moste grevous losse, gather
them together to exercise them, and without this exercise, the
ordinaunce is unprofitable, as hereafter shall be declared.

COSIMO. It suffiseth upon this my demaunde, that whiche you have saied:
but I desire now, that you declare me an other doubt. Thei saie, that
soche a multitude of armed men, will make confusion, discension and
disorder in the countrie where thei are.

[Sidenote: How to provid againste soche inconveniences as souldiours
maie cause.]

FABRICIO. This is an other vaine opinion, the cause wherof, I shall tell
you: soche as are ordeined to serve in the warres, maie cause disorder
in twoo maners, either betwene them selves, or against other, whiche
thinges moste easely maie be withstode, where the order of it self,
should not withstande it: for that concernyng the discorde emong theim
selves, this order taketh it waie, and doeth not nourishe it, for that
in orderyng them, you give them armour and capitaines. If the countrie
where you ordein them, bee so unapte for the warre, that there are not
armours emong the men of thesame, and that thei bee so united, that thei
have no heddes, this order maketh theim moche fearser against the
straunger, but it maketh them not any thyng the more disunited, for that
men well ordered, feare the lawe beyng armed, as well as unarmed, nor
thei can never alter, if the capitaines, which you give them, cause not
the alteracion, and the waie to make this, shall be tolde now: but if
the countrie where you ordein them, be warlike and disunited, this order
onely shal be occasion to unite them: bicause this order giveth them
armours profitable for the warre, and heddes, extinguishers of
discencion: where their owne armours bee unprofitable for the warres,
and their heddes nourishers of discorde. For that so sone as any in
thesame countrie is offended, he resorteth by and by to his capitain to
make complaint, who for to maintain his reputacion, comforteth hym to
revengement not to peace. To the contrary doeth the publike hed, so that
by this meanes, thoccasion of discorde is taken awaie, and the occasion
of union is prepared, and the provinces united and effeminated, gette
utilitie, and maintain union: the disunited and discencious, doe agree,
and thesame their fearsnesse, which is wont disordinately to worke, is
tourned into publike utilitie. To minde to have them, to doe no hurt
against other, it ought to bee considered, that thei cannot dooe this,
e