fronte of his armie, to overthrowe Scipios menne: Scipio
commaunded, that by them selves thei should retire and he broke theim:
So that like devises when thei are foreseen, bee the causes of the
victorie of him, against whom thei be prepared. There remaineth me also,
if I remember my self well, to tell you what respectes a Capitaine ought
to have, before he leade his men to faight: upon whiche I have to tell
you firste, how a capitaine ought never to faight a battaile, except he
have advauntage, or be constrained. The vantage groweth of the
situacion, of the order, of havyng more, or better menne: the necessitie
groweth when thou seest how that not faightyng, thou muste in any wise
lose, as should bee for lackyng of money, and for this, thy armie to bee
ready all maner of waies to resolve, where famishemente is ready to
assaulte thee, where the enemie looketh to bee ingrosed with newe men:
in these cases, thou oughtest alwaies to faight, although with thy
disadvauntage: for that it is moche better to attempte fortune, where
she maie favour thee, then not attemptyng, to see thy certaine ruine:
and it is as grevous a faulte in this case, in a capitain not to faight,
as to have had occasion to overcome, and not to have either knowen it
through ignoraunce, or lefte it through vilenesse. The advauntages some
tymes the enemie giveth thee, and some tymes thy prudence: Many in
passyng Rivers have been broken of their enemie, that hath been aware
thereof, whom hath taried, till the one halfe hath been of the one side,
and the other halfe on the other, and then hath assaulted them: as Cesar
did to the Suizzers, where he destroied the fowerth parte of theim,
through beyng halfe over a river. Some tyme thy enemie is founde wearie,
for havyng folowed thee to undescritely, so that findyng thy self freshe
and lustie, thou oughtest not to let passe soche an occasion: besides
this, if the enemie offer unto thee in the mornyng betymes to faight,
thou maiest a good while deferre to issue out of thy lodgyng, and when
he hath stoode long in armour, and that he hath loste that same firste
heate, with the whiche he came, thou maiest then faight with him. This
waie Scipio and Metellus used in Spaine: the one against Asdruball, the
other against Sertorius. If the enemie be deminished of power, either
for havyng devided the armie, as the Scipions in Spain, or for some
other occasion, thou oughteste to prove chaunce. The greateste parte of
prudent