Fabritio. I would, and with very great diligence, exercifing the Pikes With the fame care as the reft, becaufe I would make more ufe of them than the reft upon all private occafions, as in conducing convoys of provifions, depredations, and fuch like. But my Velites I would exercife at home without bringing them together; for it being their office to fight loofe and confufed, it is not neceffary that they (hould be always exerci- fed as the reft; for it is enough if they underftand their own bufinefs well. They ought then (at I faid before, and I am not troubled to repeat it again ) fo to exercife their men in thefe Battalias, that they may know to keep their ranks, underftand their places, wheel readily, and fbift handfomly, either upon fight of an Enemy, or incon- venience of the Place. For when they can do this well, they will eafiiy learn which are their Places, and what are their duties in a Battle. And if a Prince or Common- wealth grudges not to take pains, and employ themfelves in feeing their Subjects thus exercifed, they would have always good Soldiers, be always too i;ard for their Neigh- bours, and would be in a condition rather co give, than receive Lavvs from other people.
But (as I have faid before) the diforder in which wc live, is the caufe that we do not only negleft, but defpife thofe things, and that is the true reafon our Soldiers are no better J and though there may be Officers and Soldiers too, that perhaps are both va- liant and skilful, yet they have no occafion or encouragement to fliew themfelves.
CHAP. XIT.
Of the Ba^age and Train lelonghg to a Company, How neceffary it is that they have feveral Officers, and of the ufefuUefs of Drums.
CoJimo.T Would ask you now, what Carriages you would allot to each of thefe Battalias?
Fabritio. In the firft place, I would not allow that either Centurion or Corporal fiiould march on Horfeback, and if the Captain muft ride, I would allow him only a Mule. I would allow him two Carriages, one to every Centurion, and two betwixt every three Corporals, becaufe we quarter them together in our Camp, as fhall be fljewn in its due place; fo that to every Battalia there ihould be 36 Carriages, which I would have carry the Tents, and Urenfils for their Cookery; their Hatchets, and other Inftruments to fet up their Huts, Tents and Pavilions; and if there be afterwards any place left, let them carry what they pleafe.
Coftmo. I am of opinion that the Officers which you have appointed in every of thefe Battalias arc neceifary, yet 1 fliould be afraid fo many Commanders Ihould con- found them.
Fabritio. What you fay would be true, were they not fubordinate to one; but de- pending ftill upon one perfon, they proceed very regularly, nay without them, they could not poffibly be governed. For a wall that is tottering in all places, requires tiiatirsBut- trefles and Supporters be rather many than ftrong, becaufe the ftrength and goodne/s of one, will not hinder the ruin which will follow. And therefore in all Armies, and among every ten men, it is convenient to have one of more lik, more courage, and more autho- rity than the reft, who with his alacrity, and language, and example, may encourage the reft, and difpofe them to fight. And to prove the ncce/Hty of thefe things in an Aimy, (viz, Enfigns, Officers and Drums) it appears by our Armies, where there areo^ them all, Book II. ' The An of WA R. 463 but none of them do their office, according to the intent of their eftablifliment. Firft your Capidieci or Ftle-Ieaders, if they anfwer the end for which they were cllablifhed, are to have their men a part, lodge with them, charge with them, and be always in the fame file with them; for being kept to their due places, the File-leaders are a rule and temper to the reft, keeping them firm and ftrait in their files, fo as it is impofTible almoft that they be difordered, and "if they be, they are quickly reduced. But in our days we make no otherwife of them but to give them greater pay, and enable them to make particular faftions. 'Tis the fame with our Enfigns; for they are ufed more for pomp and parade, than any military fervice; whereas formerly the Captains em- ployed them as guides, and diredions in cafe of difordcr; for e^'ery man, as foon as the Enfign was fix'd, knew his place immediately, and immediately return'd to it. Thev knew likewife thereby how they were to move, or to halt: ic is neceflary there- fore in an Army that there be feveral of thefe fmall Bodies, that every Body has its Colours, and Enfign and Guide; for where tijcre are many Bodies, there ought to be many Arms and many Officers. The Soldiers (then) are to follow the motion of their Colours, and the Colours the diredion of their Drum, which (being well order'd) commands the Army, and advertifes how they are to march with a motion fuitable to the time which it beats, which is a great prefervation to their order. For this caufe the ancients had their flutes and pipes which made an excellent harmony; and as be -that dances, keeps himfelf exaftly to the time of the mufick; and whilft he does fo, is not capable of erring: fo an Array that in its motions obferves the beating and diredion of its Drums, cannot be eafily difordered. For this reafon they varied their founds when they would excite, or afl'wage, or continue the courage of their men. And as their ways of beating were various, fo they gave them feveral names. The Liornk way provoked to conftancy andfirmnefs i the Phrygian inRam'd the Soldiers into a martial fury and violence. It is reported that Alexander being one day at dinner, and hearing a Drum beating fuddenly thQ Phrygian way, was tranfported with fo great a vehemence and commotion, that he clap'd his hand upon his Sword and drew it, as it he had been going to fight. So that in my judg ment it would be very convenient to revive the ancient Dialeds of the Drum, and pradices of our Aneeflors; and if that Ihould prove too difficult, yet thofe perfons fhould not be dcfpis'd and laid afide, who would teach and inftruft the Soldier how to obey them; yet thofe ways may be chang- ed and varied as every man pleafes, provided he inures his Soldiers Ears to underfland the variety: but nowa days the greareft ufe of the Drum, is to make a great noife.
Cofimo. 1 would fain knov^r of you (if you have ever confidered it with your felf) how it comes to pals that fuch military excrcifes are in our times grown fo low and contemptible.
J^abntiO. I fiiall tell you freely what I think may be the caufe.
CHAP. xni.
A difiourfe of the Author ahout military Virtue; and how it is become fo defpicahle in our days.
Fah. VOU know Europe (according to the teflimony of feveral Authors) has afford- ed many excellent Captains; Africk has had fome, and A^a fewer: and the reafon (as I conceive) is, becaufe thofe two quarters of the World have had but one or two Monarchies among them, and very few Common-wealths i but Europe has had feveral Kingdoms, and more Common- wealths; and men are induftrious, and by con- feqiience excellent, as they are employ'd and prefer'd by their Prince or their State. Where therefore "here are many Prmces, there are many brave men; where there are but few of the firft, rhere are fewer of the other. We find in AJia there was Nimis, Cymfi Artaxerxes, Mithridatesy and fome few others of that rank. In Africa (befides 'the JF.gjptian antiquity) there were Mafftnrffa, '^ngwtha, and thofe great Captains which were trained up in the Carthagenian Wars, which notwithftanding in refped of the num- bers Vv^h.ich have been produced in Europe, weie very few; tor in Europe their brave Generals are innnmer.ibie in Hiflory, or at leaft they would have been, had the Histo- rians (with thofe they have already recorded) made mention of fuch as arc now for- gotten by the malignity of time. For tijere people are more virtuous, where rhere have been frequent revolutions of Scare, and where the Governments have favoured virtue eirlier otit of necellity, or compaflion.
As 4^4 The An of WA R. Book 11.
As for Afia, it has not produced many extraordinary men, bccaule that Province was wholly under a Monarchy, which (by reafon of its greatnefs, the j^reareft part of it being always at peacc^ could not produce (uch excellent men, as where thcie was adion and war.
In Africa it was the fame, yet there they were mo-e numerous, by reafon of the Cnrthagenicn Republick: for Common wealths do furnifh the World with more brave men than Kingdoms; becaufe in Stares, virtue is many times honoured and advanced; in Monarchies and Kingdoms it is fufpeded; from whence it pioceeds that in the one it is encouraged, in the other exploded. He then who fhall conlider Europe, (hall find it full of Common wealths, and Principalities, which in refpedt ot the jealcufies and a- nimcfities betwixt them, were conllrained to keep up the old military difcipline, and advance thofe who in it were any ways eminent; for in Grene, befides the Mactdoniaast there were many republicks, and in each of them ftveral excellent men.
The Romans y the Stimnttes, tht Tiifcan', Cifalpine Gauls, FKiriie and Germany were full of Republicks and Principalities, and Spain was the fame. And though in rcfpect of the Romansy the numbers which are mention'd of them in Hiftory, are but fmall; that proceeds from the emulation and partiality of the Hiflorians, who fol!owini» fortune, content themfelves with commending the Conqueror; but it is unreafonable to imagine that among the Samnites and T'ufcans (who waged war with the Romans i^o years together before they were totally fubdued) there were not many brave men; and fo in France and Spain; but the virtue which Authors do not celebrate in parti- cular men, they impute generally to the whole people, whom they exalt to the.skies for their conftancy, and adherence to their liberty.
It being true then, that where there are mofl Principalities and Governments there are more excellent men; it follows, that when thofe Governments and Principalities cxtinguifb, their brave men and virtue extinguifh with them, there being lefs occafion to exert it. After the Roman Empire had dilated it fclf fo flrangely, and fubverted all the Common-wealths and Principalities in Europe, and Ajma, and the greattll part of thofe in A/ia; virtue declined in all Places but in Rome. Whereupon virtuous men be- gan to grow thinner in Europe and Afia, and by degrees came afcei wards to a total de- clination; for the virtue of the whole World being as it were inclofed in the walls of Rome, when it grew depraved and corrupted there, the whole World became coi^ . rupt, and the Scythians weie encouraged to make their inroads and depredations up- on the Empire, which had been able to confume and cxtincuifh the virtue of all o- thcr places, but was not able to preferve it at home. And though afterwards by the inundation of thofe Barbarians it was d'xvidtd intofeveral Cantons; yet for two reafons their virtue was never reftored: one was, becaufe when Laws and Orders are once neg- lected and difufed, it is with no little pain that they are reaifumed: the other, our way of living in thefe times (in refpect of the Chriftian Religion) impofes not that ne- ccllRty of defending our felves, as anciently it did: for then thofe who were over- come in war, either killed themfelves, or remained in perpetual flavery, in which they lived afterwards in continual mifery. The Towns that were taken, were either totally demolifhed, or the Inhabitants banifhed, their Goods plundered, their Eftates fequtftered, and themfelves difperfed all over the World; fo that he who was overcome, fufiered fuch miferies as are not to be exprefs'd. People being terrified by thefe jnfupporrable cruelties, kept up the reputation of military difcipline, and advanced all thofe who were excellent therein.
But at prefent we arc under no fuch apprehenfions: no man kills himfelf for being conquered: no man is kept long a prifoner, becaufe it is more eafy to fct him at li- berty. If a City rebels twenty times, it is not immediately razed and demolifhed j tf.e Citizens are continued in their Eflates, and the grcatefl punifhraent they fear, is a mulfit or a tax: fo that men will not now fubmit to military orders, nor apply them- felves to thofe labours to avoid a peril which they do not apprehend. Befides, the Provinces of Europe are under few heads in comparifon of what they were anciently: for all France is under one King j all Spain under another: Italy is divided into four parties, fo that the weaker Cities that are unable to maintain war of tiiemfelves, de- fend themfelves by alliances with tlie Conqueror j and thofe who arc ftrong (for the reafons abovcfaid) are in no fear of ruin.
Cofwia. And yet within thefe five and twenty years fevcral Cities have been fack'd, and fevcral Kingdoms fubverted; which cxampJe fliould teach others to rcafiume, and live according to the cuflom of our anccflors.
Fabntio. 'Tis true as you fay, yet if yoiiobfcrve what rhofe Towns were which havcfuf- fcrtd in thatnature, youwillfind thatchey werenocapitalCities, but fubordinatc, anddcpending Book II. The Art of PV A R. 46^ pending: fo we fee though Tortona was demoliflied, Milan was noc; though Capua was deilroy'd, Naples was not: Brefcia was fack'd, but Venice was noc: Ravenna was pilla- ged, but Rome was not. Thefe examples do not make him who governs recede from his deiicns, but makes him rather more refradory and obftinate, and purfue them with more vehemence, to recompence himfelf with ta:xes and new impofitions. This it is that makes men unwilling to expofc themfelves to the trouble of miJita* ry exercifes, looking upon it partly as unnecefl'ary, and partly as a thing which they do not underftand. Thofe who are fubjeifts and ought to be affrighted with fuch examples of fervitude, have noc power to help themfelves; and thofe who are Princes, having loft their dominion, are unable, as having neither time nor convenience: Whilft thofe who are able, either cannot, or will not; choofing rather to run along with fortune, with- out anydifquiet, than to trouble themfelves to be virtuous; for believing that all things are govern'd by iorcune, they had rather follow her fwing, than contend with her for maftery. And that you may believe what I have faid to be really true, confider the Country of Germany, where, by reafon of their feveral Principalities and Stares, their difcipUne is good, and depends upon the example of thofe people, who being jealous of theif States and Seigneuries, maintain themfelves in honour and grandeur, as fear- ing to fall into a fervitude, out of which they could not fo eafily emerge.
This 1 fuppofe is fufEcient to fliew the reafon of the vilenefs and depravity of our prefent difcipline; I know not whether you may be of the fame opinion, or whether my difcourfe may noc have raifed fomc fcruple in your mind.
Cofmo. Not at all, I am rather perfedly fatisfy'd; only I defire (returning to our firft fubj-A; to know of you how you would order your horfe with thefe Battalias, ia what numbers you would have them, how you would have them arm'd, and how ofE* cer'd.
C H A P. IV.
What numhr of Horfe are to he put into a Battalion^ and what proportion is to he ohjerved for their haggage.
Fak TTOU may think perhaps I forgot it, but do not wonder, for I fhall fpeak of it ■*■ but little for two reafons. One is, becaufe the nerves and firengch of am Army is the Infantry; the other is, becaufe the horfe are notfo much debauched and degenerated as the foot; for the Cavalry is equal, if noc better at this day than in an- cient times. Yet I have faid fomething before of the way how they are to be exercis'd j and as to the manner of arming them, I would arm them according to our prefent fa- fhion, both lighc-horfe and men at arms. But the light-horfe (if I might prefcribe) fhould carry crofs bows, with fome few harquebuifes among them, which (though in o- ther affairs of war they are but of little ufe^ are here very neceffary to frighten the Counrry people, and force them from their paffes, which perhaps they have undertak- en to defend: for one harquebufs will fcare them more than an hundred other arms. But to come to their number, having undertaken to imitate the Roman Militia, I would take but 300 good horfe forevery Battalion, of which i5ofliould be men atarmsj and 150 light horfe; and I would appoint a Captain to each of thefe fquadrons, 15 Corporals to each, and a Trumpet and Enfign. 1 would allow every ten men at arms five Carriages, and every ten light-horfe, two; which Carriages (as with the foot) fhould carry the Tents, Urenfils, Hatchets, and other Inffruments and Harnefs. Think not that what I fay would be any diforder, feeing cheir men ac arms had each of them four horfes in their equipage, which is a thing much corrupted; for now in Germany you fhall fee men at arms with but one horfe, and themfelves, and twenty of them are allowed but one Waggon to carry their neceflaries. The Roman horfe were likewife alone, but the Triarii were lodg'd always by them, who were obliged to aflift them in the looking to their horfes, which may be eafily imitated by us, as fhall be Ihewn in the diftribution of our lodgments: what there the Romans did of old, and and what the Germms do at this day, we may do likewife, and we do very ill if we do nor.
Thefe horfe being lifted and called over, may be muftered fometimes with the Bat- talion, at a genera! Mufter of all the Companies, and.be appointed to make charges, and counterfeit skirmifhes with them, rather to bring them acquainted, than for any thing elfe. What we have faid already is fufEcient for this pare: let us now come to marfhal our Army, and draw it up in a pofture to fight, and with hopes of fuccefs, which is the great end of all kind of milicary difcipline, in which men employ fo much fludy and diligence. P P P THE 466 The Art of WA R.
THE Third BOOK.
CHAP. I.
"The Order ohferved hy the Roman Legions when a Battle was prefented.
Cojimo. ^^EEing we change our fubjeft, I fhall yield my place of expoflulating to another man j For prefumption being a thing which I condemn in other .^^k people, I would not be too much guilty of it my felf, therefore I dif- r>»m^ mifs my felf of that ofHce, and will transfer it to which of our friends will vouchfafe to accept it.
Zanohi. It would have been very grateful to us all, had you pleafed to have con- tinued; but feeing 'tis not your pleafure, tell us at leafl: which of us it is you will de- pute to fucceed you.
Cofmo. I fhall leave that to the elcdion of Signor F^hitio.
Fabritio. I am content to undertake it, and do dcfire that we may follow the Vene* tian cuftom, by which the youngeft of the company has the liberty to fpeak firft, and in this cafe not without reafon; for this being the proper exercife of young men, I perfwade my fe f young Gentlemen are the fitteft to difcourfe of ir, as being moft rea- dy to follow ir.
Cofimo. 'Tis then your province, Z.a/?/, and as I do much pleafe my felf in my fuc- celfor, fo you may be as well fatisfy'd with his interrogation- But that we lofe no time let us return to our bufinefs.
Fabritio. I am certain, that to demonO.rate how well an Army is to be marCial'd and prepar'd for a Battle, it would be necefl'ary to declare how the Greeks and Rotmns order- ed the Troops in their Armies: but becaufe thefe things are fufficiently obvious in Hiftory, I fhall pafs by feveral particulars, and addrefs my felf only to fuch as I think moft ufeful for our imitation, and fittell: to give perfedion to the difcipiine of our times, which will be the occaficn that at once I give you a profped how an Army is to be ranged in order to a Battle; how they are to confront and charge one another in a real engagement; and how they may be exercis'd in a counterfeit. The greatefb diforders committed in the drawing up an Army for a Battle, is to give it only a fronr, becaufe they leave them and their forrune to the fuccefs of one charge: and this error proceeds from nothing but from having lofi the old way of clofing their their ranks, and thrufting one into another. Without that way there is no relieving of the front, no defending them, nor no fupplying their places in the heat of their Eri- gagemenr, which among the Romans was moft accurately obftrv'd. To the end therefore you may comprehend this way, 1 fay, that the Romans divided each Legion into three Bodies.
The firfl: were Haflati, the fecond Principes, the third Tr'iarii. The Haflati were in the front of the Army, in thick and firm ranks. The Princ pes behind them, but their ranks not altogether ib clofe: and after tiic:n the Iriarii in fo clofc an order, tiiat they could receive both Prinapes and Hajiati into their Body upon any diflrefs. Befides thefe rhcy had their SUngers, their Bow-rnen, and rheir Fclitts; notdrawn up in this order, but placed at the Head of the Army, betwixt the Cavalry and the Foot.
Thcfe light arm'd Soldiers began the Fighr, and if rhcy prevailed, (which was veryfeN dom) they fol!ow'd the ViiStory; if rhcy were rcpulfcd, rhcy fell back by the flanks of the Army, or thorough certain fpaces;ippointcd on purpolc,;nid retir'd among thofc who had no arms. When they were retir'd, the //(///.ii'/ advanced againll the enemy, and finding thcmlelvcs ovcrpower'd, tliey rerirtd foltly to tlic Pmcipcfy and Icil into their ranks, and together with them renew'd the Fjght, but if tliey aUo w ere too weak to fufiain the fury of Book in. The An of PVAR. 467 of the Battle, they retreated all into the rpace*; of the Tiriarii, and all together being confo- lidaced into a firm mafs, they made another effort more impetuous than beforej if" this mifcarried, all was loft, for there wds no farther refeJ-vcs. The Horfc were plac'd at the corners of the Army, like two winces to a Body, and fought fometimes on Horfeback, and fometimes on Foot, as occafion was offered. This way of reinforcing Uiree time.<* is almoft impoflible to be mafler'd, becaufe fortunemuft fail you three times before you caa be beaten, and the Enemy mull be fo valiant as to conquer you as often.
CHAP. II.
the form ohferved in their Battels hy the Macedonian Phalanx.
TH E Grecians ordered not their Phalanx, as the Romans did their Legions, and though they had many Officers among themj and feveral ranks, yet they made but one body, or rather one front. The way which they obferved to relievedne another, was notto retire one rank into another, like the Romans, but to put one man into the place of another; which v%''as done in this manner. Their Phalanx being reduced into Files (and letusfup- pofe each File to confiftof fifty men) being aifterwards with the front towards the Enemy, of all the Files only the fix firft could charge, becaufe their Launces (which they called Sarijfa) were folong, that the fixth rank charged with the point of his Launce thorough the hrll rank: In the Fight therefore, if any of the firft rank was either killed or difa- bted, he who was behind in the fecond rank fupplied his place; and the vacuity in the fceond rank was filled up out of the third, and fo fuccefllvely, andonafudden the ranks behind fupplied what was defeftive before; fo as their ranks remained always entire, and no place left void but the laft rank, which was not reinforced, becaufe there wa.? no body behind to fupply them: So that. the lofs in the firft rank exhaufted the latter, and yet it felf was continued entire. So that thefe Phalanxes were fooner confumed and annihilated than broken, becaufe the clofenefs and groffnefs of the body madethemim- penetrable. The Romans at fiifl: ufed thefe Phalanxes, and inftrufted their Legions in that way: Afterwards they grew weary of that order, and parted their Legions into feveral divifions, viz.. into Cohorts and Manipuli, judging (as I faid before) that body to be moft vigorous and Mkll of life, that confifted of moft members, fo conftituted as that they could fublift and govern themfelves.
CHAP. in.
ilow the Swiiles ordered their Battalions.