FABRICIO. If you should remember how to the Triarii, whom were the
thirde order of the Romain Legions, there were not assigned more then
sixe hundred men, you would doubt lesse, havyng understode how thei were
placed in the laste companie: For that you should see, how I moved of
this insample, have placed in the last companie twoo battailes, whiche
are nine hundred men, so that I come rather (folowyng the insample of
the Romaine people) to erre, for havyng taken to many, then to fewe: and
although this insample should suffice, I will tell you the reason, the
which is this. The first fronte of the armie, is made perfectly whole
and thicke, bicause it must withstande the brunt of the enemies, and it
hath not to receive in it any of their felowes: and for this, it is
fitte that it bee full of menne: bicause a fewe menne, should make it
weake, either thinnesse, or for lacke of sufficiente nomber: but the
seconde companie, for as moche as it must first receive their frendes,
to sustain the enemie, it is mete that it have greate spaces, and for
this it behoveth, that it be of lesse nomber then the first: for that if
it wer of greater nomber, or equall, it should bee conveniente, either
not to leave the distaunces, the whiche should be disorder, or leavyng
theim, to passe the boundes of thoseafore, the whiche should make the
facion of the armie unperfecte: and it is not true that you saie, that
the enemie, the more that he entereth into the maine battaile, so moche
the weaker he findeth it: for that the enemie, can never faight with the
seconde order, except the first be joined with thesame: so that he
cometh to finde the middest of the maine battaile more stronger, and not
more weaker, havyng to faight with the first, and with the seconde order
altogether: the verie same happeneth, when the enemie should come to the
thirde companie: for that there, not with twoo battailes, whiche is
founde freshe, but with all the maine battaile he must faight: and for
that this last part hath to receive moste men, the spaces therof is
requisite to be greatest, and that whiche receiveth them, to be the
leste nomber.
[Sidenote: The orderyng of the hinder part of tharmy.]
LUIGI. It pleaseth me thesame that you have told: but answere me also
this: if the five first battailes doe retire betwene the three seconde
battailes, and after the eight betwene the twoo thirde, it semeth not
possible, that the eight beyng brought together, and then the tenne
together, maie bee received when thei bee eight, or when thei be tenne
in the verie same space, whiche received the five.
[Sidenote: The retire of the Pikes, to place the Targaet men.]