side: and where he ought to instructe theim how
to faight againste the enemie, whom thei should see:
he must shewe them also, how the faight is begun, and
where thei ought to retire: being overthrowen,
who hath to succeade in their places, to what signes,
to what soundes, to what voices, thei ought to obeie,
and to practise them in soche wise in the battaile,
and with fained assaultes, that thei may desire the
verie thyng in deede. For that an armie is not
made coragious, bicause in thesame be hardie menne,
but by reason the orders thereof bee well appoineted:
For as moche as if I be one of the first faighters,
and do knowe, beyng overcome, where I maie retire,
and who hath to succeade in my place, I shall alwaies
faight with boldnes, seing my succour at hand.
If I shall be one of the seconde faighters, the first
being driven backe, and overthrowen, I shall not bee
afraied, for that I shall have presuposed that I maie
bee, and I shall have desire to be thesame, whiche
maie give the victory to my maister, and not to bee
any of the other. These exercises bee moste necessarie,
where an armie is made of newe, and where the old armie
is, thei bee also necessarie: for that it is
also seen, how the Romaines knew from their infancie,
thorder of their armies, notwithstandyng, those capitaines
before thei should come to thenemie, continually did
exercise them in those. And Josephus in his historie
saieth, that the continuall exercises of the Romaine
armies, made that all thesame multitude, whiche folowe
the campe for gain, was in the daie of battaile profitable:
bicause thei all knewe, how to stande in the orders,
and to faight kepyng the same: but in the armies
of newe men, whether thou have putte theim together,
to faight straight waie, or that thou make a power
to faight, when neede requires, without these exercises,
as well of the battailes severally by themselves,
as of all the armie, is made nothing: wherefore
the orders beying necessarie, it is conveniente with
double industrie and laboure, to shewe them unto soche
as knoweth them not, and for to teache it, many excellent
capitaines have travailed, without any respecte.
COSIMO. My thinkes that this reasoning, hath
sumwhat transported you: for asmoche, as havyng
not yet declared the waies, with the whiche the battailes
bee exercised, you have reasoned of the whole armie,
and of the daie of battaile.
[Sidenote: The chief importance in the exercisyng
of bandes of men; Three principall for thorderyng
of menne into battaile raie; The manner how to bryng
a bande of men into battaile raie after a square facion;
The better waie for the ordring of a band of men in
battaile raie, after the first facion; How to exercise
men, and to take soche order, whereby a band of men
that were by whatsoever chance disordred maye straighte
wai be brought into order againe; What advertisement
ought to bee used in tourning about a whole bande
of menne, after soche sorte, as though it were but
one bodie; How to order a band of menne after soche
sort that thei maie make their front againste thenemie
of whiche flanke thei list; How a band of man oughte
to be ordered, when in marchyng thei should bee constrained
to faighton their backes.]