COSIMO.  It should suffice, when I wer certain, that thoccasion were not come.

FABRICIO.  But for that I know, that you maie doubt whether this occasion hath been cum, or no, I will largely (when you with pacience will heare me) discourse what preparacions are necessary first to make, what occasion muste growe, what difficultie doeth let, that the preparacions help not, and why thoccasion cannot come, and how these things at ones, which some contrary endes, is most difficill, and most easie to do.

COSIMO.  You cannot do bothe to me, and unto these other, a thing more thankfull then this.  And if to you it shall not be tedious to speake, unto us it shal never be grevous to heare:  but for asmoch as this reasonyng ought to be long, I will with your license take helpe of these my frendes:  and thei, and I praie you of one thyng, that is, that you will not bee greved, if some tyme with some question of importaunce, we interrupte you.

[Sidenote:  Why a good man ought never to use the exercise of armes, as his art.]

FABRICIO.  I am moste well contented, that you Cosimo with these other younge men here, doe aske me:  for that I beleve, that youthfulnes, will make you lovers of warlike thinges, and more easie to beleve thesame, that of me shalbe saied.  These other, by reason of havyng nowe their hedde white, and for havyng upon their backes their bloude congeled, parte of theim are wonte to bee enemies of warre, parte uncorrectable, as those, whom beleve, that tymes, and not the naughtie maners, constraine men to live thus:  so that safely aske you all of me, and without respecte:  the whiche I desire, as well, for that it maie be unto me a little ease, as also for that I shall have pleasure, not to leave in your mynde any doubt.  I will begin at your woordes, where you saied unto me, that in the warre, that is my arte, I had not indevoured to bryng it to any aunciente ende:  whereupon I saie, as this beyng an arte, whereby men of no maner of age can live honestly, it cannot bee used for an arte, but of a common weale:  or of a kyngdome:  and the one and the other of these, when thei bee well ordeined, will never consente to any their Citezeins, or Subjectes, to use it for any arte, nor never any good manne doeth exercise it for his particulare arte:  for as moche as good he shall never bee judged, whom maketh an excersise thereof, where purposing alwaies to gaine thereby, it is requisite for hym to be ravenyng, deceiptfull, violente, and to have many qualities, the whiche of necessitie maketh hym not good:  nor those menne cannot, whiche use it for an arte, as well the greate as the leaste, bee made otherwise:  for that this arte doeth not nourishe them in peace.  Wherfore thei ar constrained either to thinke that there is no peace, or so moche to prevaile in the tyme of warre, that in peace thei maie bee able to kepe them selves:  and neither of these two thoughtes happeneth in a good man:  for that in mindyng to bee able to finde