute the Conestables, and the heddes of maine
battailes I would, that thei should bee smalle Drummes, and Flutes,
sounded not as thei sounde theim now but as thei use to sounde theim at
feastes. The capitaine then with the Trompet, should shewe when thei
must stande still, and go forward, or tourne backward, when the
artillerie must shoote, when the extraordinarie Veliti must move, and
with the varietie or distinccion of soche soundes, to shewe unto the
armie all those mocions, whiche generally maie bee shewed, the whiche
Trompettes, should bee after followed of the Drummes, and in this
exercise, bicause it importeth moche, it behoveth moche to exercise the
armie. Concernyng the horsemen, there would be used likewise Trompettes,
but of a lesse sounde, and of a divers voice from those of the
Capitaine. This is as moche as is come into my remembraunce, aboute the
order of the armie, and of the exercise of thesame.
LUIGI. I praie you let it not be grevous unto you to declare unto me an
other thyng, that is, for what cause you made the light horsmen, and the
extraordinarie Veliti, to goe with cries, rumours, and furie, when thei
gave the charge? And after in the incountering of the rest of tharmie,
you shewed, that the thing folowed with a moste greate scilence? And for
that I understande not the occasion of this varietie, I would desire
that you would declare it unto me.
[Sidenote: The cries, and rumours, wher with the firste charge is given
unto the enemies, and the silence that ought to bee used after, when the
faight is ones begunne.]
FABRICIO. The opinion of auncient capitaines, hath been divers about the
commyng to handes, whether thei ought with rumour to go a pace, or with
scilence to go faire and softely: this laste waie, serveth to kepe the
order more sure, and to understande better the commaundementes of the
Capitaine: the firste, serveth to incourage more the mindes of men: and
for that I beleve, that respecte ought to bee had to the one, and to the
other of these twoo thynges, I made the one goe with rumour, and thother
with scilence: nor me thinkes not in any wise, that the continuall
rumours bee to purpose: bicause thei lette the commaundementes, the
whiche is a thyng moste pernicious: nor it standeth not with reason,
that the Romaines used, except at the firste assaulte to make rumour:
for that in their histories, is seen many tymes to have happened, that
through the wordes, and comfortinges of the capitain the souldiours that
ranne awaie, were made to stande to it, and in sundrie wise by his
commaundemente, to have varied the orders, the whiche should not have
followed, if the rumoures had been louder then his voyce.
THE FOWERTH BOOKE
LUIGI. Seng that under my governement, a field hath been wonne so
honourably, I suppose that it is good, that I tempt not fortune any
more, knowyng how variable, and unstable she is: and therefore, I desire
to give up my governement, and that Zanobi do execute now this office of
demaundyng, mindyng to followe the order, whiche concerneth the
youngeste: and I knowe he will not refuse this honoure, or as we would
saie, this labour, as well for to doe me pleasure, as also for beyng
naturally of more stomach than I: nor it shall not make hym afraied, to
have to enter into these travailes, where he maie bee as well overcome,
as able to conquere.