Machiavelli, Volume I — Niccolo Machiavelli — John Shaqi
Machiavelli, Volume I
Niccolo Machiavelli · en
FABRICIO. If the enemie overcome theim not, when he inforceth the
battailes to retire, thei maie stande still in their order, and hurte
the enemie on the flanck, after that the firste battailes retired: but
if he should also overcome theim, as semeth reason, beyng so puisaunte,
that he is able to repulce the other, thei also ought to retire: whiche
thei maie dooe excellently well, although thei have not behinde, any to
receive them: bicause from the middest thei maie redouble by right line,
entring the one ranke into the other, in the maner whereof wee reasoned,
when it was spoken of the order of redoublyng: True it is, that to mynde
redoublyng to retire backe, it behoveth to take an other waie, then
thesame that I shewed you: for that I told you, that the second ranke,
ought to enter into the first, the fowerth into the thirde, and so
foorth: in this case, thei ought not to begin before, but behinde, so
that redoublyng the rankes, thei maie come to retire backewarde not to
tourne forward: but to aunswere to all thesame, that upon this foughten
field by me shewed, might of you bee replied. I saie unto you again,
that I have ordained you this armie, and shewed this foughten field for
two causes, thone, for to declare unto you how it is ordered, the other
to shewe you how it is exercised: thorder, I beleve you understande
moste well: and concernyng the exersice, I saie unto you, that thei
ought to be put together in this forme, as often times as maie be: for
as moche as the heddes learne therby, to kepe their battailes in these
orders: for that to particulare souldiours, it appertaineth to keepe
well the orders of every battaile, to the heddes of the battailes, it
appertaineth to keepe theim well in every order of the armie, and that
thei knowe how to obeie, at the commaundement of the generall capitain:
therefore, it is conveniente that thei knowe, how to joyne the one
battaile with thother, that thei maie knowe how to take their place
atones: and for this cause it is mete that thansigne of every battaile,
have written in some evident part, the nomber therof: as well for to be
able to commaunde them, as also for that the capitain, and the
souldiours by thesame nomber, maie more easely knowe theim againe: also
the maine battailes, ought to be nombred, and to have the nomber in
their principal Ansigne: Therefore it is requisite, to knowe of what
nomber the maine battaile shall be, that is placed on the left, or on
the right horne of what nombers the battailes bee, that are set in the
fronte, and in the middeste, and so foorthe of the other. The antiquitie
would also, that these nombers should bee steppes to degrees, of honors
of the armies: as for insample, the first degree, is the Peticapitain,
the seconde, the hedde of fiftie ordinarie Veliti, the thirde, the
Centurion, the fowerth, the hedde of the first battaile, the fifte, of
the second, the sixt, of the thirde, and so forthe, even to the tenth