FABRICIO. The first thyng that I aunswere is, that it is not the verie
same space: For that the five have fower spaces in the middeste, whiche
retiryng betwene the thre, or betwene the twoo, thei occupie: then there
remaineth thesame space, that is betwene the one maine battaile and
other and thesame that is, betwene the battailes, and the extraordinarie
Pikes, al the whiche spaces makes largenesse: besides this, it is to bee
considered, that the battailes kepe other maner of spaces, when thei bee
in the orders without beyng altered, then when thei be altered: for that
in the alteracion: either thei throng together, or thei inlarge the
orders: thei inlarge theim, when thei feare so moche, that thei fall to
fliyng, thei thrust them together, when thei feare in soche wise, that
thei seke to save them selves, not with runnyng a waie, but with
defence: So that in this case, thei should come to be destingueshed, and
not to be inlarged. Moreover, the five rankes of the Pikes, that are
before, so sone as thei have begun the faighte, thei ought betwene their
battailes to retire, into the taile of the armie, for to give place to
the Targaet men, that thei maie faighte: and thei goyng into the taile
of the armie, maie dooe soche service as the capitain should judge, were
good to occupie theim aboute, where in the forward, the faight beyng
mingled, thei should otherwise bee altogether unprofitable. And for this
the spaces ordained, come to bee for the remnaunte of the menne, wide
inough to receive them: yet when these spaces should not suffice, the
flankes on the sides be men, and not walles, whom givyng place, and
inlargyng them selves, maie make the space to containe so moche, that it
maie bee sufficient to receive theim.
[Sidenote: How the pikes that are placed on the flankes of the armie
ought to governe them selves when the rest of the armie is driven to
retire.]
LUIGI. The rankes of the extraordinarie Pikes, whiche you place on the
flanckes of the armie, when the first battailes retire into the second,
will you have them to stande still, and remain with twoo homes to the
armie? Or will you that thei also retire together, with the battailes?
The whiche when thei should do, I see not how thei can, havyng no
battailes behinde with distaunces that maie receive them.
[Sidenote: Thexercise of the army in generall; The nomber that is mete
to be written in the Ansigne of every band of men; The degrees of
honours in an armie, whiche soche a man ought to rise by, as should bee
made a generall capitain.]