r goodes, so that the greateste hurte that is
feared, is but a taske: in so moche, that men will not submit them
selves to the orders of warre, and to abide alwaies under those, to
avoide the perilles whereof thei are little afraied: again these
Provinces of Europe, be under a verie fewe heddes, in respecte as it
hath been in times past: for that al Fraunce, obeieth one kyng, al
Spain, an other: Italie is in fewe partes, so that the weake citees, are
defended with leanyng to hym that overcometh, and the strong states, for
the causes aforesaied, feare no soche extreme ruine.

COSIMO. Yet ther hath ben seen many tounes that have ben sacked within
this xxv. yeres, and lost their dominions, whose insample, ought to
teache other how to live, and to take again some of those old orders.

FABRICIO. You saie true: but if you note what tounes have gone to sacke,
you shall not finde that thei have been the heddes of states, but of the
members; as was seen sacked Tortona, and not Milaine: Capua, and not
Napelles, Brescia, and not Venice, Ravenna, and not Roome: the whiche
insamples maketh those that governe, not to chaunge their purposes, but
rather maketh them to stande more in their opinion, to be able to redeme
again all thynges with taskes, and for this, thei will not submit theim
selves to the troubles of thexercises of warre, semyng unto them partly
not necessarie, partly, an intrinsicate matter, whiche thei understande
not: Those other, whiche bee subjectes to them, whom soche insamples
ought to make afraied, have no power to remedie it: and those Princes,
that have ones loste their estates, are no more able, and those which as
yet kept them, know not, nor wil not. Bicause thei will without any
disease rain by fortune, and not by their vertue: for that in the worlde
beyng but little vertue, thei see fortune governeth all thynges. And
thei will have it to rule theim, not thei to rule it. And to prove this
that I have discoursed to bee true, consider Almaine, in the whiche,
bicause there is many Princedomes, and common weales, there is moche
vertue, and all thesame, whiche in the present service of warre is good,
dependeth of the insamples of those people: who beyng all gellious of
their states, fearing servitude, the which in other places is not
feared, thei all maintaine theim selves Lordes, and honourable: this
that I have saied, shall suffice to shewe the occacions of the presente
utilitie, accordyng to my opinion: I canno