rince ought to
keepe himselfe, as hereafter shall be sayd: for from one that is disarmd
to one that is armd there is no proportion; and reason will not, that he
who is in armes, should willingly yeeld obedience to him that is
unfurnishd of them, and that he that is disarmd should be in security
among his armed vassalls; for there being disdaine in the one, and
suspicion in the other, it is impossible these should ever well
cooperate. And therefore a Prince who is quite unexperienced in matter
of warre, besides the other infelicities belonging to him, as is said,
cannot be had in any esteeme among his souldiers, nor yet trust in them.
Wherefore he ought never to neglect the practice of the arte of warre,
and in time of peace should he exercise it more than in the warre; which
he may be able to doe two wayes; the one practically, and in his labours
and recreations of his body, the other theoretically. And touching the
practick part, he ought besides the keeping of his own subjects well
traind up in the discipline and exercise of armes, give himselfe much to
the chase, whereby to accustome his body to paines, and partly to
understand the manner of situations, and to know how the mountaines
arise, which way the vallyes open themselves, and how the plaines are
distended flat abroad, and to conceive well the nature of the rivers,
and marrish ground, and herein to bestow very much care, which knowledge
is profitable in two kinds: first he learnes thereby to know his own
countrey, and is the better enabled to understand the defence thereof,
and afterwards by meanes of this knowledge and experience in these
situations, easily comprehends any other situation, which a new he hath
need to view, for the little hillocks, vallies, plaines, rivers, and
marrish places. For example, they in Tuscany are like unto those of
other countries: so that from the knowledge of the site of one country,
it is easie to attain to know that of others. And that Prince that wants
this skill, failes of the principall part a Commander should be furnisht
with; for this shows the way how to discover the enemy, to pitch the
camp, to lead their armies, to order their battells, and also to besiege
a town at thy best advantage, Philopomenes Prince of the Achayans, among
other praises Writers give him, they say, that in time of peace, he
thought not upon any thing so much as the practise of warre; and
whensoever he was abroad in the field to disport himselfe with h