t tell, whether it seeme
thesame unto you, or whether there be growen in you any doubtyng.

COSIMO. None, but rather I understande all verie well: onely I desire,
tournyng to our principall matter, to understande of you, how you would
ordein the horses with these battailes, and how many, and how thei
should be governed, and how armed.

[Sidenote: The armyng of horsemen; The weapons that light horsmenne
should have; The nombre of horsmen requisite for a maine bataille of six
thousand men; The nombre of carrages that men of armes and light horsmen
ought to have.]

FABRICIO. You thinke peraventure, that I have left it behinde: whereat
doe not marvell, for that I purpose for twoo causes, to speake therof
little, the one is, for that the strengthe, and the importaunce of an
armie, is the footemen, the other is, bicause this part of service of
warre, is lesse corrupted, then thesame of footemen. For that though it
be not stronger then the old, yet it maie compare with thesame,
nevertheles ther hath been spoken a little afore, of the maner of
exercisyng them. And concernyng tharmyng them, I would arme them as thei
doe at this present, as wel the light horsemen, as the menne of armes:
but the light horsemen, I would that thei should be all Crossebowe
shuters, with some Harkebutters emong them: the whiche though in the
other affaires of warre, thei bee little profitable, thei be for this
most profitable, to make afraied the countrie menne, and to drive them
from a passage, that were kept of them: bicause a Harkebutter, shall
feare them more, then twentie other armed. But commyng to the nomber, I
saie, that having taken in hand, to imitate the service of warre of the
Romaines, I would not ordein more then three hundred horse, profitable
for every maine battaile, of whiche I would that there were CL. men of
armes, and CL. light horsmen, and I would give to every one of these
partes, a hedde, making after emong them fiftene peticapitaines for a
bande, givyng to every one of them a Trompet, and a standarde: I would
that every ten menne of armes, should have five carriages, and every ten
light horsemen twoo, the whiche as those of the footemen, should carrie
the tentes, the vesselles, and the axes, and the stakes, and the rest of
their other harneis. Nor beleve not but that it is disorder, where the
menne of armes have to their service fower horse, bicause soche a thyng
is a corrupt use: for that the men of armes in Almaine, are se