to leape over a diche, to winne a banke:  strength, maketh them the better able to beare their armours, to incounter the enemie, to withstande a violence.  And above all, to make the bodie the more apte to take paines, thei used to beare greate burthens, the whiche custome is necessarie:  for that in difficulte expedicions it is requisite many tymes, that the souldiour beside his armours, beare vitualles for many daies, and if he were not accustomed to this labour, he could not dooe it:  and without this, there can neither bee avoided a perill, nor a victorie gotten with fame.  Concernyng to learne how to handell the weapons, thei exercised theim, in this maner:  thei would have the yong menne, to put on armour, whiche should waie twise as moche, as their field armour, and in stede of a swearde, thei gave them a cudgell leaded, whiche in comparison of a verie swearde in deede, was moste heavie; thei made for every one of them, a poste to be set up in the ground, which should be in height twoo yardes and a quarter, and in soche maner, and so strong, that the blowes should not slur nor hurle it doune, against the whiche poste, the yong man with a targaet, and with the cudgell, as against an enemie did exercise, and some whiles he stroke, as though he would hurte the hedde, or the face, somewhile he retired backe, an other while he made forewarde:  and thei had in this exercise, this advertisment, to make theim apt to cover theim selves, and to hurte the enemie:  and havyng the counterfaight armours moste heavy, their ordinarie armours semed after unto them more lighter.  The Romanies, would that their souldiours should hurte with the pricke, and not with the cutte, as well bicause the pricke is more mortalle, and hath lesse defence, as also to thentent that he that should hurt, might lye the lesse open, and be more apt to redouble it, then with cuttes.  Dooe not marvaile that these auncient men, should thinke on these small thynges, for that where the incounteryng of men is reasoned of, you shall perceive, that every little vauntage, is of greate importaunce:  and I remember you the same, whiche the writers of this declare, rather then I to teache you.  The antiquitie estemed nothing move happie, in a common weale, then to be in thesame, many men exercised in armes:  bicause not the shining of precious stones and of golde, maketh that the enemies submit themselves unto thee, but onely the fear of the weapons:  afterwarde the errours whiche are made in other thynges, maie sometymes be corrected, but those whiche are dooen in the warre, the paine straight waie commyng on, cannot be amended.  Besides that, the knowlege to faight, maketh men more bold, bicause no man feareth to doe that thing, which he thinketh to have learned to dooe.  The antiquitie would therefore, that their Citezeins should exercise themselves, in all marcial feates, and thei made them to throwe against thesame poste, dartes moche hevier then the ordinarie:  the whiche exercise, besides the makyng men expert