Machiavelli, Volume I — Niccolo Machiavelli — John Shaqi
Machiavelli, Volume I
Niccolo Machiavelli · en
of a generall, and to imitate the Suizzers, whom never eschue to faight,
beyng made afraied of the artillerie: but rather punishe with death
those, whiche for feare thereof, either should go out of the ranke, or
should make with his body any signe of feare. I made them (so sone as
thei had shotte) to bee retired into the armie, that thei might leave
the waie free for the battaile: I made no more mencion of theim, as of a
thyng unprofitable, the faight beyng begun. You have also saied, that
consideryng the violence of this instrument, many judge the armours, and
the auncient orders to be to no purpose, and it semeth by this your
talke, that men now a daies, have founde orders and armours, whiche are
able to defend them against the artillerie: if you knowe this, I would
bee glad that you would teache it me: for that hetherto, I never sawe
any, nor I beleve that there can any be founde: so that I would
understande of soche men, for what cause the souldiours on foote in
these daies, weare the breastplate, or the corselet of steele, and thei
on horsebacke go all armed: bicause seyng that thei blame the aunciente
armyng of men as unprofitable, considryng the artillery, thei ought to
despise also this? I would understande moreover, for what occasion the
Suizzers, like unto the auncient orders, make a battaile close together
of sixe, or eight thousande menne, and for what occasion all other have
imitated theim, this order bearyng the verie same perill, concernyng the
artillerie, that those other should beare, whiche should imitate the
antiquitie. I beleve thei should not knowe what to answere: but if you
should aske soche Souldiours, as had some judgement, thei would aunswere
first, that thei go armed, for that though thesame armoure defende theim
not from the artillerie: it defendeth them from crossebowes, from Pikes,
from sweardes, from stones, and from all other hurt, that commeth from
the enemies, thei would answere also, that thei went close together,
like the Suizzers, to be able more easely to overthrow the footemen, to
be able to withstand better the horse and to give more difficultie to
the enemie to breake them: so that it is seen, that the souldiours have
to fear, many other thynges besides the ordinance: from which thynges,
with the armours, and with the orders, thei are defended: whereof
foloweth, that the better that an armie is armed, and the closer that it
hath the orders, and stronger, so moche the surer it is: so that he that
is of thesame opinion, that you saie, it behoveth either that he bee of
smalle wisedome, or that in this thyng, he hath studied verie little:
for as moche as if we see, that so little a parte of the aunciente maner
of armyng, whiche is used now a daies, that is the pike, and so little a
parte of those orders, as are the maine battailes of the Suizzers, dooe
us so moche good, and cause our armies to bee so strong, why ought not
we to beleve, that the other armours, and thother orders whiche are