emperor was entered into Italie And this slacknesse of his saued the citie Padoa and a good part of the state of Venice And had the Venetians beene warriers and well prouided they had put king Lois to a plunge For they had as then no mo but him to deale with so that his league did him small seruice The duke of Burgoine should haue ioyned with the king of England to inuade the countrie of king Lois the eleuenth but he lingred so long at the siege of Nuis that the king of England was faine to returne and make peace as I haue said alreadie The league of the Spanish king and the Venetians against the Turke turned by and by into smoke by reason of distrust that rose betwixt them notwithstanding that the Turke was ouercome vpon the sea by the confederats at Lepanto Many times did the Italians and Spaniards ioyntly conspire to driue the Frenchmen out of Italie But one while the Spaniards departed from the confederacie another while the Pope shrunke backe and another while the Venetians fell in with vs which was a cause that we held our footing stil notwithstanding their leagues These examples with a hundred others which I leaue for briefnesse sake may warne vs that a puissant and well aduised prince shall neuer want means to disseuer such as confederat themselues against him CHAP. II. Of Gouernors sent into the frontiers of countries and whether they should be changed or suffered to continue still WHen a prince hath associated himselfe with his friends and neighbors to defend himselfe or to assaile his enemies It behoueth him to take order for his frontiers and to prouide himselfe of a good wise and valiant chieftaine to lie ordinarilie with a good number of souldiers in the prouince that is most subiect to the inuasion of enemies But here some man might demaund whether such a Gouernour or chieftaine ought neuer to be chaunged or whether he ought to be chaunged as the pretors proconsuls and presidents of prouinces were among the Romans I haue declared in the title of Iustice that the emperour Alexander Seuerus chaunged his officers oft and that Augustus altered not the custome of the Romans in sending senators into prouinces for a certaine time Aristotle in his bookes of Common-weale matters reproued the Candiots for suffering one of their magistrats whom they called Consuls to be perpetuall whereas they should haue beene shifted from time to time And it is not to be doubted but that that maner of dealing was verie behooffull in a Common-weale where euerie man lookes to beare office of honour which few should haue enioyed if the charge of gouernment should haue beene tied to one alone to occupie the place of many good citizens who could haue discharged the office as well as he And thereof would haue ensued a great inconuenience namely that an armie being gouerned ouerlong by one citizen would haue growne partiall in his behalfe and not haue acknowledged any other for their head than him vnder whom they had so long serued Moreouer the Generall or chiefe captaine of an armie that shall haue continued so long together in office would become so rich and increased in honour that he could not find in his heart to liue as meane citizen afterward Whervpon it would follow of necessitie that the citizens should fall to warre among themselues That was the cause that Silla and Marius found men at their deuotion whch durst maintaine their ambition against the welfare of the common-weale The prorogation of the fiue yeares which was giuen to Iulius Caesar for the gouerning of the Gauls and the ouer-great number of offices of honour that were bestowed vpon Pompey were the cause of the ruine of Rome For there was not in his time any goodly enterprise whereof he was not the executor And although there was great reason that the Senate should prorogue the consull Philoes authoritie before Palepolis and likewise of Lucullus Metellus without sending Pompey to be successor to the one and Marius to be successor to the other Yet had it beene better for the common-weale to haue forborne that gaine and to haue left the warre vnfinished than to haue suffered the seed of tyrannie to grow vp to the ouerthrow of the publike-weale And I maruell not that Epaminâ—ndas was put to his necke-verse for executing the Pretorship contrarie to the law but onely three moneths beyond his appointed tearme though in that while he finished the war that had bin begun and deliuered the Thebans from bondage For as on the one side the greatnesse of the benefit encountered the law so on the other side there was as an apparant breach of the law which might procure great preiudice in time to come Now in a free citie this ouer-great mightines is to be feared and therefore it is no wonder though Publicola was in good time redoubted of the Romans and compelled to shew that he ment to make himselfe equall with the meanest And in mine opinion the Ostracisme of Athens which afterward was mocked at for banishing a fellow that was nought worth was not without great reason For had not the excellent citizens beene brideled by exile they would at length haue growne so proud that they would haue made themselues kings and maisters of the citie as Pericles might well haue done if he had beene of an ambitious mind and as others did afterward that were meaner than he And therefore I make no doubt of it but that in common-weals there ought to be no such thing But in Monarchies where one alone commaundeth it is better to set a gouernor or viceroy that shall continue there all his life After that maner haue our kings done in Piemont with happie successe But if the people of the prouinces make any complaints of the couetousnesse of their Gouernour or of his extortion and great crueltie or if the prince doubt of his loyaltie in such cases the prince must reuoke him and send a new in his roome Consaluo was called home from Naples by the king of Aragon who was so iealous of him that he feared least he should abuse his authoritie and defeat him of the realme But if a Gouernour be not too full of vice it is much better that he continue still For he shall learne how to behaue himselfe towards the men of his prouince by acquainting himselfe long time with their humors And for his knowledge of the countrie he shall do goodlier exploits than a new lieutenant could do besids that he shall be more loued and regarded of the Souldiers with whom he shall haue spent his yong yeares CHAP. III. Of a Lieutenant-generall and that there behoueth no mo but one to commaund an armie FOrasmuch as a prince cannot be alway with his armie it behoueth him to choose some excellent captaine to haue the commaunding thereof Now it may be demanded whether it were better to appoint two or three to that charge or to be contented with
vncertaine chance of battell than to trust to the small hope of sauing themselues by flight and so standing resolute vpon that point they caried away the victorie The duke of Guelders finding a great power of the Brabanders comming vpon him was sore astonied for he saw that he must either fight thirtie to one or else shut vp himselfe in a citie To shut vp himselfe he was loth and therefore fully resoluing himselfe to abide the battell he fell to giuing charge vpon his enemies vnprouided who being taken with a lunatike feare fled away without striking a stroke Stillico went and charged suddenly vpon the Gothes as they were going into Gallia At the first they were astonished at the sudden and vnprouided onset but at length resoluing to abide the battel they not onely ouercame him but also returned into Italie by the countrie of Genes When Manfride gaue battell to the duke of Aniou the duke of Anious armie began to want food as well for the men as for their horses And in driuing off the time a while longer and in tarying for his men that were dispersed in diuerse places of his realme he had both made himselfe the stronger and also brought his enemie to extreme necessitie But in chusing rather to set vpon his enemies while they were wearie and ill at ease of the long iourney that they had made he found by experience that nothing is vnpossible to a conquerour for he lost the battell and died Carafa the countie of Mathalon would not beleeue the counsell of them that would haue had him to follow the French-men that drew toward Salerne and to haue cut off their vittails without fighting with them vnlesse they could take them in some place of aduauntage or to get betweene Salerne and their campe to keep them froÌ„ entring into the town to make them returne into the Basilicat because they waÌ„ted both vittels artillery But of a brauerie he would needs giue them battell because they were but few in number and for his labour he lost the field For the lord of Perfie attending him with resolution discomfited him Had he beene trained in the schoole of king Lewis the eleuenth he would haue learned that he which hath the profit of a warre hath also the honour therof When Ferdinand king of Naples began to reconquer the realme of Naples he was so ioyfull of his good fortune that in a brauerie he would needs giue battell to the Frenchmen contrarie to the aduice of a great captaine who counselled him to hold himselfe close within Seminara vntill he were more certainly aduertised of the intent and power of the Frenchmen telling him that the counsels which promise suretie in all things are honourable inough and that they which by a fond ouerlustinesse of courage do hinder the means whereby a matter should come to good issue are void of honour shamefull and miserable But this good counsell was ouercome by the worser so that he gaue the Frenchmen battell who woon the day to the great confusion of Ferdinand and of the Arragonians The Frisons being aduertised of the great preparations that the countie of Ostreuant made for warre against them met in counsell to consider what was best for them to do many gaue counsell to bid him battell at his first arriuall but Iues Iouire a man of personage as big as a giant and wonderfull valiant withall counselled them to watch the time and not to hazard their forces against stroÌ„ger than themselues saying That they had many good ditches and trenches which would disappoint horsmen wherein their enemies ouermatched them and that their footmen should soone be wearied and tired with the combersomnesse of their iourney and with the small store of vittails which they should find abrode in the country so as they might be rid of them for the burning of a dozen villages Yet notwithstanding they forbare not to giue battell and lost it The men of Liege would needs fight with the duke of Burgoins men who was entred with an armed host into their countrie and they did it against the counsell of the lord of Pâ—erandes who would haue them to win time of them and to put their men in garrison But he could not persuade the common people to do so and therfore they were all discomfited and left eight and twenty thousand men dead vpon the field Now must we a little see how we in France haue sped in that behalfe King Philip of Valois gaue battell to the Englishmen in his owne realme at a place called Cressye and was there ouercome King Iohn trusting in his own force chose rather to giue the Englishmen battel at Poictiers than to subdue them by famin and vnrest and he â—or his labour was taken prisoner but Charles the fift hauing taken another course and helping himselfe with the counsell of Fabius would neuer hazard his state vpon a battell by means wherof he ouermatched the Englishmen and did so much by his countenances that he tooke from them almost all Guien euen from vnder their nose and seazed vpon the towns and cities of the duke of Bretaine And when any man spake to the king of giuing battell his counsell would say thus vnto him Sir let them go they can neuer get your inheritance for smoke For when a storme commeth into a countrie it must in the end needs depart againe King Edward was wont to say of him That neuer any king did lesse put on armour nor euer any king did worke him more incuÌ„beraÌ„ce for he coÌ„quered Guien without battel And the king of England with two puissant armies leuied both at one time could do no more but wast and burne the country without winning so much as any one citie of account At the beginning of the wars of Peloponnesus Pericles chose rather to see the forraying and burning of the territorie of Athens than to go out of Athens to hazard a battel persuading himselfe that the delay of time would quaile the force of the Lacedemonians Fabius Maximus ouerthrew Hanniball more by not fighting than other captains had done by fighting with him At the first encounter of Trebia because Sempronius had giuen a foile to the Affricanes he was so puffed vp with that first skirmish that he thought al was wonne and that the want of a little hardinesse was the onely let that the warre was not brought to a full end contrarie to the opinion of Scipio his fellowcommissioner And so he lost the field Flaminius being vnmindfull of this losse would needs do the like and he also was serued with the same sauce Minutius striuing to follow their steps had ben vndone if Fabius had not ben as Varro was who by like headines was the death of fiftie thousand Romans at Cannaâ— A man may say that Marcellus wearied Hanniball in so many combats that he feit himselfe discomfited by winning but yet in the end Marcellus abode by it And although fortune began to turne her back
groomes of the kings chamber whom he had taken prisoner to aduertise the king that the Greeks were resolued to breake the bridge of shippes which he had made ouer the streit of Hellespont Wherof he was very willing to aduertise him to the intent that in good time he might withdraw himselfe out of the seas of his territorie and passe ouer again into Asia with all speed possible in the meane time that he withheld the residue from pursuing him whereof Xerxes was so afraid that he departed with all the hast he could Paul a Romane captaine perceiuing that he could not hold out against the power of Totilas determined to make a salie out and to sell his life as deare as he could But Totilas dreading this despaire of his graunted him reasonable conditions that is to wit either to giue him entertainment to serue him or to go home into his owne countrie with all his souldiers for he would not lose his people against men that were desperat The Venetians at Foronouo would not stop the way of king Charles but let him go and returne home at his ease fearing least through necessitie turned into despaire he should make himselfe way with great blood shed of those which vndiscretly would haue stopped him Notwithstanding the Italians and Spaniards being caried away with the contrarie counsel found to their exceeding great losse how daungerous a matter it is to hold backe an armie that is desperat and driuen by necessitie to fight CHAP. XVII Of the retiring of an armie and how to saue it when it is in a place of disaduauntage IT happeneth sometimes that an armie either through the default of the guides or otherwise lighteth into such a place as it standeth them on hand to retire speedilie if they will not be foyled In this case the captaine is to vse policie and quicknesse as Hanniball did who being come into the bottome of a sacke by the ouersight of his guides to scape the daunger wherein he was because he had Fabius at his side who would haue starued him for hunger or made him to fight to his great disaduauntage chose out a thousand oxen and tied to euerie of their hornes a fagot of willow and of vine twigs commaunding them that had the charge that in the night time when he should lift them vp a token in the aire they should set the fagots on fire and driue the oxen vp the hill towards the passage which the Romans had seazed He for his part had set his men in order of battel and as soone as night was come he made them to march a leysurely pace Now so long as the fire that burned the fagots vpon the oxens hornes was but small the oxen went faire and easily vp the foot of the hill like as it had beene an armie marching in aray with torches lighted But when the fire once burned the roots of their hornes then they began to push one another and to run here and there ouer the hils for the paine that they felt This did so astonish the Romans that kept the passage for feare least they should be beset that they durst not tarie at the passage where they were appointed but leauing the straits fell to fleeing towards their campe By means whereof anon the vâ—untcuâ—rors of Hanniball tooke the passage whereat he passed all his host without feare or perill Brasidas being charged by the Illirians and intending to retire did cast his armie into a square and made them to march on so in good order and he himselfe taried bâ—hind with three hundred of the best and forwardest souldiers of his armie to abide the shocke of the foreriders When he was in the plaine he bethought himself that there was but one narrow passage whereby he might saue himselfe which was betweene two rocks whereof the Illirians had begun to take possession Which thing when Brasidas saw he commaunded his three hundred men that were with him to run with al the hast they could to seaze the strongest of those two rocks afore the Illirians were assembled in greater number The which thing they did so readily and cunningly that they draue the Illirians thence and by that means passed their armie in safetie Quintius vsed another slâ—ight to scape another daunger wherein he was when he saw himselfe hemmed in on all sides by his enemies And this it was He sent a cornet of Numidians to skirmish with them who plaid their part so well that one while approching them and another while recoiling they deceiued their wards and hauing so done fell to pilling and wasting the countâ—ie which was the cause that the enemies drawing backe their garrison to chase the Nâ—midian sorragers gaue leasure to the Romans to scape the daunger wherein they were Epaminondas to turne away Agesilaus and to keepe him from succouring the Manâ—ineans to the rescue of whom he was come with all his power dâ—pâ—ted from Tegoea one night without any inckling thereof to the Mantineans and went straight to Spartâ— by another way than Agesilaus came insomuch that he had surprised the citie Sparta afore they had any aduertisement of his comming This feate caused Agesilaus to leaue the Mantineans and to returne to Sparta in great hast Artaxerxes being entred verie vnaduisedly into the countrie of the Cadusians where he was like to sterue for hunger was beset by two kings that had their armies incaÌ„ped asunder the one froÌ„ the other Now Tiribasus hauing talked with king Artaxerxes hauing made him priuie what he ment to do went vnto the one of those kings himself and sent his sonne secretly to the other the same time doing either of them to vnderstand that his fellow had sent vnto Artaxerxes to desire peace in deceit of his companion And therefore quoth he is you be wise ye must get the forehand and make speed afore the treatie be concluded and for my part I will helpe you what I can Both the kings beleeued his words either of them thinking that his companion had maligned him insomuch that the one of them sent his ambassadors vnto Artaxerxes immediatly with Tiribasus and the other likewise with his sonne and so was peace concluded betwixt them Eumenes also auoided a great danger by a readie shiâ—t His souldiers had set theÌ„selues at large to passe the winter against his will and held almost threescore leagues of the countrie in length Antigonus being aduertised thereof determined to ouerrunne them when they nothing suspected it thinking it had beene hard to haue assembled them togither in small time And to go vnperceiued he tooke a rough and elendge way But he was encountered with so hideous winds and so great cold that his men were constrained to â—est themselues and to make prouision against the rigour of the season For the doing wherof they kindled great store of fires to warme them the which being perceiued by those that were neerest gaue warning thereof immediatly to the garrisons who were
and deintie meats and giuing them in charge that if the Vandales happened to vnhallow any church of the Christians that they should doe the contrarie and make them cleane againe For he told them that if Christ was the God of the Christians as he was reported to be he would punish those that did him wrong and helpe those that did him seruice Whervpon this Cabaon sent certaine of his men to follow the Vandales in post who whensoeuer they found any church where the Vandales had stabled their horses made it cleane againe as soone as they were gone out of it If any were poore or diseased they gaue them alms and as ye would say did worship the priests whom the Vandales had misused To be short all the men of old time haue so greatly honored priest-hood that it had chiefe preheminence next vnto kings and sometimes kings haue bin priests and priests haue bin kings and gouernors of people And at Rome the priests of Iupiter had a Mace-bearer and a chaire of estate as who would say they deemed the dignitie of priesthood to be equall with the authoritie of a king And they durst not demaund an oth of them when they were to beare witnesse as who would say it were no reason to discredit these in small things which had the ordering of the greatest things and the things that concerned God Which thing is obserued towards our kings of France when they be heard vpon an inquest for they depose without making any oth Numa king of Romanes would needs be of the colledge of Bishops which he had ordained for the ceremonies And the name of King abode with their high priest whom they called the sacrifising King or the king for the Sacrifices After which maner the Athenians also chose yearly one by the name of King who was created but onelie for sacrifising and to punish irreligious dealings Octauian the emperour had the priestly dignitie iointly togither with his empire and so had all they that were emperors after him For as soone as they were chosen there was giuen vnto them the priestly attire and they tooke vpon them the title of High priests Which custome was kept vnto the time of Gratian who refused the attire when the priests offered it vnto him because he thought it vnmeet for a Christian to take such an habit vpon him as Zosimus reporteth in the fourth booke of his historie Neuerthelesse we see by the letter which Varia Mesa wrat vnto the Senat vpon the election of Heliogabalus that the emperorship and priesthood were alwaies diuided asunder For thus saith he Now shall ye see that which your predecessors neuer saw namely that the emperor shall be the high priest and the high priest be emperor so as he shall by sacrifice reconcile vs to the gods and by force of arms defend vs from our enemies But this saying is not contrarie to that of Zosimus For there is great difference between being of the colledge of the priests and the taking of the dignitie or title of priesthood in way of honour and betweene dealing with the ceremonies themselues as the priests of Iupiter and Quirinus whome they called Flamines and the rest of the peculiar priests of the other gods did for these later sort could not beare any office or be magistrats Iulius Caesar had the high priesthood for honours sake and chiefly for profits sake but yet for all that he intended not to the administration of the ceremonies but contrariwise was continually occupied in the warres and absent from the citie Howbeit that Titus Vespasian would needs expresly haue it to the intent hee might not kill any man because it was not lawfull for their high priest to shead mans blood no more than our churchmen may now which point the rest of the emperours that came after him obserued not Therefore wheras the emperors tooke the priests stole vpon them it was in way of honour and not to doe the office in administring the ceremonies Among the Iewes Aaron the high priest was of equall authoritie with Moses and after the Iudges and Kings the greatest dignitie belonged to the high priest Among vs Christiās also the time hath bene that men haue yeelded souereigne authoritie to the Pope as to the Primat of the church princes haue submitted themselues to him and not only haue honoured him as the cheefe minister of our religion but also haue receiued seuere correction at his hand not refusing to do open pennance at the Bishops commaundement as did the emperors Philip and Theodosius vnder Fabian and Ambrose bishops the one of Millan the other of Rome and Frederik the emperour and king of Naples howbeit that the Pope proceeded not with like zeale as the other did but vsed more choller than religion in his doings as he shewed by his treading of the emperor vnder his feet coating his vncomely dealing with this verse of Dauid Vpon the Aspworm and the Cockatrice shalt thou goe and tread the Lion and Dragon vnder foot a thing so il-beseeming the place that he held that Frederik was to be commended for his patient suffering of that disgrace in the honor of God and S. Peter But such was the Religion of those daies that euerie man ran vpon him that was in the Popes disfauor When Clement the sixt had excommunicated the Flemings for taking part with England contrarie to their promise and oth there was not so much as one priest to be found in all the whole countrie that durst say masse or say seruice Iohn king of England seeing himselfe excommunicated for the tenths that he had taken into his hand and perceiuing that the world went worse and worse with him was faine to cast himselfe downe at the feet of the Popes legat at whose hand after much intreatance he receiued the crowne as a great benefit a six daies after with charge to restore the tenths which he withheld and the church-fruits Which charge he put in execution with perill of the losse of his kingdome For the poor commons which were compelled to beare that losse fel to rebelling against him The like submissions haue bin made not only among vs but also among the Infidels For it is reported that when Hercules had killed his own childrē his host he was purged assoiled therof by the priests mysteries of the goddesse Ceres And Adrastus who had killed his own brother vnawares was purged assoiled by Cresus king of Lydia who took vpon him to deale in such recōciliations because he was religious and addicted to the fond ceremonies of those times Also we read that a priest commaunded Lisander king of Lacedemon to tell and declare vnto him the greatest sin that euer he had committed But Lisander being more subtill than spice-conscienst desired the priest to tell him whether he required it of him by the commaundement of the gods or of his owne-authoritie When the priest had answered him that it was at the
Italie but out of Italie a yong Roman ouercame him vtterly in one battell When Pyrrhus came to Tarent the Romans suffered him not to approch to their gates but sent to encounter him before he came there And when they had lost one battell they renued it again with a fresh supplie as though it had beene with the water of some continuall running spring And although this was in Italie yet was it not in the countrie of the Romans For they sent so manie men to meet him that he could neuer come home to them in so much that Pyrrhus said That if he should win but one battell more of them it were inough to worke his own vtter ouerthrow because he could neuer get any victorie of thē but with great losse of his people So soone as the Romans vnderstood that Hannibal was determined to passe the mountains they dispatched an armie out of their countrie to be in a readinesse at the foot of the hill either to encounter him or else to wearie and cumber him by all means possible And it was seene by experience that the two or three battels which he woon stood him in little stead For he could not for all that get so much as any one citie into his hands But when he once came neere to Rome and had woon the famous battell of Cannas against them in their owne soyle then hee wanne many cities and made many people to submit themselues to his obedience And there was none other impediment that he tooke not Rome it selfe but onely the fatall destinie of the citie Such daunger cannot befall a man in a forreine countrie As for example The Romans were vtterlie ouerthrowne by the Parthians and yet for all that they needed not to feare the inuading of their citie They lost manie battels to the Carthagenenses both on sea and land and likewise the Carthagenenses vnto them and yet neither of them both tooke care for the defence of their citie but to make a new armie to worke reuenge But Hannibal saw that the best way to haue a hand at the Romans was to seeke thē at their owne doores And the Romans themselues being schooled by Hannibal perceiued well that the way to driue the Carthagenenses out of Italie and to bring their owne matters to good effect was to shew their legions before the gates of Carthage and to bid them battell there and so they did After the winning of the which battell the Romans became lords of Carthage Actius liked better to fight with Attila in Fraunce than to attend his comming into Italie And Charles Martel thought it better to encounter the Sarzins on the further side of Loir than to wait for them in Fraunce And nothing to the purpose maketh the saying of Bellay That the defendants may be incouraged by the iustnesse and holinesse of their quarrell in defending themselues their country their goods their wiues and their children which ought to haue more force than the couetous desire of the assailants For say what can be said yet doth the assailant aduenture vpon his enterprise with the best courage whereas there abideth a feare and misgiuing in the mind of the defendant which feare defeateth all chearfulnesse when euery man considereth the daunger that he is like to fall into by the losse of the battell so as the mind being daunted with that feare cannot do any thing of value We see that townes which haue beene counted inuincible haue bin taken in short time through the couragiousnesse of the souldiers desirous of the bootie within who fearing neither gun fire water nor steepnesse of place haue with inuincible courage disappointed all defences that could be set against them And if a man will say That the losse of townes taketh not away the affection of the subiects but contrariwise exasperateth them against the enemie I answer that such affection serueth to verie small purpose if it be not accompanied with means to maintaine it For he that sees the burning of his granges his garners and his house hath more list to shed teares than to sight And if the hatred which he beareth to his enemies bereaue him not of the feare of them it will serue well to cut the throtes of them that straggle farre from the bodie of the armie as the people of Prouince did to the dispersed Spaniards but it can do neither good nor harme to the victorie And whereas it is said that the king of France had succor of his subiects against the Englishmen within his countrie that was done for the good will that they bore to their king that loued them dealt wel with them and was not wont to leuie subsedies but in case of necessitie the which are leuied nowadaies as well in time of peace as of war As touching the necessitie of fighting which is affirmed to be greater to the defendants because they stand for their goods wiues and children surely their feare and griefe bereaueth them of all chearfulnes and maketh them to thinke more vpon their miserie than vpon their manhood The same necessitie lay vpon the Persians for they saw Alexander ranging oueral Asia with fortie or fiftie thousand men and yet as many millions of men as were of them they durst not set themselues against his armie neither durst the Lydians encounter Cyrus nor the Gauls fighting for their libertie encounter the victorious armie of Caesar. As touching the aduantage of place and the cōmoditie of vittels surely if the defendant can haue them to serue his turne the assailants also will not want either of them both For he that is maister of the field will haue vittels at his aduauntage wanting neither carts guides nor spies As long as Hannibal was in Italie he could better skill how to plant his campe and to giue battell to his owne aduauntage than could the Romans being in their owne countrie And as concerning the easie assembling of people at home after an ouerthrow I find it a hard matter to supplie an armie againe after they be broken asunder either in ones owne countrie because they be neere their retreit or in a straunge countrie vnlesse they come together againe immediately because they haue no place to retire vnto whereas they that are of the same countrie go to refresh themselues in their owne houses and tarrie longer there than they should or else come no more againe as wee haue seene in these ciuill warres where the armies haue broken off themselues by reason that the souldiers and men of armes haue bene too neere their own houses which thing was not done so in Spaine England and Italie And as for the assembling of much people it would behoue a man to seeke another countrie than this where the princes listing not to traine their subiects to the warre are constrained to craue aid of straungers Wheras it is said That the defendant hazardeth but a part of his power certainly he hazardeth as much as
the assailant For when the assailant departeth out of his countrie he leaueth garrisons and men of warre behind him to defend it against sudden troubles that might ensue of insurrections by absence of the prince or by some sodaine inuasion of some neighbor that would take him vnprouided as Iames king of Scots did to his owne vndoing against the king of England at such time as he was passed to Calice with a great force and was occupied about the siege of Tirwin and Turney So that no well aduised prince setteth vp all his rest vpon the hazard of one battell but doth euer reserue a store for after-claps And if a prince chance to be taken prisoner in a forraine countrie he shall be discharged vpon his raunsome and vpon such conditions as the conquerour listeth to giue him but if he be taken in his owne countrie it is hard but that diuerse weake and il-furnished rownes wil yeeld themselues to the conqueror vpon report of his victorie which townes shall not be admitted in account when they come to treat of peace And oftentimes fortune is so fauourable to the vanquisher that after a victorie he maketh himselfe lord of the whole realme and needeth not to make any other agreement with his prisoner than to grant or take away his life at his own pleasure It is commonly said that fortune furthereth the aduenterous and we see it so by experience Ninâ—â— Semyramis and Alexander were fortunate in their conquests Pyrrhus was fortunate in getting but vnfortunate in keeping And they that go forth with that intent do seldome faile of their purpose Charles the eight conquered Naples in short time and brought backe his armie through the midst of Italie passing vpon the bellies of his enemies Edward king of England comming into France with resolute purpose to conquer the realme gaue battell to Philip of Valois and ouercame him both by sea and by land notwithstanding that Philip of Valois did what could be done by a well-aduised prince For he encountered him vpon the sea afore he tooke land but it booted him not For God made fortune to turne against him in which case it is better to strike saile than to hazard a battell as Charles the fifth could well skill to do being taught by the aduersities of his grandfather and father William duke of Normandie after one battell made himselfe souereigne lord of the realme of England being fully resolued either to conquer or else to die I will not say therefore that an inuader shall alwayes be sure of victory for sometimes it falleth out cleane contrarie as it did with Cyrus who was defeated by the Massagets in their own countrie with the Swissers who were discomfited in Prouince by Iulius Caesar with the Sarzins which were discomfited by Charles Martell who caused Euâ—o duke of Gascoyne to turne against them To be short He that looseth a field in a strange countrie loseth but his men but he that loseth it in his owne countrie loseth both men and goods and sees his land dayly wasted and his subiects pilled CHAP. XI Of the pitching of a Campe. NOw seeing it is so that in both sorts of warre aswell of assailing as of defending men must be brought to march togither either to receiue or to follow the enemie we must needs speake of the seating of a campe as vpon the which alone dependeth the winning of the battell as Pyrrâ—us shewed full well who in that point was esteemed the excellentest of all captains The campe that is well planted ought to be nere a riuer that they may haue the commoditie of water which cannot be forborne and also for the fortifying of themselues and for the doing of their enterprises For a riuer doth wonderfully strengthen a camp because the enemy cannot passe it without danger But a captaine must also be maister of the riuer and not coope vp himselfe betweene two riuers except he haue means to get out againe at his pleasure least it disappoint him of the commoditie of vittels and of succours as it befell to Iulius Caesar in Spaine against Affraenius and Petreius But that happeneth commonly by some extraordinarie ouerflowing wherof notwithstanding a man shal discharge himselfe so well that he shall ouercome them afterward Secondly woods serue for another fortification and yeeld means of goodly enterprises Thirdly mountains giue great aduantage to them that are incamped in them For they that are faine to mount vp to their assault are wearied afore they come to handstroks Contrariwise they that come downward go with the greater force vpon their enemies Hanniball vanquished the Romans at Trebia by hauing his campe planted neere to a wood He had lodged himselfe neere a riuer and neere thicke copses full of brush wood and thornes taking occasion to beguile the Romans by that seating of his camp for when they should com to encouÌ„ter him he sent his brother Mago into that place ouernight accompanied with a thousand horsmen and a thousand footmen to lie in ambush there And the next morning he caused his light horsmen of Numidie to passe the riuer and to skirmish with the Romans and to draw them into the stale The which thing was done so cunningly that when the Romans were in the heat of the fight they were assailed behind by Mago who lay in ambush there so as they could notwithstand the Carthaginenses but were constrained to giue back with great losse of their men As for to passe a riuer to assaile the enemy the danger therof is very great as appeareth in Manlius who would needs passe a riuer that had but only one foord to passe at to encounter with Asdruball contrary to the aduice of Scipio who warned him of the perill wherinto he did put himselfe Neuertheles he passed the riuer and assailed Asdruball who suffered the Romans to do as they listed without offering them battell vntill he saw them incumbred in passing the foord And then with all his force he set vpon the taile of them and made so great a slaughter that all their army was at the point to haue ben discomfited had not Scipios forecast bin who made the enemies to recoile by the helpe of his men of arms Timoleon seeing the army of the Carthaginenses sore troubled and put out of order in passing a riuer with great peril and therby deeming that he might take them at aduantage ere they were halfe passed shewed his men of war with his finger how the battel of his enemies was parted in two halues by the riuer the one halfe of them being on the one side and the other half on the other and commanded Demaratus to take his horsmen and to goe and charge vpon the formost of them to keep them from ranging themselues in battelray And therewithall he caused his footmen to go downe into the plaine by means wherof togither with a storm that fel suddainly against the Carthaginenses he gat the battel As
their enemies oftentimes who were valiant and redoubted And afore they would come to fight in good earnest he sent them diuerse times to light skirmishes like good yong greyhounds let slip for the nonce and then led them to it the more safely afterward when he had well fleshed them by giuing them a little tast of the ease and pleasure that commeth of victorie And by that means hee hartned them more and more and made them the more sure and strong insomuch that by such skirmishes they became more hardie and war-like than they were afore Sometime a good captaine turneth the fearfulnesse of his souldiers into a furie of fighting by reason of the trauell that they endure as Sylla did who when he saw his souldiers astonished at the great and puissant host that Mithridâ—â—es led well armed for he would not make them to fight in that feare but kept them occupied in cutting great trenches without giuing any of them leaue to rest to the intent that being weary of the paines that they tooke about such works they should the rather desire to trie the hazard of battell as it came to passe For the third day after they had begun so to labour as Sylla passed along by them they fell to crying vpon him that he should lead them against their enemies Wherunto he made answer That those cries were not of men that were desirous of battell but of men that were wearie of their worke And if ye be desirous to fight said he I will haue you all to go in your armour to yonder passage on the side of the hill Which thing they did and obtained it afore their enemies that were sent thither to get it could come there and so they possessed themselues thereof to lodge therein Morius did almost the same when he went against the Dutchmen for he made his souldiers to runne and to make great and long steps compelling euery man to beare his own fardels and to carie with him whatsoeuer he should need to liue with But he did that to inharden them and to make them the more tough to abide the trauell of warre Iugurth to assure his owne men and to put the Romans in feare slue a souldier at his arriuall and brandishing his bloodie speare to the Romans told them in their owne language that he had learned with them before Numance that they â—ought vpon credit hauing lost their consull Marius Which saying made the whole armie of the Romans in mind to haue fled and they were like to haue turned head had not Sylla staid them Marius a good captaine if there were any at those dayes in Rome intending to fight with the Dutchmen had planted his campe in a place of verie great aduauntage but he wanted water The which he did of purpose to whet the courage of his souldiers by that means For when it was told him that they were in danger of great thirst he pointing them to the riuer that was along the side of his enemies campe said that it beâ—ooued them to fetch drinke from thence and so they did For the pages hauing no water for themselues nor for their beasts went thither in great companies to fetch water and there fell into so whot a skiâ—mish that the Dutchmen were faine to passe the riuer to come to tâ—e bickering where being taken out of order and wanting time to raunge their battels in array they were all discomfited and the most part of them were drowned in the riuer Next vnto pains Despaire is a great incourager to fight when men are forced either to fight or to die and that there is no place of refuge to retire vnto This is a thing that oftentimes maketh men to fight most valiantly in a straunge countrie William duke of Normandâ—e to dispatch his men of al hope of returning home made all his ships to be set on fire Manie others haue done the like But if a generall be accompanied with leaguers and allies it is hard for him to inforce them to fight vnlesse he do it by some policie as Themistocles did at the famous battell at Salamis For when it was vniueâ—sally agreed vpon to fight with the Persians vpon the sea in a strait that was greatly to the aduauntage of the Greeks because it was easie to be kept The Lacedemonians and other their allies confederats seeing the sea couered with the ships of the Persians determined to depart the next morning and euerie man to go home Themistocles being greeued thereat bethought himselfe of this policie He had with him a Persian that was a schoolemaister to his children named Sincinnus whom he trusted him he sent secretly to the king of Persia to aduertise him that Themistocles the chieftaine generall of the Athenians hauing a good will to do him some speciall seruice gaue him knowledge of the good hap that the Greekes were minded to retire and flee away counselling him not to let them scape but to set vpon them lustily while they were so combred and afraid and disseuered from their armie on land and so to vanquish all their whole power by sea at once Xerxes beleuing the counsell enuironed them in such sort that they could by no means depart thence the necessitie whereof made them to resolue themselues to abide the battell wherein Themistocles had the vpper hand and vtterly defeated the whole power of Xerxes by sea Zabdas Constable vnto queene Zenobia being retired to Antioch after he had lost a battel to the emperour Aurelian and fearing least the people should fall vpon him in a rage if they vnderstood the newes of that discomfiture tooke a man that resembled Aurelian and made it to be bruted that he brought the emperour prisoner with him By which guile he kept the Antiochians from rebelling while he caused his men to retire secretly by night vnto him without being perceiued of any man The countie Petilian seeing the armie of the Italians defeated by king Charles at Foronouo and being escaped out of the hands of the Frenchmen where he had beene a prisoner to the intent to assemble againe the men that were fled and to giue them courage ran as fast as he could to the Venetians and told them that the Frenchmen were vanquished and put all to flight counselling them not to let the victorie scape out of their hands whereby he made them that were astonished to take courage againe in such sort that by the authoritie of his name he made as many as he met to returne into the battell which partly was the cause that the army was not vtterly defeated When Charles duke of Burbon was slaine with a bullet before the citie of Rome by and by his bodie was couered with a cloke to the end that the report of his death should not stay the souldiers from entring into the breach The Romans perceiuing themselues vnable to match the Persians kept themselues in order within the riuer Phasis of which armie
them against their enemies But anon returned the foreriders vvho made report that there was no means to force Menander to fight Whereat Eumenes pretended to be sore displeased and so passed on Themistocles vsed the like policie towards Xerxes vvhen he caused him to be secretly aduertised to get him out of Greece vvith all the hast he could that he might auoid the hazard of battell as I haue said elsewhere Hermocrates being aduertised of the intent of Nicias in breaking vp his siege before Siracuse in going his way perceiuing that as that day because it was a festiuall day and they were occupied in doing sacrifice to their gods he could not cause his men to march to take the passages that he might vanquish the Athenians at his more ease sent a familiar friend of his to Nicias with instructio◠〈◊〉 tell him that he came from such as gaue him secret aduertisements vvithin the citie vvho sent him warning to beware that he vvent not on his vvay that night vnlesse he vvould fall inâ—o the ambushes that the Siracusanes had laid for him Nicias being bleared vvith those vvords taried all that night so as the next morning the Siracusans tooke all the passages by meanes vvherof the Athenians vvere vnfortunatly ouercome Eumenes perceiuing that the rest of the princes enuied him and sought means to kill him to the intent to preuent them bare them on hand that he wanted money and borrowed a good round sum of euery of them chiefly of those vvhom he knew to hate him to the intent that thenceforth they should trust vnto him and desist to lie in wait for him for feare of loosing the monie that they had lent him By meane whereof it came to passe that other mens monie was his safegard and the assurance of his life And whereas other men are vvoont to giue monie to saue and assure themselues this man did set his life in safetie by taking There was not a greater cause of the bringing in againe of king Edward the fourth into the realme of England when he was driuen out than the marchants and other men to vvhom he vvas indebted and the vvomen that were in loue vvith him because he vvas voluptuous vvho to the vttermost of their power persuaded their husbands to be a meane of his returne Sometimes it is needfull to set neighbours at oddes but that must be done couertly and cunningly least it be perceiued The Athenians fearing the power of the Lacedemonians had forsakeÌ„ the league which they had made with the Thebans and in stead of holding with them had shewed themselues to be against them which was a meane to ouerthrow the Thebans vpside downe But Pelopidas and Gorgidas captains generall of Beotia espying a way how to set the Athenians againe in a iealousie and heart-burning against the Lacedemonians found out such a practise as this There was a captaine named Sphodrias a verie valiant man of his person but therewithall light-headed and fond conceyted such a one as easily conceiued vaine hopes in his head vpon a foolish vaine glorie to haue done some goodly feate in his life Pelopidas linked to him a merchant of his familiar acquaintance who tolled him on to attempt great things and to go and surprise the hauen of Pyrey while the Athenians mistrusted no such thing and therefore kept it not with any sure guard assuring him that the lords of Lacedemon would lâ—ke of nothing so well as to hold the citie of Athens vnder their obeysance and that the Thebanes who wished them euill to the death for their forsaking and betraying them at their need would not in anie wise succour them Sphodrias being mooued with his persuasions tooke those men of warre with him that he had and departing by night went into the countrie of Attica euen to the citie Eleusine But when he came there his men were afraied and would go no further And so being discouered hee was faine to returne from whence he came Whereby he procured to the Lacedemonians a warre of no small importance nor easie to bee vndone againe For thence-foorth the Athenians sought the alliance of the Thebanes againe and succoured them verie earnestly Coriolanus vsed the like practise For when he saw he could not cause the peace to be broken that was betweene the Romans and the Volses he procured a man to go tell the Magistrates of Rome that the Volses had conspired to runne vpon the Romans as they were looking vpon their playes and gaming 's and to set fire vpon the citie Whereupon the Volses were commaunded to depart out of the citie of Rome afore the Sunne going downe Wherewith the Volses being displeased proclaimed warre against the Romans Alcibiades vsed the like tricke For the Lacedemonians were come to treat of peace with the Athenians and had for their patrone one Nicias a man of peace and well renowmed among the Athenians Alcibiades went vnto them aforehand and warned them in any wise to beware that they told not that they had commission to conclude a full agreement least the people compelled them of authoritie to graunt them whatsoeuer they would haue counselling them but onely to set downe certaine conditions as in way of conference The next morning Alcibiades asked them verie smoothly what they came to do They aunswered that they came to make some profers of peace but had no commission to determin anie thing Then fell Alcibiades to crying out vpon them calling them vntrustie and variable telling them that they were not come to do anie thing that was of value And so the ambassadours were sent home without doing any thing and Alcibiades was chosen captaine to make warre against them Coriolanus to encrease the dissention which he knew to be betwixt the nobilitie and commons of Rome caused the lands of the noble men to be with all care preserued harmles causing the peoples in the meane time to be wasted and spoiled which thing caused them to enter into further quarrell and disagreement one against another than euer they had done afore The noblemen vpbraided the common people with their iniurious banishing of so mightie a man and the people charged the nobilitie that they had procured him to make warre against them in their reuenge Hanniball to bring Fabius in suspition whom he feared aboue all the Romans caused his lands of purpose to be kept harmelesse when he wasted all other mens to the end it might be thought that he had some secret conference with him and that that was the cause why he would not fight with him howbeit that in verie deed his refusing to encounter was of great wisedome to make his enemie consume away without putting any thing in hazard Timoleon practised another notable policie to shift himselfe from the hands of the Carthaginenses Whereas he was sent by the Corinthians to deliuer the citie of Siracuse from the tyrannie of Dennis as soone as he was arriued at Rhegium Icetes whom the Siracusanes imploied to the same