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Why a good man ought not to exersise warfare as his arte
Deedes of armes ought to be used privatly in time of peace for exersise, and in time of warre for necessetie and renoume
The strength of an armie is the footemen
The Romaines renued their Legions and had men in the flower of their age
Whether men of armes ought to be kept
What is requisete for the preparyng of an armie
Out of what contrie souldiers ought to be chosen
Souldiers ought to bee chosen, by thaucthoritie of the Prince, of suche men as be his oune subjectes
The difference of ages, that is to be taken in the chosinge of souldiours for the restoring of an olde power and for the making of a newe
{18}The weapons or power that is prepared, of the naturall subjectes, of a common weale bringeth profit and not hurte
What cause letted the Venetians, that they made not a Monarchi of the worlde
How an armie maye bee prepared in the countrie, where were no exersise of warre
The custome that the Romaines used, in the chosyng of their souldiours
The greater number of men is best
Whether the multitude of armed men ar occation of confusion and of dissorder
How to prohibite, that the Capitaines make no discension
What armour the antiquetie used
The occation of the boldenes of the duchemen
Whiche maner of armyng menne is better either the Duche or Romaine fasion
Diverse examples of late dayes
An example of Tigran
Whether the footemen or the horsemen ought to bee estemed moste
The cause whie the Romaines were overcome of the parthians
What order, or what vertue maketh, that footemen overcum horsemen
{19}Howe the antiquitie exersised their men to learne them to handle their weapons
What the antiquitie estemed moste happie in a common weale
The maner, of maintainyng the order
What a legion is, of Grekes called a Falange, and of Frenchemen Catterva
The devision of a legion, and the divers names of orders
The order of batellraye, and the manner of appoincting the battels
How to order, CCCC.L. men to doo some severall feate
The fation of a battaile that the Suisers make like a crosse
What carriages the Capitaines ought to have, and the number of carriages requisite to every band of men
Diverse effectes caused of diverse soundes
Whereof cometh the utilitie, and the dissorder of the armies that are now a daies
The manner of arminge men
The number of carriages that men of armes and lighte horsemen ought to have
The greatest dissorder that is used now a dayes in the orderinge of an armie
How the Romaines devided their armie in Hastati, Principi and Triarii
{20}The manner that the Romaines used to order them selves agayne in the overthrow
The custom of the Greekes
A maine battaile of Suissers
How manie legions of Romaine Citesens was in an ordinarie armie
The manner how to pitche a fielde to faighte a battaile
Of what number of faighting men an armie oughte to be
The description of a battaile that is a faighting
An exsample of Ventidio faighting against the Parthians
An example of Epaminondas
How the Artillerie is unprofitable
How that a maine battaile of Suissers cannot ocupie more then fower pikes
How the battailes when thei cum to be eight or ten, maye be receyved in the verie same space, that received the fyve
The armes that the Standarde of all tharmie ought to have
Divers examples of the antiquetie
Whether the fronte of the armie ought to bee made large
To how many thinges respecte ought to be had, in the ordringe of an armie
An example of Scipio
{21}In what place a Capitain maie order his armie with savegarde not to be clene overthrowen
Aniball and Scipio praised for the orderynge of their armies
Cartes used of the Asiaticans
Diverse examples of the antiquitie
The prudence which the Capitaine ought to use, in the accidence that chaunse in faightinge
What a Capitaine ought to doo, that is the conqueror, or that is conquered
A Capitaine ought not to faighte the battaile, but with advauntage, excepte he be constrained
How to avoide the faightinge of the fielde
Advertismentes that the Capitaine ought to have
Speakyng to souldiers helpeth muche to make them to be curagious and bolde
Whether all the armie ought to bee spoken unto, or onely to the heddes thereof
The manner how to leade an armie gowinge thorough suspected places, or to incounter the enemie
An example of Aniball
Wether any thing oughte to bee commaunded with the voise or with the trompet
The occations why the warres made now a dayes, doo impoverish the conquerors as well as the conquered
{22}Credite ought not to be given to thinges which stand nothinge with reason
The armie ought not to knowe what the Capitaine purposeth to doo
Diverse examples
The maner how to incampe an armie
How brode the spaces and the wayes ought to be within the campe
What waye ought to be used when it is requiset to incampe nere the enemie
How the watche and warde ought to be apoincted in the campe, and what punishmente they ought to have that doo not their dutie
How the Romanies prohibited women to be in their armies and idell games to be used
How to incampe accordinge to the nomber of men, and what nomber of menne maie suffise againste, what so ever enemie that wer
How to doo to be assured, of the fideletie of those that are had in suspition
What a Capitaine ought to doo beinge beseged of his enemies
Example of Coriliano and others
It is requiset chiefly for a Capitain to kepe his souldiers punished and payed
{23}Of aguries
Moste excellent advertismentes and pollicies
The occation of the overthrowe of the Frenchmen at Garigliano
Cities are strong, either by nature or by industrie
The maner of fortificacion
Bulwarkes ought not to be made oute of a towne distante from the same
Example of Genoa
Of the Countes Catherin
The fation of percullesies used in Almaine
Howe the battelmentes of walles were made at the first, and how thei are made now adaies
The provisions that is mete to bee made, for the defence of a towne
Divers pollicies, for the beseginge and defendinge of a toune or fortres
Secrete conveing of letters
The defence againste a breache
Generall rules of warre
{25}Forasmuch as I beleve that after death, al men maie be praised without charge, al occasion and suspecte of flatterie beyng taken awaie, I shal not doubte to praise our Cosimo Ruchellay, whose name was never remembred of me without teares, havyng knowen in him those condicions, the whiche in a good frende or in a citezien, might of his freendes, or of his countrie, be desired: for that I doe not knowe what thyng was so muche his, not excepting any thing (saving his soule) which for his frendes willingly of him should not have been spent: I knowe not what enterprise should have made him afraide, where the same should have ben knowen to have been for the benefite of his countrie. And I doe painly confesse, not to have mette emongest so many men, as I have knowen, and practised withal, a man, whose minde was more inflamed then his, unto great and magnificent thynges. Nor he lamented not with his frendes of any thyng at his death, but because he was borne to die a yong manne within his owne house, before he had gotten honour, and accordynge to his desire, holpen any manne: for that he knewe, that of him coulde not be spoken other, savyng that there should be dead a good freende. Yet it resteth not for this, that we, and what so ever other that as we did know him, are not able to testifie (seeyng his woorkes doe not appere) of his lawdable qualities. True it is, that fortune was not for al this, so muche his enemie, that it left not some brief {28} record of the readinesse of his witte, as doeth declare certaine of his writinges, and settyng foorthe of amorous verses, wherin (although he were not in love) yet for that he would not consume time in vain, til unto profounder studies fortune should have brought him, in his youthfull age he exercised himselfe. Whereby moste plainly maie be comprehended, with how moche felicitie he did describe his conceiptes, and how moche for Poetrie he should have ben estemed, if the same for the ende therof, had of him ben exercised. Fortune having therfore deprived us from the use of so great a frende, me thinketh there can bee founde no other remedie, then as muche as is possible, to seke to enjoye the memorie of the same, and to repeate suche thynges as hath been of him either wittely saied, or wisely disputed. And for as much as there is nothyng of him more freshe, then the reasonyng, the whiche in his last daies Signior Fabricio Collonna, in his orchard had with him, where largely of the same gentilman were disputed matters of warre, bothe wittely and prudently, for the moste parte of Cosimo demaunded, I thought good, for that I was present there with certain other of our frendes, to bring it to memorie, so that reading the same, the frendes of Cosimo, whiche thether came, might renewe in their mindes, the remembraunce of his vertue: and the other part beyng sorie for their absence, might partly learne hereby many thynges profitable, not onely to the life of Souldiours, but also to civil mennes lives, which gravely of a moste wise man was disputed. Therfore I saie, that Fabricio Collonna retournyng out of Lombardie, where longe time greatly to his glorie, he had served in the warres the catholike kyng, he determined, passyng by Florence, to rest himself certain daies in the same citee, to visite the Dukes excellencie, and to see certaine gentilmen, whiche in times paste he had been acquainted withal. For whiche cause, unto Cosimo it was thought beste to bid him into his orchard, not so muche to use his liberalitee, as to have occasion to talke with him at leasure, and of him to understande and to learne divers thinges, accordyng as of suche a man maie bee hoped for, {29} semyng to have accasion to spende a daie in reasonyng of suche matters, which to his minde should best satisfie him. Then Fabricio came, accordyng to his desire, and was received of Cosimo together, with certain of his trustie frendes, emongest whome wer Zanoby Buondelmonti, Baptiste Palla, and Luigi Allamanni, all young men loved of him and of the very same studies moste ardente, whose good qualities, for as muche as every daie, and at every houre thei dooe praise themselves, we will omit. Fabricio was then accordyng to the time and place honoured, of all those honours, that thei could possible devise: But the bankettyng pleasures beyng passed, and the tabel taken up, and al preparacion of feastinges consumed, the which are sone at an ende in sight of greate men, who to honorable studies have their mindes set, the daie beyng longe, and the heate muche, Cosimo judged for to content better his desire, that it wer well doen, takyng occasion to avoide the heate, to bring him into the moste secret, and shadowest place of his garden. Where thei beyng come, and caused to sit, some upon herbes, some in the coldest places, other upon litle seates which there was ordeined, under the shadow of moste high trees, Fabricio praiseth the place, to be delectable, and particularly consideryng the trees, and not knowyng some of them, he did stande musinge in his minde, whereof Cosimo beeyng a ware saied, you have not peradventure ben acquainted with some of these sortes of trees: But doe not marvell at it, for as muche as there bee some, that were more estemed of the antiquitie, then thei are commonly now a daies: and he tolde him the names of them, and how Barnardo his graundfather did travaile in suche kinde of plantyng: Fabricio replied, I thought it shuld be the same you saie, and this place, and this studie, made me to remember certaine Princes of the Kyngdome of Naples, whiche of these anncient tillage and shadow doe delight. And staiyng upon this talke, and somewhat standyng in a studdie, saied moreover, if I thought I should not offende, I woud tell my opinion, but I beleeve I shall not, commonyng with friendes, and to dispute of thynges, and not to {30} condemne them. How much better thei should have doen (be it spoken without displeasure to any man) to have sought to been like the antiquitie in thinges strong, and sharpe, not in the delicate and softe: and in those that thei did in the Sunne, not in the shadowe: and to take the true and perfecte maners of the antiquitie: not those that are false and corrupted: for that when these studies pleased my Romaines, my countrie fell into ruin. Unto which Cosimo answered. But to avoide the tediousnesse to repeate so many times he saied, and the other answered, there shall be onely noted the names of those that speakes, without rehersing other.
