Veliti that were placed in the taile, accordyng to the principall
orderyng of the armie, in this case, shall not move: Bicause the same
place should not remaine open, whiche of taile shall come to be flancke:
all other thyng ought to bee dooen, as in orderyng of the firste hedde
is saied: this that is told about the makyng hed of the right flanck,
must be understode to be told, havyng nede to make it of the left
flanck: for that the very same order ought to bee observed. If the
enemie should come grose, and in order to assaulte thee on twoo sides,
those twoo sides, whiche he commeth to assaulte thee on, ought to bee
made stronge with the other twoo sides, that are not assaulted, doublyng
the orders in eche of theim, and devidyng for bothe partes the
artillerie, the Veliti, and the horse. If he come on three or on fower
sides, it is necessarie that either thou or he lacke prudence: for that
if thou shalt bee wise, thou wilte never putte thy self in place, that
the enemie on three or fower sides, with a greate nomber of men, and in
order, maie assault thee: for that mindyng, safely to hurte thee, it is
requisit, that he be so great, that on every side, he maie assault thee,
with as many men, as thou haste almoste in al thy army: and if thou be
so unwise, that thou put thy self in the daunger and force of an enemie,
whom hath three tymes more menne ordained then thou, if thou catche
hurte, thou canste blame no man but thy self: if it happen not through
thy faulte, but throughe some mischaunce, the hurt shall be without the
shame, and it shal chaunce unto thee, as unto the Scipions in Spaine,
and to Asdruball in Italie but if the enemie have not many more men then
thou, and intende for to disorder thee, to assaulte thee on divers
sides, it shal be his foolishnesse, and thy good fortune: for as moche
as to doe so, it is convenient, that he become so thinne in soche wise,
that then easely thou maiste overthrow one bande, and withstande an
other, and in short time ruinate him: this maner of ordering an armie
against an enemie, whiche is not seen, but whiche is feared, is a
necessarie and a profitable thing, to accustome thy souldiours, to put
themselves together, and to march with soche order, and in marchyng, to
order theimselves to faight, accordyng to the first hedde, and after to
retourne in the forme, that thei marched in, then to make hedde of the
taile, after, of the flanckes, from these, to retourne into the first
facion: the whiche exercises and uses bee necessarie, mindyng to have an
armie, throughly instructed and practised: in whiche thyng the Princes
and the capitaines, ought to take paine. Nor the discipline of warre is
no other, then to knowe how to commaunde, and to execute these thynges.
Nor an instructed armie is no other, then an armie that is wel practised
in these orders: nor it cannot be possible, that who so ever in this
time, should use like disciplin shall ever bee broken. And if this