Besides this, the Citees are easie to bee wonne, if thou come upon them
unawares: whiche is dooen beyng with thy armie farre of, after soche
sort, that it be not beleved, either that thou wilte assaulte theim, or
that thou canst dooe it, without commyng openly, bicause of the distance
of the place: wherefore, if thou secretely and spedely assaulte theim,
almoste alwaies it shall followe, that thou shalte gette the victorie. I
reason unwillingly of the thynges succeded in our tyme, for that to me
and to mine, it should be a burthen, and to reason of other, I cannot
tel what to saie: notwithstanding, I cannot to this purpose but declare,
the insample of Cesar Borgia, called duke Valentine, who beyng at Nocera
with his menne, under colour of goyng to besiege Camerino, tourned
towardes the state of Urbin, and gotte a state in a daie, and without
any paine, the whiche an other with moche time and cost, should scante
have gotten. It is conveniente also to those, that be besieged, to take
heede of the deceiptes, and of the policies of the enemie, and therefore
the besieged ought not to truste to any thyng, whiche thei see the
enemie dooe continually, but let theim beleve alwaies, that it is under
deceipte, and that he can to their hurte varie it. Domitio Calvino
besiegyng a toune, used for a custome to compasse aboute every daie,
with a good parte of his menne, the wall of the same: whereby the Tounes
menne, belevyng that he did it for exercise, slacked the Ward: whereof
Domicius beyng aware, assaulted and overcame them.
[Sidenote: A policie to get a towne.]
Certaine Capitaines understandyng, that there should come aide to the
besieged, have apareled their Souldiours, under the Ansigne of those,
that should come, and beyng let in, have gotte the Toune.
[Sidenote: How Simon of Athens wan a towne; A policie to get a towne;
How Scipio gotte certaine castels in Afrike.]
Simon of Athens set fire in a night on a Temple, whiche was out of the
toune, wherefore, the tounes menne goyng to succour it, lefte the toune
in praie to the enemie. Some have slaine those, whiche from the besieged
Castle, have gone a foragyng, and have appareled their souldiours, with
the apparell of the forragers, whom after have gotte the toune. The
aunciente Capitaines, have also used divers waies, to destroie the
Garison of the Toune, whiche thei have sought to take. Scipio beyng in
Africa, and desiring to gette certaine Castles, in whiche were putte the
Garrisons of Carthage, he made many tymes, as though he would assaulte
theim, albeit, he fained after, not onely to abstaine, but to goe awaie
from them for feare: the whiche Aniball belevyng to bee true, for to
pursue hym with greater force, and for to bee able more easely to
oppresse him, drewe out all the garrisons of theim: The whiche Scipio
knowyng, sente Massinissa his Capitaine to overcome them.