ought never to faight a battaile, except he have advauntage, or be constrained.  The vantage groweth of the situacion, of the order, of havyng more, or better menne:  the necessitie groweth when thou seest how that not faightyng, thou muste in any wise lose, as should bee for lackyng of money, and for this, thy armie to bee ready all maner of waies to resolve, where famishemente is ready to assaulte thee, where the enemie looketh to bee ingrosed with newe men:  in these cases, thou oughtest alwaies to faight, although with thy disadvauntage:  for that it is moche better to attempte fortune, where she maie favour thee, then not attemptyng, to see thy certaine ruine:  and it is as grevous a faulte in this case, in a capitain not to faight, as to have had occasion to overcome, and not to have either knowen it through ignoraunce, or lefte it through vilenesse.  The advauntages some tymes the enemie giveth thee, and some tymes thy prudence:  Many in passyng Rivers have been broken of their enemie, that hath been aware thereof, whom hath taried, till the one halfe hath been of the one side, and the other halfe on the other, and then hath assaulted them:  as Cesar did to the Suizzers, where he destroied the fowerth parte of theim, through beyng halfe over a river.  Some tyme thy enemie is founde wearie, for havyng folowed thee to undescritely, so that findyng thy self freshe and lustie, thou oughtest not to let passe soche an occasion:  besides this, if the enemie offer unto thee in the mornyng betymes to faight, thou maiest a good while deferre to issue out of thy lodgyng, and when he hath stoode long in armour, and that he hath loste that same firste heate, with the whiche he came, thou maiest then faight with him.  This waie Scipio and Metellus used in Spaine:  the one against Asdruball, the other against Sertorius.  If the enemie be deminished of power, either for havyng devided the armie, as the Scipions in Spain, or for some other occasion, thou oughteste to prove chaunce.  The greateste parte of prudent capitaines, rather receive the violence of the enemies, then go with violence to assalte them:  for that the furie is easely withstoode of sure and steddie menne, and the furie beyng sustained, converteth lightly into vilenesse:  Thus Fabius did againste the Sannites, and against the Galles, and was victorious and his felowe Decius remained slain.  Some fearing the power of their enemies, have begun the faight a little before night, to the intent that their men chaunsyng to bee overcome, might then by the helpe of the darkenesse thereof, save theim selves.  Some havyng knowen, how the enemies armie beyng taken of certaine supersticion, not to faight in soche a tyme, have chosen thesame tyme to faighte, and overcome:  The whiche Cesar observed in Fraunce, againste Arionistus, and Vespasian in Surrie, againste the Jewes.  The greatest and moste importaunte advertismente, that a capitaine ought to have, is to have aboute hym faithfull menne, that are wise and moste expert in the warre, with