betweene them, doth not burden much, but leaning,
it commeth to have all the paise of the cariage on
the backe of that wheele upon the which it leaneth.
If the spokes of the same be straight they wil soone
breake: for that the wheele leaning, the spokes
come also to leane, and not to sustaine the paise
by the straightnesse of them, and so when the carte
goeth even, and when they are least burdened, they
come to bee strongest: when the Carte goeth awrye,
and that they come to have moste paise, they bee weakest.
Even the contrarie happeneth to the crooked spokes
of the Frenche Cartes, for that when the carte leaning
upon one side poincteth uppon them, because they bee
ordinary crooked, they come then to bee straight,
and to be able to sustayne strongly al the payse, where
when the carte goeth even, and that they bee crooked,
they sustayne it halfe: but let us tourne to
our citie and Fortresse. The Frenchemen use also
for more safegarde of the gates of their townes, and
for to bee able in sieges more easylye to convey and
set oute men of them, besides the sayde thinges, an
other devise, of which I have not seene yet in Italye
anye insample: and this is, where they rayse on
the oute side from the ende of the drawe bridge twoo
postes, and upon either of them they joigne a beame,
in suche wise that the one halfe of them comes over
the bridge, the other halfe with oute: then all
the same parte that commeth withoute, they joygne
together with small quarters of woodde, the whiche
they set thicke from one beame to an other like unto
a grate, and on the parte within, they fasten to the
ende of either of the beames a chaine: then when
they will shutte the bridge on the oute side, they
slacke the chaines, and let downe all the same parte
like unto a grate, the whiche comming downe, shuttethe
the bridge, and when they will open it, they drawe
the chaines, and the same commeth to rise up, and they
maye raise it up so much that a man may passe under
it, and not a horse, and so much that there maye passe
horse and man, and shutte it againe at ones, for that
it falleth and riseth as a window of a battelment.
This devise is more sure than the Parculles, because
hardely it maye be of the enemye lette in such wise,
that it fall not downe, falling not by a righte line
as the Parculles, which easely may be underpropped.
Therfore they which will make a citie oughte to cause
to be ordained all the saide things: and moreover
aboute the walle, there woulde not bee suffered any
grounde to be tilled, within a myle thereof, nor any
wall made, but shoulde be all champaine, where should
be neither ditch nor banck, neither tree nor house,
which might let the fighte, and make defence for the
enemie that incampeth.
[Sidenote: Noote; The provision that is meete to be made for the defence of a toune.]