t fewe men in comparison to thenemie, thou
oughtest to seke other remedies, as is to ordain thine army in soche a
place, wher thou maiest be fortefied, either through rivers, or by
meanes of fennes, after soch sort, that thou canst not bee compassed
aboute, or to inclose thy self on the flanckes with diches, as Cesar did
in Fraunce. You have to take in this cace, this generall rule, to
inlarge your self, or to draw in your self with the front, according to
your nomber, and thesame of the enemie. For thenemies being of lesse
nomber, thou oughtest to seke large places, havyng in especially thy men
well instructed: to the intent thou maiest, not onely compasse aboute
the enemie, but to deffende thy orders: for that in places rough and
difficulte, beyng not able to prevaile of thy orders, thou commeste not
to have any advauntage, hereby grewe, that the Romaines almoste alwaies,
sought the open fieldes, and advoided the straightes. To the contrarie,
as I have said, thou oughtest to doe, if thou hast fewe menne, or ill
instructed: for that then thou oughteste to seeke places, either where
the little nomber maye be saved, and where the small experience dooe not
hurte thee: Thou oughtest also to chuse the higher grounde, to be able
more easily to infest them: notwithstandyng, this advertisment ought to
be had, not to ordaine thy armie, where the enemie maie spie what thou
doest and in place nere to the rootes of the same, where the enemies
armie maie come: For that in this case, havyng respecte unto the
artillerie, the higher place shall gette thee disadvauntage: Bicause
that alwaies and commodiously, thou mightest of the enemies artillerie
bee hurte, without beyng able to make any remedy, and thou couldest not
commodiously hurte thesame, beyng hindered by thine owne men. Also, he
that prepareth an armie to faight a battaile, ought to have respecte,
bothe to the Sunne, and to the Winde, that the one and the other, doe
not hurte the fronte, for that the one and the other, will let thee the
sight, the one with the beames, and the other with the duste: and
moreover, the Winde hindereth the weapons, whiche are stroken at the
enemie, and maketh their blowes more feable: and concerning the Sunne,
it sufficeth not to have care, that at the firste it shine not in the
face, but it is requisite to consider, that increasyng the daie, it
hurte thee not: and for this, it should bee requsite in orderyng the
men, to have it all on the backe, to