flancke: all other thyng ought to bee dooen,
as in orderyng of the firste hedde is saied:
this that is told about the makyng hed of the right
flanck, must be understode to be told, havyng nede
to make it of the left flanck: for that the very
same order ought to bee observed. If the enemie
should come grose, and in order to assaulte thee on
twoo sides, those twoo sides, whiche he commeth to
assaulte thee on, ought to bee made stronge with the
other twoo sides, that are not assaulted, doublyng
the orders in eche of theim, and devidyng for bothe
partes the artillerie, the Veliti, and the horse.
If he come on three or on fower sides, it is necessarie
that either thou or he lacke prudence: for that
if thou shalt bee wise, thou wilte never putte thy
self in place, that the enemie on three or fower sides,
with a greate nomber of men, and in order, maie assault
thee: for that mindyng, safely to hurte thee,
it is requisit, that he be so great, that on every
side, he maie assault thee, with as many men, as thou
haste almoste in al thy army: and if thou be
so unwise, that thou put thy self in the daunger and
force of an enemie, whom hath three tymes more menne
ordained then thou, if thou catche hurte, thou canste
blame no man but thy self: if it happen not through
thy faulte, but throughe some mischaunce, the hurt
shall be without the shame, and it shal chaunce unto
thee, as unto the Scipions in Spaine, and to Asdruball
in Italie but if the enemie have not many more men
then thou, and intende for to disorder thee, to assaulte
thee on divers sides, it shal be his foolishnesse,
and thy good fortune: for as moche as to doe
so, it is convenient, that he become so thinne in soche
wise, that then easely thou maiste overthrow one bande,
and withstande an other, and in short time ruinate
him: this maner of ordering an armie against
an enemie, whiche is not seen, but whiche is feared,
is a necessarie and a profitable thing, to accustome
thy souldiours, to put themselves together, and to
march with soche order, and in marchyng, to order
theimselves to faight, accordyng to the first hedde,
and after to retourne in the forme, that thei marched
in, then to make hedde of the taile, after, of the
flanckes, from these, to retourne into the first facion:
the whiche exercises and uses bee necessarie, mindyng
to have an armie, throughly instructed and practised:
in whiche thyng the Princes and the capitaines, ought
to take paine. Nor the discipline of warre is
no other, then to knowe how to commaunde, and to execute
these thynges. Nor an instructed armie is no
other, then an armie that is wel practised in these
orders: nor it cannot be possible, that who so
ever in this time, should use like disciplin shall
ever bee broken. And if this quadrante forme
whiche I have shewed you, is somewhat difficulte, soche
difficultnesse is necessarie, takyng it for an exercise:
for as moche as knowyng well, how to set theim selves
in order, and to maintaine theim selves in the same,
thei shall knowe after more easely, how to stand in
those, whiche should not have so moche difficultie.