no
other, then with the noise of Harkabuses, the whiche in soche wise, with
their straunge rumours, disturbed the horses of those, that the Turke
mighte easely overcome them: The Spaniardes to overcome the armie of
Amilcare, put in the firste fronte Cartes full of towe drawen of oxen,
and comming to handes, thei kindeled fire to thesame, wherfore the oxen
to flie from the fire, thrust into the armie of Amilcar, and opened it.
Thei are wonte (as we have saied) to begile the enemie in the faight,
drawyng him into their ambusshes, where the Countrie is commodious for
the same purpose, but where it were open and large, many have used to
make diches, and after have covered them lightly with bowes and yearth,
and lefte certain spaces whole, to be able betnene those to retire:
after, so sone as the faight hath been begunne, retiryng by those, and
the enemie folowing them, hath fallen in the pittes. If in the faight
there happen thee, any accident that maie feare thy souldiours, it is a
moste prudente thyng, to knowe how to desemble it, and to pervert it to
good, as Tullo Hostilio did, and Lucius Silla: whom seyng while thei
fought, how a parte of his men wer gone to the enemies side, and how
thesame thing had verie moche made afraied his men, he made straighte
waie throughout all the armie to be understoode, how all thing proceded,
accordyng to his order: the whiche not onely did not trouble the armie,
but it increased in them so moche stomack, that he remained victorious.
It happened also to Silla, that havyng sente certaine souldiours to doe
some businesse, and thei beyng slain he saied, to the intent his armie
should not be made afraied thereby, that he had with crafte sent theim
into the handes of the enemies, for that he had found them nothyng
faithfull. Sertorius faightyng a battaile in Spaine, slue one, whom
signified unto hym the death of one of his capitaines, for feare that
tellyng the very same to other, he should make theim afraied. It is a
moste difficult thyng, an armie beyng now moved to flie, to staie it,
and make it to faight. And you have to make this distinccion: either
that it is all moved, and then to be impossible to tourne it, or there
is moved a parte thereof, and then there is some remedie. Many Romain
capitaines, with making afore those whiche fled, have caused them to
staie, making them ashamed of running awaie, as Lucius Silla did, where
alredy parte of his Legions beyng tourned to flight, driven awa