tillage or by meanes of the woddes, doe not assure thee: for that every
hillocke, every bancke, although it be but small, taketh awaie thesame
heate, and every culture where bee Vines, and other trees, lettes the
horses: and if thou come to battaile, the very same lettes happeneth,
that chaunceth in marchyng: for as moche as every little impedemente,
that the horse hath, abateth his furie. One thyng notwithstandyng, I
will not forgette to tell you, how the Romaines estemed so moche their
orders, and trusted so moche to their weapons, that if thei shuld have
had, to chuse either so rough a place to save theim selves from horses,
where thei should not have been able, to raunge their orders, or a place
where thei should have nede, to feare more of horses, but ben able to
deffende their battaile, alwaies thei toke this, and left that: but
bicause it is tyme, to passe to the armie, having armed these
souldiours, accordyng to the aunciente and newe use, let us see what
exercises the Romaines caused theim make, before the menne were brought
to the battaile. Although thei be well chosen, and better armed, thei
ought with moste greate studie be exercised, for that without this
exercise, there was never any souldiour good: these exercises ought to
be devided into three partes, the one, for to harden the bodie, and to
make it apte to take paines, and to bee more swifter and more readier,
the other, to teach them, how to handell their weapons, the third, for
to learne them to kepe the orders in the armie, as well in marchyng, as
in faightyng, and in the incampyng: The whiche be three principall
actes, that an armie doeth: for asmoche, as if an armie marche, incampe,
and faight with order, and expertly, the Capitaine leseth not his
honoure, although the battaile should have no good ende. Therfore, all
thauncient common weales, provided these exercises in maner, by custome,
and by lawe, that there should not be left behinde any part thereof.
Thei exercised then their youth, for to make them swift, in runnyng, to
make theim readie, in leapyng, for to make them strong, in throwyng the